Introduction to verbs
100 A 1 Classes of verbs There are two classes of verbs in English: The auxiliary verbs (auxiliaries)’, to be, to have, to do; can, could, may, might, must, ought, shall, should, will, would; to need, to dan and used. -~ -ii nrdinarv verbs: SsrSrss”-’* ; ordinary E to work tostng ”>?’<•’ triples like ordinary […]
Prepositions
86 Introduction Prepositions are words normally placed before nouns or pronouns (but see 87 about possible alternative positions). Prepositions can also be followed by verbs but, except after but and except, the verb must be in the gerund form: He is talking of emigrating. They succeeded in escaping. The student has two main problems with […]
Relative pronouns and clauses
There are three kinds of relative clauses: defining (see 72-7), nondefining (78-81) and connective (82). 72 Defining relative clauses These describe the preceding noun in such a way as to distinguish it from other nouns of the same class. A clause of this kind is essential to the clear understanding of the noun. In the […]
Possessives personal and reflexive pronouns: my, mine, I, myself etc.
62 Possessive adjectives and pronouns Possessive adjectives Possessive pronouns my mine your his/her/its yours his/hers our ours your their yours theirs No(e that no apostrophes are used here. Students should guard against the common mistake of writing the possessive its with an apostrophe. it’s (with an apostrophe) means it is. The old form of the […]
Interrogatives:
wh-? words and how? 54 Interrogative adjectives and pronouns For persons: subject who (pronoun) object • whom, who (pronoun) possessive whose (prvioun and adjective) For things: subject/object what (pronoun and adjective) For persons or things when the choice is restricted: subject/object which (pronoun and adjective) The same form is used for singuiat and plural. what […]
All each every both neither either some any no none
46 all, each, every, everyone, everybody, everything (for all and each, see also 48) A all compared to every Technically, all means a number of people or things considered as a group while every means a number of people or things considered individually. But in practice every and its compounds are often used when we […]
Adverbs
28 Kinds of adverbs Manner: bravely, fast, happily, hard, quickly, well (see 35) Place: by, down, here, near, there, up (36) Time: now, soon, still, then, today, yet (37) Frequency: always, never, occasionally, often, twice (38) Sentence: certainly, definitely, luckily, surely (40) Degree: fairly, hardly, rather, quite, too, very (41) Interrogative: when? where? why? (60) […]
Adjectives
17 Kinds of adjectives A The main kinds are: (a) Demonstrative: this, that, these, those (see 9) (b) Distributive: each, every (see 46); either, neither (see 49) (c) Quantitative: some, any, no (see 50); little/few (see 5); many, much (see 25); one. (d) Interrogative: which, what, whose (see 54) 4 (e) Possessive: my, your, his, […]
Nouns
10 Kinds and function A There are four kinds of noun in English: Common nouns: dog, man, table Proper nouns: France, Madrid, Mrs Smith, Tom Abstract nouns: beauty, chanty, courage, fear, joy Collective nouns: crowd, flock, group, swarm, team B A noun can function as: The subject of a verb: Tom arrived. The complement of […]
Articles and <strong>one a little a few this that</strong>
1 a/an (the indefinite article) The form a is used before a word beginning with a consonant, or a vowel with a consonant sound: a man a hat a university a European a one-way street The form an is used before words beginning with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or words beginning with […]