Introduction: The eight (8) lessons in this section cover such topics as Basic Sentence Structure, Making Questions, Giving Information About Yourself, Using Pronouns Correctly and How to Tell People What You Want or Have or Need.
Lesson 1: How to talk about yourself.
I = the word used to talk about myself. "I am Mr. G." , " I am a man." , "I am fuzzy." , "I am smiling."
am = a form of the verb "to be" used only with I.
(Note: In spoken English, "I" and "am" are often joined to form a "contraction" that looks like this in writing - "I'm" - and rhymes with words like "time" and "lime".)
I am + adjective. An adjective tells who I am, what kind of person I am, what I look like, how I feel.
Spoiler untuk Example :
-I am tall.
-I am awake.
-I am sleepy.
-I am tired.
-I am hungry.
-I am dirty.
-I am pretty.
-I am English.
-I am afraid.
-I am short.
-I am fat.
-I am thin.
-I am happy.
-I am smart.
-I am French.
-I am young.
-I am rich.
-I am sick.
-I am sad.
-I am unemployed.
-I am confused.
-I am Iraqi.
I am + -ing verb. This sentence tells what I am doing at this moment. "I am writing this lesson now."
Spoiler untuk Example :
-I am eating.
-I am sleeping.
-I am working.
-I am crying.
-I am walking.
-I am shopping.
-I am driving.
-I am babysitting.
-I am watching tv.
-I am writing.
I am + article + noun. Articles are little words that point out Nouns. They tell us that there will be a Noun ahead in the sentence. Articles are A, AN, THE. Nouns are words that name a person, a place, a thing, an idea, a feeling or an action. Any word we use to name something is a Noun.
THE is used to point out a definite noun, the only one of its kind, a special one.
Example: "I am the driver" In this group, I am the only one who can drive or who is responsible for driving.
Example: If I say "I am the doctor.", I mean that I am the only doctor here on this case or in this situation.
Spoiler untuk Example :
-I am the teacher.
-I am the boss.
-I am the janitor.
-I am the driver.
-I am the supervisor.
-I am the mailman.
-I am the doctor.
-I am the president.
-I am the owner.
A and AN are used with singular nouns. A and AN mean the same thing, but they are used in different situations. AN is used before words that begin with a Vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u) . A is used before words that begin with a consonant sound (all the other letters). This is to make it easier to pronounce the Article and the Noun together. A and AN refer to one of a group of similar things - not a special one or a particular one, just one of them.
Example: "I am a driver." There are other drivers; I am just one of them.
Example: If I say "I am a doctor.", I mean that I am not the only doctor; I am just one of them, a member of the medical profession.
Spoiler untuk Example :
-I am a salesman.
-I am a boxer.
-I am a gambler.
-I am a mother.
-I am an organ-player.
-I am an undertaker.
-I am an ice skater.
A, AN and THE must come before the noun they point out, but there can be other describing words between them and the Noun. Remember, use A before words beginning with a consonant (a boy, a dog) and AN before words beginning with a vowel (an ugly boy, an old dog).
Spoiler untuk Example :
-I am the only doctor.
-I am the school janitor.
-I am the main man.
-I am the boy's father.
-I am a good doctor.
-I am a careful janitor.
-I am a tall man.
-I am a young father.
-I am an awful doctor.
-I am an honest janitor.
-I want a pizza.
-I want a job.
-I want an aspirin.
-I want a new car.
-I want a drink.
-I want an orange.
-I want some change.
-I want a room.
-I want the newspaper.
-I want some water.
-I want some gas.
-I want the telephone.
Notice the Articles - A, AN, THE - and the adjective SOME. They all point out nouns.
• A is used before words that begin with a consonant sound. It refers to any one of a group of things. "A pizza" means one of the pizzas in the shop: not a particular one.
• AN is used before words that begin with a vowel sound. It also refers to any one of a group of things. "An aspirin" means one of the aspirins in the bottle or medicine cabinet, but no special one.
• THE refers to a particular something: "I want the newspaper." usually means today's newspaper or the most recent one. It could also mean the only newspaper in the room or the one on the table.
• SOME means an indefinite amount of the noun it refers to. "some water" could mean a glass of water, half a glass of water, or a bucket of water. The exact meaning would be different in different situations.
I need _ (something)_ .
Spoiler untuk Example :
-I need a drink.
-I need a job.
-I need a new car.
-I need a hug.
-I need an aspirin.
-I need an umbrella.
-I need an overcoat.
-I need an envelope.
-I need some gas.
I have _(something)_ .
Spoiler untuk Example :
-I have a headache.
-I have a toothache.
-I have a stomach ache.
-I have the newspaper.
-I have two sisters.
-I have an apartment.
-I have a good job.
-I have an idea.
-I have an apple.
-I have some coffee.
-I have some friends.
