Natural Word Order in English

A Guide to Learning Grammar in a

Simple and Fluent Way
Discover These Smart Rules in This Workbook to
Improve Your Writing and Speaking

William D. McNeil
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Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: All about Sentence Structure
1.1 Sentence structure
Exercise 1.1: Simple Sentence Structure
Answers to Exercise 1.1:
1.2 Multiple-clause sentences
Exercise 1.2: More complex sentence structure
Answers to Exercise 1.2:
Chapter 2: Structure of questions
Exercise 2.1: Questions
Answers to Exercise 2.1:
Chapter 3: Negative Sentences
3.1 Negative sentences
Exercise 3.1: Unscramble the Sentences
Answers to Exercise 3.1:
3.2 Negative questions
Exercise 3.2: Negative Questions Word Order Scramble
Answers to Exercise 3.2:
Chapter 4: Verb Phrases
4.1 Definition of a verb phrase
4.2 Structure of English verb phrases
1. Auxiliary verbs
2. Prepositions
3. Prepositional phrases
4. Adverb phrases
5. Determiners
4.3 The verb and its object
Exercise 4.3: Verbs and Objects
Answers to Exercise 4.3:
4.4 Adverbs and adverb clauses
4.5 Phrasal verbs
 Exercise 4.5: Phrasal Verbs
Answers to Exercise 4.5
4.6 Transitive and intransitive verbs
Exercise 4.6: Transitive or Intransitive?
Answers to Exercise 4.6:
4.7 Verbs and prepositions of location
Exercise 4.7: Prepositions of location
Answers to Exercise 4.7:
4.8 Stative verbs and verbs of sense
Exercise 4.8: Stative or Action?
Answers to Exercise 4.8:
4.9 Multiple verbs in a sentence, one after the other
Exercise 4.9: Multiple Verbs
Answers to Exercise 4.9:
4.10 Infinitive clause as subject and object
Chapter 5: Noun Phrases
5.1 Structure of the noun phrase
5.2 Determiners and quantifiers
5.3 Prepositions in noun phrases
5.4 Compound Nouns
Single-word compound nouns:
Compound nouns with two words:
Compound nouns with more than two words:
Exercise 5.4: Compound Nouns
Answers to Exercise 5.4:
5.5 Noun complements
Exercise 5.5: Noun Phrases & Complements
Answers to Exercise 5.5:
5.6 Embedded questions
Exercise 5.6: Embedded Questions
Answers to Exercise 5.6:
Chapter 6: Adjectives
6.1 What are adjectives?
6.2 The positions of adjectives: before and after the noun
Comparative adjectives
Superlative adjectives
6.3 More than one adjective in a sentence
6.4 Word order with adjectives
 Exercise 6.4: Word Order with Adjectives
Answers to Exercise 6.4:
6.5 Lists of adjectives
6.6 Adjectives after verbs
6.7 Adjectives occurring after nouns
6.8 Exercise: Adjective Word Order
Answers to Exercise 6.8:
6.9 Adjectives and adverbs
Exercise 6.9: Identifying Adjectives and Adverbs
Answers to Exercise 6.9:
Chapter 7: Adverbs
7.1 Adverbs of frequency
Exercise 7.1: Adverbs of Frequency
Answers to Exercise 7.1:
7.2 Adverbs of manner
Exercise 7.2: Adverbs of Manner
Answers to Exercise 7.2:
7.3 Adverbs of conjunction
Exercise 7.3: Adverbs of Conjunction
Answers to Exercise 7.3:
7.4 Adverbs of time
Exercise 7.4: Adverbs of Time
Answers to Exercise 7.4:
7.5 Adverbs of place
Exercise 7.5: Mixed Adverbs
Answers to Exercise 7.5:
7.6 Word order and adverbs
Exercise 7.6: Word Order with Adverbs
Answers to Exercise 7.6
Chapter 8: Prepositions
8.1 What is a preposition?
8.2 Position in the sentence
The order of prepositional phrases:
Rules for prepositions:
Exercise 8.2: Placement of Prepositions
Answers to Exercise 8.2:
8.3 Questions and prepositions
Exercise 8.3: Prepositions in Questions
 Answers to Exercise 8.3:
8.4 Prepositions and the passive voice:
Exercise 8.4: Word Order with the Passive Voice
Answers to Exercise 8.4:
8.5 Prepositions in infinitive structures
Exercise 8.5: Word Order with Infinitives
Answers to Exercise 8.5:
Chapter 9: Multiple-Clause Sentences
Introduction
9.1 Simple sentences
9.2 Compound sentences
Exercise 9.2: Compound Sentences
Answers to Exercise 9.2
9.3 Complex sentences
Exercise 9.3: Complex Sentences
Answers to Exercise 9.3:
9.4 Compound-complex sentences
Exercise 9.4: Compound-Complex Sentences
Chapter 10: Different Kinds of Word Order
10.1 Standard Word Order
10.2 Adding time to a sentence
10.3 Changing the verb’s position
10.4 Changing word order with prepositional phrases
Exercise 10.4: Word Order with Prepositional Phrases
Answers to Exercise 10.4:
10.5 Using word order for emphasis
Word Order Inversion for Emphasis:
Exercise 10.5: Creating Emphasis with Word Order
Answers to Exercise 10.5:
Conclusion
Glossary: Dictionary
Glossary: Alphabetical
Introduction
One of the most common questions from almost every English language
student comes to us as no surprise.
Why exactly do we need to learn a rather boring, dull, and sometimes far too
complicated part of the language?
We are indeed talking about grammar, and it is important for every single
language in existence.
Grammar is the meat of the language, and that is perhaps the greatest
explanation that one can come across. Sure, you can speak and write without
knowing much grammar. However, it would pose quite a challenge to you
and to the receiving party to establish what exactly you wish to say or ask for.
Grammar serves as the bridge between words and allows you to fully
understand and utilize the power of a language. Not only does it help you
achieve a better understanding of the language, may that be English,
Mandarin, Spanish or any other language, but it also helps you become a
better communicator.
Since English has become a global language and is often used as the language
of choice for the entire world, it makes more sense than ever before to
develop a thorough understanding of the language. Whether you rely on text-
based communication or otherwise, grammar is your starting point, and it is
through this that you gain access to an abundance of knowledge, making you
an effective communicator.
For anyone whose first language is anything other than English, you may
have already come across well-known language tests such as the International
English Language Testing System (IELTS). These are designed to gauge the
linguistic ability of the user and grade him accordingly. In quite a lot of
countries, you cannot be considered eligible for a visa, let alone an entry, if
you are unable to meet their minimum linguistic standards.
If you are one of those aspiring candidates, or you just wish to further
enlighten yourself with knowledge about how grammar works and how it can
help you become a better English user, you have come to the right place.
Grammar is where your journey to master the art of the language begins. This
book will provide you with the opportunity to learn grammar in easy, fun,
and intuitive ways. The beauty of Natural Word Order in English is that you
can start practicing right away. You do not have to wait until the end of the
book to see what you have gained.
The book is aptly titled Natural Word Order in English as it will hopefully
create a perfect environment for readers to learn and find out just why we
place certain words before the others, and vice versa.
It has been boggling the minds of many students for quite some time. It was
about time that some explanation was provided in a clear manner that does
not sound dull and provides a sense of things while engaging the reader in
carefully selected exercises. It is highly recommended to continue practicing
whatever you learn from the book on a daily basis. Language is best learned
when spoken; there is no alternative to that. You may have the finest
grammar in the world, but it will serve you with no purpose if you do not
know how to put it to use.
This book aims to serve as a guide and a reference for all English language
learners, whether beginners or advanced users. We encourage all age groups
to make the most out of this book and digest the rich information that has
been provided and shared after thorough research and understanding of the
subject matter.
The target audience of this book includes teachers of English for ESL and
beginner, intermediate-level, and advanced English learners. It can be used as
a book for planning lessons on grammar. The content is meant to be suitable
for a wide variety of learners. Any age can use this book, whether a young
learner or a university student.
Before we jump into the learning zone, there are a few things you should
familiarize yourself with. These are key markers or color coding which will
essentially help you to understand what specific words, highlighted or
italicized, mean. You may wish to refer to this page a few times to clearly
understand what each one of them means.
Color-Coding:
This book uses the following color codes to help you understand the
material:
1. If a text is in bold, it means that we are emphasizing a vocabulary word.
2. If a text is in bold and underlined, it means that we are emphasizing a key
word and the grammar point.
3. Any italicized text is an example sentence that you can see clearly
throughout the book.
Chapter 1: All about Sentence Structure

1.1 Sentence structure

We begin our journey by first understanding the most basic sentence structure
in the English language.
Subject + Verb + Object
When we say it is the most basic, we truly mean it. You can make almost any
kind of sentence using this basic structure. The point to note here is that
subject, verb, or even object can comprise more than one word each. Let us
take a look at an example here and see how this works.

Basic Sentence Structure:

Subject Verb Object
I read book.

Sure, the sentence seems quite simple. Who doesn’t like reading books?
However, our purpose here is not just to write a sentence; we are trying to
dissect the sentence into smaller, more meaningful bits.
In the above sentence, “I” is the subject. The subject can be a person, a thing,
a city— primarily anything that is carrying out an action defined as the verb.
Needless to say, the verb can be pretty much any action. In this case, the
action is “read” while the object of the sentence is “books.”
Following the same principle, you can write down any kind of sentence that
has a thing which carries out an action using the object of choice. Below are
some more examples using the above sentence structure. You are encouraged
to come up with your own example as well, as that will truly speed up the
process of learning and allow you to learn quicker.
Examples of Simple Structure:
Subject Verb Indirect Object
 I drive a car.
She ate an apple.
He smokes cigarettes.

In all of the examples shown above, the subject is the primary participant of
whatever action is being carried out. Remember, the subject is not necessarily
a person. It can be a place or even a thing that is carrying out some action.
Whatever the action is, it is referred to as a verb. The verb generally follows
the subject. However, you must remember that the verb is not necessarily
placed immediately after. If the subject has more than a word, it will follow
after the subject is defined. Instead of using a single person, the subject can
be “all of us” and hence the verb will follow after “us.”
Now, we are left with the object. What do you think the object is? If you have
come up with the word “thing” you might not be wrong at all. The object is
the thing or person or place that is the recipient of the action. In the case of
smoking, cigarettes receive this action, which is carried out by the subject.
If you are slightly confused right about now, take a breather; it is perfectly
natural to find yourself a little puzzled. This is the beauty of language, as it
forces you to put your thinking cap on. Once you understand and practice a
little, you will soon be using subjects, verbs, and objects to write brilliant
sentences.
The English language is designed in a way that almost every sentence you
use will have at least one subject and one verb, if not more. There are times
where you might only find verbs and objects, as well. While we shall look
into such instances shortly, let us put our thinking cap on for a minute and
test ourselves.
Can you think up any such sentence that uses no objects? If not, let us look at
one very common sentence we hear when we attend marriages.

I do.
In this, we have a brilliantly small sentence that perfectly shows how the
subject and the verb work together. However, even without the object, the
sentence is complete and delivers meaning.
So far, so good, but what if you are not just looking to create such basic
sentences? What if you are looking to create slightly complex ones?
Dubai will host an exhibition for everyone at the Trade Center in
January.
While there is a hint of the basic structure we learned just a moment ago,
there are a few more things that have been added here. To begin with, there is
more than one object here, right?
When we create slightly complex sentences, like in the case above, we use
the following pattern in a specific order:
Subject > Verb > Indirect Object > Direct Object > Preposition > Time
word
This order, if followed and practiced, can allow you to write fluently and
more expressively. Furthermore, we now have additional details that give our
sentences a deeper meaning.
We already know what the subject and verb are. The indirect object is still
linked to the verb; however, it is not the central or the primary object we wish
to highlight here. The direct object is what takes significance in the sentence.
If you shuffle the order, the sentence still remains correct, but the emphasis
will now be on “an exhibition” instead of “for everyone” and that might not
be what you are trying to portray.
Again, there is nothing to be overwhelmed about. All it takes is a bit of
practice and time before you realize how naturally things will come to you.
Now let us try and make things a little more interesting by adding a few
nouns, adverbs, and adjectives to the mix. By doing so, you will soon see
how greatly our sentences start to sound and feel.
The guy bought a brand-new car and gently drove through the
street a few minutes ago.
Can you see the difference here? We added an adjective to define the “car” as
“brand-new,” while on the other hand, we used the adverb “gently” to add
color to the verb. If we take away the adverb, we would not know if the guy
drove down the street rashly or not.
At this point, let us take a little break from learning and jump into an exercise
to see if we can retain what we have learned so far.
Exercise 1.1: Simple Sentence Structure

Put the words in order.

1. on Sundays / drums / I / play / with my brother

2. beer / too much / they / have been drinking / these days
3. at 8pm / my father / home / will come
4. tennis / likes / she
5. have been playing / I / for years / guitars
6. on Friday / we should / you / meet
7. seen / they / have / the latest action movie
8. America / will go / you / to / next year
9. the boss / application / my / approved
10. should stop / you / doing / that
If you worked out these sentences easily, bravo! You are learning quick. If
you struggled with any of these, do not worry. It will come with a bit of
practice. If languages were so easy, everyone would be able to learn all the
languages within a matter of days.
Answers to Exercise 1.1:
Subject Verb Indirect Direct Object Prepo-sition Time
Object
I play drums with my on Sundays.
brother
They have been too much beer these days.
drinking
My father will come home at eight.
She likes tennis.
I have been guitars for years.
playing
We should meet you on Friday.
They have seen the latest action
movie.
You will go to America next year.
The boss approved my application.
You should stop doing that.
1.2 Multiple-clause sentences

Now that we have learned about simple sentences, let us focus a little on a bit
more complex ones. Multiple-clause sentences are sentences that contain
more than one clause. These are commonly used in various situations and are
easily identifiable by the use of various clauses within a single sentence.
While we get to deal with various clauses, the basic structure will always
remain the same. There will be nothing that changes. The only addition
would be the fact that you will encounter more adjectives and adverbs.
This time, instead of diving into the theory, let us jump straight into the
exercise. Rest assured, you have all the knowledge you need to solve these.
Remember the basic structure, and you should be able to solve the exercise
with no problem.
Exercise 1.2: More complex sentence structure

Unscramble the following sentences and put them in the correct order.

1. has dreamed / about becoming a doctor / Amy / for many years

2. music /played / for three hours / in the basement of their house /
they
3. to a party / never go / empty-handed
4. told / I / my sister / about my new job / on Skype
5. Jennifer / the wrong impression / gave / about her brother / them
6. the children / a rumor / about / their least favorite teacher / to their
parents / told
7. violin / for six hours / the students / were practicing / for the next
concert / at the rehearsal hall
8. the trash / please / when / you / go out / throw out
9. prepared / I / my lunch / this morning / at home
10. tell / to turn / him / the volume down / plays
music / outside / whenever / he
Answers to Exercise 1.2:

Subject Verb Indirect Direct Object Preposition Time

Object
Amy has dreamed about becoming for many
a doctor years.
They played music in the basement for three
of their house hours.
Never go to a party.
empty-
handed
I told my sister about my new
job on Skype.
Jennifer gave them the wrong about her
impression brother.
The told a rumor about their least
children favorite teacher
to their parents.
The were violin for six hours, at
students practicing the rehearsal
hall, for the next
concert.
Please throw the trash when you go
out out.
I prepared my lunch at home this morning.
Tell him to turn down whenever he
the volume plays music
outside.
Chapter 2: Structure of questions
First of all, take a little time out and pat yourself on the back for doing a
fantastic job so far. We have gone through the basic structure to create
sentences. Now come the questions.
There are times when we need to ask questions. It is only natural that we feel
that way. But, when we do wish to ask them, what exactly is the structure that
we need to follow?
To give you a hint, just move the position of the verb in the sentence below
and see what happens.
Example: We will learn the language.
By moving the verb before the subject, we can immediately change a
statement into a question.
➢ Will we learn the language?

That is the only rule you should remember. To create a sentence in the
English language, move the verb before the subject, and the rest remains the
same. What you end up with is a question, which is further highlighted by the
question mark in the end.
Sounds fair enough? Let us now look at one more example; this time, we will
present you with a different situation.
Example: He won the game.
If you try and switch “won” before “He,” the sentence would feel wrong.
What can be done here to correct that? This is where we use auxiliary verbs.
How? Let’s take a look:
➢ Did he win the game?

The main verb continues to be the same, minus the form. We only added the
auxiliary verb “did” to give the entire sentence the shape of a question.
Here is a tip for beginners: When using “did” or “will,” it is imperative that
you change the form of the verb to its first form. In the above example, we
changed won to win. If you overlook this, your sentence will be
grammatically wrong.
We do not have to forget as well about those situations where the subject is
replaced by a question word whenever the subject is not known. It is almost
as if the question word is the subject in those cases. Word order remains
unchanged without the subject mentioned. Here are some examples:
➢ What is necessary for this project?
➢ Who saw the movie the other night?
Exercise 2.1: Questions

Unscramble the sentences to form the correct word order.

1. where / you / yarn / ball / can / find / of / a

2. where / did / they / go
3. how / Jennifer / you / do / know
4. you / before / they / were / know / did / dating
5. can / you / tutor / teacher / the
6. get / did / that / you / where / from / scrape
7. been / how / going / lessons / have / dance
8. who / friend / your / is
9. smell / what / coming / is / from / that
10. did / you / do / what
Answers to Exercise 2.1:

1. Where can you find a ball of yarn?

2. Where did they go?
3. How do you know Jennifer?
4. Did you know they were dating before?
5. Can the teacher tutor you?
6. Where did you get that scrape from?
7. How have dance lessons been going?
8. Who is your friend?
9. What is that smell coming from?
10. What did you do?
Exercise 2.1 Answers within the Structures:
Question First Subject More Verbs More info
Word Verb
Where can you find a ball of yarn?
Where did they go?
How do you know Jennifer?
Did you know they were dating before?
Can the teacher tutor you?
Where did you get that scrape from?
How have dance lessons been going?
Who is your friend?
What is that smell coming from?
What did you do?
Chapter 3: Negative Sentences

3.1 Negative sentences

A negative sentence is a statement that shows that something is not the case.
It is incorrect or untrue. A negative adverb is added to the sentence to negate
or show that a statement is not valid. Most commonly, statements are negated
by use of the negative adverb “not.” You construct a negative statement by
placing “not" before the main verb of the sentence. Often, a helping verb will
be required. For example:
I chose to buy a lottery ticket. ➔ I chose not to buy a lottery
ticket.
I like learning English. ➔ I do not like learning English.
In the second example, the helping verb “do" is added because the phrase “I
not like learning English” is incorrect.
Use the following table as a guide to negation of verbs in English:
Tense Negation Contraction Examples
Present simple Do+not Don’t I do not play guitar.
Past simple Did+not Didn’t I didn’t play guitar
yesterday.
Present Is not Isn’t I am not playing
continuous guitar today.
Past continuous Was+not Wasn’t She wasn’t playing
a game then.
Present perfect Have+not Haven’t I haven't played
saxophone for a
long time.
Present perfect Have+not Haven’t been I haven’t been
 continuous playing guitar.
Past perfect Had+not Hadn’t been They hadn’t been
continuous playing bridge.
Future simple Will+not Won’t I won’t play with
you all.
Future perfect Will+not+have Won’t have They will not have
played.
Conditional Would+not Wouldn’t We wouldn’t play.
Conditional Would+not+have Wouldn’t He wouldn’t have
perfect have played.
Modal: can Can+not Can’t They can’t play.
Modal: should Should+not Shouldn’t They shouldn’t
play.

