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Unit 1: Nouns

OBJECTIVES: By the end of this unit, you will be able to


• identify English nouns, countable and uncountable nouns, the plural forms of nouns,
and possessive cases, and functions of nouns; and
• use them correctly in sentences.

GETTING STARTED
Think of the answers to the following questions. You can use any resources (grammar books,
internet, etc.) to help you.
1. What is a noun?

2. What is/are the diffence(s) between countable and uncountable nouns?

3. How are the plural of English nouns formed?

4. What are the possessive cases of nouns?

5. What are the functions of nouns in English?

GRAMMAR KNOWLEDGE

I. Definition of nouns

A noun is the name of a person, a thing, an animal, a place, an action, a quality or a state of being.

Examples: teacher (person), book (thing), cat (animal), mountain (place), arrival (action), loyalty
(quality), beauty (state), trip (action)...

II. Countable and uncountable nouns

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Countable nouns Uncountable nouns

Countable nouns are the names of separate Uncountable nouns are the names of things which
objects, people, etc which we can count; they have we do not see as separate, and which we cannot
singular and plural forms. count; they do not have plural forms.
One books, two books Milk, rice, weather

A man, some men

Countable nouns can take singular or plural verbs. Uncountable nouns always take singular verbs.
- This book is expensive. - Milk is good for you.

- These books are expensive. - The weather was very good yesterday.

- That man lives next door.

- Those men live next door.

Before countable nouns, we can use a/an and We do not normally use a/an or a number directly
numbers. before uncountable nouns.
A man, one book, two books A weather, two weathers

We use a before consonant sounds: a book, a man, But we sometimes use a/an and numbers with e.g.
a university coffee, tea, beer, etc when we order these things
by the cup or glass in a restaurant.
We use an before vowel sounds: an apple, an egg,
an hour - Excuse me, waiter. Could we have two coffees
and a tea, please?

We use some before plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns.


Some books, some men

Some rice, some milk

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Some nouns can be used as countable or uncountable, with a difference of meaning.

Countable Uncountable

a glass
https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/e248f9bb-5a6f-48bc- glass (the material)
b62b- https://s-media-cache-
ad487e8c243f_1.d03259ff5bd0d122072cd6f8eda2c3cf.jpe ak0.pinimg.com/originals/7a/d4/60/7ad460e8a44c66327fed474cb30893c1.jp
g g

a hair
her hair (all the hair on her head)

some paper
a paper (a newspaper) (the writing material)
https://brandcom.vn/bao-thanh-nien https://5.imimg.com/data5/LE/QS/MY-7927198/cardstock-paper-
250x250.png

Some nouns are uncountable in English, but countable in other languages. Here are some of the most
common of these uncountable nouns, together with some related countable expressions.

Uncountable Countable

Accommodation A place to live/stay

Advice A piece of advice

Bread A loaf/slice/piece (of bread)/ a (bread) roll

Furniture A piece of furniture

Information A piece of information

Luggage A piece of luggage; a suitcase/bag

Money A note/coin; a sum (of money)

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News A piece of news

Traffic A car/bus/etc

Travel A journey/trip

Work A job; a piece of work

- I’ve just had some news. - I’ve just had a piece of news.
- Where is your luggage? - Where are your suitcases?
- We need some bread. - We need a loaf of bread.

III. Plural of nouns


1. Rules of forming plural of regular nouns

Rules Examples

Add “-S” or “-ES” after the singular tables, bicycles, faces, cars, etc.
form of countable nouns.

Nouns ending in “ SH, S, X, Z, CH, potatoes, tomatoes, classes, bushes, watches, etc.
O”, add –ES
But: pianos, solos, bamboos, kangaroos,...

Nouns ending in “Y”


• Consonant-Y → C-I-ES city → cities, lady → ladies,...
• Vowel-Y → V-Y-S
boys, toys,...

12 nouns ending in “F”, or “FE”: half-halves, calf-calves, loaf-loaves, knife-knives,


-F/FE → V-ES. life-lives, leaf-leaves, thief-thieves, self-selves, shelf-
shelves, wife-wives, wolf-wolves

But: roofs, safes, cuffs, proofs

b. Plural form of irregular nouns

man - men tooth - teeth child - children phenominon - phenomina

woman - women foot - feet mouse - mice datum - data

goose – geese ox - oxen louse – lice curriculum - curricula

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Note 1

Examples
Rules

1. Some nouns are always used singularly. Furniture, business, chess, luggage, progress,
merchandise, asparagus

2. Some nouns have the same form in both deer, sheep, poultry, yoke, salmon, cod cá tuyết,
numbers. trout, means, fish

3. Some nouns (some diseases, games or mumps, measles, physics, politics, electronics,
subjects) are plural in forms but singular in news, mechanics, cards, dominoes, billiards
meanings.

4. Some nouns (things consisting 2 similar glasses, scissors, pliers, pincers, shears, kidneys,
parts) are used in plural only. mittens, shorts

5. Some nouns have 2 plurals, different Brother: brothers (anh em), brethen (anh em đồng đạo)
meanings.
penny: pence (giá trị), pennies (số đồng tiền)

6. Uncountable nouns make their plural by 2 spoons of sugar, 3 cups of coffee, 4 glasses of
adding a unit. orange

7. Compound nouns form their plural by Bookcases, mothers-in-law, lookers-on


addings ‘s’ to the principal word.

8. some nouns, singular in form, have a plural Cattle, police, people


meaning and go with a plural verb.

9. Some nouns may be countable or wood (gỗ) – woods (rừng), sand (cát) – sands (bãi cát,
uncountable depending on different lớp cát, bãi biển), water (nước) – waters (khối nước, hải
meanings. phận), work (công việc) - works (tác phẩm)

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Note 2: Pronunciation of final ‘S’

Pronunciation
Ending Examples
of ‘s’

/f/, /p/, /k/, /t/, /θ/ /s/ roofs, caps, books, boots, months

/t∫/, /∫/, /z/, /s/, /dʒ/ /iz/, /əz/ watches, dishes, breezes, boxes, pieces, villages

tubes, beds, dogs, girls, plums, pens, mirrors, waves,


Others /z/
lathes, windows

IV. Possessive case

1. Definition: Possessive case is used to show possession.


Example: This is the girl's hat = This is the hat of the girl.

2. Formation: We can make a possessive form by adding ’s or ’ after the noun possessor.
Rules Examples

a. Singular Noun + ’s - The boy's coat is too long for him.

- Doris’s bicycle is new.


b. Singular Noun with S + ’s - ass’s head (đầu lừa)

c. Plural Noun with S ending + ’ - The girls' books are yellow.

d. Plural Noun without S ending + ’s - The men's club is around the corner.

e. Compound nouns or Group Names: only the - His father-in-law's property is quite big.
last word takes the possessive sign. - Charles the Second's reign.

- My brother and your sister's school has a


f. N and N for common possession: only the last good football team. (My brother and your
word takes the possessive sign.
sister study in the same school)

g. N and N for separate possession: every noun - John's and Mary's bicycle collided at the
takes the possessive sign street corner.

h. The possessive noun followed by an - This is my friend Tom’s new house


appositive: add possessive sign to the
appositive only
- This is my wife’s mother’s opinion.
i. For the sake of euphony, use OF intead of ’S - This is the opinion of my wife’s mother.

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Rules Examples

j. A noun used in the preceding clause is not - I have seen your mother’s photo but not your
repeated after the possessive case. father’s.

k. Nouns denoting house, school, college, - We’ll go to the tailor’s (shop).


church, cathedral, shop, palace, hospital, etc. - They eat at my uncle’s (house).
are often understood. - We’ve visited St. Paul’s (cathedral).

- This is one of my pictures.


This is a picture of mine.
l. Double possesion - That is one of her friends.
That is a friend of hers.

3. Uses of Possessive Case


Uses Examples

For persons - He was confused by Mr. Brown’s looking so hard at him.

For animals - Do you know why the camel’s hump is so big?


- Tom broke his dog’s leg yesterday.
Not for things - The leaves of the bamboos are curled by the heat.
- The walls of that room are painted yellow.
Not with Adjectives used as N - The fate of the blind is miserable.
- The park is the meeting place of the young.
Not with people when there is a the address of those people we met in Spain
long phrase
not: those people who we met in Spain’s address

Places and Organizations London’s museums/ the museums of London

The company’s future/the future of the company

Time a vacation of three months/a three months’ vacation

Distance a walk of two miles/a two miles’ walk

Weight a box of ten pounds/a ten pounds’ box

Value a shirt of twelve dollars/a twelve dollars’shirt

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Uses Examples

Dignified objects the sun’s energy, the earth’s creatures, Heaven’s will

Personified objects Fortune’s smile, Sorrow’s tears, Duty’s call, The wind’s hand, The
thunder’s roar

In some expressions at one’s wits’ end (bí, vô phương kế), to one’s heart’s content (tùy
thích), for conscience’s sake (vì lương tâm)

V. Functions of nouns

Functions Examples

1. Subject of a verb - The girl is pretty.

2. Object of a verb - I met a pretty girl.

3. Object of a preposition - We talk about this lesson.


- He’s lived here for three years.

4. Subjective complement - I am a teacher.


- Knowledge is power.

5. Objective complement - They elected him the monitor.


- They called Beethoven a musical genius.

