EXERCISE - USED TO

( 13.1) EXERCISE – “USED TO”

Use “used to” plus a suitable verb to complete these sentences.

• 1.  He _____ online to find the information he wanted.  

• 2.  My sister _____ to school by bus but now she cycles.

• 3.  I _____ thinner than my brother but now I am not. 

• 4.  My father _____ many cigarettes a day. He gave up smoking last year.

• 5.  She _____ night after night for her degree in Economics. 

• 6.  They _____ football when they were younger.

• 7.  I _____ the world was flat but now I realize it’s not true.

• 8.  That building is now a cinema. It _____ a hotel.

• 9.  When you lived near that shopping centre, _____ you _____ there very often?

10. _____ a lot of sweets when you were a child?

EXERCISE – SOME and ANY

( 12.1) EXERCISE – SOME and ANY

Complete the following sentences with “some” or “any”. 

 

1.  Do _____ of you have a degree in Chemistry?

2.  You must have _____ idea of where they went.

• 3.  I do not like to read _____ of the online newspapers.
  

• 4.  Can I have _____ milk before I go to bed?

5.  Sometimes I feel lazy to do _____ work.

6.  I didn’t pay _____ attention to what he said.

7.  There must be _____ reason for her to behave like that.

8.  I am meeting _____ friends of mine this evening.

9.  _____ people believe in life after death.

10. Did you drink _____ tea? Yes, I drank _____. 

( 12.2) EXERCISE – SOME- and ANY- Complete the following sentences with: anyone, anything, some, someone, something.   

1.  Can _____ here cook spaghetti?

2.  He bought _____ flowers for _____ special to him.

3.  I wouldn’t work for them again for _____ .

4.  She does not want _____ to eat, only _____ she likes to eat.

5.  Has _____ seen the headmistress? There’s _____ asking for her.

6.  Employers often look for _____ with _____ work experience.

7.  I think it is all right to politely ask _____ to do _____ .

8.  Would you like _____ else to eat?

9.  She was upset about _____ and refused to talk to _____ .

She was upset about something and refused to talk to anyone. 

10. Have you ever bought _____ online?

EXERCISE - POSSESSIONS

( 10.1)  EXERCISE - POSSESSIVE NOUNS

Put in the apostrophe ( ‘ ) or ( ‘s ) correctly.

• 1. The men cars are parked there.

• 2. The grocer shop is round the corner.

• 3. The boys bicycles are over there.

• 4. Ladies handbags are sold here.

• 5. The soldiers helmets are of the same colour.

• 6. The children playground is across the road.

• 7. This girl hair is the longest in class.

• 8. The carpenters tools are in the box.

• 9. We have two weeks holiday in September.

• 10. It is John last year as president of the club.

 

( 10.2)  EXERCISE - POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES

Use each of the following ten possessive adjective words only once: her, his, its, my, my, our, our, their, their, your.

• 1. We borrowed some books for _____ homework

• 2. He has waited a long time for _____ turn.

• 3. I have _____ reason for not going.

• 4. _____ sister and mine are doing the same degree at the university.

• 5. The cat is licking _____ paw.

• 6. Don't they know they have to bring _____ calculators?

• 7. She is eating _____ lunch.

• 8. It is important that we preserve _____ natural resources.

• 9. Everyone is entitled to _____ own opinion.

• 10. I am sure you don't want to listen to all _____ problems.

EXERCISE - CONJUNCTIONS

( 9.1)  EXERCISE - CONJUNCTIONS

Fill in the blanks with these words: although, and, because, but, or, since, so, unless, until, when.

• 1 Things were different _____ I was young.

• 2 I do it _____ I like it.

• 3 Let us wait here _____ the rain stops.

• 4 You cannot be a lawyer  _____ you have a law degree.

• 5 That was years _____ years ago.

• 6 She has not called _____ she left last week.

• 7 I saw him leaving an hour _____ two ago.

• 8 This is an expensive _____ very useful book.

• 9 We were getting tired _____ we stopped for a rest.

• 10 He was angry _____ he heard when happened.

• 11 Walk quickly _____ you will be late.

• 12 He had to retire _____ of ill health.

• 13 We will go swimming next Sunday _____ it's raining.

• 14 I heard a noise _____ I turned the light on.

• 15 Would you like a coffee _____ tea?

• 16 Do you know _____ she will arrive?

• 17 _____ the car is old it still runs well.

• 18 Do you want a pen _____ a bit of paper?

