Grammar Course Book.pdf

8/21/2019 Grammar Course Book.pdf

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1 | P a g e O n l i n e T E F L C o u r s e s . c o m 2 0 1 2

rammar Course Summary

This course book contains all the unit explanations from the grammar course. You can download

this book to revise what you have done on the course or to read in preparation for an assignment or

for when you are teaching and planning grammar lessons.

Online TEFL Courses 2012

Online TEFL Courses is a part of the TEFL Scotland Group


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1.

Nouns: Page 3 to 11

2. Verbs: Page 12 to 41

3. Adjectives, adverbs & others: Page 42 to 49

4. Tenses, conditionals & other goodies: Page 50 to 66


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1.

NOUNS

Unit 1, page 1 (in course)

A 'short' introduction to the grammar course

Whenever you mention the word 'grammar' people shift uncomfortably and their eyes

glaze over.

People associate it with hard study, hours spent poring over large, thick textbooks,

trying to understand complicated and incomprehensible expressions such as progressive

forms, gerunds, adverbial clauses and past and present participle forms. Some people

are even confused as to how to spell the word: its grammar with ar, by the way.

However, as native English speakers, we use all aspects of our language perfectly. As

English speakers we never have to think about how to use English before we speak. We

just open our mouths and say what we want to. We never have to think whether we

ought to use an auxiliary verb before a past or present participle form, do we? Isnt that

wonderful?

When non-native students learn English they have to think about how our language is

structured. They have to learn how prepositions are used, how and when to use definite

and indefinite articles and how to turn a present tense verb into a past tense verb.

This course is designed to help new English teachers understand their own language. It

is unlike any other course in that it will break up our language into its simplest forms

and show you exactly how we construct sentences and how we can teach them to ourstudents. This course will gently introduce you to the grammatical terms that our

students use. It will also contain lots of examples and exercises so that you can become

familiar with talking about the English language.

It is generally believed that there are just nine parts of speech, that is, there are nine

different types of words. You probably know some of them.

1. Nouns

2. Verbs

3. Pronouns

4. Adjectives

5. Adverbs

6. Prepositions

7. Conjunctions

8. Determiners

9. Interjections


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This course will look at each of these in turn so that by the end of it you will have a

much greater understanding of how the English language works.

Before we look at these it would be good to ask just how many words exist in the

English language. This is not an easy question to answer. It is impossible to count the

number of words in a language because it is so difficult to decide how to count words.Lets use one word as an example:

photograph

This word can act as both a verb and a noun as shown in the following sentences:

I like to photographthe countryside.

I like to keep a photographof my girlfriend in my wallet.

So do we count photograph as one word or two? Also the word photograph has a

plural form, as in:

I have many photographsin a shoe box at home.

Do we count photograph three times then? Its a difficult problem for the people who

compile dictionaries.

Then there is the problem raised by all the foreign words that have been adopted as part

of our language. The English language has borrowed words from over fifty different

languages from around the world. Here are just a few examples:

Kendo (Japanese)

Hacienda (Spanish)

Zeitgeist (German)

Jodhpur (Hindi)

Amok (Malay)

Status quo (Latin)

Recipe (French)

Pasta (Italian)

The term borrowed is very interesting. Perhaps we ought to say purloined or even

stolen. We dont give these words back.

What about the many Latin terms used in science and medicine? What about dialect,

slang words, computer jargon or unusual idiomatic phrases common to only certain

parts of the world?

The second edition of the Oxford English Dictionary contains a total of 171,476 words

which are in current use and a further 47,156 words which are archaic and no longer in

use.

Of all the words we use in the English language about 50% are nouns, about 25% are

adjectives and about 15% are verbs. The rest are made up of prepositions, conjunctions


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and interjections. This means that there are around 12,000 verbs that are in current use

in the English language.

We use the word current because our language is constantly changing and evolving

unlike maths which has static and unmovable laws.

This course looks at how these types of words work grammatically within sentences sowe can better understand how to teach our students to create meaning in a language that

is foreign to them. In this way we will be able to foster communication in the Englishlanguage.

Unit 1, page 2

Names of things

A noun is often referred to as a naming word. When we refer to a thing we need to

give it a name and the words we use to name things are nouns. Both bookand tableare

nouns.

Nouns make up around half the words in the English language. It has been estimated

that there are around 80,000 to 90,000 nouns and this figure increases every day due tothe number of things we need new names for. A noun is a name for a thing. Considering

that there are a lot of things in the world around us, there are a lot of nouns.

There is a word for almost everything in English. There is a word for when you are

sleepy and you nod off and have a sensation of falling. It is called a myoclonic jerk.

There is a word that describes the sudden breaking off of thought. It is called

aposiopesis. There is a word that is a synonym of compassion. It is ruth. The opposite

word, still in common usage, is ruthless, the opposite of compassion.

In the mid-nineties how many people would understand the meaning of the following

words?

Email

PDF

Laptop Hard drive

USB connector

Word document

Excel sheet

Screen saver

RAM

Internet

Google

Text (as sent by mobile phones)


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Within individual fields of study we need nouns. If you are a musician, perhaps you will

understand the following list of nouns:

Crotchet

Semibreve

Treble clef Tonic note

Dominant chord

Cor anglais

Diatonic

Atonal

Andante

Appoggiatura

However, if your field of study is not music, then perhaps you wont.

All of the words we have looked at are nouns. There are many of them and indeed manydifferent types of nouns: concrete nouns that we can touch; abstract nouns that we cant;

proper nouns that we use to address our friends; pronouns to prevent us repeating their

names many times unnecessarily; group nouns; plural nouns; nouns that we can count

and those that we cant. We can even put two nouns together and make something

entirely different, a compound noun.

This section of the course looks at these things separately and in detail.

Unit 1, page 3

Concrete Nouns

These are things we can see and touch. They can physically affect us. Have a look at thefollowing list of nouns and ask yourself if you think they are concrete nouns.

1. Table 5. Wall 9. Smell

2. Chair 6. Glass 10. Heat

3. Classroom 7. Road 11. Electricity

4. Bed 8. Grass 12. Air

To determine whether a noun is concrete, ask yourself these questions:

Can I touch it?

Is it real?

Does it affect me in some way physically?

Can I see the effects of it in my life?

If you have decided that the above twelve nouns are all concrete, then you are correct.


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You can physically touch nouns such as table, chair, wall, bed, car and house. They are

all real. You can feel the effects of electricity when you power up your computer or

watch TV. You can breathe air which is made up of atoms and gases such as oxygen

and nitrogen, which keeps you alive. You can feel the heat of the sun or a coal fire in

winter. You can notice the smell of the countryside after a fall of rain.

Unit 1, page 4

Proper nouns

These are the names or titles we give to people, places and things so that we can easily

identify them. Have a look at the following list and ask yourself if you think they are

proper nouns:

1. Llandudno 5. Mr. Strahan 9. The Bible 13. The GrandCanyon

2. New York 6. MJ 10. Big Ben 14. The Yorkshire

Dales

3. Vietnam 7. The Lord of The

Rings

11. The Eiffel Tower 15. The Sahara

Desert

4. Joe 8. Gladiator 12. The Empire StateBuilding

16. Mount Everest

Proper nouns can be the names of places (such as towns, cities or countries), people

(including first names, family names or nicknames), books or films (such as The Lordof The Rings, Gladiator or even The Bible), buildings (such as Big Ben, The Eiffel

Tower) and parts of the world (such as areas of natural beauty, rivers and mountains).

Proper nouns are written with a capital, though there are one or two exceptions.

Unit 1, page 5

Abstract nouns

These are things we cant see or touch and they cant physically affect us. Have a lookat the following list and ask yourself if you think they are abstract nouns:

1. Beauty 4. Knowledge 7. Impartiality 10. Wisdom

2. Truth 5. Understanding 8. Dignity 11. Love

3. Lies 6. Justice 9. Strength 12. Hatred

Many of these nouns include qualities that we cannot touch. They can affect our lives to

a huge extent but they cannot by themselves physically touch us or affect us, such aselectricity or the wind during a storm.


