MUKHLiS TANVEER JAN KURD

English Grammar with Tanveer.

Interrogative adverbs

The interrogative adverbs why, where, how, & when are placed at the beginning of a question. These questions can be answered with a sentence or a prepositional phrase. After an interrogative adverb in a question, you must invert the subject and verb so that the verb comes first.

Examples

Why are you so late? There was a lot of traffic.

Where is my passport? In the drawer.

How are you? I'm fine.

When does the train arrive? At 11:15.

Uses of how

How can be used to form questions in four different ways. How can be used by itself to mean "in what way".

Examples

How did you make this sauce?

How do you start the car?

How can I get to your house?

How can be used with adjectives to ask about the degree of an attribute.

Examples

How tall are you?

How old is your house?

How angry is mother?

How can be used with much and many to ask about quantity. Much is used with uncountable nouns and many is used with countable nouns.

Examples

How many people are coming to the party?

How much flour do I need?

How much are these tomatoes?

How can be used with other adverbs to ask about the frequency or degree of an action.

Examples

How quickly can you read this?

How often do you go to London?

How loudly does your brother scream?

He was born in 1995.

Do not use the with uncountable nouns

Examples

Rice is an important food in Asia.

Milk is often added to tea in England.

War is destructive.

Do not use the with the names of individual mountains, lakes and islands

Examples

Mount McKinley is the highest mountain in Alaska.

She lives near Lake Windermere.

Have you visited Long Island?

Do not use the with most names of towns, streets, stations and airports

Examples

Victoria Station is in the centre of London.

Can you direct me to Bond Street?

She lives in Florence.

They're flying into Heathrminutes.

Indefinite articles

In English, the two indefinite articles are a and an. Like other articles, indefinite articles are invariable. You use one or the other, depending on the first letter of the word following the article, for pronunciation reasons. Use a when the next word starts with a consonant, or before words starting in u and eu when they sound like you. Use an when the next word starts with a vowel (a,e,i,o,u) or with a mute h.

Examples

a boy

an apple

a car

a helicopter

an elephant

a big elephant

an itchy sweater

an ugly duck

a european

a university

a unit

an hour

an honor

The indefinite article is used to refer to something for the first time or to refer to a particular member of a group or class. Some use cases and examples are given below.

Use a to refer to something for the first time.

Examples

Would you like a drink?

I've finally got a good job.

An elephant and a mouse fell in love.

Naming members of a group

Use a with names of jobs.

Examples

John is a doctor.

Mary is training to be an engineer.

He wants to be a dancer.

Use a with nationalities and religions in the singular.

Examples

John is an Englishman.

Kate is a Catholic.

Use a with the names of days of the week when not referring to any particular day.

Examples

I was born on a Thursday.

Could I come over on a Saturday sometime?

Use a to refer to an example of something.

Examples

The mouse had a tiny nose .

The elephant had a long trunk .

It was a very strange car .

Use a with singular nouns after the words 'what' and 'such'.

Examples

What a shame!

She's such a beautiful girl.

What a lovely day!

Use a meaning 'one', referring to a single object or person, or a single unit of measure. In these sentences using "one" instead of the indefinite article is grammatically correct. It will add emphasis to the number, and contrast with other numbers.

Examples

I'd like an orange and two lemons please.

I'd like one orange and two lemons please.

The burglar took a diamond necklace and some valuable paintings.

I can think of a hundred reasons not to come.

I need a kilogram of sugar.

I need one kilogram of sugar.

You can't run a mile in 5 minutminutes.ndefinite articles

In English, the two indefinite articles are a and an. Like other articles, indefinite articles are invariable. You use one or the other, depending on the first letter of the word following the article, for pronunciation reasons. Use a when the next word starts with a consonant, or before words starting in u and eu when they sound like you. Use an when the next word starts with a vowel (a,e,i,o,u) or with a mute h.