Keep in mind that the contractions of the negative forms of sentences are
only used in speaking. When writing, you need to use the full form of
negative sentences. For example:
➢ They are not watching (formal) → Writing and spoken form
➢ They aren’t watching (informal) → Spoken and informal writing
contexts
Exercise 3.1: Unscramble the Sentences

1. not / book / they / the / read / did

2. does / your / she / understand / explanation / not
3. teacher / not / good / miss / was / Jenny / a /
4. being / not / honestt / are / they
5. you / his / know / don't / number / phone
6. they / six / years / played / in / haven't / hockey
7. a / for / English / time / he / hasn't / studying / been / long
8. will / to / the / party / not / I / go
9. cannot / he / read
10. are / well / not / they / doing
11. other / time / we / see / each / long / a / not / will /
for
Answers to Exercise 3.1:

1. They did not read the book

2. She does not understand your explanation
3. Miss Jenny was not a good teacher.
4. They are not being honest.
5. You don't know his phone number.
6. They haven't played hockey in six years.
7. He hasn't been studying English for a long time.
8. I will not go to the party.
9. He cannot read.
10. They are not doing well.
11. We will not see each other for a long time.

Exercise 3.1 Answers within the Structures:

Subject First Verb Negation More More info (Direct
(Auxiliary) Verbs Object)
They did not read the book.
She does note understand your explanation.
Miss Jenny was not a good teacher.
They are not being honest.
You do not know his phone number.
They have not played hockey in six years.
He has not been English for a long
studying time.
I will not go to the party.
They are not doing well.
We will not see each other for a long
time.
3.2 Negative questions

Negative questions have different word orders depending on if they use a

contraction or not. Contracted negative questions are in the informal style
and are used in both informal writing and speech, whereas uncontracted
negative questions are written in the formal style. Negative questions
typically also indicate a certain level of emphasis within the sentence. So, in
writing, they have a quality of emphasizing something. In speaking, one
would raise the tone of his voice in order to emphasize the action in the
sentence.
➢ Isn’t he going to this school? (Contracted: auxiliary
verb+n’t+subject)
➢ Don’t you know him? (Contracted: auxiliary verb+n’t+ subject)
➢ Is she not attending the graduation ceremony?
(Uncontracted: auxiliary+subject+not)
➢ Do they not know how to read Korean? (Uncontracted: auxiliary
verb+subject+not)
Negative questions can be used in various ways.

They can be used as a tag question to confirm something that you

believe is the case.
Example: Didn’t we read this yesterday? It looks familiar. (The person
believes that he has read this material before.)

They can be used to express your opinion politely.

Example: Wouldn't it be great if we could all meet for dinner on
Friday? (This is a much more beautiful way to put it than “Let's meet
for dinner on Friday”… It is used as a polite suggestion or proposal.)

Also, this form of a question can be used as a polite request or

complaint. It usually begins with the word: Wouldn't you…?
Won't you…? or Why don't you…?
Example: Why don’t we go to the movie on Friday together?
Example: Wouldn’t you like to eat with us tonight?

In other situations, we do not use a negative question to ask

people to do something for us.
Example: Can you help wash the dishes? (It is a request, but it uses the
ordinary form of a question to make a request.)
Exercise 3.2: Negative Questions Word Order
Scramble

1. with / aren't / us / coming / you

2. join / won't / you / us /
3. he / will / ceremony / the / not / attend
4. talking / understand / what / you / about / is / don't / he
5. not / the / home / he / other / driving / is / students
6. out / find / to / like / wouldn't / you / more
7. we / see / and / why / wait / don't
8. won't / me / you / for / out / find
9. person / the / isn't / kindest / he
10. aren't / you / tired
Answers to Exercise 3.2:

1. Aren't you coming with us?

2. Won't you join us?
3. Will he not attend the ceremony?
4. Don't you understand what he is talking about?
5. Is he not driving the other students home?
6. Wouldn't you like to find out more?
7. Why don't we wait and see?
8. Won't you find out for me?
9. Isn't he the kindest person?
10. Aren't you tired?
Chapter 4: Verb Phrases

4.1 Definition of a verb phrase

The term verb phrase basically describes the part of the sentence that
includes the verb and its object, but not the subject. The term can also be
understood to include the other words that help the main verb express its
meaning.
For example:
➢ The professor is teaching a class on poetry.

➢ I must practice violin for six hours on Saturday.

➢ It might snow tomorrow.

➢ He was eating his dinner at 6 pm.

➢ I grew taller in one year.

In addition to functioning as the main verb, serving as the predicate to the

sentence’s subject, a verb phrase can also function as an adverb or adjective
when it has a verb, complement, object, and modifier. Here are some
examples:
➢ Walking on the icy road, Amy slid and fell.

The underlined verb phrase modifies (tells us something about)

the subject, Amy.
➢ Wash your hands to keep the germs away.
➢ To make a smoothie, you have to use a blender.
➢ Finally, I was able to find the book I was looking for.
4.2 Structure of English verb phrases

In English, five grammatical forms may appear with the verb to form a verb
phrase[1]:

1. auxiliary verbs
2. prepositions
3. prepositional phrases
4. adverb phrases
5. determiners

1. Auxiliary verbs
The first kind of form that appears in a verb phrase is an auxiliary verb, also
known as a helping verb. There are twelve in the English language. The first
three are especially common and used in various ways: “to have,” “to be,”
and “to do.” There are nine modal verbs: can, could, may, might, must,
should, will, shall (British English), and would. Auxiliary verbs function in
the following ways: continuous, perfect, passive, operator, and modal.
Continuous Auxiliary Verb
➢ was studying
Perfect Auxiliary Verb
➢ have studied
Passive Auxiliary Verb
➢ were studied
Operator Auxiliary Verb
➢ do study
Modal Auxiliary Verb
➢ will study
In the main verb phrase, auxiliary verbs are always before the main verb.
Operator auxiliary verbs can only go with the main verb. Continuous,
perfect, modal, and passive verbs can appear with other similar forms of the
verb. The auxiliary verbs can be together in the following cases: Modal-
Perfect-Passive-Continuous.
For example:
Perfect/Continuous
➢ had been studying
Perfect/Passive
➢ has been studied
Modal/Progressive/Verb
➢ could be sleeping
Modal/Perfect/Passive/Verb
➢ might have been stolen
Modal/Perfect/Passive/Continuous/Verb
➢ should have been finished

2. Prepositions
The second grammatical category that can be in a verb phrase is the
preposition. Prepositions are words that indicate relationships between the
nouns, adjectives, verbs, and other words in the sentence. However, within a
verb phrase, prepositions function as the infinitive marker[2] and particle. As
an infinitive marker, this phrase distinguishes the base form from the
infinitive of the verb.
Examples:
➢ to ride
➢ to see
➢ to go
 ➢ to take a picture
➢ to resume

Also, the preposition can serve as a particle to add meaning to the verb.
Verb + Preposition as Particle
➢ go up
➢ get away
Verb + Preposition as Particle + Preposition
➢ find out about
➢ look up on the Internet

3. Prepositional phrases
The third type of grammatical form in verbal phrases is the prepositional
phrase. These are phrases that have multiple parts, and they function to
complete the meaning of the verb or verbal phrase.
For example:
➢ They conducted a study on educational methods.
➢ We look at the books on the bookshelf.
➢ Call for help.

4. Adverb phrases

The fourth grammatical form that can be part of a verb phrase is the adverb
phrase. In this case, the adverb phrase functions as a modifier for the verb
phrase. It describes the verb or a verb phrase.
For example:
➢ speak loudly
➢ read quietly
Adverb phrase/verb
 ➢ deeply studied
➢ very neatly wrote
In these cases, the adverb may go before or after the verb phrase.

5. Determiners
The fifth and final grammatical form that can be in an English verb phrase is
the determiner. Usually, these determiners are possessive forms. There are
eight of them in English: my, your, his, her, their, whose, its, our.
Determiners are also in the form of articles, demonstratives, quantiers
(including numbers), and question words. They have a determinative
function within the verb phrase. Here are some examples:
➢ our hiking up the mountain
➢ his running down the stairs
➢ my sleeping in the bathroom
➢ your sneezing on the paper
4.3 The verb and its object

Direct Object
In every sentence, there is a subject and predicate. The subject is presented
in the form of a noun or pronoun. The predicate must have a verb. The
predicate can contain one or many words with it. When a noun in the
predicate receives the action of a transitive verb[3], it functions as the direct
object.
Look at the following example:
➢ The conductor stopped the train.
(subject: conductor; predicate: stopped the train)
In this predicate, the verb is “stopped,” and the noun that receives the action
of the verb is “the train.” The noun that appears after the verb is the object. It
is also called the direct object.
Here are some more examples:
➢ The young children danced the Macarena at the party last night.
(subject: young children; verb: danced; object: Macarena)
Also, the object can be modified by a determiner.
➢ I saw a movie. (Here the direct object “movie” is modified by the article
“a.”)
➢ I saw a hilarious movie. (Here the object “movie” is modified by the
adjective, “hilarious.”)
➢ I saw the movie, which won Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
(Here the object “movie” is modified by the adjective clause: which won
Best Picture…)

Indirect Object
A verb can also have an indirect object—a person or thing that is affected by
the action of the verb, but not the primary recipient (the direct object) of that
action. That’s why it is called the indirect object.
Example: Tell me a story about your life. (Tell → me; “me” is the indirect
object)
The indirect object is not the focus of the verb’s action but is the recipient
of the verb’s action. So, the direct object refers to the specific part of the
sentence: the noun phrase. In this example sentence, “me” is the person who
is receiving the action of “tell a story.” But the word “story” is the direct
object. One way to identify the indirect object in a sentence is by
considering whether you can add “to” or “for” in front of the noun and
have the sentence mean the same thing.
➢ Tell a story for me about your life. (or) Tell a story to me about your
life.
➢ Tell me for a story about your life. (or) Tell me to a story about your
life.
Another example:
➢ Show them your room. (Show → them; “them” is the indirect object;
the direct object is “your room”).
In this case, the action is to “show your room,” and the recipient of the action
is “them.” The indirect object usually will refer to a person and his or her
relationship with the verb.

Example Sentences
➢ I am going to show you around this room.
➢ They like to tell jokes all the time.
➢ He rides the metro to work most days.
➢ Tell me a funny story.
➢ I don't know what to say to her.
➢ She likes to write riddles in her spare time.
➢ They enjoy seeing many different kinds of birds.
➢ Let me explain myself.
➢ They like to watch people outside while talking.
➢ The children play badminton after school.
➢ We have to water the plant every day.
Exercise 4.3: Verbs and Objects

Put the sentences in order.

1. the / the / stopped / car / driver

2. children / story / the / the / to / told / teacher / the
3. book / fantastic / read / in / a / I / French
4. movie / movie / exciting / watched / an / theatre / at / I / the
5. unknown / all / the / the / up / words. / looked / students
6. year / wrote / Jennifer / last / a / novel
7. the / last / visited / Monaco /week / family / James
8. stairs / the / quietly / down / went / they
9. experienced / new / things. / students / the / many
10. put / down / the / pencil
11. room / show / am / you / this / around / I / going /
to
12. to / like / tell / all / jokes / they / time / the
13. to / most / work / bike / days / a / he / rides
14. a / funny / story / me / tell
15. say / to / know / you / what / I / don't / to
16. time / write / riddles / to / spare / likes / her / she /
in
17. enjoy / birds / different / they / seeing / of / kinds
/ many
18. let / myself / explain / me
19. to / talking / outside / they / while / like / people /
watch
20. badminton / school / after / the / play / children
21. the / have / day / to / plant / we / every / water
Answers to Exercise 4.3:

1. The driver stopped the car.

2. The teacher told the story to the children.
3. I read a fantastic book in French.
4. I watched an exciting movie at the movie theatre.
5. The students looked up all the unknown words.
6. Jennifer wrote a novel last year.
7. The James family visited Monaco last week.
8. They went down the stairs quietly.
9. The students experienced many new things.
10. Put the pencil down.
11. I am going to show you around this room.
12. They like to tell jokes all the time.
13. He rides the metro to work most days.
14. Tell me a funny story.
15. I don't know what to say to you.
16. She likes to write riddles in her spare time.
17. They enjoy seeing many different kinds of birds.
18. Let me explain myself.
19. They like to watch people outside while talking.
20. The children play badminton after school.
21. We have to water the plant every day.
4.4 Adverbs and adverb clauses

The adverb or the adverb clause can also modify the verb.
➢ I saw a super hilarious movie yesterday. (Here the adverb “yesterday”
is a modifier for the verb, “saw”).
➢ I saw a hilarious movie at the movie theatre. (Here the adverb phrase
“at the movie theatre” modifies the verb “saw”).
➢ I saw an entertaining movie when I went to the theatre. (In this case,
the adverb clause “when I went to the theatre,” modifies the verb
“saw”).

4.5 Phrasal verbs

As we discussed in the section of 4.2 about “Prepositions,” occasionally

prepositions function as particles that follow verbs and enhance the meaning
of the verb. These verbs that have two or more parts to them are known as
phrasal verbs because they need a phrase and not just a single word to fully
communicate the action. Phrasal verbs are one of the idiomatic aspects of
English. Normally, you have to memorize phrasal verbs, because they are
special and are used in a specific way. You cannot use phrasal verbs without
having the right preposition or particle. For example, the word “look up” is
different from the word “look after.” It makes a difference which preposition
you use, so you don’t want to make a mistake. Phrasal verbs are typically
not used in formal writing but they are common in informal writing and
speech. They are often used as idioms. In most cases, the preposition
(particle) of the phrasal verb immediately follows the main verb.

look up
➢ The students will look up all the words they don’t know.

focus on
➢ You must focus on your studies during the course.
 go down
➢ In order to go to the subway, he will go down the escalator.
There are a few patterns that you can follow with this structure. Some
transitive verbs can have a pattern of:
Noun (Subject) + Verb + Particle +Noun (Object)
Noun (Subject) Verb Particle Noun (Object)
I must focus on my studies.
My brother comes from London.
The students look up the new words.

In some cases, the phrasal verb pattern is different, where the particle appears
at the end of the sentence.
Noun (Subject) Verb Noun (Object) Particle
They will leave their leftovers behind.
He showed us around.
We gave the used towel back.

While in other cases, the pattern changes to follow:

Noun (Subject) + Verb + Particle +Noun (Object)
Noun (Subject) Verb Particle Noun (Object)
They left them behind.
We gave it back.
He showed us around.
Here are some common phrasal verbs formed with a transitive verb and
particle:
Carry Off, out
Hand Back, down, off, over, around
Knock Down, out, over
Leave Behind, out
Pass Out, down, over, around

Push Around, over

Put Down, forward, on, through, together, up, etc.
Set Apart, aside, back, down, up
Shut Down, in, off, out
Think About, over, through, up
Exercise 4.5: Phrasal Verbs

Choose the correct phrasal verb in the sentence.

1. I don’t want to pick _________ (up/out) the trash from the floor.
2. He hasn’t sorted ____________(through/in) his belongings that were
recovered from lost and found.
3. They have pushed ___________(through/up) many difficult situations
before.
4. He isn’t going _________ (on/up) after this phase of the journey, because
he is quite exhausted and needs rest.
5. The child needs looking ___________ (on/after).
6. Please tuck ________ (in/out) your shirt!
7. I pulled ________ (out/on) my skinny jeans.
8. The taxi drove _________ (up/on) to the driveway.
9. I must focus ____________ (on/in) my studies.
10. That is a matter I want to look (on/into).
11. What city do you come (from/in)?
12. You can see _____________ (through/in) this material; it is transparent.
13. He has gone _____________ (in/through) many challenges in his life.
14. They have to avoid ______________ (messing/helping) it up.
15. The mother got locked ______ (out/in) of her home; she left the keys
inside.
16. The stock prices went _______ (up/on) after the surge in consumer
activity.
17. You have to grow __________ (up/out) of your old habits.
18. He went ________(up/on) a level after his level test.
19. Renee suffered _____________(up/from) a contagious illness.
20. Please hush __________ (on/up)!
Answers to Exercise 4.5

Choose the correct phrasal verb in the sentence.

1. I don’t want to pick up the trash from the floor.

2. He hasn’t sorted through his belongings that were recovered from
lost and found.
3. They have pushed through many difficult situations before.
4. He isn’t going on after this phase of the journey, because he is
quite exhausted and needs rest.
5. The child needs looking after.
6. Please tuck in your shirt!
7. I pulled on my skinny jeans.
8. The taxi drove up to the driveway.
9. I must focus on my studies.
10. That is a matter I want to look into.
11. What city do you come from?
12. You can see through this material; it is
transparent.
13. He has gone through many challenges in his
life.
14. They have to avoid messing it up.
15. The mother got locked out of her home; she left
the keys inside.
16. The stock prices went up after the surge in
consumer activity.
17. You have to grow up of your old habits.
18. He went up a level after his level test.
 19. Renee suffered from a contagious illness.
20. Please hush up!
There really is no particular rule that applies to all phrasal verbs. They don't
have any particular rule. Phrasal verbs have a preposition after them and are
usually used in informal/casual situations. As you can see, they have a
conversational aspect to them and can be used at different times.
4.6 Transitive and intransitive verbs

Transitive verbs and intransitive verbs operate by way of how the object
functions in a sentence. With the transitive verb, the verb does something
to the object. In contrast, an intransitive verb does not need an object.

Transitive verbs
You can think of the word transitive, as in the word "transit." Transitive
means that something is moving, whereas, the intransitive is stationary. A
better way of looking at this question is to see that there is a transfer of
action with the transitive verb. In other words, the transitive verb exerts
action on the object.

Spotting a transitive verb

Transitive verbs absolutely must have an object in order to be transitive.
For example:
➢ Please bring your pencil and eraser. (The verb is transitive because
you cannot say “Please bring” without an object).
Here are some other examples of transitive verbs.
➢ He drank a gallon of coffee in one hour. (“Drink” is transitive,
because you cannot just say “He drank.”)
➢ The kids like skipping and playing fetch with the dog. (“Like” is
transitive, because you cannot just say, “the kids like” and “playing fetch”
is also transitive because you play: what? Fetch with the dog).
With these cases, you can see that there is an object which completes the
verb. Without the object, these sentences would not make any sense and be
incorrect.