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ABSTRACT NOUNS

There are three types of abstract noun:

1.Nouns that describe qualities, such as:

I promise to speak the truth, the whole truthand nothing but the truth.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I believe injusticeand freedom, but not necessarily in the American way.

I trust you understand theimportanceof the matter?

2.Nouns that describe states, such as:

The employmentsituation in the UK is not so good.

I live in hopethat the world will become a better place.

A good language teacher has a lot of knowledgeabout grammar.

I need at least seven hours sleepevery night.

It is my beliefthat we are not alone.

3.Nouns that describe events or actions, such as:

I have an examinationat 11.00am tomorrow.

The fallof the Roman Empire did not happen overnight.

I will write a replyto your letter later.

Her voice was low, almost a whisper.

The fightagainst Communism rose to a height during the 1950s in America.

Unit 1, page 6

Group nouns

Collective nouns describe nice tidy groups of things, such as:

A flockof sheep A herdof cows


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Unit 1, page 7

Plural nouns

Where there is more than one noun we usually add an -s at the end of the noun.

However there are a few irregular nouns in the English language which show theirplural form in other ways.

1. Some irregular nouns keep the same form for both singular and plural. For example:

There arent any sheepin Vietnam.

You cannot say sheeps. The plural noun is the same as the singular.

2. Some irregular nouns can use either an s or -es at the end of the word. For

example:

There are many fishin the sea. / Jesus miracle of the loaves and the fisheswas

incredible.

You can say either fish or fishes for the plural form

3. Some irregular nouns change altogether. For example:

Many childrencome to study English at KTV English School.

You cannot say childs. The plural form is children.

Possessive nouns

When a noun is owned by another noun, we add an apostrophe and an s to the first

noun to indicate the possessiveform. For example:

Marks new digital TV is cool.

Martins car is pink.

Catherineshouse is huge.

The first noun is not always a person. Sometimes an inanimate object can own orpossess something. For example:

The universitysacademic semester begins in September.

Japans main export is cars.

Please stand away from the watersedge.


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Sometimes the first noun will be neither a person nor a thing. For example:

For Petessake will you stop that! (Pete is not a real person)

MurphysLaw dictates that if something bad will happen to me, then it will.

(Murphy is not a real person either)

If the first noun already ends with an s we simply add at the end to indicate the

possessiveform, although it is acceptable to write another son the end of the noun. For

example:

Chris DVDs. (This could also be: ChrissDVDs.)

Bridget Jones diary. (This could also be: Bridget Jonessdiary.)

Jesusdisciples. (This could also be Jesussdisciples.)

Unit 1, page 9

Countable and uncountable nouns

Many nouns can be counted and these are called countable nouns. Generally when we

put the word one, a, "an" or many in front of a noun it is countable. For example:

I have oneapple in my hand. There are twoapples on the table.

There is adesk in my room. There are manydesks in the classroom.

There is oneCD in my bag. There are manyCDs in my house.

Some nouns cant be counted and these are called uncountable nouns. For example:

water (you cant say one water, two waters)

rice (you cant say one rice, two rices)

bread (you cant say one bread, two breads)

When we quantify a noun or put them in a box or a container the noun remains

uncountable .

For example:

Id like a glassof water.

May I have a portionof rice?

Could you cut me a slice of bread?

Here, glass, portion and slice are countable nouns but water, rice and bread

are still uncountable.

Sometimes we avoid mentioning the container but it is assumed. For example, Can I

have a cappuccino? Here a cappuccino refers to a cup of cappuccino, so in this

context the noun cappuccino is countable.


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There are some nouns which can be both depending on the context in which you use

them.

Look at this example :

This recipe calls for two eggs. (Countable)

Here the word eggs is countable. However in the following sentence the word egg

is uncountable. Can you see why?

The nutritionist suggested that I avoid recipes containing egg. (Uncountable)

Here the noun egg is uncountable because the word egg is used in a non-specific or

generic way. The speaker should avoid recipes containing egg as a product, not a

particular egg or eggs.

Unit 1, page 10

Compound nouns

We often take nouns and put them with another to create a new word or phrase. For

example, alarmand clockare two separate nouns but when put together they create anew phrase: alarm clock.


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2.

VERBS

Unit 2, page 1

The Infinitive Form

Verbs are very important words and are easy to identify.

Take a look at this list of ten words and check the words that you think are verbs.

Walk

Business

Write

Car

Climb

Girlfriend

Run

Mountain

Photograph

Speak

One of the easiest ways to identify a verb is to put it into its infinitive form.

All this means is that you put the word to in front of the verb. If you are able to do this

and it sounds okay then it must be a verb. You are probably familiar with Hamletsfamous soliloquy, To be or not to be. That is the question. To beis the infinitive form

of the verb. So, when you see 'are', 'is' or 'am' it is from the verb to be.

Lets look again at the words from the list above. This time these words have been putinto their infinitive form.

To walk

To business

To write

To car

To climb To girlfriend

To run

To mountain

To photograph

To speak

It is now so much easier to identify the six verbs, isnt it?

To walk in the rain

To write an email

To climb a tree To run a marathon


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To photograph the countryside

To speak a foreign language

But you cannot say:

To business To car

To girlfriend

To mountain

It just doesnt make sense and it sounds wrong. If you ever wonder if a sentence isgrammatically right say it out loud and ask yourself if it sounds right or not. It is

good to learn to check your own intuition or gut feeling.

As an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher you will often hear your students

speak sentences that you know are not right. Here is a good example:

I went to shopping yesterday.

You know instinctively that what your student has said is not right and although you

might not be able to explain why immediately, there is usually a reason and a

grammatical rule that explains this. As native speakers of English, however, it is good totrust our instinctive feelings.

Lets now return to the list of words above because we can learn something very

important about the English language.

It is not the word that is important but the way the word is used.

This is a very important thing to understand, especially as a teacher of English.

For example, of the six words above that we have identified as verbs, four of them canbe used as nouns.

You can go for a walkin the rain

People who enjoy climbing can refer to adifficult climb.

My friend, who enjoys exercise, often goes for a run.

I have many photographsin my album.

But notice that there is no such thing as aspeak or awrite. That is because these twowords can only be used as verbs. They do not function as nouns.


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Unit 2, page 2

The verb 'to be'

The first verb we teach our students is the verb be.

Look at these sentences from this dialogue:

Hello. Whats your name?

Im Michael.

The verb used in these sentences is the verb to be.

All verbs change or inflect depending on how you use them. Sometimes you can past

tense them by putting anedon the end and sometimes you can put aningon the end.

The verb be is an unusual verb. Thats because it changes or inflects depending onhow you use it. In fact the verb be can be used in eight different ways.

Look at these sentences and you can see how the verb changes in each sentence.

1. Iman English teacher.

2. He ismy best friend. / She isbeautiful. / The elephant isa big animal.

3. They aremy students. / We arein the same class. / You arean interesting person.

4. I wassad last week. / He wasin a difficult situation. / She wasa quiet child.

5. They werein the chess club. / We werewell matched. / You werein love once.

6. The man is beingstupid.

Here the construction is: auxiliary verb 'be' + present participle 'being'

Remember, 'is' is a form of the verb 'be'

We will look at auxiliary verbs and present participles later.

7. Michael has beento Vietnam.

Here the construction is: auxiliary verb 'have' + past participle 'been'.

Sometimes verbs have another form. The way be is used in sentence seven, been, is

called thepast participle form of the verb. We will deal with these types of verb later.This construction uses the auxiliary verb have which we will look at in more detail

later.

8. I have always wanted to bean English teacher.


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Here we see the be in its infinitive form. In this sentence the verb to be functions as

a noun. We will look at this in more detail later.

Here is a diagram showing the different forms or inflections of the verb be.

Unit 2, page 3

The conjugation of verbs

Verbs are unusual animals. They change depending on who the subject is.