• 19 I would like to go _____ I am too busy.

• 20 She will die _____ the doctors operate immediately.

EXERCISE - PREPOSITIONS

( 8.1)  EXERCISE - PREPOSITIONS

Fill in the blanks with these words: against, at, by, for, from, in, like, near, of, on, to, up, with.

• 1. She is doing a degree course _____ a university. 

She is doing a degree course at a university.

• 2. His trousers were washed _____ the washing machine.

• 3. We had to climb slowly _____ the hill.

• 4. His house looks _____ a temple.

• 5. How many _____ the members will join the trip?

• 6. Don't lean that ladder _____ the wall.

• 7. I don't usually feel tired _____ the morning.

• 8. Have you heard anything _____ him yet?

• 9. My house is quite _____ to your school.

• 10. Put this _____ your drawer and do not let anyone see it.

• 11. A university is where you study _____ a degree.

• 12. Which of these roads will lead _____ the church?

• 13. He sometimes quarrels _____ the neighbour.

• 14. I think there is a salesman _____ the door.

• 15. Her next birthday will be _____ a Sunday.

• 16. Even the new drug could not cure him _____ his illness.

• 17. He was given a ten-year prison sentence _____ armed robbery.

• 18. The cat likes to rub its head _____ my legs.

• 19. The store was robbed because there was no guard _____ duty.

• 20. My father has a car _____ yours.

• 21. His sister holds a degree _____ physics _____ Oxford.

• 22. The new factory is expected to come online _____ May.

• 23. If you go _____ a river you go towards its source.

• 24. Many of us eat _____ fork and spoon.

• 25. The mob stoned her _____ death.

The mob stoned her to death.

( 8.2)  EXERCISE - PREPOSITIONS

Fill in the blanks with these words: about, across, after, along, among, behind, beside, off, since, through, under, without.

• 1. The referee ordered two players _____ the field.

• 2. I could see her _____ the window.

• 3. He sings whenever he is _____ the influence of alcohol.

• 4. We have not met _____ early last year.

• 5. She came up and sat _____ me.

• 6. Police want to know all _____ it and are calling for witnesses.

• 7. Innocent civilians were _____ the casualties.

• 8. Please shut the door _____ you.

• 9. How long can you survive _____ light or heating?

• 10. Who is looking _____ you when your parents are not in?

• 11. She was carrying her handbag _____ her arm.

• 12. We parked the car _____ the fence.

• 13. He had to push his way _____ the crowd to get in.

• 14. The robbers jumped _____ the train while it was still moving.

• 15. We enjoy driving _____ the highway.

• 16. Books were scattered _____ the room.

• 17. We are not allowed to talk _____ ourselves.

• 18. He has completed this degree course _____ too much trouble.

• 19. There is only one bridge _____ this river.

• 20. Do you believe in life _____ death?

EXERCISE - PRONOUNS

( 7.1)  EXERCISE - PERSONAL PRONOUNS

Fill in the blanks with suitable pronouns.

• 1. Does _____ (her, she) know that _____ (me, I) was absent?

• 2. Please tell _____ ( he, him) _____ (I, me) have obtained a degree in Chemistry.

• 3. I remember that _____ (they, them) bought the fruits from _____ (we, us).

• 4. Please don't tell ______ (she, her) about _____ (I, me).

• 5. _____ can swim because _____ has webbed feet.

• 6. I met Alice yesterday. _____ invited _____ to her house.

• 7. Jane has a cat; _____ likes to play with _____.

• 8. When the dog chased John, _____ ran as fast as _____ could.

• 9. My uncle works in a factory. _____ says _____ is a noisy place.

• 10. The teacher said to the class, "When _____ finished your work, please pass _____ up to me."

 

The teacher said to the class, "When you finished your work, please pass it up to me."

( 7.2)  EXERCISE - REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS

Fill each blank with a suitable Reflexive Pronoun.

• 1. He rewarded _____ with an ice-cream.

• 2. They agreed amongst _____ that they would not tell anyone.

• 3. I taught _____ to draw.

• 4. You must explain _____ more clearly.

• 5. He has a bad temper so he must learn to control _____.

• 6. We thoroughly enjoyed _____ at the party on Sunday.

• 7. That monkey is scratching _____.

• 8. One must defend _____ against bullies.

• 9. My brother and I bought _____ some apples.

• 10. She cooks for _____ every day.