Examples

a boy

an apple

a car

a helicopter

an elephant

a big elephant

an itchy sweater

an ugly duck

a european

a university

a unit

an hour

an honor

The indefinite article is used to refer to something for the first time or to refer to a particular member of a group or class. Some use cases and examples are given below.

Use a to refer to something for the first time.

Examples

Would you like a drink?

I've finally got a good job.

An elephant and a mouse fell in love.

Naming members of a group

Use a with names of jobs.

Examples

John is a doctor.

Mary is training to be an engineer.

He wants to be a dancer.

Use a with nationalities and religions in the singular.

Examples

John is an Englishman.

Kate is a Catholic.

Use a with the names of days of the week when not referring to any particular day.

Examples

I was born on a Thursday.

Could I come over on a Saturday sometime?

Use a to refer to an example of something.

Examples

The mouse had a tiny nose .

The elephant had a long trunk .

It was a very strange car .

Use a with singular nouns after the words 'what' and 'such'.

Examples

What a shame!

She's such a beautiful girl.

What a lovely day!

Use a meaning 'one', referring to a single object or person, or a single unit of measure. In these sentences using "one" instead of the indefinite article is grammatically correct. It will add emphasis to the number, and contrast with other numbers.

Examples

I'd like an orange and two lemons please.

I'd like one orange and two lemons please.

The burglar took a diamond necklace and some valuable paintings.

I can think of a hundred reasons not to come.

I need a kilogram of sugar.

I need one kilogram of sugar.

You can't run a mile in 5 minutes.

Pronouns

Pronouns replace nouns. A different pronoun is required depending on two elements: the noun being replaced and the function that noun has in the sentence. In English, pronouns only take the gender of the noun they replace in the 3rd person singular form. The 2nd person plural pronouns are identical to the 2nd person singular pronouns except for the reflexive pronoun.

Subject pronoun Object pronoun Possessive adjective (determiner) Possessive pronoun Reflexive or intensive pronoun

1st person singular I me my mine myself

2nd person singular you you your yours yourself

3rd person singular, male he him his his himself

3rd person singular, female she her her hers herself

3rd person singular, neutral it it its

itself

1st person plural we us our ours ourselves

2nd person plural you you your yours yourselves

3rd person plural they them their theirs themselves

Subject pronouns

Subject pronouns replace nouns that are the subject of their clause. In the 3rd person, subject pronouns are often used to avoid repetition of the subject's name.

Examples

I am 16.

You seem lost.

Jim is angry, and he wants Sally to apologize.

This table is old. It needs to be repainted.

We aren't coming.

They don't like pancakes.

Object pronouns

Object pronouns are used to replace nouns that are the direct or indirect object of a clause.

Examples

Give the book to me.

The teacher wants to talk to you.

Jake is hurt because Bill hit him.

Rachid recieved a letter from her last week.

Mark can't find it.

Don't be angry with us.

Tell them to hurry up!

Possessive adjectives (determiners)

Possessive adjectives are not pronouns, but rather determiners. It is useful to learn them at the same time as pronouns, however, because they are similar in form to the possessive pronouns. Possessive adjectives function as adjectives, so they appear before the noun they modify. They do not replace a noun as pronouns do.

Examples

Did mother find my shoes?

Mrs. Baker wants to see your homework.

Can Jake bring over his baseball cards?

Samantha will fix her bike tomorrow.

The cat broke its leg.

This is our house.

Where is their school?

Possessive pronouns

Possessive pronouns replace possessive nouns as either the subject or the object of a clause. Because the noun being replaced doesn't appear in the sentence, it must be clear from the context.

Examples

This bag is mine.

Yours is not blue.

That bag looks like his.

These shoes are not hers.

That car is ours.

Theirs is parked in the garage.

Reflexive & intensive pronouns

Reflexive and intensive pronouns are the same set of words but they have different functions in a sentence.

Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject of the clause because the subject of the action is also the direct or indirect object. Only certain types of verbs can be reflexive. You cannot remove a reflexive pronoun from a sentence because the remaining sentence would be grammatically incorrect.

