Dear Students,
Here are some GRAMMAR POINTS for you.
They will help you to review basic English grammar rules and to translate the texts.
Read carefully and do the exercises below.
GRAMMAR
SECTION I:
Subject
and Verb Agreement
|
MEANING
|
Subject verb agreement simply means
the subject and verb must
agree in number. This means both need to be singular or both need to be plural.
If the subject is
singular, the verb must
be singular too. If the subject is
plural, the verb must
also be plural. When the subject of
the sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns connected by and, use
a plural verb.
10 rules of Subject Verb Agreement
|
Rules
|
Explanations
|
Examples
|
|
Rule 1
|
The subject and verb must agree in number: both must be singular, or
both must be plural.
|
Mr. Kent, accompanied by his business partners, is
arriving tonight at the Chingis Khan airport. (Singular) Overnight guests of Russia need to
ensure the main entrance locked at all times. (Plural)
|
|
Rule 2
|
The number of the subject (singular or plural) is not changed by words
(or a phrase) that come in between the subject and the verb.
|
One of the boxes in the factory is open. Here the
subject “one” and the verb are both singular.
|
|
Rule 3
|
Some subjects always take a singular verb even though the meaning may
seem plural.
|
Someone in the factory was
hurt.
|
|
Rule 4
|
The following words may be singular or plural, depending upon their use
in a sentence: some, any, all, most etc.
|
Most of the news
is good. (Singular) Most of the flowers were yellow.
|
|
Rule 5
|
Subjects joined by “and”
are plural. Subjects joined by “or” or “Nor” take a verb that agrees
with the last subject.
|
Bob and George are leaving. Neither Bob nor George is leaving.
|
|
Rule 6
|
“There” and “here” are never subjects. In sentences that begin with
these words, the subject is usually found later on in the sentence.
|
There were five books on
the shelf. (were, agrees with the subject “book”)
|
|
Rule 7
|
Collective nouns may be singular or plural, depending on their use in
the sentence.
|
The
orchestra is playing a hit song. (Orchestra is considered as one unit—singular) The orchestras
were asked to give their musical backgrounds. (Orchestra is considered as separate units-plural)
|
|
Rule 8
|
Some nouns, while plural in
form, are actually singular in meaning.
|
Mathematics is (not are) an easy subject for some people.
|
|
Rule 9
|
“Doesn’t” is a contraction of “does not” and should be used only with a
singular subject. “Don’t” is a contraction of “do not” and should be used
only with a plural subject.
|
He doesn’t (does not)
like it.
|
|
Rule 10
|
Nouns such as ‘civics’,
‘mathematics’, ‘dollars’, and ‘news’ require singular verbs.
|
million dollars is needed to renovate that
building.
|
|
PRACTICE
|
Exercise
1: Choose the correct item.
1. You should take mathematics, which
________ the core course in computer engineering.
a. will b.is
c. were d. are
2. Providing generous fringe benefits
______ essential to attract qualified employees.
a.
are b. were c.is d.
has
3. If you have any requests that ________
be mentioned in the report, please e-mail me before sending the
first
draft to the publisher.
a.
needing b. needs to c. need to d. need
4. All of the agency’s recommendations in
its report ________ implemented by the Ministry of
Transportation.
a.
has b. has been c. have been d. have
5. Orders that are placed on-line usually
_______ faster than via the United Parcel Service.
a.
arrives b.be arrived c. arrive d. is
arriving
6. Television _______ viewers to
experience an event without any loss of immediacy.
a. to allow b. allowing c.
allow d. allows
7. The
movie, including all the previews, _________ about two hours to watch.
a. take b. takes c.
are taking d. to take
8.
Mathematics __________ John's favorite subject, while Civics (is, are) Andrea's
favorite subject.
a. are b. be c.
is d. been
9. Either
my shoes or your coat ___________ always on the floor.
a. are b. be c.
is d. been
10. Nobody
_________ the trouble I've seen.
a. known b. knows c.
know d. is known
Exercise 2: Circle the correct form of the
verb in the sentences
1. The sales manager leads/lead a training
session for new staff.
