English Grammar Understanding the Basics
Contents
Introduction page xi
How to use this book xii
Part I Kinds of words 1
Unit I Nouns 3
Lesson 1 Identifying nouns 3
Lesson 2 Concrete and abstract nouns 5
Lesson 3 Singular and plural nouns 9
Lesson 5 Count and noncount nouns 14
Lesson 6 Proper and common nouns 18
Answer keys:Test yourself questions ^ Unit 1 20
Unit 2 Verbs 23
Lesson 7 Identifying verbs 23
Lesson 8 The verb base 25
Lesson 9 Action verbs and linking verbs 27
Lesson 10 Transitive and intransitive verbs 35
Lesson 11 Phrasal verbs 38
Answer keys:Test yourself questions ^ Unit 2 41
Unit 3 Determiners 45
Lesson 12 Articles 46
Lesson 13 Demonstratives 48
Lesson 14 Possessives 50
Lesson 15 Quanti¢ers 53
Answer keys:Test yourself questions ^ Unit 3 55
Unit 4 Adjectives 58
Lesson 16 Identifying adjectives 58
Answer keys:Test yourself questions ^ Unit 4 63
Unit 5 Prepositions 65
Lesson 17 Identifying prepositions 65
Answer keys:Test yourself questions ^ Unit 5 68
Unit 6 Conjunctions 69
Lesson 18 Coordinating conjunctions 70
Lesson 19 Subordinating conjunctions 73 vii
Lesson 20 Correlative conjunctions 77
Lesson 20 Correlative conjunctions 77
Answer keys:Test yourself questions ^ Unit 6 79
Unit 7 Pronouns 81
Lesson 21 Subject and object pronouns 82
Lesson 22 Re£exive pronouns 85
Lesson 23 Demonstrative pronouns 87
Lesson 24 Possessive pronouns 89
Lesson 25 Interrogative pronouns 93
Lesson 26 Relative pronouns 96
Answer keys:Test yourself questions ^ Unit 7 99
Unit 8 Adverbs 103
Lesson 27 Identifying adverbs 103
Answer keys:Test yourself questions ^ Unit 8 107
Review matching exercise and answer key ^ Part I 109
Part II Kinds of phrases 111
Unit 9 Noun phrases 113
Lesson 28 The basic structure of noun phrases 113
Answer keys:Test yourself questions ^ Unit 9 119
Unit 10 Prepositional phrases 121
Lesson 29 The basic structure of prepositional phrases 121Answer keys:Test yourself questions ^ Unit 10 125Unit 11 Verb phrases 126Lesson 30 The basic structure of verb phrases 126Answer keys:Test yourself questions ^ Unit 11 135Unit 12 Auxiliary phrases 138Lesson 31 The basic structure of auxiliary phrases 139Lesson 32 Modals 141Lesson 33 Perfect have 143Lesson 34 Progressive be 146Lesson 35 Combining auxiliary verbs 148Lesson 36 The su⁄xes of auxiliary verbs 151Lesson 37 Tense 156Answer keys:Test yourself questions ^ Unit 12 164Unit 13 Subjects and objects 169Lesson 38 Subjects 170Lesson 39 Direct objects 173Lesson 40 Indirect objects 177Lesson 41 The functions of pronouns 183Contentsviii
Lesson 42 Implied subjects: commands 186Answer keys:Test yourself questions ^ Unit 13 189Unit 14 Compound phrases 193Lesson 43 Compound noun phrases 194Lesson 44 Compound verb phrases 195Answer keys:Test yourself questions ^ Unit 14 197Review matching exercise and answer key ^ Part II 198Part III Getting started with sentences 201Unit 15 The functions of sentences 203Lesson 45 Identifying sentences by function 203Answer keys:Test yourself questions ^ Unit 15 206Unit 16 Combining sentences 207Lesson 46 Simple sentences 207Lesson 47 Compound sentences 210Lesson 48 Complex sentences 214Lesson 49 Sentences with relative clauses 221Lesson 50 Compound-complex sentences 229Answer keys:Test yourself questions ^ Unit 16 231Unit 17 Related sentences 235Lesson 51 Looking at related sentences 235Lesson 52 Active and passive sentences 238Lesson 53 Positive and negative sentences 246Answer keys:Test yourself questions ^ Unit 17 250Review matching exercise and answer key ^ Part III 252List of Quick tips 253Glossary 261Index 270Contentsix
Lesson 42 Implied subjects: commands 186Answer keys:Test yourself questions ^ Unit 13 189Unit 14 Compound phrases 193Lesson 43 Compound noun phrases 194Lesson 44 Compound verb phrases 195Answer keys:Test yourself questions ^ Unit 14 197Review matching exercise and answer key ^ Part II 198Part III Getting started with sentences 201Unit 15 The functions of sentences 203Lesson 45 Identifying sentences by function 203Answer keys:Test yourself questions ^ Unit 15 206Unit 16 Combining sentences 207Lesson 46 Simple sentences 207Lesson 47 Compound sentences 210Lesson 48 Complex sentences 214Lesson 49 Sentences with relative clauses 221Lesson 50 Compound-complex sentences 229Answer keys:Test yourself questions ^ Unit 16 231Unit 17 Related sentences 235Lesson 51 Looking at related sentences 235Lesson 52 Active and passive sentences 238Lesson 53 Positive and negative sentences 246Answer keys:Test yourself questions ^ Unit 17 250Review matching exercise and answer key ^ Part III 252List of Quick tips 253Glossary 261Index 270Contentsix
Introduction
Our goal in this book is to help you learn about English grammar in as simple and straightforward a way as possible. The book was inspired by our students, most of whom panic
when we say words like adjective, subject, and passive. We believe that panic will be
replaced by knowledge and con¢dence as readers work their way through this userfriendly book.
Who is this book for? It’s for anyone who needs or wants to understand English grammar.That includes readers who: (1) want to improve their writing; (2) are studying a foreign language; (3) are or want to be teachers; (4) are learning English as a second
language; (5) are or want to be professionals such as speech^language pathologists and
attorneys; (6) are interested in how English works. The book is self-guided and selfpaced; it can be used alone or as part of a course.
The workbook approach used here will move you beyond simply labeling words to an
understanding of how the di¡erent pieces of a sentence ¢t together. To help you achieve
this understanding, we present information in small steps, with many opportunities to
apply each new piece of information in exercises before you move on to the next step.
Like all languages, English is a collection of dialects.While society views some of these
dialects as having more social prestige than others, when we look at them objectively we
¢nd that all dialects are equal linguistically.That means that all dialects have grammatical rules, and the grammatical rules of one dialect are no more precise, pure, or logical
than the grammatical rules of another dialect. Nonetheless, in this book we focus on the
grammar of Standard American English because it is widely known and because writing
requires a knowledge of formal, standard English.
We deliberately limit this introductory book in both content and complexity.Wherever
possible, we provide you with a simple rule of thumb to use. However, we don’t claim to
cover all of English sentence structure. A clear understanding of what usually works
will give you a foundation for recognizing and understanding the exceptions. Our aim is
to provide you with the basics.
This book will clarify English sentence structure and provide you with a useful reference book that you can turn to long after you’ve completed the exercises. It will also provide you with a solid foundation for more advanced study.
So take a deep breath and turn the page.We predict that it won’t hurt a bit. In fact, you
may be surprised to ¢nd out how easy English Grammar can be.xi
How to use this book
What are the features of this book that will help you use it effectively?* We assume no prior knowledge of English grammar. Depending on your background
and interest, you can either work the book through from cover to cover or just read
about selected topics.* We utilize user-friendly, easy-to-understand language, avoiding excessive technical
terminology.* Information is presented in lesson format; most lessons are short, helping to make the
material manageable.* Numerous exercises allow you to test yourself after new information is presented; the
exercises gradually incorporate more knowledge while building on prior information.* Each exercise has a sample item done for you, to help you with the exercise.* Each exercise is separated into two parts: Getting started and More practice.With eachGetting started part, we provide a page reference to the answers, so you’ll immediately
know whether or not you’re on the right track. For More practice items, answers are provided on the accompanying website.* In addition to exercises, each lesson contains easy to ¢nd Quick tips.These provide convenient ‘‘tricks’’ to help you master the material or highlight the main concepts in each
lesson.* We’ve also included short sections called To enhance your understanding. These sections are intended for those of you who are interested in more than basic information.
These sections can easily be skipped by beginners; they’re not necessary for understanding any material later on in the book.* Throughout the text, ungrammatical sentences are identi¢ed with an asterisk (*) at the
beginning.How is this book organized?* The book has three parts: Part I deals with types of words, Part II with types of phrases,
and Part III with types of sentences.* Each part is divided into units and each unit is subdivided into related lessons.* Each lesson contains ample Test yourself exercises. Each exercise has ten questions,
with answer keys provided at the end of each unit and on the accompanying website.* A review matching exercise with an answer key is included at the end of each part.* Additional review exercises for each unit are provided on the companion website.* For easy reference, the end of the book contains a list of all Quick tips, a detailed glossary, and an index.Website: www.cambridge.org/altenberg-vago
xii
PART I: KINDS OF WORDS
Doyou shudder whenyou hear the words noun or verb? Don’t worry ^ you alreadyknow all
about word categories, also known as parts of speech, though you may not think you do.
You know, for example, that you can say the idea and the boy but not *the about or *happy
the. (As stated in the How to use this book section, an asterisk [*] is used to indicate that
something is ungrammatical.) That is, you know that some words can go in some places
in a sentence and others can’t. Aword category, or part of speech, is just a name given to a
group of words that have something in common, such as where they can go in a sentence.Part I gives you a quick and easy guide to basic word categories.
UNIT 1: NOUNSLesson 1: Identifying nounsNouns are commonly de¢ned as words that refer to a person, place, thing, or idea.
How can you identify a noun?Quick tip 1.1If you can put the word the in front of a word and it sounds like a unit, the word
is a noun.For example, the boy sounds like a unit, so boy is a noun.The chair sounds like a unit, sochair is a noun. Compare these nouns to *the very, *the walked, *the because.Very, walked,
and because are not nouns.While you can easily put the and very together (for example,the very tall boy), the very, by itself, does not work as a unit while the chair does. So, chair is
a noun; very is not. (There is one kind of noun that cannot always have the in front of it;
see Lesson 6 later in this unit.)Test yourself 1.1Which of the following words are nouns? See if they sound like a unit when you put them here:the . Check the appropriate column.Noun Not a nounSample: always.............Getting started (answers on p. 20)
1. tree................... ...................2. when................... ...................3. beds................... ...................4. glass................... ...................5. said................... ...................More practice (answers on the website)
6. slowly................... ...................7. factory................... ...................8. ticket................... ...................9. boxes................... ...................10. almost................... ...................Test yourself 1.2Underline the nouns in these phrases.Test each word to see if it sounds like a unit when you put it
here: the .
Sample: all my friendsGetting started (answers on p. 20)
1. your red sweater
2. those boxes
3. a few men
4. many digital photos
5. his very interesting article3
More practice (answers on the website)
6. their carpets
7. a hand-painted plate
8. the court stenographer
9. our psychology professor
10. two interesting museums4U N I T 1 : N O U N S
Lesson 2: Concrete and abstract nounsHere’s an unusual sentence: He smelled the marriage.What makes this sentence unusual is
that we don’t generally think of the noun marriage as something that can be smelled. Some
nouns are concrete: they can be perceived by our senses ^ they are things that we can see,
hear, smell, taste,or touch.Thosenouns that arenot concrete are abstract. Marriageis something abstract, soit’s odd to sayit’sbeing perceived byone ofour senses,our sense of smell.
The nouns in Lesson 1 were all concrete nouns. Other nouns, such as marriage, are
abstract; this means that they refer to things that you cannot perceive with your senses,
things you cannot see, smell, feel, taste, or touch. Here are some more concrete and
abstract nouns:
| Concrete | Abstract |
| newspaper | love |
| heel | honesty |
| glass | culture |
| jewelry | mind |
Quick tip 2.1Concrete nouns refer to things we can perceive with one of our senses. Abstract nounscannot be perceived by our senses.Test yourself 2.1Decide if each noun is concrete or abstract.
Sample: discussion abstractGetting started (answers on p. 20)
1. mu⁄n....................................................2. violin....................................................3. freedom....................................................4. elegance....................................................5. train....................................................More practice (answers on the website)
6. friend......................................................7. friendliness......................................................8. economics......................................................9. dormitory......................................................10. capitalism......................................................Test yourself 2.2Which of the following words are nouns? See if they sound like a unit when you put them here:the .The nouns will all be abstract nouns. Check the appropriate column.Noun Not a nounSample: confusion...................5
Getting started (answers on p. 20)
1. concept................... ...................2. shockingly................... ...................3. wrote................... ...................4. conversation................... ...................5. interview................... ...................More practice (answers on the website)
6. ran................... ...................7. secret................... ...................8. her................... ...................9. death................... ...................10. job................... ...................An abstract nounis sometimes easier toidentify if you create a sentence withit. For example,the happiness is a unit, as can be seen inThe happiness on her face delighted him.Thus, happiness is a noun. Here are some other abstract nouns in sentences; the nouns are underlined.
1. It was not the complaint which bothered him.
2. They were attempting to stop the abuse.
3. The joy which they felt was obvious.
Another easy way to identify a noun, especially an abstract noun, is to put the word his(or other words like it ^ seeLesson 21) in front of it and seeif it soundslike aunit. For example, his complaint, his happiness, his concern all are units; therefore, complaint, happiness,
and concern are nouns.Quick tip 2.2If you can put his in front of a word and it sounds like a unit, the word is a noun.Test yourself 2.3Which of the following words are nouns? See if they sound like a unit when you put them here:his .The nouns will all be abstract nouns. Check the appropriate column.Noun Not a nounSample: obligation...................Getting started (answers on p. 20)
1. jumped................... ...................2. appropriate................... ...................3. popularity................... ...................4. emotions................... ...................5. real................... ...................More practice (answers on the website)
6. closed................... ...................7. celebration................... ...................8. their................... ...................9. news................... ...................10. spoken................... ...................Test yourself 2.4Which of the following words are nouns? These are a mix of concrete and abstract nouns. Check the
appropriate column.Noun Not a nounSample: while...................U N I T 1 : N O U N S6
Getting started (answers on p. 21)
1. repair................... ...................2. intelligence................... ...................3. a................... ...................4. skis................... ...................5. us................... ...................More practice (answers on the website)
6. obstruction................... ...................7. pounds................... ...................8. disgraceful................... ...................9. complicated................... ...................10. since................... ...................Test yourself 2.5Underline the nouns in the sentences below. In this exercise, the nouns will all have the orhis in front
of them. Some will be concrete and some will be abstract. Some sentences have more than one noun.
Sample: His answer wasn’t helpful.Getting started (answers on p. 21)
1. She read the play over again.
2. The actions became monotonous.
3. He felt that his marriage, his relationship
with her, was strong.
4. The time had ¢nally come to confess the
truth.
5. He’s the boy who delivers the paper.More practice (answers on the website)
6. The glitterati always like to follow the
fashion of the day.
7. They will repair his stove.
8. The arrangement was good for all of them.
9. The audience stared at the screen,
fascinated by the action they were seeing.
10. The de¢nition was in his dictionary.
The nouns are underlined in the following sentences:
4. This author lives with her husband.
5. Do most people proceed contentedly through life?
6. Your photograph of that child sleeping won you a prize.
As you can see from these sentences, while the orhis are ways to test a word to
see if it’s a noun, a noun doesn’t necessarily have the orhis in front of it in every sentence.
Since we can say the author, the husband, the people, his life, the photograph, his child, andhis prize, the underlined words in sentences 4^6 are each nouns.Test yourself 2.6Underline the nouns in the sentences below. In this exercise, the nouns will not all have the or hisin front of them. Just test each word to see if it can be a noun.
Sample:The repair of my camera went smoothly.Getting started (answers on p. 21)
1. I wrote every word of the letter.
2. The house was near the city.
3. Why did he get on an elevator?
4. She has my phone.
5. Your younger brother was busy.More practice (answers on the website)
6. A group of three generals sent the troops away.
7. The £ag was near your desk.
8. My mother acted in a play.
9. He called the house every day.
10. You have to give her salary and bene¢ts.7Lesson 2: Concrete and abstract nouns
It’s important to realize that the same word can often be used as more than one part of
speech. For example, repair can be used as a noun (example: The repair was relatively inexpensive), as an adjective (example: The repair manual was not very helpful), or as a verb
(example: He needs to repair the washing machine).We’ll talk about verbs and adjectives inUnits 2 and 4, respectively.8U N I T 1 : N O U N S
Lesson 3: Singular and plural nounsWhat’s the di¡erence between cat and cats? The noun cat is used when it refers to only one
cat; its form is singular. The noun cats is used when it represents more than one cat; its
form is plural.Thus, the singular and plural forms tell us about number. Below are some
nouns in their singular and plural forms.
| Singular | Plural |
| box | boxes |
| bed | beds |
| kite | kites |
| day | days |
| country | countries |
| man | men |
| child | children |
| Test yourself 3.1 |
Underline each noun in the sentences below and indicate whether it is singular (SG) or plural (PL).
There may be more than one noun in a sentence.
Sample:They used her computer (SG) to download the ¢les (PL).Getting started (answers on p. 21)
1. He had a few good ideas.
2. The boys spoke in a quiet whisper.
3. The tourists greeted the queen with attitudes
of respect.
4. My neighbor is a neurologist.
5. The exterminator found bugs in the o⁄ce.More practice (answers on the website)
6. Sharks live in water.
7. Yesterday, I caught a big trout.
8. There are many beautiful homes on this block.
9. Visitors to this country must obtain visas.
10. His cousin fought in a brutal battle to free
ninety hostages.Regular and irregular pluralsUsually, we pluralize a noun by adding an‘‘s’’ toit, as in books; these nouns are called regular.There are a handful of nouns that are pluralized in other ways; these nouns are calledirregular.
Irregular nouns form their plural in di¡erent ways. Here are some common patterns:
1. changing a vowel: man/men, for example
2. adding ‘‘ren’’or ‘‘en’’: child/children, for example
3. adding nothing: ¢sh/¢sh, for example
4. changing ‘‘f’’ to‘‘v’’and then adding ‘‘s’’: knife/knives, for exampleTest yourself 3.2Underline each plural noun in the sentences below and indicate if it is regular (REG) or irregular
(IRREG) in terms of how it is pluralized.
Sample:The women (IRREG) received their education at some exclusive schools (REG).9
Getting started (answers on p. 21)
1. The doctor treated most of the patients who
were waiting.
2. The geese crossed the road near my car.
3. She set a trap to catch the mice that had
invaded her kitchen.
4. You will have to feed the oxen most
afternoons.
5. Whenever I travel to the countryside,
I see many sheep, ducks, deer, and
cows.More practice (answers on the website)
6. Those husbands and wives lead interesting
lives.
7. Her feet have grown since last year.
8. The back window of my apartment
overlooks about a dozen roofs.
9. The salesmen surrounded me in the
showroom.
10. Kenneth had to buy two bottles of
disinfectant to get rid of the lice in his
bathroom.To enhance your understandingWhat is the plural of the ‘‘word’’ blun? Even though you’ve probably never seen this
nonsense word, you’re likely to say its plural is bluns. That’s because we don’t have to
memorize the ending of regular plurals; we simply use our plural formation rule: ‘‘add s.’’
But the forms for irregular plural words, like children and men, need to be memorized since
they don’t follow a consistent pattern.To further enhance your understandingEarlier we said that we usually pluralize a noun in English by adding an ‘‘s’’ to it. There’s
actually more to it than that, when one examines the pronunciation of regular nouns more
closely.
Here are some regular English nouns:A Bcat dog
lip bee
myth car
| laugh | deal |
| Say each word in column A out loud, adding its plural ending. (Don’t whisper, or this | |
| won’t work.) You’ll notice that, as you expect, you’re adding an [s] sound to each word. | |
| (Symbols in square brackets [ ] indicate sounds rather than letters.) Now say each word in | |
| column B out loud, adding its plural ending. If you listen carefully, you’ll notice that you’re | |
| not adding an [s] sound to each word to make it plural. You’re actually adding a [z] sound! | |
| (If English is not your native language, you may not be doing this.) | |
| It turns out that we learned, when we were acquiring English as children, that it is the last | |
| sound, and not letter, of a regular noun that determines whether we add [s] or [z]. Some | |
| sounds (voiced sounds) are made with our vocal cords vibrating, like the strings of a guitar. | |
| Try this: hold your hand touching your throat, about where a man’s Adam’s apple is, while | |
| you say and hold a [v] sound ([v v v v v . . . ]). You’ll feel the vibration of your vocal cords. |
U N I T 1 : N O U N S10
Other sounds (voiceless sounds) are made with our vocal cords not vibrating. Now touch
your hand to your throat again and this time say and hold an [f] sound ([f f f f f . . . ]); you will
notice the lack of vibration.
