INTRODUCTION TO BASIC ENGLISH

1) LETTERS AND WORDS

The word “alphabet” is formed from the first two Greek letters ‘alpha’ and ‘beta’. In
English or Roman alphabet there are 26 letters.

Letters which do not cause any or little friction when pronounced are called ‘VOWELS’.

Letters which cause friction of speech are called ‘CONSONANTS’.

Alphabet is divided into two parts- vowels (a,e,i,o,u) and consonants (21 letters).

Y and W can act both as vowel and consonants and are called SEMI-VOWELS.

VOWELS

The 5 vowels produce 20 vowel sounds:

Pure vowels -11 short sounds

Diphthongs – 9 long sounds

CONSONANTS

Consonant sounds can be divided into 5 types:

1. VELAR /k/ , /kh/, /g/, /gh/, /ng/

2. PALATAL /ch/ ,/sh/, /j/

3. ALVEOLAR /t/, /d/, /s/, /z/, /n /,/l/, /r/

4. DENTAL /th/, /dh/

5. LABIAL /p/, /b/, /f/, /v/, /m/, /w/

In HINDI “varnmala” the alphabetical sounds are scientifically arranged with the vowel
sounds occurring at the beginning as ‘SWAR’ followed by the different types of
consonant sounds occurring in clusters ‘VYANJAN’.
The Sounds of English and Their Representation
In English, there is no one-to-one relation between the system of writing and the system of
pronunciation. The alphabet which we use to write English has 26 letters but in (Standard British)
English there are approximately 44 speech sounds. The number of speech sounds in English varies
from dialect to dialect, and any actual tally depends greatly on the interpretation of the researcher
doing the counting. To represent the basic sound of spoken languages linguists use a set of phonetic
symbols called the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). The chart below contains all of the IPA
symbols used to represent the sounds of the English language. This is the standard set of phonemic
symbols for English (RP and similar accents).

p b t d k g
f v s z
m n h l r w j

Classifying the Consonants Sounds of English According to the Manner and Place of Articulation

Stops During production of these sounds, the airflow from the lungs is completely blocked at some point, and
/Plosives/ then released. In English, they are /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, and /g/.

The flow of air is constricted, but not totally stopped or blocked. In English, these include /f/, /v/, / /, /
Fricatives /,
/s/, /z/, / /, / /, and /h/.

These sounds begin like stops, with a complete blockage of air/closure of the vocal tract, and end with a
Affricates restricted flow of air like fricatives. English has two affricates - the / / sounds of "church" and the / /
of "judge".

Nasals Nasals are sounds made with air passing through the nose. In English, these are /m/, /n/, and / /.

Lateral consonants allow the air to escape at the sides of the tongue. In English there is only one such
Laterals
sound - /l/

In the production of an approximant, one articulator is close to another, but the vocal tract is not
Approximants narrowed to such an extent that a turbulent airstream is produced. In English, these are /j/, /w/ and /r/.
Approximants /j/ and /w/ are also referred to as semi-vowels.
According to the place of articulation (where in the mouth or throat the sound is produced) the
consonants are:

Bilabial: with both lips /p/, /b/, /m/

Labiodental: between lower lip and upper teeth /f/, /v/

Dental/Interdental: between the teeth / /, / /

Alveolar: the ridge behind the upper front teeth /t/, /d/, /s/, /z/, /n/, /l/, /r/

Alveo-palatal (or post-alveolar): it is the area between

the alveolar ridge and the hard palate / /, / /, / /, / /

Palatal: hard palate, or 'roof' of the mouth' /j/

Velar: the soft palate or velum /k/, /g/, / /

Glottal (laryngeal): space between the vocal cords /h/

WORD

A word is a sound or a group of sounds formed by one or more letters that expresses
meanings and forms an independent unit of the language.

A syllable is the smallest unit of speech and consists of a vowel sound often with a
consonant before and/or after it.

(i) A word with one syllable is called a monosyllabic word – man, pen

(ii) A word with two syllables is called a disyllabic word – big/ger, pho/to

(iii) A word with three syllables is called a tri-syllabic word – beau/ti/ful , pho/to/graph

(iv) A word with more than three syllables is called a polysyllabic word –e/du /ca/tion

pho/to/gra/phi/cal.
 PARTS OF SPEECH
Dionysius Thorax divided the words into eight categories:
NOUN PRONOUN VERB ADVERB ADJECTIVE
PREPOSITION CONJUNCTION INTERJECTION
__________________________________________________________

NOUN
Definition
A noun is a naming word : It refers to people, place, animal, thing, substances
events, states, activities, processes, times, occasions, feelings etc.
Function
In a sentence a noun can work as:
a) The subject –Harry Potter is a magician.
b) The object of a verb – I like Harry.
c)The object of a preposition – This is a book of English.
d) Complement - I am Harry.
e) Appositive to another noun – My brother, Harry, is a good student.