2. Both the database and the timetable have/has
to be updated.
3. Running a business is/are difficult.
4. To complete this report by Friday is/are
my goal.
5. Over half of the survey respondents consider/considers
the city’s garbage collection fees to be too high.
6. The lawyer and his legal assistant are
preparing/is preparing the documents for the hearing.
7. The committee debates/ debate these
questions carefully.
8. The committee members leads/ lead very
different lives in private.
9. The Prime Minister, together with his
wife, greets/greet the press cordially.
10. All of the CDs, even the scratched one, is/are
in this case.
GRAMMAR SECTION
II:
The
Passive Voice
|
MEANING
|
The passive form of a verb is used
frequently in classifying and in all scientific writing. This is because the emphasis in science is
usually on the action not on the person performing the action. A sentence is
active if the subject performs the action. It is passive if the subject
receives the action.
Formula
for a passive sentence.
|
Active Voice
|
Subject + Infinitive + Object
|
Scientists classify mercury as a
metal.
|
|
Passive Voice
|
Subject + to be + Past Participle + by object
|
Mercury
is classified as a metal (by scientists).
|
If the action is in the present, use the
present form of the verb to be is if
the subject is singular, are if the
subject is plural. If the action is in the past, use the past tense of the verb
to be: was or were. When there is a
modal like: can or must, use can be
or must be. In the example above, the
by-phrase (by scientists) is not used because it is understood. Here are some
active sentences and their corresponding passive forms.
|
Active
|
Passive
|
|
We use lasers in the place of needles in
compact disk recordings.
|
Lasers are used in the place of in
needles in compact disk recordings.
|
|
They discovered diamonds in South Africa
in the nineteenth century.
|
Diamonds were discovered in South Africa
in the nineteenth century.
|
|
James Watson and Francis Crick
formulated the theory of the double helix.
|
The theory of the double helix was
formulated by James Watson and Francis Crick.
|
|
Our English teacher may give an exam
today.
|
An exam may be given by our English
teacher today.
|
|
PRACTICE
|
Exercise
1: Change each of the following active
sentences to the passive form.
Example.
We extract sulfur from volcanic rock. 
Sulfur is
extracted from volcanic rock.
Sulfur is
extracted from volcanic rock.
1.
Workers
completed the Panama Canal in 1914.
2.
Chemists
can extract nitrogen from the air.
3.
Biologists
sometimes classify simple one-celled plants and animals together.
4.
We
may define artificial intelligence as the capacity of a computer to imitate
human reasoning.
5.
The
authorities temporarily suspended the American space shuttle program after the
accident in 1986.
6.
The
white corpuscles in the blood destroy bacteria.
Exercise
2: Choose the correct item.
1. Safety glasses _____________ worn if needed.
a. should be
b.
should to be c. should
been d. should being
2.
Different types of connectors _____________ to serve people’s needs. a. is used b. are used
c. used d.
uses
3.
The Awards to ‘The Engineer of the Year’ ________ first _________ in 1986.
a. was/ to organize b.
was/ organizing c. was /organized d. were /organized
4. Pneumonia can _________ by penicillin.
a. be cured b. is cured
c. was cured d.
cured
5.
Buried service entrances _________________
by some customers.
a. is preferred b.
preferred c. are preferred
d. prefer
Exercise 3: Choose
the correct passive sentence.
1. I did not beat her.
a. She is not beaten by me.
b. She has not beaten by me.
c. She was not beaten by me.
2. I will never forget this experience.
a. This experience is not forgotten by me.
b. This experience would never be forgotten by me.
c. This experience will never be forgotten by me.
3. Mother made a cake yesterday.
a. A cake made by mother yesterday.
b. A cake is made by mother yesterday.
c. A cake was made by mother yesterday.
4. The boy teased the girl.
a. The girl was teased by the boy.
b. The girl had teased by the boy.
c. The girl was teasing by the boy.