6. Apposition - Nguyen Du, a famous poet, wrote “Kieu”.

7. Adjective equivalent - I am a university teacher.

8. Adverb equivalent - He works two hours.

GRAMMAR EXERCISES
CLASSIFICATION
Exercise 1: Decide whether the bold words are countable or uncountable nouns. Write C or U on
the line.
Examples: U Can I give you some advice?
C We could see a ship in the distance.

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1. ___ The children are playing in the garden.
2. ___ I don't like milk.
3. ___ I prefer tea.
4. ___ Scientists say that the environment is threatened by pollution.
5. ___ My mother uses butter to prepare cakes.
6. ___ There are a lot of windows in our classroom.
7. ___ We need some glue to fix this vase.
8. ___ The waiters in this restaurant are very professional.
9. ___ My father drinks two big glasses of water every morning.
10. ___ The bread my mother prepares is delicious.
11. ___ Drivers must be careful; the road is slippery.
12. ___ Some policemen are organizing road traffic to avoid any accidents.
13. ___ I bought three bottles of mineral water for our picnic.
14. ___ I'd like some juice please!
15. ___ Successful candidates will join the camp later this year.
16. ___ A rise in oil prices is inevitable since there is more and more world demand for energy.

17. ___ The exercises on this website are interesting.


18. ___ Dehydrated babies must drink a lot of water.
19. ___ Adult illiterates learn through a special government program.
20. ___ I met some nice people when I was walking along the beach.

PLURAL OF NOUNS
Exercise 2: Changes these nouns into plural forms.
Example: bottle → bottles

1. Table → _______________
13. Roof → _______________
2. Cup → _______________
14. Chief → _______________
3. Car → _______________
15. Cliff → _______________
4. Hat → _______________
16. City → _______________
5. Chair → _______________
17. Country → _______________
6. Glass → _______________
18. Boy → _______________
7. Box → _______________
19. Key → _______________
8. Watch → _______________
20. Play → _______________
9. Wish → _______________
21. Day → _______________
10. Buzz → _______________
22. Echo → _______________
11. Leaf → _______________
23. Hero → _______________
12. Knife → _______________
24. Potato → _______________

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25. Tomato → _______________ 58. Nucleus → _______________
26. Kangaroo → _______________ 59. Crisis → _______________
27. Tattoo → _______________ 60. Hypothesis → ______________
28. Zoo → _______________ 61. Bacterium → ______________
29. Kilo → _______________ 62. Datum → _______________
30. Photo → _______________ 63. Medium → _______________
31. Piano → _______________ 64. Binoculars → _______________
32. Radio → _______________
33. Zero → _______________
34. Volcano → _______________
35. Mosquito → _______________
36. Tornado → _______________
37. Man → _______________
38. Woman → _______________
39. Child → _______________
40. Ox → _______________
41. Foot → _______________
42. Goose → _______________
43. Tooth → _______________
44. Mouse → _______________
45. Louse → _______________
46. Person → _______________
47. Deer → _______________
48. Fish → _______________
49. Salmon → _______________
50. Sheep → _______________
51. Means → _______________
52. Offspring → _______________
53. Series → _______________
54. Species → _______________
55. Criterion → _______________
56. Phenomenon → ___________
57. Cactus → _______________

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Exercise 3: Circle the correct pronunciation of the ending ‘s’ in each word below.
Example: essays A. /s/ B. /iz/ C. /z/

1. roofs: A. /s/ B. /iz/ C. /z/


2. books: A. /s/ B. /iz/ C. /z/
3. maps: A. /s/ B. /iz/ C. /z/
4. coats: A. /s/ B. /iz/ C. /z/
5. classes: A. /s/ B. /iz/ C. /z/
6. boxes: A. /s/ B. /iz/ C. /z/
7. churches: A. /s/ B. /iz/ C. /z/
8. voices: A. /s/ B. /iz/ C. /z/
9. ages: A. /s/ B. /iz/ C. /z/
10. tables: A. /s/ B. /iz/ C. /z/
11. boys: A. /s/ B. /iz/ C. /z/
12. cities: A. /s/ B. /iz/ C. /z/
13. judges A. /s/ B. /iz/ C. /z/
14. buzzes A. /s/ B. /iz/ C. /z/
15. lambs A. /s/ B. /iz/ C. /z/

POSSESSIVE CASES
Exercise 4: Circle the best answer.
Example: I’ve met Rachel’s family.

A. Rachel’s B. Rachel’ C. Rachels D. Rachels’

1. Where are ___ exercise books?


A. Ben and Ali’s B. Ben’ and Ali’s C. Ben and Alis’ D. Bens and Alis
2. ___ parents are both doctors.
A. Tom and Julie B. Tom and Julies
C. Tom’s and Julie’s D. Tom and Julie’s
3. ___ tusks are long and white.
A. Elephants B. Elephant’s C. Elephants’ D. Elephant
4. I like ___ new jacket.
A. Pams B. Pam’s C. Pams’ D. Pam

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5. ___ dog is called Wolfie.
A. Alan and Andys B. Alan’s and Andy’s
C. Alan and Andys’ D. Alan and Andy’s
6. My eldest ___ best friend is the school football captain.
A. brothers B. brothers’ C. brother D. brother’s
7. My ___ house is very small.
A. grandparents’ B. grandparents C. grandparent’s D. grandparent
8. Remind your mothers and fathers that it is ___ Evening tomorrow.
A. Parent’s B. Parents C. Parents’ D. Parent
9. ___ brother has just started school.
A. Sally B. Sally’s C. Sallys D. Sallys’
10. Which is ___ classroom?
A. Mr Afandi’s B. Mr Afandis C. Mr Afandi D. Mr Afandis’

Exercise 5: Use of or possessive form (‘s) for the following phrases.

Example: the mistake/the policeman: the policeman’s mistake

1. the bottom/the bottle: ___________________________________________________________


2. the gun/Mr Hillman: ____________________________________________________________
3. the smell/blood: ________________________________________________________________
4. the car/the terrorist: _____________________________________________________________
5. the middle/the night: ____________________________________________________________
6. the death/someone important: _____________________________________________________
7. the money/the gangsters: ________________________________________________________
8. the house/one of our teacher at college: _____________________________________________
9. concert/last week: ______________________________________________________________
10. the day/meeting: _______________________________________________________________

FUNCTIONS OF NOUNS
Exercise 6: What is the function of the bold noun in each sentence? Circle the letter of the correct
answer.

1. My father came home late today.


A. subject (of a verb) B. subjective complement
C. object of a verb D. object of a preposition

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2. My friend is a teacher.
A. subject B. subjective complement
C. object of a verb D. object of a preposition
3. The bird builds a nest.
A. subject (of a verb) B. subjective complement
C. object of a verb D. object of a preposition
4. We wait for our friends.
A. subject (of a verb) B. subjective complement
C. object of a verb D. object of a preposition
5. She gave her cat some milk.
A. direct object B. indirect object
C. adverbial equivalent D. adjective equivalent
6. We are sending Bill a letter.
A. direct object B. indirect object
C. adverbial equivalent D. adjective equivalent
7. Did you see my sister’s book on the table?
A. direct object B. indirect object
C. adverbial equivalent D. adjective equivalent
8. He worked two hours.
A. direct object B. indirect object
C. adverbial equivalent D. adjective equivalent
9. James Watt, a famous scientist, invented the steam engine.
A. objective complement B. subject complement
C. appositive D. cognate object
10. He laughed a bitter laugh.
A. objective complement B. subject complement
C. appositive D. cognate object
11. They named the baby Tony.
A. objective complement B. subject complement
C. appositive D. cognate object
12. James Watt, a famous scientist, invented the steam engine.
A. objective complement B. subject complement
C. appositive D. cognate object
13. He bought all the children an ice cream.
A. direct object B. indirect object
C. adverbial equivalent D. adjective equivalent
14. Her uncle gave the boy a lot of money for charity.
A. direct object B. indirect object
C. adverbial equivalent D. adjective equivalent

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15. He died a painful death.
A. objective complement B. subject complement
C. appositive D. cognate object
16. Money is happiness.
A. objective complement B. subject complement
C. appositive D. cognate object
17. We have waited months for this.
A. direct object B. indirect object
C. adverbial equivalent D. adjective equivalent
18. She is my aunt’s daughter.
A. direct object B. indirect object
C. adverbial equivalent D. adjective equivalent
19. She looked for her keys yesterday.
A. subject (of a verb) B. subjective complement
C. object of a verb D. object of a preposition
20. The insect, a cockroach, is crawling across the kitchen table.
A. objective complement B. subject complement
C. appositive D. cognate object

GRAMMAR IN USE

Exercise 7: Read the letter below and

(1) Underline the nouns in subject positions, and cross out the nouns in object positions;

(2) Find out and correct 10 mistakes on nouns.

1 Hi there,

2 It is nice to get to know you, my penpal. I would like to introduce myself. My full
3 name is Pham Thanh Nam. I am from a province in the Mekong Delta, Hau Giang. I
4 am eighteen years old, and now I am a student of Can Tho University. My major is
5 English Language Studies. My hobbies are listening to music, playing sports, surfing
6 the Internet and especially learning English. I often play soccer with my friends at the
7 playground when I have free time.

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8 I will tell you some more information about my study. I have enrolled in the online
9 distance program. I don’t have to go to the classrooms. I can stay at home or coffee
10 shop to follow my courses. The lecturers are high-qualified and enthusiastic. My
11 classmates are all nice, motivated and helpful. I love studying in this program.
12
Can you tell me more about yourself? I am waiting for your email.
13

14 All the best,

15 Nam

Exercise 8: Now let’s talk.