Form
Though nouns have no common forms, there are some features by which we
can identify nouns.
a) Most nouns can change their forms from singular to plural by adding –s or

– es. Boy- boys, potato- potatoes. (exceptions- man- men, sheep- sheep etc. Follow
rules for words ending with ‘f’ or ‘y’.)
b) There are some suffixes which can build up nouns.

-er – singer ist- scientist -tion- addition -ness – kindness

-ence – preference -ism – Buddhism

KINDS OF NOUNS

There are 5 kinds of nouns;

1) Proper noun – Sanjay, Kanpur.
2) Common noun – boy, village, pen
3) Collective noun – army, class, mob
4) Material noun – iron, wood, paper
5) Abstract noun – childhood, honesty, sincerity
(Always begin a proper noun with a capital letter)

Countable and uncountable nouns

Countable nouns are the names of separate objects, people, ideas which can
be counted. Articles a/ an /the can be used with countable nouns. They have
plural forms.
(boy, car, house, planet, leaf etc.)

Uncountable nouns are names of materials, liquids, abstract qualities which

we see as masses without clear boundaries. Most of these nouns are singular,
generally ‘a’, ‘an’ are not used before these nouns.
(eg. Furniture, knowledge, money, advice, work etc.)
Exercise:
Underline and label the Common nouns , Proper nouns , Abstract nouns,
Material nouns and Collective nouns in the following sentences :-

1. The Indus flows through Punjab.

2. Mohan is a man of honesty.
3. The police could not control the mob.
4. Delhi is a big city.
5. Iron is a very useful metal.
6. Many boys have joined our school.
7. Good children love cleanliness.
8. Subbu, the carpenter, makes good furniture.
9. The committee met in this room.
10. Wood is in short supply.

PRONOUN
A pronoun may be defined as a word used instead of a noun. It enables us to
avoid the noun again and again. In Latin ‘pro’ means ‘for’ so it means for noun.
Therefore nouns refer to persons, objects, things in a general or unspecified
way.
Function
Pronouns can be used as:
a) the subject He is a student.
b) the object of the verb I like him.
c) the object of a prepositon He is a friend of mine.
Form:
First person I , we etc.
Second person you etc.
Third person he, she, it, they etc.

I, me, my, myself, we , us, ourselves, our, ours, you, yourself, yourselves
Your, yours, he, him, himself , his, her, herself, hers, it, itself, its, they,
Them, themselves, their, theirs, this, that, these, those, all, some, each ,
either, neither, every, who, whose, what, which etc.

Underline the Pronouns in the following sentences :

i) I am your brother.
ii) It is not my fault.
iii) A friend of mine came here.
iv)This book is mine.
v) I’ll understand if you explain.
vi)Do you feel better today?
vii) What did you say?
viii) His brother is our friend.
ix) You must come here.
x) Do you think it to be difficult?
VERBS
Definition: A verb is a doing word. Verbs are words which describe the action
or condition of the subject, i.e. what the subject does or what happens to it, or
what it is.

Function : In a sentence a verb builds up the main element of the predicate.

Verbs are the heart of the sentence.
Form : i)Most main verbs have 5 different forms.

V1 V2 V3 V4 V5

Present Past Past Participle Present Participle Simple Present

Write Wrote Written Writing Writes

Go Went Gone Going Goes

Come Came Come Coming Comes

ii) There are some suffixes for making verbs.

-en ~> red ~> redden , -ise ~> real ~> realize, - ify ~> beauty ~>beautify
Verbs can express actions, events, processes, activities, states etc. it may be
Physical - eat, walk, run Mental- think, imagine, reflect
Perceptual - see, hear, smell Social - buy, sell , give

Exercise
Underline the Verbs in the following sentences:
i) I met them long ago.
ii) He likes to eat oranges.
iii) Do you speak any foreign language?
iv) I never drink coffee.
v) I enjoy movies.
vi) I arrived at 9:30 p.m.
vii) He turned off the light.
viii) You look very tired.
ix) Do you make many mistakes?
x) My brother bought a newspaper.

Operator or auxiliary verbs

Auxiliary or operator verbs are of two types:
i) MODAL VERBS – (used with main verbs) shall, will, should, would, can,
could, may, might, must ought to.
ii) PRIMARY VERBS – Be , have , do (can be used as auxiliaries or as main
verbs)

Vo Vs Ved Ving Ven

Present+Infi Prest+3rd p sing Past Prest parti Past parti

Be, am, are is was/were being been

Have has had having had

Do does did doing done

Exercise
Underline the auxiliary verbs; (identify primary or modal)
1. It is a beautiful day.
2. Can you drive a car?
3. Where are you going?
4. May I come in?
5. Will you take the risk?