Here are ten things you should know about me:

When I talk about myself I use thepronoun I. I will write my sentences in thefirst

person.

1. I amMark.

2. I eata hearty breakfast in the morning.


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3. I workas an English teacher.

4. I lovelistening to music.

5. I goto the cinema every week.

6. I playchess with my friend Michael.

7. I havea beautiful girlfriend.

8. I ridemy motorcycle into town most days.

9. I runthe movie club every month at my school.

10. I teachmy wonderful students.

I have highlighted the verbs in the sentences above. Notice that they are all intheir infinitive form (except for 'am'). Sometimes we refer to these as the present tense

form of the verb. The tense we are using is actually called ThePresent Tense.

Here are ten things you should know about my good friend Michael:

I will imagine that I am talking to him. He is similar to me and enjoys all the same

things I do. In fact, he works at the same school as me. Lets see what happens to the

verbs when I change the subject from the pronoun Ito you. I will write my sentences in

the second person.

1. You areMichael.

2. You eata hearty breakfast in the morning.

3. You workas an English teacher.

4. You lovelistening to music.

5. You goto the cinema every week.

6. You playchess with me.

7. You havea beautiful girlfriend.

8. You rideyour motorcycle in to town most days.

9. You runthe movie club every month at your school.

10. You teachyour wonderful students.

Apart from the verb be, which has changed to are, there are no changes in the verbs

at all. They remain the same. The verbs havent changed or inflected.


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Here are ten things you should know about my good friend Catherine:

I will imagine that I am talking about her. She is similar to me and enjoys all the same

things I do. In fact, she works at the same school as me. Lets see what happens to the

verbs when I change the subject from the pronoun youto she. I will write my sentences

in the third person.

1. She isCatherine.

2. She eatsa hearty breakfast in the morning.

3. She worksas an English teacher.

4. She loveslistening to music.

5. She goesto the cinema every week.

6. She playschess with me.

7. She hasa handsome boyfriend.

8. She ridesher motorcycle into town most days.

9. She runsthe movie club every month at her school.

10. She teachesher wonderful students.

Notice what has happened to the verb. Because we are using the third person, the verbs

have changed. On most of the verbs there is an s on the end. The exception is the verb

be, which we have already dealt with. Be is an unusual verb as it inflects in unusual

ways, unlike most verbs.

So lets make this rule clear. When we use the third personwe generally need to put ans on the end of the verb.

However, I have not been entirely honest about my friends Michael and Catherine.

Michael does teach with me in our school but Catherine does something altogether

different. I will now rewrite my sentences using the truth.

Michael

1. You areindeed Michael.

2. You do eata hearty breakfast in the morning and we often eat together.

3. You do workas an English teacher and you work with me.

4. You do lovelistening to music, as do I.

5. You do goto the cinema every week.


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6. You dont playchess with me, though I wish you did.

7. You dont havea beautiful girlfriend, though that may change in the near future.

8. You do rideyour motorcycle in to town most days.

9. You dont runthe movie club every month at his school, but you support it, which is

great.

10. You do teachyour wonderful students and they love you.

There are two things to note. The first is that the main verbs havent changed. They

remain the same. However, to agree or disagree with the sentence we use the auxiliary

verb do. We will deal with auxiliary verbs in more detail later. To emphasise the truth

of a statement we use the auxiliary verb do. To create a negative sentence we use the

auxiliary verb dont. Although the verb be has not changed, we do notuse the

auxiliary verb do with the verb be.

Catherine

1. She isindeed Catherine.

2. She does eatbreakfast in the morning but she doesnt eat a hearty breakfast.

3. She doesnt workas an English teacher, she works for the National Health Service.

4. She does lovelistening to music, as both Michael and I do.

5. She does goto the cinema every week.

6. She doesnt playchess with me, which is a shame.

7. She doesnt havea handsome boyfriend, she has a handsome husband.

8. She doesnt rideher motorcycle in to town most days, she drives her car.

9. She doesnt runthe movie club every month at her school because she doesnt work

there.

10. She doesnt teachany students because she works for the National Health Service.

There are two things to note. The first is that the main verbs have changed back to their

base form. This is because they are preceded by the auxiliary verb do. As in the

previous set, to emphasise the truth of a statement we use the auxiliary verb do.

However, when we use the third person the auxiliary verb do inflects. It becomes

does. To create a negative sentence we use the auxiliary verb doesnt. Again,

although the verb be has not changed, notice that we do notuse the auxiliary verb do

with the verb be.


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Here is a basic chart that shows how verbs inflect when we collocate them. I will use

the verb be:

I am an English teacher.

You

WeThey

are

He/she/it/Michael is

I will now use my favourite verb eat.

I

You

We

They

eat breakfast every morning.

He/she/it/Michael eats

Unit 2, page 4

Past tense - regular

When we talk about something that happened in the past the verb in the sentence

usually changes to show that we are talking about a past time. With many verbs we put

a simple -ed at the end of the verb. Look at the following examples:

1. Walked

2. Played

3. Intended

4. Watched

5. Loved

6. Printed

7. Talked

8. Introduced

9. Imitated

10. Smiled


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These verbs are all regular verbs. This is because you are able to put an ed at the end

of the verb when you are talking about a completed event. They are different from

irregular verbs and we will deal with these later.

Now say these ten words out loud. There should be 3 different sounds:/d/,/t/,/id/.Can

you work out which verbs have which sounds?

1. I walkedto the park today.

2. I playedsquash last week with my friend.

3. I intendedto tell you when I got here.

4. I watcheda great film last night.

5. I lovedsomeone once.

6. I printedout my work.

7. I talkedto her for hours and hours.

8. I introducedhim to the writings of John Irving.

9. I imitatedSean Connerys accent as best I could.

10. I smiledat the pretty girl.

Notice how the ending of the ed sounds fall into three categories:

One is a clear d sound shown by the phonetic symbol /d/ and you can hear it at the end

of the following verbs:

Played

Loved

Smiled

One is a clear t sound shown by the phonetic symbol /t/ and you can hear it at the end

of the following verbs:

Introduced

Walked

Watched

Talked

One is a clear -id sound shown by the phonetic symbol / d/ and you can hear it at the

end of the following verbs:

Intended

Printed Imitated


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Unit 2, page 5

Past tense - irregular

Verbs fall into two categories:Regular verbs andIrregular verbs.

Remember that regular verbs have an -ed form on the end when we use the past tense.

Irregular verbs do not have an -ed form at the end. They change in different ways.There are not many irregular verbs in the English language, just 245 that we use

regularly, but they happen to be the ones that we use quite often.

Irregular verbs tend to follow three basic patterns:

Verbs that dont change

Verbs that change their vowel Verbs that change altogether

Here are some examples of irregular verbs:

1. I beginevery day with a hearty breakfast.

2. My dog can givea nasty bite if provoked.

3. I buyall my vegetables at the Farmers Market.

4. I choosemy friends carefully.

5. I try to be careful not to cutmyself shaving.

6. I drinkbeer occasionally with my friends.

7. I eatout at least once a week.

8. I feedmy dog the best quality dog food.

9. I fly to Vietnam often.

10. I goto the beach every day.

All of these sentences are in thePresent Simple tense and they all use the base form of

the verb. When we rewrite these sentences to show that a thing has been completed we

must put these verbs in to the past tense. Notice how these verbs change.

1. I beganmy day with a hearty breakfast.

2. My dog gaveme a nasty bite when I provoked him.

3. I boughtsome vegetables from the Farmers Market this morning.


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4. I choseto make friends with her, but she let me down badly.