Intransitive verbs
Intransitive verbs do not require an object to make a complete action in the
sentence.
For example,
➢ They walked.
➢ The children ran.
➢ The sun shone.
These verbs do not require an object for logical flow. In some cases, the
intransitive verbs can be used as one-word sentences, such as the following:
➢ Walk!
➢ Go!
➢ Come!
Some verbs can be both transitive and intransitive.
Examples:
➢ They ran. → They ran a marathon
➢ The student read. → The student read a book.
➢ The teacher spoke. → The teacher spoke the words of the famous
literary figure in his presentation.

How do you find out if a verb is transitive or not?

The best way to find out if it is transitive or intransitive is to ask yourself the
question, "what?" afterward. If you can replace "what" with an object,
then you will know if it can be transitive. If the sentence does not make a
sentence without the object, then it is intransitive.

Phrasal Verbs and Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

Many phrasal verbs can also be categorized as transitive or intransitive
depending on the context of the sentence.
For example:

Look up:
➢ He had to look up every single word on the page of the text.
➢ Tell the boys to look up and smile at the camera.

Fall down:
➢ The senior man fell down the stairs.
➢ The papers fell down.
Exercise 4.6: Transitive or Intransitive?

Identify whether the verbs in the following sentences are transitive or

intransitive.

1. They will play the game together.

2. Drink!
3. I can’t stop you from doing the right thing.
4. The children will play this afternoon.
5. Sometimes, the items wear and tear.
6. The young lady wears glasses every day to school.
7. Don’t drink your milk too quickly.
8. See the movie with us on Friday.
9. They can’t see.
10. Stop!
Answers to Exercise 4.6:

1. They will play the game together. (Transitive).

The verb "play" is transitive because it modifies the word "game."
"Game" is the direct object of this transitive verb.

2. Drink! (Intransitive).
This one is intransitive because there is no object of the verb in the
sentence.

3. I can’t stop you from doing the right thing. (Transitive).

Here there are two transitive verbs: stop and doing… The object for
stop is you (indirect object), and the right thing is modified by doing.

4. The children will play this afternoon. (Intransitive).

“Play” is an intransitive verb in this sentence, because there is no
object.

5. Sometimes, the items wear and tear. (Intransitive).

“Wear” and “tear” are both intransitive verbs in this sentence.

6. The young lady wears glasses every day to school. (Transitive).

The direct object is “glasses,” and the verb that is doing the action is
“wear.”

7. Don't drink your milk too quickly. (Transitive).

This sentence does not have a direct object.

8. See the movie with us on Friday. (Transitive).

The movie is the direct object of this sentence.

9. They can’t see. (Intransitive).

This sentence is intransitive because there is no direct or indirect
object.

10. Stop! (Intransitive).

Finally, this sentence is intransitive because there is no direct or
indirect object in the sentence.
4.7 Verbs and prepositions of location

When specifying the location of the verb, prepositions of location are used.
There are numerous examples.

beside: near, on the side of

➢ He sat beside his sister at the Sunday service.

before: across, opposite, facing

➢ He stood before the king.

behind: at the back of

➢ Look behind you.

in front of
➢ They walked right in front of him.

in: within a space

➢ The water from the faucet leaked in the bathroom.

above: over
➢ The bird flew above the tree.

below: under
➢ The people were able to see below the building from the
rooftop.

on
➢ The papers are on the table.

inside
➢ You could see the fish inside the tank.

through
 ➢ You can see through the glass.

within
➢ The town is located within a distance of 50km from the
mountains.
Exercise 4.7: Prepositions of location

Unscramble the sentences. Put the words in the sentence in order.

1. he / beside / the / sister / his / sat / at / Sunday / service

2. located / my / next / school / house / is / the / to
3. a / is / town / the / there / mountain / behind
4. the / front / of / crawled / in / the / right / child / cat
5. the / the / kitchen / water / leaked / in
6. we / what / have / above / do / to / necessary / all / is
7. laptop / it / spilled / coffee / damaged / and / the / onto / the
8. the / below / the / able / landscape / see / to / passengers / were / of
/ earth / the
9. the / to / must / do / on / babysit / has / all / she / friend's / things /
her / of / child / she / top
10. it / from / is / here / distance / walking / within
Answers to Exercise 4.7:

1. He sat beside his sister at the Sunday service.

2. The school is located next to my house.
3. There is a town behind the mountain.
4. The cat crawled right in front of the child.
5. The water leaked in the kitchen.
6. Above all, we have to do what is necessary.
7. The coffee spilled onto the laptop and damaged it.
8. The passengers were able to see below the landscape of the earth.
9. On top of all the things she must do, she has to babysit her friend's
child.
10. It is within walking distance from here.
4.8 Stative verbs and verbs of sense

Stative verbs are usually never used in the continuous form, even with
temporary situations. They are called stative verbs or verbs of state because
they express a state of being. Naturally, the conditions reflected by the verb
have a continuous aspect to them. Examples of verbs of state include “to be”
among others that show the state of the person’s mind, feeling, thinking, etc.:
We say, “I don’t know” NOT “I’m not knowing.”
Stative verbs often are linked with opinions and ways of thinking.
➢ They don’t know how to do it. NOT They aren’t knowing how to do
it.
➢ He disagrees with that statement. NOT He is disagreeing with that
statement.
➢ I think that is right. NOT I am thinking that is right.

Some verbs of state show feeling and emotion.

➢ I hate vegetables. NOT I am hating vegetables.
➢ What does he like to do? NOT What is he liking to do?
➢ I love this! NOT I am loving this.

On the other hand, the verb, “enjoy” can be used in the continuous form.
➢ The children are enjoying the show.

Verbs of sense such as “smell,” “feel,” “taste, “see, and “hear” are stative
verbs and thus do not use the continuous tenses.
➢ I smell the garlic. NOT I am smelling the garlic.
➢ I can see the Himalayan Mountains from my house. NOT I can
seeing the Himalayan Mountains…
➢ They hear the sounds of singing and hollering in the
 background. NOT They are hearing the sounds of singing…
➢ He feels cold right now. NOT He is feeling cold right now.
➢ This pasta tastes so good. NOT This pasta is tasting good.

Stative verbs can also describe non-actions.

➢ This room smells like a spicy Korean grocery store.

Some verbs can have the quality of being both an action and a stative
verb.

Be

Stative:
➢ They are foolish.
Action:
➢ They are being foolish.

Have

Stative:
➢ I have a goal. He has a dream. (showing possession)
Action:
➢ The family is having a ball together. The friends are having a
good time at the dance.
Think/Feel

Stative:
➢ I don’t think that's right. I feel that we must set a target. (stating
an opinion)
Action:
➢ The girl was not feeling well today. I fear we must move out next
year. (dealing with emotions and feelings)
Exercise 4.8: Stative or Action?

Identify if the verb is stative or action in the following sentences.

1. I am thinking we should go early to the movie.

2. I think you are a very smart student.
3. He is naughty.
4. He is being naughty.
5. I love reading and writing.
6. I hate wasting time.
7. They are enjoying the movie.
8. He plays the cello.
9. They are understanding the lecture
10. The student doesn’t understand.
Answers to Exercise 4.8:

Identify if the verb is stative or action in the following sentences.

1. I am thinking we should go early to the movie. (Action).

The verb “thinking” is the action, because it is in the present continuous
verb and is indicating that it is happening at the moment of speaking.

2. I think you are a very smart student (Stative).

The verb “think” is stative in that it indicates a state of being. There is
no particular action that is taking place at the moment of speaking.

3. He is naughty (Stative).
The verb “to be” is a stative verb in this case.

4. He is being naughty (Action).

The verb “to be” is in the present continuous form, which indicates an
action that is taking place, so in this case, it is an action verb.

5. I love reading and writing (Stative).

“Love” is a verb that expresses feeling and emotion and thus is a stative
verb.

6. I hate wasting time. (Stative).

“Hate” is also a verb that expresses an emotion, so it is stative.

7. They are enjoying the movie (Action).

In this case, “enjoy” is an action verb because of the present continuous
form.

8. He plays cello. (Action).

“Play” is usually going to be an action verb.

9. They are understanding the lecture (Action).

Because the verb “are understanding” is used in a present continuous
form, it indicates an action occurring at the moment of speaking.

10. The student doesn’t understand. (Stative).

In this case, “understand,” is stative, because no particular action is
indicated at the moment of speaking. “Understand” indicates a general
kind of state that the student is in.
4.9 Multiple verbs in a sentence, one after the other

In both spoken and written English, often a verb is followed immediately by

another verb. What about the form of the second verb? Should it be in the
infinitive format (to + verb base form)? Should it be a gerund (verb + ing)?
Or should it be the base form of the verb? If there is an object, where in the
sentence should the object go?
In the following, we will explain some answers to these questions.

Verb + to + base form of the verb

The connector of many verbs in English is “to,” or the infinitive form of the
verb.
➢ I have to study hard to get a good grade in school.
In the preceding sentence, the verbs “have” and “study” are connected by
“to.” This is an example of a verb being combined with another infinite verb.
Many verbs in English operate in this way.
Here is a list of the common verbs in English which operate this way:
Afford Continue Plan
Agree Decide Prefer
Appear Demand Profess
Arrange Deserve Promise
Ask Desire Refuse
Attempt Expect Remember
Be Fail Start
Beg Forget Stop
Can’t bear Get Struggle
Can’t stand Hate Swear
Begin Hesitate Threaten
Care Hope Try
Choose Need Volunteer
Claim Offer Wait
 Consent Opt Would like

Some verbs in the list above (attempt, can’t bear, begin, continue, forget,
hate, like, love, prefer, start, try) can be followed by a verb + ing (gerund).
For negative sentences, you can use a helping verb + not for the first verb.
Or you can make the second (or third) verbs negative by using only not.
Example:
➢ I don’t (do not) need to study hard to get a good grade. I haven’t
needed to study hard to get a good grade. It’s too easy.
➢ The students need to try not to be so loud and obnoxious in the
library.
➢ The students need to try to continue not to talk so loudly in the
library.
When verbs have a connector with “to,” the first verb can take any tense.
However, the second verb must take the infinitive form.
➢ I’m planning to take a road trip with my buddies to Florida next
week.
➢ I've planned to take a road trip with my pals to the beach next week.
➢ I plan to take it easy with my girlfriend next weekend.
➢ I’d planned to chill out with my friends later this evening.
➢ I’ll want to plan to go on a business trip next week.
Exercise 4.9: Multiple Verbs

Correct the following sentences:

1. I want go to the store get a gallon of milk.
2. I will to go to the movies this Friday.
3. I am going see my friend this weekend at the festival.
4. We going to write a story together this year.
5. I look forward seeing you soon.
6. They look forward to see you.
7. We is going to have a good time.
8. I plan go on a vacation next spring.
9. I intend to moving this March.
10. They will to explain the situation.
Answers to Exercise 4.9:

Correct the following sentences:

1. I want to go to the store to get a gallon of milk.
2. I will _ go to the movies this Friday.
3. I am going to see my friend this weekend at the festival.
4. We are going to write a story together this year.
5. I look forward to seeing you soon.
6. They look forward to seeing you.
7. We are going to have a good time.
8. I plan to go on a vacation next spring.
9. I intend to move__ this March.
10. They will __ explain the situation.
4.10 Infinitive clause as subject and object

The infinitive can be used in a sentence as a subject or as an object.

For example,
➢ To learn how to speak another language is difficult.
➢ To help others with their homework motivates the gifted student.
You can replace the highlighted text with almost any other noun, and each
sentence will still be grammatically correct.
In modern English, using infinitives as subjects or objects is not common. It
sounds a little bit awkward. Rather than having the infinitive as a subject,
we put the infinitive clause later in the sentence. Such sentences can begin
with the word “it.”
➢ It is super difficult to learn another language.
➢ “It makes me overjoyed and delighted to see that secondary students
are doing their homework,” the teacher said.

The infinitive clause can also be used as a complement.

➢ His objective was to become a professor at a university.
➢ Your obligation is to finish all the tasks before the day ends.

In addition, the infinitive can be used as an object:

➢ I would like to learn Russian.
➢ I want to have a Big Mac with fries and a Coke for lunch.

These verbs can have infinitives follow them. The infinitives are then used as
objects.
Agree Manage
Ask Mean
Beg Neglect
Begin Offer
 Choose Prefer
Decide Pretend
Forget Promise
Happen Propose
Help Refuse
Hope Regret
Learn Seem
Love Start
Like Try

Examples for the object:

➢ Don’t forget to bring your socks and underwear!
➢ I refuse to do this assignment.
➢ We have decided to move to Paris tomorrow!
➢ I hope to become an entertaining stand-up comedian one day.
➢ He learned to be content in all situations.
Chapter 5: Noun Phrases

5.1 Structure of the noun phrase

Noun phrases are defined as nouns (person, place, thing, idea, etc.) and
the modifiers that go along with them.
The word “computer” can be found in any kind of sentence, but unless we
have a modifier, there is no specification of the computer. Is it:
➢ my computer
➢ that computer
➢ Miss Martha’s computer
➢ the computer that is so slow
➢ or the computer that is super-fast?
So, modifiers are used before and after the noun to form a phrase that
helps a reader or a listener understand which noun you are talking
about.

Noun modifiers that can go into noun phrases include articles, possessives,
adjectives, and participles.
Articles: a computer, the computer
Possessives: Miss Martha’s computer, the businessman’s computer,
my mom’s computer
Possessive pronouns: my computer, her computer, their computer
Adjectives: this computer, that computer, the LG computer, the Apple
computer
Participle: the working computer, the well-built computer, the high-
speed computer
You can also include certain things such as prepositional phrases,
participle phrases, adjective clauses and/or infinitives in your noun phrase:
Prepositional phrases:
➢ The computer on the desk
➢ The computer in the living room
➢ The computer on the table
Participle phrases:
➢ The computer working too slow
➢ The computer running super-fast
Adjective clauses:
➢ The computer that works well
➢ The computer that is super slow
➢ The computer that is expensive
Infinitives:
➢ The computer to play
➢ The computer to calculate
➢ The computer to work
In other unusual circumstances, you can find pronouns in noun phrases, such
as “we,” “everyone,” etc.
➢ Find someone qualified.
In this case, “someone” is the indefinite pronoun and “qualified” is the
modifier.
With participial phrases, the modifier usually follows the noun or pronoun.
➢ Let’s go someplace quiet.
The modifier is the adjective “quiet,” and it modifies “someplace.”
5.2 Determiners and quantifiers

There are two forms of words that specify a noun phrase: determiners and
quantifiers.
A determiner is an introductory word that can specify a particular noun or
noun phrase (a, an, the, these, those, etc.). Determiners appear in front of
the noun they specify.
➢ These chocolates are so delicious.
➢ That restaurant serves fantastic food.
➢ I cannot put down the book that I am reading.

A quantifier specifies the amount included in the noun phrase, such as “all,”
“both,” “some,” “none,” etc.
➢ All my children are in college now.
➢ None of my teachers were difficult to understand.
➢ Both of my brothers are older than me.

The order of quantifiers and determiners before a noun:

1. Quantifier
2. Determiner
3. Numbers
Examples:
Determiner+noun:
➢ the state, a bus, our mothers, those places
Quantifier+noun:
➢ some students, too much time
Quantifier+determiner+adjective+noun:
➢ both of my best friends
 Determiner+numbers+adjective+noun:
➢ our two best friends

These are simple noun phrases. Things can become more complicated.
➢ The boy who often wore his shirt untucked to school
➢ The students who studied at home with their books for five hours each
night
➢ The young couple sitting side-by-side in a café chatting away about
their honeymoon plans
As you can see, the noun phrase can be quite lengthy and involve many
different modifiers and determiners.
5.3 Prepositions in noun phrases

In noun phrases, many prepositions can be included within the noun phrase.
Noun Preposition Example
Age, point At 21 is the age at which you are permitted to
buy alcohol.
At what point do you stop taking your
medicine after getting better?
Reason, need For What is the reason for your absence?
He has a need for feedback from his
teachers.
Increase, In There has been an increase in the price of
difference oil.
The teacher has made a difference in his
student’s life.
Research, Into The police will carry out an investigation
investigation into the cause of the fire.
They did some research into the reasons
why it is difficult to start a new routine.
Example, of There are numerous ways of completing a
way diet plan.
This is an example of exceptional cuisine.

Examples of common mistakes made with prepositions in noun phrases:

Noun Example
Advertisement I read about an advertisement for the role of research
assistant
NOT an advertisement of the role of research assistant
Changes Changes in our mindset will enable us to develop a new
 plan of action.
NOT The changes of our mindset…

Please let them know of any changes to your schedule.

NOT Please let them know of any changes of your
schedule
Congratulations Congratulations on your achievement!
NOT Congratulations for your achievement!
Class I am going to take a course in drawing.
(as in course in NOT I am going to take a course of drawing
school)
Experience Do you have any work experience of/in teaching?
NOT Do you have any work experience at teaching
(This usually is followed by verb+ing form)
Interest I have a great interest in studying graphic design.
NOT I have a great interest to study graphic design.
Knowledge In order to live in a foreign country, it is essential to
have a working knowledge of the local language.
NOT …working knowledge about…
Lesson He needs to get a lesson in DTP.
NOT He needs to get a lesson of DTP.
Need (for/of) There is a growing need for reform in the government.
NOT There is a growing need of reform in the
government
But use here: I am in need of a new haircut.
In this case, “in need of” is a more formal expression.
Place There are some good places in Australia.
NOT There are some good places of Australia.
Problem The problem of loneliness is one that many people have
wrestled with over time.
 NOT The problem to loneliness…
Visit They will make a visit to the family home during the
holidays.
NOT They will make a visit in the family home...
5.4 Compound Nouns

Let's now look at compound nouns and talk about where they are in the
sentence. As we have seen before in this book, compound nouns are nouns
(persons, places, things, or ideas) that are built with more than one word.
You will find many compound nouns in English.
In compound nouns, the relationship between the nouns is often that the first
word gives us more information about the item in question and gives us
insight into the purpose of the item. Often, the first word is descriptive, and
the second word is one of identity. Less commonly, the concepts represented
by the nouns are blended to create a new concept.