ADJECTIVES
Definition : An adjective is a word which qualifies a noun and adds something
to its meaning by acting as a pre modifier or post modifier.
e.g.
It is a red book.
The book is red.
Some adjectives can act as noun and are used with ‘The’
The rich, The poor etc.
Form : Adjectives can be simple or derivative. Derivative adjectives can be
formed by adding adjective suffixes like , -ible, -able, -ful, -ic, -ish, ive, -ous, -
y etc.
Most common adjectives have three forms in three degrees:

POSITIVE | COMPARATIVE | SUPERLATIVE

Good Better Best

Bad Worse Worst

 Come Came Come

Eat ate eaten

Sing sang sung

Cut cut cut

Put put put

Drive drove driven

Choose chose chosen

There are different kinds of adjectives :

Adjectives of Quality : red, big, heavy, tall, sad, good
Adjectives of Quantity: some, much, enough, all
Adjectives of Number: eight, many, all, first, last
Demonstrative Adjectives: This, That, These, Those, Such
Interrogative Adjectives: Which, What, Whose (followed by noun)
Possessive Adjectives : my, your, her, his

EXCERCISE

Underline the adjectives in the following sentences :

i) He is better than his brother.
ii) The end result is indeed satisfactory.
iii) We walked for three hours.
iv) She has got a new life.
v) We heard a loud noise.
vi) Which house is yours?
vii) The next train will arrive at 2 p.m.
viii) She has a small boat.
xi) She has got a new life.
x) This book is mine.

ADVERB
Definition : An adverb adds meaning to a verb , an adjective or another
adverb.
Verb -> Write this carefully.
Adjective -> The shirt is too big for me.
Adverb -> He runs very fast.

Form :
i) Most adverbs are formed by the addition of ‘-ly’ to an adjective.
Slow - slowly
Quick - quickly
ii) Some are formed by adding –wise and –wards
clock - clockwise
north – northwards
There are different types of adverbs
Adverbs of manner – bravely, fast, sweetly, badly
Adverbs of place - here , there, upstairs, inside
Adverbs of time - soon , late, early, now
Adverbs of frequency - daily, seldom, weekly, regularly
Adverbs of degree - nearly, almost, very, wholly

EXCERCISE

Underline the adverbs in the following sentences:

i) The train is moving slowly.

ii) He lives alone.
iii) Do you feel well?
iv) Light moves very fast.
v) The radio is too loud.
vi) He often came to my house.
vii) He works hard.
viii) I have nearly finished my work.
ix) The army moved southward.
x) She seldom loses temper.

PREPOSITION
Definiton : A preposition is a word which is usually placed before a noun or
a pronoun to show its relation with other words in the sentence.
Function : Preposition cannot stand alone and need complements to
complete its action.
Forms : Prepositions are of three types;
Simple -> at, in, on, to, for, from, by, of, about, above, between, with, over,
under, against, along, across, behind, through, towards, during, since, amid,
among, around, beyond, below, before, down, off, past, till, until up.
Compound -> into, upto, within, inside, outside, without, throughout.
Complex Preposition -> because of, in front of, according to, due to etc.

EXERCISE
Tick the correct prepositions in the following sentences:
1. They walked to/up to school.
2. The cat jumped on/upon me.
3. The goat fell in/ into the river.
4. He beat him with/by a stick.
5. I shall wait here by/till 5 o’clock.
6. She walked beside/besides me.
7. It is dark in/into the room.
8. It has been raining since/at 5 o’clock.
9. He is in/on his office.
10. The cat is under/ beneath the table.
CONJUNCTION
A conjunction is a word which is used to join together words, phrases or
clauses.
Conjunctions are of two types.
i) Subordinating – which connects sub-ordinate clause in a sentence.
 (after, although, as, because, before, if, since, like,
that, till, when, so, that, as soon as, as if, as though etc.)
e.g. He fell down because he walked carelessly.
He came out when the rain stopped.
ii) Co-ordinating- which connects units of equal status and function.
(and, or, but, neither, nor, yet etc.)
e.g. He is rich but his friend is poor.
The police came and the mob dispersed.

EXERCISE
Point out the correct Conjunctions in the following sentences:-
1. Work regularly (and/or) you will not pass.
2. Water (and/ but) oil will not pass.
3. Get me some water (but/ otherwise) I shall die.
4. You will miss the bus (but/if) you do not hurry.
5. The man is poor (and/but) he is honest.
6. Wait here (till/ as soon as) I come back.
7. It is hoped (because/ that) all goes well.
8. It shall be done since/ therefore) you wish it.
9. I ran fast (so that/ because) I might not miss the bus.
10. It is a long time (when/since) I last saw him.
INTERJECTION

Definition : An interjection is a word of exclamation expressing a sudden

feeling or emotion. They are not grammatically connected with any word in
the sentence.
Function : It expresses a strong feeling.

Disgust | Ugh! Phew! Tut-tut! Damn!

Greetings/calling | Goodbye! Hello! Hi! Ho!

Pain | Wow! Ouch!

Hatred | Fie! Pooh!

Surprised | Oh! Oops! Wow! Gee!

Delight + gaiety | Hurrah! Cheers! Yippie!

Appreciation | Bravo! Encore!

Sorrow | Alas! Ah! Oh!

Silence | Hush!