 

( 7.3)  EXERCISE - RELATIVE PRONOUNS

Fill in the blanks with ‘which, ‘who', ‘whom' and ‘whose'.

• 1. The boy, _____ father is a doctor, is my best friend.

• 2. This is not something _____ we like to do.

• 3. That man, _____ left leg was amputated, suffers from diabetes.

• 4. The thief, _____ they caught, was sent to the prison.

• 5. Our friends, _____ we invited to the party, arrived rather early.

• 6. The girl, _____ broke the mirror, was scolded by her mother.

• 7. That is my uncle, _____ car was stolen.

• 8. That woman, _____ you saw, was my auntie.

• 9. Kangaroos, _____ use their pouch to carry their babies, are found in Australia.

• 10. The policeman, ______ caught the thief, is a very brave man.

EXERCISE - ARTICLES

( 6.1)  EXERCISE - THE ARTICLES

Fill each blank with ‘a', ‘an', ‘the' or leave it blank.

• 1. He left _____ home without informing anyone.

• 2. There is _____ box of sweets on _____ table.

• 3. Do you need _____ degree in Economics or _____ degree in finance to be a better manager?

• 4. When we arrived, she went straight to _____ kitchen and started to prepare _____ meal for us.

• 5. He has _____ cut on his leg and _____ bruise on _____ chin.

• 6. _____ Mt. Everest is _____ highest mountain in _____ world.

• 7. Switch off _____ air-conditioner please. I have _____ cold.

• 8. We reached _____ top of _____ hill during _____ afternoon.

• 9. Do you like _____ weather here? Isn't it too hot during _____ day but it is very cold at _____ night?

• 10. _____ attempt has been made to collect _____ funds to start _____ public library in _____ town where I live.

EXERCISE - INDIRECT SPEECH

( 5.1)  EXERCISE - INDIRECT SPEECH

Rewrite the following in the Reported Speech.

• 1 He said, "I have eaten my lunch."

• 2 She said, "I am doing a degree at the university"

• 3 The teacher said to the class, "Pay attention."

• 4 My mother said to me, "Buy some bananas for me."

• 5 My father said to me, "Don't waste your money."

• 6 She said to me, "Where is the hospital?."

• 7 My friend said to me. "Don't be late tomorrow."

• 8 He asked me, "When will the train arrive?"

• 9 His teacher said to him, "Try to do it by yourself."

• 10 She asked me, "What are your favorite online games?"

EXERCISE - ADVERBS

( 4.1)  EXERCISE - TYPES OF ADVERBS

Choose the most suitable adverb in bold to fill each blank:

angrily, enough, never, outside, yesterday 

• 1.  She left _____ for the university where she is doing a degree course. 

• 2.  We are standing _____ his house waiting for him.

• 3.  He told us _____ not to walk on the grass.

• 4.  I am not strong _____ to help him carry that box. 

• 5.  She will _____ be happy in that job. 

 She will never be happy in that job. 

down, last week, often,  quickly, rarely 

•  6.  _____, I saw him walking to the church.

• 7.  My father is _____ late for work.

• 8.  He drove _____ to avoid being late.

• 9.  I _____ play badminton with my sister.

• 10. This is the place where he fell _____.

 

always, just, nearly, online, unusually 

 

• 11. It took _____ two hours to get here.

• 12. They were _____ very friendly. 

• 13. He has _____ strong hands. 

• 14. She has _____ completed her degree course.  

• 15. This dictionary went _____ in 2003.

EXERCISE - ADJECTIVES

( 3.1)  EXERCISE - COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES

Pick the correct words in the brackets.

• 1. My father is as (strong, stronger, strongest) as his father.

• 2. She is (pretty, prettier, prettiest) than her sister.

• 3. You are not as (tall, taller, tallest) as your brother.

• 4. That pond is the (shallow, shallower, shallowest) in this area.

• 5. That has to be the (interesting, more interesting, most interesting) film I have seen.

• 6. Which university offers (the good, the better, the best) degree courses?.

• 7. This clown is not as (funny, funnier, funniest) as the other one.

• 8. He is easily the (bad, worse, worst) player in the team.

• 9. The second half of the play was (little, less, the least) interesting.

• 10. What is (far, farther, the farthest) distance you have ever run?

EXERCISE - VERBS

( 2.1)  EXERCISE - AUXILIARY VERBS
Fill in the blanks with ‘is' or ‘are'.

• 1. The rose _____ a beautiful flower.

