Gerunds
1. A gerund is a noun made from a verb by adding "-ing." The gerund form of the verb "read" is
"reading." You can use a gerund as the subject, object of a preposition, or the object of a sentence.
Examples:

Reading helps you learn English. SUBJECT OF SENTENCE
 I enjoy reading. OBJECT OF SENTENCE
 Do you object to reading late? OBJECT OF A PREPOSITION
If we want to use a verb after a preposition, it must be a gerund. It is impossible to use an infinitive
after a preposition.
1. I will call you after arriving at the office.
2. Please have a drink before leaving.
3. I am looking forward to meeting you.
4. Cristal always dreams about going on holiday.
Identifying Gerund Phrases: Underline the gerund phrases in the sentences below.
Example: Brisk walking is Don's favorite exercise.
1. Keeping a light on in the house helps discourage robbers.
2. Mrs. Norman enjoys playing bridge.
3. I remember promising Steve my old bike.
4. Standing during a two-hour train trip is not my idea of fun.
5. Do you like sailing on the lake?
6. Volunteering at the hospital is just one of Helen's activities.
See answer below
1. Keeping a light on in the house helps discourage robbers.
2. Mrs. Norman enjoys playing bridge.
3. I remember promising Steve my old bike.
4. Standing during a two-hour train trip is not my idea of fun.
5. Do you like sailing on the lake?
6. Volunteering at the hospital is just one of Helen's activities.
Subject verb agreement
Basic Rule
The basic rule states that a singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb.
NOTE: The trick is in knowing whether the subject is singular or plural. The next trick is recognizing a singular or plural verb.
Hint: Verbs do not form their plurals by adding an s as nouns do. In order to determine which verb is singular and which one is plural,
think of which verb you would use with he or she and which verb you would use with they.
Example:
talks, talk
Which one is the singular form?
Which word would you use with he?
We say, "He talks." Therefore, talks is singular.
We say, "They talk." Therefore, talk is plural.
Rule 1
Two singular subjects connected by or or nor require a singular verb.
Example:
My aunt or my uncle is arriving by train today.
Rule 2
Two singular subjects connected by either/or or neither/nor require a singular verb as in Rule 1.
Examples:
Neither Juan nor Carmen is available.
Either Kiana or Casey is helping today with stage decorations.
Rule 3
When I is one of the two subjects connected by either/or or neither/nor, put it second and follow it with the singular verb am.
Example:
Neither she nor I am going to the festival.
Rule 4
When a singular subject is connected by or or nor to a plural subject, put the plural subject last and use a plural verb.
Example:
The serving bowl or the plates go on that shelf.
Rule 5
When a singular and plural subject are connected by either/or or neither/nor, put the plural subject last and use a plural verb.
Example:
Neither Jenny nor the others are available.
Rule 6
As a general rule, use a plural verb with two or more subjects when they are connected by and.
Example:
A car and a bike are my means of transportation.
Conjunctions and Interjections Test
Read each sentence, and answer each question carefully.
1. Micheal and Phillip tried out for the basketball team. Identify the conjunction in the
sentence.
o
Micheal
o
for
o
team
o
and
2. I like hip hop music, but I do like rock music as well. Identify the conjunction in the
sentence.
o
like
o
music
o
but
o
as
3. Not only tall but also slender, the dancer was graceful. Identify the conjunction in the
sentence.
o
not only
o
but also
o
not only ..... but also
o
was
4. We can go the movies or to the mall. Identify the conjunction in the sentence.
o
We
o
or
o
go
o
to
5. I can not decide whether I should go or stay. Identify the conjunction in the sentence.
o
go ...... stay
o
whether... go
o
whether..... stay
o
whether..... or
See answers below
1. and
2. but
3. Not only … but also
4. or
5. whether … or
Comparative and superlative
Choose the correct form of the adjective (comparative or superlative):
1) My English teacher is .......... (friendly) than my history teacher.
2) This medicine works .......... (good) than the one I took last week.
3) Who is the .......... (good) soccer player in the world?
4) She always gets good grades; she must be the .......... (intelligent) girl in the class.
5) Moscow is .......... (far) than London.
6) Which country is .......... (big): Mexico or Costa Rica?
See answers below
1) friendlier
2) better
3) best
4) most
5) farther
6) bigger
Adverbs
Positions of an Adverb:
An adverb that modifies an adjective ("quite sad") or another adverb ("very carelessly") appears immediately in front
of the word it modifies. An adverb that modifies a verb is generally more flexible: it may appear before or after the
verb it modifies ("softly sang" or "sang softly"), or it may appear at the beginning of the sentence ("Softly she sang to
the baby"). The position of the adverb may have an effect on the meaning of the sentence.