In the place of the articles (A, AN, THE), you can often use numbers or amount words: "I have a lot of time." "I have little time." "I have a cup of coffee." "I have two friends." "I need 5 gallons of gas." "I need three envelopes." "I want two aspirins."
I want to [U] (+ verb) +[/U] . This form talks about an action I desire to take but is not necessary.
Spoiler untuk Example :
-I want to go home.
-I want to stay home.
-I want to work.
-I want to sleep.
-I want to drive.
-I want to write a letter.
-I want to change shoes.
-I want to help.
I need to (+ verb) + . This form is used for an action that is necessary or important to take.
Spoiler untuk Example :
-I need to sleep.
-I need to exercise.
-I need to wake up.
-I need to buy milk.
-I need to go shopping.
-I need to study.
-I need to pay bills.
-I need to drive slowly.
I have to (+ verb) + . This form is to talk about an action I am obligated to do - very important.
Spoiler untuk Example :
-I have to rest.
-I have to work.
-I have to eat.
-I have to take a test.
-I have to pay my rent.
-I have to fix my car.
-I have to finish this job.
What is GRAMMAR? Grammar is the rules for using a language.
What is a SENTENCE? A sentence is a group of words that express a complete thought or idea. A sentence always begins with a CAPITAL letter and ends with a Period ( . ), a Question mark ( ? ) or an Exclamation point ( ! ).
SENTENCE PARTS
Every sentence has two main parts: a SUBJECT, and a PREDICATE.
Spoiler untuk Example :
~ I[Subject] fell[Predicate].
~ He[Subject] is lazy[Predicate].
~ The boy[Subject] kicked the ball[Predicate].
~ Those dogs[Subject] chased the mailman away[Predicate].
By looking at the examples above, can you tell what a Subject and a Predicate are?
Subject: Who or what a sentence is about; who or what does something in a sentence; any words that tell about or describe the main subject.
Predicate: What happens in a sentence; who or what it happens to; words that tell when, where, why or how the action happens; words that describe who or what the action happens to.
*NOTE: There are words called Linking Verbs that are always part of the Predicate but do not show any action. The most common ones are AM, IS, ARE, WAS, WERE, BE, BEING, BEEN. They tell about the existence of something or someone, not what someone or something does. They are called Linking Verbs because they link the subject to a word or words in the predicate that mean the same as the subject or that describe the subject. [*Explained bellow]
What are Subjects made of?
Spoiler untuk Answer :
~ ARTICLES:"A" , "An" and "The".
~ ADJECTIVES: large,small,tiny,green,yellow,blue,old,young,ancie nt,this,that,these,those,one,five,wealthy,tired.
~ NOUNS: man, boy, woman,horse, dog, cat,building, tree, road,happiness, sadness.
~ PRONOUNS: I, you, we,he, she, it,theywho, which, what,one, anyone, nobody.
~ PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES: of the family,in the choir,with a long beard,on the corner,without a spare tire.
Articles: Point out nouns; signal that a noun is close ahead in a sentence. Nouns can be used without an article, but articles can never be used without a noun.
Adjectives: Describe nouns. They tell what kind, which one, how many, what size, what color a noun is.
Nouns: Any word that names something is a noun. The name of a person, a place, a thing, an idea, an emotion, or an activity is a noun. If it is a particular person, place or thing (George, New York, Cadillac), it is a Proper Noun and must be written with a capital letter. If it is a general name (man, city, automobile), it is a common noun with no capital letter.
Pronouns: Pronouns take the place of nouns when we write or speak. (Tom did not come to work today. He was sick.)
Prepositional Phrases: These small groups of words tell us which one or what kind the sentence is referring to. (The building on the corner is tall. Which building? Not the one across the street or the one in the middle of the block, but the one "on the corner".)
Not all of these parts need to be in a subject, but all of them may be.This is how, using parts from the examples above... (predicates will be in parentheses ).
Quote:
He (was sick.)
The man (was sick.)
The wealthy old man (was sick.)
That ancient yellow truck without a spare tire (drove down the street.)
The great sadness of the large family in the choir (depressed me.)
What are Predicates made of?
Spoiler untuk Answer :
~ VERBS: am, is, are,was, were,go, went, come,run, jump, hide,like, have, take.
~ ADVERBS: very, hardly,quickly, slowly,now, then, here, there,where, everywhere,when, until.
~ ARTICLES:"A" , "An" and "The".
~ ADJECTIVES: one, five, many, few, several,big, little, old, young, pretty.
~ NOUNS: river, car, fog,concert, movie, play,pity, cheer, deer.
~ PRONOUNS: him, her,us, them, nobody, everybody.
~ PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES: after the party, before dinner,between the pages, on the roof.
Verbs: Words that describe or name an action; words that describe a state of being or existence. Every predicate must have a verb. Verbs also tell us when something happens or exists - in the past, the present or the future.