• 2. His two sons _____ still small.

• 3. My brother _____ doing his degree at that university.

• 4. Dogs _____ the most faithful animals.

• 5. There _____ a lot of ants on the tree.

• 6. That chair _____ comfortable to sit on.

• 7. The equator _____ an imaginary line round the earth.

• 8. The natives of this island _____ a friendly people.

• 9. We _____ waiting for the bus.

• 10. _____ your mother sleeping now?

 
Fill in the blanks with ‘does' or ‘do'.

• 11. _____ you know him?

• 12. That _____ not mean I _____ not like her.

• 13. Please _____ not smoke here.

• 14. _____ anybody know the answer?

• 15. They _____ not want to play.

• 16. It _____ not matter where you put it.

• 17. He _____ the measuring and we _____ the cutting.

• 18. Those sheep _____ not belong to that farmer.

• 19. My feet _____ not get tired easily.

• 20. Everyone here _____ not know about it.

 
Fill in the blanks with ‘has' or ‘have'.

• 21. He _____ a law degree.

• 22. They _____ gone to the cinema.

• 23. Only one of the students _____ failed the test.

• 24. I _____ come here to borrow your book

• 25. "_____ you ever done online banking?"

• 26. "We _____ not done our homework yet."

• 27. Each of you _____ to pay a dollar.

• 28. There _____ been no complaint so far.

• 29. Does he _____ a bicycle?

• 30. What _____ she got to say about this?

 
Choose the correct word for each sentence.

• 31. The earth _____ (go, goes) round the sun.

• 32. He _____ (go, goes) to school by bus.

• 33. I often _____ (go, goes) to the library.

• 34. She wants to _____ (go, goes) to the library?

• 35. She does not _____ (go, goes) to the library?

• 36. Oh, she does _____ (go, goes) to the library.

• 37. He often _____ (go, goes) to the cinema.

• 38. Every one of us must _____ (go, goes) to school.

• 39. Every one of us usually _____ (go, goes) to school early.

• 40. He too has to _____ (go, goes) to school.

 
Choose the correct word for each sentence.

• 41. She _____ (read, reads) every day.

• 42. I _____ (drink, drinks) milk every day.

• 43. We _____ (like, likes) to swim.

• 44. My neighbours _____ (talk, talks) to us every day.

• 45. He _____ (speak, speaks) good English.

• 46. They _____ (work, works) in that factory.

• 47. One of us _____ (live, lives) near the hospital.

• 48. Those deer in the zoo _____ (look, looks) hungry.

• 49. Everyone of the postmen _____ (ride, rides) a bicycle.

• 50. The black dog can _____ (bark, barks) very loudly.

 
( 2.2)  EXERCISE - SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
Use the Simple Present tense of the words in brackets.

• 1. It _____ (hurt) to know what he said.

• 2. I sometimes _____ (play) football with my friends.

• 3. My sister _____ (want) to be a teacher.

• 4. We _____ (like) to do our homework together.

• 5. His father _____ (smoke) a pipe.

• 6. Does your mother _____ (cook) every day?

• 7. The train _____ (leave) in an hour.

• 8. He _____ (wash) his car on Sundays.

• 9. My friend _____ (ride) a bike to work.

• 10. They often _____ (swim) in the river.

 
( 2.3)  EXERCISE - PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
Use the Present Continuous tense of the words in brackets.

• 1. We are too late. The train _____ (leaving).

• 2. Look at what he _____ (do).

• 3. My father _____ (go) to Paris next month.

• 4. She says she _____ (cook) for dinner this evening.

• 5. I think she _____ (write) a letter at the moment.

• 6. Why _____ he _____ (break) up those boxes?

• 7. He _____ (come) on the one o'clock train tomorrow.

• 8. They _____ (widen) the road.

• 9. One of you _____ always _____ (complain) about something.

• 10. Do you not understand what I _____ (say)?

 
( 2.4)  EXERCISE - PRESENT PERFECT TENSE
Use the Present Perfect tense of the words in brackets.

• 1. We _____ (not see) her since we last met her.

• 2. He _____ (teach) us for two years and is still teaching us.

• 3. She _____ (already throw) away her old dresses.

• 4. I _____ already _____ (tell) them to hurry up.

• 5. _____ you _____ (be) to see your old uncle recently?

• 6. My parents _____ (never be) to London.

• 7. They _____ (just meet) your brother.

• 8. Our baby _____ (sleep) for more than eight hours.