Functions of an Adverb:
Adverbs typically add information about time (rarely, frequently, tomorrow), manner (slowly, quickly, willingly), or
place (here, there, everywhere) in addition to a wide range of other meanings.
Forms of an Adverb:
Many adverbs--especially adverbs of manner--are formed from adjectives by the addition of the ending -ly (easily,
dependably). But many common adverbs (just, still, almost, not) do not end in -ly, and not all words that end in -ly
(friendly, neighborly) are adverbs. See "Observations," below.
Examples



Most companies pay taxes yearly.
The manager checks the toilets every hour.
The directors meet weekly to review progress.
Practice
1 My grandfather walks extremely
2 Your roommate is quite
3 We rarely
-
slowly.
-
-
shy, isn't she?
go to the movies on the weekends.
Click for answ er
Click for answ er
Click for answ er
What Are Reflexive Pronouns?
Reflexive pronouns are pronouns that refer back to the subject of the sentence or clause. They either end in –self, as in
the singular form, or –selves as in the plural form.
The singular reflexive pronouns are:
Myself
Yourself
Himself, herself, itself
Plural reflexive pronouns include:
Ourselves
Yourselves
Themselves
All of the above pronouns are used to rename the subjects of action verbs and function as different types of objects. If the
reflexive pronoun is taken out of the sentence, it won’t make sense. Let’s look at a few examples.
Examples of reflexive pronouns
The following sentences are examples of the correct and incorrect use of reflexive pronouns.
Non-reflexive: Adam e-mailed him a copy of the report.
In this sense the italicized words are not the same person. Him is not a reflection of Adam therefore it is not a reflexive
pronoun.
Reflexive: Adam e-mailed himself a copy of the report.
Here are the italicized words are the same person. Himself reflects back to the subject of the sentence which is Adam.
Non-reflexive: Allison accidentally cut her with the scissors.
Reflexive: Allison accidentally cut herself.
Non-reflexive: Brandon blames you.
Reflexive: Brandon blames himself.
Non-reflexive: Can you feed my guests?
Reflexive: Can you feed yourselves?
Non-reflexive: They cannot help the angry mob.
Reflexive: They cannot help themselves.
Non-reflexive: Carol poured her a glass of milk.
Reflexive: Carol poured herself a glass of milk.
Non-reflexive: The young girl was singing happily to them.
Reflexive: The young girl was singing happily to herself.
More examples of reflexive pronouns:
I gave myself 12 weeks to get in shape.
You should buy yourself a new computer.
Diane bought herself a new pair of shoes.
Jeff read quietly to himself.
The kitten groomed itself.
We treated ourselves to a night on the town.
The students are able to monitor themselves.
Reflexive Pronouns and Intensive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns can also function as intensive pronouns but they act a little differently and they aren’t used in quite the
same way. An intensive pronoun emphasizes its antecedent, or the subject of the sentence. These pronouns are
positioned right next to the subject.
Examples: What are the reflexive and intensive pronouns?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The mayor himself spoke to the crowd.
The girls gave themselves enough time to finish the project.
Help yourself to a snack.
The cat gave itself a bath.
The actress herself wrote the script.
Answers below
1. intensive
2. reflexive
3. reflexive
4. reflexive
5. intensive
Prepositional Phrase Recognition Practice
Preposition: A word or group of words that show a relationship between a noun or pronoun
(object of preposition) and another word in the sentence.
Examples:
The book is on the table.
The book is under the table.
The book is near the table.
The book is by the table.
Note how the italicized word (preposition) changes the relationship of the book and the table.
(Table is the object of the preposition.)
Prepositional Phrase: A group of related words that start with a preposition and ends with a
object of the preposition. In the sentences, above, the prepositional phrases would be: on the
table; under the table; near the table; by the table.
Common prepositions that introduce a prepositional phrase:
about
above
according to
across
after
against
along
among
around
aside from
as
at
because of
before
behind
below
beneath
beside
besides
between
beyond
but
by
despite
down
during
except
for
from
in
in back of
in front of
in place of
in spite of
instead of
into
like
near
next to
of
off
on
on account of
onto
out
out of
outside
over
past
since
through
throughout
to
toward
under
underneath
until
unto
up
upon
with
within
without
Directions: Write down the prepositional phrases in the following sentences. Some sentences
have more than one prepositional phrase.