Adverbs: Adverbs modify (add to the meaning of) verbs. They describe when, where, why or how something happens. Adverbs can also modify adjectives and other adverbs.
Pronouns: Different pronouns are used in the predicate than are used in the subject. Subject Pronouns do it and Predicate Pronouns receive it. (They gave the balls to them. He showed the book to him.)
Examples of Predicates. (Subjects are in parentheses ).
Quote:
(I) am sad.
(He) walked.
(He) slowly walked home.
(She) threw the ball.
(She) quickly threw the ball to her teammate.
Before halftime, (she) quickly threw the ball to her teammate.
There are four main ways in English to form a question.
By making your voice rise at the end of a sentence.
By beginning the sentence with a question word.
By beginning the sentence with a form of DO.
By placing the Linking Verb or Auxiliary Verb at the beginning of the sentence.
Rising voice method: Any group of words you speak in English will sound like a question if you make the pitch of your voice rise at the end of the last word or on the last word. Pitch means the musical quality of your voice, not the loudness.
Quote:
This is your dog(low pitch). >> (statement)
This is your dog(high pitch). >>(question)
Since we cannot hear the rise or fall of a voice when we read written words, we have to rely on written symbols to tells us what the words mean. These symbols, called PUNCTUATION, are traffic signs for written language. The example sentences above would be written like this:
Quote:
• This is your dog. (statement)
• This is your dog? (question)
A period ( . ) at the end of a sentence tells us that the thought is finished and that the pitch of our voice should fall on the last word if we read that sentence aloud. This type of sentence is called a Statement or a Declarative Sentence and is used to give information.
A question mark ( ? ) at the end of a sentence tells us that the thought is finished and that the pitch of our voice should rise on the last word if we read the sentence aloud. This type of sentence is called a Question or an Interrogative Sentence and is used to seek or request information.
Usually, when you raise the pitch of your voice on the last word to ask a question, you also reverse the first two words of the sentence, placing the linking verb (am, is, are, was, were) at the beginning.
Quote:
• You are tired. (statement) || Are you tired? (question)
• There is too much salt in the potatoes. (statement) || Is there too much salt in the potatoes? (question)
• I am the last one in line. (statement) || Am I the last one in line? (question)
If the verb in the sentence is an action verb, you form a question by placing a form of the verb DO at the beginning of the sentence - DO, DOES or DID and raise the pitch of your voice on the last word.
Quote:
1. You have a nice car. (statement) -1. Do you have a nice car? (question)
2. Mary takes a nap every day. (statement) -2. Does Mary take a nap every day? (question)
3. Tom rode his bicycle to school. (statement) -3. Did Tom ride his bike to school? (question)
NOTE: When you add DO to a sentence to form a question, it takes over the jobs of agreeing with the subject and of telling us when the action takes place.
The verb have in sentence 1 is in the Present Tense; therefore, the verb DO in question 1 is also in the Present Tense.
The verb takes ends with an S to go along with the subject Mary (I take, you take, he takes, she takes, etc.); therefore, you must use Third Person Singular (the S form) of DO, which is DOES, in the question. Take goes back to the simple present form.
The verb rode in sentence 3 is in the Past Tense; therefore, you must use DID (the Past Tense of DO) in the question. The original verb, rode, changes back to the simple present form, ride. English only needs one verb in a sentence to show the tense and to agree with the subject.
Spoiler untuk More examples :
1. Henry paints the house carefully. (statement) 1. Does Henry paint the house carefully? (question)
2. They went to the theater last night. (statement) 2. Did they go to the theater last night? (question)
3. I play the piano well. (statement) 3. Do I play the piano well? (question)
4. Everyone enjoyed the concert. (statement) 4. Did everyone enjoy the concert? (question)
paints = Third Person Singular in the statement. Does = Third Person Singular in the question. paints becomes paint.
went = Past Tense in the statement. Did = Past Tense in the question. went changes to go.
play = Simple Present Tense in the statement. Do = Simple Present Tense in the question. play does not change.
enjoyed = Past Tense in the statement. Did = Past Tense in the question. enjoyed changes to enjoy.
Reversing Auxiliary Verbs to Form a Question:
When a statement contains a two-part verb ( have gone, will sing, can ride, had thought), the first part is an auxiliary verb or helping verb. To form a question with a two-part verb, the auxiliary verb is placed at the beginning of the sentence. The pitch of your voice also rises on the last word.
Quote:
1. Laura has gone to the store. (statement) || 1. Has Laura gone to the store? (question)
2. The old garbage truck had crashed into the wall. || 2. Had the old garbage truck crashed into the wall?
3. The ball in Times Square will fall at midnight. || 3. Will the ball in Times Square fall at midnight?
4. Gene can play the guitar. (statement) ||4. Can Gene play the guitar? (question)
Making Questions with Question Words:
When you begin a sentence with WHERE, WHEN, WHY, WHAT, HOW, WHO or WHICH, it almost always signals that a question is coming. It is not always necessary to raise the pitch of your voice on the last word if the question begins with one of those QUESTION WORDS, because they alone tell the listener to expect a question.
