Skill Final
Skill Final
Noun:
Definition: A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.
General Types of Nouns:
a) Proper
b) Common
c) Concrete and Abstract
d) Countable, Uncountable, and Collective
e) Compound
f) Gender Specific
g) Gerunds
Proper Nouns are words that name a specific person, place, or thing.
A proper noun begins .It is the name of a particular person, place, or
thing.
Examples: George Washington, California, Monday, Coca-Cola
Common Nouns are words that name people, places, things, or ideas;
but they are not the
Names of specific people, places, or things. A common noun begins
with a lower case letter,Unless it is at the beginning of a sentence.
Examples: boy, girl, hospital, store, pencil, car
Common Nouns are further classified into:
1. Concrete and Abstract
a. Concrete nouns are “sense” words, or words that can be
experienced with the five senses:
Sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. You can see a tree, a book, a
person, etc…
Hear a bell, a horn, a voice, etc… You can smell popcorn, flowers,
scents, etc…
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Taste the pizza, the spice, the flavor, etc… You can touch an apple, an
animal, an Umbrella, etc…
Abstract nouns are words that refer to ideas, concepts, beliefs, or your
state of being.
Unlike concrete nouns, abstract nouns are things you cannot see, hear,
smell, taste, or
Touch. *Be careful identifying and using abstract nouns because
sometimes a word can function as an abstract noun or a verb. The
context and use of the word in a sentence
Determines whether the word is an abstract noun or verb.
1) I love my dog. (In this sentence, the word love indicates an action
and therefore is a verb.)
2) Love is a strong emotion. (In this sentence, love is the subject of
the sentence and acts
As an abstract noun because love is a thing that you cannot see, hear,
smell, taste, or Touch.)
Other examples: love, hate, democracy, freedom, peace, trust, rage,
education, happiness
Countable, Uncountable, and Collective
a. Countable nouns are nouns that can be counted. For example: a
pencil, two pencils, three
Pencils… Thus, countable nouns have a singular and plural form.
b. Uncountable nouns cannot be counted. These nouns are
concepts, substances,
Information, feelings, materials, etc. Uncountable nouns are not
individual objects and
Thus do not take a plural form. For example: work, water, anger, metal,
sleep…
c. Collective nouns refer to a group of things or individuals. A
collective noun can be
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Singular in form when referring to a group of people or things. For
example: audience,
Class, school, family, jury, staff, team, flock, herd…
2. Compound
a. A compound noun is made up of two or more words. A
compound noun can be written
In three ways: a single word like haircut or football, two words like ice
cream or
Swimming pool, and hyphenated words like mother-in-law or dry-
cleaning.
3. Gender Specific
a. A gender-specific noun refers to the male/masculine or
female/feminine form of a word.
More often, in English, a noun will remain genderless. However, if the
noun is a word
Referring specifically to something male or female, then its gender will
be masculine or Feminine.
Examples: Dad, king, actor, bull (refer to male so it is gender-specific)
Sister, queen, actress, cow (refer to female so it is gender-specific)
Pencil, vehicle, dog, cat (refer to neither male or female so it is
genderless)
Parent, teacher, friend, doctor (refer to neither male nor female, but
since it
refers to people we know the noun must be either male or female.
These nouns are also known as common gender nouns)
4. Gerunds
a. A gerund is a verb ending in –ing that is functioning like a
noun.
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2.PRONOUN
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3.ARTICLES
What is an Article?
An article is a short monosyllabic word that is used to define if the
noun is specific or not. Articles are normally used before nouns and
since they are used to speak about the noun, they can be considered
as adjectives.
Definition of an Article
An article, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is defined as
“any of a small set of words or affixes (such as a, an, and the) used
with nouns to limit or give definiteness to the application.” According
to the Collins Dictionary, “an article is a kind of determiner. In English,
‘a’ and ‘an’ are called the indefinite article, and ‘the’ is called the
definite article.” The Macmillan Dictionary defines an article as “a type
of determiner (=word used before a noun) that shows whether you are
referring to a particular thing or to a general example of something.