A. Talk about yourself.

1. What is your full name?

2. Where are you from?

3. What is your major?

4. What are your hobbies?/ What do you like?

5. What do you often do in your free time?

B. Talk about your school.

6. Where do you study?

7. What does your classroom look like?

8. Are there any services for students?

9. How are your teachers and classmates?

10. What do you like most about your school?

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Unit 2: Pronouns

OBJECTIVES: By the end of this unit, you will be able to


• Identify different types of pronouns and their functions; and
• Use the pronouns correctly in sentences.

GETTING STARTED
Think of the answers to the following questions. You can use any resources (grammar
books, internet, etc.) to help you.
1. What is a pronoun?
2. How many kinds of pronouns are there in English? What are they?

GRAMMAR KNOWLEDGE

I. Definition
A Pronoun is a word used instead of a Noun or a Noun-equivalent.
Example: John saw a snake; John thought this snake would hurt John, unless John killed the
snake with a stick; this stick John had in John’s hand.
John saw a snake which he thought would hurt him, unless he killed it with a stick
which he had in his hand.

II. Classification

Types of pronouns Definitions Examples

1. Personal Pronouns pronouns denoting the three persons - I love you.

2. Possessive pronouns showing possession/to - Tom is a friend of hers.


Pronouns replace the Possessive adjective + N - That book is his.

3. Reflexive Pronouns/ pronouns showing that the subject - The children can look after
Emphasizing Pro. does s.th for himself or to themselves for 2 hours.
emphasize the role of S or O

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Types of pronouns Definitions Examples

4. Indefinite Pronouns pronouns referring to numbers but - I’ll see each of them
not any number in particular separately./ I’ll see them
each separately.
- Everybody’s business is
nobody’s business.

5. Reciprocal pronouns showing reciprocity - Those three engineers have


Pronouns between subjects known one another since
they were students
- Paul and Linda love each
other.

6. Demonstrative pronouns pointing out a person, a - I don’t like this.


Pronouns thing, - Cricket was boring. Such
was her opinion before
meeting Lan
- the former, the latter, such

7. Interrogative pronouns used to make questions - who, whom, what, which,


Pronouns whose

8. Relative Pronouns pronouns introducing an adjective - who, whom, which, whose,


clause that

III. Functions & Uses

1. Personal Pronoun

1st person 2nd person 3rd person

Subjective case (S, Subjective Complement) I, WE YOU HE, SHE, IT, THEY
HIM, HER, IT,
Objective case (O of V, O of Prep.) ME, US YOU
THEM

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Examples

Functions Examples

Subject - He stood there.

Subjective Complement - It was he. BUT:


- Who’s knocking at the door? – It’s me. (colloquial English)

Object of Verb - We saw him.

Object of Preposition - I ran after him.

Notes:
Uses of Pronouns in special situations
Situations Examples

1. After AS, THAN: either S or O - I like you more than she. (does)
case with different meanings I like you more than her. (I like her)
- I don’t know her so well as he. (does)
I don’t know her so well as him. (I know him)

2. After SUCH AS: S case - We never like a boy such as he.

3. After BUT, EXCEPT: O case - There is nobody but me.


- I know all the students except him.

4. To show politeness, the 1st - Tom and I have come. (right)


person should follow the others - I and Tom have come.(wrong)
- This table is for you and me. (right)
- This table is for me and you. (wrong)

5. Personal pronouns should not be - The boy cannot leave his father for if he left him, he
used if they make the sentence would die.
more ambiguous. - The boy cannot leave his father for if he left his father,
his father would die.

Special use of IT

Situations Examples
1. Formal Subject - It is hard to content everybody.
FS Real S
-
It is probably every writer’s wish that his novel will be best
FS Real S seller.

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Situations Examples

- It remains a mystery how the prisoner escaped.


FS Real S

-
2. Formal Object I find it a pleasure to lead a simple life.
FO Real O

- Everyone considered it hard to adopt your opinion.


FO Real O

- I consider it unimportant how long a man lives.


FO Real O

- Everybody believes it true that peace will come soon.


FO Real O

3. Subject of impersonal
verbs
- Natural phenomenon - It rains. It snows.
- Time - It takes 10 days to make the trip.
- Distance - It takes 50 miles to get there.
4. Emphatic sentence - Tom broke the window.
It + be … + that … It was Tom that broke the window.
5. In familiar expressions - It is said that …/ It is thought that …/ It is believed that …/ It
is reported that …/ It is rumored that …
6. For things without life - Here is your book! Take it away.
7. For animals, unless we - The horse fell and broke its leg.
clearly wish to speak
of them as male or
female
8. For a small child, - When I saw the child, it was crying.
unless we clearly wish - The baby has torn its clothes.
to refer to the sex
9. To refer to some - He is telling what is not true, and he knows it.
statement going before
10. To replace a collective - The crew mutinied and murdered its officers.
noun

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2. Possessive Pronouns

1st person 2nd person 3rd person

Singular Mine Yours His, Hers, Its, One’s

Plural Ours Yours Theirs

Possessive pronouns are used to replace Possessive adjective + Noun


Double Possession: - Please show me one of your pictures.
N + of + Possessive Pronoun Please show me a picture of yours.
- She introduced me to one of her friends.
She introduced me to a friend of hers.

3. Reflexive Pronouns/ Emphasizing Pronouns

1st person 2nd person 3rd person

Singular myself yourself himself, herself, itself, oneself

Plural ourselves yourselves themselves

Positions Functions Examples


Reflexive pronoun Direct O - Mary loved herself too much.
- can’t be omitted - Jack cut himself by accident.
- be put after Vt & Indirect O - We can’t teach ourselves English.
Prep
BY Oneself = Alone - I do this work by myself.
I do this work alone.
Emphasizing pronoun to emphasize the S - The cat itself caught the mouse.
- can be omitted to emphasize the O - I’ve met the victim themselves.
- be put right after the - I myself do this work.
S, O & at the end of - I do this work myself.
the clause

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4. Indefinite Pronouns

Pronouns Meanings/Uses Examples

NONE = no one, - None of us is perfect.


nothing - None of the tourists want to climb the
mountain.

BOTH one & the other - They both came./ Both of them came.

EITHER any one of 2 - Give me either of these two book.

NEITHER no one of 2 - Both were ill, so neither came.

EACH a number of people or - I’ll see each of you separately. (Indef Pro)
things considered - He gave us 500 francs each. (Indef Adv)
individually
used of small numbers

SEVERAL - being more than two but - Several of them need to work harder.
fewer than many in
number or kind

ALL (+of) - a number of people or - All of them come back late.


things considered as a - If all is well, we’ll get great success.
group: +VPlu.
- Everything: + Vsing.

SOME affirm. sent. - Some went to the dancing party.


interro. sent (you are sure of it) - I like those roses, please give me some.
offer and request - Did some of you sleep on the floor?
- Would you like some wine?

ANY affirm.sent (‘practically every’) - Choose any of these books.


neg. sent (after NOT, NEVER, - I didn’t see any of them.
RARELY, HARDLY, SCARCELY) - He can hardly answer any of those
interro. sent (you aren’t sure of thorny questions.
it)
- Did any of your photos come out well?

A FEW positive meaning, - A few of the seats were empty.


referring to Ncount.

A LITTLE positive meaning, - Sugar? – A little, please.


referring to Nuncount

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Pronouns Meanings/Uses Examples

FEW = not many/ negative meaning - Tourists come here but few stay
hardly any overnight.
- Tourists come here but hardly any stay
overnight.

LITTLE = not negative meaning - Little is known about the side-effect of


much/ hardly any this drug.

MANY = referring Ncount. - You’ve got lots of letters while I


A GREAT MANY A large extent, amount or haven’t got many.
= A GOOD number - She collects records and she has a great
MANY many.

MUCH = referring to Nuncount - Much of what you say is true.


A GREAT DEAL - Your car uses a great deal of petrol, but
= A GOOD DEAL mine doesn’t consume much.

A LOT/ LOTS = Both Ncount. & Nuncount - I saw a lot of seabirds. I expect you saw
PLENTY a lot, too.
- Do you need more milk? - No, thanks,
there's plenty in the fridge
- Have we got enough plates? - Yes,
there are plenty in the cupboard

EVERYONE/ + Vsing. - Everyone is ready. = All the people are


EVERYBODY = all (the) people + Vplu ready.

EVERYTHING + Vsing. - Everything has been wasted.


= all (the) things + Vplu

SOMEONE/ affirm. sent. - Someone wants to speak to you on the


SOMEBODY interro. sent (you are sure phone.
of it) - Is this somebody’s seat?

SOMETHING - There is something under the table.

ANYONE/ neg. sent - I don’t want to waste anyone’s time.


ANYBODY interro. sent (you aren’t - Is this anybody’s seat?
sure of it)

ANYTHING - Do you want anything from the


chemist’s?

NO ONE/ - No one has ever given me a free ticket.


NOBODY

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Pronouns Meanings/Uses Examples

NOTHING - Nothing is more valuable than


independence and freedom.

ENOUGH - I hope enough of you are prepared to


help with the show.

ANOTHER an additional one, a - One apple is not enough, bring him


different one another.

THE OTHER the second of the two - Don’t give me this, I like the other.
(sing.)