5. Did she do her duty?
a. Was she done her duty?
b. Was her duty done by her?
c. Had her duty done by her?
6. The tiger was chasing the deer.
a. The deer was chased by the tiger.
b. The deer was being chased by the tiger.
c. The deer had chased by the tiger.
7. She has written a novel.
a. A novel has written by her.
b. A novel has been written by her.
c. A novel had written by her.
8. She has learned her lessons.
a. Her lessons has learned by her.
b. Her lessons have been learned by her.
c. Her lessons had been learned by her.
9. Have you finished the report?
a. Has the report finished by you?
b. Has the report been finished by you?
c. Had the report been finished by you?
10. The police have caught the thief.
a. The thief has been caught by the police.
b. The thief was caught by the police.
c. The thief had been caught by the police.
GRAMMAR SECTION III:
Parts of Speech
|
MEANING
|
We
can categorize English words into 9 basic types called "parts of
speech" or "word
classes". It's quite important to recognize parts of speech. This helps
you to analyze sentences and understand them. It also helps you to construct
good sentences.
|
Part of speech
|
Function or "job"
|
Example words
|
Example sentences
|
|
action or state
|
(to) be, have, do, like, work, sing,
can, must
|
English Club is a web
site. I like English Club.
|
|
|
thing or person
|
pen, dog, work, music, town, London,
teacher, John
|
This is my dog. He lives in
my house. We live in London.
|
|
|
describes a noun
|
good, big, red, well, interesting
|
My dogs are big. I
like big dogs.
|
|
|
limits or "determines" a noun
|
a/an, the, two, some, many
|
I have two dogs
and some rabbits.
|
|
|
describes a verb, adjective or adverb
|
quickly, silently, well, badly, very,
really
|
My dog eats quickly. When
he is very hungry, heats really quickly.
|
|
|
replaces a noun
|
I, you, he, she, some
|
Tara is Indian. She is
beautiful.
|
|
|
links a noun to another word
|
to, at, after, on, but
|
We went to school on Monday.
|
|
|
joins clauses or sentences or words
|
and, but, when
|
I like dogs and I like
cats. I like cats and dogs. I like dogs but I
don't like cats.
|
|
|
short exclamation, sometimes inserted
into a sentence
|
oh!, ouch!, hi!, well
|
Ouch!
That hurts! Hi! How are you? Well, I don't know.
|
|
PRACTICE
|
Exercise 1: Choose the answer option that identifies the
underlined words in the sentences.
1. He will
visit his grandparents for two weeks this summer.
a.
adverb b. conjunction c. determiner d. pronoun
2. Silently
read your book.
a.
adjective b. adverb c. preposition d. verb
3. Hey!
put that down!
a.
adjective b. adverb c. interjection d. noun
4. Liam
brought his notebook to his class.
a.
adverb b. conjunction c. noun d. pronoun
5. Your
test scores were almost perfect.
a.
adjective b. adverb c. noun d. pronoun
6. Please
join us for the birthday party this afternoon.
a.
conjunction b. interjection c. pronoun d. verb
7. French
onion soup is on the lunch menu.
a.
adjective b. adverb c. conjunction d. noun
8. The
coach jumped for joy.
a.
adjective b. conjunction c. preposition d. verb
9. Classes
will resume in the fall.
a.
noun b. preposition c. pronoun d. verb
10.
Fathers and sons enjoy taking long fishing trips to the lake.
a.
adverb b. conjunction c. noun d. preposition
Exercise 2: Identify the part of speech for each word in
bold.
When 1. Mary Lennox 2. was 3. sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live 4. with her uncle everybody said she
was the 5. most disagreeable-looking
child ever seen. It was true, too. 6. She
had a little thin face 7. and a
little thin body, thin light hair, and 8.
a 9. sour expression. Her 10. hair was 11. yellow, and her face was brown, 12. because she had been born in 13. India and had 14. always
been ill in one way 15. or another.