The indefinite article is ‘a’ or ‘an’ and the definite article is ‘the’.”
Types of Articles
There are three articles in English – ‘a’, ‘an’ and ‘the’. These articles are
divided into two types namely:
Definite Article
Indefinite Article
Definite Article
Among the three articles, ‘the’ is said to be the definite article. A
definite article is used to determine something that is specific or
particular. It is also used before plural nouns and to indicate
the superlative degree of comparison. Furthermore, it can be used
before collective nouns as well.
For example:
The Sun sets in the west.
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In the above sentence, the nouns ‘Sun’ and ‘west’ are proper
nouns and are specific and so the definite article has to be used.
The children are playing cricket.
In the above sentence, the definite article is used to determine the
plural noun, ‘children’.
This is the world’s longest river.
In the above sentence, the definite article is used to denote the
superlative degree of comparison.
The crowd sang along with the band.
In the above sentence, the definite article is used before the collective
nouns, ‘crowd’ and ‘band’.
Indefinite Article
The articles ‘an’ and ‘an’ are termed as indefinite articles. An indefinite
article, as the name suggests, is used to indicate something that is not
definite or specific. It can also be used before singular nouns.
Among the indefinite articles, ‘an’ is used before singular nouns that
start with vowel sounds and ‘a’ is used before singular nouns that
begin with consonant sounds.
For example:
I had an apple for breakfast.
Do you have an eraser?
I saw an aeroplane.
She has a pet dog.
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UNIT-II
ADJECTIVE
An adjective modifies a noun or pronoun by providing descriptive
or specific detail. Unlike adverbs, adjectives do not modify verbs, other
adjectives, or adverbs. Adjectives usually precede the noun or
pronoun they modify. Adjectives do not have to agree in number or
gender with the nouns they describe. Adjectives answer the following
questions: What kind?, How many?, Or Which ones?
Example:
Tom bought a used car. (used describes what kind of car Tom bought.)
Sally baked ten pies for the school bake sale. (ten tells how many pies
Sally baked.)
Bob climbed that tree in the backyard. (that specifies which tree Bob
climbed.)
Types of Adjectives:
Descriptive Adjectives:
A descriptive adjective names a quality of the noun or pronoun that it
modifies
Example:Brown dog, Bigger house,Fluffy cat
Proper Adjectives:
A proper adjective is derived from a proper noun.
Example: French class, Spanish food, European car
Limiting Adjectives:
A limiting adjective restricts the meaning of the word it modifies.
Interrogative Adjectives:
An interrogative adjective is used to ask a question.
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Example: Whose book is this?
Coordinate Adjectives:
A coordinate adjective consists of two or more adjectives separated
by a comma instead of by a coordinating Conjunction.
Example:
A cold, rainy day
To determine if you can replace the coordinating conjunction with a
comma, see if the adjectives can be reversed or if and can be added
between the adjectives without changing the meaning. If the
adjectives can be reversed, they are Coordinate and a comma can be
used.
Example:
The clowns arrived in a bright, shiny car.The clowns arrived in a shiny,
bright car. (Reversing bright and shiny does not change the
meaning.)The clowns arrived in a bright and shiny car. (Adding and
between bright and shiny does not Change the meaning.)However, if
the adjectives cannot be reversed or if and cannot be used, a comma
cannot be used.
Example:
The clowns arrived in two colorful cars.
The clowns arrived in colorful two cars. (Reversing two and colorful
changes the meaning.)
The clowns arrived in two and colorful cars. (Adding and between two
and colorful changes the Meaning.)
Compound Adjectives
Compound adjectives consist of two or more words that function as a
unit. Depending on its position within the Sentence, the compound
adjective is punctuated with or without a hyphen. When a compound
adjective comes before The noun it modifies, use a hyphen to join the
adjectives. When a compound adjective follows the noun it modifies.
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Example:
She is taking a class on nineteenth-century literature. (The adjective
nineteenth-century precedes The noun literature so a hyphen is used.)