THE OTHERS the remaining ones - Don’t give me these, I like the others.
(plu.)
OTHERS Additional or further ones; - Some people like cars; others like
other people or things motorbikes.

Notes: YOU, ONE & THEY as Indefinite Pronouns


Pronouns Meanings/Uses Examples
YOU & ONE as S either can be used - Can you/one camp in the forest?
YOU & ONE as O You is more common, more - They fine you for parking offences.
friendly - One must do one’s best.
One is more impersonal, less
used though the possessive
One’s is common.
THEY used as S only - They say it is going to be a cold
can mean ‘people’ winter. (They say = People say, It is
can mean ‘authority concerned’ said)
(government, the local council, - They want to make this a one-way
employers, the police) street.

5. Reciprocal Pronouns

Pronouns Meanings/Uses Examples


ONE ANOTHER for more than 2 persons In our society, we must depend on one
another.
EACH OTHER for 2 persons Romeo and Juliet loved each other.

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6. Demonstrative Pronouns

Pronouns Meanings/Uses Examples

THIS (sing.) to point out near by - This is a pencil.


THESE (plu.) people or things - These are pencils.
THAT (sing.) to point out distant people - That is a picture.
THOSE (plu.) or things - Those are pictures.
* THOSE can be followed by a - Those who live in glass houses should not
defining relative clause throw stones. (Điều gì không thích thì đừng làm với
người khác)

* THIS/ THAT can represent a previously - They’re digging up my road. They do this
mentioned N, phrase, every summer.
clause - He said I wasn’t a good wife. Wasn’t that
a horrible thing to say?
THE FORMER the first - Dogs and cats are valuable domestic
animals; the former are watchful
THE LATTER the second guardians and the latter kill mice.
ONE, ONES, to avoid repetition - There are 2 shirts. I like the red one.
SUCH - Those students are clever ones.
- Such are people I’ve never met.

7. Interrogative Pronouns

Pronouns Meanings/Uses Examples

WHAT SC, to ask for occupation - What are you?

WHICH S, O, for a choice - Which of them is the tallest?- Mary


- Which do you like best? - Tom

WHO S, SC, O, for identification - Who took my gun?


For
- Who are those men?
person
- Who do you like best?

WHOM O - Whom did you see?


- Whom did they speak to?

WHOSE possession - Whose are these books? – Ann’s

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Pronouns Meanings/Uses Examples

WHAT S, O - What delayed you?


- What did they eat?
For
WHICH S, SC, O - Which belongs to you?
Things
- Which are your shoes? – The red
ones
- Which do you like best?

8. Relative Pronouns

Subject Object Possessive Examples

- This is the boy who/that brings me the


news.
WHOM
WHO - The girl whom/who/that you told me is
Persons WHO WHOSE
THAT standing there.
THAT
- The film is about a spy whose wife
betray him.

- She lends me a book which/that is very


interesting.
WHICH WHICH WHOSE - The book which/that you are reading
Things
THAT THAT OF WHICH belongs to the teacher.
- The house the roof of which/whose roof
is red is my uncle’s.

GRAMMAR EXERCISES
PERSONAL PRONOUNS

Exercise 1: Use the correct subject personal pronouns to fill in the blanks.
Example: His father has just retired. He was a teacher.
1. ___________ am with my dog.
2. ___________ has got a yellow dress.
3. Is your TV beautiful? Is ___________ large?
4. The schoolboys work, so ___________ are here.
5. You have got a new car, is ___________ beautiful?

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6. I love Mick because ___________ is funny!
7. Your house is big. ___________ is nice.
8. 'Peter! Mary! Do ___________ want some chocolate?'
9. ___________ are my best friends, John and Mary.
10. Let’s go out. ___________ will have a great time together.

Exercise 2: Fill in each blank with an appropriate object pronoun.


Example: This is Jack. He’s my brother. I don’t think you have met him.
1. I saw (Henri) ___________ when I was in London.
2. I often go to the cinema with (my parents) ___________.
3. Yesterday, John wrote a letter to (Linda) ___________.
4. I sit near (Tom and his brother) ___________.
5. He is the only Spanish among (his friends) ___________.
6. He has offered (my sister and me) ___________ many presents .
7. I also like (Mary and her friend) ___________ very much .
8. I think my mother gives (my brother) ___________ too much money .
9. I like (milk) ___________ very much .
10. Mr Smith always speaks German to (Helen) ___________.

POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS

Exercise 3: Replace the bold words with the correct possessive pronouns.
Example: I didn’t have my book so Jenny lent me her book. => hers
1. This is my room and that is your room.
2. Maniam has finished his work but the other boys have not finished their work.
3. Your umbrella is very beautiful. Have you seen Farah's umbrella ?
4. Mr. Lim's family is here but not Mrs. Lim's.
5. Miriam’s apples are in the bag but those over there are my apples.
6. Johan had finished his experiment before I started my experiment.
7. The boy ate up his ice cream and wanted to eat Susan's ice cream.
8. May Leng is wearing her name tag. Where is your name tag ?
9. The boy's essay won a top prize, but my essay did not.
10. The children are all upstairs, making a lot of noise: your children as well as her children.

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Exercise 4: Underline the correct word to fill in each sentence.
Example: Michael took the children with (him/his).
1. She's not his friend, she's (my/mine).
2. Robert didn't drink his own coffee. He drank (her/hers).
3. That is one of (hers/her) friends.
4. His neighborhood is safe, while (my/mine) neighborhood isn't.
5. His neighborhood is safe, while (my/mine) isn't.
6. Did (your/yours) mother call?
7. I don't know (them/their) very well.
8. I don't know (them/their) daughter very well.
9. I talked to (my/me) grandmother for three hours last night.
10. I think I got my notes mixed up with (your/yours).

REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS

Exercise 5: Fill in each blank with a suitable reflexive pronoun: myself - yourself - himself -
herself - itself - ourselves - yourselves – themselves.
Example: She made herself a cup of tea and sat down in front of the television.
1. Lucy never stops admiring _______________.

2. When I see _______________ in mirror, I'm scared.

3. Mary, don't look at _______________, look at me.

4. We disguised _______________ into monsters.

5. They talked about _______________ for an hour!

6. Tom, Harry ! Look at _______________.

7. I think he's mad, he talks to _______________ all day long.

8. Be careful ! Don't cut _______________.

9. I slipped on the wet floor yesterday, and I hurt _______________.

10. The children went to the movies by _______________.

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Exercise 6: Fill in the blank with an appropriate pronoun if necessary.
1. All you have to do is to hide _______________ behind the door and to shout 'Surprise!'
when she walks in.
2. They're always complaining _______________ about my cooking.
3. George's mother didn't want him to take the job on the oil rig. In fact, George didn't feel very
happy about it _______________.
4. There's no need for you to come, I can carry the shopping _______________.
5. Young people _______________ need to get more involved in politics.
6. I don't have any trouble getting to sleep, but I always wake _______________ up very early.
7. That's a beautiful sweater, Susan, did you knit it _______________?
8. For an explanation we need to look back to the beginning of the Universe
_______________.
9. I find that I get _______________ tired very easily these days.
10. You and Bridget ought to relax _______________ more - you're working too hard.

Exercise 7: Correct these sentences if necessary. Put a ✓ if the sentence is already correct.

1. ___ I had a swim, quickly dried me, and put on my clothes.

2. ___ Now that he was famous, he heard a lot about himself on TV and radio.

3. ___ Why don't you bring the children with you?

4. ___ You ought to be ashamed of you.

5. ___ They pulled the sledge behind themselves through the snow.

6. ___ She put out her hand and introduced herself as Antonia Darwin.

7. ___ 'Have you ever been to California?' 'No...oh, yes, once,' he corrected him.

8. ___ I could feel the ground start to move under me.

9. ___ They applied them to the task with tremendous enthusiasm.

10. ___ It was another rainy Sunday afternoon and we didn't know what to do with us.

INDEFINITE PRONOUNS
Exercise 8: Circle the letter of the best answer.
Example: I want to get Larry _____ for his birthday.
A. nothing B. something C. everything D. somebody

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1. Has _____ got my pen?
A. nothing B. something C. everything D. somebody
2. My pen-friend has sent me _____ by post.
A. everything B. anything C. something D. nothing
3. I went to my friend’s house but there was _____ there. So I came home.
A. everybody B. anybody C. nothing D. nobody
4. I know I have to phone _____ but I can’t remember who.
A. someone B. something C. no one D. everyone
5. Sorry, what did you say? - _____ I didn’t say a word!
A. Everything B. Nobody C. Nothing D. Something
6. Oh! I’ve got _____ in my eye. It hurts!
A. someone B. something C. anything D. nothing
7. _____ of the answers are correct.
A. None B. Nobody C. Something D. Everything
8. _____ wants to be happy.
A. No one B. Everything C. Everyone D. Nothing
9. Children, make sure you take _____ home with you this afternoon. Remember to take all
your work and all your other belongings.
A. anything B. nothing C. none D. everything
10. Dad, _____ phoned for you but I don’t know who it was.
A. no one B. someone C. everyone D. something

Exercise 9: Circle the letter of the correct answer.