5. I cutmyself shaving the other day.

6. I drankfar too much beer last night.

7. I ateout last night.

8. I fedmy dog this morning.

9. I flew to Vietnam last week.

10. I wentto the beach yesterday.

All of these sentences are now in thePast Simple and they all use the past tense of the

main verb. But look at how the past tense is shown:

Beginbecomes began

Givebecomes gave

Buybecomes bought

Choosebecomes chose

Cut is one of the few verbs that stays as it is and doesnt change

Drinkbecomes drank

Eatbecomes ate

Feedbecomes fed

Flybecomes flew

Gobecomes went

Unit 2, page 6

Present participles

So far we have looked at present tense verbs and past tense verbs. Now we are going to

look at other ways that verbs inflect.

Verbs can also have aningon the end of them. We often use these verbs to describe an

ongoing action. Look at the following sentences:

1. Im watchingLostat the moment. Its so compulsive!


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2. My friend was tellingme the other day that I ought to see a doctor.

3. They are buildinga new hotel in my street.

4. My son is always failinghis exams. He never studies!

5. I was cookingspaghetti in the kitchen when the phone rang.

6. The greenhouse gases are pollutingthe atmosphere.

7. The book Im readingnow is about a girl who leaves her boyfriend for a married

man.

8. Look at that car over there. Hes drivingfar too fast!

9. Im meetingsomeone for lunch later.

10. Why are you workingso hard these days?

Notice that the verbs highlighted in these sentences all have two things in common:

1. The first is that they all have aningat the end of the verb. These verbs are

called thepresent participle.

2. The second is that they all have an auxiliary verb in front of them. This

auxiliary verb is always the verb be.

3. We will look in detail at how auxiliary verbs function later.

Unit 2, page 7

Past participles

So far we have looked at present tense verbs, past tense verbs and present participle

forms:

The present or base form of the verb for example the verb eat

The past tense of the verb for example the verb ate

The present participle form of the verb for example the verb eating

Now we are going to look at a further way that verbs inflect. This is called thepast

participle form of the verb.

It is sometimes difficult to identify the past participle form if the verb is regular. Look at

the following sentences:

1. I have watchedall of season four of Lost.


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2. She has failedall her exams.

3. He has cookedmany types of food.

4. I have workedas a teacher for over twenty years.

5. I have travelled all over the world.

6. Many EFL teachers have studiedthe English language.

7. They have walkeda long way today.

8. We have ignoredthe problem far too long now.

9. I have beggedmy girlfriend many times to come back to me.

10. Joe has wonderedwhether there is life on other planets.

The examples highlighted are all regular verbs and they all look like past tense forms,

except they are not. They arepast participle forms.

There are many reasons for this. Here are a couple:

The auxiliary verb have, has or hadprecedes the main verb making these

sentencesperfect tenses. We will look at theseperfect tenses later.

They do not refer to a specific past event. We usually use the simple past tenseto do this,e.g.I visited Bob yesterday.

The past tense forms of regular verbs have a simple -ed tagged onto the end of them.

There are a few exceptions such as verbs like study that end with a y, which are

replaced with an i. Another one is the word travelled which in British English picks

up an extra l.

It is easier to identify past participle forms when the verbs used are irregular. Look at

the following sentences and notice what happens to the verb when the auxiliary verb

have or has is placed in front of it:

1. I have eatenOkonomiyaki.

2. They have builta new hotel in my street.

3. I have drivenover the speed limit many times.

4. Michael has readmany books on the subject of love.

5. Weve already metour next door neighbour.

6. Hes beento Vietnam.

7. Theyve runa marathon.


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8. Shes swumin the Olympics.

9. My friend has donemany things in her life.

10. Joe has setup his own company.

Base form of the verb Past tense of the verb Past participle form of theverb

eat ate (have) eaten

build built (have) built

drive drove (have) driven

read read (have) read

With irregular verbs the past participle form can be treated in four different ways:

1. The irregular verb changes from the base form to the past tense then to the pastparticiple form. Good examples would be the verbs eat, drive, be, swimand do.

2. The irregular past tense verb doesnt change when it becomes a past participle form.

Good examples of this would be the verbs buildand meet.

3. The irregular verb doesnt change at all. Good examples of this would be the verbs

readand set, though the pronunciation of the base form of read is different from both

the past tense and past participle forms.

4. The irregular verb changes from the base form to the past tense and then changes

back to its original structure for the past participle form. A good example of this is run.

Unit 2, page 8

'To' infinitive and 'bare' infinitive

There are two main types of infinitive verbs. These are called:

The to infinitive verb form and the bare infinitive verb form

In this section we will look at more complicated sentence structures where infinitive

verbs are used following a main verb. In this section we will see how infinitive forms

are used after the verbsprefer,ask and let.

Look at the following examples:

Michaelprefers to watcha film at the cinema, rather than to renta DVD from

the video store.

Michaelprefers to watcha film at the cinema, rather than renta DVD from the

video store.


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There is no difference in the meaning of these two sentences. They are both correct.

Notice that the main verb isprefers and this is followed by the infinitive verb watch.

However the first sentence uses the to infinitive(to rent) while the second sentence

uses the bare infinitive(rent). There are some verbs and structures in the English

language that allow you to do this.

Lets look at another example:

Michaelprefers to talkabout his problems, rather than to keepsilent about

them.

Michaelprefers to talkabout his problems, rather than keepsilent about them.

Just like the previous example there is no difference in the meaning of these sentences.

They are both correct. In both of these sentences you can use either the to infinitiveor

the bare infinitiveform of the verb (keep).

However there are many occasions in English when you can use only one of the two.

Look at the above examples again. You cannot say:

Michaelprefers watchmovies at the cinema.

Michaelprefers to watchmovies at the cinema.

The first sentence, which uses the bare infinitiveverb form sounds like something your

non-native English learner would say and indeed many of our students often make this

mistake. The second sentence uses the to infinitiveverb form and by saying this

sentence out loud, you know it sounds correct.

Here is another example which shows that it is important to decide whether to use the toinfinitiveform or the bare infinitiveform of the verb:

Michael asked his son to put his toys away.

Michael asked his son put his toys away.

The first sentence uses the to infinitiveverb form and this is the correct form. The

second sentence uses the bare infinitiveverb form and this is not correct. Say the two

sentences out loud. Which feels better for you?

Look at another example:

The teachers let the students to leaveschool early today.

The teachers let the students leaveschool early today.

The first sentence uses the to infinitiveverb form and this is not the correct form. Why?

Say it out loud. It sounds wrong to native speakers. The second sentence uses the bare

infinitiveverb form and as you can see by reading it out loud, this is the correct form.


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Unit 2, page 9

Auxiliary verbs

In the English language there are strong verbs and there are weak verbs. Strong verbs

dont need any help and can sit in a sentence without any support. However weak verbs

need the help of small minor verbs called auxiliary verbs. The weak verbs arepresentparticiple verbs andpast participle verbs which you will be familiar with by now.

There are three primary or main auxiliary verbs in the English language. They are:

Be

Have

Do

These verbs can be used as ordinary verbs in their own right. They can be used in their

base form, a past tense form, a present participle and a past participle form.

Base form Past tense form Present participleform

Past participle form

be was / were being been

have / has had having had

do did doing done

However, their secondary function in the English language is to act as supporting verbs.Take a look at the sentences below and see how they are used.

Be

The auxiliary verb be (am, is, are, was and were) is used to support present participle

form verbs. It appears before the main ing verbs (writing, running, doing, playing,

holding) to support them.

I amwritinga very long book. He isrunningthe marathon next week.

People arenot doingmuch to help the environment.

She wasplaying games on her computer this morning.

We wereholding hands in the cinema.

Have

The auxiliary verb have (have, has and had) is used to support past participle verbs

where it appears before the main verb (written, run, done, finished, begun) to support

them.

I havewritten a few books.


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Michael hasrun the marathon.

We havenot done much to help the environment.

He hadnt finished his homework when I saw him this morning.

By the time I got to the cinema the film hadbegun.

Do

The auxiliary verb do (do, does and did) is used to support main verbs in question

forms, negative sentences and to emphasize the importance of something. It appearsbefore the main verb (like, love, enjoy, have, see) to support them. Notice that the main

verb is always the base form of the verb.