• 9. I _____ not _____ (choose) the one I want yet.

• 10. You _____ (not eat) your dinner yet.

 
( 2.5)  EXERCISE - PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE
Use the Present Perfect Continuous tense of the words in brackets.

• 1. They _____ (visit) their parents since they shifted out.

• 2. She _____ (talk) for an hour and when is she going to stop?

• 3. His friends _____ (wait) for him since 7 o'clock.

• 4. What _____ you _____ (do) since this morning?

• 5. I have found it. I _____ (search) for it for two days.

• 6. He _____ (eat) here for one week and he is not coming back.

• 7. We _____ (see) each other regularly since we became friends.

• 8. Why _____ you _____ (keep) this matter a secret?

• 9. Her mother _____ (pray) for good luck at that temple.

• 10. My sister _____ (try) to write a book since last year.

 
( 2.6)  EXERCISE - PAST SIMPLE TENSE
Use the Past Simple tense of the words in brackets.

• 1. She _____ (cut) her finger last night.

• 2. We _____ (go) for a ride and _____ (come) home late.

• 3. Her former husband always _____ (drink) heavily.

• 4. He _____ (lend) me some money last week.

• 5. There _____ (are) lots of people at the party.

• 6. My father _____ (lose) his car keys this morning.

• 7. She often_____ (quarrel) with her neighbour.

• 8. The vagrant _____ (lay) a mat on the pavement and _____ (sleep) on it.

• 9. I _____ (meet) my uncle on Sunday afternoon.

• 10. _____ (can) you please help me carry this?

 
( 2.7)  EXERCISE - PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE
Use the Past Continuous tense of the words in brackets.

• 1. While I _____ (wait) for you, I fell asleep.

• 2. He _____ (swim) at 4 o'clock yesterday.

• 3. Some students _____ (not listen) while the teacher _____ (speak).

• 4. We _____ (play) football when it started to rain.

• 5. When I _____ (walk) home, I saw a dog barking at the postman.

• 6. She and her friends _____ (shop) yesterday evening.

• 7. When they arrived, I _____ (bathe).

• 8. While one worker _____ (paint), another _____ (mix) some paint.

• 9. What _____ you _____(do) when I was not at home?

• 10. They _____ (jog) early this morning.

 
( 2.8)  EXERCISE - PAST PERFECT TENSE
Use the Past Perfect tense of the words in brackets.

• 1. After we _____ (see) the movie, we went for a ride.

• 2. He _____ already _____ (leave) when we arrived.

• 3. I _____ just _____ (shut) the door when the telephone rang.

• 4. They ate the food that I _____ (buy).

• 5. She _____ (eat) her lunch when I reached home.

• 6. My father _____ (drink) a glass of milk before he slept.

• 7. "I fell down". He said that he _____ down.

• 8. "I cut my finger". She said that she _____ her finger.

• 9. I arrived at the cinema after the film _____ (start).

• 10. The train _____ already _____ (go) when we reached the station.

 
( 2.9)  EXERCISE - PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE
Use the Past Perfect Continuous tense of the words in brackets.

• 1. She _____ (sleep) before she was woken by the loud thunder.

• 2. The patient _____ (groan) when the doctor arrived.

• 3. The little boy _____ (play) with fire before he was burnt.

• 4. _____ you _____ (try) to get me before I called?

• 5. What _____ the child _____ (do) before she was scolded by her mother?

 
( 2.10)  EXERCISE - AUXILIARY VERBS
Fill in the blanks with ‘was' or ‘were'.

• 1. He _____ here five minutes ago.

• 2. This _____ the dress she wore last week.

• 3. They _____ still young when their parents died.

• 4. One of the eggs _____ broken.

• 5. There _____ some oranges on the table.

• 6. _____ you tired after the game?

• 7. She _____ not at home when I called.

• 8. Yesterday I saw a rainbow as I _____ driving home.

• 9. We _____ supposed to arrive early but the train was late.

• 10. Those _____ people who helped the victims.

EXERCISE - NOUNS

( 1.1)   EXERCISE - COMMON NOUNS
Identify the Common Nouns in the following sentences.

• 1. We arrived early at the station.

• 2. There are different species of fish.

• 3. The man was trying to steal his car.

• 4. They have gone to the zoo.

• 5. The baby is crying.

• 6. My mother is in the kitchen.

• 7. He threw some nuts to the monkeys.

• 8. The children are playing in the field.