NOTE: An exception is when the words WHAT or HOW introduce an exclamation. "What a beautiful day it is!" "How terrible the storm was!" The double clues - the pitch of the speaker's voice falling on the last words and the verbs coming at the end of the sentences - tell us that these are not questions in spite of their beginning with WHAT or HOW.
Quote:
1. What time is it? [voice can rise (^) or fall (v) at the end]
2. Where are you going? ^or v
3. Why are the police coming? ^or v
4. How did the accident happen? ^or v
5. How much is that doggie in the window? ^or v
6. What kind of fool do you think I am? ^or v
7. Which dogs were chasing the car? ^or v
8. Who broke the window? ^or v
The term PERSON in English means who a sentence is about or who is doing something in a sentence. Most of the time, we know this by which pronoun is used or could be used. FIRST PERSON is always yourself; SECOND PERSON is the one or ones you are speaking to; THIRD PERSON is who we are speaking about. " I (first person) askedyou (second person) to invite them (third person) to the party."
PRONOUNS:
Spoiler untuk Example :
-1st Singular[SUBJECT]: I
-1st Singular[OBJECT]: Me
-2nd Singular[SUBJECT]: you
-2nd Singular[OBJECT]: you
-3rd Singular[SUBJECT]: he, she, it
-3rd Singular[OBJECT]: him, her, it
-1st Plural [SUBJECT]: we
-1st Plural [OBJECT]: us
-2nd Plural [SUBJECT]: you
-2nd Plural [OBJECT]: you
-3rd Plural[SUBJECT]: they
-3rd Plural[OBJECT]: them
A PRONOUN is a word that takes the place of a noun in a sentence when the noun has already been used earlier, when the speakers know who is being spoken about, or when people are speaking directly to each other. The following sentences will use Subject Pronouns, which are used as the subjects of sentences.
Quote:
First sentence, using a noun:
1. My name is Mr. Smith.
2. Stand up, John.
3. Mr. Smith is the new teacher.
4. Mrs. Roberts teaches Social Studies.
5. Frank swung the bat very hard.
6. OK, Class. Sit down now.
7. Ten girls wore new dresses.
Quote:
Second sentence - using a pronoun:
1. I am your new teacher.
2. Will you please read the first line?
3. He teaches math.
4. She will also teach music.
5. It broke when he hit a home run.
6. Did you finish the homework?
7. They looked very nice.
Quote:
which noun = which pronoun.
1. Mr. Smith = I
2. John = you
3. Mr. Smith = He
4. Mrs. Roberts = she
5. bat = it, Frank = he
6. class = you
7. girls = they
The next group of sentences will demonstrate Object Pronouns which act as direct objects (receive the action), indirect objects (receive something), or as objects of a preposition ( TO, OF, FROM, BY, WITH, AFTER, etc.).
Quote:
First sentence, using a noun:
1. A mother says to a small child "Come to Mommy."
2. "Mary, here are the test grades."
3. Martha sent Uncle Jim a letter.
4. There were free tickets for Larry, Moe and me.
5. The coach gave new uniforms to the players.
Quote:
Second sentence-using a pronoun:
1. Then she says, "Give me a big hug."
2. "I gave you a C on the test."
3. Martha sent him photos, also.
4. The coach sent the tickets to us.
5. He gave new hats to them, also.
Quote:
which noun = which pronoun:
1. Mommy = me
2. Mary = you
3. Uncle Jim = him
4. Larry, Moe and me = us
5. players = them
There are special forms of these pronouns to show ownership. They are called Possessive Pronouns. The form used with a noun is sometimes called a Possessive Adjective because it modifies, or gives information about, the noun: my, your, our, his, her, their.
Spoiler untuk Example :
~ 1st Singular[SUBJECT]: I
~ 1st Singular[OBJECT]: me
~ 1st Singular[POSSESSIVE]: my,mine
~ 2nd Singular[SUBJECT]: you
~ 2nd Singular[OBJECT]: you
~ 2nd Singular[POSSESSIVE]: your,yours
~ 3rd Singular[SUBJECT]: he, she, it
~ 3rd Singular[OBJECT]: him, her, it
~ 3rd Singular[POSSESSIVE]: his, her , hers ,its
~ 1st Plural[SUBJECT]: we
~ 1st Plural[OBJECT]: us
~ 1st Plural{POSSESSIVE]: our, ours
~ 2nd Plural[SUBJECT]: you
~ 2nd Plural[OBJECT]: you
~ 2nd Plural[POSSESSIVE]: your, yours
~ 3rd Plural[SUBJECT]: they
~ 3rd Plural[OBJECT]: them
~ 3rd Plural[POSSESSIVE]: their, theirs
• That book belongs to me. The book is mine. It is my book.