1. One of my sisters is named Helen, ___ is named Doris.


A. the other B. the others C. others D. another
2. In Canada, some people speak English, ___ speak French.
A. the other B. the others C. others D. another
3. Some people live to eat, but ___ eat to live.
A. the other B. the others C. others D. another
4. Mr. Smith already has two cars, and now he wants ___.
A. the other B. the others C. others D. another
5. Some people like to rest in their free time. ___ like to travel.
A. The other B. The others C. Others D. Another
6. This cake is delicious! Can I have ___, please?
A. the other B. the others C. others D. another

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7. There were three books on my table. One is here. Where are ___?
A. the other B. the others C. others D. another
8. Some of the speakers went straight to the conference room. ___ are still hanging around.
A. the other B. the others C. others D. another
9. This is not the only answer to the question. There are ___.
A. the other B. the others C. others D. another
10. I was not successful, but please give me ___ chance.
A. the other B. the others C. others D. another

RECIPROCAL PRONOUNS

Exercise 10: Circle the letter of the correct answer.


1. John and Mary looked at ___. I would say he looked at her with admiration.
A. each other B. one another
2. Peter and Susan have met ___.
A. each other B. one another
3. Elka, Yvonne and Joanna gave ___ a book.
A. each other B. one another
4. Three children talked to ___. They stood next to my house.
A. each other B. one another
5. I and my uncle talk to ___ every day. Although his character isn't easy to bear.
A. each other B. one another
6. She and her brother stopped talking and looked at ___.
A. each other B. one another
7. John and his mother bought ___ presents for Christmas.
A. each other B. one another
8. My cat and his dog looked at ___ with dread.
A. each other B. one another
9. Barbara's three sons and their father hate ___.
A. each other B. one another
10. I think that all people should love ___. No matter where they live.
A. each other B. one another

Exercise 11: Fill in the blanks with either reciprocal or reflexive pronoun.
1. That girl never controls _______________.
2. My son and my daughter are very fond of _______________.
3. I think you and I have learned a lot about _______________ in this session.

30
4. Charles and Karen had an accident and hurt _______________.
5. He looked at _______________ in the mirror.
6. I painted the house all by _______________.
7. Jenny and Terry wrote to _______________ for a long time.
8. All the members of the family looked at _______________.
9. She has accustomed _______________ to that food.
10. We promised _______________ a good holiday next year.
11. The door seemed to open all by _______________.
12. We prepared _______________ for the long journey ahead.
13. Did you amuse _______________ last night ?
14. I've bought _______________a new car.
15. Nathalie and I have known _______________ for years.

DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS
Exercise 12: Circle the best choice.
1. Look over there. ___ is the biggest pumpkin I've ever seen!
A. This B. That C. These D. Those
2. Matthew, take ___ and put it over there.
A. this B. that C. these D. those
3. ___ are the best days of our lives.
A. This B. That C. These D. Those
4. Hi Peter! ___ is my girlfriend, Lisa. Hi! Lisa
A. This B. That C. These D. Those
5. The flat we looked at today was better than ___ two we saw at the weekend.
A. this B. that C. these D. those
6. Last month's figures were bad, but ___ are worse this month.
A. this B. that C. these D. those
7. I've lost my key. ~ Well, ___ is a silly thing to do.
A. this B. that C. these D. those
8. Jessica is on a diet. ___ is why she doesn't want to eat out with us.
A. This B. That C. These D. Those
9. I don't like to say ___, but I'm not happy with the service here.
A. this B. that C. these D. those
10. I'm just having a look at this shirt. ___ 's nice, isn't it?
A. This B. That C. These D. Those

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Exercise 13: Choose either ‘one’ or ‘ones’ to fill in the blanks.
1. These are two shirts. I like the red ________.
2. Those students are clever ________.
3. The girl in the white dress is his sister, and the ________in green is mine.
4. Which ________ of those men is Mr. John?
5. These trees are bigger than that ________.
6. Those pictures are interesting ________.
7. These bowls are nice. What about this ________?
8. I don't like these sweaters. I prefer those ________ over there.
9. I tried all three numbers, and each ________ was engaged.
10. The product is available in all these colours. Which ________ would you like?

INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS
Exercise 14: Circle the best Interrogative Pronoun to fill in the blank.
Example: ____ is your name?
A. What B. Which C. Who D. Whose
1. ____ did your teacher say?
A. Which B. What C. Who D. Whose
2. ____ is your jacket? The blue one or the red one?
A. Which B. What C. Who D. Whose
3. ____ gave you that new watch?
A. Which B. What C. Who D. Whose
4. ____ won the race?
A. Which B. What C. Who D. Whose
5. ____ is this bicycle?
A. Which B. What C. Who D. Whose
6. ____ is your brother’s name?
A. Which B. What C. Who D. Whose
7. ____ is your favorite color?
A. Which B. What C. Who D. Whose
8. ____ got the best marks in the test?
A. Which B. What C. Who D. Whose
9. ____ are they doing in the park ?
A. What B. Who C. Whom D. Which

32
10. ____ are these shoes ? they're mine.
A. Who B. Whose C. Which D. Whom
11. ____ trousers do you want, the red or the blue ones ?
A. Who B. Which C. Whom D. Whose
12. ____ is your phone number?
A. What B. Who C. Whose D. Whom
13. ____ is Paul phoning?
A. Who B. What C. Whom D. Whose
14. ____ did you invite to preside over the meeting?
A. Who B. Whom C. What D. Whose
15. ____ do you prefer, tea or coffee?
A. Who B. Whose C. Which D. Whom
16. ____ do you want to do?
A. What B. Who C. Whom D. Which
17. ____ shall I give this to?
A. Whom B. Who C. Whose D. Which
18. ____ of these books will you take?
A. Which B. Whom C. What D. Whose
19. I don’t know ____ of them will actually get it?
A. who B. what C. which D. whose
20. ____ said these words?
A. Who B. Whom C. What D. Which

RELATIVE PRONOUNS
Exercise 15: Circle the letter of the best answer.
1. My sister , ___ came here yesterday, is a bus driver.
A. who B. whom C. whose D. which
2. The man ___ the police arrested is a thief.
A. who B. whom C. whose D. which
3. The young boy ___ always sells bread is sick.
A. who B. whom C. whose D. which
4. This is the person ___ car has been stolen.
A. who B. whom C. whose D. which
5. Guy said my dog was dead, ___ is not true!
A. who B. whom C. whose D. which
6. The gift ___ you had at Xmas came from India.
A. who B. whom C. whose D. which

33
7. The books ___ I have read are excellent.
A. who B. whom C. whose D. which
8. The woman ___ wears earrings is beautiful.
A. who B. whom C. whose D. which
9. The child ___ you can see on the picture has disappeared.
A. who B. whom C. whose D. which
10. Peter is sick. / I met Peter yesterday.
→ Peter, ___ I met yesterday, is sick.
A. who B. whom C. whose D. which
11. These pupils are disruptive. / These pupils come into the classroom.
→ These pupils, ___ come into the classroom, are disruptive.
A. who B. whom C. whose D. which
12. My car is broken. / I crashed my car in a roundabout.
→ My car, ___ I crashed in a roundabout, is broken.
A. who B. whom C. whose D. which
13. That is my bus. / I usually take that bus.
→ That is the bus ___ I usually take.
A. who B. whom C. whose D. which
14. Here is a game. / I don't understand the rules of the game.
→ Here is a game the rules ___ I don't understand.
A. who B. whom C. which D. of which
15. John is fat. / The appetite of John is spectacular.
→ John, ___ appetite is spectacular, is fat.
A. who B. whom C. whose D. which

Exercise 16: Fill in the blanks with who, whom, what, which, or whose to complete the
following sentences.
1. He _______________ fights and runs away will live to fight another day.
2. Now tell me _______________ you are interested to do.
3. More than half of _______________ he says is untrue.
4. He _______________ will not work shall not eat.
5. This is a game _______________ we all know.
6. You may buy _______________ you like.
7. Do you hear _______________ I say ?
8. He _______________ hesitates is lost.
9. Nothing _______________ you can say, or do, will make any difference.
10. The man _______________ house we visited has gone away.
11. The girl of _______________ you spoke won a prize.

34
12. John to _____________ I lent some money has asked me for some more.
13. I know the poor woman _______________ child was run over.
14. I know _______________ you want.
15. The man _______________ came this morning is a teacher.

Exercise 17: Fill in the gaps with the correct Reflexive, Reciprocal or Indefinite Pronoun
from the box. Some pronouns may be used more than once.
anything each other everyone everything
nothing herself someone themselves
The Big Day
Today was the big day, Suha told (1) ____________ as she looked at (2) ____________
carefully in the mirror. Her big sister was getting married and she, Suha, was a bridesmaid. Her
sister had been kind and she had let the bridesmaids choose their dresses (3) ____________.
Suha had chosen a lovely blue dress and matching shoes.

Her sister and fiancé Mahmoud had met (4) ____________ at a friend’s wedding two
years previously. They fell in love with (5) ____________ immediately. It was very romantic!
Her parents and Mahmoud’s parents had known (6) ____________ for many years and so (7)
____________ was very happy.

Suha quickly finished brushing her hair and went downstairs. All the family were very
busy but fortunately, (8) ____________ had remembered to make breakfast! Suha looked at her
mother. ‘Can I do (9) ____________ to help?’ she asked. ‘(10) ____________, Suha, thank you.
(11) ____________ is ready,’ replied her mother.

Then Suha’s big sister came slowly into the room and the whole family turned to look at
her. She was very beautiful. Suha’s parents looked at (12) ____________. Suha could tell that
they were happy and sad at the same time! ‘Time to go,’ said her father. ‘Time for the big day to
start!’