DETERMINERS

Determiners are words which determine or limit a noun phrase.

The most common determiner is :
a) ARTICLES - A, an (indefinite) The (Definite)
The others are:
b) Possessive Adjectives - my, our, your, our , his.
c) Demonstrative Pronouns - this ,that, these, those.
d) Distributive Pronouns - each, every, some, both, any.
e) Quantifiers - many, much, some, few.

Determiners are modifiers and are placed before an adjective:

e.g. The tall man. Or This red ball.

A POEM TO REMEMBER

PARTS OF SPEECH
By J. Neal
Three little words we often see.
The Articles a, an and the.
A Noun is name of anything.
As school or garden, hoop or swing.
Adjectives tell the kind of noun.
As great, small , pretty, white or brown.
Instead of Nouns Pronouns stand,
Her head, his face, my arm, your hand.
Verbs tell of something being done.
To read, write, count, sing, jump or run.
How things are done Adverbs tell,
As slowly, quickly, ill or well.
A Preposition stands before.
A noun as in or through a door.
Conjunctions join the nouns together,
As man and children, wind or weather.
The Interjection shows surprise,
As Oh how pretty! Ah how wise!

THE SENTENCE
A sentence is a group of words that make complete sense.
A sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a full stop(.), question
mark(?) or exclamation mark(!).
It generally contains a subject and a verb.
It consists of one or more clauses.

A sentence is divided into two parts – subject and predicate.

The part of the sentence which names what the sentence is about is the
subject.
The part of the sentence which says something about the subject is the
predicate.
Shally /dances well.
Sub Predicate
A big apple tree /fell in the storm.
Sub Predicate

In imperative sentence . The subject is implied.

e.g. Stand up.

Exercise:
1) Sachin hit the ball.
2) Always speak the truth.
3) I like cold drinks.
4) The picture is on the wall.
5) On the floor were all his toys.

Kinds of sentences.
1) Assertive/or /Declarative sentences– sentences which state
something.
2) Interrogative sentences or Questions. – sentences which ask
questions.
3) Imperative sentence – sentences that expresses a command, a request
or an advice.
4) Exclamatory sentence – sentence that expresses a strong feeling.

Exercise
1) Tick the following group of words which make complete sense and
cross out the others.
a) Where do you live? ( )
 b) What a wonderful performance! ( )
c) Always eat healthy food. ( )
d) Lotus is our flower national ( )

Now, correct the wrong sentences.

2) Fill in the blanks with the words given below.

declarative request interrogative express

subject question exclamatory imperative

a) Interrogative sentences always end with a ___________ mark.

b) Sentences that express strong feelings are called___________
sentences.
c) We give a command or advice, or make a ______________ in
an______________ sentence.
d) Sentences that make a statement are called______________
sentences.

3) Identify the sentences given below.

a) Who won the trophy?
b) The earth revolves around the sun.
c) What a pretty baby!
d) Please, give me some water.

4)With the same word ‘school’ make one sentence each of all types of
sentences.
 a)Declarative sentence-
________________________________________________________
b)Interrogative sentence-
________________________________________________________
c)Imperative sentence-
________________________________________________________
d)Exclamatory sentence-

FORMAT FOR FORMAL LETTER:

Sender’s address
Date
Receiver’s address
Subject:
Salutation
Body of letter-3 paragraphs (introduction, body, conclusion)
Signatory
Designation
EXERCISE:
1)Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper complaining about acute water
shortage in your colony. Sign yourself as Savitri Sharma, a resident of the
colony.
FORMAT FOR INFORMAL LETTER:
Sender’s address
Date
Salutation
 Body of letter-3 paragraphs (introduction, body, conclusion)
Signatory

EXERCISE:
1)You are Amrita Thakur .Write a letter to your friend Richa about how you
plan to spend the summer vacations in about 120 words.
FORMAT FOR NOTICE:

NAME OF INSTITUTION/ORGANISATION
NOTICE
Date of Issue
HEADING
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………..Content (what, where, when, which and whom
to contact)………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Signatory

Designation

EXERCISE:
1) You are Kanak Mahajan, President of Cultural Society of your school.
You have been asked to inform students about an Inter-school Dance
Competition. Draft a notice in about 50 words.Put the notice in a box.
FORMAT FOR MESSAGE:

MESSAGE
Date Time
Salutation
………………………………………………………………………………………
……Content…………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
Signatory

EXERCISE:
1) Read the following telephone conversation between Deepali and
Shivani. Deepali is about to leave for tuition and won’t be able to meet
Riya, who has gone for tennis classes. Write the message she leaves
for Riya in about 50 words.

Shivani: Hello! Can I speak to Riya?

Deepali: She has gone out for her tennis class. Can I help you?
Shivani: I am Shivani. Please tell her to inform the dance teacher that I
will not be able to attend the dance class today.
Deepali: I’ll inform her. Thank you.