• Does that book belong to you? Is that book yours? Is it your book?
• That book belongs to him. Is that book his? Is it his book?
• That old car belongs to Mrs. Potter. Is that old car hers. Is it her car?
• Those fleas belong to the neighbor's dog. Those fleas are its. They are its fleas.
• The apartment belongs to Pamela and me. The apartment is ours. It is our apartment.
• Do these backpacks belong to all of the class? Are those backpacks yours? Are they your backpacks?
• Does that tent belong to the Boy Scouts? Is that tent theirs? Is that their tent?
Note: Possessive Pronouns come in two different forms: one form must be used with the noun it possesses - MY, YOUR, HIS, HER, ITS, OUR, THEIR. The other form takes the place of the noun and can stand on its own: MINE, YOURS, HIS, HERS, ITS, OURS, THEIRS. Two of these are the same in both cases - HIS and ITS.
Most languages use different forms - that is, different spellings or special endings -with their verbs to tell us whether the action took place in the past, is happening right now, is going to take place sometime in the future, happens often, or might not happen at all. This is true of English. Also, like other European languages with which we are familiar, many of the most commonly used verbs have the most irregular forms. [*Explained later]
Regular Verbs:
The infinitive form is usually made by adding the word "to" to the Present Tense. This is the base from which all the other forms are built. It does not show any particular time for the action. (Examples: to park, to watch, to call)
The Present Tense is used to talk about something that is taking place now or that takes place on a regular basis.
Spoiler untuk Example :
~"They park their car on the street."
~"Tom watches the football game on television."
~"We call my mother twice a week."
In the first two sentences, the action might have taken place just one time or many times - the sentences do not make it clear to us. Note the difference when we add more words: "They park their car on the street when the parking lot is full." This may have happened once before or many times, but the sentence makes it clear that whenever the parking lot is full, THEY will park on the street. "Tom watches the football game on television every Sunday." It is a regular thing for Tom to watch football on Sundays. He started doing it on past Sundays and will continue doing it on future Sundays.
Present Tense 3rd Person Singular - the form used with HE, SHE, or IT - ends with an ' S '. Third person means the people or things that you and I are talking about. (see Lesson #5) "Mary walks her dog each morning." "She walks her dog each night, also." HE sings; IT breaks; the President speaks; the car stops; Mrs. Smith bakes; Gina carries.
The Past Tense is used to talk about an action that happened before now, sometime in the past. The action is finished, completed. It might have taken place two minutes ago, last week, or a thousand years ago. The Regular Past Tense is formed by adding -ED to the infinitive form, or by just adding -D if the verb ends with an E (bake + ed = baked). Irregular Past Tense forms are ... well ... Irregular
Spoiler untuk Example :
~"They parked their car on the street this time." | The action is over.....the car is now located on the street.
~"Tom watched the football game on television last Sunday." | The action is over. The watching started last Sunday and ended last Sunday.
~"We called my mother twice a week." | This tells us that the twice-a-week calls started sometime in the past and ended in the past. We no longer call my mother twice a week. Maybe we call her three times a week now, or maybe we don't call at all. If we said, "We called my mother twice a week while she was sick." this would make it easier to understand that the two calls a week were for a special purpose - to check up on her while she was sick, and since she is well now, we no longer need to call so often.
The Present Participle of a verb is made by adding -ING to the infinitive form. When used with AM, IS, or ARE, it forms the Present Progressive Tense and talks about an action or state that is going on RIGHT NOW! It started sometime in the past and is still going on. The Present Participle used with WAS or WERE forms the Past Progressive Tense and is used for actions that began in the past, went on for a period of time, then ended in the past.
Spoiler untuk Example :
~"I am writing this lesson." EXPLANATION: The action is taking place right now and is not finished yet.
"I was writing this lesson." I began writing sometime in the past, but then I either finished it or got tired of writing, so I stopped working on it. The writing started, went on for a while, then ended - all in the past.
~"They are parking their car in our driveway." EXPLANATION: It is happening right now.
"They were parking their car in our driveway." This began in the past and maybe happened several times, but then for some reason, they stopped parking their car there. Could it be because we called the police?
~"He is waiting for a bus." EXPLANATION: The bus has not arrived yet, so he is STILL waiting. "He was waiting for the bus." He started waiting a while ago, but he is not waiting now. Maybe the bus came, or maybe he got tired of waiting.
The Past Participle of a verb must also be used with a helping verb. The Past Participle with HAVE or HAS forms the Present Perfect Tense. The Past Participle used with HAD forms the Past Perfect Tense. It will be the helping verb which tells us when the action takes or took place.
Spoiler untuk Example :
~"They have parked their car on the street." | This usually refers to a single action that took place in the past, with the idea that the car is still there. "They have parked their car on the street ten times." It still refers to an action that took place in the past, but might happen again.