Dont you like music?

I dolove music, but not heavy metal.

Does she enjoy dancing?

Did you have a good time last night?

I didnt see you with your girlfriend.

Unit 2, page 10

Modal verbs

There is a small set of eleven verbs that exist in the English language that are differentfrom other verbs. They are called modal verbs. We use modals to give further meaning

and use to the verb and they operate grammatically quite differently from other verbs.

These verbs are:

1. Can 4. Should 7. May 10. Ought to

2. Could 5. Will 8. Might 11. Used to

3. Shall 6. Would 9. Must

These verbs are different to other verbs and are not as versatile. Here are the

differences:

Modal verbs dont have an infinitive form. There are no such collocations as: tocan, to could, to would or to used to.

Modal verbs dont have a past tense. There is no such verb as: coulded, musted,

woulded or oughted to.

Modal verbs dont have an ing form so they can never be used as a present

participle verb. There is no such thing as: coulding, shalling, maying or oughting

to.

Modal verbs dont have a past participle form.

Modal verbs cant stand alone as main verbs. They are only used as supporting

or auxiliary verbs. There is no such thing as: I can the piano. or I ought to my

mother. or I will my girlfriend. You must have another verb after the modalverb for the structure to make sense.


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These verbs are very useful and we use most of them all the time. Here are three

examples:

Can

If we want to express that we are able to do something or have a particular skill we usethe modal verb can. Look at the following sentences and notice that the modal verb

precedes the main verb:

1. I canplay the piano.

2. I cando card tricks.

3. I canride a motorbike.

Must

If we want to give a command or an imperative we often use the modal verb must. Look

at the following sentences and notice that the modal verb precedes the main verb:

1. You mustwash your hands after using the bathroom.

2. You mustnot eat food in the classroom.

3. You mustcome to class on time.

Will

We can use willin many different ways. We can express certainties, predictions, threats,

or promises to mention just a few. Look at the following sentences and notice how the

modal verb precedes the main verb:

1. I willbe 28 next birthday.

2. I think it willrain next week.

3. I willthump you if you go near my car.

4. I willpay you 5 if you clean my car.

There are other verbs in the English language that sometimes act as auxiliary modal

verbs. Look at the following sentences and see what they are, how they are used and

how they function:

I dareyou to ask the teacher.

I needto know what is happening next week.

I haveto speak to my teacher about my project today.

Dare is sometimes used as an auxiliary verb with the function of challenging someoneto do something. Notice that it precedes the infinitive form (to ask) of the verb.


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Need is sometimes used as an auxiliary verb with the function of expressing an urgent

desire to do or know about a specific thing. Notice that it precedes the infinitive form

(to know) of the verb.

Have (sometimes referred to as have to ) has a similar function to needand expresses a

responsibility on the part of the speaker. Notice that it precedes the infinitive form (tospeak) of the verb.

These verbs are not true modal verbs for the following reasons:

1. They can be used in the infinitive form

To dare

To need

To have

2. They have past tense forms

I dared him to do it.

I really needed you yesterday.

I had a great time last night.

3. They can be used as present participle verbs, though dareand needlook and sound

clumsy.

I am daring you to do it.

I am needing some sustenance right now.

Im having a great time.

4. They can be used as past participle verbs though dareandneedlook and sound

clumsy.

I have dared you to do it.

I have needed your help for many years.

I have had a great time.

5. They can stand alone as main verbs though with dareand needthe context would

need to be established.

I dare you.

I need you.

I have many things to do.

Unit 2, page 11

Transitive and Intransitive verbs

Just when you thought you had a handle on verbs!


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Transitive verbs:

When an action verb directs its action toward someone or something named in the same

sentence it is called a transitive verb. The person, object or thing that receives the action

of a transitive verb is called the direct object of the verb. Look at the following

sentences. The transitive verb is highlighted.

Scott took photographs using his new camera.

The direct object of the transitive verb is photographs.

Michael cookeddinner for Scott.

The direct object of the transitive verb is dinner.

The dog bitthe postman.

The direct object of the transitive verb is the postman.

How do you determine if a verb is transitive or intransitive? Its quite simple really.

You have to ask either of the following regarding the verb in question:

What?

Whom?

If there is an answer in the sentence, the verb is transitive. Look back over the previous

examples and ask:

What did Scott take? He took photographs. Therefore the verb is transitive.

What did Michael cook? He cooked dinner. Therefore the verb is transitive.

Whom did the dog bite? He bit the postman. Therefore the verb is transitive.

If no answer can be found, the verb is intransitive. More on those later!

Some verbs may be transitive in one sentence and intransitive in another, depending on

how they are used and depending on the context. Nonetheless there are some verbs

which are alwaystransitive or alwaysintransitive. A good dictionary will tell you if a

verb can be used either way or if it is always one or the other.

However things are not always as they seem. Some transitive verbs can have theirobjects left out of the sentence when the meaning is clear from the context. Look at the

following examples:

Brad has smokedsince he was fifteen.

The direct object (cigarettes) is understood. Therefore the verb is transitive.

She playsbeautifully.

The direct object (the piano) is understood. Therefore the verb is transitive.


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Intransitive verbs:

When an action verb does not direct its action toward someone or something named in

the same sentence then the verb is intransitive. Intransitive verbs do not have a direct

object. The action ends rather than being transferred to a person or an object.

To determine whether a verb is intransitive ask whether the action is done in some way,in some direction or to some degree.

Does a noun receive the action of the verb? If it does then the verb is notintransitive

because the person or thing that receives its action is the direct object. Remember thatintransitive verbs do not have a direct object. Look at the following sentences. The

intransitive verb is highlighted.

The teacher spokesternly.

What did the teacher speak about and to whom? No answer? Therefore the verb isintransitive.

Brad complainedbitterly.

What did Brad complain about and to whom? No answer? Therefore the verb is

intransitive.

When faced with a crowd of bullies, Michael paused.

What did Michael pause and to whom? No answer? Therefore the verb is intransitive.

There are actually two types of intransitive verbs, it's not only to do with not having adirect object. The verb "to be" (though not an action verb) is a linking verb and all

linking verbs are intransitive. Be careful though, because not all intransitives are linking

verbs.

Unit 2, page 12

Linking verbs

A linking verb relates (or links) the subject of a sentence to the object or an equivalent

word or phrase in a sentence. These verbs describe a state rather than an action. Look atthe following examples:

Michael Strahan wasthe first American teacher to be employed at KTV English

Language School.

The subject (Michael Strahan) is linked to the object noun (teacher) that is descriptively

equal.

Michael = teacher


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The roads to Llandudno from Penrhyn Bay werea slushy mess on Wednesday

due to the heavy storms.

The subject (the roads) is linked to the object noun (a mess), that is descriptively equal.

Roads = a mess

It wasa sad day for all of us.

The subject (it) is linked to the object noun (day), which restates the subject.

It = a day

This book could be his.

The subject (book) is linked with the pronoun (his) indicating its state of belonging.

The book = his (or belongs to him)

Thatshim!, shouted the woman who had just had her purse snatched.

The subject (that) is linked with the pronoun (him) which restates the subject.

That = him

Mark wasproud of his efforts.

The subject (Mark) is linked with the adjective (proud), his state of being.

Mark = proud

Citizens of Llandudno werefar safer in 1975 than they were in 2005.

The subject (citizens) is linked with the adjective (safer), their state of being.

Citizens = safer

When teaching English to non-native students almost every first lesson isthesame.

The subject (the first lesson) is linked with the object noun (the same) which indicates

the state of the lesson. It is not receiving the action of the verb as with a transitive verb.

Every first lesson = the same

The teachers job isto plan the best lessons for their students

The subject (the teachers job) is linked to a predicate nominative (to plan).

The job = to plan a lesson


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Batman said, I amthe Dark Knight.