She is studying literature from the nineteenth century. (The adjective
nineteenth century comes
After the noun literature so no hyphen is used.)
Determiners as Adjectives
Determiners, such as articles, pronouns, and numbers, can function as
adjectives. When a determiner is used as an
Adjective, it restricts the noun it modifies, like a limiting adjective.
Determiners functioning as adjectives tell Which One?, How
many?, and Whose?
Articles (a, an, the)
Example:
Bob’s house is only three blocks from that house. (Bob’s answers the
question: Whose house? Three answers the question: How many
blocks? That answers the question: Which house is three blocks from
Bob’s house?)
Placement and Order of Adjectives
A single noun can be described as a list of adjectives.
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1.Determiners: articles (a, the), demonstratives (this, those), and
possessives (his, our, Mary’s, everybody’s), amounts
(one, five, many, few), order (first, next last)
2. Coordinate adjectives (subjective evaluations or personal opinions):
nice, nasty, packed, pitiful
3. Adjectives describing size: big, huge, little, tiny
1. Adjectives describing shape: long, short, round, square
2. Adjectives describing age: young, old, modern, ancient
3. Adjectives describing color: blue, green, red, white
4. Adjectives describing nationality: Italian, French, Japanese
5. Adjectives describing architectural style or religion: Greek, Gothic,
Catholic, Jewish, Muslim
6. Adjectives describing material: cardboard, plastic, silver, gold
7. Nouns functioning as adjectives: soccer ball, cardboard box, history
class
Example:
A big brick house (article, size, and material)
These old brown cardboard boxes (demonstrative, age, color, material)
A beautiful young Italian woman (article, personal opinion, age,
nationality)Using Adjectives
Adjectives as Subject Complements
The subject complement is a word that follows a linking verb and
modifies the sentence’s subject, not its verb. Linking verbs: appear,
become, believe, feel, grow, smell, seem, sound, remain, turn, prove,
look, taste, and the forms of the verb to Be.
Example:
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The crowd appeared calm. (The linking verb appeared links the noun
the subject crowd with the adjective Calm)
Adjectives as Object Complements
The object complement is a word that follows a sentence’s direct
object and modifies that object and not the verb. An object
Complement answers the question what? After the direct object.
Example: Bob considered the experiment a success. (Success is the
object compliment that modifies the sentences Direct object
experiment.)
Adjectives with Past and Present Participle Verbs
Adjectives are frequently formed by using the past participle (-ed, -t,
or -en) and the present participle (-ing) verb forms.
Example:The group of children scared the sleeping dog. (Sleeping
describes the baby.)
The students refused to eat the dried fruit. (Dried describes the
cookies.)
Order of adjectives
Quantity or number.
Quality or opinion.
Size.
Age.
Shape.
Color.
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PREPOSITION
What is a Preposition?
A preposition is a short word that is employed in sentences to show
the relationship nouns, pronouns or phrases have with other parts
within the respective sentences. Prepositions are normally found
positioned in the latter part of the sentence, but before a noun or
pronoun.
Definition of a Preposition.
A preposition is defined as “a word that connects a noun, a noun
phrase, or a pronoun to another word, esp. to a verb, another noun, or
an adjective”, according to the Cambridge Dictionary. The Oxford
Learner’s Dictionary says that a preposition is “a word or group of
words, such as in, from, to, out of and on behalf of, used before a noun
or pronoun to show place, position, time or method.”
Types of Prepositions
Based on the different uses and functions of prepositions, they
can be divided into four main types. They are as follows:
Prepositions of Time – used to show when something is happening.
For example:
1. We will be meeting on Friday.
2. The supermarket will be closed from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m.
3. Can you come after some time?
Prepositions of Place – indicate the place or position of something.
For example:
I have kept the book I borrowed from you on the table.
Henry hid behind the door.
Prepositions of Location – employed to denote the location of a
particular object.
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For example:
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VERB
Definition of a Verb.