~"He has waited for the bus for an hour." | He began waiting in the past and is still waiting.
~"We had called my mother several times." | The calling started in the past, ended in the past, and is over now.
The Future Tense of a verb is made from the Present Tense form plus auxiliary verbs such as WILL and SHALL. Often, the phrase IS GOING plus the Infinitive Form of a verb is used to talk about the future, although it is not a true future tense. SHALL is used with I or WE (first person) subjects; WILL is used with YOU, HE and THEY subjects (second and third person). The Future Tense is used to talk about an action that has not happened yet, but that is expected to happen sometime in the future. The future can be in a few minutes, tomorrow or next year.
Spoiler untuk Example :
~"They will park their car on the street." Parking their car on the street is an action THEY plan to take.
~"We shall wait ten minutes more." This puts a definite limit on the length of time WE expect to wait.
~"He is going to call his mother tomorrow." This tells us what action HE is planning to do in the future.
There are several other combination verb forms, each with its own special purpose and an official grammar title, but we will not cover them in this lesson. The main purpose for explaining what we have so far is to help you understand a chart like the one below, or to help you understand a listing for a verb in a dictionary where the principle parts of the verb are often given before the definition. In fact, this is a good reason to look up a verb in a good dictionary - to find out if the verb is irregular and if so, what the irregular forms are.
Spoiler untuk Example :
~Infinitive (base) form: to park, to sing , to carry ,to write , to take ,to be ,to set ,to think ,to drink ,to have
~Past tense:
1. parked (-ed)
2. sang
3. carried (-ied)
4. wrote
5. took
6. was (3rd person singular), were
7. set
8. thought
9. drank
10. had
~Present Participle:
1. parking (-ing)
2. singing (-ing)
3. carrying (-ing)
4. writing (drop e before -ing)
5. taking (drop e before -ing)
6. being (-ing)
7. setting (double T, add -ing)
8. thinking (-ing)
9. drinking (-ing)
10. having (drop E before -ing)
~Past Participle:
1. parked (-ed)
2. sung
3. carried (-ied)
4. written
5. taken
6. been
7. set
8. thought
9. drunk
10. had
NOTE: A dictionary will list regular endings in parentheses ( ) as we have in the chart above (-s), (-ed), (-ing) if it lists them at all. If the form is irregular or includes spelling changes (took, carried), they will be written in full.
Why do you need to worry about all the different forms? The best reason is so you can be fairly sure that the person you are writing to will understand exactly what you mean. If you use the wrong verb form, the reader of your words will not know for sure if something happened but is finished now, or if it is still going on, or if you are not positive that it happened at all. It is all part of CLEAR, ACCURATE COMMUNICATION.
English uses capital letters to point out important words. This is the one element of English grammar that always follows its rules. There are no lists of exceptions to memorize. That makes it easier for people who are learning English. All they need to do is:
• learn the rules, and
• follow the rules.
You will see many examples in your everyday life of the rules being violated by advertisers, by graffiti artists and by internet users. That does not, however, change the rules. It is important to write English correctly on applications, in resumes, in business letters and in other formal situations if you want the reader to have a high opinion of you.
Rule 1: All sentences begin with a capital letter.
a. This is my house. (statement)
b. Are you going to school? (question)
3. Watch out for the truck! (exclamation)
Rule 2: The proper name, the name of a specific person or thing, begins with a capital letter. All other important words in the name must also start with a capital letter. Words that do not need to be written with a capital letter unless they are the first word of the name are a, an, and, the, of, to, by, etc. (Following each proper name are one or more common names of the same type of person or thing which do not need a capital letter.)
a. Henry David Thoreau (a man, a writer)
b. Empire State Building (a building, a monument)
c. Grand Canyon (a canyon, a geographical wonder)
d. Atlantic Ocean (an ocean, a body of water)
e. Metropolitan Museum of Art (a museum, an institute)
f. Ford Explorer (an automobile, a sport utility vehicle)
g. Harvard University (a college, a university)
h. Union of South Africa (a country, a union)
i. Saudi Arabia (a country, a kingdom)
j. Saturday (a day, the weekend)
k. September (a month)
l. Memorial Day (a holiday, a special occasion)
Rule 3: Titles of books, songs, stories, works of art, magazine articles, tests, and other written materials must begin with a capital letter. Every other important word of the title must also begin with a capital letter. Words that do not need a capital letter unless they are the first word of the title are a, an, and, of, to, the, etc.
a. Winnie the Pooh
b. To Kill a Mockingbird
c. The Merchant of Venice
d. The Star-spangled Banner
e. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
f. The New York Times
g. How to Win Friends and Influence People
h. The Carolina Test of Student Ability
Rule 4: The letter I, when used as a pronoun referring to yourself must always be written as a capital letter.
a. I am not happy.
b. Am I the first person here?
c. Tell me what I have to do.