Single-word compound nouns:

In some cases, compound nouns are one word made up of two combined
words such as hairdryer, toothbrush, backpack, or clipboard.
First part: Second part: Compound noun
type or purpose what or who
Girl Friend Girlfriend
Business Man Businessman
School Boy Schoolboy
Book Mark Bookmark
Clip Board Clipboard

In other cases, there are hyphenated words such as son-in-law, ten-story,

back-and-forth, well-built.
Additionally, compound nouns can be formed with a verb and a preposition,
for example: check-out, check-in, check-up, lift-off, makeup, take-off, etc.
In some cases, compound nouns can also be formed using a noun and a verb,
a noun and an adjective, a preposition and a noun, for example: sunset,
sunrise, snowfall, truckful, underworld, overkill, oversight, etc.
Compound nouns can consist of a noun and a prepositional phrase, as well.
➢ My brother-in-law is a great cook.
In still other cases, the compound nouns are actually two separate words. For
example: window seat, bathroom sink, kitchen table, etc.
In these cases, there are two distinct nouns, but they function as one. A new
sense of meaning has been created by the combination of two nouns.

Compound nouns with two words:

➢ They arrived at the metro station.

➢ I enjoy playing computer games on the weekends.
➢ We have to go to the school cafeteria to meet the principal tomorrow.
Compound nouns can consist of an adjective and noun:
➢ He had a full stomach after eating dinner.
➢ Show me your name card.
Compound nouns can also consist of a verb and a noun:
➢ Before he went on a run, he put on his running shoes.
➢ While he was outside, he was wearing his riding coat.

Compound nouns with more than two words:

Some words can be formed with multiple nouns and modifiers to form a
compound noun. This can be formed using quantifiers, determiners, and
adjectives. Here are some examples:
Determiner Quantifier Modifier First Word Second
word
The extremely hungry child
The two very lovely girls
A relatively difficult problem
Some really exciting news
A few very interesting books
As you can see, compound nouns can become quite complex with the
addition of the determiner, quantifier, and other modifiers (adjectives,
adverbs, etc.). But they still form the basis for one noun. In the next exercise,
we will review the compound nouns that we have discussed.
Exercise 5.4: Compound Nouns

Choose the word that makes two nouns into one word.

1. Cell _______________ (room, phone, drive)

2. Stop _______________ (watch, room, phone)
3. Child_______________ (game, hood, play)
4. Sun _______________ (down, up, over)
5. Cross_______________ (down, up, word)

Fill in the blanks with the best compound noun.

6. They had a _______________ in Japan during their trip.

a. Layover
b. Break
c. Stayover
7. Do you like mint-flavored _____________?

a. Toothbrush
b. Poster paint
c. Toothpaste
8. I am in need of a new ______________. (2 possible answers)

a. Hair gel
b. Hair style
c. Hair brush
9. The two friends met to talk and have a drink at a ______________.

a. Swimming pool
b. Gym
 c. Coffee shop
10. There are many ingredients that can be combined together in
_______________.

a. A microwave
b. Stir fry
c. An oven
11. I want to go on a trip on a ________________

a. Jet plane
b. Car
c. Bus ride
12. You have to have enough __________ in a lesson in order to effectively
teach a topic.

a. Output
b. Outwork
c. Input
13. The ________________ came early with the package the other day.

a. Bus driver
b. Taxi driver
c. Mailman
14. The _____________ train crashed into a bridge last Saturday.

a. Stowaway
b. Faraway
c. Runaway
15. There are many _______________ that you can play with a group of
friends.
a. Board games
b. Games
c. Soccer balls
Answers to Exercise 5.4:

Choose the word that makes two nouns into one word.

1. phone (Cellphone)
2. watch (Stopwatch)
3. hood (Childhood)
4. down (Sundown)
5. word (Crossword)

Fill in the blanks to make a compound noun or with one word of a compound
noun that is the best answer.
6. a. Layover
7. c. Toothpaste
8. b. Hair style or c. Hair brush (2 possible answers)
9. c. Coffee shop
10. b. Stir fry
11. a. Jet plane
12. c. Input
13. c. Mailman
14. c. Runaway
15. a. Board games
5.5 Noun complements

Noun complements are words that follow linking verbs and modify
nouns. In most cases, this refers to nouns and adjectives. However, other
parts of speech can also be included. The complement renames the noun in
question.
Look at some examples:
➢ His sister is a lawyer. (noun)
➢ Parents are excited to see our friends. (adjective)
➢ Death is a doorway. (noun)
The word highlighted in bold is the subject in these sentences and the
underlined words are the noun or adjective which rename the subject and are
the complements to the noun.
Here are some more examples of complements:
➢ a noun: They are my children.
➢ a pronoun: It’s me.
➢ an adjective: It appears fuzzy to me.
➢ a participle: The computer stopped running.
➢ an infinitive: The children want to go to the movies.
➢ phrase: The teacher is of a different kind.
➢ a clause: The book was exactly what she wanted to read.

Noun complements can also be a bit more complex than this in the form of
clauses.
➢ The belief that a person can be lazy and still achieve their goal is
simply wrong.
Noun complements can also be in the form of an infinitive clause:
➢ He wanted to go home.
➢ They claimed to have discovered the answer to the research question.
 ➢ He suggested going to the doctor as soon as possible.
In these cases, the noun phrases are attached to the noun, modifying it and
adding additional information.
Exercise 5.5: Noun Phrases & Complements

Identify where the complement is in the following sentences:

1. The child didn’t want to go to the dentist.

2. "The belief that all men and women are created equal" is enshrined
in the Constitution of the United States.
3. I decided to write a memo to my cousin.
4. They intended to go back to their country once the event finished.
5. It’s her!
6. This student is of a different kind.
7. That young man is a good person.
8. He believed to have found out the reason why she was absent.
9. They were the suspects of the case.
10. This book is the one I had waited for.
Answers to Exercise 5.5:

1. The child didn’t want to go to the dentist.

2. "The belief that all men and women are created equal" is
enshrined in the Constitution of the United States (New Georgia
Encyclopedia).
3. I decided to write a memo to my cousin.
4. They intended to go back to their country once the event finished.
5. It’s her!
6. This student is of a different kind.
7. That young man is a good person.
8. He believed to have found out the reason why she was absent.
9. They were the suspects of the case.
10. This book is the one I had waited for.
5.6 Embedded questions

Embedded questions are questions that are hidden within statements and are
used indirectly. They are often used in indirect speech within written texts.
However, they can also be used in speaking.
Within embedded questions, you usually retain the wh-question words, and
in cases where there is no question word, you use the words “if” or
“whether.”
Normal (direct) question:
➢ Where does Anna attend school?
➢ Where does Jason attend school?
Embedded question in a statement:
➢ I don’t know where she attends school.
➢ Where Jason attends school is very close to where he lives.

Rules for forming embedded questions:

1. Keep the question word when there is one.

2. When no question word is present, use “if” or “whether.”
3. Normal sentence grammar is used.
4. Follow normal word order, not the opposite as in question-forming
with (subject+verb+object).
5. Question marks are not used at the end. Use a period.

Look at some examples of verbs that use embedded questions:

1. know: We don’t know why he didn’t come to the party.

2. wonder: I wonder why there is so much pollution in Seoul.
3. find out: You need to find out when you have to check-in for your
flight.
 4. forget: He forgot why he went to the store.
5. think about: She had to think about why she had started her
course.
6. remember: He remembered what his teacher had told him about
cheating on tests.
Word order remains the same as normal with embedded questions.
Normal question:
➢ Who wants to go with me to the party?
➢ What did you do wrong?
Embedded question:
➢ He doesn’t know who wants to go to the party.
➢ She did not know what she did wrong.
As you can see in these examples, the word order will be normal for the
embedded question and not inverted as in direct questions.
However, it is also good for you to watch for the wrong way to do an
embedded question.
For example, you wouldn’t say:
➢ Tell me what is your name? (That is not correct.)
➢ I don’t know what is the answer. (You wouldn’t say it this
way.)
Rather you say:
➢ Tell me what your name is.
➢ I don’t know what the answer is. or I don’t know the answer to
that question.
In most question sentences, the word order is inverted, but when it comes to
embedded questions, the word order is standard. So make sure it is the same
throughout.
Exercise 5.6: Embedded Questions

Change the following direct (normal) questions into embedded questions.

There are some possible answers.

1. Where do you study?

2. What came in the mail today?
3. When is the next flight to Bangkok?
4. Why did they come to the party?
5. Do you like your new job?
6. Whose book is this?
7. Where is the school?
8. What happened?
9. Why will they go to New York this weekend?
10. Who drinks tea every day?
Answers to Exercise 5.6:

Change the following direct (normal) questions into embedded questions.

There are some possible answers. Standard word order will apply to these
cases, so pay attention to how it is worded.
1. He wants to know where you study.
As you can notice from this sentence, the embedded question occurs at the
end of the sentence. It follows the same word order pattern as standard form.
2. He doesn’t know what came in the mail today.
3. I don’t know when the next flight to Bangkok is.
4. She wants to know why they came to the party.
5. He wanted to know if you liked your new job.
6. The teacher did not know whose book it was.
7. They don’t know where the school is.
8. He doesn’t know what happened.
9. She doesn’t know why they will go to New York this weekend.
10. I don’t know who drinks tea every day.
Chapter 6: Adjectives

6.1 What are adjectives?

Adjectives are words that describe the attributes and characteristics of

nouns, such as the following: minuscule, funny, red, quick, enjoyable. In
addition, they can be quantifiers that specify numbers such as few, a lot,
trillions, seven.
Adjectives are the modifiers for nouns. They describe what a noun does or
is. However, adjectives are not modifiers for verbs, adverbs, or other kinds of
adjectives.
Adjectives are great enhancements to communication that can be used in
many situations to describe objects in detail. In school, teachers emphasize
using many adjectives in sentences to create a picture of the word that the
reader can see. The more adjectives you use in a sentence, the clearer the
image becomes. In writing, this is especially the case, because the word
pictures are on the page and the reader is able to “see” what he or she is
reading. Effective description is a powerful tool to use.
Here are some examples:
➢ He wore a handsome suit to his interview.
➢ There are a lot of beautiful flowers in the garden.
➢ He has two younger brothers.
➢ That’s the weirdest story I have ever heard.
6.2 The positions of adjectives: before and after the
noun

Adjectives are pretty easy to identify because they are usually next to the
noun they are modifying. However, adjectives don’t always come
immediately before or after their nouns. In some cases, they are connectors
between the linking verb and the complement. A linking verb links the noun
with the adjective.
For example:
➢ The customers were satisfied.
➢ That dress looks beautiful.
➢ Taking the train is faster than taking the bus.
These adjectives occur at the end of the sentence and are part of the
predicate, so they are called predicate adjectives.
In addition, adjectives indicate the quantity of something that you’re talking
about.
➢ The five young children were at the party. “Five” (quantifier) and
“young” (adjective) are used to modify “children.”
In many cases, adjectives are grouped together and are separated by a
conjunction:
➢ I would like to buy a large, well-built frame for my artwork.
➢ The painting fit into a large and well-built frame.
These can be separated by a comma or a conjunction such as “and.”
Adjectives can be used as comparatives and superlatives, as well as to
describe different degrees in a word:
➢ a wonderful girl
➢ a terrible storm
➢ a haphazard way
➢ a careful thought
Comparative adjectives

Comparative adjectives typically use the word “more” or add “er” to the
word.
➢ a more wonderful girl
➢ a more terrible storm
➢ a more haphazard way
➢ a more careful thought
Examples with “er”:
➢ The image was clearer than we thought.
➢ The species of bird was rarer than the robin.
➢ Tom is shorter than George.
For comparative adjectives, the use of “er” is given for words that are short
such as “short” or “tall.” Typically, the word will have four or five letters.
However, for words that are longer, the use of “more” is more frequent.
“More” enables the word to have a comparison with another noun.

Superlative adjectives

For superlative adjectives, the use of "the most" is almost always used to
indicate some quality to the highest degree. On the opposite side is "the
least," which indicates that something is at the lowest degree.
The most wonderful girl The least expensive option
The most terrible storm The least traveled way
The most haphazard way The least important task
The most careful thought
6.3 More than one adjective in a sentence

There are some cases in which there are more than one or two adjectives in a
sentence, and they are ordered according to different parts. For example, they
could be ordered by quantity or value within a sentence.
The expression of the adjective Examples
Quantity One, two, many, a lot
Temperature Boiling hot, freezing cold
Color Red, yellow, blue
Origin French, Canadian, Italian
Material Brass, cold, silver
Shape Triangular, square, circular
Age 25-year old, young, old

Multiple adjectives are used to describe in more than one way the noun that
they are modifying. In many cases, you can find adjectives with more than
three modifiers to help describe the word. The more description, the more
detailed your picture is, and it helps the person to find ways of expressing a
person, place, thing, or idea:
➢ They have a cute, little, furry dog.
➢ The living room has three large, comfortable armchairs.
➢ He is a precocious 5-year-old Chinese boy.
➢ It was a fantastic, sunny, and warm day.
6.4 Word order with adjectives

There is a particular way of ordering adjectives. Adjectives that are

expressions of opinions or attitudes (e.g., fantastic) are usually in the first
position before neutral adjectives that are expressions of a fact or truth.
➢ It was a fantastic, sunny day. NOT: It was a sunny, fantastic day.
Order Relation Examples
1 Opinion or emotion Beautiful, ugly, enjoyable
2 Size Miniscule, huge, tall, short
3 Physical quality Thick, soft, messy
4 Shape Triangular, circular,
5 Age
6 Elderly, senior, young, old
Color Yellow, white, black
7
Origin
8 French, Spanish, Indian
9 Material
Silver, gold, brass
10 Kind
Double-spaced, double-sided
Purpose
Running, walking, decorating

Example Sentences (with relative position indicated by number):

➢ It was an awkward (1), red (6), painted (8) sign.
➢ He drew with a sharp (3), narrow (3), black (6) pencil.
➢ That was a fantastic (1) red (6) sunset.
➢ She was a beautiful (1) short (2) but fit (4) ballerina.

Here are some more examples of adjectives that are rarer, because they are
specific to a description. These may be found in a descriptive writing sample
in a work of literature.
He was a sharp, little, young Italian boy, who loved to learn
languages.
They were a lovely, young Spanish couple.
The use of the word “and” becomes rarer when adjectives come before a
noun. However, when separating adjectives of the same type, you can use
“and.”
Exercise 6.4: Word Order with Adjectives

Arrange the words into sentences using proper word order.

1. beautiful / planting / in / tomatoes / old / garden / the / was / the / lady /
little
2. enables / to / reading / how / the / thought-provoking / to / students /
closely / book / study / comprehensive / read
3. excellent / an / tool / to / is / this / research / how-to / write / learning /
effective / to / papers / for / essays / how / writing / guide
4. wreaked / the / terrible / on / storm / residents / big / this / all / havoc
5. way / helping / small / by / you / help / is / others / good / can / one
6. the / kind / talented / met / I / and / have / ever / Chinese / violinist / he /
amazing / is / most
7. Amy / ever / have / the / could / sister / I / best / big / is
8. worst / is / known / owner / small-business / Jim / I've / the
9. this / singers / talented / the / are / young / town / most / Kenneth / in /
Michael / and
Answers to Exercise 6.4:

1. The beautiful, little, old lady was planting tomatoes in the garden.
(The word order of this sentence is opinion, size, and age, so it follows the
natural word order that is used in the sentence.)
2. The thought-provoking, comprehensive, reading book enables students to
study how to read closely.
(The word order of this sentence includes two physical qualities of the book
followed by the compound noun “reading book.”)
3. This excellent, how-to guide to writing essays is an effective tool for
learning how to write research papers.
(This sentence has a word order of opinion, physical quality for the
adjective.)
4. This terrible, big storm wreaked havoc on all the residents.
(This sentence has an adjective word order of opinion and size, which follows
the norms of order for adjectives in a sentence.)
5. One good, small way you can help is by helping others.
(This sentence has an adjective word order of opinion plus size, which
follows the standard word order.)
6. He is the most amazing, kind, and talented Chinese violinist I have ever
met.
(This sentence has a superlative adjective, which indicates an opinion. And
then physical characteristics are written after that. It is the standard word
order.)
7. Amy is the best big sister I could ever have.
(This sentence begins with a superlative adjective and then goes to size, so it
follows the word order norms.)
8. Jim is the worst small-business owner I've known.
(This sentence has a superlative opinion adjective followed by the compound
noun, so it follows the standard word order.)
9. Michael and Kenneth are the most talented, young singers in this town.
(This sentence includes an adjective that is opinion-based followed by age, so
it follows the normal word order.)
6.5 Lists of adjectives

Now that we have been able to go over the word order of adjectives in
sentences, we can go over how to list adjectives. It is a common thing to
separate each adjective with a comma, but adjectives can also be
separated by coordinating conjunctions, such as “but” and “and.”
How you separate the adjectives depends on the kind of adjective that is
used. Coordinating adjectives are ones that modify the noun in about the
same way. Thus, they are separated by a comma.
For example, in the phrase “the thin, light, and creamy coffee drink”, the
coordinating adjectives are “thin, light, and creamy,” which modify the
compound noun “coffee drink.” Two commas and the coordinating
conjunction “and” tie the three adjectives together.
The cumulative adjectives modify the noun pair and act as a unit that cannot
be separated but must stay together with the separation of a comma: “the
custom-built, high-definition computer screen”
6.6 Adjectives after verbs

As we have discussed, adjectives generally precede the nouns that they

modify, but when they are used with linking verbs such as “to be” or sense
verbs (smell, taste, etc.), they are placed after the verb. This type of adjective
is known as the “predicate adjective.”

Linking verb “to be”:

➢ The girl was livid.
➢ The coffee is delicious.
➢ I am happy to meet with my colleagues for lunch once a week.

With the sense verbs (look, taste, smell, appear, taste), the adjective occurs
in the predicate of the sentence:
➢ You look amazing!
➢ The music practice sounds great.

Let’s look at some more examples:

➢ He seemed exhausted.
➢ Jamie appeared excited to see his friends.
➢ The pancakes taste so-so.
➢ They grew tired of listening to the lecture, so they fell asleep and laid
their heads on the desk.
➢ You have to remain focused on the task at hand.
6.7 Adjectives occurring after nouns

In most cases, the adjective either occurs before the noun or after. If it occurs
before the noun, it is called attributive position. If it is after the noun, it is in
the predicative position.
In the attributive position, the adjective is placed before the noun:
➢ He is a kind teacher.
➢ They were well-behaved children.
In the predicative position, the adjective is after the noun (and the verb):
➢ The children were well-behaved.
➢ The teacher is kind.

Attributive adjectives generally are before the nouns. However, some of them
are used after nouns. This is in the case of many formal titles of people.
For example:
➢ Attorney General
➢ Poet Laureate
➢ Court Martial
➢ Secretary General

There are some adjectives that end with -able/-ible that can be used after the
nouns:
➢ This is the only time available in my schedule.
➢ It is the only way possible.

Also, adjectives can be used after words such as anything, everything,

nothing, anywhere, something, etc.
➢ I want to read something exciting.
➢ He would like to visit somewhere exotic.
 ➢ I watched something interesting on TV today.
➢ I listened to something great on the radio.
➢ I want you to meet someone special someday.