The Oxford Learners’ Dictionary defines a ‘verb’ as “a word or
group of words that express an action (such as eat), an event (such as
happen) or a state (such as exist)”. According to the Cambridge
Dictionary, a ‘verb’ is defined as “a word or phrase that describes an
action, condition, or experience”. The Collins Dictionary provides a
much more elaborate definition of a verb. According to them, “A verb
is a word such as ‘ sing’, ‘ feel’, or ‘ die’ which is used with a subject to
say what someone or something does or what happens to them, or to
give information about them”.
Verbs Referring to Actions,Verbs referring to action (action verbs) are
those that involve the movement of one’s body in one way or the other.
Some examples of verbs referring to actions are as follows:
Walk
Run
Talk
Sit
Can
Could
Will
Would
May
Might
Should
Must
Ought to
Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs include phrases that are formed by combining two
or more parts of speech that performs the same function as a verb in a
sentence. In most cases, a phrasal verb results from a combination of
a verb and a preposition.
Some examples of phrasal verbs are as follows:
Go by
Lay off
Log in
Get off
Run out
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Go all out
Think through
Linking Verbs:
A linking verb, just like the name suggests, is a type of verb that
is used to link the subjects in a sentence to the other parts of the
sentence so that it is meaningful. It connects the subject to the object,
an adjective and even a prepositional phrase. All ‘to be’ forms of verbs
and verbs like ‘seem’ and ‘become’ can act as linking verbs.
Different Categories of Verbs
Verbs can be divided into different categories according to their
behaviour when used in a context. Let us look at the categories
explained below.
Regular Verbs and Irregular Verbs
As you can see, verbs are used to denote actions, and they can
be used in different forms to indicate when the subject in a sentence is
carrying out an action. A regular verb can be conjugated to show if the
action takes place in the past or if the action is taking place
continuously.
In most cases, the past form of the verb is formed by adding an ‘ed’ to
the root verb for regular verbs. On the other hand, there are other
verbs that do not follow this rule. They are called irregular verbs.
These verbs have their own unique forms. If you are wondering how to
learn these irregular verbs, read the article on irregular verbs to find
out how.
Dileep searched for his white shirt in his cupboard, but he did not find
it. (Root verb – search)
Did you find the book you were looking for?
In the above examples, the verb ‘searched’ is the past form of the
regular verb ‘search’ by adding an ‘ed’ and the verb form ‘looking’
indicates the continuous form of the regular verb ‘look’ by adding an
‘ing’ to the end of the root verb.
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Selena read the book on the evolution of life on earth.
Vineeth found the keys that went missing yesterday.
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TENSES
What does the Word ‘Tense’ Mean?
In the English language, the word ‘tense’ is used to denote a
characteristic of the verb in a sentence. The tense of a verb is used to
depict the particular time in which a specific event is taking place.
Definition of Tense
According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, the term ‘tense’ is
defined as “any of the forms of a verb that may be used to show the
time of the action or state expressed by the verb.” The Merriam-
Webster Dictionary provides a slightly different definition. According
to it, the word ‘tense’ is defined as “a distinction of form in a verb to
express distinctions of time or duration of the action or state it
denotes.”
“The tense of a verb group is its form, which usually shows whether
you are referring to past, present, or future time”, according to the
Collins Dictionary, and the Cambridge Dictionary defines ‘tense’ as
”any of the forms of a verb which show the time at which an action
happened.”
Different Tenses in English
In English grammar, there are three main tenses, and they are
each further classified into four different forms, which sum up to
twelve tenses in total. The three tenses in English are:
1. Present Tense
2. Past Tense
3. Future Tense
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The four different forms are:
1. Simple Tense Form
2. Continuous Tense Form
3. Perfect Tense Form
4. Perfect Continuous Tense Form
So, the twelve tenses in English are as follows:
1. Simple Present Tense
2. Present Continuous Tense
3. Present Perfect Tense
4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense
5. Simple Past Tense
6. Past Continuous Tense
7. Past Perfect Tense
8. Past Perfect Continuous Tense
9. Simple Future Tense
10. Future Continuous Tense
11. Future Perfect Tense
12.Future Perfect Continuous Tense
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UNIT-III
ADVERB
What is an Adverb?