So how do we know whether to say the plural with an [s] or [z] sound? If the last sound of
a word is a voiceless sound, we add an [s] sound to make it plural. If the last sound of a word
is a voiced sound, we add a [z] sound to make it plural. This is not a rule that someone has
ever taught us, but part of our unconscious knowledge of English.
Notice that having an [s] sound after voiceless sounds makes sense: [s] itself is voiceless.
By the same reasoning, having a [z] after voiced sounds also makes sense: [z] itself is
voiced. So what you can see is that the last sound of the noun and the sound of the regular
plural share the same voicing characteristic: either the vocal cords vibrate for both sounds,
or they don’t.
You may have noticed that there’s actually a third type of regular noun. Say the following
words out loud, adding the plural ending to each:
glass garage
maze church
wish judge
These words all already end in sounds (again, not letters) that are either [s] or [z] or sounds
very similar to them. They are all ‘‘noisy’’ sounds. For the plural forms of these words, we
add a vowel sound (written with the letter e) followed by a [z] sound (but written with the
letter s): glasses, mazes, wishes, garages, churches, judges. If you think about it, pronouncing a vowel between the noisy sound at the end of the noun and the noisy sound [z] of the
plural makes sense: without that vowel, we would have two noisy sounds in a row,
something that would be harder for the listener to hear clearly.
Wow! You may want to just pause for a moment here and contemplate the complexity of
what you know about your language. And you knew how to do this before you even went
to kindergarten! You just haven’t known that you know it.Lesson 3: Singular and plural nouns11
Lesson 4: Animate and inanimate nounsTake a look at the following sentence:
1. The postcard saw the mailman.
What’s strange about this sentence? What’s strange is that we don’t expect a postcard,
which is not alive, to be able to see something; only things that are alive have the ability
to see. Nouns that refer to things that are alive are called animate, while nouns that refer
to things that are not alive are called inanimate. Postcard is an inanimate noun and
using it as an animate one makes for a very unusual sentence.Quick tip 4.1Animate nouns refer to things that are alive; inanimate nouns refer to things that are
not alive.Test yourself 4.1Decide if each noun is animate or inanimate.
Sample: apple inanimateGetting started (answers on p. 21)
1. word..................................................2. lizard..................................................3. glasses..................................................4. calendar..................................................5. baby..................................................More practice (answers on the website)
6. criminal......................................................7. furniture......................................................8. doctor......................................................9. mouse......................................................10. truck......................................................Now take a look at the following sentence:
2. The dog wrote a best-selling novel.
Again, there’s something strange here.We know that dog is animate. However, only a special
type of animate noun has the ability to write a best-selling novel: a human noun.The following sentence is ¢ne, since teacher is a human animate noun: My teacher wrote a best-selling
novel. On the other hand, since dog is a nonhuman animate noun, sentence 2 does not sound
right.
To summarize: nouns may be human animate (teacher), nonhuman animate (dog), or
inanimate (postcard).Test yourself 4.2Decide if each noun is animate or inanimate. If a noun is animate, decide if it is human or nonhuman.
Sample: chair inanimate12
Getting started (answers on p. 21)
1. dinner..........................................................2. pet..........................................................3. friend..........................................................4. child..........................................................5. spider..........................................................More practice (answers on the website)
6. tablecloth..............................................................7. recipes..............................................................8. assassin..............................................................9. shark..............................................................10. freedom..............................................................Lesson 4: Animate and inanimate nouns13
Lesson 5: Count and noncount nounsLet’s take a closer look at the noun hand. Notice that you can say the following:
the hand a hand hands
Here are some other nouns which demonstrate the same pattern:
the store a store stores
the idea an idea ideas
the tissue a tissue tissues
Let’s compare hand to the noun furniture. As with hand, we can say the furniture. But we
can’t say *a furniture or *furnitures. Here are some other nouns which demonstrate the
same pattern as furniture:
| the dust | *a dust | *dusts |
| the energy | *an energy | *energies |
| the biology | *a biology | *biologies |
Thus, there are some nouns that can be counted, and so we can use a or an with them and
can also make them plural.These nouns are called, appropriately, count nouns. Hand is a
count noun. So are store, idea, and tissue.
There are other nouns that typically are not counted, and so we do not use a or an with
them and do not typically make them plural.These nouns are called, also appropriately,noncount nouns. (Another name for a noncount noun is a mass noun.) Furniture is a noncount noun. So are dust, energy, and biology.
You may well be saying to yourself,‘‘Wait a minute. I can count furniture. I can say something like: three couches and three chairs make six pieces of furniture.’’And of course,
you’d be right. But notice that in this sentence, the words couch and chair can be made plural, but not the word furniture. And the word piece can be made plural, but, again, not the
word furniture.Quick tip 5.1If you can pluralize a noun in a sentence, it is functioning as a count noun.Note that a noun is considered to be a count noun if it can be made plural, even if
it’s not plural in a particular sentence. Thus, in the sentence I ate a cookie, cookie is
a count noun because one could pluralize it to cookies without changing its basic
meaning.Test yourself 5.1For each underlined noun in the sentences below, indicate if it is count (C) or noncount (NC). Use
the plural test to help you.14
Sample: Her hairstyle (C) clearly revealed her face.Getting started (answers on p. 22)
1. The lights ( ) of the city ( )
twinkled.
2. I love eating rice ( ).
3. His anger ( ) was barely under
control.
4. Her job ( ) was rather demanding.
5. Many types of information ( ) are
available at the library ( ).More practice (answers on the website)
6. The police ( ) will beherein amoment.
7. Heleanedon the handle( ) and cursed.
8. I was so thirsty, I needed three glasses
( ) of water ( ).
9. How much money ( ) do you make in
an hour ( )?
10. By 11P.M., the train-station ( ) was
nearly empty.
There is also another good way to decide if a noun is count or noncount.Take a look at the
use of the words much and many in the following sentences.
1. He has many children.
2. That man has many interests.
3. That will take too much time.
4. They have many lights on in the house.
5. We have much furniture in our store.
6. I wonder how much wealth is in SiliconValley.
As you may have noticed, many is used with count nouns, much is used with noncount
nouns.Quick tip 5.2If you can use many with a noun (when it is pluralized), it’s a count noun. If you can usemuch with a noun, it’s a noncount noun.And we have still another way to distinguish count from noncount nouns:
7. He has fewer children than I do.
8. That man has fewer interests than he used to.
9. That will take less time than I thought.
10. They have fewer lights on in the house.
11. We have less furniture in our store.
12. I don’t have less money in my purse than you have.
As you’ve probably ¢gured out from these examples, we use fewer with count nouns andless with noncount nouns.Quick tip 5.3If you can use fewer with a noun (when it is pluralized), it’s a count noun. If you can use lesswith a noun, it’s a noncount noun.Lesson 5: Count and noncount nouns15
Test yourself 5.2For each underlined noun in the sentences below, indicate if it is being used as a count (C) or
noncount (NC) noun in that sentence. Use the plural, much/many, or fewer/less tests to help you.
Sample:Their new album (C) was a huge hit.Getting started (answers on p. 22)
1. Algebra ( ) was one of my worst
subjects ( ) in high school ( ).
2. I had no idea that there were various
theories ( ), such as Euclidean
and fractal.
3. The smoke ( ) rose through the
chimney ( ).
4. Bread ( ) is a staple in many
societies ( ).
5. She decided to push the issue ( )
further.More practice (answers on the website)
6. People ( ) are funny sometimes.
7. The government ( ) of the United
States has three branches ( ).
8. Senators ( ) can spend money
( ) unnecessarily.
9. It takes e¡ort ( ) to get a good
grade ( ) in Mr. Goodman’s
class ( ).
10. The reporters ( ) wrote the story
( ).To enhance your understandingMany nouns can be used as either count nouns or as noncount nouns, depending on how
they are being used in a specific sentence. Let’s look at the following sentence containing
the word sugar:
13. The sugar is spilling onto the floor.
In this sentence, is sugar being used as a count or noncount noun? Would you say: The
sugars are spilling onto the floor? or Many sugars are spilling onto the floor? Probably not.
So sugar, in sentence 13, is a noncount noun.
Now take a look at another sentence with sugar:
14. This gourmet shop has sugars I’ve never even heard of.
In this sentence, is sugar being used as a count or noncount noun? First, notice that sugarhere is pluralized. Second, notice that you can say This gourmet shop has many sugars I’ve
never even heard of. So sugar, in sentence 14, is a count noun. In terms of meaning, what is
important here is that the sentence is talking about different types of sugars, say, brown
sugar, white sugar, confectioners’ sugar, etc.
And one more sentence type with sugar:
15. The sugar that works best in this recipe is brown sugar.
Here, sugar, while not pluralized, could be pluralized and refers, in fact, to a kind
of sugar. For example, you could say: The sugars that work best in this recipe
are brown sugar and white sugar. For these reasons, sugar is being used here as a count
noun.
Here are some more examples of sentences with nouns which, like sugar, are typically
used as noncount nouns but can also be used as count nouns.
16a. I like to drink milk. (milk used as noncount noun)
16b. That store has milks with different kinds of flavoring: chocolate, vanilla, mocha,
and strawberry. (milks used as count noun)
U N I T 1 : N O U N S16
16c. The milk that is the healthiest is nonfat milk. (milk used as count noun)
17a. A plentiful supply of water is important for a community’s survival. (water used
as noncount noun)
17b. There are different kinds of gourmet waters on the market these days. (watersused as count noun)
17c. The water I usually order in restaurants is imported. (water used as count noun)17Lesson 5: Count and noncount nouns
Lesson 6: Proper and common nounsDo the following sentences look a little strange?
1. Mrs. smith took the 10th grade class of lincoln high school to france for a trip.
2. The class visited paris and was thrilled to see the ei¡el tower.
Normally, we capitalize the ¢rst letter of nouns that are actual names, no matter where
they are in a sentence. Let’s look at the same sentences with the names capitalized:
3. Mrs. Smith took the 10th grade class of Lincoln High School to France for a trip.
4. The class visited Paris and was thrilled to see the Ei¡elTower.
Nouns that are actual names are called proper nouns; nouns that are not names are
called common nouns. Notice that not only people have names: places (Rome), companies
(IBM), and books (GoneWith theWind), among others, can have names, too.Quick tip 6.1Nouns that are actual names, for example Mary, are called proper nouns. Nouns that are
not names are called common nouns, e.g. girl.Quick tip 6.2One way to identify a proper noun is to ask yourself: is this a noun I would capitalize, no
matter where it is in a sentence? If so, it’s a proper noun.Test yourself 6.1For each noun below, determine if it is a proper noun or common noun. For this exercise, the proper
nouns are not capitalized.
Sample: england properGetting started (answers on p. 22)
1. seattle...............................2. crater lake national park...............................3. tissues...............................4. sofa...............................5. pepsi cola...............................More practice (answers on the website)
6. mediterranean sea...............................7. disneyland...............................8. company...............................9. british broadcasting company...............................10. television...............................18
To enhance your understandingIn Lesson 1 we said that words that can have the in front of them and sound like a complete
unit are nouns. That still works. The reverse, however, is not true: not all proper nouns can
have the in front of them. Compare the following proper nouns. Those on the left use the;
those on the right do not.
5. a. The United States Great Britain
The Netherlands France
| b. | The Holy See | Holy Cross University |
| c. | The Jolly Green Giant | Big Foot |
| d. | The Bronx | Manhattan |
Most proper nouns don’t use the – just think of the names of people you know. Those few
cases where a proper noun does use the are exceptions; we memorize those.Lesson 6: Proper and common nouns19
Answer keys: Test yourself, Getting startedquestions – Unit 1Test yourself 1.1Noun Not a noun1. tree...................2. when...................3. beds...................4. glass...................5. said...................Test yourself 1.21. your red sweater
2. those boxes
3. a few men
4. many digital photos
5. his very interesting article
| Test yourself 2.1 | |
| 1. mu⁄n | concrete |
| 2. violin | concrete |
| 3. freedom | abstract |
| 4. elegance | abstract |
| 5. train | concrete |
| Test yourself 2.2 | |
| Noun | Not a noun |
| 1. concept | ................... |
| 2. shockingly | ................... |
| 3. wrote | ................... |
| 4. conversation | ................... |
| 5. interview | ................... |
| Test yourself 2.3 | |
| Noun | Not a noun |
| 1. jumped | ................... |
| 2. appropriate................... | |
| 3. popularity | ................... |
| 4. emotions | ................... |
| 5. real | ................... |
20
Test yourself 2.4Noun Not a noun1. repair...................2. intelligence...................3. a...................4. skis...................5. us...................Test yourself 2.51. She read the play over again.
2. The actions became monotonous.
3. He felt that his marriage, his relationship with her, was strong.
4. The time had ¢nally come to confess the truth.
5. He’s the boy who delivers the paper.Test yourself 2.61. I wrote every word of the letter.
2. The house was near the city.
3. Why did he get on an elevator?
4. She has my phone.
5. Your younger brother was busy.Test yourself 3.11. He had a few good ideas (PL).
2. The boys (PL) spoke in a quiet whisper (SG).
3. The tourists (PL) greeted the queen (SG) with attitudes (PL) of respect (SG).
4. My neighbor (SG) is a neurologist (SG).
5. The exterminator (SG) found bugs (PL) in the o⁄ce (SG).Test yourself 3.21. The doctor treated most of the patients (REG) who were waiting.
2. The geese (IRREG) crossed the road near my car.
3. She set a trap to catch the mice (IRREG) that had invaded her kitchen.
4. You will have to feed the oxen (IRREG) most afternoons (REG).
5. Whenever I travel to the countryside, I see many sheep (IRREG), ducks (REG), deer (IRREG), and
cows (REG).
| Test yourself 4.1 | |
| 1. word | inanimate |
| 2. lizard | animate |
| 3. glasses | inanimate |
| 4. calendar | inanimate |
| 5. baby | animate |
| Test yourself 4.2 | |
| 1. dinner | inanimate |
| 2. pet | nonhuman animate |
Answer keys: Unit 121
3. friend human animate
4. child human animate
5. spider nonhuman animateTest yourself 5.11. The lights (C) of the city (C) twinkled.
2. I love eating rice (NC).
3. His anger (NC) was barely under control.
4. Her job (C) was rather demanding.
5. Many types of information (NC) are available at the library (C).Test yourself 5.21. Algebra (NC) was one of my worst subjects (C) in high school (C).
2. I had no idea that there were various theories (C), such as Euclidean and fractal.
3. The smoke (NC) rose through the chimney (C).
4. Bread (NC) is a staple in many societies (C).
5. She decided to push the issue (C) further.
| Test yourself 6.1 | |
| 1. seattle | proper |
| 2. crater lake national park | proper |
| 3. tissues | common |
| 4. sofa | common |
| 5. pepsi cola | proper |
☞ FOR A REVIEW EXERCISE OF THIS UNIT, SEE THE WEBSITE.U N I T 1 : N O U N S22
UNIT 2: VERBSLesson 7: Identifying verbsWhat’s a verb? Verbs are words that usually express an action. Here are two easy ways to
identify a verb; you can use either one.Quick tip 7.1If a word can have should in front of it and the phrase sounds complete, the word is a
verb. Examples: should leave, should sail, should discover, should complain. Leave, sail,discover, and complain are all verbs.Quick tip 7.2If a word can have to in front of it and the phrase sounds complete, it’s a verb. Examples: to
leave, to sail, to discover, to complain. Leave, sail, discover, and complain are all verbs.
(Note that we’re not talking here about two, too, or the to that indicates direction, as inLet’s go to the park.)Here are some examples of verbs.You can see that they all meet the test with should and
the test with to.
go: should go to go
tell: should tell to tell
disagree: should disagree to disagree
spell: should spell to spell
In contrast, the following words do not pass the should or to test:
co¡ee: *should co¡ee *to co¡ee
beautiful: *should beautiful *to beautiful
hardly: *should hardly *to hardly
under: *should under *to under
Thus, co¡ee, beautiful, hardly, and under are not verbs.Test yourself 7.1Which of the following words are verbs? See if they sound like a complete unit when you put the
word here: should or to . Check the appropriate column.Verb Not a verbSample: characteristic...................23
Getting started (answers on p. 41)
1. defend................... ...................2. include................... ...................3. largest................... ...................4. how................... ...................5. learn................... ...................More practice (answers on the website)
6. sightsee................... ...................7. unbelievably................... ...................8. look................... ...................9. grow................... ...................10. ambitious................... ...................Test yourself 7.2Underline the verbs in these phrases. Test each word to see if it sounds like a complete unit when
you put the word here: should or to .
Sample: should really thinkGetting started (answers on p. 41)
1. must not worry
2. might keep
3. wish for peace
4. may sometimes cook
5. will travelMore practice (answers on the website)
6. can usually sleep late
7. won’t go home
8. would like guidance
9. could never build
10. shall doU N I T 2 : V E R B S24
Lesson 8: The verb baseSometimes a verb changes its form. Let’s look at the following sentences. The verb is
underlined in each one.
1. John should study.
2. John studied.
3. John is studying.
4. John studies.
You certainly can’t say, *John should studied, or John to studied, so how do we know thatstudied is a verb? To test the word, you have to see if it can follow should or to in a di¡erent
form, not necessarily in the form that you see in a particular sentence. For example, if
you see John studied, ask yourself if there’s a di¡erent form of studied that can followshould or to. In this case there is: John should study or John decided to study. So study and
all its forms are verbs. The form of the verb that follows should or to is called the base
form or in¢nitive form.The term in¢nitive is used to refer either to the base form alone
(for example, study), or to the to + base form (for example, to study).
Let’s put each of these verbs into its base form.The base form is underlined.
5. working: (should, to) work
6. believed: (should, to) believe
7. written: (should, to) write
8. wore: (should, to) wear
9. throws: (should, to) throwTest yourself 8.1Put each of the verbs below into its base form. Simply ¢nd the form that follows should or to.
Sample: grew: growGetting started (answers on p. 41)
1. wrote:.....................................................2. talking:.....................................................3. thought:.....................................................4. considered:.....................................................5. seen:.....................................................More practice (answers on the website)
6. investigates:......................................................7. spoken:......................................................8. married:......................................................9. decides:......................................................10. found:......................................................Test yourself 8.2Which of the following words are verbs? You may have to put some into their base form in order to be
sure. Remember also that a verb usually indicates an action.Verb Not a verbSample: £ew...................25
Getting started (answers on p. 41)
1. danced................... ...................2. sofa................... ...................3. large................... ...................4. gave................... ...................5. stares................... ...................More practice (answers on the website)
6. pushed................... ...................7. goodness................... ...................8. at................... ...................9. carries................... ...................10. them................... ...................Test yourself 8.3Underline the verbs in each of the sentences below, using the should or to tests to help you.You may
have to put some verbs into their base forms in order to be sure. Remember also that a verb usually
indicates an action.
Sample: She grabbed his arm.Getting started (answers on p. 41)
1. The host greeted us cordially.
2. She should say that again.
3. Jonathan walked over to the
car.
4. He washes dishes every evening.
5. You can’t speakVietnamese.More practice (answers on the website)
6. My neighbor £ew to Chicago.
7. The children wanted some candy.
8. Tomorrow we might go to the museum.
9. The censor usually objects to the same seven
words.
10. In the afternoon I bought a present formy son.U N I T 2 : V E R B S26
Lesson 9: Action verbs and linking verbsThe verbs we have looked at so far, such as go, sing, and revise, all indicate actions. In fact,
they’re called action verbs. However, there are other verbs which don’t indicate actions.
These are most commonly called linking verbs. One example of such a verb is the wordseem, as in the sentences,You seem tired,They’ve seemed busy lately. Don’t worry, though:seem still follows our should or to rules: Harry should seem surprised at times; You don’t
want to seem arrogant, do you? So even though seem isn’t indicating an action, it’s easy to
identify it as a verb. Other examples of linking verbs are resemble and become. Linking
verbs express a relationship between the noun or pronoun that comes before the linking
verb and whatever follows it. (For pronouns, see Unit 7.)Test yourself 9.1Which of the following words are verbs? See if each sounds like a complete unit when you put the
word here: should or to . Check the appropriate column. All the verbs will be linking
verbs.You may have to put some in their base form to be sure.Verb Not a verbSample: appear...................Getting started (answers on p. 42)
1. tasted................... ...................2. friendly................... ...................3. shady................... ...................4. be................... ...................5. got................... ...................More practice (answers on the website)
6. look................... ...................7. huge................... ...................8. seven................... ...................9. ocean................... ...................10. sound................... ...................Test yourself 9.2Underline the verbs in these sentences.Test each word to see if it sounds like a complete unit when
you put the word here: should or to . All the verbs will be linking verbs.You may have to
put some in their base form to be sure.
Sample: She looked happy.Getting started (answers on p. 42)
1. Barry will feel awful about it.
2. Melissa resembles her mother.
3. Zack sounded extremely
angry.