Rule 5: The first word of a direct quotation must begin with a capital letter.
a. "Who's been sleeping in my bed?" Pappa Bear cried.
b. The president said, "Ask not what your country can do for you."
c. The teacher asked, "Can you answer this question?"
Rule 6: Titles of people when used with their names or in place of their names must begin with a capital letter.
a. My boss is Mister Smith.
b. "Look out, Mister! You're in the way."
c. The members of the church waited for Reverend Jones.
d. The captain yelled at Sergeant Harris.
e. The sergeant replied, "Yes, sir, Captain. I understand."
f. My favorite queen is Queen Elizabeth of England.
There are other uses for capital letters in English, but these six rules cover most of the situations you will come to in your writing. I started to write about abbreviations, but the more I thought about them, the more confused I became. In general, abbreviations (short forms of whole words usually made by using the first letter or letters of the whole word with a period at the end to show the word is not complete) follow the same rules for capital letters as complete words do: if the whole word would begin with a capital, then so would the abbreviation.
a. My boss is Mr. Smith.
b. The members of the church waited for Rev. Jones.
c. The captain yelled at Sgt. Harris.
d. I work for American Telephone and Telegraph. (I work for A.T.&T.).
Certain factors have made the situation much more confusing. The United States has adopted a two-letter code for all of the states. Pennsylvania used to be abbreviated as Penna. or Pa. Now it is PA . California used to be Cal. or Calif., but now it is CA . Advertisers add or take away capital letters whenever they feel like it in a attempt to make their ads more effective. The internet with its domain names and e-mail addresses adding or deleting capital letters according to the requirements of a variety of computer software protocols has also thrown away the traditional grammar rules.
But in spite of all these factors, the rules of correct writing remain the same. Follow them and you will be seen as an intelligent, well-educated person by whoever reads what you write. (Unless you write stupid things correctly.)
End of lesson 1-7
-----------------------
Misc. Explanation for lesson 3:
N+LV+N and N+LV+Adj sentences: 'I am a teacher.' 'I am smart.'
These sentences consist of a Noun plus Linking Verb plus Noun or Adjective. All of these terms have been defined and illustrated in earlier lessons, but to remind you:
Nouns:
• words that name a person, place, object, an idea, a feeling
• words with which you can use the, a, an, this, that, or counting words
• words that tell who or what a sentence is about, who or what does something or is something
Words that can act like nouns in a sentence:
• verbs with -ing endings (gerunds) such as running, eating, quitting - they are the names of activities.
• gerund phrases such as going to school, riding my bicycle, dropping the football.
• Infinitive phrases such as to sit, to fix my car, to catch fish also name activities.
Spoiler untuk Example :
~ Running is my favorite activity.
~ Stopping the bus was almost impossible.
~ Eating was the cause of my weight gain.
~ To sit for a long time is difficult for some children.
~ Going to school is a real problem for me.
~ To fix my car was the purpose for taking the class.
In each of these examples, the -ing verb, the gerund phrase, or the infinitive phrase (to + verb + object noun) was acting as the subject of the sentence.
Linking Verb (see Lesson 5): These connect a subject noun with a predicate noun that means the same thing or with a predicate adjective that describes the subject. Example: The man was a lawyer. man = lawyer.The lawyer is dishonest. dishonest describes lawyer. The most common Linking Verbs are: am, is, are, was, were, be, been, become, seem, look.
Look at the sentences in the box. running and activity are the same thing linked together by is. To test that idea, reverse the nouns to see if the sentence still makes sense. My favorite activity is running. Yes, it does. The same is true with the next sentence - The cause of my weight gain was eating. This should work for most, if not all, N+LV+N sentences.
The situation is a little different with N+LV+Adj sentences. These usually cannot be reversed and still make sense. (Almost impossible was stopping the bus. This is not a good sentence.) Notice, however, that the phrase 'almost impossible' describes the subject 'stopping the bus', and the Linking Verb 'was' joins those thoughts together.
Adjectives: words that modify or describe nouns. They tell which one, what kind, how large or small, what color, how many. In the sentence "To sit for a long time is difficult for some children." , the adjective 'difficult' describes what it is like 'To sit for a long time'. The subject and the description are linked by the verb 'is'.
17-06-09, 14:10
JasonBlake
Misc. Explanations
Thread opened for discussions , questions , and etc. :)
Try to use english okay .. :psmile:
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Grammar Rules for Possessive Nouns
Five basic grammar rules cover the majority of instances where writers encounter possessive nouns.
Rule #1: Making singular nouns possessive
Add an apostrophe + s to most singular nouns and to plural nouns that do not end in s.
You’ll use this rule the most, so pay particular attention to it. English has some words that are plural but do not add an ‘s’. Words like children, sheep, women and men are such words. These plural words are treated as if they were singular words when making noun possessives.