• 9. That temple was built before I was born.

• 10. He has bought a new car.

• 11. My father likes to swim.

• 12. She won a trophy in a competition.

• 13. I like to ride on a camel.

• 14. Do birds eat meat?

• 15. He went to visit his uncle.

• 16. My brother wants to play with us.

• 17. Let me have a look at your puppy.

• 18. The taxi broke down.

• 19. The boys are playing noisily.

• 20. She is hanging out the clothes to dry.

She is hanging out the clothes to dry.

( 1.2)   EXERCISE - PROPER NOUNS
Use capital letters for Proper Nouns in the following sentences.

• 1. paris is the capital of france.

• 2. william shakespeare is a famous english author.

• 3. ‘war and peace' was written by leo tolstoy.

• 4. The universities of oxford and cambridge offer degree courses at the highest level.

• 5. john's two dogs are named rover and boxer.

• 6. david will travel to france to do a degree course on the french revolution.

• 7. suez canal joins the red sea and the mediterranean sea.

• 8. republic of liberia is on the west coast of africa.

• 9. mick jagger is the lead singer of rolling stones

• 10. mount kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in africa.

 
( 1.3)   EXERCISE - ABSTRACT NOUNS
Form Abstract Nouns from the following.
man          scholar          king              
know         sell              think
long          strong           wise
brother       lose             great

man - manhood	scholar - scholarship	king - kingdom
know - knowledge	sell - sale	think - thought
long - length	strong - strength	wise - wisdom
brother - brotherhood	lose - loss	great - greatness

   
( 1.4)   EXERCISE - COLLECTIVE NOUNS
Fill in the blank s with suitable collective nouns.

• 1. A _____ of birds flew high in the sky.

• 2. They saw a _____ of lions at the zoo.

• 3. The farmer has a _____ of cattle on his farm.

• 4. He ate a _____ of grapes today.

• 5. Our friend shows us a _____ of stamps.

• 6. We saw a _____ of sheep on our way home.

• 7. Police have arrested a _____ of thieves.

• 8. She bought a _____ of bananas from the market.

• 9. The _____ of pupils are listening attentively to their teacher.

• 10. You can put the _____ of tools in that box.

 

set

( 1.5)   EXERCISE - COUNTABLE & UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
Complete each sentence by choosing the correct word.

• 1. There is so (many, much) smoke coming out of the chimney.

• 2. There are (plenty of, a large amount of) fish in the pond.

• 3. (A little, A few) minutes is all it takes for him to shave.

• 4. The postman put (a great deal of, a lot of) letters into the bag.

• 5. He threw (a little, some) nuts to the monkeys.

• 6. She uses only (a few, a little) cooking oil in her cooking.

• 7. My hens lay (a large amount of, several) eggs very day.

• 8. (A great deal of, A large number of) dust has collected on the desk.

• 9. We saw (a large amount of, many) cows grazing in the field.

• 10. The butcher sells (a large amount of, a large number of) meat.

   
( 1.6)   EXERCISE - GENDER
Change the nouns in bold from the feminine to the masculine.

• 1. My aunt visits her niece every week-end.

• 2. The lady has several mares on her farm.

• 3. The daughter is more talkative than her mother.

• 4. Does any actress like to play the role of the princess?

• 5. Their queen is a widow.

• 6. The manageress is still a spinster.

• 7. In the movie, the tigress was killed by the heroine.

• 8. His daughter-in-law is a postmistress.

• 9. The countess has one sister.

• 10. The authoress is writing a book about the empress.

 

The author is writing a book about the emperor.

Change the nouns in bold from the masculine to the feminine.

• 11. The bridegroom thanked the priest.

• 12. His brother works as a waiter.

• 13. The dog barked at the milkman.

• 14. A cock was killed by a fox.

• 15. The manservant has worked many years for the duke.

• 16. Her husband is a conductor.

• 17. He was a postman before he became a postmaster.

She was a postwoman before she became a postmistress.

• 18. The lad wants to be a monk.

The lass wants to be a nun.

• 19. The sultan owns a stallion.

The sultana owns a mare.

• 20. Her father-in-law is a landlord.

   
( 1.7)   EXERCISE - FORMING NOUNS FROM NOUNS
Fill in the blanks with abstract nouns from the nouns in brackets.

• 1. I had a very happy ______ (child).

• 2. I forgot to renew my _____ (member) in the sailing club.

• 3. We formed a deep and lasting _____ (friend).