In the case of measurement, adjectives will go after the noun that is being
measured:
For example:
➢ fifteen years younger
➢ three feet deep
➢ four miles long

In the case of objects in the sentence, the adjective can appear following that
object.
➢ The teacher makes the class fun.
➢ Jane makes him happy.
6.8 Exercise: Adjective Word Order

Put the words in order from the following sentences.

1. deep / feet / was / pool / the / six

2. sister / to / I / my / school / had / for / ready / get
3. tasted / porridge / this / delicious
4. the / coffee / smelled / good / so
5. sunset / appeared / the / in / the / evening / sky / red
6. read / interesting / something / Internet / you / on / the / did
7. passed / the / recently / Nations / former / the / Secretary / of /
General / away / United
8. he / is / a / good / teacher
9. the / was / wall / beautiful / very
10. the / furniture / new / looks / great
11. show / new / popular / the / amazing / became /
television
12. judge / they / quick / were / to
13. friendly / was / man / the / elderly
14. things / there / to / many / are / learn
15. she / is / well
16. it / deadly / a / disease / is
17. orderly / very / the / was / desk
18. of / I / know / girl / to / the / lovely / wanted / the
/ name
19. saw / she / the / on / Broadway / amazing / play
20. gowns / the / ceremony / wore / we / beautiful /
graduation / at
Answers to Exercise 6.8:

1. The pool was six feet deep.

2. I had to get my sister ready for school.
3. This porridge tasted delicious.
4. The coffee smelled so good.
5. The red sunset appeared in the evening sky.
6. Did you read something interesting on the Internet?
7. The former Secretary General of the United Nations recently
passed away.
8. He is a good teacher.
9. The wall was very beautiful.
10. The new furniture looks great.
11. The amazing new television show became
popular.
12. They were quick to judge.
13. The elderly man was friendly.
14. There are many things to learn.
15. Is she well?
16. It is a deadly disease.
17. The desk was very orderly.
18. I wanted to know the name of the lovely girl.
19. She saw the amazing play on Broadway.
20. We wore beautiful gowns at the graduation
ceremony.
6.9 Adjectives and adverbs

Remember that an adjective is a word that typically modifies and

describes a noun or noun phrase. An adverb is also a describing word.
While an adjective describes a noun or pronoun, the adverb describes the
adjective, verb, or other adverb. Let's explain more about the difference
between these two types of words and how to use them in a sentence.
Similarities: Both adjectives and adverbs modify or describe other words.
For example:
➢ Adjective: The slow turtle walked the course.
➢ Adverb: The turtle walked slowly.
In many cases, we assume that adverbs will be followed by “-ly.” For
example, there are a few adjectives that use “-ly.”: silly, unfriendly, costly,
elderly, and likely. This is the case in many situations, but you cannot make
a rule for all cases.
It is important that we identify how adjectives and adverbs are used in a
sentence. Why do we use them?
• An adjective is used to describe a pronoun or noun.
• Adverbs are used to describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.
Examples:
• She is a beautiful, athletic dancer. (“beautiful” and “athletic” modify
“dancer” and are adjectives)
• She dances gorgeously. (“gorgeously” modifies the verb “dance” and is
an adverb)

Use the table below to help you determine if it is an adverb or adjective.

Modifier Purpose Example
adjective describe pronouns She was happy
adjective describe noun The frustrated bus driver ran a stop
sign
 adverb describe adjectives The child was very sad
adverb describe adverbs He walked very quickly

So, let’s check your understanding of this selection.

Exercise 6.9: Identifying Adjectives and Adverbs

Identify the adverbs and adjectives with the underlined words.

1. They left the party quickly.
2. He was quick to judge others.
3. We met many friendly people at the gathering.
4. She was a lovely person, who spoke well of her friends.
5. Are you well?
6. The room was a disorderly mess.
7. The cake was simply heavenly.
8. Eating too many sweets is a deadly habit.
9. We have to watch the consumption of many things.
10. The elderly man was not very kind.
Answers to Exercise 6.9:

1. They left the party quickly. (Adverb)

It modifies the verb “left.”
2. He was quick to judge others. (Adjective)
It modifies the pronoun “he.”
3. We met many friendly people at the gathering. (“many”: adjective;
“friendly”: adjective)
These two words are adjectives because they modify the noun, “people.”
4. She was a lovely person, who spoke well of her friends. (“lovely”:
adjective; “well”: adverb)
“Lovely” is an adjective. Although it ends with “-ly,” it is an adjective and
modifies the word, “person.” The word “well” is an adverb because it
modifies the verb “speak.”
5. Are you well? (Adjective)
This is a different use of the word “well,” and it is an adjective here, because
it modifies the pronoun, “you,” to describe the state of the person in question.
6. The room was a disorderly mess. (Adjective)
Although disorderly has “-ly,” here it is an adjective to describe the noun
“mess.”
7. The cake was simply heavenly. (“simply”: adverb; “heavenly”:
adjective)
In this sentence, the word “simply” is an adverb to describe the adjective
“heavenly,” and “heavenly” is an adjective to describe the noun “the cake.”)
8. Eating too many sweets is a deadly habit. (“many”: adjective; “deadly”:
adjective)
These adjectives describe the nouns in the sentence.
9. We have to watch the consumption of many things. (Adjective)
“Many” indicates a quantity and is an adjective in this sentence.
10. The elderly man was not very kind. (“elderly”: adjective; “kind”:
adjective)
Although “elderly” ends in “-ly,” it is adjective that has the same meaning as
“old.” And “kind” is an adjective, as well.
Chapter 7: Adverbs
Definition of an adverb: An adverb is a modifier that describes a verb,
clause, adjective, or another adverb.
This excludes determiners and adjectives, which are modifiers of nouns. In a
sentence, the adverb is going to answer questions such as how, where, and
when, and in what way. In many cases, we can identify an adverb in the
sentence, because “-ly” follows the word. However, as we have mentioned
above, there are many cases where the adverb will have a different form, and
it is important to note these exceptions.
Here are some basic rules for the usage of adverbs in a sentence. There are a
number of exceptions to these rules, but it is important to bear in mind that
adverbs always are used to modify verbs. They always add a descriptive
detail to a verb, which enables a person to see in their mind what is going on
in the sentence.
• The young child walked. (You can see in your head a child walking but
there is not enough information to visualize the scene.)
• The young child walked happily. (Here you can see a young child
walking while laughing, smiling and with positive energy. You can also
add more detail in your description to make the image stronger.)
There are different types of adverbs that answer various kinds of questions.

7.1 Adverbs of frequency

These adverbs describe how often an event happens. They answer the
question, “When?”. Here are some examples of these adverbs: sometimes,
always, never, occasionally, frequently, etc. Adverbs of frequency enable a
person to see the habitual action of the person in question.
➢ She always puts on makeup before going out.
Exercise 7.1: Adverbs of Frequency

1. ______________, I take a long walk by myself in the woods.

a. Never
b. Sometimes
c. Always
2. He _____________ goes to school late, so his teacher is_________ angry
with him.

a. Never; always
b. Sometimes; always
c. Always; always
3. They_________ go to see a movie, but most of the time, they stay at home
and read.

a. Never
b. Occasionally
c. Always
4. James ___________ goes to baseball games, so he usually sees his
favorite players.

a. Never
b. Occasionally
c. Often
5. I ____________ attend basketball games, because I don’t like the sport.

a. Never
b. Occasionally
c. Often
Answers to Exercise 7.1:

1. Sometimes, I take a long walk by myself in the woods.

b. Sometimes
Explanation of the answer: Sometimes is the only word on this list that would
appear at the beginning of the sentence. However, an example of where
Never could appear at the beginning of the sentence is: “Never have I
ever…”
2. He always goes to school late, so his teacher is always angry with him.
c. Always; always
Explanation of the answer: This is a question of logic and consistency. If the
child is always late to school, his teacher will always be angry with him.
3. They occasionally go to see a movie, but most of the time, they stay at
home and read.
b. Occasionally
Explanation of the answer: This is also a question of logic and consistency. If
they go occasionally to the movie, then the conjunction “but” indicates an
exception to this rule and a contrast.
4. James often goes to baseball games, so he usually sees his favorite
players.
c. Often
Explanation of the answer: This is an adverb of frequency and also
corresponds with the usual sighting of favorite players.
5. I never attend basketball games, because I don’t like the sport.
a. Never
Explanation of the answer: The coordinating conjunction "because" is a
continuation of the logic of the sentence. Because the person never attends
basketball games, it is an assumption he or she doesn’t like the sport. There is
a cause and effect relationship.
7.2 Adverbs of manner

These adverbs explain how the action is completed.

➢ The time passed slowly as they were waiting in line.
➢ The students studied hard for their test.
➢ The man hurriedly went to the store to buy milk and bread before the
storm.
➢ The woman can sing very well.
Looking through these examples, it is clear that adverbs have different forms.
A few of them require “-ly," while the others are a bit different. “Hard” can
be used as an adverb when following a verb and “well” never requires “-ly."
These are adverbs that you will have to memorize and use in all cases.

Exercise 7.2: Adverbs of Manner

1. During summer, the sun shines __________, and it is ____________

hot.

a. Brightly, scorching
b. Brightly, freezing
c. Dimly, scorching
d. Dimly, steaming
2. The child frowned ___________ when he didn’t get his way.

a. Cheerfully
b. Excitedly
c. Pitifully
d. Loudly
3. After the concert, the audience clapped _____________.
 a. Pitifully
b. Angrily
c. Sadly
d. Loudly
4. ______________ was the first day of school.

a. Now
b. Heavily
c. Last night
d. Yesterday
Answers to Exercise 7.2:

1. During summer, the sun shines brightly and it is scorching hot.

a. Brightly, scorching
Explanation of the answer: Clearly, in this case, brightly corresponds with the
verb “shine” and scorching corresponds with “hot.” They answer the question
of “how” and are adverbs of manner.
2. The child frowned pitifully when he didn’t get his way.
c. Pitifully
Explanation of the answer: Pitifully is used in this case to modify the verb
frowned. It could not be cheerful or excited. And also, a person cannot frown
loudly.
3. After the concert, the audience clapped loudly.
d. Loudly
Explanation of the answer: Applause (clapping) makes a lot of noise and thus
it should be loudly.
4. Yesterday was the first day of school.
d. Yesterday
7.3 Adverbs of conjunction

Adverbs that serve as conjunctions are ones that answer the question of
why an event or action occurs. Examples include: because, so, in order to,
and since.
➢ I was extremely tired, so I went home and slept early.
➢ Because I was early, I was able to relax and grab a cup of steaming
hot, black, and strong coffee.
➢ Since you’re here, you can help me with the household chores.

Exercise 7.3: Adverbs of Conjunction

1. I thought you were angry at me, _________ you threw down your books.

a. But
b. Because
c. So that
2. You have to do your homework, ____________ you can receive a good
grade.

a. But
b. Because
c. So
3. He was a quiet, ____________ an innovative young man.

a. But
b. Because
c. So
4. It was hot outside. _______________, the air was comfortable.
 a. But
b. However
c. So
5. She was a very curious girl, ______________ she got into trouble a lot.

a. But
b. However
c. So
Answers to Exercise 7.3:

1. I thought you were angry at me, because you threw down your books.
b. Because
2. You have to do your homework, so you can receive a good grade.
c. So
3. He was a quiet, but an innovative young man.
a. But
4. It was hot outside. However, the air was comfortable.
b. However
5. She was a very curious girl, so she got into trouble a lot.
c. So
7.4 Adverbs of time

These adverbs indicate when an event occurs and are placed at the end of
a sentence. Here are some examples of these adverbs:
➢ I saw the movie yesterday.
➢ We will go to Busan tomorrow morning.
➢ I attended the University of Pennsylvania two years ago.
To put emphasis on the action or event that occurs in a sentence, the adverb
of time can be put at the beginning of the sentence:
➢ Today, we are going to learn about how to write an essay.
➢ Friday, the 23rd of July will be the last day of school.
➢ 2067 is going to be the best year ever.

Exercise 7.4: Adverbs of Time

1. We will see our friends again ________________.

a. Last year
b. Yesterday
c. Next week
2. ______________was Jason’s birthday.

a. Last year
b. Yesterday
c. Next week
3. ______________, we went to Cancun for our vacation.

a. Last year
 b. Today
c. Next week
4. ___________ will be the last day to drop a class from your schedule.

a. Last year
b. Yesterday
c. Today
5. There is no better than time than ____________to get your next purchase
of an iPad.

a. Last year
b. Yesterday
c. Now
Answers to Exercise 7.4:

1. We will see our friends again next week.

c. Next week
Explanation of the answer: Both a and b point to the past; whereas, c points
to the future. The sentence is written in future simple and thus, next week is
the most logical of choices.
2. Yesterday was Jason’s birthday.
b. Yesterday
The use of the past simple in this sentence and the logic of the sentence make
the answer, yesterday.
3. Last year, we went to Cancun for our vacation.
a. Last year
The use of the past simple in this sentence in this sentence and the logic of
the sentence make the answer, last year. Yesterday is a possible answer.
However, it makes more sense for it to point to last year, as the duration
would have been much longer.
4. Today will be the last day to drop a class from your schedule.
c. Today
The use of the future simple in this sentence connects this sentence to answer
c, because it uses the present. And there is clearly an easier relationship
between the present and the future and a sequential relationship within the
sentence.
5. There's no better than time than now to get your next purchase of an iPad.
c. Now
It is a very common expression to say “there is no better time than now,” and
the logic of the sentence points to the present in this sentence.
7.5 Adverbs of place

These adverbs explain where an action happens. They include the cardinal
directions.
➢ Boston is located north of New York City.
➢ They went homeward with hungry bellies.
➢ You have to first go there, and then you can come back here to
finish.

Adverbs of location can also come from prepositions when they modify a
verb:
➢ Atlanta is located south of Knoxville.
➢ The young men went over the street on the footbridge.
➢ We wanted to walk around the park.

Adverbs can also function as place-markers to indicate the distance between

objects:
➢ The teacher’s house was far from his school.
➢ He was sitting right next to me.

In addition, prepositional phrases can function as adverbs to indicate where

an object is within a physical space:
➢ The Catacombs in Paris lie under the streets of the city.
➢ The baby sleeps in the crib.
➢ The girl was standing on her chair to see the picture.
Exercise 7.5: Mixed Adverbs

Fill in the blank the correct adverb from the two choices.

1. Jim isn’t just a good baseball player. He’s __________ amazing.

(absolutely/very)
2. The young student is __________ lazy and rarely does his
homework. (absolutely/very)
3. Jenny lives a ___________ busy life. (not so/quite)
4. Frank sings _________well. (absolutely/fairly)
5. The Mona Lisa is __________ well-known. (absolutely/very)
6. Timothy is a __________ talented young musician.
(completely/highly)
7. France is a ________ great country. (really/very)
8. The elderly couple is _________ nice. (really/absolutely)
9. The actress looked _______ stunning at the Oscars. (a
bit/absolutely)
10. It was__________ hot this evening. (remarkably/blistering)
11. The wedding was _______ wonderful. (absolutely/extremely)
12. Dolly Parton is a great person and she sings very ______.
(well/good)
13. __________, I ride the subway to work. (Never/sometimes)
14. The baseball team played _______ yesterday and lost the game.
(well/badly)
15. London is a ___________fascinating place to visit. (a bit/rather)
16. The Empire State Building is an ___________ tall building.
(absolutely/extremely)
17. They finished their test _________ exhausted. (a bit/totally)
18. The mouse is __________ the floor. (on/in)
19. You can find the safety mask ________ your seat. (on/above)
20. Let’s walk together _________to the market. (above/down)
Answers to Exercise 7.5:

1. Jim isn’t just a good baseball player. He’s absolutely amazing.

2. The young student is very lazy and rarely does his homework.
3. Jenny lives a quite busy life.
4. Frank sings fairly well.
5. The Mona Lisa is very well-known.
6. Timothy is a highly talented young musician.
7. France is a really great country.
8. The elderly couple is really nice.
9. The actress looked absolutely stunning at the Oscars.
10. It was blistering hot this evening.
11. The wedding was absolutely wonderful.
12. Dolly Parton is a great person and she sings very well.
13. Sometimes, I ride the subway to work.
14. The baseball team played badly yesterday and lost the game.
15. London is a rather fascinating place to visit.
16. The Empire State Building is an extremely tall building.
17. They finished their test totally exhausted.
18. The mouse is on the floor.
19. You can find the safety mask above your seat.
20. Let’s walk together down to the market.
7.6 Word order and adverbs

There is no fixed rule for where adverbs are placed within a sentence. In
most cases, the adverb will appear before the word that it modifies.
However, in other cases, it will be after the adjective or adverb.
➢ The test was really hard. (“Really” modifies the word “hard.”)
➢ They attend orchestra concerts pretty frequently. (“Pretty” modifies
the adverb “frequently.”)
➢ It was quite cold last winter. (“Quite” modifies the adjective “cold.”)

Order of the Adverbs in a Sentence:

There might be a group of adverbs that appear in a sentence, so you have to
know which one will appear first and second, etc. in the sentence. Here is the
order that you should follow when putting them together.
Order Relation Examples
1 Manner Well, hard, slowly, very, really
2 Place South of, far from, here, around
3 Frequency
4 Sometimes, always, never
Time
5 Yesterday morning, tomorrow, 10 years ago
Conjunction
Since, because, so, in order to

Look at the following:

➢ He carefully(1) checks the weather forecast every(2) morning
before(3) going to work, so(4) that he can decide what clothes he will
wear.
In this sentence, (1) is an adverb of manner, (2) is an adverb of frequency, (3)
is an adverb of time, and (4) is an adverb of conjunction, occurring at the
end.