GRAMMAR IN USE

Exercise 18: Read the letter below and

35
(1) Circle the subject pronouns, underline the object pronouns, and double line the
possessive pronouns;

(2) Find out and correct 10 mistakes in pronouns.

1 Hello Jane,

2 How are you? What are you going to do this weekend? Are you going to read books
3 yourself? I am doing well here. In your previous letter, you asked I about my family.
4 Today I will tell you about it.

5 My live in an extended family with many members. We love each other very much.
6 My mother is now retired. She is fifty-seven years old. However, my father is still
7 working. His is fifty-nine, and he is an engineer. I have two sisters. My elder sister who
8 is a doctor is thirty-two years old. She is married, and she has three sons. Theirs are
9 Jim, Steven and Andrew. Jim is six years old, and they is in primary school, but the
10 others are still in kindergarten. Jim has a favourite pet. He is a dog. We are not at home
11 at the moment, but us travel to a famous beach in Viet Nam. We often do this when
12 you have a holiday. It is sunny and beautiful. We enjoy everything together, and they
13 feel very happy.

14 I have just told you about my family. Can you tell me about your?

15 Looking forward to receiving your letter.

16 Lots of love,

17 Nam

Exercise 19: Let’s talk.

A. Talk about your family.

1. What kind of family do you live in?

2. Do you have any siblings?

3. What are your parents’ jobs?

36
4. Who do you love most in your family? Why?

5. What activities do your family members often do together?

B. Talk about your hometown.

6. Where are you from?

7. Are there any tourist attractions in your hometown?

8. What is the weather like there?

9. What do most people in your hometown do?

10. What do you like most about your hometown?

37
Unit 3: Verbs

OBJECTIVES: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to


• know 12 verb tenses in English, the agreement of subjects and verbs, active and
passive voice in English, and different types of non-finite verbs; and
• use verbs correctly in sentences, in terms of tenses, voices, and forms.

GETTING STARTED
Think of the answers to the following questions. You can use any resources (grammar books,
internet, etc.) to help you.
1. What is a verb?

2. How many tenses are there in English? What are they?

3. How do verbs agree with their subjects?

4. When do you use passive voice?

5. What are non-finite verbs?

GRAMMAR KNOWLEDGE

I. Definition
A verb is a kind of word (part of speech) that tells about an action or a state. It is the main part of a
sentence: every sentence must have a verb.

Examples: - The cat slept.

- That is John.
- She loves you.
- They are running.
- Go there on Monday.
- He said, "Hello!"
- Can you play the piano?
- The sleeping baby looks beautiful.
- She saw the girl who had been bitten by the dog.

38
II. Verb tenses
A. Rules for forming Singular Verbs in Simple Present Tense

Examples
Rules

Verbs ending in “ SH, CH, S, X, Z, O”, washes, watches, misses, fixes, buzzes, goes
add –ES

Verbs ending in “Y”


try – tries, but buy – buys
• Consonant-Y → C-I-ES
• Vowel-Y → V-Y-S obey – obeys, play - plays, buy – buys

Add “-S” to other verbs Sees, runs, moves, faces

B. Rules for forming Present Participle in Continuous Tenses

Examples
Rules

drink-drinking, cry-crying, eat-eating, sing-singing,


Add –ING to the Infinitive: V+-ING
read-reading, sleep-sleeping, laugh-laughing

write-writing, smile-smiling, take-taking, phone-


phoning, drive-driving, hate-hating, love-loving,
V.s ending in –E: drop –E before adding – argue-arguing
Ing
BUT: agree-agreeing, see-seeing
age-ageing, dye-dyeing, singe-singeing

Monosyllable V.s with 1 vowel ending in 1 hit-hitting, cut-cutting, run-running, stop-stopping,


consonant: double the consonant before BUT: mix-mixing, fix-fixing, row-rowing, throw-
adding –ING throwing

Two-syllable Verbs stressed on the 2nd admít-admitting, begín-beginning, prefér-preferring


syllable & ending in 1V-1C: double the
C before adding –ING BUT: hámmer-hammering

39
Examples
Rules

Verbs ending in –IE, change –IE to –Y lie-lying, die-dying, tie-tying


before adding –ING

travel-travelling (British English)/traveling


Verbs ending in –L: double –L before (American English), level-levelling (British
adding –ING in British English, not in English)/leveling (American English), marvel-
American English marvelling (British English)/marveling (American
English)

Verbs ending in –C: add –K before adding – mimic-mimicking, picnic-picnicking


ING

C. Pronunciation of the ending ‘-S’ or ‘-ES’

Pronunciation
Ending Example
of ‘s’

/f/, /p/, /k/, /t/, /s/ laughs, stops, works, wants

watches, washes, changes, uses, buzzes, dances,


/t∫/, /∫/, /dʒ/, /z/, /s/ /iz/, /əz/
fixes,

Others /z/ goes, buys, comes, opens, lives,

D. Pronunciation of the ending ‘-ED’

Pronunciation
Ending Example
of ‘s’

/t/, /d/ /id/ wanted, visited, needed, ended

laughed, stopped, worked, looked, watched, washed,


/f/, /p/, /k/, /t∫/, /∫/, /s/ /t/
kissed

others /b/, /l/, /m/, /n/, webbed, called, named, fanned, conquered, loved,
/d/
/v/, /z/, /dʒ/, /đ/, managed, buzzed, breathed,

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E. Conjugation

Affirmative Negative Interrogative Interro-negative

Is/Are + S + not…?
S + am/is/are … S + am/is/are +not … Am/Is/Are + S+ …?
Do + S + not + Vo?
Present Simple S + V(s/es) S + do not + Vo Do + S + Vo?
Modal + S + not +
S + Modal + Vo S + Modal + not + Vo Modal + S + Vo?
Vo?

He is nice. He is not nice. Is he nice? Isn’t he nice?

They work. They do not Do they work/sing? Don’t they work?


work/sing.
She can sing. Can she sing? Can’t she sing?
She cannot/can’t sing.

Was/Were+S+
S +was/were … S + was/were + not Was/Were +S+ …?
Past Simple not…?
S + Ved/2 S + did not + Vo Did + S + Vo?
Did + S + not + Vo?

He was nice. He was not nice. Was he nice? Wasn’t he nice?

They worked. They didn’t work. Did they work? Didn’t they work?

She could sing. She couldn’t sing. Could she sing? Couldn’t she sing?

Future Simple S + will + Vo S + will not + Vo Will + S + Vo? Will + S + not + Vo?

He will be here. He will not be here. Will he be here? Won’t he be here?

They will work. They will not work. Will they work? Won’t they work?

She will sing. She will not sing. Will she sing? Won’t she sing?

Am/Is/Are+S+not+
Present Ving?
S + am/is/are + Ving S+am/is/are+not+Ving Am/Is/Are+S+Ving?
Continuous Aren’t/Isn’t + S +
Ving?

They are working. They are not working. Are they working? Aren’t they working?

She is singing. She is not singing. Is she singing? Isn’t she singing?

41
Affirmative Negative Interrogative Interro-negative

Past Was/Were+S+not+
S + was/were + Ving S+was/were not + Ving Was/Were+S+Ving?
Continuous Ving?

They were working. They were not Were they working? Weren’t they
working. working?
She was singing. Was she singing?
She was not singing. Wasn’t she singing?

Future Will+S+not+be+
S+will be+Ving S+will not be+Ving Will+S+be+Ving?
Continuous Ving?

They will be They will not be Will they be Won’t they be


working. working. working? working?

She will be singing. She will not be Will she be singing? Won’t she be
singing. singing?

S+have/has+not+ Have/Has+S+not+
Present Perfect S+have/has+Ved/3 Have/Has+S+ Ved/3?
Ved/3 Ved/3?

He has been nice. He has not been nice. Has he been nice? Hasn’t he been nice?

They have worked. They have not Have they worked? Haven’t they
worked. worked?
She has sung. Has she sung?
She has not sung. Hasn’t she sung?

Had + S + not +
Past Perfect S + had + Ved/3 S + had + not + Ved/3 Had + S + Ved/3?
Ved/3?

He had been nice. He had not been nice. Had he been nice? Hadn’t he been nice?

They had worked. They had not worked. Had they worked? Hadn’t they worked?

She had sung. She had not sung. Had she sung? Hadn’t she sung?

S + will not have + Will+S+not+have+


Future Perfect S + will have + Ved/3 Will+S+have+Ved/3?
Ved/3 Ved/3?

They will have They will not have Will they have Won’t they have
worked. worked. worked? worked?

She will have sung. She will not have Will she have sung? Won’t she have
sung. sung?

42
Affirmative Negative Interrogative Interro-negative

Present Perfect S+ have been + S+ have


has  not
Have S+been+ Have +S+not

has    Has  Has 
Continuous
Ving been+Ving Ving? been+Ving?

They have been They have not been Have they been Haven’t they been
working. working. singing? working?

She has been She has not been Has she been Hasn’t they been
singing. singing. singing? singing?

Past Perfect Had+S+not+been+


S+had been+Ving S+ had not been+Ving Had+S+been+Ving?
Continuous Ving?

They had been They had not been Had they been Hadn’t they been
working. working. working? working?

She had been She had been singing. Had she been Hadn’t she been
singing. singing? singing?

Future Perect S + will have been S+will not have been Will+S+have been Will+S+not have
Continuous +Ving + Ving + Ving? been + Ving?