Examples

I told myself to calm down.

You cut yourself on this nail?

He hurt himself on the stairs.

She found herself in a dangerous part of town.

The cat threw itself under my car!

We blame ourselves for the fire.

The children can take care of themselves.

Intensive pronouns emphasize the subject of a clause. They are not the object of the action. The intensive pronoun can always be removed from a sentence without changing the meaning significantly, although the emphasis on the subject will be removed. Intensive pronouns can be placed immediately after the subject of the clause, or at the end of the clause.

Examples

I made these cookies myself.

You yourself asked Jake to come.

The Pope himself pardoned Mr. Brown.

My teacher didn't know the answer herself.

The test itself wasn't scary, but my teacher certainly is.

We would like to finish the renovation before Christmas ourselves.

They themselves told me the lost shoe wasn't a problem.

r

Pronunciation Usage

zero Used to read the number by itself, in reading decimals, percentages, and phone numbers, and in some fixed expressions.

o (the letter name) Used to read years, addresses, times and temperatures

nil Used to report sports scores

nought Not used in the USA

Examples

Written Said

3.04+2.02=5.06 Three point zero four plus two point zero two makes five point zero six.

There is a 0% chance of rain. There is a zero percent chance of rain.

The temperature is -20⁰C. The temperature is twenty degrees below zero.

You can reach me at 0171 390 1062. You can reach me at zero one seven one, three nine zero, one zero six two

I live at 4604 Smith Street. I live at forty-six o four Smith Street

He became king in 1409. He became king in fourteen o nine.

I waited until 4:05. I waited until four o five.

The score was 4-0. The score was four nil.

Pick the right quantifier

To answer the questions How much? and How many? certain quantifiers can be used with countable nouns (friends, cups, people), others with uncountable nouns (sugar, tea, money) and still others with all types of nouns.

Only with uncountable nouns With all types of nouns Only with countable nouns

a little no, none, not any a few

a bit of some a number of

any several

a great deal of a lot of, lots of a great number of

a large amount of plenty of a large number of

Examples

Would you like some tea and a few cookies?

I always put a little milk and some carrots in my soup.

He has several apples. I don't have any fruit at all.

She has plenty of clothes for the winter.

I recieved a large amount of feedback from my survey.

Using "much" and"many"

Much and many are mainly used in interrogative and negative sentences. They are also used in affirmative and negative sentences in combination with too and so. Notice: the word many can be used alone in affirmative sentences while the word much cannot. Much is replaced in affirmative sentences with a lot of or lots of (these expressions can also replace many).

Uncountable nouns Countable nouns

How much sugar do you have? How many people came to the concert?

There's not much sugar at the store. Not many people came to the concert.

I have too much sugar at home. There were too many people at the concert.

I don't know what to do with so much sugar. It's a problem when there are so many people.

I wish there was not so much sugar here. There were not so many people last year.

There is a lot of sugar in candy. There are many people who want to come. = There are a lot of people who want to come.

Expressing opinions about quantity

The quantifiers few and a few, and little and a little seem nearly identical but they are actually quite distinct. These expressions show the speaker's attitude towards the quantity he is referring to as either positive or negative.

Positive attitude

A few (for countable nouns) and a little (for uncountable nouns) describe the quantity in a positive way, implying that although the speaker may not have much, he has enough.

Examples

I've got a few friends. = I have enough friends.

I have a few flowers in my garden. = I have enough flowers.

I've got a little money. = I have enough money.

I have a little free time on Thursdays. = I have enough free time.

Negative attitude

Few (for countable nouns) and little (for uncountable nouns) describe the quantity in a negative way. They may actually indicate a total lack of the noun, but are more polite than saying so directly.

Examples

Few people visited him in hospital. = he had almost no visitors, or perhaps no visitors at all.

I've seen few birds around here. = there are almost no birds, or perhaps not a single bird

He had little money for treats. = almost no money, or perhaps no money at all

I have little time for TV = almost no time, or perhaps no time at all

Indefinite and incomplete quantities

Some and any can be used with countable and uncountable nouns to describe an undefined or incomplete quantity.