Let’s look at some more examples of adverbs in a sentence:

➢ He ran swiftly to the bus stop.
➢ Occasionally, we see each other on the way to school.
➢ He is really careless sometimes.
➢ It is just down the street from where they live.
Exercise 7.6: Word Order with Adverbs

1. quietly / down / the / walked / corridor / they

2. the / him / subway / yesterday / saw / I / on
3. now / next / the / attention / draw / me / your / let / to / slide
4. am / about / really / excited / the / I / concert
5. from / away / here / is / far / it
6. live / work / you / do / to / close / your
7. on / desk / is / laptop / the / the
8. and / other / items / your / are / your / room / books / I
9. the / up / the / floor / pick / trash / on
10. come / over / here / fast
11. go / seat / the / to / said / teacher / your / quietly
12. it's / here / the / up / road / from
13. please / down / next / come / Atlanta / to / week
14. Lee / eats / Jamie / breakfast / always
15. every / a / I / hot / steaming / day / cup / of / coffee / drink
Answers to Exercise 7.6

1. They walked quietly down the corridor.

2. I saw him yesterday on the subway.
3. Let me draw your attention now to the next slide.
4. I am really excited about the concert.
5. It is far away from here.
6. Do you live close to your work?
7. The laptop is on the desk.
8. Your books and other items are in your room.
9. Pick up the trash on the floor.
10. Come fast over here.
11. Go to your seat quietly, said the teacher.
12. It's up the road from here.
13. Please come down to Atlanta next week.
14. Jamie Lee always eats breakfast.
15. Every day, I drink a cup of steaming hot coffee.
Chapter 8: Prepositions

8.1 What is a preposition?

Prepositions are words that describe relationships between the persons,

places, or things—nouns and pronouns—within the sentence. While
subjects and verbs can work together to create complete sentences, words like
“on,” “within,” and “at” provide additional information to enhance the basic
information. In most cases, prepositions don’t appear as single words in a
sentence. Rather, they form prepositional phrases, in which a preposition
and an object of the preposition combine.
What are some common prepositions? “On,” “from,” “at,” “in,” “with,” and
“to” are just some of English’s frequently used prepositions.
Look at the following example of how prepositions are used, and observe
how many can be used just in a simple description of a student at a table in
the library.
The student is sitting at the table. He is sitting on a chair and behind a row
of different books on the shelf. There is another student who is sitting beside
him, working on a doctoral dissertation. While looking for a book, he
clumsily bumped into the table and walked up to his chair. He sat up in his
chair and worked on his computer on a paper that was due at midnight that
day. He is feeling a bit anxious, because he hasn’t started working on it yet.
But with his fingers poised on his computer keyboard, he is ready to write
this paper and get it turned in. With a coffee in his hand, he commits himself
to the task of writing and resumes his work.
In this descriptive paragraph, all the prepositions have been highlighted in
bold and underlined. These prepositions serve to show space and time.
However, there are many other prepositions, including some that occur for
comparisons, such as “unlike” or “as.”
Ending a sentence with a preposition should be avoided in English. For
example, a person should not write the sentence: "I don't know where you're
calling from." You could correct the sentence with, "I don't know from where
you are calling." But it is a bit awkward. Another way to correctly write this
sentence would be, “From where are you calling?” It is grammatically
correct and flows more easily than the first option.
8.2 Position in the sentence

Many sentences in the English language will have prepositions. Prepositions

are usually placed after an adjectival or adverbial phrase, verb, or after
the direct object of a verb.
(In the samples below, the phrase is underlined and the preposition is
highlighted in bold.)

After an adjectival or adverbial phrase:

(Note that in the first and third examples, the adjective is a past tense form of
a verb. This is one way of forming adjectives in English.)
➢ The man with a tall hat was accused of stealing bread.
➢ He is not so sure about that.
➢ New York is known for its theatre district, Broadway.
➢ I will be away from the computer for a while. (“away” is an adverb
here)
After a verb:
➢ The girl nagged at her sister.
➢ I believe in the pursuit of happiness.
➢ The university student dreams of becoming a teacher.
➢ The window shattered into a thousand pieces.
After the direct object of a transitive verb:
➢ I’m going to add something to the list.
➢ The witch turned the prince into a frog.
➢ The girl bought milk and bread from the store.
➢ The young man forgives her for cheating on him.

The order of prepositional phrases:

A preposition is usually followed by a noun phrase. The result is a
prepositional phrase. In most cases, they occur at the end of the sentence. It is
possible, though not as common, for a prepositional phrase to appear at the
beginning or middle of a sentence. The context of the sentence matters.
➢ The ball fell to the ground.
➢ The girl threw her paper on the floor.
➢ To go to the metro station, you have to walk up the street.
➢ The sun rises in the east.
➢ For whom is this book written?
➢ This is the building in which you can find a library, café, and
multiple office complexes.
➢ It is hard to live with siblings who annoy you a lot.
➢ I can’t remember his name off the top of my head.

Rules for prepositions:

You can generally use prepositions anywhere in a sentence. However, it is

best to avoid placing them as the last word of the sentence. A preposition at
the end of the sentence leaves the sentence hanging or suspended. This is not
an appropriate way of writing because prepositions need to have a noun or an
object after them. For example, don’t say, “That was the room where I put
my clothes on.” Likewise, it is incorrect to write, “They're the people we’re
going with.”
On the other hand, it is acceptable, when using a phrasal verb, to put the
preposition at the end of the sentence. For example, “I turned the computer
on.” But it would be better to say, “I turned on the computer,” because you’re
placing the modifier before the noun or direct object. The preposition “on”
has meaning that is connected to the verb “turned,” so it makes sense to keep
the two next to one another in the sentence. This is good form when it comes
to an acceptable writing style.
Nouns or pronouns need to go after the preposition (or adjectives acting like
nouns, called “substantives”). But you do not want to have a verb go
afterwards in most cases, except in one case that we mention below.
Here are some cases:
➢ I was waiting for Amy to get out of her class. → Correct. In this
sentence, “waiting for” modifies Amy, which is the object of the
preposition. Therefore, it is a correct sentence.
➢ I was waiting for get out of her class. → In this case, a verb follows
the preposition, so this sentence is not correct.
On the other hand, the object of the preposition can be a verb, if the verb is a
gerund. For example:
➢ This marker is for writing on a whiteboard.
The preposition, “for,” is used to modify the gerund, “writing,” which is a
verbal form that functions as a noun in a sentence.
Exercise 8.2: Placement of Prepositions

Correct the following forms with the right placement of the preposition:
1. I am writing this letter to who?
2. To the ground, the balloon fell.
3. With him, I am going.
4. Without it, I can do.
5. Over the fence, it went.
6. Running all over, it was.
7. Facing you, it was.
8. To see, I want.
9. Experience satisfied I was with that.
Answers to Exercise 8.2:

1. To whom am I writing this letter?

2. The balloon fell to the ground.
3. I am going with him.
4. I can do without it.
5. It went over the fence.
6. It was running all over.
7. It was facing you.
8. I want to see.
9. I was satisfied with that experience.

These sentences provide a sample of the standard word order for

prepositions. Clearly, there is more than one way to use a preposition in a
sentence. A standard word order is that the preposition will follow the verb.
But in the case of the question, it precedes the verb. These are natural-
sounding sentences that you would hear in everyday life. With some
languages, the preposition belongs at the beginning of the sentence, but with
English, usually, the prepositional phrase is at the end of a sentence.
Remember our basic structure for English sentences:
subject + verb + other information (prepositional phrases)
8.3 Questions and prepositions

Questions with prepositions at the end of the sentence can be a challenge for
second language learners. Some questions in English have a preposition at
the end of the sentence. For example:
➢ Where are you from?
➢ What are you waiting for?

Rule: In the case of “wh-” questions such as “who”, “what”, “when”, and
“where”, we use the preposition at the end of the sentence.

Examples of prepositions at the end of the sentence:

1. What project are you working on?

2. What is the meeting about?
3. Which university did she go to?
4. Who are they looking at?
5. What are you talking about?
6. Where did Jason go to?
7. Which candidate did you vote for?
8. Who is Amy sitting with?
So, if you're using these kinds of questions, you will be able to put the
preposition after the clause or end of the sentence. Let's practice with this
kind of situation. Do the following exercise:
Exercise 8.3: Prepositions in Questions

Put the questions in order.

1. in / they / are / what / group
2. movie / the / was / by / who / directed
3. Jimmy / looking / was / who / at
4. the / couple / is / young / where / from
5. where / is / Sheila / at
6. about / are / who / talking / you
7. you / what / are / thinking / about
8. dreamed / I / trees / about
9. to / we / going / where / are
10. will / arrive / about / at / what / we / time
Answers to Exercise 8.3:

1. What group are they in?

Explanation: This is a wh- question, so the preposition can occur at the
end of the clause.

2. Who was the movie directed by?

3. Who was looking at Jimmy?
4. Where is the young couple from?
5. Where is Sheila at?
6. Who are you talking about?
7. What are you thinking about?
8. I dreamed about trees.
9. Where are we going to?
10. At about what time will we arrive?
Explanation: In this case, the preposition can happen at the beginning
of the sentence to show a certain level of formality. It is still correct to
put the preposition at the end, but it sounds less polished.

To sum up, it is easy to see that prepositions can occur at the end of a
sentence when there is a “wh-” question. However, the “wh-” question
“why” or a “how” question would not use a preposition. It is important to
memorize the kinds of questions to use with a preposition at the end of the
sentence.
In addition, it is worth noting that prepositions at the end of the sentence or
question indicate an informal way of speaking. Generally, in formal
writing, you wouldn’t put a preposition at the end of a question or
sentence. You would work to avoid this kind of situation.
For example, you would say: “To whom are you writing the letter?” in a
formal writing situation. You would avoid saying, “Whom are you writing
to?” But, if you are speaking to someone, it would be totally acceptable to
use the latter form.
8.4 Prepositions and the passive voice[4]:

When changing your expression from an active voice to passive voice, you
will often add a preposition to properly describe the verb’s action.
You form the passive by using the present or past simple of the verb “to be”
and then adding the action verb's past participle. The preposition then
becomes a way to properly express the subject’s and object’s relationship to
the action of the verb.
Usually, the passive voice is not a form that is recommended in written
language. (But you may have noticed that we just used one there: “that is
recommended.”) The active voice is usually better because it lends a strong,
assertive tone to your writing. When a writer uses the passive voice correctly,
it often highlights the subject of the passive verb.
Where the passive voice is used, it is written like the following examples.
Examples:
Active Voice Passive Voice
Woody Allen directed the movie, The movie, “Annie Hall,” was
“Annie Hall.” directed by Woody Allen.
Celine Dion sang “My Heart Will The song, “My Heart Will Go On”
Go On” for the movie, “Titanic.” was sung by Celine Dion.
Jean Craighead George wrote “My The book “My Side of the
Side of the Mountain.” Mountain” was written by Jean
Craighead George.
They sought after this actor. The actor was much sought after.
They looked after the child, who The child needed to be looked after.
needed care.

Exercise 8.4: Word Order with the Passive Voice

What is the proper word order of the following sentences written in passive
voice?
1. by / “Gone with the Wind” / was / Margaret Mitchell / the / written / book
2. actor / a / directed / is / by / famous / the / movie
3. letter / the / to / the / addressed / was / President.
4. driver / good / the / by / a / was / bus / driven
5. Carmen / was / California / in / born / San Marino
6. talent / for / an / innate / writing / born / was / with / reading / and / he
7. lot / was / with / told / of / the / story / passion / a
8. was / told / to / child / be / the / quiet
9. in / poised / a / position / he / fixed / is
10. articles / journal / many / has / written / Elizabeth
Answers to Exercise 8.4:

1. The book "Gone with the Wind" was written by Margaret

Mitchell.
2. The movie is directed by a famous actor.
3. The letter was addressed to the President.
4. The bus was driven by a good driver.
5. Carmen was born in San Marino, California.
6. He was born with an innate talent for reading and writing.
7. The story was told with a lot of passion.
8. The child was told to be quiet.
9. He is poised in a fixed position.
10. Elizabeth has written many journal articles.
8.5 Prepositions in infinitive structures

The word “to” can be used before a verb to indicate an infinitive. When it
is used as an infinitive form of the verb, it can be presented in the following
case:
➢ I look forward to seeing you soon. In this case, “look forward to” is
followed by the verb+ing, which is the form that is used most often.
There is a rule to find out if the “to” is used as a preposition or as an
infinitive form. If there is a verb form that goes after the preposition,
then it is used as an infinitive (or gerund). If a noun phrase goes
afterward, then it is used as a preposition.
Examples:
➢ I used to go to the gym, but now I don’t. --> In this case, “to go” is
used as an infinitive phrase.
➢ I am used to self-study now. In this case, “to” is used as a preposition,
because there is a noun that comes after it.
Other examples:
➢ I am looking forward to your birthday party. → This “to” is used as a
preposition, because the noun comes after the preposition.
➢ I am looking forward to seeing you at your birthday party. →
Because the verb after the preposition, it is used as a gerund form.

Additionally, prepositions can be used with the simple future. See the
following examples:
➢ I want to go to see a movie on Friday.
➢ We are going to talk to your teacher tomorrow.
➢ I am going to play the violin this afternoon.
➢ They are going to eat at a Taiwanese restaurant this evening.
➢ Nick is going to study for his test this weekend.
Exercise 8.5: Word Order with Infinitives

Put the words in order in the following sentences.

1. your / forward / reading / latest / I / novel / look / to / graphic
2. to / am / teacher / to / have / your / I / talk / to / going
3. movie / see / go / are / they / a / going / to
4. to / teach / used / I / classes / ESL
5. I / to / writing / essays / am / used / long
6. to / is / he / it / used
7. evenings / Tim / matches / Thursday / used / soccer / attend / to / on
8. he / every / forward / looks / to / day / school
9. smoke / used / now / cigarettes / doesn't / James / but / to / he
10. these / lectures / to / used / is / fast / Kelly
Answers to Exercise 8.5:

1. I look forward to reading your latest graphic novel.

2. I am going to have to talk to your teacher.
3. They are going to go see a movie.
4. I used to teach ESL classes.
5. I am used to writing long essays.
6. He is used to it.
7. Tim used to attend soccer matches on Thursday evenings.
8. He looks forward to school every day.
9. James used to smoke cigarettes but now he doesn't.
10. Kelly is used to these fast lectures.
Chapter 9: Multiple-Clause Sentences

Introduction

There are four different types of sentences: simple, compound, complex,

and compound-complex sentences. Most sentences written in English have
a simple structure, but there are many that are complex. Simple structures
are used in everyday speech and writing. Complex structures are
expressed in more formal speaking and writing.
There are certain features to each of these types of sentences. First, the three
types of sentences have two kinds of clauses: independent and dependent
clauses. A simple sentence always has just one clause; a complex sentence
has an independent and dependent clause.
What's the difference between the two clauses? An independent clause
represents a complete, standalone thought. A dependent clause is an
incomplete thought which requires an independent clause to function.
Otherwise, the sentence would not be a sentence. In what follows, we will
explain the four kinds of sentences in detail and provide examples and
exercises for you to practice what you learn.

9.1 Simple sentences

A simple sentence is a sentence with one independent clause. Independent

clauses are standalone parts of a sentence that express a complete thought.
There are important characteristics to be included in a simple sentence.

1. A subject and verb must be in the sentence. This is always

crucial to having a complete simple sentence. The sentence needs
to have at least one subject and verb.
2. It must express a complete and closed thought. Because it is a
complete thought, the sentence is standalone and does not require
 another clause to support it.
3. It must also have only one independent clause. Simple sentences
are only allowed to have one simple clause that can stand by itself
without any kind of support.
Let’s look at some examples of simple sentences:
➢ Jennifer went to school today.
➢ This cake tastes delicious.
➢ Look up at the board.
➢ There are a lot of Australian people in this café.
➢ Could I have a Coca-Cola, please?
➢ We are going on vacation next week.
➢ The two girls are going to a dance lesson tonight.
➢ Would you please tell me your name?
➢ The light is extremely bright for my eyes.
➢ How many times do I have to say that?
9.2 Compound sentences

Compound sentences are formed by joining together two independent

clauses. They are simple sentences with two combined independent clauses.
This type of sentence is very useful for your writing because it enables you to
be more descriptive and creative with your sentences. When you write using
compound sentences, there are some rules that you need to follow.
First, the compound sentence is formed with two standalone phrases. So,
the two clauses are complete thoughts but connect to one single idea. Each of
those standalone phrases is an independent clause, and they are joined using
coordinating conjunctions or certain types of punctuation.
There are seven coordinating conjunctions that form compound sentences:
but, nor, and, or, for, so, yet
In all of these cases, a comma is required before the coordinating
conjunction to form the compound sentence. When the second idea in the
sentence is closely related to the first idea, a semi-colon (;) can be used.
When the second independent clause explains or expands the first idea, a
colon (:) can be used.
Example:
➢ I’m looking forward to going to your graduation this evening ; it’s
going to be awesome.
Let’s look at some examples of compound sentences that are connected by
the coordinating conjunctions:
➢ Andrea loves to swim, and she is going to the swimming pool on
Thursday.

“Andrea loves to swim” is the first independent clause, and

“Andrea” is the subject while “loves” is the verb. There is a
complete thought here.
The second independent clause is “she is going to the
swimming pool on Thursday,” where “she” is the subject and
“is going” is the action. There is a complete thought in this
sentence.
 Either of these independent clauses could stand alone as a
simple sentence.
➢ It is a difficult task to write essays, for there are many rules and
guidelines you must follow.

“It is a difficult task to write essays,” is the first independent

clause. “It” is the subject and “is” is the stative verb connecting
the ideas. “For” functions as the coordinating conjunction.
“There are many rules and guidelines…” is the second
independent clause here.
➢ Tom will attend the baseball game, or he will go to a café and work
on his paper.

“Tom will attend…” is the independent clause with “Tom” as

the subject and “will attend” is the action verb. So, a complete
thought is expressed. The two independent clauses are joined
by “or.” “He will go to a café and work on his paper” is the
second independent clause.
➢ I am very gifted in singing, but I do not like to sing in front of other
people.

“I am gifted in singing” is the first independent clause. Its

subject is the pronoun, “I” and “am” is the verb. There is a
complete thought here. The coordinating conjunction used is
“but.” “I do not like to sing…” is the second independent
clause which has a subject and verb, as well.
Exercise 9.2: Compound Sentences

Put the words in order in the following sentences.

1. like / but / I / I / am / talented / front / of / piano / to / player / play / a / in /
don't / others
2. yet / playing / are / it / their / is / outside / t-shirts / cold / children / in / the
3. cafe / Europe / to / going / like / study / history / to / about / to / and / I / of
/ the / I / a / read / am
4. he / he / arrive / arrive / today / tomorrow / or / will / will
5. I / to / so / go / will / outside / I / want / stay / at / don't / today / home
6. to / and / movies / together / go / the / see / he / will / both / will / you /
you / tomorrow
7. and / you / I / go / I / tired / out / exercise / but / to / know / want / you're
Answers to Exercise 9.2

1. I am a talented piano player, but I don't like to play in front of

others.
2. It is cold outside, yet the children are playing in their t-shirts.
3. I like to study, and I am going to a cafe to read about the history of
Europe.
4. He will arrive today, or he will arrive tomorrow.
5. I don't want to go outside today, so I will stay at home.
6. He will see you tomorrow, and you will both go to the movies
together.
7. I know you're tired, but I want you to go out and exercise.
You should note that when you’re able to find two complete ideas with a
subject and verb, you will be able to spot one independent clause, so when
you’re putting the words together in these sentences, you can join two
different independent clauses. That is the way to form these compound
sentences.
9.3 Complex sentences

The third type of sentence is the complex sentence. Like compound

sentences, these sentences can be used to spice up your writing, so they can
be valuable. Whereas compound sentences include two independent clauses,
the complex sentence includes an independent clause and a dependent
clause.
As we have mentioned above, the independent clause does not require
another thought, because it is complete. But, a dependent clause cannot
stand by itself in a sentence. It could express a thought, but it is not
complete because it depends on an independent clause to express the
complete thought.
To understand the difference between independent clauses and dependent
clauses, let’s look at some examples.
➢ While they were watching TV, their mother was doing laundry.
Dependent clause
“While they were watching TV”: This clause contains a subject and verb,
but it does not express a complete thought because the subordinating
conjunction “while” makes the subject and verb dependent on other
information. There needs to be more information to complete the sentence.
So, it cannot stand alone and requires another part: the independent clause.
Independent Clause
“Their mother was doing laundry”: This clause contains a subject and
verb, and it expresses a complete thought. It could stand on its own as a
complete, simple sentence.
The dependent clause, “while they were watching TV”, requires further
information to reveal what else was happening at the same time (“while”).
The independent clause, “their mother was doing laundry”, supplies the
information that the subordinating conjunction, “while,” requires.