• 4. He hopes to take over the _____ (leader) of the party.

• 5. There are lots of nice people in the _____ (neighbour).

• 6. In the _____ (king) of Thailand, the king commands the respect of every citizen.

• 7. She seems to be enjoying _____ (mother).

• 8. He had barely reached _____ (man) when he married.

THE DEMONSTRATIVES: THIS, THAT, THESE, THOSE

1. Function

The demonstratives this, that, these, those ,show where an object or person is in relation to the speaker.
This (singular) and these (plural) refer to an object or person near the speaker. That (singular) and thosephysical closeness or distance as in: (plural) refer to an object or person further away. It can be a

Who owns that house? (distant)
Is this John's house? (near)

Or it can be a psychological distance as in:

That's nothing to do with me.. (distant)
This is a nice surprise! (near)

2. Position

a) Before the noun.
b) Before the word 'one'.
c) Before an adjective + noun.
d) Alone when the noun is 'understood'.

Examples:

This car looks cleaner than that one.
This old world keeps turning round
Do you remember that wonderful day in June?
I'll never forget this.

DEFINING WORDS: WHICH AND WHOSE

In a statement, these words define or explain which thing or person is referred to:

Example:

• He went back to the house. (Which house?) The house which stood on the corner. = He went back to the house which stood on the corner.
  
• I saw the man. (Which man?) The man whose car you damaged. = I saw the man whose car you damaged.

More examples:

• He couldn't remember which film he had seen.
• That's the man whose wife works in my office.
• Tell me which coffee you like.
• The woman whose dog bit you is at the door.

NOUNS

It's not easy to describe a noun. In simple terms, nouns are "things" (and verbs are "actions"). Like food. Food (noun) is something you eat (verb). Or happiness. Happiness (noun) is something you want (verb). Or human being. A human being (noun) is something you are (verb).

What are Nouns?

The simple definition is: a person, place or thing. Here are some examples:

• person: man, woman, teacher, John, Mary
• place: home, office, town, countryside, America
• thing: table, car, banana, money, music, love, dog, monkey

The problem with this definition is that it does not explain why "love" is a noun but can also be a verb.
Another (more complicated) way of recognizing a noun is by its:

1. Ending
2. Position
3. Function

1. Noun Ending
There are certain word endings that show that a word is a noun, for example:

• -ity > nationality
• -ment > appointment
• -ness > happiness
• -ation > relation
• -hood > childhood

But this is not true for the word endings of all nouns. For example, the noun "spoonful" ends in -ful, but the adjective "careful" also ends in -ful.
2. Position in Sentence
We can often recognise a noun by its position in the sentence.
Nouns often come after a determiner (a determiner is a word like a, an, the, this, my, such):

• a relief
• an afternoon
• the doctor
• this word
• my house
• such stupidity

Nouns often come after one or more adjectives:

• a great relief
• a peaceful afternoon
• the tall, Indian doctor
• this difficult word
• my brown and white house
• such crass stupidity

3. Function in a Sentence
Nouns have certain functions (jobs) in a sentence, for example:

• subject of verb: Doctors work hard.
• object of verb: He likes coffee.
• subject and object of verb: Teachers teach students.

But the subject or object of a sentence is not always a noun. It could be a pronoun or a phrase. In the sentence "My doctor works hard", the noun is "doctor" but the subject is "My doctor".

Countable and Uncountable Nouns

English nouns are often described as "countable" or "uncountable".

Countable Nouns

Countable nouns are easy to recognize. They are things that we can count. For example: "pen". We can count pens. We can have one, two, three or more pens. Here are some more countable nouns:

• dog, cat, animal, man, person
• bottle, box, litre
• coin, note, dollar
• cup, plate, fork
• table, chair, suitcase, bag

Countable nouns can be singular or plural:

• My dog is playing.
• My dogs are hungry.

We can use the indefinite article a/an with countable nouns:

• A dog is an animal.

When a countable noun is singular, we must use a word like a/the/my/this with it:

• I want an orange. (not I want orange.)
• Where is my bottle? (not Where is bottle?)

When a countable noun is plural, we can use it alone:

• I like oranges.
• Bottles can break.

We can use some and any with countable nouns:

• I've got some dollars.
• Have you got any pens?

We can use a few and many with countable nouns:

• I've got a few dollars.
• I haven't got many pens.

SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE (VIDEO)

LEARNING ENGLISH (EPISODE 1)