Kinds of sentences
------------------------
The five main types of sentences
Assertive
Interrogative
Imperative
Exclamatory
Optative
A quick revision with definition and examples

Tenses
----------
Revision of three main kinds of tenses and their four different forms with the
help of some tense charts like a consolidated tense chart and some detailed
tense charts.

Subject - verb agreement

------------------------------
Revision- use of singular form of verb with a singular subject and the plural
form of the verb with a plural subject - use of am , was, have with I and are ,
we're, have with you.
Example: I am/ was angry with him.
You are / were always late. Etc.
Consolidated Tense Chart
Indefinite Continuous Perfect Perfect
Continuous
Present Write Is / am / are Has / have Has / have been
writing written writing
Past Wrote Was / were Had written Had been writing
writing
Future Will / shall write Will / shall be Will / shall have Will / shall have
writing written been writing

Detailed Tense Charts

1. Present Tense

Form of Tense Affirmative Negative Interrogative

First Person
Present Indefinite I see I do not see Do I see?
Present Continuous I am Seeing I am not seeing Am I seeing?
Present Perfect I have seen I have not seen Have I seen?
Present Perfect I have been seeing I have not been seeing Have I been seeing?
Continuous
Second Person
Present Indefinite You see You do not see Do you see
Present Continuous You are seeing You are not seeing Are you seeing
Present Perfect You have seen You have not seen Have you seen
Present Perfect You have been seeing You have not been Have you been
Continuous seeing seeing
Third Person
Present Indefinite He sees He does not see Does he see?
Present Continuous He is seeing He is not seeing Is he seeing?
Present Perfect He has seen He has not seen Has he seen?
Present Perfect He has been seeing He has not been seeing Has he been seeing?
Continuous
 2. Past Tense

Form of Tense Affirmative Negative Interrogative

First Person
Past Indefinite I saw I do not see Do I see?
Past Continuous I was Seeing I am not seeing Am I seeing?
Past Perfect I have seen I have not seen Have I seen?
Past Perfect I have been seeing I have not been seeing Have I been seeing?
Continuous
Second Person
Past Indefinite You saw You did not see Did you see
Past Continuous You were seeing You were not seeing Were you seeing
Past Perfect You had seen You had not seen Had you seen
Past Perfect You had been seeing You had not been Had you been seeing
Continuous seeing
Third Person
Past Indefinite He saw He did not see Did he see?
Past Continuous He was seeing He was not seeing Was he seeing?
Past Perfect He had seen He had not seen Had he seen?
Past Perfect He had been seeing He had not been seeing Had he been seeing?
Continuous

3. Future Tense

Form of Tense Affirmative Negative Interrogative

First Person
Future Indefinite I shall see I will not see Shall I see?
Future Continuous I was be seeing I will not be seeing Shall I be seeing?
Future Perfect I shall have seen I will not have seen Shall I have seen?
Future Perfect I shall have been seeing I will not have been Shall I have been
Continuous seeing seeing?
Second Person
Future Indefinite You will see You did not see Did you see
Future Continuous You will be seeing You were not seeing Were you seeing
Future Perfect You will have seen You had not seen Had you seen
Future Perfect You will have been You had not been Had you been seeing
Continuous seeing seeing
Third Person
Future Indefinite He will see He will not see Will he see?
Future Continuous He will be seeing He will not be seeing Will he be seeing?
Future Perfect He will have seen He will not have seen Will he have seen?
Future Perfect He will have been seeing He will not have been Will he have been
Continuous seeing seeing?
 Exercise on Tense

Rewrite the story using simple past tense:

Moti ____(be) a greedy dog. One day it _____(see) a piece of chicken lying in the
dustbin. It _____(grab) it and ____(run) out. On the way it______(come) across a
bridge. It _____(look) down and saw another dog holding a piece of chicken. Now
it _____(want) that piece too. So, it _______(bark). In doing so, it _____(lose) its
piece too.

Change the verbs into past continuous tense:

Argue, knit, watch, feed, dust

a) Stephen ________ television.

b) Juliet _________ the baby.

c) The servant __________ the furniture.

d) Elizabeth _________ a sweater.

e) Jack and Joe _________ with the shopkeeper.

SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT

Singular Subject, Singular Verb Plural Subject, Plural Verb

1. This child is very clever 1. These children are very clever.

2. That book was interesting 2. Those books were interesting.
3. He has many storybooks 3. They have many storybooks.
4. He does not work regularly 4. They do not work regularly.
Object to active verb Subject to passive verb

1. Sita loves Savitri. 1. Savitri is loved by Sita

2. The mason is building the wall. 2. The wall is being built by the mason.
3. The peon opened the gate. 3. The gate was opened by the peon.
4. Some boys were helping the wounded 4. The wounded man was being helped by
man. the boys.
5. He will finish the work in a fortnight. 5. The work will be finished by him in a
6. Who did this? fortnight.
7. Why did your brother write such a 6. By whom was this done?
letter? 7. Why was such a letter written by your
brother?