Complex sentences often begin with subordinating conjunctions such as

“because,” “although,” “since,” and many others. In those cases, the
dependent clause will often appear first in the sentence.
Some more examples of complex sentences:
➢ Because it was cold outside, I went to warm up in a café.
In this sentence, “because it was cold outside” is the dependent clause,
and it requires more information. “I went to warm up in a café” is a
complete thought and can be joined to the beginning clause to form a
complex sentence.
➢ Although I was late, my coworkers and boss were understanding.
“Although I was late” is the dependent clause that needs more
information. “My coworkers and boss were understanding” is a
complete thought that can stand alone and completes the complex
sentence.
➢ Whenever they go to the store, they always end up buying too much
stuff.
The conjunction in this sentence is “whenever,” and it indicates the
dependent clause “whenever they go to the store.” “They always end
up buying too much stuff” is the independent clause and doesn’t need
any more information to be a complete thought.
➢ I skipped my lunch since I was pressed for time.
“I skipped my lunch” is the independent clause and can stand alone. In
this sentence, “since I was pressed for time,” is a dependent clause
that requires more information due to the conjunction “since.”
Note that we have reversed the order of the clauses in this example. And
when the dependent clause comes after the independent clause, the
comma is no longer needed to separate the clauses.
Exercise 9.3: Complex Sentences

Unscramble the following sentences.

1. many / their / although / know / teachers / get / students / the / there / well
/ are / students / to
2. to / the / attend / extra / homework / class / because / couldn't / have / you /
you / do
3. the / to / you're / together / movies / since / here / go / let's
4. it's / go / to / since / 12 / pm / lunch / you / should
5. dehydrated / water / didn't / because / felt / enough / I / have / I
6. tired / late / in / she / the / because / at / morning / work / she / stayed / was
7. to / helpful / although / is / it / speak / is / resume / builder / difficult / how
/ language / learning / a / a / foreign
Answers to Exercise 9.3:

1. Although there are many students, the teachers get to know their
students well.
2. Because you couldn't attend the class, you have extra homework to
do.
3. Since you're here, let's go to the movies together.
4. Since it's 12 pm, you should go to lunch.
5. Because I didn't have enough water, I felt dehydrated.
6. Because she stayed late at work, she was tired in the morning.
7. Although it is difficult, learning how to speak a foreign language is
a helpful resume builder.
9.4 Compound-complex sentences

We have looked at the three main kinds of sentences. But there is another
kind of sentence that is called compound-complex. Compound-complex are
some of the longest and most-used constructions in writing. They combine
multiple parts of a sentence into one long string of clauses. This structure
consists of multiple clauses that require a main clause and a subordinate
clause.

Compound-complex sentences have both complex and compound

characteristics to them.
Compound-complex sentences contain at least two coordinate
clauses and one subordinate clause.

So, how do you form a compound-complex sentence? Consider the example:

➢ I like to study English, and I attend night classes at the university
because I want to improve my speaking.

In this sentence, “I like to study English” is an independent

clause that can stand alone.
“I attend night classes at the university” is also independent.
It is joined to the first independent clause by the coordinating
conjunction “and.”
The conjunction “because” introduces the third clause, a
dependent clause that relies upon the information in the second
independent clause, “I attend night classes at the
university.”
One more example:
➢ Since you are coming home on Friday, and I will be here too, we
should go out and have dinner at a restaurant.

The first clause “since you are coming home Friday” is a

dependent clause that has the conjunction “since” at the
beginning. The two following clauses: “I will be here, too”
 and “we should go out and have dinner…” are both
independent clauses.
Another example:
➢ Although it is late and you feel tired, you should study at least two
more hours because you have a test tomorrow.

Is this a compound-complex sentence? There is a dependent

clause at the beginning: “although it is late and you feel
tired.” There is also one at the end: “because you have a test
tomorrow.” In the middle lies a single independent clause:
“you should study at least two more hours.” Since there is
only one independent clause, there is no compound element to
this sentence. It is simply a complex sentence.
One final example:
➢ When I arrived at the store, I had my shopping bag in my hand, but I
had forgotten my wallet.

In this complex sentence, the dependent clause is “when I

arrived at the store.” It is dependent on the next part of the
sentence. “I had my shopping bag in my hand” is an
independent clause. And “but I had forgotten my wallet”
can function as an independent or dependent clause.
Because this type of sentence involves multiple parts, it is important that you
punctuate the sentence properly. Know where to put the commas in the
sentence. The commas will indicate the change of the clause.
Exercise 9.4: Compound-Complex Sentences

Write 3 compound-complex sentences just like the example below. Allow the
model to guide your writing.
Guide:

1. Begin with two independent clauses:

The two kids jumped up and down. It was late at night.

2. Next, combine the two independent clauses to form a compound

sentence:
The two kids jumped up and down, and it was late at night.

3. Now, add a dependent clause to your compound sentence. You

will create a compound-complex sentence:
The two kids jumped up and down because their father had come home,
and it was late at night.
There are two independent clauses in the sentence above:
“The two kids jumped up and down” is a standalone clause.
“It was late” is also a standalone clause.
“Because their father had come home” is a dependent clause and requires an
independent clause to complete the thought.
Directions: Now write your own compound-complex sentence with two
independent clauses and one dependent clause.
1._______________________________________________________________________
2._______________________________________________________________________
3._______________________________________________________________________
Chapter 10: Different Kinds of Word Order

10.1 Standard Word Order

As we have mentioned throughout this book, standard word order is

subject+verb+object. There is a correct and incorrect way of using word
order.
For example:
➢ I wrote a letter. (Correct)
➢ A letter wrote I. (Incorrect) A subject is followed by the verb and
object, as in this case. “I” is the subject and “wrote” is the verb. The
direct object is “letter.”
So, why is the standard word order this way? The subject begins the sentence,
because it tells you what the sentence is going to be about. It is made clear in
both speaking and writing. Then, the verb follows the subject to indicate the
state of being or the action. After that is the object.
➢ We eat pizza. (subject+verb+object) → (Correct)
➢ Eat we pizza. (verb+subject+object) → (Incorrect)

As we talked about in Chapter 2, questions switch the positions of the subject

and verb, as in this case:
➢ How is he doing today? (Correct)
➢ He is doing how today? (Incorrect)
10.2 Adding time to a sentence

The time markers of a sentence don't necessarily have to be in the same place
within the sentence every time. You can move the time marker to different
sections of the sentence, depending on what you want to emphasize. If you
want to emphasize that the action is happening on a particular day, you can
place it at the beginning of the sentence, especially if the action or event is
the main emphasis of the sentence.
Example:
➢ This morning, I was listening to NPR News on the radio.
➢ Today, I went to see a play at a Broadway theatre in New York.
➢ I will see you tomorrow. (NOT Tomorrow, I will see you. The first
sentence is more natural.)
➢ They will see each other next week.
➢ Yesterday, I saw my friends and had an amazing time.
10.3 Changing the verb’s position

You can modify where a verb is in a sentence, especially when you want to
connect different parts of the sentence together. For example, you can put the
verb phrase at the beginning of the sentence or at the end of the sentence. It
depends on what you want to emphasize within the sentence.
Examples:
➢ Frank was excited by his job offer.
+
He got up and ran a lap around the block.
➢ Excited by his job offer, Frank got up and ran a lap around the block.
➢ Frank got up and ran a lap around the block, excited by his job offer.

➢ Samantha wanted to go see her mother, who lived in England.

+
She saved up her money and bought a plane ticket.
➢ Samantha saved up her money and bought a plane ticket to go see her
mother, who lived in England.
➢ Samantha wanted to go see her mother, who lived in England, so she
saved up her money and bought a plane ticket.
10.4 Changing word order with prepositional
phrases

Just like with verb phrases, word order can be changed for prepositional
phrases, as well. They can be rearranged to form different patterns.
➢ We waited in line for three hours for Space Mountain at Disney World
after lunch.
This sentence emphasizes the fact that they spent three hours in line for
the attraction.
➢ After lunch, we waited in line for Space Mountain for three hours.
This sentence emphasizes that it was after lunch when the subject
waited.

➢ Before dinner, we prepared all of our things to move the next day.
➢ We prepared all of our things to move the next day, before dinner.
The first sentence sounds clearer than the second sentence; however,
both sentences would be acceptable.

There are some prepositional phrases that can be long and drawn out, such as
in literature:
➢ In an old town in a faraway land on the corner of a long and windy
street, the old man prepared to deliver the mail.
Descriptive sentences like this one are useful for literature but wouldn’t be
used in everyday language. Say: In a faraway land, in an old town, on the
corner of a long and windy street, the old man prepared to deliver the mail.
Separate the sentence with commas to set off the different prepositional
phrases. It is crucial for clarity's sake that you break up the prepositional
phrases using commas. Otherwise, the reader will become very confused and
the word combinations will be muddled and unclear.

You also want to avoid making too much modification with prepositional
phrases and adjectives or adverbs, when they are superfluous to the overall
meaning of the sentence. Limit the use of superlative forms as well as too
many emotional or opinion words, as they add too much to the sentence.
➢ It was a beautiful, sunny, warm, and gorgeous morning at the latter
end of May.
This is too cluttered and needs rearranging:
➢ It was a beautiful and warm morning at the end of May.

Prepositional phrases can either help or hurt the clarity of your writing.
Generally, it is best that you stay away from using too many superlative or
comparative adjectives that are over-the-top and add nothing but fluff and
unnecessary detail to your writing. What you really need in your writing is
more variety in your adjectives, adverbs, and other modifiers. Trying to find
the right word is something every writer has a hard time with, especially
when it comes to fiction writing. It is crucial to find the right word. If that
means using a thesaurus, then make use of it. Do your best to paint a picture
with colorful words rather than relying on adverbs such as “very” and
“really” to try to give you a clear description. It is necessary to use less of
these modifiers.
Let’s look at some more examples of cluttered sentences:
➢ He looked at me with a funny, gawky, hawk-eyed, back-biting,
piercing look.
This sentence is over-the-top with too many descriptive adjectives. The
words are descriptive but the description is excessive. It’s too much for the
reader to absorb at once. You want your writing to be descriptive but without
wordiness. Your goal is to paint a picture that readily appears in your reader’s
imagination. So, let’s make this into a nicer sentence. Limit your use of
excessive adjectives in this way:
➢ He gave me a gawky, hawk-eyed, piercing look.

Prepositions are an important part of the sentence, and it is important that we

always maintain a certain level of clarity within the sentence. Clarity and
fluidity are important parts of any kind of sentence, so please bear this in
mind when you are writing.
Exercise 10.4: Word Order with Prepositional
Phrases

Change the word order for these sentences.

1. It is quite sunny and warm at the end of June.
2. He likes to curl up and read a book and have a glass of milk at the end of
the day.
3. They like to go swimming in the summertime.
4. She is quite tired and worn out from working at night.
5. Jim enjoys playing with his cat at home on the weekend.
6. Chris feeds his dog every morning at 9am sharp.
7. The students study very hard during the semester.
8. Emily goes to the movies every Friday evening.
9. They go bar-hopping on the weekends.
10. The couple went to the café after dinner.
Answers to Exercise 10.4:

Change the word order for these sentences.

1. At the end of June, it is quite sunny and warm.
2. At the end of the day, he likes to curl up and read a book and have a glass
of milk.
3. In the summertime, they like to go swimming.
4. At night, she is quite tired and worn out from working.
5. On the weekend, Jim enjoys playing with his cat at home.
6. Every morning at 9am sharp, Chris feeds his dog.
7. During the semester, the students study very hard.
8. Every Friday evening, Emily goes to the movies.
9. On the weekends, they go bar-hopping.
10. After dinner, the couple went to the café.
10.5 Using word order for emphasis

The different ways you order words can add emphasis to the sentence. They
are not part of a fixed rule that you apply at every time.
Word order can be used in different forms to emphasize the action that
happens. For example, the passive voice can be used to emphasize what
happens to something or someone. You can rearrange the sentence in the
following way to emphasize the act.[5]
➢ The ball hit a window and broke it into many pieces, and the
maintenance people got mad at the children who had done it.
Let’s rearrange this sentence in the passive voice:
➢ The window was hit by a ball and was broken into many pieces, which
angered the maintenance people.
In the case of the passive voice, the subject and the direct object change
places to emphasize the effect of the verb.

In addition, to emphasize time, you can rearrange the order of the sentence.
For example, you can say:
➢ I completed my test right as the bell rang.
➢ Right as the bell rang, I completed my test.
To emphasize the timing of completing the test, you add the emphasis here.

Word Order Inversion for Emphasis:

You can also convey meaning with negative adverbs such as “hardly,”
“rarely,” “seldom,” “not only,” “no sooner,” “never.” These additions
emphasize a situation.
For example:
➢ Less emphasis: I have never in my life seen so much filth and garbage
on TV.
➢ More emphasis: Never in my life have I seen so much filth and
 garbage on TV.

➢ Less emphasis: I have rarely come across people of a different

nationality.
➢ More emphasis: Rarely have I come across people of a different
nationality.

➢ Less emphasis: I went home after work and received a call from one
of my colleagues.
➢ More emphasis: No sooner had I arrived home that I received a call
from one of my colleagues.

➢ Less emphasis: I do not agree with this opinion.

➢ More emphasis: In no way do I agree with this opinion.

In addition, there is another inversion with “here” and “there.” You can
invert the sentence to provide emphasis.
For example:
➢ Here comes Susie! (rather than “Susie is coming here!”)
➢ There is the station.
➢ Here comes the train.
Again, this is to emphasize the action of the verb.

Other inversions can be added to your sentence to add the emphasis that you
want.
For example, you can use the form: “no,” “not,” “only.”
➢ Less emphasis: I arrived at work and realized I had forgotten my
laptop.
➢ More emphasis: Not until I got to work did I realize I had forgotten
my laptop.
 ➢ Less emphasis: I do not regret going into fashion design.
➢ More emphasis: Not for a moment do I regret going into fashion
design.

In addition to the word order inversions, you can add “do” or “does” to the
sentence for emphasis.
➢ Less emphasis: He looks handsome in that suit.
➢ More emphasis: He does look handsome in that suit.

➢ Less emphasis: I had a good time at the party last night.

➢ More emphasis: I did have a good time at the party last night.

We can also use the auxiliary verbs, “do” and “does” for “question tags”.
Here are some examples of that:
➢ Frank does like to swim, doesn’t he?
➢ Troy did say that he doesn’t like spinach, didn’t he?
➢ You didn’t wash the dishes, did you?
➢ James hasn’t done his homework, has he?
Question tags employ the inverted form that we saw in question forms. This
provides another way to demonstrate emphasis within the sentence. Normally
using a question tag is a way of showing that the speaker would like to clarify
certain information.
Exercise 10.5: Creating Emphasis with Word Order

Rearrange the words in the sentences below to create emphasis.

1. He never has been to that country before.
2. He washed the dishes yesterday.
3. He likes to swim a lot.
4. I arrived at home. My brother immediately called me.
5. I had an amazing time at your brother’s wedding.
6. I have never been to Paris.
7. She hasn’t seen the movie before.
8. She looks gorgeous.
9. They have never worked together very well.
10. We haven’t always been good friends.
Answers to Exercise 10.5:

1. Never has he been to that country before.

2. He did wash the dishes yesterday.
3. He does like to swim a lot.
4. No sooner had I arrived home that my brother immediately called me.
5. I did have an amazing time at your brother’s wedding.
6. Never have I been to Paris.
7. Never has she seen that movie before.
8. She does look gorgeous.
9. Never have they worked well together.
10. Not always have we been good friends.
Dear Reader,
I hope you found this book really useful and it helped you to improve your
English grammar skills. I sincerely wish you do not stop at what has been
accomplished and move forward through an exciting journey of learning
English.
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Conclusion
Having navigated your way through this book on grammar, you have
explored ten topics in grammar, while looking at different parts of speech in
English. We have emphasized natural word order as a means to build correct
and authentic sentences. With the numerous examples used in this book, we
have sought to provide the reader with many different ways to employ correct
word order in English, using a collection of explanations that are interesting
and clear to the reader. With the many examples, there are details that have
been included to show how to use the grammar points in everyday
conversation. The sentences are all original in scope and provide the reader
with an understanding of the natural way to express key ideas in English. Let
us now summarize what we have explained in each of the ten chapters.
In the first chapter, we introduced the concept of word order structure, while
providing an example of standard word order: subject, verb, object. We
explained how in virtually all sentences this word order is followed, whether
that is in a simple sentence or in a much more complex one.
Next, we provided you with the tools to understand how a sentence works,
with examples of how to properly structure an English sentence.
In Chapter 3, we focused on question forms. The chapter looked at negative
forms of sentences, including negative questions.
Chapter 4 moved on to verb phrases. We defined what a verb phrase is and
the different components of a verb phrase, including its natural word order.
We also covered the different components of an English sentence, including
auxiliary verbs (helping verbs), prepositions, prepositional phrases, adverb
phrases, and determiners.
Following an explanation of verb phrases, we proceeded to explain where
objects, such as indirect and direct objects, are placed in the English sentence.