The subject (I) is linked to a predicate nominative (the Dark Knight)

I = Dark Knight

Notice that the main verb highlighted in all the examples above uses the verb be. In

fact every time we use any form of be in a sentence (is / am / are / was / were / being /

been) as a main verbthe verb is always used as a linking verb. Please note that that isnot so when be is used as an auxiliary verb. In these cases the main verb could be a

transitive verb.

Linking verbs are always intransitive verbs.

The verb be is not the only linking verb. There are other words in the English

language which act as linking verbs. Look at the following examples:

An electrical fault appearedto be the cause of the fire.

The subject (an electrical fault) is linked to the object noun (the cause), which restates

the subject.

An electrical fault = the cause of the fire

Before his class, Michael seemedconfident.

The subject (Michael) is linked to the adjective (confident), which is descriptively

equal.

Michael = confident

When Michael shaved his head, he becameindistinguishable from Mark.

The subject (he) is linked to the adjective (indistinguishable). There is no real action in

the verb became.

Michael = indistinguishable

If you leave uneaten food on the table for one week, the room will smellterrible.

The subject (the room) is linked to the adjective (terrible or the state of being terrible). It

is not engaged in the action of smelling.

The room = terrible smell

Michael grewdiscouraged with the number of students who missed their

classes.

The subject (Michael) is linked to the adjective (discouraged or the state of beingdiscouraged). He is not engaged in the action of growing.


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Michael = discouraged

Scott doesnt like anything that tastesspicy.

The subject (anything, though the context indicates that food is what we are talking

about) is linked to the adjective (spicy). Scott is not engaged in the action of tasting.

Anything (food) = spicy

If an area of teaching methodology provesinadequate in a certain class, the

teacher should change the way he teaches.

The subject (teaching methodology) is linked to the adjective (inadequate). There is no

real action in the verb proves.

The teaching methodology = inadequate

Even though the students are lazy and never do their homework, Michael

appearsunwilling to give up.

The subject (Michael) is linked with the adjective (unwilling). Nothing in realityactually appears physically. The linking verb appears simply links Michael with his

state of being (unwilling).

Michael = unwilling

We gottough on the students, explained Michael.

The subject (we) is linked with the adjective (tough). The linking word got is not an

action verb.

We = tough

Other common linking verbs are:

Appear Get Look Seem

Become Grow Prove Smell

Feel Sit Remain Sound

There are some verbs in the English language that are versatile. They may be used as

linking verbs, transitive verbs or intransitive verbs. It depends on their function within a

sentence. The verb turn is a good example of this:

The teachers mood turnedsuddenly when the students misbehaved.


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The main verb (turned) is a linking verb.

The subject (the teachers mood) is not engaged in an action. The linking verb links

mood and a state of being (sour).

The teacher turnedthe pages quickly.

The main verb (turned) is a transitive verb.

The subject (the teacher) was engaged in an action (turned) and that action transferred to

an object (pages).

The teacher turnedsuddenly towards his students.

The main verb (turned) is an intransitive verb.

The subject (the teacher) engaged in an action (turned) and that action was done in aparticular way (suddenly) but not to someone or something.

It is good for a teacher to understand how verbs are used in sentence constructions. It

will help to understand how to teach their meaning and provide suitable contexts to helpthe students understand and learn English.

Unit 2, page 13

Verbs that are not verbs

Gerunds

There are three things that you should know about gerunds:

1. First and foremost, a gerund has the form of a verb, but it is not a verb.

2. Secondly, it is always a noun.

3. And finally, it ends in -ing.

Even though a gerundlooks like a verb, the context within which the word is useddictates that it acts or functions as a different kind of word, in this case a noun

functioning as either the subject or object of the sentence. We will deal with gerunds inthis section simply because the word is the form of a verb.

Look at the following sentences to see why this is so. The steps to finding a gerund in a

sentence is first find the subject and the verb to eliminate any confusion and then decide

what part of the sentence the gerund belongs to. Remember that a form of a verb thatends in ing and acts as a noun is a gerund .


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The subject and object are underlined and the verb is highlighted in the sentences. The

gerund (which can be either the subject or the object) is underlined and highlighted.

1. Our students enjoysurfing the internet as its a great way to find information

quickly.

The subject is students

The main verb is enjoy

The direct object is surfing and therefore a noun

A form of a verb that ends in ing and acts as a noun is agerund

2. I loveswimming every morning before teaching my students.

The subject is I

The main verb is love

The direct object is swimming and therefore a noun

A form of a verb that ends in ing but acts as a noun is agerund

3. Michael hatedplaying sports when he was at school.

The subject is Michael

The main verb is hated

The direct object is playing and therefore a noun


4. Many English language schools forbidreleasing student information to any outside

organisation.

The subject is English language schools

The main verb is forbid

The object of the verb is releasing and therefore a noun


5. Burning oil and splitting atoms arenot good for the environment.

The subjects are burning and splitting and are therefore nouns


The main verb is from the verb be ( are )

6. Smoking in class isforbidden.

The subjects is smoking and is therefore a noun


The main verb is from the verb be ( is )

Participles

There are three things that you should know about participles.


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1. First and foremost, a participle has the form of a verb, but it is not a verb.

2. Second, it can act as an adjective, an adverb or form part of a tense.

3. And finally, it ends in -ing or -ed or -en. A form of a verb that ends in -

ing or -ed or -en and acts as an adjective is a participle.

Even though a participlelooks like a verb, the context within which the word is used

dictates that it acts or functions as a different kind of word, in this case an adjective. Wewill deal with participles in this section simply because the word is the form of a verb.

Look at the following sentences to see why this is so. The steps to finding a participle in

a sentence is first find the subject and the verb to eliminate any confusion and thendecide what part of the sentence the participle belongs to.


participle is underlined and highlighted.

1. The teachers at KTV School of English becamea new force in Vietnam dedicated to

the effective teaching of their students.

The subject is teachers

The verb is became

The object of the verb is a new force

With that done, we can see that the participle dedicated is not the subject -

rather, it describes a new force, therefore it is an adjective

2. Transformedby the new Director of Studies, KTV School of English developeda

need for more interesting English lessons.

The participle is transformed which describes KTV School of English,

therefore it is an adjective

The subject is KTV School of English

The main verb is developed

The object is a need

3. Learning to solve grammatical problems in groups, the students beganto understand

how the English language works.

The participle learning is attached to the subject (it describes the students) so it

is a form of the verb acting as an adjective

The subject is students

The verb is began

The object of the verb is to understand

4. The idea of having a canteen, knocked around by the teachers, is becoming

increasingly popular among the students.

The subject is idea


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The participle knocked describes or modifies the subject and acts as an

adjective in this sentence

is becoming is the verb

The object is popular

5. The statement issuedby the Director of Studies notedthat a current weakness of thestudents was their inability to speak fluently.

The subject is statement

The participle issued is part of the complete subject, it is a form of the verb,

therefore acting as an adjective

The verb is noted

The object is a weakness

Infinitives

There are three things that you should know about infinitives:

1. First and foremost, an infinitive has the form of a verb, but it is not a verb.

2. Second, an infinitive can be a noun, an adjective or an adverb.

3. And finally, it is always to plus a verb.

Even though an infinitive looks like a verb, the context within which the word is used

dictates that it acts or functions as a different kind of word, in this case a noun,

adjective or adverb. We will deal with infinitives in this section simply because the

word is the form of a verb.

Look at the following sentences to see why this is so. Finding an infinitive in a sentenceis quite simple. First find the subject and the verb to eliminate any confusion and then

look for a verb with to in front of it. Then decide what part of the sentence theinfinitive belongs to.


infinitive is underlined and highlighted.

1. People, who hail the Internet as one of the greatest inventions, failto mention that itcontains a lot of useless information.