Using "some"

Some can be used in descriptive sentences.

Examples

I had some rice for lunch.

He got some books from the library.

I will have some news next week.

Philip wants some help with his exams.

There is some butter in the fridge.

Some is also used in interrogative sentences when you think you already know the answer.

Examples

Did he give you some tea? = I think he did.

Is there some fruit juice in the fridge? = I think there is.

Would you like some help? = Probably you do.

Will you have some roast beef? = Probably you will

Some can also be used in interrogative sentences to ask for something or to offer something.

Examples

Could I have some books, please?

Why don't you take some apples home with you?

Would you like some tea?

Will you have some cake?

Using "any"

Any is used in interrogative sentences when you do not know the answer.

Examples

Do you have any friends in London?

Do they have any children?

Do you want any groceries from the shop?

Are there any problems with your work?

Any is also used with not to form negative sentences. In these sentences, the word any emphasizes the negativity to make it more absolute.

Examples

She doesn't want any kitchen appliances for Christmas.

They don't need any help moving to their new house.

I don't want any cake.

There isn't any reason to complain.

Graded quantifiers

Graded quantifiers allow us to compare the quantity of one thing with the quantity of another, without specifying an exact quantity for either element. Graded quantifiers preceed nouns. Different quantifiers are needed for countable and uncountable nouns. Sometimes the noun can be omitted when it is understood from the context.

They are distinct from comparatives and superlatives, which compare the degrees of a quality (adjectives) or the degree of the manner something was done (adverbs). Graded quantifiers, like comparatives and superlatives, hold a relative position on a scale of increase or decrease. The superlative grade is always preceeded by the in a sentence.

Quantifier Comparative grade Superlative grade

With plural countable nouns

many more most

few fewer fewest

With uncountable nouns

much more most

little less least

Examples

There are many people in England, more people in India, but the most people live in China.

Much time and money is spent on education, more on health services but the most is spent on national defence.

Few rivers in Europe are not polluted.

Fewer people die young now than in the seventeenth century.

The country with the fewest people per square kilometre must be Australia.

Scientists have little hope of finding a complete cure for cancer before the year 2020.

She had less time to study than Paul but had better results.

Give that dog the least opportunity and it will bite you.

Enough as a quantifier

Enough can be used as a quantifier when it is placed before any noun, to indicate the quantity required or necessary. It can be used in both affirmative and negative sentences.

Examples

There is enough bread for lunch.

She has enough money.

There are not enough apples for all of us.

I don't have enough sugar to make a cake.

Pronunciation Usage

zero Used to read the number by itself, in reading decimals, percentages, and phone numbers, and in some fixed expressions.

o (the letter name) Used to read years, addresses, times and temperatures

nil Used to report sports scores

nought Not used in the USA

Examples

Written Said

3.04+2.02=5.06 Three point zero four plus two point zero two makes five point zero six.

There is a 0% chance of rain. There is a zero percent chance of rain.

The temperature is -20⁰C. The temperature is twenty degrees below zero.

You can reach me at 0171 390 1062. You can reach me at zero one seven one, three nine zero, one zero six two

I live at 4604 Smith Street. I live at forty-six o four Smith Street

He became king in 1409. He became king in fourteen o nine.

I waited until 4:05. I waited until four o five.

The score was 4-0. The score was four nil.

Functions of Adjectives

Adjectives describe the aspects of nouns. When an adjective is describing a noun, we say it is "modifying" it. Adjectives can:

Describe feelings or qualities,

Examples

He is a lonely man.

They are honest.

Give nationality or origin,

Examples

I heard a French song.

This clock is German.

Our house is Victorian.

Tell more about a thing's characteristics,

Examples

That is a flashy car.

The knife is sharp.

Tell us about age,

Examples

He's a young man.

My coat is old.

Tell us about size and measurement,

Examples

John is a tall man.