4. The ¢sh tasted undercooked.
5. You were not home early.More practice (answers on the website)
6. The ¢nal exam proved di⁄cult.
7. That dinner smells so good!
8. The ¢re¢ghters remain at the station all
night long.
9. They stayed indoors throughout their ordeal.
10. By noon the weather turned nice.27
The most common linking verbis the verb be, often called the copula.You can see di¡erent
forms of the verb be in the following sentences.
1. I am happy.
2. You are happy.
3. He is happy.
4. I was happy.
5. You were happy.
6. I have been happy.
7. He is being happy.
Notice how di¡erent these forms are from the base form of be. In fact, be is the most
irregular verb in the English language: it has more forms than any other verb. But you
can still use the should or to test to identify be as a verb:You should be happy,They decided
to be happy. For convenience, the forms of be are indicated in Quick tip 9.1.Quick tip 9.1The forms of the irregular verb be are: am, are, is, was, were, be, been, being.Note that be and become are two di¡erent verbs. Here are the forms of become: become,becomes, became, becoming.Test yourself 9.3Underline the forms of be in each of the sentences below. Some sentences may contain more than
one form of be.
Sample: It is a privilege to meet you.Getting started (answers on p. 42)
1. Paul was in power at that moment.
2. They are absolutely correct in their thinking.
3. Your suitcases were in the overhead
compartment during the £ight.
4. Christina has been wanting to go to Europe
for a long time.
5. What is wrong with being a good student?More practice (answers on the website)
6. The situation is getting out of hand.
7. My niece wants to be a psychiatrist when
she grows up.
8. The problem is being corrected as we
speak.
9. History might be being made right now.
10. I am happy to show you around town.
Often, forms of the verb be are said and written as contractions, as in these sentences:
8. I’m happy. (verb = am)
9. He’s happy. (verb = is)
10. We’re happy. (verb = are)
11. He’s being happy. (verb = is)
These are all still sentences with be.
For more on the verb be, see Lessons 34 and 35.Test yourself 9.4Underline the forms of be in each of the sentences below. Some will be written as contractions.
Sample: It’s unusual to see rain at this time of the year.U N I T 2 : V E R B S28
Getting started (answers on p. 42)
1. They’re usually home by now.
2. Are you worried about
anything?
3. I heard that the £ight was late.
4. We’re honored by your presence.
5. It’s too bad that the Yankees lost last
night.More practice (answers on the website)
6. I think she’s my husband’s new boss.
7. The tyrant will certainly be accused of
crimes against humanity.
8. You’re a real good friend.
9. I’m afraid to tell you the truth.
10. It has been far too long since we last saw
each other.Test yourself 9.5Which of these words is a verb? See if it sounds like a complete unit when you put the word here:should or to . Check the appropriate column. Some of the verbs are linking verbs and
some are action verbs. All the verbs will be in their base forms.Verb Not a verbSample: run...................Getting started (answers on p. 42)
1. resemble................... ...................2. become................... ...................3. this................... ...................4. be................... ...................5. new................... ...................More practice (answers on the website)
6. although................... ...................7. search................... ...................8. grow................... ...................9. without................... ...................10. really................... ...................Test yourself 9.6
| Which of these words is a verb? You may have to put some in their base forms in order to be sure. Some are linking verbs. | |
| Verb | Not a verb |
| Sample: orange | ................... |
Getting started (answers on p. 42)
1. appeared................... ...................2. attends................... ...................3. whenever................... ...................4. was................... ...................5. heard................... ...................More practice (answers on the website)
6. did................... ...................7. you................... ...................8. living................... ...................9. completes................... ...................10. eraser................... ...................Test yourself 9.7Underline the verb in each of the following sentences.You may have to put some in their base forms
and test each word with should or to in order to be sure of your answer. Each sentence has only one
verb.The verbs in this exercise are all action verbs.
Sample: He bakes cookies for his son’s birthday.Lesson 9: Action verbs and linking verbs29
Getting started (answers on p. 43)
1. The car spun out of control.
2. Don’t talk during the movie.
3. The doctor tied a strip of gauze around her
hand.
4. Maxine spent too much money.
5. They saw the play last Sunday.More practice (answers on the website)
6. Molly received a reply to her letter.
7. He ate on the stoop of the front porch.
8. Grandma held the kitten in her lap.
9. She never says anything.
10. They wash the windows regularly.Test yourself 9.8Identify the verb in each of the following sentences.You may have to put some in their base forms
and test each word with should or to in order to be sure of your answer. Each sentence has only one
verb.The verbs in this exercise will be either action or linking verbs.
Sample: Bridget spent hours in the dusty old bookstore.Getting started (answers on p. 43)
1. That was the best meal in the world.
2. I understand your point.
3. Maybe they know each other well.
4. She is fromWisconsin.
5. Those £owers smell heavenly.More practice (answers on the website)
6. It seemed late.
7. Johnny packed all our things.
8. Mother is always right about that.
9. She went down to the basement.
10. I felt wonderful about my decision.
How can you determine if a verb is being used as an action verb or a linking verb? There
are a number of di¡erences between them. One way is to think of a linking verb as an
equal sign (=). For example:
12. Harry resembles his brother.
Harry = his brother.
13. You are bored.
You = bored.
14. That strange looking vegetable tastes awful.
That strange looking vegetable = awful.Resembles, are, and tastes are each being used here as linking verbs.
Another way to identify a linking verb is to see if you can substitute a form of be for it,
and leave the meaning basically the same. For example, take the sentence John seems
interested in the conversation. We can substitute a form of be, speci¢cally, is, for seems:John is interested in the conversation. Thus, seems is a linking verb in the sentence John
seems interested in the conversation.Take a look at some more examples.
15. After a while, the hotel became dingy.
After a while, the hotel was dingy.
16. Annie and Janine look surprised.
Annie and Janine are surprised.U N I T 2 : V E R B S30
17. Although in his eighties, he remains youthful-looking.
Although in his eighties, he is youthful-looking.
Thus, became, look, and remains are being used as linking verbs in these sentences.
Remember that be and its forms can also be used as linking verbs. While Quick tip 9.2below isn’t foolproof, it will usually help you identify whether a verb is an action or linking verb.Quick tip 9.2If you can substitute a form of be for a verb and the meaning of the sentence is basically
the same, the verb is probably being used as a linking verb. The verb be and its forms
are also linking verbs.Another way to identify a linking verb is to see if you can substitute a form of the wordseem for it, and leave the meaning basically the same. For example, in the sentence,The
hot shower felt soothing, we can substitute a form of seem for felt, and leave the sentence
largely unchanged:The hot shower seemed soothing. Note the following examples:
18a. After a while, the hotel became dingy.
18b. After a while, the hotel seemed dingy.
19a. Annie and Janine look surprised.
19b. Annie and Janine seem surprised.
20a. Although in his eighties, he remains youthful-looking.
20b. Although in his eighties, he seems youthful-looking.
Thus, became, look, and remains are being used as linking verbs in these sentences. Again,
while Quick tip 9.3 below also isn’t foolproof, it will help you identify whether a verb is an
action or linking verb.Quick tip 9.3If you can substitute a form of seem for a verb and the meaning of the sentence is basically
the same, the verb is probably being used as a linking verb.Test yourself 9.9Decide if the underlined verbs in the sentences below are action orlinking verbs. In this exercise, if
it’s a form ofbe, it’s being used as a linking verb. If it’s not a form ofbe, use the be or seem substitution
tests to see if the verb is being used as a linking verb.Action LinkingSample: She laughed at all his jokes....................
| Getting started (answers on p. 43) 1. The Czar was a person of high rank. | ................... | ................... |
| 2. That dog barks a lot. | ................... | ................... |
| 3. Mr. Kelly watched the tra⁄c below his window. | ................... | ................... |
| 4. You have been a terri¢c friend to me over the years.................... | ................... | |
| 5. I love the way the pillows feel so cozy in this hotel.................... | ................... |
Lesson 9: Action verbs and linking verbs31
| More practice (answers on the website) 6. Jimmy is always eager to answer any questions.................... | ................... | |
| 7. Finding a healthy meal on the menu proved easy.................... | ................... | |
| 8. He’s not as smart as he led me to believe. | ................... | ................... |
| 9. We could hear the neighbors arguing for hours. | ................... | ................... |
| 10. That sounds good to me. | ................... | ................... |
| Test yourself 9.10 |
Underline the verb in each sentence below and decide if it’s being used as an action or linking verb.
In this exercise, if the verb is a form of be, it’s being used as a linking verb. If it’s not a form of be, use
the be or seem substitution tests to see if the verb is being used as a linking verb.Action LinkingSample: The policeman gave him a ticket....................
| Getting started (answers on p. 43) 1. They became best friends. | ................... | ................... |
| 2. It is not nearly the same as mine. | ................... | ................... |
| 3. Unfortunately, I forgot your birthday this year.................... | ................... | |
| 4. I went to the corner bakery. | ................... | ................... |
| 5. Mark remains a legend to this day. | ................... | ................... |
| More practice (answers on the website) 6. Trigonometry bores me. | ................... | ................... |
| 7. Babies often get hungry. | ................... | ................... |
| 8. No one got a C on the midterm exam. | ................... | ................... |
| 9. It’s much ado about nothing. | ................... | ................... |
| 10. He made such a fuss over a minor mistake. | ................... | ................... |
Hopefully you now have a good sense of the di¡erence between action and linking
verbs. However, there are some verbs that can be used as either an action verb or a linking
verb, depending on the sentence that it’s in. Compare, for example, the following two sentences with feel:
21. Mary felt tired.
22. Mary felt the softness of the material.
In sentence 21, felt is being used as a linking verb. Note that Mary = tired; Mary is tired,Mary seems tired all make sense here. In sentence 22, Mary is doing an action. Also, one
can’t think of it as: *Mary = the softness of the material, *Mary was the softness of the material, or *Mary seemed the softness of the material.That is, thinking of felt as an equal sign
or substituting a form of be or seem for felt clearly doesn’t work here.Thus, in sentence 22,felt is being used as an action verb.U N I T 2 : V E R B S32
Here are a few more examples:
23. The dinner at that restaurant tasted delicious. (linking verb)
(The dinner at that restaurant was delicious.)
24. I tasted the soup. (action verb)
(*I was the soup.)
25. The £owers smelled heavenly. (linking verb)
(The £owers are heavenly.)
26. She smelled the ¢re before she saw it. (action verb)
(*She was the ¢re before she saw it.)Test yourself 9.11Underline the verb in each sentence below and decide if it’s being used as an action or linking verb.Action LinkingSample:The crowd grew angry....................
| Getting started (answers on p. 43) 1. He grew potatoes on his farm. | ................... | ................... |
| 2. I looked at the mess all around me. | ................... | ................... |
| 3. Stephen looks happy today. | ................... | ................... |
| 4. In reality, exceptions rarely prove the rule. | ................... | ................... |
| 5. Learning the rule proved di⁄cult. | ................... | ................... |
| More practice (answers on the website) 6. I got nervous before my blood test. | ................... | ................... |
| 7. I got a spasm in my arm. | ................... | ................... |
| 8. The idea of having a pizza sounds real good. | ................... | ................... |
| 9. Last night a burglar sounded the alarm. | ................... | ................... |
| 10. You rarely become a star overnight. | ................... | ................... |
To enhance your understandingAnother important difference between action and linking verbs is that a linking verb can be
followed by just an adjective, while an action verb cannot:
27. She is tired. (TIred is an adjective.)
28. The mayor looked victorious. (Victorious is an adjective.)
29. *She washed tired.
30. *The mayor voted victorious.
As you can see, is and looked are linking verbs in these sentences; washed and voted are
action verbs. However, since we haven’t yet talked about adjectives (see Lesson 16), just
keep this in mind as another difference between the two types of verbs.Lesson 9: Action verbs and linking verbs33
Quick tip 9.4Linking verbs are followed or modified by adjectives, while action verbs are followed or
modified by adverbs.Test yourself 9.12 – Grand finaleIf you can do this exercise, you’ve achieved a basic understanding of nouns and verbs.
In each sentence below, underline the nouns and put a squiggly line under each verb. Each
sentence has only one verb but may have more than one noun.
Sample:The judges were unanimous in their decision.Getting started (answers on p. 43)
1. Their daughter announced her engagement
later.
2. The surgeon washed his hands.
3. The pianist was diligent.
4. The young boy gritted his teeth.
5. Her assistant is always late.More practice (answers on the website)
6. The mayor explained his position.
7. The train came early.
8. Three other customers placed orders that
day.
9. Her friend was helpful.
10. That hot meal tastes great.To further enhance your understandingCompare the following two sentences:
31a. She looked careful. (careful is an adjective)
31b. She looked carefully. (carefully is an adverb)
Can you sense the difference? In sentence 31a the verb looked is a linking verb, followed
by the adjective careful; the basic meaning of the sentence is She looked like she was a
careful person. In contrast, in sentence 31b looked is an action verb, followed by the adverbcarefully (adverbs will be discussed in Lesson 27); the basic meaning of this sentence
is She looked around in a careful manner. Quick tip 9.4 identifies yet another difference
between linking verbs and action verbs.
U N I T 2 : V E R B S34
Lesson 10: Transitive and intransitive verbsTake a look at the following questions, each with an action verb.
1. What did you write?
2. Who did you annoy?
3. What did you throw?
These are all perfectly ¢ne questions and easy to answer, e.g. I wrote a letter, I annoyed my
neighbor, I threw a ball.
Now compare the ¢rst group of questions to the next group, each of which also has an
action verb.
4. *What did you sleep?
5. *What did you die?
6. *Who did you arrive?
These questions are all strange and can’t really be answered.That’s because the verbs in
this second group are verbs that do not act on anything.
Thus, you can see that there are two kinds of verbs. One kind, such as write, annoy, andthrow, acts upon something. The noun (or noun phrase; see Lesson 28) that the verb acts
upon is called the direct object of the sentence. (You’ll learn more about direct objects inLesson 39.) Those verbs that act on something are called transitive verbs. Typically, in
statements, a transitive verb is followed by the noun (or noun phrase) that it is acting upon.
Other verbs, such as sleep, die, and arrive, do not act upon something. In fact, these verbs
can’t have a direct object. Notice that you can’t say, for example: *I usually sleep the dog,
*They’ll arrive the book.Those verbs that do not act on something and appear in sentences
that do not have a direct object are called intransitive verbs.Quick tip 10.1Action verbs that act upon something are called transitive verbs. Action verbs that do not
act upon something are called intransitive verbs.Quick tip 10.2If a verb (in any of its forms) can be put in one of the following slots, it is transitive: (a) What
did you ? (b) Who did you ? If a verb cannot be put in one of these slots, it is
intransitive.So, which of the following verbs are transitive and which intransitive?
7. What did you discover?
8. *What did you struggle?
9. Who did you meet?
10. *What did you laugh?
Since sentences 7 and 9 are ¢ne questions, discover and meet are transitive verbs. Since sentences 8 and 10 are not acceptable questions, struggle and laugh are intransitive verbs. Note35
that although you can say something like,What did you struggle with? or,What did you laugh
at?, you can’t ask the questions as they are stated above, and so the verbs are intransitive.
There’s also another way to decide if a verb is transitive or intransitive:Quick tip 10.3If a verb (in one of its forms) can be put in one of the following slots, it is transitive:
(a) He something. (b) He someone.Quick tip 10.4If a verb (in one of its forms) can be put in the following slot, it is intransitive:
He .Let’s use these Quick tips to decide which of the following verbs are transitive and
which are intransitive:
11. He discovered something.
12. He met someone.
13. He struggled.
14. He laughed.Quick tip 10.3 helps identify the verb discovered in sentence 11and the verb met in sentence
12 as transitive. Quick tip 10.4 helps identify the verb struggled in sentence 13 and the verblaughed in sentence 14 as intranstive.Test yourself 10.1
| Decide if each of the verbs below is transitive or intransitive. Use Quick tips 9.2, 9.3 and 9.4 to help you decide. | |
| Transitive | Intransitive |
| Sample: mention | ................... |
Getting started (answers on p. 44)
1. tell................... ...................2. rise................... ...................3. raise................... ...................4. fall................... ...................5. publish................... ...................More practice (answers on the website)
6. proclaim................... ...................7. vanish................... ...................8. omit................... ...................9. cry................... ...................10. remove................... ...................Now take a look at a few more sentences:
15a. I ate.
15b. I ate dinner.
16a. She dances well.
16b. She dances the tango well.
17a. The audience left.
17b. The audience left the theater.U N I T 2 : V E R B S36
You can see that there are verbs, such as eat, dance, and leave, that can be used as either
transitive or intransitive verbs.Quick tip 10.5Some verbs can be either transitive or transitive. These can occur in both of the following
slots: (a) He something / someone. (b) He .Test yourself 10.2
| Decide if each of the verbs below is transitive, intransitive, or either. Use Quick tips 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, and 10.5 to help you decide. | ||
| Transitive | Intransitive | Either |
| Sample: play | ................... | ................... |
Getting started (answers on p. 44)
1. beat................... ................... ...................2. cough................... ................... ...................3. relax................... ................... ...................4. drive................... ................... ...................5. entertain................... ................... ...................More practice (answers on the website)
6. seek................... ................... ...................7. ¢ght................... ................... ...................8. pro¢t................... ................... ...................9. mention................... ................... ...................10. paint................... ................... ...................Test yourself 10.3
| In the sentences below, decide if the underlined verb is being used as a transitive or intransitive verb. Use Quick tips 9.2 and 9.3 to help you decide. | |
| Transitive | Intransitive |
| Sample:They played in the park. | ................... |
| Getting started (answers on p. 44) 1. Greg opened the newspaper. | ................... | ................... |
| 2. I can read it later. | ................... | ................... |
| 3. Don’t worry! | ................... | ................... |
| 4. On Sundays, I usually stay at home. | ................... | ................... |
| 5. It’s advisable to washyour hands before eating.................... | ................... | |
| More practice (answers on the website) 6. Samantha can bake at any time of the day. | ................... | ................... |
| 7. When I’m tired, I complain. | ................... | ................... |
| 8. She ended the conversation. | ................... | ................... |
| 9. The athlete hit the ball. | ................... | ................... |
| 10. My dog licked my face playfully. | ................... | ................... |
37Lesson 10: Transitive and intransitive verbs
Lesson 11: Phrasal verbsWhile most verbs are single words, some are phrasal: they contain two words. In phrasal
verbs, the ¢rst word is a verb and the second word is called a particle. Here are some
examples, with the phrasal verbs underlined:
1. She looked up the answer.
2. We will just drop o¡ the ¢les.
3. The professor pointed out the correct answer.
Notice that the meaning of a phrasal verbis often similar to the meaning of a single verb:
4. She looked up the answer.
She researched the answer.
5. We will just drop o¡ the ¢les.
We will just deliver the ¢les.
6. The professor pointed out the correct answer.
The professor identi¢ed the correct answer.Quick tip 11.1If you can substitute a single verb for a verb and the word following it, you probably have aphrasal verb. For example, you can say, She pointed out the truth to us or She showed the
truth to us. Point out is a phrasal verb.We can also still identify phrasal verbs using our to or should Quick
tips:
to look up should look up
to warm up should warm up
to point out should point outTest yourself 11.1Each of the sentences below contains a phrasal verb. Underline the phrasal verb, using the verb
substitution tip and the to and should tips to help you.
Sample:The lecturer summed up his main points.Getting started (answers on p. 44)
1. He ¢xed up the lighting in the hall.
2. They read over the document many times.
3. You dream up the most amazing things.
4. Ron takes out the garbage everyMondaynight.
5. I will pay o¡ my mortgage in ¢fteen years.38
More practice (answers on the website)
6. Yesterday, the company’s president handed
in her resignation.
7. She took over the entire operation.
8. Unfortunately, the buyer of my property
blew o¡ the deal.
9. It is obvious that she cooked up the whole
story.
10. You bring up an interesting point.
In many cases, the two parts of a phrasal verb, the verb and its particle, can be
separated:
7. She looked the answer up.
8. We will just drop the ¢les o¡.
9. The professor pointed the correct answer out.
Even when the two parts are separated, it’s still a phrasal, or multi-word, verb.When you
can separate the two parts in this way, you know that you’ve got a phrasal verb.Quick tip 11.2If you can move a particle away from its verb, you have a phrasal verb. For example, since
you can say both She looked up the answer and She looked the answer up, look up is a
phrasal verb.Test yourself 11.2Underline the phrasal verbs in each of the sentences below.The particle will not necessarily be next
to its verb.
Sample:The students will hand their assignment in tomorrow.Getting started (answers on p. 44)
1. Mr. Parker helped out his neighbors.
2. You should call the agency up.
3. Those children put on a show.
4. What brought this reaction about?
5. The hurricane tore the roofs of many
houses o¡.More practice (answers on the website)
6. The ¢rst member of the relay team passed
o¡ the baton successfully.
7. The herdsman gathered all his sheep in.
8. Debbie kept up her grades in graduate
school.