The subject is people

The main verb is fail

The infinitive to mention is the object of the verb

Therefore, it is a noun

2. Non-native students of English needto learn grammar.

The subject is non-native students


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The main verb is need

The infinitive to learn is the object of the verb

Therefore, it is a noun

3. Michael has arrivedto grab whats left from the picnic.

The subject is Michael

The main verb is has arrived

The infinitive to grab is an adverb explaining why or where they have arrived

4. Everyone hasthe right to defend themselves in a court of law.

The subject is everyone

The main verb is has

The object of the verb is the right

The infinitive to defend is an adjectivebecause it describes what kind of right

5. Teachers Guides areuseful to help teachers teach English effectively.

The subject is Teachers Guides

The main verb is from the verb be (are)

The object of the verb is useful and is an adjective

The infinitive to help is an adverb that modifies the adjective useful

6. Scientists are splicinggenes and manipulatingseeds to createplants that are

impervious to insects.

The subject is scientists

manipulatingand are splicingare the main verbs

The objects of the verbs are genes and seeds

The infinitive to create tells us why they are doing this

Therefore, it is an adverb

Unit 2, page 14

Quick review and Compound verbs

So far we have learned many things about verbs and there is no doubt about it, the

subject of verbs is complicated. Native English speakers use verbs whenever they speak

without giving them a second thought.

Lets have a quick review of what we have learned so far.

1. We have learned that there are two main types of verb: regular verbs and irregularverbs. Regular verbs have an -ed ending when they are used in past tense constructions.

2. We have learned that there is one main verb in every clause. A clause can be acomplete sentence. Complex sentences can contain two or more clauses.


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3. We have learned that you can easily identify a verb by putting it into its infinitive

form, as in to eat.

4. We have learned that there are two types of infinitive form, the to infinitive and the

bare infinitive form.

5. We have learned that verbs can have two participle forms, that is, the end of the verbchanges or inflects. These are thepresent participle form (-ing) and thepast participle

form (-ed for regular verbs, other forms for irregular verbs).

6. We have learned that weak verbs need support using the auxiliary verbs. There arethree primary auxiliary verbs: be, have and do.

7. We have learned that there are a set of eleven verbs called modals, which can only be

used as auxiliary verbs.

8. We have learned that verbs can be used as nouns, adjectives and as adverbs,depending on the context of the sentence and how the verb is used.

9. We have learned that verbs can also be calledparticiples when they are used as

adjectives andgerunds when they are used as nouns.

10. We have learned that verbs can describe an action or a state of being.

My, havent we learned a lot!

This is the last section on verbs and it will concentrate on compound verbs. This simply

means that some verbs need a lot of help and are sometimes supported with one or more

auxiliary verbs.

Look at the following sentences for examples of these.

1. I have eatena lot of food today.

2. I am teachingtomorrow.

3. I must preparefor my classes tomorrow.

4. Do you knowwhat the longest river in the world is?

5. I would have writtento you earlier had I known.

Can you see that these sentences need auxiliary verbs that support the main verbs?

We use have to support past participle verbs.

We use be (am) to support present participle verbs.

We use modals to modify main verbs and give them a precise meaning.

We use the auxiliary verb do for questions forms.

Sometimes we use modals and primary auxiliary verbs to support a main verb.


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3. ADJECTIVES, ADVERBS & OTHERS

Unit 3, page 1

Describing words

Opinion Fact Noun

A wonderful brown suitcase

A nice sunny day

A smelly rugby sock

If we are using a range of facts to describe an adjective they go in a particular order. Not

that you would ever use this many adjectives!

OPINION - SIZE AGE SHAPE COLOUR ORIGIN MATERIAL USE

e.g. a beautiful, big, antique, round, red, Italian, wooden dining table.

You would need to practise sentences containing 2 or 3 adjectives and refer to this. You

would also start at a lower level with OPINION then FACT before tackling morecomplex rules.

We also use adjectives after verbs that describe sensations and perception, such as

be/get/become/feel/smell/taste/sound/seem/and look, for example.

Are you hungry? I am thirsty. Be careful. I feel tired. That soup smells delicious. That

sounds great.

We need to make sure that students use adverbs after other verbs. And that they say

Drive carefully! (And not Drive careful!)


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Also, with verbs like look, it can be a little confusing. If lookmeansseemthen we use

an adjective, e.g.He looks happy. But if lookmeans the more activesee, then we need

an adverb, e.g. He looked happily at everyone.

Unit 3, page 2

Adverbs

These words modify a verb, adjective or another adverb. They can talk about how, when

and where we do things. Often we make adverbs by putting ly on the end of anadjective.

Adjective AdverbQuick Quickly

Slow Slowly

Careful Carefully

Serious SeriouslyBeautiful Beautifully

Warm Warmly

However, life is not that easy. Some adjectives are also built in the same way. Students

may find the following adjectives confusing: friendly, lonely, lively. These are

adjectives that just happen to end in ly.

Generally, adjectives describe nouns (apart from those few exceptions)

The big house.

The tall boy.

The red kite.

and adverbs talk about verbs. This is probably the simplest way to think about it.

He walked slowly.

He went yesterday. You speak French fluently.

Adverbs can also be used to describe adjectives and other adverbs.

I am really sorry.

He drove amazinglyquickly.

Some more exceptions

Some of the easiest words can cause the greatest difficulty like good, fastand hard.

He is a good guitarist.


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He is a fast runner.

He is a hard worker.

Fine. But when we use them as adverbs they can be a bit tricky for students.

He plays the guitar well. (not goodly!) He runs fast. (not fastly)

He works hard. (not hardly, this means something else)

Students just need lots of practice activities to get it fluent, so expect a few slip ups.

Recently it has become fashionable to use goodas an adverb.

How are you? Imgood. (rather than wellor fine). As a teacher, you need to teach thecorrect way of saying things first. At a later stage it would be a good idea to mention

that goodis often used in this way, especially among young people.

Adverbs of frequency

This is a lesson in itself. You may not teach all of them in one lesson in fact. But here

are some examples.

IMAGINE

Never, hardly ever, rarely, sometimes, often, usually, nearly always, always.

A scale is an effective way to represent these. You also need to help students with how

we use these in a sentence, i.e. where they go.

Some adverbs go after the verb and some before.

I never go to the doctor. (before the main verb)

I won the lottery recently. (time phrases often go at the end of the sentence)

I can hardly see you. (before the main verb and after the modal verb)

Rarely do I sing in the bath. (at the beginning for emphasis, need an extra

auxiliary verb like doto do this)

Unit 3, page 3

Comparatives and superlatives


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Comparatives

It's easier to show you what these are.

Scotland is warmer than Iceland.

Iceland is more expensive thanScotland. But Scotland is a lot friendlier thanIceland.

Here are the rules, with their inevitable exceptions:

Adjectives or adverbs with ONE syllable take er. Except for fun, bad and good,they just do their own thing.

warmer/colder/hotter/wilder/safer etc.

Adjectives and adverbs with TWO syllables ending in yand some other random

TWO syllable words, also take er.

friendlier/prettier/lovelier/narrower/simpler/quieter/cleverer

Other TWO syllable words take moreand not eras do adjectives longer than TWOsyllables.

more modern/more ancient/ more tiring/more boring/more expensive/more

efficacious

There are also other ways we can express comparatives.

He drove a little/lot/bit morequickly thanbefore.

The biggerthey are, the harderthey fall.

The morethey scream, the lessthey get.

Hes asmad asa hatter.

Its just asquick to walk asit is to cycle.

Superlatives

The rules for these are the same as comparatives.

The biggest building in the world.

The most modernarchitecture I have ever seen.

The friendliest person I have ever met.

The most expensivewine in the restaurant.

The irregular adjectives:

Adjective/adverb Comparative Superlative

Good/well Better Best

Bad Worse Worst

Far Further/farther Furthest/farthest


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When doing comparative and superlative in the classroom, dont try and do everything

at once. Spread it over 2 or 3 lessons. You might teach the more advanced expressions

like as...as etc. at a higher level.

Also remember you need three things to show the meaning of superlatives. So, if you

are using countries to talk about the comparatives and superlatives, you will need three,e.g. Moscow, Los Angeles and Aberdeen. Aberdeen is colder than Los Angeles, but

Moscow is the coldest.