The third part of Chapter 4 talked about phrasal verbs and how they, in many
cases, include a preposition. We gave a number of examples of phrasal verbs.
Then, we talked about transitive and intransitive verbs and the position of
objects in the answer.
After our discussion of phrasal verbs, we talked about verbs and prepositions
of location, including proper word order for those group of words.
Next, we went into detail about stative verbs and verbs of sense and indicated
how the use of the senses in verbs always points to a verb that represents a
state of being. We explained several examples to illustrate our points.
Section 4.9 was about multiple verbs in a sentence, one after the other. We
gave the proper order that is to be followed for these words in a sentence.
Finally, we wrapped up this chapter with an explanation of the infinitive
clause in a sentence.
Chapter 5 included a detailed explanation of nouns. We started off by
discussing noun phrases and participle phrases. Then we went on to discuss
determiners and quantifiers.
In chapter 6, we looked at adjectives in detail and how to use them in a
sentence. We explored different examples of adjectives, including those that
specify size, emotion or opinion, age, and all different kinds of information.
We looked at the proper placement of each of these kinds of adjectives in a
sentence.
The seventh chapter went into detail about different kinds of adverbs, such as
frequency, time, and manner, among others. In this chapter, we provided the
reader with detailed exercises and then explanations of the answer
immediately after each exercise, to be used in a grammar class lecture. We
are sure that this will aid in your lecture of grammar and will enable you to
effectively teach the grammar point to the student.
Chapter 8 covered the topic of prepositions. We began with a detailed
overview of prepositions and then proceeded to examples and exercises to
help you as you studied the topic.
In this chapter, we covered different parts of prepositions, including
prepositions' position in a sentence, which usually is at the end of the
sentence. We explained how to use prepositions in questions and also when
they are used to form a passive structure. Also, we looked at where
prepositions are placed in relative clauses, as well as infinitive structures.
Chapter 9 provided examples of different kinds of sentences. We started out
with simple sentences, which include the subject+verb+object structure.
Then, we got a little bit more complex by adding compound sentences, which
include two different independent clauses. We explained what an
independent clause is in the sentence and where it is placed in a compound
sentence. Then, we looked at complex sentences, which include an
independent clause and a dependent clause. We distinguished this type of
sentence from the compound sentence and gave examples. We concluded this
chapter with examples of compound-complex sentences, which are a
combination of complex and compound sentences.
The last chapter talked about word order in a number of sentences we hadn’t
covered yet. We offered explanations of when we make changes to word
order. First, we restated the standard word order and then we showed how
you could modify word order for emphasis. You can also move the verb
phrase from the beginning to the end of the sentence for emphasis. We also
highlighted how this happens with prepositional phrases. Then, we looked at
how there can be further modifications to word order to provide emphasis in
the sentence. We talked about how to avoid clutter and unnecessary words in
your sentence, as well.
To sum up, we hope you have been able to see the natural progression of
these chapters to form this book. With the different parts of speech covered in
the chapters, we have given detailed explanations of the topic of word order
to contribute to your English grammar lesson.
Glossary: Dictionary
Chapter 1: Introducing… Sentence Structure
Subject: the primary participant of the verb (person, place, thing, or idea)
Verb: the act, event, or state of being; verbs can be action or stative verbs
Object: the receiver of the event or action of the verb; usually there is a
direct object or an indirect object
Predicate: the part of the sentence that states something about the subject.
Main structure of an English sentence: Subject+verb+object

Chapter 2: Structure of questions

To form a question in the English language, put a verb before the subject in
the sentence. If there is a helping or auxiliary verb within the sentence, the
first verb should be the auxiliary verb, and it must be placed at the beginning
of the sentence.

Chapter 3: Negative Sentences

Negative sentence: a statement that shows that something is not the case. It
is incorrect or untrue.
Negative adverb: A adverb added to a sentence to express that the
information presented is untrue or incorrect.
never, no, not, nowhere
Negative questions: have different word orders depending on if there is a
contraction or not
Contracted: auxiliary verb + n’t + subject
Uncontracted: auxiliary verb + subject + not

Chapter 4: Verb Phrases

Verb phrase: “a verb phrase can be the predicate of a sentence or a clause”
(YourDictionary.com). There will usually be a helping verb and verb
together.
Structure of English verb phrases:
Auxiliary verbs
Prepositions
Prepositional phrases
Adverb phrases
Determiners
Auxiliary verb: “also known as a helping verb, this verb modifies the main
action verb" (Cabrillo College).
have, be, do; can, could, may, might, must, should, will, shall, and
would
Prepositions: words that make relationships between the nouns, adjectives,
verbs, and other verbs in the sentence.
Prepositional phrase: phrases that have multiple parts with a verb
complement and a preposition.
Adverb phrase: it functions as a modifier for the verb phrase; it describes
the verb or a verb phrase.
Determiner: a modifying word that determines the kind of reference a noun
has; often possessive (my, your, his, her, their, whose, its, our), but also
including articles, demonstratives, quantiers (including numbers), and
question words.
Direct object: an object that receives the action of the verb
Indirect object: a person or thing that is affected by the action of the verb,
but not the primary recipient (the direct object) of that action.
4.5 Phrasal verb: have two parts to them. They include the main verb, and
its particle (which is a preposition or prepositional phrase).
4.6 Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
Transitive Verbs: The transitive verb exerts action on the object. There
absolutely must be an object.
Intransitive Verbs: Do not require an object
4.7 Prepositions of Location: Examples: besides, next to, on, in, within,
near, on the side of
4.8 Stative verbs: verbs that are never used in the continuous form. They
indicate a state of being. Examples include “be” and the verbs of the sense
(see, taste, hear, etc.)
4.10 Infinitive: the verb form with “to”+verb base form

Chapter 5: Noun phrases

Noun phrases: nouns (person, place, thing, idea, etc.) and the modifiers that
go with it
5.2 Determiner: introductory word that can specify a particular noun or
noun phrase (a, an, the, these, those, etc.) Determiners appear in front of the
noun they specify.
5.2 Quantifiers: words that indicate a quantity (all, some, none, both, etc.)
5.4 Compound Nouns: nouns that have more than one noun combined
together. They consist of more than one noun and have modifiers, including
adjectives.
5.5 Noun Complements: words that follow linking verbs and modify nouns.
5.6 Embedded questions: questions that are hidden within statements and
are used indirectly. Within embedded questions, you usually retain the wh-
question words, and in cases where there is no question word, you use the
words “if” or “whether.”

Chapter 6: Adjectives
Adjectives: words that describe the attributes and characteristics of nouns
Comparative adjectives: adjectives that compare two nouns that use the
word “more,” “less” or “er” in the word
Superlative adjectives: Adjectives that use “the most” and “the least” to
indicate the highest degree of a noun on the maximal or minimal scale.

Chapter 7: Adverbs
Adverbs: modifier that describes a verb, clause, adjective, or another adverb

Chapter 8: Prepositions
Prepositions: words that describe relationships between the persons, places,
or things—nouns and pronouns—within the sentence.
Passive voice: formed by using the present or past simple and then
immediately followed by the verb’s past participle
Relative clause: a clause that is a dependent clause of a sentence. It usually
includes words such as “who,” “which,” and “whom.”

Chapter 9: Multiple-Clause Sentences

9.1 Simple Sentence: a sentence with one independent clause. It must have a
subject and a verb. Also, it must express a complete and closed thought.
Finally, it must have only one independent clause.
9.2 Compound sentence: a sentence formed by joining together two
independent clauses
Coordinating conjunction: a connecting word or phrase that joins together
two independent clauses (or two words or two phrases; they are not only used
to join clauses in compound sentences)
and, but, or, nor, yet, so, for
9.3 Complex sentence: a sentence that is formed by joining together an
independent clause and a dependent clause
Independent clause: a clause that consists of a subject and verb that can
stand alone without any support of another clause
Dependent clause: a clause that cannot stand alone that needs more
information
Subordinating conjunction: a connecting word or phrase that introduces a
dependent clause and joins it to a main (independent) clause
 after, although, as, as if, as long as, as much as, as soon as, as though,
because, before, by the time, even if, even though, if, in order that, in
case, in the event that, lest, now that, once, only, only if, provided that,
since, so, supposing, that, than, though, till, unless, until, when,
whenever, where, whereas, wherever, whether or not, while
9.4 Compound-complex sentence: These sentences combine two
independent clauses and at least one dependent clause
(A relative clause is a dependent clause that offers more information about a
noun. Relative clauses begin with a relative pronoun: that, which, who,
whom, and whose.)
Glossary: Alphabetical
Alphabetical Glossary Chapter(s)
Adding time to a sentence 10.2
Additional Information in the Sentence 1.1
Adjectives 6.1
Adjectives after verbs 6.6
Adjectives and adverbs 6.9
Adjectives, Adjectives occurring after nouns 6.7
Adjectives, Comparative adjectives 6.2
Adjectives, Lists of adjectives 6.5
Adjectives, More than one adjective in a sentence 6.3
Adjectives, Predicate adjectives 6.2
Adjectives, Superlative adjectives 6.2
Adjectives, The positions of adjectives 6.2
Adjectives, What are adjectives? 6.1
Adjectives, Word order with adjectives 6.4
Adverb clauses 4.4
Adverb phrases 4.2
Adverb, Adjectives and adverbs 6.9
Adverb, Negative Adverb 3.1
Adverbs 4.4, 7
Adverbs and adverb clauses 4.4
Adverbs of conjunction 7.3
Adverbs of frequency 7.1
Adverbs of manner 7.2
Adverbs of place 7.5
Adverbs of time 7.4
Adverbs, Word order and adverbs 7.6
Answers to Exercise 1.1: 1.1
Answers to Exercise 1.2: 1.2
Answers to Exercise 2.1: 2
Answers to Exercise 3.1: 3.1
Answers to Exercise 3.2: 3.2
Answers to Exercise 4.3: 4.3
Answers to Exercise 4.5 4.5
Answers to Exercise 4.6: 4.6
Answers to Exercise 4.7: 4.7
Answers to Exercise 4.8: 4.8
Answers to Exercise 4.9: 4.9
Answers to Exercise 5.4: 5.4
Answers to Exercise 5.5: 5.5
Answers to Exercise 5.6: 5.6
Answers to Exercise 6.4: 6.4
Answers to Exercise 6.8: 6.8
Answers to Exercise 6.9: 6.9
Answers to Exercise 7.1: 7.1
Answers to Exercise 7.2: 7.2
Answers to Exercise 7.3: 7.3
Answers to Exercise 7.4: 7.4
Answers to Exercise 7.5: 7.5
Answers to Exercise 7.6 7.6
Answers to Exercise 8.2: 8.2
Answers to Exercise 8.3: 8.3
Answers to Exercise 8.4: 8.4
Answers to Exercise 8.5: 8.5
Answers to Exercise 9.2 9.2
Answers to Exercise 9.3: 9.3
Answers to Exercise 10.4: 10.4
Answers to Exercise 10.5: 10.5
Auxiliary verb 2, 4.2
Changing the verb’s position 10.3
Changing word order with prepositional phrases 10.4
Clauses, Adverbs and adverb clauses 4.4
Comparative adjectives 6.2
Complex sentences 9.3
Compound Nouns 5.4
Compound nouns, Compound nouns with more than two words 5.4
Compound nouns, Compound nouns with two words 5.4
Compound nouns, Single-word compound nouns 5.4
Compound sentences 9.2
Compound-complex sentences 9.4
Definition of a verb phrase 4.1
Determiners 4.2, 5.2
Determiners and quantifiers 5.2
Different Kinds of Word Order 10.1
Direct Object 4.3
Embedded questions 5.6
Embedded questions, Rules for forming embedded questions 5.6
Emphasis, Using word order for emphasis 10.5
Emphasis, Word Order Inversion for Emphasis 10.5
Exercise 1.1: Simple Sentence Structure 1.1
Exercise 1.2: More complex sentence structure 1.2
Exercise 2.1: Questions 2
Exercise 3.1: Unscramble the Sentences 3.1
Exercise 3.2: Negative Questions Word Order Scramble 3.2
Exercise 4.3: Verbs and Objects 4.3
Exercise 4.5: Phrasal Verbs 4.5
Exercise 4.6: Transitive or Intransitive? 4.6
Exercise 4.7: Prepositions of location 4.7
Exercise 4.8: Stative or Action? 4.8
Exercise 4.9: Multiple Verbs 4.9
Exercise 5.4: Compound Nouns 5.4
Exercise 5.5: Noun Phrases & Complements 5.5
Exercise 5.6: Embedded Questions 5.6
Exercise 6.4: Word Order with Adjectives 6.4
Exercise 6.8: Adjective Word Order 6.8
Exercise 6.9: Identifying Adjectives and Adverbs 6.9
Exercise 7.1: Adverbs of Frequency 7.1
Exercise 7.2: Adverbs of Manner 7.2
Exercise 7.3: Adverbs of Conjunction 7.3
Exercise 7.4: Adverbs of Time 7.4
Exercise 7.5: Mixed Adverbs 7.5
Exercise 7.6: Word Order with Adverbs 7.6
Exercise 8.2: Placement of Prepositions 8.2
Exercise 8.3: Prepositions in Questions 8.3
Exercise 8.4: Word Order with the Passive Voice 8.4
Exercise 8.5: Word Order with Infinitives 8.5
Exercise 9.2: Compound Sentences 9.2
Exercise 9.3: Complex Sentences 9.3
Exercise 9.4: Compound-Complex Sentences 9.4
Exercise 10.4: Word Order with Prepositional Phrases 10.4
Exercise 10.5: Creating Emphasis with Word Order 10.5
Gerund 4.9
Indirect Object 4.3
Infinitive 4.9, 4.10
Infinitive clause 4.10
Infinitive clause as subject and object 4.10
Infinitive, Prepositions in infinitive structures 8.5
Intransitive verbs 4.6
Intransitive verbs, How to find out if a verb is transitive or not? 4.6
Intransitive verbs, Phrasal Verbs and Transitive and Intransitive Verbs 4.6
Lists of adjectives 6.5
Modifiers, Noun modifiers 5.1
More than one adjective in a sentence 6.3
Multiple verbs in a sentence 4.9
Multiple verbs in a sentence, one after the other 4.9
Multiple-clause sentences 1.2, 9
Multiple-Clause Sentences, Complex sentences 9.3
Multiple-Clause Sentences, Compound sentences 9.2
Multiple-Clause Sentences, Compound-complex sentences 9.4
Multiple-Clause Sentences, Simple sentences 9.1
Negative Adverb 3.1
Negative questions 3.2
Negative questions, Contracted negative questions 3.2
Negative questions, Uncontracted negative questions 3.2
Negative Sentences 3.1
Noun complements 5.5
Noun modifiers 5.1
Noun Phrases 5.1
Noun Phrases, Noun Phrases and Complements 5.5
Noun Phrases, Prepositions in noun phrases 5.3
Noun Phrases, Structure 5.1
Noun, Adjectives occurring after nouns 6.7
Noun, Compound Nouns 5.4
Noun, Compound nouns, Compound nouns with more than two words 5.4
Noun, Compound nouns, Compound nouns with two words 5.4
Noun, Compound Nouns, Single-word compound nouns 5.4
Noun, Noun Phrases 5.1
Noun, Noun Phrases, Noun Phrases and Complements 5.5
Object, Infinitive clause 4.10
Object, verb and its object 4.3
Object, What is a object? 1.1
Phrasal verbs 4.5
Phrasal Verbs, Phrasal Verbs and Transitive and Intransitive Verbs 4.1
Phrases, Adverb phrases 4.2
Phrases, Changing word order with prepositional phrases 10.4
Phrases, Noun Phrases 5.1
Phrases, Noun Phrases, Structure 5.1
Phrases, Prepositional phrases 4.2
Position in the sentence 8.2
Positions of adjectives 6.2
Positions of adjectives: before and after the noun 6.2
Predicate adjectives 6.2
Preposition 4.2, 5.3, 8.1
Prepositional phrases 4.2
Prepositional phrases, Changing word order with prepositional phrases 10.4
Prepositions and the passive voice: 8.4
Prepositions in infinitive structures 8.5
Prepositions in noun phrases 5.3
Prepositions of location 4.7
Prepositions, Passive voice 8.4
Prepositions, Position in the sentence 8.2
Prepositions, Prepositions and the passive voice 8.4
Prepositions, Prepositions in infinitive structures 8.5
Prepositions, Questions and prepositions 8.3
Prepositions, Rules for prepositions 8.2
Prepositions, The order of prepositional phrases 8.2
Prepositions, What is a preposition? 8.1
Quantifiers 5.2
Questions and prepositions 8.3
Questions, Embedded questions 5.6
Questions, Embedded questions, Rules for forming embedded questions 5.6
Questions, Negative 3.2
Questions, Structure of questions 2
Rules for forming embedded questions 5.6
Sentence structure 1.1
Sentence structure, Adding time to a sentence 10.2
Sentence structure, Changing the verb’s position 10.3
Sentence structure, Changing word order with prepositional phrases 10.4
Sentence Structure, Introduction 1.1
Sentence structure, Standard Word Order 10.1
Sentence structure, Using word order for emphasis 10.5
Sentence structure, Word Order Inversion for Emphasis 10.5
Simple sentences 9.1
Standard Word Order 10.1
Stative verbs 4.8
Stative verbs and verbs of sense 4.8
Structure of questions 2
Structure of the noun phrase 5.1
Structure of verb phrases 4.2
Subject, Infinitive clause 4.10
Subject, What is a subject? 1.1
Superlative adjectives 6.2
Time, Adding time to a sentence 10.2
Transitive and intransitive verbs 4.6
Transitive verbs 4.6
Transitive verbs, Phrasal Verbs and Transitive and Intransitive Verbs 4.6
Using word order for emphasis 10.5
Verb and its object 4.3
Verb Phrases 4.1
Verb phrases, Adverb phrases 4.2
Verb phrases, Auxiliary 4.2
Verb phrases, Determiners 4.2
Verb phrases, Prepositional phrases 4.2
Verb phrases, Prepositions 4.2
Verb phrases, Structure 4.2
Verb, Changing the verb’s position 10.3
Verb, Verb Phrases 4.1
Verb, What is a verb? 1.1
Verbs and prepositions of location 4.7
Verbs of sense 4.8
 Verbs of state 4.8
Verbs, Adjectives after verbs 6.6
Verbs, Phrasal verbs 4.5
Verbs, Transitive and intransitive verbs 4.6
Verbs, verbs and prepositions of location 4.7
Verbs, Verbs of sense 4.8
Vers, Stative verbs 4.8
Vers, Verbs of state 4.8
What are adjectives? 6.1
What is a preposition? 8.1
Word order and adverbs 7.6
Word Order Inversion for Emphasis: 10.5
Word order with adjectives 6.4

[1]All source material for this section comes from “The Internal Structure of English Verb Phrases.” In
Bright Hub Education. Retrieved from https://www.brighthubeducation.com/esl-lesson-plans/49623-
structure-of-a-verb-phrase.
[2] We will further discuss the role of the preposition “to” as an infinitive marker in 8.4.
[3]A transitive verb is an action verb that performs its action on a person, place, or thing (the direct
object).
[4] “Verbs with prepositions in Passive.” Englisch-Hilfen.de. Retrieved from https://www.englisch-
hilfen.de/en/grammar/passive_prepositions.htm
[5]“Using Word Order for Emphasis” in Really Learn English! Retrieved from https://www.really-
learn-english.com/using-word-order-for-emphasis.html