9. I took my glasses o¡ quickly.
10. Last month the bank signed the deed over
to me.
In some cases, a particle cannot be separated from its verb:
10. She asked for the receptionist.
11. The lawyer objected to the defendant’s statement.
12. He will look into the judge’s decision.Lesson 11: Phrasal verbs39
In these cases, you cannot say:
13. *She asked the receptionist for.
14. *The lawyer objected the defendant’s statement to.
15. *He will look the judge’s decision into.
So Quick tip 11.2 is not useful in these cases; you have to rely on the verb substitution test
and the to and should tests.Test yourself 11.3Some of the sentences below contain a one word verb and some contain a phrasal verb. Underline
the one word verb or phrasal verb in each sentence.
Sample:They owed her a lot of money.Getting started (answers on p. 44)
1. Eat up your dinner!
2. The girls will put the puzzles away.
3. I understand that concept.
4. Birds £y south for the winter.
5. The elderly woman got o¡ the bus with great
di⁄culty.More practice (answers on the website)
6. We ate out last night.
7. The show ran far too long.
8. They checked out the scenery around their
hotel.
9. The pitcher threw the batter out in the
eighth inning.
10. The butcher opened his store up at 7 A.M.
| To enhance your understandingTake a look at these groups of sentences: 16. She looked up the answer. | She looked the answer up. |
| *She looked up it. | She looked it up. |
17. We will just drop off the children. We will just drop the children off.
*We will just drop off them. We will just drop them off.
18. He pointed out the other girl. He pointed the other girl out.
*He pointed out her. He pointed her out.
As you can see, in some cases (those with an asterisk), a particle cannot be next to its
verb; the two parts must be separated. As a matter of fact, this is true in all of those cases
where the direct object of the verb (what the verb is acting upon) is one of the following
words: me, you, him, her, it, us, them. You might recognize these words as pronouns. You’ll
learn about these pronouns in Lesson 21, about direct objects in Lesson 39, and more about
verbs and their particles in Lesson 30.
U N I T 2 : V E R B S40
Answer keys: Test yourself, Getting startedquestions – Unit 2
| Test yourself 7.1 | |
| Verb | Not a verb |
| 1. defend | ................... |
| 2. include | ................... |
3. largest...................4. how...................5. learn...................Test yourself 7.21. must not worry
2. might keep
3. wish for peace
4. may sometimes cook
5. will travelTest yourself 8.11. wrote: write
2. talking: talk
3. thought: think
4. considered: consider
5. seen: see
| Test yourself 8.2 | |
| Verb | Not a verb |
| 1. danced | ................... |
| 2. sofa | ................... |
3. large...................4. gave...................5. stares...................Test yourself 8.31. The host greeted us cordially.
2. She should say that again.
3. Jonathan walked over to the car.
4. He washes dishes every evening.
5. You can’t speakVietnamese.41
| Test yourself 9.1 | |
| Verb | Not a verb |
| 1. tasted | ................... |
| 2. friendly | ................... |
3. shady...................4. be...................5. got...................Test yourself 9.21. Barry will feel awful about it.
2. Melissa resembles her mother.
3. Zack sounded extremely angry.
4. The ¢sh tasted undercooked.
5. You were not home early.Test yourself 9.31. Paul was in power at that moment.
2. They are absolutely correct in their thinking.
3. Your suitcases were in the overhead compartment during the £ight.
4. Christina has been wanting to go to Europe for a long time.
5. What is wrong with being a good student?Test yourself 9.41. They’re usually home by now.
2. Are you worried about anything?
3. I heard that the £ight was late.
4. We’re honored by your presence.
5. It’s too bad that theYankees lost last night.
| Test yourself 9.5 | |
| Verb | Not a verb |
| 1. resemble | ................... |
| 2. become | ................... |
3. this...................4. be...................5. new...................
| Test yourself 9.6 | |
| Verb | Not a verb |
| 1. appeared | ................... |
| 2. attends | ................... |
3. whenever...................4. was...................5. heard...................U N I T 2 : V E R B S42
Test yourself 9.71. The car spun out of control.
2. Don’t talk during the movie.
3. The doctor tied a strip of gauze around her hand.
4. Maxine spent too much money.
5. They saw the play last Sunday.Test yourself 9.81. That was the best meal in the world.
2. I understand your point.
3. Maybe they know each other well.
4. She is fromWisconsin.
5. Those £owers smell heavenly.
| Test yourself 9.9 | |
| Action | Linking |
| 1. The Czar was a person of high rank. | ................... |
| 2. That dog barks a lot. | ................... |
3. Mr. Kelly watched the tra⁄c below his window....................4. You have been a terri¢c friend tome over the years....................5. I love the way the pillows feel so cozy in this hotel....................
| Test yourself 9.10 | |
| Action | Linking |
| 1. They became best friends. | ................... |
| 2. It is not nearly the same as mine. | ................... |
3. Unfortunately, I forgot your birthday this year....................4. I went to the corner bakery....................5. Mark remains a legend to this day....................
| Test yourself 9.11 | |
| Action | Linking |
| 1. He grew potatoes on his farm. | ................... |
| 2. I looked at the mess all around me. | ................... |
3. Stephen looks happy today....................4. In reality, exceptions rarely prove the rule....................5. Learning the rule proved di⁄cult....................Test yourself 9.121. Their daughter announced her engagement later.
2. The surgeon washed his hands.
3. The pianist was diligent.
4. The young boy gritted his teeth.
5. Her assistant is always late.Anwser keys: Unit 243
| Test yourself 10.1 | |
| Transitive | Intransitive |
| 1. tell | ................... |
| 2. rise | ................... |
3. raise...................4. fall...................5. publish...................Test yourself 10.2Transitive Intransitive Either1. beat................... ...................2. cough................... ...................3. relax................... ...................4. drive................... ...................5. entertain................... ...................
| Test yourself 10.3 | |
| Transitive | Intransitive |
| 1. Greg opened the newspaper. | ................... |
| 2. I can read it later. | ................... |
3. Don’t worry!...................4. On Sundays, I usually stay at home....................5. It’s advisable to wash your hands before eating....................Test yourself 11.11. He ¢xed up the lighting in the hall.
2. They read over the document many times.
3. You dream up the most amazing things.
4. Ron takes out the garbage every Monday night.
5. I will pay o¡ my mortgage in ¢fteen years.Test yourself 11.21. Mr. Parker helped out his neighbors.
2. You should call the agency up.
3. Those children put on a show.
4. What brought this reaction about?
5. The hurricane tore the roofs of many houses o¡.Test yourself 11.31. Eat up your dinner!
2. The girls will put the puzzles away.
3. I understand that concept.
4. Birds £y south for the winter.
5. The elderly woman got o¡ the bus with great di⁄culty.☞ FOR A REVIEW EXERCISE OF THIS UNIT, SEE THE WEBSITE.U N I T 2 : V E R B S44
UNIT 3: DETERMINERSDeterminers are words that can occur directly before a noun, tell us a bit more about that
noun, and introduce it.The determiners are underlined in the sentences below, with the
following noun in bold:
1. I milked the cow.
2. It is Harry’s turn.
3. They bought that house.
4. John has more money.
These sentences have examples of the four major types of determiners: articles, possessives, demonstratives, and quantifiers. Generally, a noun will have only one of these
determiner types in front of it.We’ll be discussing each of these four types in this unit,
starting with articles, the easiest and most common.45
Lesson 12: ArticlesHow can you identify an article?
It doesn’t get any easier than this!Quick tip 12.1There are only three articles in English: the, a and an.Articles give us information about a noun; they indicate whether or not the noun is a
specific one known to both the speaker and listener. Take a look at these examples to see
what we mean:
1. I bought a red car. (The listener doesn’t know anything about the red car.)
2. The red car was on sale. (The listener knows which car the speaker is talking
about.)The is commonly called the definite article; a and an are called indefinite articles.
The definite article may be used with both singular and plural nouns, but the indefinite
articles only with singular nouns, as we can see in the following examples:
the idea the ideas
an apple * an apples
a revolution * a revolutionsTest yourself 12.1Underline the articles in each of the sentences below. A sentence may have more than one article.
Sample:We watched a video last night.Getting started (answers on p. 55)
1. The last week of the month was a busy one in
the store.
2. Summer was a special time for
Melissa.
3. There’s an unusual idea floating
around.
4. I turned a corner in the long hall.
5. A dirty spoon had fallen to the
floor.More practice (answers on the website)
6. In the middle of the night, I heard a strange
noise.
7. Jackie turned off the road too soon.
8. Your mother’s favorite actor appeared in the
show we saw last night.
9. A pear is just as tasty as an apple, as far as
I am concerned.
10. The guys bought two cans of paint: an
orange one and a beige one.46
What’s the difference between a and an? See if you notice a pattern when you look
at these examples:
a red tablecloth an ancient right
a situation an interesting message
a boring lecture an intruder
The articles a and an have the same meaning and use.The only difference between them is
that a is used when the next word begins with a consonant sound, while an is used when
the next word begins with a vowel sound.Test yourself 12.2For each sentence, underline each article with a solid line, each noun with a double underline, and
each verb with a squiggly line. Some sentences have more than one article and noun; some have no
article. If you can answer these questions, you have achieved a solid understanding of how to
identify articles, nouns, and verbs, three of the most common parts of speech!
Sample: A pilot spoke to the crew.Getting started (answers on p. 55)
1. Awaiter walked to the table.
2. The trainer calmed the dog down.
3. He argued about the bill for hours.
4. I usually eat a sandwich and a cookie
for lunch.
5. She watchesTVevery night.More practice (answers on the website)
6. The train appeared suddenly.
7. Diane put the chicken in the salad.
8. The repairman did not finish his job.
9. Children like cake.
10. Nowadays Elena takes skiing lessons at
least once a week.To enhance your understandingWhat about a uniform and an hour? Do these contradict what we’ve said about when to usea and an? It certainly looks like a is being used before a vowel, and an is being used before a
consonant. But in fact, that’s not the case. These phrases follow the rule perfectly.
Remember that a is used when the next word begins with a consonant sound. The first
letter of the next word doesn’t matter; only its first sound matters.
So what’s the first sound of the word uniform? Say it out loud and listen carefully. You will
hear that the first sound of the word is the sound [y], as in yes. We really say ‘‘y-uniform’’
(and also ‘‘y-unicorn,’’ ‘‘y-usual,’’ etc.). Since ‘‘y,’’ a consonant, is the first sound, we use abefore uniform.
What’s the first sound of the word hour? Say the word out loud, and you will notice that in
fact we don’t pronounce the letter ‘‘h.’’ Rather, hour begins with a vowel sound, as in the
word our, and so we say an hour.
Thus, apparent exceptions, like a uniform and an hour, are not exceptions at all.Lesson 12: Articles47
Lesson 13: DemonstrativesHere’s another easy category. There are only four demonstratives: this, that, these,
and those.Quick tip 13.1There are only four demonstratives in English: this, that, these, and those.Notice again that, just like articles, each of these can occur directly before a noun: this
table, these tables, that idea, those ideas. Demonstratives are words that ‘‘point’’ to something or someone.Test yourself 13.1Underline the demonstrative in each of the sentences below.
Sample: Those performers were all also composers.Getting started (answers on p. 55)
1. You can use this book.
2. Those speeches he gave were impressive.
3. They don’t speak that language.
4. Kirsten sold all these items.
5. This side of the Atlantic Ocean is more
familiar to me.More practice (answers on the website)
6. She likes to listen to that song.
7. Those mistakes will catch up with Andrew
one day.
8. I don’t like these pictures.
9. That man is a technician.
10. Lotsofpeopleliketopatronizethisrestaurant.Test yourself 13.2Underline the determiners in the sentences below.They will be either articles or demonstratives.
Sample:There were shops selling a variety of those handmade items.Getting started (answers on p. 55)
1. On top of the pile of fabrics was a sleeping cat.
2. That leader met with the residents of the
village.
3. This taxi is heading toward a large shopping
mall.
4. The instructor chose a very informative
textbook.
5. These pants won’t fit in those drawers.More practice (answers on the website)
6. The audience is tired of all those lame jokes.
7. Once in a while I think of my childhood
friends.
8. Those pedestrians better keep to the right
of the main road.
9. This work is the brainchild of a madman.
10. We found this piece of paper on the top shelf
of a dusty bookcase.48
Test yourself 13.3Identify each determiner in the sentences below by underlining it with a solid line if it is a
demonstrative and with a squiggly line if it is an article.
Sample: Larry is holding this meeting at the hotel.Getting started (answers on p. 55)
1. Are you looking for a better job?
2. That movie follows a young family after they
immigrate to this country.
3. Jane met an Englishman there whom she
later married.
4. The weather was so wonderful at the beach.
5. All those cups of coffee won’t help you get
a good night’s rest.More practice (answers on the website)
6. I recognize this soccer player as a big star
from Italy.
7. Playing a game of chess in this park always
interests me.
8. Those students who did the exercises in the
text will likely pass the final.
9. The garbage is piling up on the sidewalk.
10. This lesson is a piece of cake, isn’t it?Lesson 13: Demonstratives49
Lesson 14: PossessivesPossessives are words that indicate ownership or belonging.The possessives are underlined in the sentences below.
1. I sold my car.
2. Betty’s neighbor is an architect.
The possessive in sentence 1is called a possessive pronoun; the possessive in sentence 2
is called a possessive proper noun. Notice that, just like articles and demonstratives,
possessive pronouns and possessive proper nouns can appear directly before a noun.
We’ll discuss each of these separately.Possessive pronounsThere are just a few possessive pronouns that function as determiners. These are commonly referred to as possessive pronouns with determiner function or possessive
adjectives. We will call them simply determiner possessive pronouns. (For another
function of possessive pronouns, see Lesson 24.)Quick tip 14.1The determiner possessive pronouns are: my, your, his, her, its, our, their.Test yourself 14.1Underline the determiner possessive pronoun in each of the sentences below.
Sample: My school won the state championship last year.Getting started (answers on p. 55)
1. His face always shows what he’s thinking.
2. They go to their house in the mountains
every summer.
3. It took three days for your letter to get here.
4. We liked her mother.
5. Our product is superior to what you have
to offer.More practice (answers on the website)
6. The price of the stock I am considering
buying does not reflect its true worth.
7. Would you like to take a ride in your new car?
8. Friends, I will be counting on your votes.
9. The children went to the movies together
with their father.
10. Matt does not share his feelings easily.Possessive proper nounsThe possessive proper nouns are underlined in this next sentence:
3. I saw Mary’s cat chase Mrs. Smith’s dog, which ran across Jim’s yard.50
Remember, names do not have to be names of just people. For example, London’s, America’s,
and IBM’s are each possessive proper nouns: London’s bridges, America’s highways, IBM’s
products. (See Lesson 6 to remind yourself about proper nouns.)Test yourself 14.2Underline the possessive proper noun in each of the sentences below.
Sample: GoneWith theWind’s cast was amazing.Getting started (answers on p. 56)
1. Leah’s eyes met those of the man at the
counter.
2. It was Harry’s turn to say something.
3. They were impressed by Rome’s restaurants.
4. Mickey Mouse’s picture is hanging on
my wall.
5. Johnalwayswantedtovisit Harvard’s campus.More practice (answers on the website)
6. France’s soccer team lost to another team.
7. Macy’s women’s department is on the third
floor.
8. Mrs. Johnson’s office is located directly
above mine.
9. After dinner, we went up to Beth’s apartment.
10. I never get tired of The Beatles’songs.Test yourself 14.3Underline the possessive determiner in each of the sentences below. The determiner will either
be a possessive pronoun or a possessive proper noun.
Sample:Your committee is meeting tomorrow.Getting started (answers on p. 56)
1. She suggested that it was all Martin’s fault.
2. Why don’t you give it to your daughter?
3. That was a breathtaking view of NewYork’s
skyline.
4. He bought a souvenir for his son.
5. The Adamses did not care for their new
neighbors.More practice (answers on the website)
6. The public was eagerly awaiting Congress’s
new energy policy.
7. My apartment is either too hot or too cold.
8. Abraham Lincoln’s life was interesting.
9. Our crew prepared to dock.
10. OnThursday afternoon, the actor was
practicing his lines.To enhance your understandingWhile possessive proper nouns can function as determiners, possessive common nouns
(see Lesson 6), for example the girl’s hat, are considered to be adjectives. (See Lesson 16for more about adjectives.) This is because possessive common nouns, but not possessive
proper nouns, can have a determiner in front of them – keeping in mind that a noun will
generally have just one determiner introducing it. See the following examples:
4. The girl’s hat is new. (girl’s = possessive common noun)
5. *The Mary’s hat is new. (Mary’s = possessive proper noun)Lesson 14: Possessives51
Test yourself 14.4For each determiner below, indicate if it is an article (e.g. the, an), demonstrative (e.g. this, those),
possessive pronoun (e.g. your, our), or possessive proper noun (e.g. Mary’s, London’s).
Sample: Law and Order’s possessive proper nounGetting started (answers on p. 56)
1. their....................................................2. an....................................................3. George’s....................................................4. those....................................................5. its....................................................More practice (answers on the website)
6. the..............................................7. San Francisco’s..............................................8. this..............................................9. my..............................................10. a..............................................Test yourself 14.5Underline the determiner in each of the sentences below. It will either be an article, demonstrative,
possessive pronoun, or possessive proper noun. Some sentences may contain more than one
determiner.
Sample:The room contained a sofa, a chair, and, on the wall, Melinda’s portrait.Getting started (answers on p. 56)
1. She knew what her mother had done for
the family.
2. There wasn’t much information in his
letters.
3. These books are clearly the best.
4. Rosa’s husband put a surprise in her lunch
box.
5. Jerry’s uncle likes to drink a glass of wine
with his dinner.More practice (answers on the website)
6. This actress should get an Oscar for her
performance in that movie.
7. The doctor’s secretary usually walks a mile
on her lunch break.
8. Those children love to take a dip in their
new pool in the backyard.
9. Onher way towork,Maggie’s carbrokedown.
10. Jet Blue’s crew served dinner while I was
sleeping.U N I T 3 : D E T E R M I N E R S52
Lesson 15: QuantifiersThere are words, such as every and several, that indicate amount, or quantity, and these
are called quantifiers. Quantifiers can act as determiners; that is, they can come before
and introduce a noun.The determiners are underlined in the following sentences:
1. All businesses need to have a budget.
2. Some people like eating eel.
3. She enjoyed few things as much as food.
Some common quantifiers are listed below:
all enough much
any every neither
both few no
each little several
either most someQuick tip 15.1Words of quantity, quantifiers, can act as determiners and precede a noun. Some examples
are: all, some, several, and much.Test yourself 15.1Underline the quantifier in each of the sentences below.The quantifiers will all be from the list above.
Sample: I met several chefs at that school.Getting started (answers on p. 56)
1. There is no writer who is as famous as
Shakespeare.
2. Enough money was raised to build a new
wing on the hospital.
3. I don’t take much sugar in my coffee.
4. With little effort, I solved the crossword
puzzle.
5. All experiments test hypotheses.More practice (answers on the website)
6. Most professors have earned a
doctorate.
7. Every noun that is human is also
animate.
8. Neither option is particularly good.
9. Any man who drinks and drives puts his life
in danger.
10. You leave me with few alternatives.Test yourself 15.2For each determiner below, indicate if it is an article (e.g. the, an), demonstrative (e.g. this, those),
possessive pronoun (e.g. your, our), possessive proper noun (e.g. Mary’s, London’s), or quantifier
(e.g. every, some).
Sample: that demonstrative53
Getting started (answers on p. 56)
1. Main Street’s......................................2. your......................................3. few......................................4. those......................................5. the......................................More practice (answers on the website)
6. its......................................7. both......................................8. Madrid’s......................................9. several......................................10. an......................................Test yourself 15.3Underline the determiner in each of the sentences below. It will either be an article (e.g. the, an),
demonstrative (e.g. this, those), possessive pronoun (e.g. your, our), possessive proper noun
(e.g. Mary’s, London’s), or quantifier (e.g. few, most). Some sentences may contain more than one
determiner.
Sample: Joan’s mother valued her efforts.Getting started (answers on p. 57)
1. Chicago’s architecture is diverse.
2. I know that man and his wife.
3. She packed several dresses into her
suitcase.
4. He had traveled to few places over
the years.
5. Each child at the party brought
a gift.More practice (answers on the website)
6. Let’s not forget those messages.
7. Every time we eat out, you order several
appetizers.
8. Any man who is my friend’s enemy is no
friend of mine.
9. I bought these strawberries at her uncle’s
grocery store.
10. This event wasn’t much fun.U N I T 3 : D E T E R M I N E R S54
Answer keys: Test yourself, Getting startedquestions – Unit 3Test yourself 12.11. The last week of the month was a busy one in the store.