Unit 3, page 4

Prepositions

Prepositions are those little words like at, in, on, with, of, to, by, about, into, against,

after, for, into, onto. Thats enough!

These are tricky, especially when students try to find the same in their own language.

One dictionary states 18 main uses for at. So the students will just have to learn that its

I go homeand notI go to homeorI am playing shinty at the weekendand not in theweekend.

Again, you cant do everything at once. You need to drip feed. You might spend one

lesson looking at time, e.g. on Monday, at night, at the weekend, at six oclock.

Another lesson at another level might be prepositions of place, e.g. The pen is on/next

to/under/behind the chair.

You might look at style. For example, as Winston Churchill said, Never use a

preposition to end a sentence with. So, Winnie would say To whom are you

speaking? and not Who are you speaking to?

Another area, which is vast, is phrasal verbs. There are tons of them.

But first, a question. What is the difference between a preposition and an adverb?

The mouse ran up the clock. (Preposition since uphas an object, clock) The mouse ran off. (Adverb since offhas no object and talks about the verb ran)

OK, now thats clear. When we are talking about phrasal verbs, we are not talking aboutprepositions as such, they are in fact adverbs. This is down to the use, the words havent

changed!

Here are just a few examples of the thousands of phrasal verbs.

Turn in Get up Come on Bring on

Turn on Get on Come under Bring up

Turn up Get down Come up Bring down


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We use these a lot. As an English teacher you will know the different uses. Also, as a

teacher, you need to make sure the students learn them and get plenty of opportunity to

practise them.

Unit 3, page 5

Conjunctions

These are words that join things together. In sentences, they join clauses together.

I stayed up late (clause) sinceI had a grammar course to write (clause).

Since is the conjunction here. Others are because, and, but, therefore, when, although,

where, despiteetc.

You want your students, certainly higher level students, to be able to express themselves

with more sophistication so they are able to write more varied and complex sentences.

Rather than

I was not feeling tired and I went to bed. (conjunction = and)

we want to see

Although I wasnt tired, I went to bed.(conjunction = although)

Relative pronouns, such as, who, which, thatare also types of conjunction.

I have a friend. She works at TESCO. This now becomesI have a friend whoworks at

TESCO.

Interjections

These are a part of speech. But little time is needed here on them. Examples ofinterjections are Ouch!, Oops!, Oh my!etc. These are words and phrases that come with

strong emotion and an exclamation mark.

Unit 3, page 6

Articles

Articles are determiners, but we'll treat them by themselves here. Were looking at these

three little words now because they are a bit of a mine field. Most western European

languages use a, an, thelike English and some of the rules are the same and some are

not. Other languages will have great difficulty in knowing when to use an article and


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when not. The use of definite and indefinite articles is one of the hardest areas of

English grammar.

A/an is the indefinite article and some/anyis often used as the plural of a/an. Generally

used when the speaker and listener dont know the thing talked about.

Can you pass me ahammer? (Any hammer, not a specific one)

Can you get me somenails? (Again, this is not specific)

The is the definite article. Generally used when the speaker and listener know the thing

talked about or when we are talking about something specific rather than general.

Can you pass the hammer? (Both the speaker and listener know which hammer)

Can you get me the nails? (Again, both know which nails are being talked about)

Uncountable nouns and plurals dont take a/anbut can take theand exist without the if

they want. Singular nouns take a/an.

Rice is good for you. (Uncountable noun)

The rice from India is the best./Rice from India is the best. (Either)

A grain of rice is a start. (Singular noun)

Oil is scarce. (Uncountable)

We use theto talk about unique things and with a number of expressions referring to

our physical environment or other features of our lives and to mean something/someone

that is well-known.

The world is not enough.

The French are stylish dressers.

The town is less preferable to thecountry.

The weather can be a little wet in Scotland, but themountains make up for it.

Thats Brad Pitt, theactor.

We dont use thefor proper names or things in general.

My names Bond (Not theBond)

Coffee is delicious. (Thedoes not mean all, so we leave it out)

We use a/anto talk about one thing when it doesnt matter which one it is, or is notknown. Or to talk about any one member of a class.

Lend me a pen. (Dont care which pen)

I live in a beautiful cottage. (The listener doesnt know which one)

An octopus has eight tentacles. (Any octopus)

This is by no means every single application of articles, but gives you a fair taste of thedifferent rules and also how different learners from different countries could have

difficulties simply because the rules are a little different in their own language.


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More on determiners

As we said before, articles are a form of determiner. Here are some more, in fact, lets

split them into two groups.

1. Those that help us identify what something is, whether we are being specific orgeneral.

Articles: a/an, the

Possessives: my, your, his, her, its, our, their, ones, whose

Demonstratives: this, these, that, those

2. These are quantifiers, telling us how much or how many we are talking about. Here

are some examples.

Some, any, no

each, every, either, neither

much, many, more, most

all, both


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4. TENSES, CONDITIONALS and OTHER

GOODIES

Unit 4, page 1

Present Simple and Present Continuous

In this, the final unit, we will have a look at building sentences. We shall see all those

lovely sounding tenses plus some lesser known specimens of grammar such as passive

voice and relative clauses (nothing to do with cutting your family out of your will!).

Youll also get some practical tips to help you in the classroom.

First lets jump straight into the tenses.

There are three times: past, present and future and 4 tenses for each of those times. (Plus

one little oddity!)

Theres no time like the present so ...

Present Simple

Lets first look at the form, that is, how the tense is built.

Affirmative/Positive Negative Interrogative/Question I work

You workHe/she/it works

We workThey work

I dont work

You dont workHe/she/it doesnt work

We dont workThey dont work

Do I work?

Do you work?Does he/she/it work?

Do we work?Do they work?

The form

Add 's' to the base form of the verb (sits, looks, hits, fits)


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Verbs ending in a consonant plus y, change y to i and add es (tries, fries,

cries)

Verbs ending in o, s, z, x, ch and sh, add es (washes, watches, does,

buzzes)

Note in the negative form the auxiliary verb doesnt has the s so the main verbdoesnt need an s.

E.g. She doesnt work.The same applies with does in questions.Does she work?

Some uses of the Present Simple

Habits or routines (On Monday I play tennis.I shower every morning)

Permanent situations, as opposed to temporary. (I live in Scotlandrather thanI

am living)

Facts (The sun rises in the East. Water boils at 100 degrees.)

Imperatives, like directions and instructions (Turn left, go straight on, walk overthe bridge...)

Newspaper headlines (Joe jumps over the moonis actually reporting a past

action, but uses the present simple)

Dramatic narrative (My mate goes into the room, the piano stops and then...

Here, we are using the present tense to make a story more exciting by bringing it

into the present)

Timetables and planned future events (The plane leaves at 10 tomorrow. The

show starts on Tuesday evening.)

Typical errors

Many languages have just one simple present tense used for Present Simple (I

walk) and Continuous (I am walking).

The s on the third person is often left off by a lot of levels, e.g.He eats

Some teaching ideas

Use timetables or pictures to talk about habits and routines.

Find someone who students ask and answer questions about what they do

every day/week etc.

Quiz for facts. Get some video footage to practise commentaries.

Who am I? Students ask questions in the Present Simple to find out the famous

personality.

Where am I? Students give directions on a map.

Present Continuous

This is also known as the Present Progressive and learners often confuse it with thePresent Simple.

Affirmative Negative InterrogativeI am playing (Im playing) I am not playing (Im not Am I playing?


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playing)

You are playing (Youre playing) You are not playing (You

arent playing or Youre not

playing)

Are you playing?

He/she/it is playing (Hes playing) He is not playing (He isnt

playing or Hes not playing)

Is he playing?

We are playing (Were playing) We are not playing (Were not

playing or We arent playing)

Are we playing?

They are playing (Theyre playing) They are not playing (They

arent playing or Theyre notplaying)

Are they playing?

Some uses of the Presen

Grammar Course Book.pdf

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