1. It is an area with a beautiful view of sand and sea.
2. The table of contents is found near the front of the book.
3. The geographical center of the United States is in Kansas.
4. The first automobile show was held in New York City in 1900.
5. The inventor of the telephone was born in Scotland.
6. We stayed inside the building during the storm.
7. The box on the table should be taken to the storeroom before lunch.
8. The tempo of the music was too fast for me.
9. The bridge across the stream was destroyed.
Prepositional Phrase Recognition Practice- Answers
1. It is an area with a beautiful view of sand and sea. (2)
with a beautiful view
of sand and sea
2. The table of contents is found near the front of the book. (3)
of contents
near the front
of the book
3. The geographical center of the United States is in Kansas. (2)
of the United States
in Kansas
4. The first automobile show was held in New York City in 1900. (2)
in New York City
in 1900
5. The inventor of the telephone was born in Scotland. (2)
of the telephone
in Scotland
6. We stayed inside the building during the storm. (2)
inside the building
during the storm
7. The box on the table should be taken to the storeroom before lunch. (3)
on the table
to the storeroom
before lunch
8. The tempo of the music was too fast for me. (2)
of the music
for me
9. The bridge across the stream was destroyed. (1)
across the stream
Useful link
www.teachro.publiccomputingservices.org/grammarpractice/prepositon/prep
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
My sister broke the window.
My father cried.
Can you figure out the difference between the verbs (broke, cried) in the above sentences? I'm not talking about
the meaning; I'm talking about the grammar. In other words, how are these two verbs grammatically different?
We should notice that the first verb broke, has another word after it. The second verb, cried, does not have another
word after it. Generally speaking, we can say that all verbs in English can be divided into two groups--those that
must have a word (or words) after them and words that do not have to have any word after them.
This rule is simplified right now, but we will learn more later. For now, let's just focus on the simple ideas.
Let's look at the two different kinds of verbs.
Transitive Verbs
My sister broke the window.
In the first sentence, the word that comes after the verb, window, is the object of the verb. We say that window is the
object because it receives the action of the verb. All objects of verbs receive the action of the verb.
Here are some more examples of transitive verbs with their objects:
o
o
o
o
o
I sold some books.
I took the bus.
I bought a radio.
I understood her question.
I wrote a letter.
Intransitive Verbs
My father cried.
We can see in this sentence that there is no word after cried. In other words, there is no object for the word, so
there is no noun to receive the action of the word. Think about it--what could we say? My father cried something. Is
there a noun that we could use after cried? We could probably think of one or two nouns, like tears, or even, goodbye, but normally, we do not use the verb cry with an object.
In this case we say that this verb is intransitive because it does not have an object after it.
Here are some more examples of intransitive verbs:
o
o
o
o
o
I slept.
I coughed.
The glass fell.
My cat ran.
The sun rose.
We should notice that in each case, the subject is doing the action of the verb and nothing receives the action.
Practice Exercise: Write down the verbs in the following sentences. Then write after the verb whether it is
transitive (T) or intransitive (INT).
1. Jenny bought a present for Tom.
2. Jim is running in the track meet.
3. You will find the letter soon.
4. Have you noticed the broken window?
(Change to a statement before you decide on an answer.)
5. The soup is salty.
6. Mike is the second oldest in the family.
7. Linda gave Tony an award for his work.
8. The teacher distributed the tests.
9. Did you get a good grade?
10. Bob participated in the contest.
Transitive/Intransitive Verb Practice - Answers
1. bought (T) - transitive
2. is running (INT) - intransitive
3. will find (T) - transitive
4. have noticed (T) - transitive
5. is (INT) - intransitive
6. is (INT) - intransitive
7. gave (T) - transitive
8. distributed (T) - transitive
9. did get (T) - transitive
10. participated (INT) - intransitive
Using Commas with Direct Address
This will be a very short article, addressed to one simple rule. Use commas to enclose nouns or pronouns or a noun phrase in
direct address.
EXAMPLES: Identify the direct address.
6.
Dr. Harvey, will you have time to see Timmy on Thursday?
7.
I am delighted, Mrs. Smith, to hear that you will be joining us at the opera.
8.
Will you please, sir, speak more loudly and perhaps project your voice a little?
9.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have to decide on a nominee before we leave this room.
Answers below
1. Dr. Harvey
2. Mrs. Smith 3. sir 4. Ladies and gentlemen
Active Voice, Passive Voice
There are two special forms for verbs called voice:
1. Active voice
2. Passive voice
The active voice is the "normal" voice. This is the voice that we use most of the time. You are probably already
familiar with the active voice. In the active voice, the object receives the action of the verb:
subject
verb
object
>
active
Cats
eat
fish.
The passive voice is less usual. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action of the verb:
subject
verb
object
<
passive
Fish
are eaten
by cats.
The object of the active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb:
subject
verb
active
Everybody drinks
passive
Water
is drunk
object
water.
by everybody.