They will have been They will not have Will they have been Won’t they have
working. been working. working? been working?

She will have been She will not have Will she have been Won’t she have been
singing. been singing. singing? singing?

F. Contraction

Contraction of Are not = aren’t do not = don’t cannot = can’t


Auxiliaries with
NOT is not = isn’t does not = doesn’t could not = couldn’t

was not = wasn’t did not = didn’t will not = won’t

were not = weren’t have not = haven’t would not = wouldn’t

ought not = oughtn’t has not = hasn’t must not = mustn’t

had not = hadn’t should not = shouldn’t

43
Contraction of AM I’m reading a book. HAS She’s been here for a year.
Auxiliaries with It’s been cold lately.
Pronouns IS She’s studying.
It’s going to rain. HAVE I’ve finished my work.
They’ve never met you.
ARE You’re working hard.
They’re waiting for us. HAD He’d been waiting for us.
We’d forgotten about it.
DID Ø
WOULD He’d like to go there.
WILL I’ll come later. They’d come if they could.
She’ll help us.

Contraction of AM Ø HAS My book’s been stolen.


Auxiliaries with Sally’s never met him.
Nouns (Square IS [My book’s] on the table.
brackets indicate Mary’s at home. HAVE The [books’ve] been sold.
that the contraction The [students’ve] finished the
is frequently ARE My [books’re] on the table. test.
spoken but rarely The [teachers’re] at the
written) meeting. HAD The [books’d] been sold.
[Mary’d] never met him before.
DID Ø
WOULD [Mary’d] like to go there, too.
WILL The [weather’ll] be nice [My friends’d] come if they
tomorrow. could.
[John’ll] be coming soon.

Contraction of AM [What’m] I supposed to do? HAS Where’s Sally been living?


Auxiliaries with What’s been going on?
Question IS Where’s Sally?
Words (Square Who’s that man? HAVE [Where’ve] they been?
brackets indicate [How’ve] you been?
that the contraction ARE [What’re] you doing?
is frequently [Where’re] they going? HAD [Where’d] you been before
spoken but rarely that?
written) DID [What’d] you do last night? [Who’d] been there before you?
[How’d] you do on the test?
WOULD [Where’d] you like to go?
WILL [Who’ll] be at the meeting?
[Where’ll] you be at ten?

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G. Uses

1 - The Present Simple is used to express

- I usually have dinner at 6.00 p.m.


1. a present habit, a custom, or a repeated
- People send greeting cards on New Year time.
action
- She practices speaking English every day.
- The moon turns around the earth.
2. a permanent truth - The sun rises in the east, and sets in the west.
- Water boils at 100oC.
- I see a bird.
- Your hand is cold.
3. a present statement (action, feeling,
- Tom swims far.
capacity, state or perception)
- Today is beautiful.
- Mary speaks English.
- Your train arrives in 5 minutes.
4. a near future action or timetable
- I have a date/an appointment this evening.
I go to the park every day.
Adverbs of Time and Frequency
He is always in time for meal.
EVERY/EACH +
MORNING/DAY/WEEK/ I normally get good marks.
MONTH/YEAR I sometimes stay up late at night.
ALWAYS, NORMALLY = USUALLY, I occasionally go to bed late.
OFTEN = FREQUENTLY,
SOMETIMES = NOW AND THEN = He visits me occationally.
OCCASIONALLY, RARELY,
SELDOM = VERY RARELY, She hardly ever gets angry.
HARDLY EVER, NEVER = NOT He can never understand.
EVER

Note:

Usually, normally, often, frequently,


sometimes, occasionally can be used at
the beginning of the sentence.
BUT we cannot use the following at the
beginning of a sentence: Always,
seldom, rarely, hardly, ever, never.
• Occasionally, I like to eat Thai food.

45
2 - The Past Simple is used to express

- I met her at the party yesterday.


1. a past completed action at a definite
- Pasteur died in 1895.
point of time
- He went to Dalat this morning.
2. a historical fact - The World War II began in 1939.
- She played the piano when she was a girl.
She used to play the piano when she was a girl.
3. a past habit
- I walked to school, but I have a motorbike now.
Equivalent structure:
I used to walk to school, but I have a motorbike now.
S + used to + V
- He always carried an umbrella.
- They never drank wine.
- He worked in that bank for 4 years, but he doesn’t
work there now.
4. a past action happening for a long time
- He learnt English for 5 years, but he is not learning it
now.
- He parked the car, closed all the windows, got out of
5. a series of past actions happening one
the car, locked the doors, then walked toward the
after another
house.

Time Expressions I saw a movie yesterday.

YESTERDAY, LAST + WEEK/MONTH/ Last year, I traveled to Japan.


YEAR, (AN HOUR) AGO, IN (2000) I talked to him an hour ago.

3 - The Future Simple is used to express

- She will sing a song.


1. ta fact happening in the future or a - He’ll come back tomorrow.
prediction about the future without - They’ll sell their house.
evidence. - I’ll find him at the restaurant.
- What will you do this afternoon?
2. an decision made at the time of - The phone is ringing. I’ll answer it.
speaking - I’ll have a steak, please. = I’d like a steak, please.
3. an offer, request, or promise - Shall I help you with your application?
Time Expressions

TOMORROW, NEXT WEEK, IN + future


time (2050,…)

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Equivalent structures of Future Tenses

i. S + Am/Is/Are + going to + Vo - He is going to sing.


- To express an intention or personal He is not going to sing.
plan Is he going to sing?
Isn’t he going to sing?
- I’m going to buy a car next month. I’m not going to
buy a motorbike.
- What are you going to do this evening?
- He is going to be a dentist when he grows up.
- What are you going to have? – I’m going to have a
- To express a near future action steak.
- I’m going to meet Tom at the station at 6 o’clock. (We
have made an arrangement with each other.)
- Look at those clouds! It’s going to rain.
- to express a prediction with evidence - Hurry up! We are going to miss the bus.
- Jack is studying very hard. I know he’s going to pass
the exam.
ii. S + Am/Is/Are + V-ing
(Present Continuous Tense)
- used with verbs of movement to
express a premeditated plan or intention - We are going to Paris next week.
- to express a fixed arrangement - Joe and Jim are coming for lunch tomorrow.

- I’m meeting Tom at the station at 6 o’clock.


iii. S + Am/Is/Are + about to + Vo - A trip is about to start.
- to refer to things that we expect to - The Minister is about to give a speech.
happen very soon. We often use it - We’re just about to set off for a walk. Do you want to
with just for emphasis. come?

But: With time expressions, we don’t - Hurry up, please! The coach is about to leave!
use be about to, we use the present - Hurry up, please! The coach leaves in five minutes!
simple. - Not: The coach is about to leave in five minutes!
iv. Be on the point of + Ving
(= be just about to) - I was on the point of leaving my job, but then I got
- to refer to things that we expect to promoted, so I changed my mind.
happen very soon
v. V(s/es) (Present Simple) - We have dinner at the restaurant tomorrow night.
- to express a near future action - The train arrives tomorrow morning.

47
- to mention timetables or scheduled - My present contract runs out next month.
events.
vi. Be due to + Vo
- The visitors are due to arrive at the factory at 10:30.
- to talk about things that are scheduled
vii. Be to + Vo
- to refer to duty
- If I am not to tell anyone, then that’s simply not fair.
- to refer to formal decisions (duty)
- George is to contact the Stockholm office, and
Patricia is to speak to the Elsico representative. Agree?
(making formal decision at business meeting)
- to give someone commands or - You are to report to the head office by 8.30 am.
instructions (command)
- She’s not to be late. OK? (command)

4 - The Present Continuous is used to express

1. an action in progress at the moment of - Tom is playing in the playground now.


speaking - What’s the baby doing? – He’s tearing up a £5 note.
2. a near future action or a fixed - I’m meeting Peter tonight.
arrangement - They are arriving here tomorrow.
- Are you doing anything tomorrow afternoon? – Yes,
I’m playing tennis with Ann.
Time expressions - He is swimming now.
- She is not reading any book right now/ at the moment.
NOW, RIGHT NOW, AT THE/THIS
MOMENT, AT PRESENT

Verbs not used in Continuous - I think you’re right. Not: I’m thinking …
- Do you know Billy Palmer? Not: Are you knowing …
▪ Verbs of thoughts: think (= believe), - She didn’t understand what you said. Not: She wasn’t
believe, understand, know, recognize, see understanding …
(=understand), suppose, remember, - I like this music. Not: I’m liking …
imagine, forget, mean, realize - Do you want to go now? Not: Are you wanting …
▪ Verbs of emotion: like, dislike, hate, - We heard someone outside. Not: We were hearing ..
love, prefer, want, wish - This spaghetti tastes delicious.
▪ Verbs of perception: see, hear, smell, - How long has Sally had her motorbike? Not: How
taste, feel long has Sally been having …?
▪ Verbs of possession: have (= possess),
own, belong to, owe, need, include, cost,
contain

48
▪ Linking verbs and others: weigh,
sound, be, seem, deserve, look, appear
BUT:

- Think = use the mind - What are you thinking about?