Active Passive

1. The gatekeeper refused him admittance. 1. Admittance was refused him (to him) by
the gatekeeper.
He was refused admittance by the
2. Mr. Robert teaches us grammar. gatekeeper
2. Grammar is taught us (to us) by Mr.
Robert.
3. The manager will give you a ticket. We were taught grammar by Mr. Robert.
3. A ticket will be given you (to you) by the
manager.
4. Who taught you French? You will be given a ticket by the
manager.
4. By whom was French taught you (to
5. He handed her a chair. you)?
By whom were you taught French?
5. A chair was handed her (to her).
She was handed a chair.

Interchange of Voice

Revision of active and passive voice with examples

Tom helps John - in this sentence, form of the verb shows that the person denoted by the Subject
does something.
John is helped by Tom - in this sentence, the form of the Verb shows that something is done to the
person denoted by the subject.
When a sentence is changed from the Active form to the Passive, the object to the Active Verb
becomes the Subject o the Passive Verb. The following changes are to be noted:

Simple Continuous Perfect Perfect

Continuous
Present Active I love I am loving I have loved. I have been
loving.
 Passive I am loved I am being I have been X
loved loved.
Past Active I loved. I was loving. I had loved. I had been
loving.
Passive I was loved. I was being I had been X
loved. loved.
Future Active I shall love. I shall be I shall have I shall have
loving. loved. been loving
Passive I shall be X I shall have X
loved. been loved.

Examples of Present Indefinite Tense

Active Voice Passive Voice

1. She helps the poor. 1. The poor are helped by her.

2. We expect good news. 2. Good news is expected by us.
3. I know him. 3. He is known to me.
4. Radha does not sing a song 4. A song is not sung by Radha.
5. Who teaches you English? 5. By whom are you taught English?
6. What do you want? 6. What is wanted by you?

Change the voice of the following sentences:-

1. The mother manages the house.

2. He grows wheat in his field.
3. This pot contains milk.
4. The rich hate the poor.
5. I do not know the reason of his coming.
6. He does not make any noise.
7. I don’t know anything at all.
8. Why do you not help him?
9. What does he say?
10. My father sends me money every month.
11. Our grocer sells a special kind of tea.
12. Do careless drivers cause accident?

Change the voice of the following sentences:-

1. We refused them admission.
2. I forgave him his fault.
3. He watched the sports.
 4. Sohrab gave Rustam a brave fight.
5. They took no notice of me.
6. Did Sita pain this picture?
7. Who taught you French?
8. Where did you find this book?
9. Why did the teacher punish him?
10. The dentist pulled out one of my teeth.
11. The policeman caught the thief.
12. The postman gave me two letters.

Change the voice of the following sentences:-

1. The police will look into the matter.
2. The teacher will teach us a lesson.
3. The boys will catch birds.
4. Will you look after her?
5. Will your uncle pay your school fees?
6. How will you settle the matter?
7. Who will advise him?
8. When shall I see you again?
9. What will you do after passing the examination?
10. Mohan will meet you at the station.
11. My uncle will visit us at the station.
12. I shall mail this packet to her.
Examples of Present Continuous Tense

Active Voice Passive Voice

1. The gardener is plucking flowers. 1. Flowers are being plucked by the

gardener.
2. He is driving a motor car. 2. A motor car is being driven by him.

3. Boys are flying kites. 3. Kites are being flown by boys.

4. Is she reading a book? 4. Is a book being read by her?

5. Why are you wasting your time? 5. Why is your time being wasted by you?
6. By whom is the beggar being laughed at?
6. Who is laughing at the beggar?

Change the voice of the following sentences:-

1. The boys are learning their lessons.
2. The washerman is washing the clothes.
3. The teacher is not calling the roll.
 4. The boys are making much noise.
5. He is speaking the truth.
6. Is the peon ringing the bell?
7. Why are you teasing the beggar?
8. Who is sending you these letters?
9. What are you looking for?
10. The laborers are cutting down the trees.
11. That man is repairing our computer.
12. The boys are beating the donkey.

Examples of Past Continuous Tense

Active Voice Passive Voice

1. The hunter was shooting the lion. 1. The lion was being shot by the hunter.
2. The cow was being milked by her.
2. She was milking the cow. 3. The bell was being rung by the peon.
3. The peon was ringing the bell. 4. The field was not being ploughed by the
4. The farmer was not ploughing the field. farmer.
5. Were they learning their lesson? 5. Was their lesson being learnt by them
6. What was Sohan doing? 6. What was being done by Sohan?

Change the voice of the following sentences:-

1. Boys were playing cricket.
2. The president was giving away the prizes.
3. We were revising our lessons.
4. He was drawing a picture.
5. He was not solving the sums.
6. Were you throwing stones at the beggar?
7. Who was beating my brother?
8. Why were you not teaching the class?
9. Why was his father beating him?
10. I was writing a letter to my friend.
11. The driver was driving the car too fast.
12. They were doing up the parcels.