1._____________ 2.____________ 3.___________
4._____________ 5.____________ 6.___________
7._____________ 8.____________ 9.___________
10.____________ 11.___________ 12.__________
13._____________ 14.___________ 15.___________
GRAMMAR SECTION
IV:
Sentence Structure
|
MEANING
|
Sentence is a set of words that are grammatically linked and complete
in itself, typically containing a subject and predicate, conveying a statement,
question, exclamation, or command, and consisting of an independent clause and
sometimes one or more dependent clauses.
Types of Sentence Structure
|
Sentence Type
|
Examples
|
|
Simple sentences have one independent clause.
|
David drives
carefully to work in the morning.
|
|
Compound sentences have at least two independent clauses.
|
I was born in the United States, yet I consider myself Mongolian.
|
|
Complex sentences have one independent clause and at
least one dependent clause.
|
Whenever he was lonely, Lance
called his mother.
|
|
Compound-complex sentences have at least two independent clauses
and at least one dependent clause.
|
Jim doesn’t drink beer because he has a gluten allergy, so he tends
to drink wine most weekends.
|
Parts of
Sentence Structures
A clause
is a part of the sentence that contains a verb. A typical clause consists of a
subject and a predicate, the latter typically a verb phrase, verb with any
objects and other modifiers. There are two main types of clauses:
·
Independent clause- (also known as a main
clause) is a clause that forms a complete, independent thought. It can stand
alone as a sentence. A single independent clause is known as a simple sentence.
It contains a subject and a predicate, each of which can have modifiers.
For example: He went to the library.
·
Dependent clause- (also known as a
subordinate clause) is a clause that relies on the information from an
independent clause to form a complete, logical thought. It has a subject and a predicate; but it can’t be a sentence. It
provides extra details about the independent clause, and it doesn’t make sense
on its own.
For example: After he went to the library
There are three types of dependent clauses:
·
Noun clauses: They are used as Nouns.
·
Adjective clauses: They describe any
noun or pronoun in the sentences.
·
Adverbial clauses: They are used as
adverbs.
A conjunction is
a word in a sentence that connects other words, phrases and clauses.
Conjunctions are a big part of compound, complex, and compound-complex
sentences. Conjunctions are important because they let us combine information,
but still keep ideas separate so that they are easy to understand.
·
If two clauses are connected with a coordinating conjunction, it is a
compound sentence.
·
If two clauses are connected with a subordinating conjunction, it is
a complex sentence.
Coordinating conjunctions:
|
Conj.
|
Uses
|
Examples
|
|
for
|
Explains reason or purpose (just
like "because")
|
I go to
the park every Sunday, for I long to see his face.
|
|
and
|
Adds one thing to another
|
I like to read, and I write faithfully in my journal every night.
|
|
nor
|
Used to present an alternative
negative idea to an already stated negative idea
|
I neither love nor hate to watch TV.
|
|
but
|
Shows contrast
|
Television is a wonderful escape, but it interferes with my writing.
|
|
or
|
Presents an alternative or a
choice
|
Would you rather read a book or watch a good TV
show?
|
|
yet
|
Introduces
a contrasting idea that follows the preceding idea logically (similar to
"but")
|
I always
take a book to the beach, yet I never seem to turn a single page.
|
|
so
|
Indicates effect, result or
consequence
|
I like
to read, so my grammar is always on-point.
|
Subordinating conjunctions:
|
Types of clauses
|
Subordinators
|
Examples
|
|
|
Noun clauses
|
what, where, why, how, when, who, whom,
which, whose, whether, that, if
|
He knows that his business will be
successful.
That there is a hole in the ozone layer of
the earth’s atmosphere is well known.
|
|
|
Adjective clause
|
Who, whom, which, whose, that, where, when
|
Men who are not married are called bachelors.