Rule #2: Making plural nouns possessive
Add an apostrophe only to plural nouns that already end in s.
You don’t need to add an extra ‘s’ to plural nouns that already end with the letter ‘s’. Simply tuck the apostrophe onto the end to indicate that the plural noun is now a plural possessive noun.
Rule #3: Making hyphenated nouns and compound nouns plural.
Compound and hyphenated words can be tricky. Add the apostrophe + s to the end of the compound words or the last word in a hyphenated noun.
Examples:
~ My mother-in-law’s recipe for meatloaf is my husband’s favorite.
~ The United States Post Office’s stamps are available in roll or in packets.
Rule #4: Indicating possession when two nouns are joined together.
You may be writing about two people or two places or things that share possession of an object. If two nouns share ownership, indicate possession only once, and on the second noun. Add the apostrophe + s to the second noun only.
Examples:
~ Jack and Jill’s pail of water features prominently in the nursery rhyme.
~ Abbot and Costello’s comedy skit “Who’s On First” is a classic act.
Rule #5: Indicating possession when two nouns are joined, and ownership is separate.
This is the trickiest of all, but thankfully you’ll probably need this rule infrequently. When two nouns indicate ownership, but the ownership is separate, each noun gets the apostrophe + s. The examples below may help you understand exactly what this means.
Example:
~ Lucy’s and Ricky’s dressing rooms were painted pink and blue. (Each owns his or her own dressing room, and they are different rooms).
~ Senator Obama’s and Senator Clinton’s educations are outstanding. (Each senator owns his or her education, but they attained separate educations).
---------------------------------------------
Active / Passive Verb Forms
Sentences can be active or passive. Therefore, tenses also have "active forms" and "passive forms." You must learn to recognize the difference to successfully speak English.
Active Form
In active sentences, the thing doing the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing receiving the action is the object. Most sentences are active.
(Subject doing the action + verb +object receiving the action)
The Professor teaches the students
(Subject doing the action + verb + object receiving the action)
John Washes the dishes
Passive Form
In passive sentences, the thing receiving the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing doing the action is optionally included near the end of the sentence. You can use the passive form if you think that the thing receiving the action is more important or should be emphasized. You can also use the passive form if you do not know who is doing the action or if you do not want to mention who is doing the action.
(Subject receiving action + Passive Verb +doing action)
The students are taught by the professor
(Subject receiving action + Passive Verb +doing action)
The dishes are washed by John
17-06-09, 14:21
Colour-ID
bagaimana cara memberitahu bahwa benda itu milik org lain..??
25-06-09, 00:31
makanenak
You must be willing to type those Wall of text. But nevermind, good job.
By the way, In this thread you introduce Basics of English, right?
But the language that u use in this thread is rather not simple.
Conclusion : This thread is talking about Basics of english, But you won't understand what this thread talking about unless they have understood the basics itself. I hope you get it.
I personally sick of those English Formula. Instead of memorizing those formula, i'd prefer to learn from examples rather than those.
Overall : Nice
10-07-09, 10:13
shini
@TS,
wow, imba!! thanks for sharing, bro!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by makanenak
You must be willing to type those Wall of text. But nevermind, good job.
By the way, In this thread you introduce Basics of English, right? (1)But the language that u use in this thread is rather not simple.
Conclusion : This thread is talking about Basics of english, But you won't understand what this thread talking about unless they have understood the (2a)basics itself. I hope you get it.
I personally sick of those English Formula. Instead of memorizing those formula, i'd prefer to learn from (2b)examples rather than those.
Overall : Nice
(1)
i consider those as basic grammar. there are things more basic than grammar, things that kids learn in elementary school; where they just need to memorize the words, not caring the grammar and other stuffs.
(2)
a. which basic do you mean?
b. as you said, you need to understand the basic first. you can read the examples after reading the formula, then go to the examples and get back to the formula, back and forth for more understanding. learning from examples can be done after, as you said, you already understand the basic.
so; yes, you have to force yourself reading and memorizing first, for such a long time, then you can reach the state you are in now.
^^
30-07-09, 21:13
-Jablay_Ozone-
gimme some ex for active and passive words bro.
it's like changing an active sentence into passive sentence
and from passive into active sentence
also give me the equation
thanks
and verb's compilation maybe hehehehe
31-07-09, 09:47
JasonBlake
Quote:
Originally Posted by -******_Ozone-
gimme some ex for active and passive words bro.
it's like changing an active sentence into passive sentence
and from passive into active sentence
also give me the equation
thanks
and verb's compilation maybe hehehehe
answered in post number 2 ^^
31-07-09, 13:06
inter-10
keren gan!
Lesson 6: The different forms of verbs
remembering what we studied at Junior high school.
indonesian usually talk in present mode only. this is one of different way to foreign man.