Examples of Present Perfect Tense

Active Voice Passive Voice

1. I have done my duty 1. My duty has been done by me.

2. Her cow has been sold by her.
2. She has sold the cow. 3. The windowpane has not been broken
3. I have not broken the windowpane. by me.
4. Have you ever seen a lion? 4. Has a lion ever been seen by you?
5. Why has Sohan not finished his work? 5. Why has his work not finished by Sohan?
6. Who has stolen my pencil? 6. By whom has my pencil been stolen?
Change the voice of the following sentences:-
1. The servant has posted the letter.
2. He has lent me a hundred rupees.
3. The farmers have reaped the harvest.
4. We have spent all the money.
5. I have not beaten my dog.
6. Has she taken her meals?
7. Have you finished your work?
8. How have you done it?
9. Why have you sent for the doctor?
10. I have received a parcel just now.
11. We have not yet finished the lesson.
12. Hari has invited me to tea.
Examples of Past Perfect Tense

Active Voice Passive Voice

1. They had already opened the gate. 1. The gate had already been opened by
2. We had never visited Amritsar before. them.
3. Had you never seen this place before? 2. Amritsar had never been visited by us
4. Who had invited you to the feast? before.
5. Had he finished his works by 4 pm? 3. Had this place never been seen by you
before?
4. By whom had you been invited to the
feast?
5. Had his work been finished by him by
4pm?

Change the voice of the following sentences:-

1. We had already missed the train.
2. He had received your letter when I met him.
3. Our team had played two matched by 6pm.
4. Ram had met my brother earlier also.
5. Who had swept the room?
6. Why had you not prepared your lesson?
7. They had sent for the doctor when I reached.
8. They had already completed the work.
9. I stood up after I had done my paper.
10. I had written the letter before you came.
11. They had never visited Nepal before.
12. The shopkeeper had already opened the bottle.

Examples of Future Perfect Tense

 Active Voice Passive Voice

1. I shall have planted a tree. 1. A tree will have been planted by me.
2. He will have read this book. 2. This book will have been read by him.
3. He will have sold his house. 3. His house will have been sold by him.
4. She will have taken the test. 4. The test will have been taken by her.
5. Will he have written the letter? 5. Will a letter be have been written by
him?

Change the voice of the following sentences:-

1. They will have bought some fruit.
2. The enemy will have attacked the city.
3. He will have cleared his account.
4. I shall have finished this work by evening.
5. The magistrate will have sent him to jail.
6. The army will have captured the city.
7. They will have mown all the grass.
8. I will have watered the plants before sunset.
9. We will have destroyed the bridge.
10. She will have plucked all the flowers.
11. The farmers will have sown the entire paddy.
12. The enemy will have sunk the ship.

Examples of Imperative Sentence:-

Active Voice Passive Voice

1. Shut the door. 1. The door should be shut.

2. Obey your parents. 2. Let your parents be obeyed.
3. Carry it home. 3. Let it be carried home.
4. Never tell a lie. 4. A lie should never be told.
5. Let him play the match. 5. He should be allowed to play the match.
6. Please bring me a glass of water. 6. You are requested to bring a glass of
water.

Change the voice of the following sentences:-

1. Post this letter at once.
2. Please help me in my hour of need.
3. Lower the boats.
4. Send him to school.
5. Tell him to leave the room.
6. Carry out my orders.
7. Kindly do this much for me.
8. Do not starve the cow.
9. Do not hate the poor.
10. Let me try this question.
11. Do not laugh at others.
12. Don’t disturb me.

Rules for changing Direct Speech into Indirect

When the reporting verb is in the past tense, the following rules are observed in changing direct speech to indirect:

Rule 1: All present tenses of the direct speech are changed into the corresponding past tenses. Thus

(a) A simple present becomes a simple past.

Direct: He said, “I am unwell”
Indirect: He said (that) he was unwell.

(b) A present continuous becomes a past continuous.

Direct: He said, “My master is writing letters.”
Indirect: He said (that) his master as writing letters.

(c) A present perfect becomes a past perfect.

Direct: He said, “I have passed the examination”
Indirect: He said (that) he had passed the examination.

(d) The will of the Future tense is changes into would. The shall of the future tense is changed into should or
would. The may is changed into might and the can into could.
Direct: He said, “The man shall come.”
Indirect: He said that the man should come.
Direct: He said, “The man will come.”
Indirect: He said that the man would come.
Direct: He said, “The man may come.”
Indirect: He said that the man might come.
Direct: He said, “The man can come.”
Indirect: He said that the man could come.

Tense of Reported Speech:-

Direct Indirect

1. Sita says, “I shall come to see the 1. Sita says that she will come to see the
picture.” pictures.
2. He says, “The train will be late.” 2. He says that the train will be late.
3. He says. “She lives in Amritsar.” 3. He says that she lives in Amritsar.
4. Ram will say, “I saw my teacher in the 4. Ram will say that he saw his teacher in
park.” the park.
5. My sister will say, “I have seen the Taj.” 5. My sister will say that he saw his teacher
in the park.