Last year we travelled to San Francisco,
which is famous for its architecture.
|
|
|
Adverb clause
|
Time
|
When, before, after, until, since, as soon as
|
When he won the money, he decided to buy a
car.
|
|
Place
|
Where, wherever
|
She drove wherever she wanted.
|
|
|
Cause
|
Because, as, since
|
She got a parking ticket because she parked
illegally.
|
|
|
Purpose
|
So that, in order that
|
He drove fast so that he could get to work on
time.
|
|
|
Result
|
So… that, such…that
|
He drove so fast that he got a speeding
ticket.
|
|
|
Condition
|
If, unless
|
If she hadn’t won the lottery, she would have
been very unhappy.
|
|
|
Concession
|
Although, even though
|
Although she thought she was a good driver,
she got a lot of tickets for speeding.
|
|
|
PRACTICE
|
Exercise 1: Choose the correct answer.
1. Many avoid this technological resource _________
they don’t understand it.
a. if b. because c. although
2. The remainder of Part One is devoted to concepts _________
are common to the industry.
a.
that b. when c. so that
3. _________the control unit and the arithmetic unit
are handled as one unit, they are called the processor
(processing
unit) or central processing unit (CPU).
a.
wherever b. unless c. since
4. _________the
temperature is sufficiently low the water droplets will freeze.
a. until b. if c. as
5.
The reason _______ aspirin is still manufactured today is that new
applications have been discovered.
a. why b.
when c. in order that
6.
This habitat supports many rare
species, _________ it must be preserved.
a. or b.
so c. but
7.
My PDA notifies me _________ I have a meeting.
a. who b.
where c. when
8. Turn all equipment off for
a full minute _________ then restart.
a. and b.
yet c. so
9.
The vast majority of the energy used in northern Europe today still comes from
fossil fuels, ________the
push for newer, less-polluting sources has
begun.
a.
before b. although c. as soon as
10. Augmentative communication devices are defined as
the devices that give a voice to people, _________
otherwise
do not have one.
a.
and b. even though c. who
Exercise 2: Match the following to make the correct sentences.
1. Part Two ends with
a discussion of soft switches a. but doesn’t have Internet access.
2. Since its processing speed is high, b. where to locate shortcuts.
3.
This computer runs
programs, c. which are a new generation of IP
switches
4. The main
idea of the passage is d. it will send you an immediate alert
on
your smartphone.
5. Whenever your bicycle moves e. it is used in devices such as the registers
contained in
main storage units and
processors.
GRAMMAR SECTION
V:
Preposition
Combinations
|
MEANING
|
Noun,
Verb and Adjective + Preposition Combinations
Prepositions and the rules concerning
their usage can be confusing to learners of English as a second language.
Basically, prepositions are connecting words that join objects to other parts
of sentences. Preposition choice is determined by the noun, verb, adjective or
particle which precedes it.
Noun
+ Preposition Combinations
English has many examples of prepositions
coming after nouns. In such cases, the prepositions are often followed by a
phrase containing a noun, as in example (a) below. They can also be followed by
a noun, as in example (b), or an -ing verb, as in example (c).
(a) Scientists at the research institute
think they are close to finding a solution
to the problem.
(b) Everyone was surprised by his lack of concern.
(c) We need to call an expert at plumbing as soon as possible.
Here are a few more nouns and prepositions
which are used together:
the use of a
solution to influence on evidence of
the cost of an increase in a possibility of danger of
the price of a reason for a supply of a method of
a lack of belief
in the cause of difficulty with
Verb
+ Preposition Combinations
Many English prepositions also follow
verbs. Sometimes they introduce a phrase that contains a noun, as in example
(a). They can also introduce a noun, as in example (b), or an -ing verb, as in
example (c).
(a) I don't know how long we can depend on his generosity. He has
already done so much for us.
(b) Many of the town's residents relied on neighbours for help during
the flood.
(c) She believes in helping people who are less fortunate than her.
Here are some other verbs and prepositions
that are used together:
I insist on . . .
He can deal with . . .
This can result in . . .
Do you plan on . . .
We belong to . . .
This could lead to . . .
My answer will depend on . . .
You can rely on . . .
They fight for . . .
We fight against . . .
We contribute to . . .
I believe in . . .