This film is long.

Tell us about colour,

Examples

Paul wore a red shirt.

The sunset was crimson.

Tell us what something is made of,

Examples

The table is wooden.

She wore a cotton dress.

Tell us about shape,

Examples

I sat at a round table.

The envelope is square.

Express a judgement or a value.

Examples

That was a fantastic film.

Grammar is complicated.

Determiners of difference

The determiners other and another refer to something different, remaining, or additional. They are placed before a noun. The other is treated separately because its usage is slightly different.

Other Plural countable nouns and all uncountable nouns

Another Singular countable nouns

The other Any noun that can take the definite article "the"

Using "other"

Other can be used alone or after the determiners some, any, and no.

Examples

Do you have other shoes?

There are other jobs you could try.

Is there any other bread?

I have some other sugar we could use.

We have no other ideas.

If used with a plural countable noun and one of these determiners, the noun may be omitted when it is understood from the context. In that case, other becomes plural. This can also happen with other used by itself, but it is less common.

Examples

Do you have any others?

I know some others who might like to come.

There are no others in this box.

I know others like vanilla, but I prefer chocolate.

She doesn't have to wear that dress. She has others.

Using "another"

Another is used with singular countable nouns. For uncountable nouns, another is often used with measure words that are singular.

Examples

Have another cookie.

Would you like another cup of tea?

He has another brother.

I don't have another car.

I'll come by another time.

Using "the other"

If the other is modifying a plural countable noun, the noun may be omitted when it is understood from the context. In that case, other will become plural.

Examples

Where is the other box of cereal?

I work on the weekend and go to school on the other days of the week.

May I use the other honey for my recipe?

I enjoyed the first book but I didn't read the other books in the series.

Have you seen the others?

Jim ate two cookies. I ate the others.

Pre-determiners

Pre-determiners are normally placed before an indefinite article + adjective + noun to express an opinion about the noun they modify. Such and what are used to express surprise or other emotions.

Examples

What a lovely day!

She's such a beautiful woman.

You can't imagine what an incredible meal I just ate.

I've had such a good time today!

Rather and quite are commenting words, referring to the degree of a particular quality as expressed by the adjective that modifies the noun. They can express disappointment, pleasure, or other emotions depending on the adjective in question. In British English, rather is used as a pre-determiner. In American English it is only used as an adverb. The examples given below are British English.

Examples

It was quite a nice day.

He's had quite a bad accident.

It's rather a small car.

I've just met rather a nice man.

Simple present tense

The simple present tense is one of several forms of present tense in English. It is used to describe habits, unchanging situations, general truths, and fixed arrangements. The simple present tense is simple to form. Just use the base form of the verb: (I take, you take, we take, they take) The 3rd person singular takes an -s at the end. (he takes, she takes)

The simple present tense is used:

To express habits, general truths, repeated actions or unchanging situations, emotions and wishes:

I smoke (habit); I work in London (unchanging situation); London is a large city (general truth)

To give instructions or directions:

You walk for two hundred meters, then you turn left.

To express fixed arrangements, present or future:

Your exam starts at 09.00

To express future time, after some conjunctions: after, when, before, as soon as, until:

He'll give it to you when you come next Saturday.

Be careful! The simple present is not used to express actions happening now.

Examples

For habits

He drinks tea at breakfast.

She only eats fish.

They watch television regularly.

For repeated actions or events

We catch the bus every morning.

It rains every afternoon in the hot season.

They drive to Monaco every summer.

For general truths

Water freezes at zero degrees.

The Earth revolves around the Sun.

Her mother is Peruvian.

For instructions or directions

Open the packet and pour the contents into hot water.

You take the No.6 bus to Watney and then the No.10 to Bedford.

For fixed arrangements

His mother arrives tomorrow.

Our holiday starts on the 26th March

With future constructions

She'll see you before she leaves.

We'll give it to her when she arrives.