If the Reporting verb is in the past tense, the tense of the Reported speech is also changed in
past form of the verb. The following general rule is observed:-
(i) V1 is changed to V2
(ii) V2 is changed to had +V3

Direct Indirect

1. I said to the teacher, “I am sorry” 1. I told the teacher I was sorry.

2. I said to the teacher, “I am working 2. I told the teacher I was working hard.
 hard.” 3. The teacher told me that I had not done
3. The teacher said to me, “You have not my homework.
done your homework. 4. I said that I had been ill since Monday.
4. I said, “I have been ill since Monday.” 5. He told me that I had played very well
5. He said to me, “You played very well the previous day.
yesterday.”

If the Reported Speech expresses some Universal Truth, Habit, Historical truth or Permanent
Fact, its reporting tense remains unchanged even if the reporting verb is past tense
If the reported speech consists of two actions taking place at the same time, its tense remains
unchanged whatever the tense of the reporting verb may be.

Direct Indirect

1. He said, “God is great.” 1. He said that God is Great.

2. The boy said, “I take exercise daily.” 2. The boy said that he takes his exercise
3. The teacher said, “The first battle of daily.
Panipat was fought in 1526.” 3. The teacher said that the first battle of
4. “Mahatma Gandhi believed in Non- Panipat was fought in 1526.
Violence,” said the teacher. 4. The teacher said that Mahatma Gandhi
5. Mohan said,”While I was singing, Radha believed in Non-Violence.
was dancing.” 5. Mohan said while he was singing Radha
was dancing.

When changing a question into Indirect Speech, change the reporting verb into ask, inquire, or demand.
The preposition of is used with inquire or demand.
She demanded of me where I was going.

The question form of reported speech is changed into Statement form, and the question mark is removed.
The question if or whether is used to introduce the reported speech if the question begins with Auxiliaries
like is, are, am, was, were, do, does, did, had, have shall, can may etc.
No conjunction is used before the question words – who, whom, whose, what etc.

Direct Indirect

1. The teacher said to me, “Are you well 1. The teacher asked me if I was feeling
today?” well that day.
2. The traveller said to me, “Can you tell me 2. The traveller asked me if I could tell him
the way to the nearest inn?” the way to the nearest inn.
3. Hari said to the father, “May I go to the 3. Hari asked his father if he could go to the
pictures tonight?” pictures that night.
4. Prem said to Pran, “Were you present at 4. Prem asked Pran if he had been present
the meeting?” at the meeting.
5. I said to her, “Do you want my help?” 5. I asked her if she wanted my help.
6. Vimla said to me, “Did you attend the 6. Vimla asked me if I had attended the
office yesterday?” office the previous day.
7. She said, “Kamla do you like this book?” 7. She asked Kamla if she liked that book.
8. He said to the old man,” What do you 8. He asked the old man what he wanted.
want?” 9. The teacher asked Hari why he had not
9. The teacher said to Hari, “Why have you done his homework.
 not done your homework?” 10. Sohan asked her what she would if she
10. Sohan said to her, “What will you do if failed.
you fail?”

When the reported speech consists of an exclamatory sentence, the reporting verb must be changed to
some appropriate verb as exclaim, cry out, pray, etc.
The conjunction that is used to introduce the reported speech.
The exclamatory form is changed into the statement form.

Direct Indirect

1. She said, “May you succeed, my son!” 1. She wished that her son might succeed.
2. He said, “What a great misery!” 2. He exclaimed that it was a great misery.
3. The merchant said, “Alas, I am ruined?” 3. The merchant exclaimed with sorrow
4. The captain said, “Hurrah, we have that he was ruined.
won!” 4. The captain exclaimed with joy that they
5. Sita said, “Goodbye, my friend?” had won.
6. The spectators said, “Bravo well played, 5. Sita bade her friend goodbye.
Mohan!” 6. The spectators applauded Mohan saying
that he had played well.

When the reported speech is an imperative sentence, the reporting verb must be changed to some such
verb as signifies a command, advise, request, prohibition, etc.
The imperative mood is changed into infinitive.

Direct Indirect

1. The teacher said to the boy, “Shut the 1. The teacher asked the boy to shut the
door.” door.
2. Mohan said to Rajan, “Please go to the 2. Mohan requested Rajan to go to the
station with me.” station with him.
3. He said to me, “Trust in God and do the 3. He advised me to trust in God and do the
right.” right.
4. The boy said, “Papa! Forgive me this 4. The boy requested his papa to forgive
time.” him that time.
5. I said to my teacher, “Pardon me, sir”. 5. I respectfully begged my teacher to
6. The teacher said to the boys, “Do not pardon me.
waste your time.” 6. The teacher advised the boys not to
7. He said to me, “Let me study.” waste their time.
8. I said to my friend, “Let us go to the 7. He requested him to let him study.
pictures tonight.” 8. I proposed to my friend that we should
go to the pictures that night.