2. Summer was a special time for Melissa.
3. There’s an unusual idea floating around.
4. I turned a corner in the long hall.
5. A dirty spoon had fallen to the floor.Test yourself 12.21. Awaiter walked to the table.
2. The trainer calmed the dog down.
3. He argued about the bill for hours.
4. I usually eat a sandwich and a cookie for lunch.
5. She watchesTVevery night.Test yourself 13.11. You can use this book.
2. Those speeches he gave were impressive.
3. They don’t speak that language.
4. Kirsten sold all these items.
5. This side of the Atlantic Ocean is more familiar to me.Test yourself 13.21. On top of the pile of fabrics was a sleeping cat.
2. That leader met with the residents of the village.
3. This taxi is heading toward a large shopping mall.
4. The instructor chose a very informative textbook.
5. These pants won’t fit in those drawers.Test yourself 13.31. Are you looking for a better job?
2. That movie follows a young family after they immigrate to this country.
3. Jane met an Englishman there whom she later married.
4. The weather was so wonderful at the beach.
5. All those cups of coffee won’t help you get a good night’s rest.Test yourself 14.11. His face always shows what he’s thinking.
2. They go to their house in the mountains every summer.55
3. It took three days for your letter to get here.
4. We liked her mother.
5. Our product is superior to what you have to offer.Test yourself 14.21. Leah’s eyes met those of the man at the counter.
2. It was Harry’s turn to say something.
3. They were impressed by Rome’s restaurants.
4. Mickey Mouse’s picture is hanging on my wall.
5. John always wanted to visit Harvard’s campus.Test yourself 14.31. She suggested that it was all Martin’s fault.
2. Why don’t you give it to your daughter?
3. That was a breathtaking view of NewYork’s skyline.
4. He bought a souvenir for his son.
5. The Adamses did not care for their new neighbors.
| Test yourself 14.4 | |
| 1. their | possessive pronoun |
| 2. an | article |
| 3. George’s | possessive proper noun |
| 4. those | demonstrative |
| 5. its | possessive pronoun |
| Test yourself 14.5 |
1. She knew what her mother had done for the family.
2. There wasn’t much information in his letters.
3. These books are clearly the best.
4. Rosa’s husband put a surprise in her lunch box.
5. Jerry’s uncle likes to drink a glass of wine with his dinner.Test yourself 15.11. There is no writer who is as famous as Shakespeare.
2. Enough money was raised to build a new wing on the hospital.
3. I don’t take much sugar in my coffee.
4. With little effort, I solved the crossword puzzle.
5. All experiments test hypotheses.
| Test yourself 15.2 | |
| 1. Main Street’s | possessive proper noun |
| 2. your | possessive pronoun |
| 3. few | quantifier |
| 4. those | demonstrative |
| 5. the | article |
U N I T 3 : D E T E R M I N E R S56
Test yourself 15.31. Chicago’s architecture is diverse.
2. I know that man and his wife.
3. She packed several dresses into her suitcase.
4. He had traveled to few places over the years.
5. Each child at the party brought a gift.☞ FOR A REVIEW EXERCISE OF THIS UNIT, SEE THE WEBSITE.Answer keys: Unit 357
UNIT 4: ADJECTIVESLesson 16: Identifying adjectivesAn adjective is a word that refers to a characteristic of a noun. How can you identify an
adjective?
If you can put a word between the and a noun (like boy, or idea), then that word is an
adjective.Quick tip 16.1If you can put a word between the and a noun (for example, the boy), then that
word is an adjective.For example, since we can say the tall boy, tall is an adjective. Similarly, we can say the
silly boy, the interesting boy, and the young boy.Therefore, silly, interesting, and young are
all adjectives.
A number of adjectives, all used in the phrase the boy are listed below. The
adjectives are underlined:
1. the brilliant boy
2. the embarrassed boy
3. the blonde boy
4. the hungry boy
5. the delightful boy
Compare these phrases to *the very boy, *the a boy, and *the talk boy.Very, a, and talk are
not adjectives.
What do adjectives actually do? Adjectives always tell us something about a noun.
Another way of saying this is that they modify a noun. In the phrases we’ve just looked at,
the underlined adjectives tell us something about, or modify, the noun boy.Test yourself 16.1Which of the following words are adjectives? See if they sound right when you put them here:the thing. Check the appropriate column.Adjective Not an adjectiveSample: have...................Getting started (answers on p. 63)
1. yellow................... ...................2. wonderful................... ...................3. these................... ...................4. quickly................... ...................5. unreliable................... ...................More practice (answers on the website)
6. is................... ...................7. pure................... ...................8. on................... ...................9. creative................... ...................10. almost................... ...................58
Test yourself 16.2Underline the adjectivesin the sentences below. In each case, the adjective will be betweenthe and a
noun. A sentence may have more than one adjective.
Sample: She has been the strong leader of this company for years.Getting started (answers on p. 63)
1. The strange robots marched towards
the city.
2. It was the last day of school.
3. We tugged at the enormous gate.
4. The billowing smoke alerted us to
the fire.
5. The sudden sandstorm forced
the surprised bathers to flee the
beach.More practice (answers on the website)
6. She received the exciting news in the noisy
restaurant.
7. The blind beggar was sitting at the busy
corner.
8. Jeremy did not get the subtle humor of
the play.
9. The poor people of the world outnumber the
rich ones.
10. Keep your hands off the hot stove!
As we’ve said, a good way to decide if a word is an adjective is to see if it can be placed
between the and a noun. But that doesn’t mean that that’s the only place where an adjective can occur; it’s just a way to test a word to see if it’s an adjective.
Here are some sentences where the adjective is in a different place. In each case, the
adjective is underlined.
6. He is a tall boy.
7. My best friend loves chocolate cake.
8. The house had a low roof.
9. Large cars are harder to drive than small cars.
Let’s make sure that each of the underlined words above passes the adjective test, that is,
that it can appear between the and a noun.
10. tall: the tall boy
11. best: the best movie
12. chocolate: the chocolate bar
13. low: the low ceiling
14. large: the large window
15. small: the small window.
As you can see, each of these words passes the adjective test. Notice also that each of these
words describes a characteristic of a noun.Test yourself 16.3Use the adjective test to find the adjectives in each of the sentences below. A sentence may have
more than one adjective.
Sample: It took a long time to arrive at our next destination.Lesson 16: Identifying adjectives59
Getting started (answers on p. 63)
1. Evenings were a special time for
the family.
2. The next week was a busy one in
the store.
3. There’s an unusual idea floating
around.
4. I turned a corner in the long hall.
5. A dirty fork had fallen to the floor.More practice (answers on the website)
6. I wrote a boring letter.
7. Mary’s younger brother was already there.
8. The American flag was behind Edward’s
desk.
9. I could see his face in the red light from the
exit sign.
10. We gathered the important facts from those
dusty books.
What do you notice about the underlined adjectives in the phrases below?
16. the delicious rich cake
17. my tall, red-haired, entertaining friend
18. a bright, colorful, blue, striped pattern
As you can see, a noun can have more than one adjective modifying it. In fact, there is no
limit to the number of adjectives that can modify a noun (except the patience and tolerance of the listener!).Test yourself 16.4Underline the adjectives in each of the sentences below. Some of the nouns will be modified by more
than one adjective.
Sample: She ate all the crisp, crunchy chips.Getting started (answers on p. 63)
1. They went off to see an old, gloomy, historic
mansion in southern England.
2. She had anticipated his sudden arrival.
3. Angela ignored his annoying, persistent
questions.
4. I must get rid of my decrepit, banged-up little
old car.
5. We wouldn’t want to cross this wide, busy
street, would we?More practice (answers on the website)
6. You should heed the advice of wise men and
women.
7. Wild animals can be dangerous.
8. The lovely young lady read one of her
favorite novels on her comfortable sofa.
9. Why did you buy this outdated computer in
the first place?
10. The Dodgers’ frustrated manager benched
his brash young pitcher.
Remember that sometimes a word can function as one word category, or part of speech, in
one sentence, and as another word category in another sentence (see Lesson 2). For
example, let’s look at the word cream. In the sentence I brought the cream, cream is a noun.
But in the sentence That’s a cream cake, cream is an adjective, telling us more about the
noun cake.Test yourself 16.5In each of the sentences below, decide if the underlined words are functioning as nouns or adjectives.
Sample:That copy isn’t legible. adjectiveU N I T 4 : A D J E C T I V E S60
| Getting started (answers on p. 63) 1. The window ledge is too narrow for a plant. | ...................................... |
| 2. That window is stuck shut. | ...................................... |
| 3. This has been a chilly spring. | ...................................... |
| 4. I’m enjoying this spring weather. | ...................................... |
| 5. The morning hours are not my best. | ...................................... |
| More practice (answers on the website) 6. I drink two cups of coffee each morning. | ...................................... |
| 7. In most public restaurants, it is forbidden to smoke a cigarette. | ...................................... |
| 8. Cigarette smokers must go for X-ray tests regularly. | ...................................... |
| 9. My nephew was looking for travel companions. | ...................................... |
| 10. Foreign travel can be both exhausting and exhilarating. | ...................................... |
| Test yourself 16.6 |
In each of the sentences below, decide if the underlined words are functioning as nouns, verbs, or
adjectives.
| Sample:That’s a jail cell. | adjective |
| Getting started (answers on p. 63) 1. He goes to a day school. | ...................................... |
| 2. I work during the day. | ....................................... |
| 3. The defendant will shock them when they hear his response. | ....................................... |
| 4. It was a terrible shock. | ....................................... |
| 5. I will voice my opinion if I want to. | ....................................... |
| More practice (answers on the website) 6. The singer had a wonderful voice. | ....................................... |
| 7. Some people call the larynx a voice box. | ....................................... |
| 8. Some languages have both formal and informal terms of address. | ....................................... |
| 9. I don’t wish to address this question at this time. | ....................................... |
| 10. Did you put my information in your address book? | ....................................... |
| Test yourself 16.7 |
In each of the sentences below, identify the word category of each word in each sentence.
Sample:The instructor answered her unspoken question.
determiner ^ noun ^ verb ^ determiner ^ adjective ^ nounLesson 16: Identifying adjectives61
Getting started (answers on p. 64)
1. A light rain fell...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................2. Ernie’s friend likes a good argument...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................3. His employee received that small bonus...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................4. Some big cars take premium gasoline...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................5. This question deserves a serious answer...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................More practice (answers on the website)
6. The policeman’s warning scared my passengers...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................7. Most guests enjoyed the lavish party............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................8. Your best friend had a soda...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................9. Good marriages have many joyous moments...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................10. His daughter bought a stunning Italian dress...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................U N I T 4 : A D J E C T I V E S62
Answer keys: Test yourself, Getting startedquestions – Unit 4
| Test yourself 16.1 | |
| Adjective | Not an adjective |
| 1. yellow | ................... |
| 2. wonderful | ................... |
3. these...................4. quickly...................5. unreliable...................Test yourself 16.21. The strange robots marched towards the city.
2. It was the last day of school.
3. We tugged at the enormous gate.
4. The billowing smoke alerted us to the fire.
5. The sudden sandstorm forced the surprised bathers to flee the beach.Test yourself 16.31. Evenings were a special time for the family.
2. The next week was a busy one in the store.
3. There’s an unusual idea floating around.
4. I turned a corner in the long hall.
5. A dirty fork had fallen to the floor.Test yourself 16.41. They went off to see an old, gloomy, historic mansion in southern England.
2. She had anticipated his sudden arrival.
3. Angela ignored his annoying, persistent questions.
4. I must get rid of my decrepit, banged-up little old car.
5. We wouldn’t want to cross this wide, busy street, would we?Test yourself 16.51. The window ledge is too narrow for a plant. adjective
2. That window is stuck shut. noun
3. This has been a chilly spring. noun
4. I’m enjoying this spring weather. adjective
5. The morning hours are not my best. adjective
| Test yourself 16.6 | |
| 1. He goes to a day school. | adjective |
| 2. I work during the day. | noun |
63
3. The defendant will shock them when they hear his response. verb
4. It was a terrible shock. noun
5. I will voice my opinion if I want to. verbTest yourself 16.71. A light rain fell.
determiner ^ adjective ^ noun ^ verb
2. Ernie’s friend likes a good argument.
determiner ^ noun ^ verb ^ determiner ^ adjective ^ noun
3. His employee received that small bonus.
determiner ^ noun ^ verb ^ determiner ^ adjective ^ noun
4. Some big cars take premium gasoline.
determiner ^ adjective ^ noun ^ verb ^ adjective ^ noun
5. This question deserves a serious answer.
determiner ^ noun ^ verb ^ determiner ^ adjective ^ noun☞ FOR A REVIEW EXERCISE OF THIS UNIT, SEE THE WEBSITE.U N I T 4 : A D J E C T I V E S64
UNIT 5: PREPOSITIONSLesson 17: Identifying prepositionsWhat is apreposition? The prepositions are underlined in the following sentences.
1. She made notes on the paper.
2. My office is between the post office and the laundromat.
3. I’ll meet you after work.Quick tip 17.1Prepositions are words, usually small, that typically indicate information about direction,
location, or time. There is only a small number of prepositions in English. Some commonly
used examples are at, from, in, on, and to.The following are common prepositions:
| about | beneath | into |
| above | beside | like |
| across | between | near |
| after | beyond | of |
| against | by | off |
| along | despite | on |
| among | down | onto |
| around | during | out |
| at | for | over |
| before | from | since |
| behind | in | through |
till
toward(s)
under
until
upon
belowQuick tip 17.2If you can put a word in one of the empty slots in one of the following sentences, the word is
a preposition: I walked the table. It happened that time.This tip will help you identify many, though not all, prepositions.Test yourself 17.1Underline the prepositions in the sentences below. There may be more than one. Use the Quick
tips and the list of prepositions to help you.
Sample: My friends are going with me.65
Getting started (answers on p. 68)
1. Let’s go into the dining room.
2. It was the dumbest thing he did in his
entire life.
3. Felice was having dinner on the patio.
4. She ran to the candy store.
5. I looked for you during the intermission.More practice (answers on the website)
6. We were flying over Europe.
7. Lenore looked beneath the rock.
8. She found the pot of gold.
9. Is it over the rainbow?
10. He appeared at the right place at the right
time.Test yourself 17.2Underline the prepositions with a solid line and the nouns with a squigglyline in each of the sentences below.
Sample:There’s a small house near the field .Getting started (answers on p. 68)
1. Auniformed guard stood near the massive
entryway.
2. She leaned out the window and waved to the
large crowd.
3. The older woman from Chicago had already
left.
4. She staggered into the store.
5. Carissa sat at the computer in a large room.More practice (answers on the website)
6. Are you going to the prom with Stan?
7. Mike always gives a nice present to his wife
on her birthday.
8. Please don’t ask how my day at the office
was!
9. I couldn’t open the door of my car without
my key.
10. Let’s meet at or near midnight.Test yourself 17.3Underline the prepositions with a solid line, the verbs with a double underline, and the adjectives
with a squiggly line in the sentences below.
Sample: I’ll buy us a large bucket of chicken.Getting started (answers on p. 68)
1. Jean walked around the grounds of the
magnificent estate.
2. His friend pounded him on the
back.
3. The puppy gazed at him expectantly.
4. The loud music in that store bothered Jamie.
5. He has hot coffee before class.To enhance your understandingDon’t confuse the two types of to:
4. I want to go home. (infinitive: to + verb)
5. I went to Chicago. (preposition: to + noun)
U N I T 5 : P R E P O S I T I O N S66
More practice (answers on the website)
6. Josebuys fresh bread for his family every week.
7. Do you want tickets to the new play?
8. The young bride’s mother seemed happy
among her friends.
9. The tireless teenager ran across the park
with his new running shoes.
10. I placed some small apples near the sink.
For more about prepositions, see Lesson 29.To further enhance your understandingTake a look at the following sentences.
6. I’m standing in front of my house.
7. That man was ahead of her.
8. Please get out of his way.
Each of these sentences contains a multiword preposition, that is, a preposition consisting
of more than one word. Below is a list of common multiword prepositions, commonly calledcompound or phrasal prepositions.
across from inside of
ahead of in spite of
along with instead of
because of on account of
by means of on top of
due to out of
for the sake of over to
in addition to together with
in front of up toLesson 17: Identifying prepositions67
Answer keys: Test yourself, Getting startedquestions – Unit 5Test yourself 17.11. Let’s go into the dining room.
2. It was the dumbest thing he did in his entire life.
3. Felice was having dinner on the patio.
4. She ran to the candy store.
5. I looked for you during the intermission.Test yourself 17.21. Auniformed guard stood near the massive entryway.
2. She leaned out the window and waved to the large crowd.
3. The older woman from Chicago had already left.
4. She staggered into the store.
5. Carissa sat at the computer in a large room.Test yourself 17.31. Jean walked around the grounds of the magnificient state.
2. His friend pounded him on the back.
3. The puppy gazed at him expectantly.
4. The loud music in that store bothered Jamie.
5. He has hot coffee before class.☞ FOR A REVIEW EXERCISE OF THIS UNIT, SEE THE WEBSITE.68
UNIT 6: CONJUNCTIONS1. I saw Mary at the store.
2. I saw Mary and John at the store.
3. I saw Mary and John and Harry at the store.
4. I saw Mary and John and Harry and Melissa at the store.
5. I saw Mary and John and Harry and Melissa and ten other people at the store.
6. I saw . . .Well, you get the idea.
What are conjunctions? Conjunctions are connectors.They are words, such as and, that
join words, phrases and sentences together. Some other conjunctions are underlined in
the sentences below.
7. He didn’t respond much, just occasionally said‘‘yes’’or ‘‘no.’’
8. They take life seriously but are still fun to be around.
9. I thought that he was crazy.
10. Adam left the room beforeTabitha could say another thing.
11. Just turn right when you get to the corner.
There are di¡erent kinds of conjunctions.We’ll look at coordinating conjunctions ¢rst.69
Lesson 18: Coordinating conjunctionsCoordinating conjunctions connect any two units that are the same type. For example,
they can connect two sentences, two nouns, two verbs, two determiners, two prepositions, or two adjectives.Quick tip 18.1There are three common coordinating conjunctions in English. They are: and, or, and but.
Four less common ones are for, so, yet, and nor.Quick tip 18.2A commonly used way to remember the coordinating conjunctions is to think of FANBOYS:
F (for), A (and), N (nor), B (but), O (or), Y (yet), S (so).But given that and, or, and but are the most common, you’ll be in good shape if you just
remember those.
The coordinating conjunctions in the sentences below are underlined.
1. You asked my friend, and then the other two came as well.
2. I go orhe goes.
3. It wasn’t dark but the moonwas out.
In these sentences, you can see that the coordinating conjunction has a complete sentence
on either side of it. (The sentences on either side are in bold.) Thus, the conjunction in
these examples is connecting two sentences.
In the next group of sentences, you can see that the coordinating conjunction has
a noun on either side of it. Thus, the conjunction is joining two nouns. The nouns are
in bold.
4. The children had milk and cookies.
5. People study medicine or dentistry when they enroll at that institution.
In the next sentences, the coordinating conjunction is joining two adjectives.The adjectives are in bold.
6. That restaurant is known forhealthy and nutritious food.
7. I’m buying either the striped or paisley wallpaper.Test yourself 18.1Underline the coordinating conjunction in each sentence below. Remember that the coordinating
conjunctions are: and, or, but, for, so, yet, nor.
Sample: The old carpet was worn out but the furniture looked relatively new.70
Getting started (answers on p.79)
1. You can hide between trips and make believe
you’re innocent.
2. Was it near here or over there?
3. Roger looked around but he didn’t see
anything.
4. They’ll eat chicken or turkey for
dinner.
5. Mr. Joseph pulled out three letters and
handed one to each of the men.More practice (answers on the website)
6. He wants to work through the night but I
don’t.
7. The general sent the dispatch to the army
and the navy.
8. He went to the cloister or to the small chapel
nearby.
9. Maud is not hungry, nor is her sister
thirsty.
10. He’ll come over or he’ll call.Test yourself 18.2Underline the coordinating conjunction in each sentence below.Then decide if the conjunction is
joining two sentences or two nouns. In this exercise, if there is not a complete sentence on either
side of the conjunction, it is joining two nouns.
Sample: Mary decided to have either soup or salad. nounsGetting started (answers on p.79)
1. Mr. Eagle was called away on business, so
Mrs. Broxton took his place at the
meeting. ..................................................
2. He’d heard of it, but he didn’t like the idea.
.................................................................
3. Erin felt real excitement and
enthusiasm. ............................................
4. It was raining hard, yet we went to the ball
game. .......................................................
5. The airline attendant asked,‘‘Would you like
co¡ee or tea?’’ ...........................................More practice (answers on the website)
6. The color TVwas too expensive, so Nancy
didn’t buy it. ............................................
7. Do you swear to tell the truth, nothing but
the truth? ................................................
8. At one time my favorite band was Katrina
and theWaves. ..........................................
9. Sammy wanted to go skydiving, but his
parents didn’t let him. ..............................