Adjective
+ Preposition Combinations
English also has many instances of
prepositions coming after adjectives. In many cases, the prepositions precede
phrases containing nouns, as in example (a), or pronouns, as in example (b). It
is also possible for the prepositions to precede an -ing verb, as in (c).
(a) I was amazed at all the improvements.
(b) We were all shocked by his behaviour.
(c) Because the exam was more difficult
than I expected, I'm worried about
passing.
Here are some more adjectives, verbs and prepositions that are used together:
be absent from
be accused of
be acquainted with
be accused of
based on
believe in
blame for
be blessed with
be bored with/by
be capable of
care about/for
be committed to
be connected to
be convinced of
be covered with
be dedicated to
different from
be devoted to
be divorced from
eager for
excited about
be envious of
be excited about
be familiar with
famous for
be filled with
be friendly to/with
be frightened of
be gone from
be grateful to/for
hide from
hope for
be innocent of
identical to
be interested in
be involved in
be jealous of
be known for
be located in
be made of/from
be married to
necessary for
object to
opposed to
be prepared for
be proud of
be qualified for
related to
be remembered by
be responsible for
be satisfied with
be scared of
stare at
substitute for
succeed in
take advantage of
take care of
talk about
tired of
be terrified of/by
be tired of/by
be upset with
be used to
vote for
be worried about
|
PRACTICE
|
Exercise
1: Choose the correct one for each sentence.
1. Are
you familiar enough ____________
a. to this city to recommend a good restaurant?
b. this city to recommend a good restaurant?
c. with this city to recommend a good restaurant?
2. This
restaurant is famous ____________
a. with its seafood.
b. about its seafood.
c. for its seafood.
3. I
wasn't sure if you'd be satisfied ____________
a. with the report, I handed in last week.
b. the report I handed in last week.
c. to the report I handed in last week.
4. The
probability ____________
a. to winning a lottery is actually higher than being struck
by lightning.
b. winning a lottery is actually higher than being struck by
lightning.
c. of winning a lottery is actually higher than being struck
by lightning.
5. The
ancient Roman Empire, which included most of Europe and Asia Minor at its height,
was
primarily ________
a. based agriculture.
b. based on agriculture.
c. based at agriculture.
6. Large
volcanic eruptions, such as Mt. St. Helens in 1980, can have a serious
____________
a. effect to climate patterns around the world.
b. effect climate patterns around the world.
c. effect on climate patterns around the world.
7. So
far, police investigating the accident have found no evidence ____________
a. driver negligence.
b. to driver negligence.
c. of driver negligence.
8. Workers
often go on strike when their salaries don't keep pace with increases in the
cost _____
a. of living.
b. to living.
c. with living.
9. English
is an example ____________
a. a language that stresses content words within sentences.
b. of a language that stresses content words within
sentences.
c. about a language that stresses content words within
sentences.
10. Not
knowing local customs can often lead ____________
a. misunderstandings when people go abroad.
b. to misunderstandings when people go abroad.
c.
for misunderstandings when people go
abroad.
Exercise
2: Complete the preposition combinations best fits into the gap in the
sentence below.
a. against injustice
b. for success
c. in approximately
d. in spending
e. of the recent
f. to a healthy economy
g. to the climate
h. with a family
i. with cases involving
j. with this new
1. While
growing up in the orphanage, he often wished he belonged _________ .
2. A
tidal wave struck Bangladesh in 1990, and resulted ____________ 200,000 deaths.
3. There
are many factors which contribute ____________.
4. Human
rights activists fight ____________ wherever they find it.
5. Some
of the president's economic advisors believe _______ more tax dollars to boost the ailing economy.
6. I
haven't lived in this city very long, so I'm still not accustomed ____________.
7. As a
family counsellor, she often has to deal ____________ family violence.
8.
Everyone thinks he'll go far in this company because he has all the qualities
necessary _________.
9. Can
you help me? I'm having difficulty ____________ computer program.
10. The
cause ____________ city-wide power failure is still unknown.
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