Forming the simple present tense: to think

Affirmative Interrogative Negative

I think Do I think? I do not think

You think Do you think? You do not think

He thinks Does he think? He does not think

She thinks Does she think? She does not think

It thinks Does it think? It does not think

We think Do we think? We do not think.

They think Do they think? They do not think.

Notes on the simple present, third person singular

In the third person singular the verb always ends in -s:

he wants, she needs, he gives, she thinks.

Negative and question forms use DOES (= the third person of the auxiliary 'DO') + the infinitive of the verb.

He wants ice cream. Does he want strawberry? He does not want vanilla.

Verbs ending in -y : the third person changes the -y to -ies:

fly --> flies, cry --> cries

Exception: if there is a vowel before the -y:

play --> plays, pray --> prays

Add -es to verbs ending in:-ss, -x, -sh, -ch:

he passes, she catches, he fixes, it pushes

Examples

He goes to school every morning.

She understands English.

It mixes the sand and the water.

He tries very hard.

She enjoys playing the piano.

Present Continuous

Forming the present continuous

The present continuous of any verb is composed of two parts - the present tense of the verb to be + the present participle of the main verb.

(The form of the present participle is: base+ing, e.g. talking, playing, moving, smiling)

Affirmative

Subject + to be + base + ing

She is talking.

Negative

Subject + to be + not + base + ing

She is not (isn't) talking

Interrogative

to be + subject + base + ing

Is she talking?

Examples: TO GO, present continuous

Affirmative Negative Interrogative

I am going I am not going Am I going?

You are going You aren't going. Are you going?

He, she, it is going He, she, it isn't going Is he, she, it going?

We are going We aren't going Are we going?

You are going You aren't going Are you going?

They are going They aren't going Are they going?

Note: alternative negative contractions: I'm not going, you're not going, he's not going etc.

Functions of the present continuous

As with all tenses in English, the speaker's attitude is as important as the time of the action or event. When someone uses the present continuous, they are thinking about something that is unfinished or incomplete

The present continuous is used:

to describe an action that is going on at this moment: You are using the Internet. You are studying English grammar.

to describe an action that is going on during this period of time or a trend: Are you still working for the same company? More and more people are becoming vegetarian.

to describe an action or event in the future, which has already been planned or prepared: We're going on holiday tomorrow. I'm meeting my boyfriend tonight. Are they visiting you next winter?

to describe a temporary event or situation: He usually plays the drums, but he's playing bass guitar tonight. The weather forecast was good, but it's raining at the moment.

with "always, forever, constantly", to describe and emphasise a continuing series of repeated actions: Harry and Sally are always arguing! You're constantly complaining about your mother-in-law!

Be careful: Some verbs are not usually used in the continuous form

Verbs that are not usually used in the continuous form

The verbs in the list below are normally used in the simple form because they refer to states, rather than actions or processes.

Senses / perception

to feel*

to hear

to see*

to smell

to taste

Opinion

to assume

to believe

to consider

to doubt

to feel (= to think)

to find (= to consider)

to suppose

to think*

Mental states

to forget

to imagine

to know

to mean

to notice

to recognise

to remember

to understand

Emotions / desires

to envy

to fear

to dislike

to hate

to hope

to like

to love

to mind

to prefer

to regret

to want

to wish

Measurement

to contain

to cost

to hold

to measure

to weigh

Others

to look (=resemble)

to seem

to be (in most cases)

to have (when it means "to possess")*

Exceptions

Perception verbs (see, hear, feel, taste, smell) are often used with can: I can see... These verbs may be used in the continuous form but with a different meaning

This coat feels nice and warm. (your perception of the coat's qualities)

John's feeling much better now (his health is improving)

She has three dogs and a cat. (possession)

She's having supper. (She's eating)

I can see Anthony in the garden (perception)

I'm seeing Anthony later (We are planning to meet)

Present perfect

Definition of the present perfect tense

The present perfect is used to indicate a link between the present and the past. The time of the action is before now but not specified, and we are often more interested in the result than in the action itself.

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