10. For me, going to Paris is always a treat, for
I love its architecture. ..............................Test yourself 18.3Underline the coordinating conjunction in each sentence below.Then decide if the conjunction is
joining two verbs, two adjectives, or two prepositions.
Sample: That is a di⁄cult but worthwhile lesson. adjectives
| Getting started (answers on p.79) 1. I’ll be near or between the stacks. | ................................................................................................ |
| 2. He came up with a quick and e¡ective remedy. | ................................................................................................ |
| 3. I hope you won’t worry or brood too much about it. | ................................................................................................ |
| 4. This trip will be expensive but worthwhile. | ................................................................................................ |
| 5. I am at or near a breakthrough. | ................................................................................................ |
Lesson 18: Coordinating conjunctions71
| More practice (answers on the website) 6. Don’t you hate to eat and run? | ................................................................................................ |
| 7. What size shirt are you looking for: small or large? | ................................................................................................ |
| 8. They came and went in a hurry. | ................................................................................................ |
9. At seven in the morning Tamara is sluggish yet e⁄cient. ................................................................................................10. It is not advisable to drink and drive at the same time. ................................................................................................Test yourself 18.4Write down the seven coordinating conjunctions. (Remember FANBOYS.) Answers on p.79.
1. ......................................2. ......................................3. ......................................4. ......................................5. ......................................6. ......................................7. ......................................72U N I T 6 : C O N J U N C T I O N S
Lesson 19: Subordinating conjunctionsAnother kind of conjunction is called a subordinating conjunction. Here are some
examples of sentences with subordinating conjunctions. The subordinating conjunctions are underlined.
1. She continued arguing until everyone ¢nally agreed with her.
2. They live down south when the weather gets cold.
3. Jack will buy a house once he gets a job.
4. She listened to his comments politely, even though they sounded silly.
5. They stopped talking when it was Eleanor’s turn.
Subordinating conjunctions connect sentences; however, the two parts that are connected are not of equal value in terms of the meaning of the whole sentence. There is a
main sentence with a subpart; the subordinating conjunction connects the subpart to
the main sentence. Here are sentences 1 through 5 again, but this time with the main sentences in bold.
6. She continued arguing until everyone ¢nally agreed with her.
7. They live down south when the weather gets cold.
8. Jack will buy a house once he gets a job.
9. She listened to his comments politely, even though they sounded silly.
10. They stopped talking when it was Eleanor’s turn.Quick tip 19.1Subordinating conjunctions connect a sentence with another sentence, which is a
subpart of it. The subpart sentence is called a dependent clause (or subordinateclause). In the following sentence, the subordinating conjunction is underlined and
the dependent clause is in italics: Nick decided to try to escape, although he knew
his chances were slim.The common subordinating conjunctions are listed below.
after even though than whenever
although how that where
as if though wherever
as if in order that till whether
as though once unless which
because rather than until while
before since what who
even if so (that) when why
You can see that sometimes a subordinating conjunction consists of more than one word.Test yourself 19.1Underline the subordinating conjunctions in the sentences below. Use the list above to help you.73
Sample: She was so tired that she didn’t bother brushing her teeth.Getting started (answers on p.79)
1. I’ll leave the note here because I’m in a hurry.
2. Nick had coached him thoroughly, even
though they hadn’t had much time.
3. He could see the faint glow of a pipe that
Dr.Walters had lit.
4. You should stay here since they obviously
need you.
5. She hasn’t called here although she’d said
she would.More practice (answers on the website)
6. Jake would be free once he reached the
fence.
7. You were behaving as if you were the boss.
8. They were determined to go for a walk,
unless it was going to rain.
9. Kevin should think twice before he
speaks.
10. I am going to ¢nish this job even if it takes
hours.
Here are the same sentences we saw earlier, but this time with the dependent clauses in
italics; the subordinating conjunctions are still underlined.
11. She continued arguing until everyone ¢nally agreed with her.
12. They live down south when the weather gets cold.
13. Jack will buy a house once he gets ajob.
14. She listened to his comments politely, even though they sounded silly.
15. They stopped talking when it was Eleanor’s turn.
Notice that the subordinating conjunction is always the ¢rst word of the dependent
clause.Quick tip 19.2The subordinating conjunction is always the first word of the dependent clause.In all of the examples we’ve looked at so far, the dependent clause has come after the
main sentence. But sometimes the dependent clause comes before the main sentence. In
the following examples, the subordinating conjunctions are underlined, and the main
sentences are in bold:
16. If he knew the truth, her father would throw the doll away.
17. When I brought my ¢rst paycheck home, I wanted to frame it.
18. Once he gets a job, Jack will buy a house.
19. When it was Eleanor’s turn, they stopped talking.
Notice that sentences 18 and 19 are the same as sentences 13 and 15, except that in sentences 18 and 19 the subordinating conjunction and the rest of the dependent clause come
before the main sentence rather than after it.Test yourself 19.2Underline the subordinating conjunction in each of the sentences below. In each of these sentences,
the dependent clause comes before the main sentence.
Sample: Although he was not happily married, he remained faithful to his wife.U N I T 6 : C O N J U N C T I O N S74
Getting started (answers on p. 80)
1. Even though he calmed down, he did not go
back to the table immediately.
2. While I enjoy being in the yard, I hate mowing
the lawn.
3. Unless there’s a heavy downpour, I’m going
on that trip.
4. Why anyone would swim in ice cold water,
I just don’t understand.
5. Whether you are right or wrong, I will
support you.More practice (answers on the website)
6. Wherever we travel, we always have fun
together.
7. As I was looking for my keys, I noticed a
package in front of the door.
8. Just after they crossed the river, the
drawbridge opened up.
9. Before anyone could shout a warning, the
tree fell.
10. Since you think you are so smart, tell me the
capital of Ghana!Test yourself 19.3Underline the subordinating conjunction in each of the sentences below. In some of them, the
dependent clause will be after the main sentence; in others, it will come before the main sentence.
Again, use the list of subordinating conjunctions to help you.
Sample: Even if you get angry, I will still be there for you.Getting started (answers on p. 80)
1. Sally spent a lot of time with the babysitter,
because her mother had to work.
2. Since you’re always busy, I decided to go to
the movies without you.
3. After he read the article, he decided not to
argue any further.
4. We will move to Seattle, unless you can
convince me not to.
5. As if speaking Igbo wasn’t enough, this
professor speaksYoruba as well.More practice (answers on the website)
6. I always get anxious when I am in the
doctor’s o⁄ce.
7. ThoughTatiana passed the bar exam, she
won’t be practicing law until next year.
8. Did you ever wonder how children learn
language?
9. Once he ¢nishes college, he will look
for a job.
10. I took the express train so that I could arrive
on time.Test yourself 19.4 – Grand finaleIn each of the sentences below, underline the coordinating or subordinating conjunction. Also,
write C if it’s a coordinating conjunction and S if it’s a subordinating conjunction.
Sample: I work at the mall when I’m home for the holidays. (S)Getting started (answers on p. 80)
1. I’m the owner and editor of the local
newspaper.
2. Before Megan helped him, George would
have to prove his loyalty.
3. There’s more than one career that he’s
interested in.
4. They painted her house while she was at
work.
5. I arrived early but I still wasn’t the ¢rst in
line.Lesson 19: Subordinating conjunctions75
More practice (answers on the website)
6. If you can understand this, you are a genius!
7. Because you are a dear friend, I will share
this with you.
8. Some people are aggressive yet polite.
9. Her administrative assistant will work on
that project until it is completed.
10. I rely on Joe to ¢x my computer, for he is an
electronics expert.To enhance your understandingDon’t confuse conjunctions with prepositions. Some words may function as either:
20a. I’ve been working hard, for I hope to be promoted. (Coordinating conjunction:
connects two sentences.)
20b. I’ve been working hard for IBM. (Preposition: introduces a noun.)
21a. John left before they served dinner. (Subordinating conjunction: connects two
sentences.)
21b. John left before dinner. (Preposition: introduces a noun.)
U N I T 6 : C O N J U N C T I O N S76
Lesson 20: Correlative conjunctions1. Both the windows and the doors need to be replaced.
2. Either I cook or we order take-out.
3. Neither the French nor the British were willing to surrender.
4. If that’s a problem, then let me know.
You can see that the underlined conjunctions in these sentences come in pairs, for
example both/and. The two parts ‘‘go together’’ in these sentences, even though
they’re not next to each other. These conjunction pairs are called correlative
conjunctions.Quick tip 20.1Correlative conjunctions are two-part conjunctions. Common correlative conjunctions are:both/and, either/or, if/then, neither/nor.Test yourself 20.1Underline the correlative conjunctions in the sentences below. Don’t forget to underline both parts.
Sample: Either the Democratic or the Republican candidate will win.Getting started (answers on p. 80)
1. Neither you nor your friends are likely to win
that ra¥e.
2. Both Laurette and Denise have been working
towards that goal.
3. If my neighbor decides to plant bushes there,
then I’ll do some landscaping on my side of
the fence as well.
4. Neither Don’s comments nor his actions
surprised me.
5. This athlete is likely to win either a gold or a
silver medal.More practice (answers on the website)
6. If the train runs on Sunday, then
I won’t drive.
7. Both the director and the playwright
attended the rehearsal.
8. Neither Iowa nor Tennessee lies on the
shore of the Atlantic Ocean.
9. If they’re as nice as they seem, then we’ll all
get along well.
10. You must call either heads or tails.Test yourself 20.2 – Grand finaleIn each of the sentences below, underline the coordinating, subordinating, or correlative
conjunction. Also, write C if it’s a coordinating conjunction, S if it’s a subordinating conjunction,
and CORR if it’s a correlative conjunction.
Sample: 1. Neither the brown nor the black shoes look good with that out¢t. (CORR)77
Getting started (answers on p. 80)
1. They were pleased with the plan and happy
about the decision.
2. I’ll see you when you
get here.
3. They’re worried because she hasn’t been
feeling well lately.
4. Our encounter was short but sweet.
5. If you tell the truth, then I won’t get upset.More practice (answers on the website)
6. I will be on this case till it is resolved.
7. Once she settles down in her apartment,
Jane does not plan to move for a while.
8. You and I make a good team.
9. Either you or I will get to the bottom of
this.
10. They dressed as though they were members
of the aristocracy.U N I T 6 : C O N J U N C T I O N S78
Answer keys: Test yourself, Getting startedquestions – Unit 6Test yourself 18.11. You can hide between trips and make believe you’re innocent.
2. Was it near here or over there?
3. Roger looked around but he didn’t see anything.
4. They’ll eat chicken or turkey for dinner.
5. Mr. Joseph pulled out three letters and handed one to each of the men.Test yourself 18.21. Mr. Eagle was called awayon business, soMrs. Broxton took his place at the meeting. sentences
2. He’d heard of it, but he didn’t like the idea. sentences
3. Erin felt real excitement and enthusiasm. nouns
4. It was raining hard, yet we went to the ball game. sentences
5. The airline attendant asked,‘‘Would you like co¡ee or tea?’’ nounsTest yourself 18.31. I’ll be near or between the stacks. prepositions
2. He came up with a quick and e¡ective remedy. adjectives
3. I hope you won’t worry or brood too much about it. verbs
4. This trip will be expensive but worthwhile. adjectives
5. I am at or near a breakthrough. prepositionsTest yourself 18.41. For
2. And
3. Nor
4. But
5. Or
6. Yet
7. SoTest yourself 19.11. I’ll leave the note here because I’m in a hurry.
2. Nick had coached him thoroughly, even though they hadn’t had much time.
3. He could see the faint glow of a pipe that Dr.Walters had lit.
4. You should stay here since they obviously need you.
5. She hasn’t called here although she’d said she would.79
Test yourself 19.21. Even though he calmed down, he did not go back to the table immediately.
2. While I enjoy being in the yard, I hate mowing the lawn.
3. Unless there’s a heavy downpour, I’m going on that trip.
4. Why anyone would swim in ice cold water, I just don’t understand.
5. Whether you are right or wrong, I will support you.Test yourself 19.31. Sally spent a lot of time with the babysitter, because her mother had to work.
2. Since you’re always busy, I decided to go to the movies without you.
3. After he read the article, he decided not to argue any further.
4. We will move to Seattle, unless you can convince me not to.
5. As if speaking Igbo wasn’t enough, this professor speaksYoruba as well.Test yourself 19.41. I’m the owner and editor of the local newspaper. (C)
2. Before Megan helped him, George would have to prove his loyalty. (S)
3. There’s more than one career that he’s interested in. (S)
4. They painted her house while she was at work. (S)
5. I arrived early but I still wasn’t the ¢rst in line. (C)Test yourself 20.11. Neither you nor your friends are likely to win that ra¥e.
2. Both Laurette and Denise have been working towards that goal.
3. If my neighbor decides to plant bushes there, then I’ll do some landscaping on my side of the
fence as well.
4. Neither Don’s comments nor his actions surprised me.
5. This athlete is likely to win either a gold or a silver medal.Test yourself 20.21. They were pleased with the plan and happy about the decision. (C)
2. I’ll see you when you get here. (S)
3. They’re worried because she hasn’t been feeling well lately. (S)
4. Our encounter was short but sweet. (C)
5. If you tell the truth, then I won’t get upset. (CORR)☞ FOR A REVIEW EXERCISE OF THIS UNIT, SEE THE WEBSITE.U N I T 6 : C O N J U N C T I O N S80
UNIT 7: PRONOUNSAs Melissa entered the door of the dimlylit Cathedral, Melissa held tightly to Melissa’s backpack.
Suddenly, Melissa thought that Melissa saw a shadow moving. ‘‘This is scary,’’ whispered
Melissa to Melissa.
What’s strange about the sentences in the above text? What is strange is that they’re
missing pronouns, words that replace nouns in a sentence. You’ll probably agree that
these next sentences are a vast improvement on the first version:As Melissa entered the door of the dimlylit Cathedral, she held tightly to her backpack. Suddenly,
she thought that she saw a shadow moving. ‘‘This is scary,’’ whispered Melissa to herself.
We may never find out what happens to Melissa, but replacing Melissa with pronouns
like she and her makes her far more palatable.
As far as pronouns go, there’s bad news and there’s good news.The bad news is that there
are a number of different kinds of pronouns.The good news is that there are only a few pronouns of each type. Look at the pronouns themselves and get a feel for the kinds of words
they are. Some of the types may have long labels, but the pronouns themselves are usually
short words.81
Lesson 21: Subject and object pronounsSubject pronounsLet’s look at the following sentences:
1a. Diplomats travel extensively.
1b. They travel extensively.
2a. Professor Susan Fields chaired the meeting.
2b. She chaired the meeting.
3a. Ben plays cards every week.
3b. He plays cards every week.
Notice that in each sentence pair, the underlined pronoun replaces the underlined
noun.The underlined noun is doing the action in the sentence and comes before the verb.
This kind of noun is called the subject of the sentence and the pronoun that replaces it is
called a subject pronoun.
Now let’s examine these sentences:
4a. Biology is her favorite subject.
4b. It is her favorite subject.
5a. Bob seems happy.
5b. He seems happy.
6a. Mrs. Peters becomes agitated easily.
6b. She becomes agitated easily.
Notice again that in each sentence pair, theunderlinedpronoun replaces theunderlined
noun. Here, the underlined nouns come before linking verbs (see Lesson 9); although
they are not performing an action, they are still considered to be subjects. Again, the pronoun that replaces the subject is a subject pronoun.
There are only seven subject pronouns; they are listed in Quick tip 21.1.Quick tip 21.1The subject pronouns are: I, you, he, she, it, we, they.Test yourself 21.1Underline the subject pronounsin the sentencesbelow.
Sample: We wandered around town, looking for a place to have lunch.Getting started (answers on p. 99)
1. I crossed the piazza and headed towards the
church.
2. Unfortunately, it was closed.
3. They simply stood there, waiting for me.
4. Yesterday, she went shopping.
5. We should get together sometime.82
More practice (answers on the website)
6. He is the grandson of an immigrant from
Italy.
7. We often dream about important things.
8. You have been to their house for dinner.
9. They often have interesting discussions.
10. Last night they drove to San Francisco.Object pronouns7a. Karen bought the red car.
7b. Karen bought it.
8a. The prize was given to Steve and Bill.
8b. The prize was given to them.
9a. I’m watching the baby.
9b. I’m watching her.
The underlined nouns in the sentences above are not subjects. Rather, they are objects:
they either follow the main verb or they follow a preposition. (For more on objects, seeUnit 13.) Pronouns that replace objects, like those underlined in sentences 7b, 8b, and 9b
above, are called object pronouns.
There are only seven object pronouns; they are listed in Quick tip 21.2.Quick tip 21.2The object pronouns are: me, you, her, him, it, us, them.You can see that two pronouns, you and it, are particularly hardworking: they can
function as either subject or object pronouns.Test yourself 21.2Underline the object pronouns in each of the sentences below.There may be more than one pronoun
in a sentence.
Sample: Churchill called them to a meeting.Getting started (answers on p. 99)
1. Mary heard him.
2. The detective watched us
suspiciously.
3. Stop bothering me!
4. Steven sat down between him and her.
5. Do the students understand it?More practice (answers on the website)
6. My friends have never heard of them.
7. Barry gave her a present.
8. Harry’s cousin lives near them.
9. Most competitors were envious of him.
10. A strange man is standing next to you
and me.Test yourself 21.3Decide if each pronoun below is a subject or object pronoun.
Sample: we subjectLesson 21: Subject and object pronouns83
Getting started (answers on p. 99)
1. them...................2. he...................3. I...................4. us...................5. her...................More practice (answers on the website)
6. they...................7. she...................8. me...................9. him...................10. we...................Test yourself 21.4Underline the pronouns in each of the sentences below. Identify each either as a subject pronoun or
an object pronoun. Keep in mind that the pronouns you and it can be either subject or object pronouns, depending on how they are being used.There may be more than one pronoun in a sentence.
Sample:You really did it right. (subject; object)Getting started (answers on p. 99)
1. The clerk had been sent to work with him.
2. The research required them to work closely
together.
3. It is brighter than that other lamp.
4. If you know the answer, please tell me.
5. We will be moving near you.More practice (answers on the website)
6. They were hiding in the bushes.
7. I am giving it to you.
8. He went too far this time.
9. Theresa’s parents worried
about her.
10. She hears from him often.
You know that when you’re talking about yourself, you use the pronouns I or me, and
when you’re talking about a group of people, you use the pronouns they or them. That is,
we choose different pronouns depending on the person or thing the pronouns refer to.
Pronouns that vary in this way are called personal pronouns. Subject and object pronouns are types of personal pronouns; see Lessons 22 and 24 for two other kinds.
Personal pronouns that refer to the speaker in a conversation, like I and we, are calledfirst personpronouns.Those that refer to the listener, like you,are called secondperson
pronouns. And those that refer to anyone or anything else, like he or they, are calledthird person pronouns.
In addition, pronouns that refer to only one person or thing, like I and he, are called singular pronouns; those that refer to more than one person or thing, like we and they, are
called plural pronouns.
Here’s a complete breakdown of the subject and object pronouns:Subject ObjectFirst person singular I me
Second person singular you you
Third person singular he, she, it him, her, it
First person plural we us
Second person plural you you
Third person plural they them
U N I T 7 : P R O N O U N S84
Lesson 22: Reflexive pronounsDo the following sentences seem strange to you?
1. John Smith sawJohn Smith in the mirror.
2. My friends were talking among my friends.
3. Sam’s only cat was grooming Sam’s only cat.
These sentences are strange because they’re missing reflexive pronouns, those pronouns that end in -self or -selves. As you can see from the sentences below, we use reflexive
pronouns whenever we refer to the same person or thing more than once in the same
basic sentence. Sentences 1^3 should be stated like this:
4. John Smith saw himself in the mirror.
5. My best friends were talking among themselves.
6. Sam’s only cat was grooming herself.
Here are some more examples, first without and then with a reflexive pronoun.
7a. The boy washed the boy.
7b. The boy washed himself.
8a. Tom and Harry watchedTom and Harry on the video.
8b. Tom and Harry watched themselves on the video.
9a. You can see you doing that.
9b. You can see yourself doing that.
Notice that if we hear, for example, The boy washed the boy, without a reflexive
pronoun, then we assume that someone’s talking about two different boys. Similarly,
the sentence He shaved him suggests that the person (a male) who did the shaving
and the person (a male) who received the shaving are not the same. The reflexive
pronoun lets the listener know that the speaker is referring to the same person or
thing.Quick tip 22.1 lists the reflexive pronouns.They’re easy to identify because they all end
in -self or -selves (Quick tip 22.2).Quick tip 22.1The reflexive pronouns are: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves,
themselves.Quick tip 22.2All the reflexive pronouns end in -self (singular) or -selves (plural).Test yourself 22.1Underline the reflexive pronouns in each of the sentences below.
Sample: That computer is so smart it can repair itself.85
Getting started (answers on p. 99)
1. John was a person who always pushed
himself to the limit.