Like an adjective gives us more information about the noun in a
sentence, an adverb is used to provide more information about the
verb or the action in the sentence. It also has the property of
describing the adjective or another adverb.
Definition of an Adverb
An adverb, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is “a
word that adds more information about place, time, manner, cause or
degree to a verb, an adjective, a phrase or another adverb.” The
Cambridge Dictionary defines an adverb as “a word that describes or
gives more information about a verb, adjective, adverb, or phrase.”
CONJUNCTION
What is Conjunctions?
Conjunctions are used to combine two or more objects, phrases
or clauses. It can also be termed as connectors as they are employed
in sentences to make connections. Conjunctions can normally be
found in the latter part of a sentence if they are used to connect
clauses. If conjunctions are used to connect objects or phrases, they
can appear in the beginning, middle or end of the sentence according
to the position of the objects or phrases.
Definition of a Conjunction:
A conjunction, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, is defined
as “a word such as ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘while’, or ‘although’ that connects
words, phrases, and clauses in a sentence.” The Merriam Webster
Dictionary defines a conjunction as “an uninflected linguistic form that
joins together sentences, clauses, phrases, or words.”
A conjunction is “word that joins words, phrases or sentences,
for example and, but or so”, according to the Oxford Learner’s
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Dictionary. The Collins Dictionary gives a slightly different definition.
According to it, a conjunction is “any word or group of words, other
than a relative pronoun, that connects words, phrases, or clauses.”
Types of Conjunctions
Conjunctions are mainly used to join actions, ideas and thoughts.
They are categorised into three main types:
a) Coordinating conjunctions – used to combine two
independent clauses. Examples of coordinating
conjunctions are for, and, nor, but, or, yet and so.
b) Subordinating conjunctions – used to combine an
independent clause and a dependent clause. Examples of
subordinating conjunctions are if, although, though, after,
before, because, as if, unless, until, when, while, etc.
c) Correlative conjunctions – used to combine two phrases or
parts of the sentence which have equal importance within
a sentence. Examples of correlative conjunctions are not
only…but also, either…or, neither…nor, whether…or,
rather…or, if…then, etc.
Examples of Conjunctions
And, Or, Nor
But, Yet, So
Because, Still, For
Not only…but also ,As ,When
While As soon as,If
Unless, In case, In addition to
Whereas, Though, Although,
Until Before, After,
Even if, Rather than, So that,
Either…or, As if Neither…or,
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INTERJECTION
Complement
The words required to complete the meaning of a sentence can
be referred to as the complement of the sentence. A complement can
be an adjective, a name, a position or a profession. For example:
It grew dark.
He is a dentist.
Adjunct
An adjunct is a word or a phrase that gives more information
about an action, an event, a quality and so on. In short, it can be said
that these words can include adverbs and adverb clauses. Adjuncts
can be identified by asking questions ‘when’, ‘where’, ‘why’, ‘how’, ‘how
often’ and ‘to what extent’. When using adjuncts, keep in mind that
adjuncts can be used in the beginning, middle or end of the sentence
and that there can be more than one adjunct in a sentence.
The Different Types of Sentence Structures in English Grammar
In English grammar, there are a number of sentence structures
that you can use to make your speech or writing sound or look a lot
more organised, interesting and professional. Some of the commonly
used sentence structures are as follows.
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Subject + Verb (SV)
Subject + Verb + Object (SVO)
Subject + Verb + Complement (SVC)
Subject + Verb + Adjunct (SVA)
Subject + Verb + Object + Complement (SVOC)
Subject + Verb + Object + Adjunct (SVOA)
Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object (SVIODO)
Adjunct + Subject + Verb + Complement (ASVC)
Examples:
Subject / Verb / Indirect Object / Direct Object
Rohit / gave / Reshmi / his favourite book.
Subject / Verb / Indirect Object / Direct Object
Neetu / bought / herself / a hat.
Subject / Verb / Indirect Object / Direct Object
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UNIT-V
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