2. Watch yourself !
3. We prided ourselves on being silly.
4. The directors of that company can blame no
one but themselves.
5. I see myself as a successful writer someday.More practice (answers on the website)
6. All of you should be ashamed of yourselves!
7. Rosanna treated herself to a lavish vacation.
8. I wish my car started itself in the dead of
winter.
9. Would everyone in the room please identify
himself ?
10. You should take better care of yourself !Test yourself 22.2Underline the reflexive, subject, and object pronouns in each of the sentences below. Label each as
reflexive, subject, or object. Some sentences will have more than one pronoun.
Sample: Greta’s perseverance benefitted both herself and the rest of the staff. (reflexive)Getting started (answers on p. 99)
1. I have found that I can do it when the room is
quiet.
2. He noticed that she often immersed herself in
a book.
3. We have known her for years.
4. Some guests told us that they forced
themselves to get up at 6 A.M.
5. You don’t need to explain yourself to me.More practice (answers on the website)
6. Mr. Ballantine said that he appreciated us.
7. If you want to leave, please let me know.
8. Who among us wants to commit himself to
another year of service?
9. Jay’s wife promised herself never to do it
again.
10. Reflexive pronouns are easy to identify,
don’t you agree?U N I T 7 : P R O N O U N S86
Lesson 23: Demonstrative pronounsDo you remember the underlined words in the sentences below?
1. Are you sure you want this?
2. We agreed about that.
3. I’m not sure I like these.
4. Those look delicious.
In Lesson 13 we talked about the use of demonstratives before a noun, for example:this dog, that idea, these songs, those curtains. That is, we talked about demonstratives
used as determiners. But demonstratives can also be used without a noun following
them, as you can see from sentences 1^4. In these cases, because the demonstrative
replaces a noun (or noun phrase), it is called a demonstrative pronoun. For example,
in sentence 1, the demonstrative pronoun this can be replacing a noun such as spaghettior magazines.
It’s easy to remember demonstrative pronouns, because there are only four of them;
they are listed in Quick tip 23.1.Quick tip 23.1There are only four demonstrative pronouns: this, that, these, and those.It might help you remember the word‘‘demonstrative’’ if you think of these words as ‘‘demonstrating’’something, in a way, pointing to something.Test yourself 23.1Underline the demonstrative pronoun in each of the sentences below.
Sample: Lenny wasn’t sure he really wanted those.Getting started (answers on p. 100)
1. That wasn’t really Hannah’s job, but I
appreciate her doing it anyway.
2. Natasha really likes these.
3. He wasn’t good at riddles but managed to
solve those.
4. I never thought it would come to this.
5. These are very difficult times.More practice (answers on the website)
6. Those were the good old days.
7. Sean thought he would never
see that.
8. This is absolutely unacceptable.
9. Mrs.Wallace would rather buy these.
10. That is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.Test yourself 23.2Decide if each pronoun below is a subject, object, reflexive, or demonstrative pronoun.
Sample: she subject87
Getting started (answers on p. 100)
1. yourselves......................................2. those......................................3. me......................................4. we......................................5. itself......................................More practice (answers on the website)
6. them......................................7. that......................................8. us......................................9. herself......................................10. these......................................Test yourself 23.3Underline the pronouns in each of the sentences below. Label each as demonstrative, subject,
object, or reflexive. Some sentences will have more than one pronoun.
Sample: Did you spill that on yourself ? (subject; demonstrative; reflexive)Getting started (answers on p. 100)
1. We were angry at ourselves......................................................................................................................................................................2. He asked us to explain this.......................................................................................................................................................................3. It works just as well at home...................................................................................................................................................................4. They sent these to us......................................................................................................................................................................................5. The baseball player dusted himself off...........................................................................................................................................More practice (answers on the website)
6. You should do this for yourself...........................................................................................................................................................7. This reminds me of why I should respect myself.................................................................................................................8. That is the way they should behave themselves..................................................................................................................9. We excused ourselves right after dinner....................................................................................................................................10. It could bother them...................................................................................................................................................................................U N I T 7 : P R O N O U N S88
Lesson 24: Possessive pronounsYou won’t be surprised to learn that possessive pronouns are pronouns that indicate possession, or ownership. Some possessive pronouns are underlined here:
1. Mr. Smith explained his ideas to the audience.
2. I wish I could accept their invitation.
3. That suitcase isn’t mine.
4. Yours was the best essay in the class.
If you look closely, you’ll notice that the possessive pronouns in sentences 1^4 fall into
two groups.The ones in sentences 1and 2 are followed by a noun: his ideas, their invitation.
The ones in sentences 3 and 4 are not followed by a noun; rather, they stand on their own
in the sentence.We’ll talk about each kind separately.
The possessive pronouns in sentences 1 and 2 may look familiar to you. That’s because
they were described in Lesson 14, as part of our discussion of determiners. Like articles
(a, an, the), possessive pronouns which function as determiners can occur in the slothouse (for example, his house, our house, your house). Since they function as determiners, you can understand why they are followed by a noun. In Quick tip 14.1 we called
these determiner possessive pronouns and provided the full list. We repeat them here:my, your, his, her, its, our, their.Test yourself 24.1Underline the determiner possessive pronoun in each of the sentences below. Remember: determiner possessive pronouns are followed by nouns.
Sample: Many of our ideas back then were equally absurd.Getting started (answers on p. 100)
1. The woman hid her feelings well.
2. He was younger than his wife.
3. Mr. and Mrs. Bradford adored
their son.
4. Thomas and Natalie were the best students
in my class.
5. Your eyes look very tired.More practice (answers on the website)
6. The salesman’s car does not show its age.
7. We should just pack up our things and get out
of here.
8. I took a look at your face and I knew
immediately that you were honest.
9. My daughter is very good about brushing
her teeth regularly.
10. Gamblers are secretive about their losses.
Now on to the possessive pronounsin sentences 3 and 4, thekind that can stand alonein a
sentence. Here are some more examples:
5. The Greens’ tent came loose in the storm but ours remained secure.
6. Yours was the first card I noticed.
7. The scientist hurried from that laboratory to mine.89
These possessive pronouns replace a whole noun (actually, a whole noun phrase, but we
haven’t gotten to that yet; see Lesson 28). And since the word nominal means ‘‘noun-like,’’
these pronouns are sometimes called possessive pronouns with nominal function.We
will simply call them nominal possessive pronouns.Quick tip 24.1Nominal possessive pronouns replace a whole noun (or noun phrase). For example, instead
of saying That book is Sally’s book we can simply say, That book is hers. The nominal
possessive pronouns are: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs.Notice that the pronouns his and its can function either as determiner possessive pronouns (see Quick tip 14.1) or as nominal possessive pronouns (see Quick tip 24.1).Test yourself 24.2Underline the nominal possessive pronoun in each of the sentences below.
Sample: Pete and Cathy are convinced the idea was theirs.Getting started (answers on p. 100)
1. The rattlesnake is his.
2. The mother needs her nourishment and the
baby needs hers also.
3. Yours is the room on the left.
4. The computer on the table
is mine.
5. Ours is the next house on the block.More practice (answers on the website)
6. Theirs will probably be the best dog in the
show.
7. Hiring the band is not Dave’s responsibility ^
it is yours.
8. Whatever theneighborswant tohaul awayis
theirs for the taking.
9. Most people’s experience is probably
similar to hers.
10. His is not the only opinion that matters.Test yourself 24.3Decide if each possessive pronoun below is a determiner or a nominal possessive pronoun.
Sample: yours nominalTo enhance your understandingDon’t confuse possessive pronouns with contracted pronouns:
8a. It’s (= it is) a wonderful day. (contracted pronoun)
8b. Its positives outweigh its negatives. (determiner possessive pronoun)
9a. You’re (= you are) absolutely right. (contracted pronoun)
9b. Your shoelaces are untied. (determiner possessive pronoun)
10a. They’re (= they are) leaving. (contracted pronoun)
10b. Their leaving early was unexpected. (determiner possessive pronoun)
As you can see, the contracted pronoun is always written with an apostrophe.
U N I T 7 : P R O N O U N S90
Getting started (answers on p. 100)
1. my......................................2. theirs......................................3. mine......................................4. your......................................5. her......................................More practice (answers on the website)
6. our......................................7. their......................................8. ours......................................9. hers......................................10. his......................................Test yourself 24.4Underline the possessive pronoun in each of the sentences below.Then indicate if it functions as a
determiner or a nominal possessive pronoun.
Sample: Jack’s trip was good, but not nearly as exciting as theirs. (determiner)
| Getting started (answers on p. 101) 1. Listening to music might interfere with your ability to concentrate. | ...................................... |
| 2. Some of the CDs are ours. | ...................................... |
| 3. The prisoner was ordered to hand over his things. | ...................................... |
| 4. In my opinion, you should apologize. | ...................................... |
| 5. Hers is the only dissenting voice in the room. | ...................................... |
| More practice (answers on the website) 6. The big suitcase over there is mine. | ...................................... |
| 7. Someone wants to buy our company. | ...................................... |
| 8. Some day this will all be yours. | ...................................... |
| 9. The suspects had their day in court. | ...................................... |
| 10. The bank is going to need her signature. | ...................................... |
| Test yourself 24.5 |
Decideif eachpronoun belowis adeterminer possessive pronoun(my,our, etc.),nominalpossessive
pronoun (mine, ours, etc.), subject pronoun (I, we, etc.), object pronoun (me, us, etc.), reflexive pronoun (myself, ourselves, etc.), or demonstrative pronoun (this, these, etc.).
Sample: that demonstrativeGetting started (answers on p. 101)
1. their......................................2. them......................................3. yourselves......................................4. we......................................5. hers......................................More practice (answers on the website)
6. us......................................7. itself......................................8. those......................................9. me......................................10. yours......................................Lesson 24: Possessive pronouns91
Test yourself 24.6 – Grand finaleUnderline the pronouns in each of the sentences below. Label each as determiner possessive, nominal possessive, subject, object, demonstrative, or reflexive. Some sentences will have more than
one pronoun.
Sample:They were convinced that she would do a great job for them. (subject; subject; object)Getting started (answers on p. 101)
1. Their employees were working during lunch.....................................................................................................................2. He asked us for the answer......... ..........................................................................................................................................................3. It made a huge difference to her and to her friends.........................................................................................................4. She looked at herself in the rearview mirror of my car...............................................................................................5. Some guy introduced himself and gave me his business card...............................................................................More practice (answers on the website)
6. You shouldn’t compare your accomplishments to theirs............................................................................................7. The candidates presented themselves and their positions to us..........................................................................8. Are all these hers or mine?..................................................................................................................................................................9. You should thank him for bringing that to your attention.........................................................................................10. We saved this for last because of its complexity and because the opportunity
presented itself to include all pronoun types in it ^ but the final judgment is yours!.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................U N I T 7 : P R O N O U N S92
Lesson 25: Interrogative pronounsWhat do you notice about the underlined words in the following sentences?
1. Who went first?
2. What was the man carrying?
3. Which did you buy?
You undoubtedly recognize them as question words.They are called interrogative pronouns; we list them in Quick tip 25.1.Quick tip 25.1Interrogative pronouns are question words. The interrogative pronouns are: how, what,when, where, which, who, whom, whose, why. Look for the question mark to help find
them.You may be wondering why these are considered to be pronouns. Like other pronouns,
interrogative pronouns represent something else, often a noun. They represent missing
information, information that’s in the answer to a question:
4a. Who went first?
4b. Harry went first.
5a. What was the man carrying?
5b. The man was carrying a camera.
6a. Which did you buy?
6b. I bought the red car.
Since, when we ask a question, we don’t yet know what the answer will be, we have no
choice but to use a question word, or interrogative pronoun, to represent the information
we are asking about.Test yourself 25.1Underline the interrogative pronoun in each of the sentences below.
Sample:Why is his approach so exciting?Getting started (answers on p. 101)
1. To whom did you send the package?
2. Whose is it?
3. What can the producer do about it?
4. How can I believe you are telling
the truth?
5. Where have you been?To enhance your understandingDon’t confuse the following – they sound the same:
7a. Who’s (= who is) there?
7b. Whose party are we going to?93
More practice (answers on the website)
6. When did you come home last night?
7. Why is it so dark in this room?
8. Which do you prefer?
9. Who gave you permission to open that box?
10. From whom did you get this call?Test yourself 25.2Decide if each pronoun below is an interrogative pronoun (who, what), demonstrative pronoun
(this, these, etc.), object pronoun (me, us, etc.), or reflexive pronoun (myself, ourselves, etc.).
Sample: myself reflexiveGetting started (answers on p. 101)
1. herself......................................2. which......................................3. who......................................4. those......................................5. him......................................More practice (answers on the website)
6. itself......................................7. how......................................8. what......................................9. us......................................10. whom......................................Test yourself 25.3Underline the interrogative, possessive, and subject pronounsin each of the sentencesbelow. Label
each as interrogative (what, who, etc.), determiner possessive (my, our, etc.), nominal possessive
(mine, ours, etc.), or subject (I, we, etc.). Some sentences will have more than one pronoun.
(Remember that interrogative pronouns are used in questions, so look for that question mark to
help you.)
Sample:What are you looking for? (interrogative; subject)Getting started (answers on p. 101)
1. Where did your friend hide the ball?............................................................................................................................................2. Which does Jack like: coffee or tea?..............................................................................................................................................3. Ours was the only entry in the contest......................................................................................................................................4. We kept our promise..................................................................................................................................................................................5. Your business is yours alone......... .....................................................................................................................................................More practice (answers on the website)
6. Why didn’t you wash your car?.........................................................................................................................................................7. He thought that the brown coat was his....................................................................................................................................8. The bicycle is mine, not hers..............................................................................................................................................................9. I mailed my package to Korea...........................................................................................................................................................10. When will he arrive?.................................................................................................................................................................................U N I T 7 : P R O N O U N S94
Test yourself 25.4Underline the pronouns in each of the sentences below. Don’t worry about what kind of pronoun
each is. Some sentences will have more than one pronoun.
Sample:What will they buy at his store?Getting started (answers on p. 102)
1. You keep hurting yourself when you go
skiing.
2. We should get it to them as soon as
possible.
3. Who was Bill thinking of sending them to?
4. She has a great opportunity to advance
herself in her company.
5. When will your great novel be
finished?More practice (answers on the website)
6. Our hope is that one day we will find ourselves living it up in style.
7. That will never happen under his watch.
8. Her determination gave her the impetus to
improve herself.
9. Where are those new shirts you bought
yourself yesterday?
10. Our ball club prides itself on its ability to
win most of our games.To further enhance your understandingAs we discussed at the beginning of this Lesson, interrogatives function as pronouns – they
replace nouns. Note, however, that some interrogatives can also function as determiners –
they can precede a noun. You can see this in the examples below:
8. Which book did you read last?
9. Whose purse is on the table?
10. What name did they choose for their baby?Lesson 25: Interrogative pronouns95
Lesson 26: Relative pronounsHere are some sentences withinterrogative pronouns, like the ones you’ve already seeninLesson 25.The interrogative pronouns are underlined.
1. Who was laughing?
2. Whose is this?
Nowlook at thefollowing sentences, which contain the same underlined words. How are
these sentences different from sentences 1and 2?
3. I like the woman who lives next door.
4. He’s the engineer whose life was disrupted by a messy divorce.
You’ve probably noticed that, unlike sentences 1 and 2 above, sentences 3 and 4 are not
questions.The same pronouns are being used, but not to ask a question. Instead, these pronouns are used in sentences 3 and 4 to replace a noun that’s already mentioned earlier in
the sentence.When used this way, these pronouns are called relative pronouns.They are
listed in Quick tip 26.1Quick tip 26.1The common relative pronouns are: that, which, who, whom, whose. They refer back to a
noun in the sentence.Test yourself 26.1Underline the relative pronoun in each of the sentences below.
Sample:The prominent oil man who bought that house is not a generous man.Getting started (answers on p. 102)
1. John’s is the essay that was the most
well-written.
2. His wife was the woman whom he loved the
most.
3. There is no one who can make me laugh more
than you.
4. Danny bought a gift which appealed to him.
5. Last week I met the man whose cousin
married my friend.More practice (answers on the website)
6. In general, Sharon is nice to people whom
she meets.
7. I will stand on the line which is shorter.
8. The person who leaves last should turn the
lights off.
9. She saw the journey which she had
undertaken stretch out before her.
10. Anna leaves a good impression on
employers who interview her.
Let’s look at sentences 3 and 4 more closely.
3. I like the woman who lives next door.96
In this sentence, who lives next door? Answer: the woman. So instead of saying something like I like the woman.The woman lives next door, we replace the second occurrence
of the woman with the pronoun who, giving us the sentence I like the woman who lives next
door. In fact, the word who is doing two things: it’s representing the woman and it’s joininglives next door to the main part of the sentence.
4. He’s the engineer whose life was disrupted by a messy divorce.
In this sentence, whose life was disrupted by a messy divorce? Answer: the engineer’s. So
instead of saying something like He’s the engineer. The engineer’s life was disrupted by a
messy divorce, we replace the second occurrence of the engineer (actually, in this case, the
engineer’s) with the pronoun whose, giving us the sentence He’s the engineer whose life was
disrupted by a messy divorce. Again, the word whose is doing two things: it’s representing the
engineer and it’s joininglife was disrupted by amessy divorce to the main part of the sentence.
In the following sentence, what broke?
5. Sam fixed the computer that broke.
Answer: the computer. So instead of saying something like Sam fixed the computer.The
computer broke, we replace the second occurrence of the computer with the pronoun that,
giving us the sentence Sam fixed the computer that broke. Again, the word that is doing
two things: it’s representing the computer and it’s joining broke to the main part of the
sentence.
You may remember that in Lesson 19 we talked about subordinating conjunctions,
which are words that connect a sentence (the main sentence) with another sentence
which is a subpart of it.The relative pronouns here are doing the same thing and in fact,
relative pronouns are one kind of subordinating conjunction (and appear on the list
in Lesson 19).Quick tip 26.2Relative pronouns are a type of subordinating conjunction. A relative pronoun
typically occurs soon after the noun it refers to. Example: He liked the teacher
who gave easy tests.Test yourself 26.2The relative pronoun is underlined in each of the sentences below.Your job is to find the noun that
the relative pronoun is referring to.
Sample: I watched a few movies that were really bad. (movies)Getting started (answers on p. 102)
1. They are men who are ambitious.
2. The salesman noticed the potatoes that he
planted.
3. It is worth buying stocks which increase in
value.
4. The guests whom we invited a week ago just
arrived.
5. The flight that was supposed to leave at 5 is
still delayed.More practice (answers on the website)
6. The patients whose lives are in danger need
those drugs.
7. The bus which has just arrived is scheduled
to leave for Phoenix.
8. Rebecca noticed the tourists who were
gathered around the statue.
9. The milk that Jane bought seems to be fresh.
10. The contractor whom we hired did not show
up today.Lesson 26: Relative pronouns97
Test yourself 26.3Underline and identify the interrogative or relative pronoun in each of the sentences below.
(Remember that the interrogative pronouns will always be in a question.) In this exercise, the sentences will only have either an interrogative or a relative pronoun, but not both.
Sample:Why are you going? (interrogative)Getting started (answers on p. 102)
1. What can I do about it?
2. Adam is the person whom you need to
talk to.
3. I fixed the clock that was broken.
4. The police will find the person who
committed this crime.
5. When will the show start?More practice (answers on the website)
6. Which do you want us to choose?
7. The restaurant in which we ate was awful.
8. I don’t care for the earrings which this
actress is wearing.
9. Several of the boys who attended the party
became rowdy.
10. He’s happy with the solution that I’m
proposing.To further enhance your understandingThere are also some less commonly used relative pronouns with the suffix -ever. Some
examples:
11. I’ll be happy with whatever you decide to do.
12. My mother always told me to marry whoever I wanted to.
13. They can travel with whomever they choose.
There is an important difference between the relative pronouns ending in -ever and those
we looked at earlier and listed in Quick tip 26.1. As you can see in sentences 11–13, the -everrelative pronouns do not refer back to a noun that comes before. Rather, they represent a
noun all by themselves.To enhance your understandingNotice that the word that has lots of uses. These are demonstrated here:
6. I think that man is intriguing. (demonstrative determiner)
7. I think that is the way to go. (demonstrative pronoun)
8. I think that the sun will shine tomorrow. (subordinating conjunction: introducing a clause)
9. I think the car that you want was sold yesterday. (relative pronoun: introducing
a clause and referring back to a noun)
You can have more than one that within the same sentence:
10. I think that that is the cat that belongs to you.
And that’s that!
U N I T 7 : P R O N O U N S98
Answer keys: Test yourself, Getting startedquestions – Unit 7Test yourself 21.11. I crossed the piazza and headed towards the church.
2. Unfortunately, it was closed.
3. They simply stood there, waiting for me.
4. Yesterday, she went shopping.
5. We should get together sometime.Test yourself 21.21. Mary heard him.
2. The detectives watched us suspiciously.
3. Stop bothering me!
4. Steven sat down between him and her.
5. Do the students understand it?
| Test yourself 21.3 | |
| 1. them | object |
| 2. he | subject |
| 3. I | subject |
| 4. us | object |
| 5. her | object |
| Test yourself 21.4 | |
| 1. The clerk had been sent to work with him. | (object) |
| 2. The research required them to work closely together. | (object) |
| 3. It is brighter than that other lamp. | (subject) |
| 4. If you know the answer, please tell me. | (subject; object) |
| 5. We will be moving near you. | (subject; object) |
| Test yourself 22.1 |
1. John was a person who always pushed himself to the limit.
2. Watch yourself !
3. We prided ourselves on being sillly.
4. The directors of that company can blame no one but themselves.
5. I see myself as a successful writer someday.Test yourself 22.21. I have found that I can do it when the room is quiet.
(subject; subject; object)99
2. He noticed that she often immersed herself in a book.
(subject; subject; reflexive)
3. We have known her for years. (subject; object)
4. Some guests told us that they forced themselves to get up at 6 A.M.
(object; subject; reflexive)
5. You don’t need to explain yourself to me. (subject; reflexive; object)Test yourself 23.11. That wasn’t really Hannah’s job, but I appreciate her doing it anyway.
2. Natasha really likes these.
3. He wasn’t good at riddles but managed to solve those.
4. I never thought it would come to this.
5. These are very difficult times.
| Test yourself 23.2 | |
| 1. yourselves | reflexive |
| 2. those | demonstrative |
| 3. me | object |
| 4. we | subject |
| 5. itself | reflexive |
| Test yourself 23.3 | |
| 1. We were angry at ourselves. | (subject; reflexive) |
| 2. He asked us to explain this. | (subject; object; demonstrative) |
| 3. It works just as well at home. | (subject) |
| 4. They sent these to us. | (subject; demonstrative; object) |
| 5. The baseball player dusted himself off. | (reflexive) |
| Test yourself 24.1 |
1. The woman hid her feelings well.
2. He was younger than his wife.
3. Mr. and Mrs. Bradford adored their son.
4. Thomas and Natalie were the best students in my class.
5. Your eyes look very tired.Test yourself 24.21. The rattlesnake is his.
2. The mother needs her nourishment and the baby needs hers also.
3. Yours is the room on the left.
4. The computer on the table is mine.
5. Ours is the next house on the block.
| Test yourself 24.3 | |
| 1. my | determiner |
| 2. theirs | nominal |
| 3. mine | nominal |
| 4. your | determiner |
| 5. her | determiner |
U N I T 7 : P R O N O U N S100
Test yourself 24.41. Listening to music might interfere with your ability to concentrate. (determiner)
2. Some of those CDs are ours. (nominal)
3. The prisoner was ordered to hand over his things. (determiner)
4. In my opinion, you should apologize. (determiner)
5. Hers is the only dissenting voice in the room. (nominal)
| Test yourself 24.5 | |
| 1. their | determiner possessive |
| 2. them | object |
| 3. yourselves | reflexive |
| 4. we | subject |
| 5. hers nominal | possessive |
| Test yourself 24.6 |
1. Their employees were working during lunch.
(determiner possessive)
2. He asked us for the answer.
(subject; object)
3. It made a huge difference to her and to her friends.
(subject; object; determiner possessive)
4. She looked at herself in the rearview mirror of my car.
(subject; reflexive; determiner possessive)
5. Some guy introduced himself and gave me his business card.
(reflexive; object; determiner possessive)Test yourself 25.11. To whom did you send the package?
2. Whose is it?
3. What can the producer do about it?
4. How can I believe you are telling the truth?
5. Where have you been?
| Test yourself 25.2 | |
| 1. herself | reflexive |
| 2. which | interrogative |
| 3. who | interrogative |
| 4. those | demonstrative |
| 5. him | object |
| Test yourself 25.3 | |
| 1. Where did your friend hide the ball? | (interrogative; determiner possessive) |
| 2. Which does Jack like: coffee or tea? | (interrogative) |
| 3. Ours was the only entry in the contest. | (nominal possessive) |
| 4. We kept our promise. | (subject; determiner possessive) |
| 5. Your business is yours alone. | (determiner possessive; nominal possessive) |
Answer keys: Unit 7101
Test yourself 25.41. You keep hurting yourself when you go skiing.
2. We should get it to them as soon as possible.
3. Who was Bill thinking of sending them to?
4. She has a great opportunity to advance herself in her company.
5. When will your great novel be finished?Test yourself 26.11. John’s is the essay that was the most well written.
2. His wife was the woman whom he loved the most.
3. There is no one who can make me laugh more than you.
4. Danny bought a gift which appealed to him.
5. Last week I met the man whose cousin married my friend.Test yourself 26.21. They are men who are ambitious. (men)
2. The salesman noticed the potatoes that he planted. (potatoes)
3. It is worth buying stocks which increase in value. (stocks)
4. The guests whom we invited a week ago just arrived. (guests)
5. The flight that was supposed to leave at 5 is still delayed. (flight)Test yourself 26.31. What can I do about it? (interrogative)
2. Adam is the person whom you need to talk to. (relative)
3. I fixed the clock that was broken. (relative)
4. The police will find the person who committed this crime. (relative)
5. When will the show start? (interrogative)☞ FOR A REVIEW EXERCISE OF THIS UNIT, SEE THE WEBSITE.U N I T 7 : P R O N O U N S102
UNIT 8: ADVERBSLesson 27: Identifying adverbsWe’ve saved adverbs for last because they can be a bit tricky. Adverbs do lots of di¡erent
things and can be in lots of di¡erent places in a sentence. In fact, the chances are, if you
don’t know what else a word is, it’s probably an adverb.
The adverbs are underlined in the sentences below:
1. I live here. (information about location)
2. My brother is arriving today. (information about time)
3. She dances gracefully. (information about manner)
4. That child is very sweet. (degree information about an adjective, in this case,
about sweet)
5. She works extremely e⁄ciently. (degree information about another adverb, in
this case, about e⁄ciently)Quick tip 27.1Adverbs generally indicate information about location, time, degree, and manner. They
provide extra information about the action in a sentence, about adjectives and about other
adverbs.Quick tip 27.2If you don’t know what else a word is (and you’ve eliminated the other parts of speech), it’s
probably an adverb.While unfortunately, we can’t give you a simple rule that will help you identify adverbs
100 percent of the time, the tips below will help you correctly identify adverbs in many
cases.Quick tip 27.3Can the word go in the following slot? Mary slept . If so, it’s probably an adverb. For
example, Mary slept peacefully. Peacefully is an adverb.Quick tip 27.4Can the word go in the following slot? , I gave / will give my speech. If so, it’s
probably an adverb. For example, Yesterday, I gave my speech. Yesterday is an
adverb. Or: Tomorrow, I will give my speech. Tomorrow is an adverb.103
Quick tip 27.5Can the word go in the following slot? He is happy. If so, it’s probably an adverb. For
example, He is very happy. Very is an adverb.Quick tip 27.6Does the word end in the suffix -ly? Is it an adjective? If it ends in -ly and it’s not an
adjective, it’s probably an adverb (e.g. hopefully, happily, unusually).Test yourself 27.1Underline the adverbs in each of the sentences below.
Sample:They had deliberately been silent when they entered the room.Getting started (answers on p. 107)
1. She returned the book and quietly
left.
2. I’m leaving for Europe tomorrow.
3. That horse is an unusually calm
animal.
4. The train came to a stop suddenly.
5. That remark was too shocking.More practice (answers on the website)
6. Why don’t you call her sometimes?
7. We were told to handle the merchandise
carefully.
8. The doctor informed his patient that his
prognosis was very good.
9. The Morgans are not leaving today.
10. Unexpectedly, the principal ordered
everyone into the auditorium.
Many, though not all, adverbs end in -ly (rapidly, innocently, sweetly, etc.). However, some
adjectives also end in -ly, for example lovely, friendly. It’s easy to distinguish them.
Just remember that the adjectives can go in the slot the boy: the lovely boy, the
friendlyboy.
While adverbs can go before the adjective, for example the extremely friendly boy(extremely is an adverb), adverbs cannot occupy the slot directly before the noun.That is,
one cannot say, *the extremely boy or *the innocently boy, so extremely and innocently are
not adjectives; they must be adverbs.
Note that some nouns, for example the £owerlily, end in -ly as well. And just to add a little
more spice to the recipe, there are some words that can be used either as adverbs or as
adjectives:
6a. That is a pretty easy book. (Pretty is similar to the word very here, and is an
adverb of degree.)
6b. That is a pretty child. (Pretty is an adjective.)
7a. You drive too fast. (Fast tells us more about the verb drive, so it is an adverb.)
7b. This actor’s delivery was too fast. (Fast tells us more about the noun delivery,
so it is an adjective.)U N I T 8 : A D V E R B S104
Test yourself 27.2For each word below, decide if it is an adverb or an adjective. Use the test for adjectives to help you
decide: the boy.
Sample: rarely adverbGetting started (answers on p. 107)
1. happily......................................2. ugly......................................3. clearly......................................4. gently......................................5. manly......................................More practice (answers on the website)
6. predictably......................................7. nearly......................................8. proudly......................................9. barely......................................10. silly......................................Test yourself 27.3Decide whether the underlined word in each sentence is being used as an adjective or an adverb.Adjective AdverbSample: He recently increased his yearly salary....................
| Getting started (answers on p. 107) 1. He was busily writing a letter when the doorbell rang. | ................... | ................... |
| 2. That is a very hilly road. | ................... | ................... |
| 3. They fell hopelessly in love at ¢rst sight. | ................... | ................... |
| 4. I never realized that you have such curly hair. | ................... | ................... |
| 5. The soprano gave a masterly performance. | ................... | ................... |
| More practice (answers on the website) 6. Mr. Sawyer is paid weekly. | ................... | ................... |
| 7. She undoubtedly deserves top honors. | ................... | ................... |
| 8. This lady eerily resembles my grandmother. | ................... | ................... |
| 9. Janet fully concurs with her husband’s decision. | ................... | ................... |
| 10. Your new house is very lovely. | ................... | ................... |
| Test yourself 27.4 |
Underline the adverbs with a solid line and the adjectives with a squiggly line in the sentences
below.
Sample: He was clearly working on a difficult report.Getting started (answers on p. 107)
1. Excitedly, the men dragged the heavy sack to
the clearing.
2. I’ve checked on the situationvery thoroughly.
3. Adam waited inside.
4. The old fellow left town yesterday.
5. Afterwards, he regretted his actions.Lesson 27: Identifying adverbs105
More practice (answers on the website)
6. Your generous gift was completely
unnecessary.
7. Let’s agree on this beforehand.
8. This o¡er is too good to pass up.
9. I often think of you fondly.
10. The mailman left an unopened package at
the door.Test yourself 27.5 – Grand FinaleFor each sentence below, write ADV above each adverb, ADJ above each adjective, N above each
noun, andV above each verb.
N V ADV
Sample:The teacher looked at him coldly.Getting started (answers on p. 107)
1. My roommate usually sleeps very late.
2. Yesterday, the girl accompanied her older
sister to the mall.
3. He walked slowly toward the foggy
station.
4. The experienced senator quickly evaded
their probing questions.
5. Later, we took a leisurely walk down by the
beach.More practice (answers on the website)
6. The once popular guitarist appeared on
TVregularly.
7. Successful brokers will surely receive
sizeable commissions.
8. We recently had a wonderful time in Spain.
9. I will take a quick dip in the inviting blue
waters of the ocean.
10. Obviously, you are not the same person
now that you were when I ¢rst met you.U N I T 8 : A D V E R B S106
Answer keys: Test yourself, Getting
started questions – Unit 8Test yourself 27.11. She returned the book and quietly left.
2. I’m leaving for Europe tomorrow.
3. That horse is an unusually calm animal.
4. The train came to a stop suddenly.
5. That remark was too shocking.
| Test yourself 27.2 | |
| 1. happily | adverb |
| 2. ugly | adjective |
| 3. clearly | adverb |
| 4. gently | adverb |
| 5. manly | adjective |
| Test yourself 27.3 | |
| Adjective | Adverb |
| 1. He was busily writing a letter when the doorbell rang. | ................... |
| 2. That is a very hilly road. | ................... |
| 3. They fell hopelessly in love at ¢rst sight. | ................... |
| 4. I never realized that you have such curly hair. | ................... |
| 5. The soprano gave a masterly performance. | ................... |
| Test yourself 27.4 |
1. Excitedly, the men dragged the heavy sack to the clearing.
2. I’ve checked on the situation very thoroughly.
3. Adam waited inside.
4. The old fellow left town yesterday.
5. Afterwards, he regretted his actions.Test yourself 27.51. N ADV V ADVADJ
My roommate usually sleeps very late.
2. ADV N V ADJ N N
Yesterday, the girl accompanied her older sister to the mall.
3. V ADV ADJ N
He walked slowly toward the foggy station.107
4. ADJ N ADV V ADJ N
The experienced senator quickly evaded their probing questions.
5. ADV V ADJ N ADV N
Later, we took a leisurely walk down by the beach.☞ FOR A REVIEW EXERCISE OF THIS UNIT, SEE THE WEBSITE.U N I T 8 : A D V E R B S108
Review matching exercise and answer key – Part IReview matching exerciseMatch the underlined word or words to the appropriate term in each set. Use each term
only once.
Sample: Merlin’s assistant was an apprentice magician. possessive proper nounSet Aarticle particle singular noun
coordinating conjunction phrasal verb transitive verb
determiner possessive pronoun preposition
1. Michael dipped his foot in the pool......................................................2. He had made his fortune overnight......................................................3. Don’t pick up a thing!.....................................................4. Her gardener watered the lawn......................................................5. The authorities were investigating the possibility of an illegal
smuggling ring......................................................6. She always ¢gures out the answer eventually......................................................7. We’ve installed a generator but not a back-up system......................................................8. They need these tools for their project......................................................Set Bbase form of verb irregular plural noun subordinating
correlative conjunction linking verb conjunction
demonstrative determiner quanti¢er
1. You canvisit more often................................................................2. The dentist took x-rays of her teeth................................................................3. I became better and better at Monopoly................................................................4. If Bob makes breakfast, it will save us a lot of time................................................................5. He believes that both people want to come to an agreement................................................................6. Neither his accountant nor his stockbroker was able to help................................................................7. She never got tired of watching those movies................................................................109
Answer key: Review matching exercise – Part ISet A1. Michael dipped his foot in the pool. singular noun
2. He had made his fortune overnight. determiner possessive pronoun
3. Don’t pick up a thing! phrasal verb
4. Her gardener watered the lawn. transitive verb
5. The authorities were investigating the possibility
of an illegal smuggling ring. article
6. She always ¢gures out the answer eventually. particle
7. We’ve installed a generator but not a back-up system. coordinating conjunction
8. They need these tools for their project. prepositionSet B1. You can visit more often. base form of verb
2. The dentist took x-rays of her teeth. irregular plural noun
3. I became better and better at Monopoly. linking verb
4. If Bob makes breakfast, it will save us a lot of time. subordinating conjunction
5. He believes that both people want to come to
an agreement. quanti¢er
6. Neither his accountant nor his stockbroker was
able to help. correlative conjunction
7. She never got tired of watching those movies. demonstrative determinerU N I T 8 : A D V E R B S110
PART II: KINDS OF PHRASESJust as you know a lot about word categories without necessarily realizing that you do,
you know a lot about combining words into phrases and phrases into sentences. As we
talk about phrases and sentences, we’ll be referring to many of the word categories you
learned about in Part I, so check back there if you need to.
Let’s start by taking a look at the following sentence:
1. The little boy laughed.
If you were asked to divide the sentence into two parts, what would the parts be? Speakers
of English typically separate the sentence after the word boy:
2. The little boy + laughed.
Other groupings, like the ones below, generally seem unnatural to native speakers of
English:
3. The + little boy laughed.
4. The little + boy laughed.
That is, we all sense that the little boy forms a unit and that laughed forms another unit.
Units like these are called phrases.
So we can start o¡ our discussion by suggesting that there are two parts to sentence 1.We
could call them Part A and Part B, or Harry and George, but we’ll use the terminology of
modern linguistics and refer to them as the noun phrase and the verb phrase.The noun
phrase in our sentence is the little boy; the verb phrase is laughed. Of course, there are
other phrases as well.We’ll look at the most common ones in the units of Part II.
UNIT 9: NOUN PHRASESLesson 28: The basic structure of noun phrasesThere are all kinds of noun phrases and we can discover them by seeing some of the things
we can substitute for the noun phrase, thelittle boy.The underlined portions of the sentences below are all noun phrases and any one of them can replace thelittle boy in the sentenceThe little boylaughed.
1. Audiences laughed.
2. Younger audiences laughed.
3. The girl laughed.
4. The little girl laughed.
5. The cute little girl laughed.
6. John laughed.
7. They laughed.
Of course, there are lots of things that cannot replace the little boy, for example:
8. *My very quickly laughed.
9. *Near his laughed.
10. *Went away laughed.
You’re probably not surprised to learn that My very quickly, Nearhis, andWent away are not
noun phrases.
So what can be a noun phrase?
In sentences 1^6, the noun phrases all have something in common: each consists of at
least a noun. (See Unit 1to refresh your memory about nouns.)
Here are the noun phrases again, with the nouns underlined:
audiences
younger audiences
the girl
the little girl
the cute little girl
John
In sentence 1, Audiences laughed, and in sentence 6, John laughed, the noun phrase consists of just a noun: audiences in sentence 1andJohn in sentence 6.Quick tip 28.1A noun phrase can consist of a noun alone, for example, audiences, John.Test yourself 28.1Underline the noun phrase in each of the sentences below. In this exercise, the noun phrase will
always consist of a noun alone. Some sentences may have more than one noun phrase.
Sample: Sugar is not very healthy.113
Getting started (answers on p. 119)
1. Pirates were looking for treasure.
2. Furniture can be expensive.
3. Boys often want to be policemen.
4. People think money is useful.
5. Jeremy was eating rice.More practice (answers on the website)
6. Sometimes juries make mistakes.
7. Jenny visited friends yesterday.
8. Oil is thicker than water.
9. Joel hates bananas.
10. Writers often like to work alone.
You can also see, in sentences 2^5, that a noun phrase can have other words in addition to
just a noun. Let’s see what those other words can be:
younger audiences: adjective + noun
the girl: determiner + noun
the little girl: determiner + adjective + noun
the cute little girl: determiner + adjectives + noun
(See Units 3 and 4 to remind yourself about determiners and adjectives.)Quick tip 28.2A noun phrase can consist of a determiner, one or more adjectives, and a noun. The
determiner and adjective(s) are optional.Test yourself 28.2Underline the noun phrases in each of the sentences below. In this exercise, the noun phrase will
always consist of a determiner + noun; the determiner will always be an article, that is, the, a, oran. Some sentences may have more than one noun phrase.
Sample: A man stole the car.Getting started (answers on p. 119)
1. The winner was overjoyed.
2. The crowd dispersed peacefully.
3. A minute can seem like an eternity.
4. The dentist gave the patient a toothbrush.
5. The couple forgot to tip the waiter.More practice (answers on the website)
6. A Mercedes costs more than a Chevy.
7. The Andersons bought a house.
8. The children are sleeping.
9. The lake is near the village.
10. The professor paid the studenta compliment.
Here are some more examples with di¡erent determiners and nouns. (You may recall
from Unit 3 that the determiner always comes before the noun.) The whole noun phrase is
underlined.U N I T 9 : N O U N P H R A S E S114
11. A man laughed.
12. Her friend laughed.
13. That lady laughed.
14. Many people laughed.
Notice that these noun phrases don’t have to appear only at the beginning of the sentence:
15. The criminal is a man.
16. I looked at her friend.
17. Do you know that lady?
18. The clown made many people laugh.Test yourself 28.3Underline the noun phrases in each of the sentences below. In this exercise, the noun phrase will
always consist of a determiner (any kind) + noun. Some sentences may have more than one noun
phrase.
Sample: My hat blew o¡ in the wind.Getting started (answers on p. 119)
1. His doorman hailed a taxi.
2. As the doctor toured the ward, a group of her
interns went along.
3. Your daughter looks great in this
picture.
4. Some people keep their jewelry in a safe
deposit box.
5. Jack’s friend is an artist.More practice (answers on the website)
6. While driving in a snowstorm, Alex’s car
veered o¡ the road.
7. Several spectators wanted that ballplayer
thrown out of the game.
8. The train pulled into the station.
9. Most people are proud of their country.
10. Andrea’s grandmother used to bake a pie in
her kitchen for her grandchildren.
Here are examples of noun phrases consisting of a determiner plus an adjective plus a
noun (the whole noun phrase is underlined):
19. The best fruit is grown on the west coast.
20. Our new shoes got completely soaked.
21. That old dog is my favorite one.
22. Every new task is challenging.
Second Part
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