- Have = eat - I’ve been having lunch.
- See = visit - Are you seeing the doctor tomorrow?
- Be - He’s being stupid. (He is behaving in a stupid way at
the moment.)
# He’s stupid. (generally)
5 - The Past Continuous is used to express

1. an action in progress at a definite point - It was raining at that time.


of time or during a period of time in the - I was watching TV at 8 p.m. last night.
past - Yesterday evening from 9 to 11 o’clock, she was
reading in her room.
- What were you doing between breakfast and lunch last
Sunday?
2. When two actions happened at the same - While we were crossing the bridge, we had a blow-
time in the past, we use Past Continuous out.
tense for long action and Past Simple for - While we were watching TV, she was reading a book.
short action. - When I arrived, he was talking on the phone.
Time expressions - At this time yesterday, I was sitting at my desk at
work.
AT THAT MOMENT, AT THIS TIME + - Last night at 6p.m, I was eating dinner.
past time, AT + (time in the past)

6 - The Future Continuous is used to express

1. an action in progress at a point of future - I will be working hard tomorrow morning.


time - At this time next week, we will be rehearsing for the
concert.
- What will you be doing at 8 o’clock tomorrow
evening?
2. a future action in progress when another - When I come back at 11.00 p.m., my children will be
action happens sleeping soundly.
Time Expressions AT (THIS TIME/…) - At midnight tonight, we will still be driving through
TOMORROW the desert.
(MORNING/AFTERNOON/..), AT THIS

49
TIME NEXT WEEK/MONTH/YEAR

7 - The Present Perfect is used to express

1. an action happening in the past - I have always admired his courage.


continuing to the present and maybe to - They have studied Spanish for 2 years.
the future - How long have you lived in Cantho City?
2. an indefinite past action - I have read that book before.
- I have met that girl somewhere.
- Have you had breakfast?
– No, I haven’t had it yet.
– Yes, I had it at 6 o’clock.
– Yes, I had it with Mai. (time implied)
- Have you ever been to London?
– No, I have never been there.
– Yes, I’ve often been to London.
– Yes, I am often to London.
3. a recently completed action - She has just gone out. (She went out a few minutes
ago.)
- They have just bought a new car.
- We have returned from a trip to Da Lat recently.
4. a finished past action but the result is - Mr. Brown has turned off the light before leaving.
still felt at the moment of speaking (The light is off now.)
- The lift has broken down. (We have to use the stairs.)
- He hasn’t come yet. So we are still waiting for him.
5. the first of 2 actions in present or future - He always does things after he has asked for my
advice.
- I’ll come here tomorrow when I have got some money.
Time expressions

1. FOR + period of time - I’ve had this cell phone for about 2 months.
SINCE + point of time - This game has sold several million copies since 2000.
SO FAR = UP TO NOW/PRESENT - Have you ever enjoyed putting out the rubbish?
- No, I’ve never enjoyed doing that.
2. NEVER, EVER, ALREADY - I’ve already bought the latest Sims game.
3. JUST, RECENTLY, DURING/FOR THE - We’ve just read an article about a new computer game.
LAST/PAST FEW DAYS/ WEEKS/ - I’ve seen a lot of her recently.
MONTHS/ YEARS, THESE LAST DAYS - Have they come yet?
(mấy ngày nay), YET

50
8 - The Past Perfect is used express

- a past action happening before another - I had gone to bed before 7 o’clock last night.
action or a point of time in the past - He was late because he had had a problem this
morning.
- When we arrived at the theater, the play had already
begun.
- We had just reached home when it rained.
9 - The Future Perfect is used to express

- a future action finished before a point of - By 8 o’clock tomorrow, we will have left the city.
time or another action in the future - When they return here, the house will have been
finished.
- Tomorrow when you come in at 7 o’clock, she will
have gone to school.
- By the end of next month, he will have been here for
10 years.
- Time Expressions - When I go abroad, I’ll have spoken English well.
BY + point of time, BY THE TIME + I’ll go abroad when I have spoken English well.
clause

10 - The Present Perfect Continuous is used to express

1. an action going on before the present - I have been waiting for you for an hour.
moment - She has been living in Dalat for years.
- I’m so sorry, I’m late. Have you been waiting long?
2. to express an action going on from the - Mary has been singing all morning. (Now she is still
past, continue to the present and maybe singing.)
to the future
11 - The Past Perfect Continuous is used to express

- an action going on before another action - When I arrived there yesterday, they had been showing
or point of time in the past the film.
- She had been knowing him for years before their
wedding in 1960.
12 - The Future Perfect Continuous is used to express

- an action going on before another action - By the end of the month, he will have been living here
or point of time in the future for ten years.
- By the end of the year, he will have been training
horses for 20 years.

51
Comparison of Will and Be Going To

Will Be Going To

A prediction based on no evidence A prediction based on present evidence

- I’m sure you’ll pass the exam. - Look at those gray clouds! It’s going to rain.
- It’s Sunday tomorrow. There won’t be much
traffic.

An Intention made at the moment of speaking Future actions already planned or decided

- It’s hot in here. ~ I’ll open the window. - Why do you need your driving license? ~
- Do you want a drink? ~ Yes, I’ll have a beer. Because I’m going to buy a car.

Comparison of Be Going To and Present Continuous

Be Going To Present Continuous

Future plans, intentions, or decisions A fixed arrangement

- We’re going to show our training videos and our - On Saturday, I’m playing basketball.
online courses. - I’m interviewing a top boy band later today.
- She’s going to throw out my old things. Used with Future time, e.g., this evening, next
week, at the weekend, on Friday, in the summer,

Comparison of Future Simple and Present Continuous

Future Simple Present Continuous

Something uncertain (hope, prediction) Future actions already planned or decided

- I probably won’t be back in time. - What are you doing tomorrow evening?
- I think I’ll get a meal in town. I’m flying to a conference in Amsterdam.
often used with I think, I’m sure, Probably, - I’m having my eyes tested tomorrow morning.
Definitely, … (I have an appointment.)

52
Comparison of the Present Simple and the Present Continuous

Present Simple Present Continuous

Habit - He usually smokes after dinner. Action in progress - She’s singing.

Fact - Tom wakes up early today.


Truth - Gold is precious.

Permanent Contemporary

- I work at a sports shop. It’s a permanent job. - I’m working at a sports shop for 6 weeks.
- They live in a very nice flat. - At the moment they’re living in a very small
flat.

Used with ALWAYS: meaning ‘Every time’ Used with ALWAYS: meaning ‘Too/very often’

- Tom always invites us to stay at Christmas. - Tom is always inviting friends here.
(He invites us every Christmas.) (He invites them very often.)
- I always make silly mistakes in exams. - I’m always making silly mistakes.
(I make silly mistakes in every exam.) (I make silly mistakes too often.)

A timetable or program of future events Things we’ve already arranged for the future

- I’ve got the details from the travel agent. We - What are you doing this evening? – I’m playing
check in at the airport at 7.00. The plane leaves tennis with Andy at 7.30.
at 8.15, and we arrive at Barcelona at 10.30.
Comparison between Past Simple and Past Continuous

Past Simple Past Continuous

A past action A past action in progress

- He had breakfastat eight. (He started it at 8.) - He was having breadfast at 8. (He was in the
- I walked home from work this afternoon. middle of breakfast at 8 and he started it
before.)

A short action in the past A long action in the past

- Bill arrived while I was reading a book. - Bill was working in the garden while I was
reading book.

Only give the fact Emphasize the duration

It rained yesterday. It was raining yesterday.

53
Comparison of Past Simple and Present Perfect

Past Simple Present Perfect

A past action with a definite time A past action with indefinite time

- I met her yesterday. - I’ve met her before.

The result ended in the past The result is still in the present

- Tom closed the door before leaving. It is open - Tom has closed the door before leaving. It is still
now. closed now.

An action finished in the past An action beginning in the past, continuing to


the present or to the future
- The teacher spoke to him this morning. He stops
now. - The teacher has spoken to him since 9 a.m. He’s
still speaking.

Comparison of Present Simple and Present Perfect

Present Simple Present Perfect

Habitual action (just giving information) Habitual action (emphasizing the time)

- He smokes. - They’ve always answered my letters.


- Cats drink milk.
- They always answer my letters.

Repeated action Action appear to be continual rather than


repeated actions

- I have written with my left hand since my


- I write with my left hand. accident.
- I wear glasses because I have short-sight eyes. - I’ve worn glasses since my childhood.

54
Comparison of Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect Continuous

Present Perfect Simple Present Perfect Continuous

When talking about How many things or How When talking about How long
many times
- I’m sorry I’m late. How long have you been
- I’ve taken ten photos so far. waiting?
- She has written to him five times, but he has not - Don’t worry. I’ve only been waiting for a few
replied once. minutes.

III. Subject-verb agreement


1. General rule

N-singular + V-singular - The girl goes to school.

N-plural + V-plural - The girl and her sister go to school.

N.s N&N

N and N + V-singular - My old friend and colleague, Mary is coming


here with us.

the same thing/person

N and N + V-plural - My old friend and my colleague are


coming here with us.

different things/persons

55
2. Subjects joined by OR, EITHER ...OR, NEITHER...NOR, NOT ONLY ... BUT ALSO
N1 or N2 sing. + Vsing. - Tom or his brothers are going to visit us.
- Neither the children nor their mother is present at
N1 or N2 plu. + Vplu. the party.

3. Singular subjects joined by AND preceded by EACH, EVERY, NOT MANY A, NO


Each Each
- No teacher and no student is absent today.
Every - Every child and adult has to take the medicine.
+ N + and + Every +N - Not many a girl arrives late.
Not many a Not many a

+ Vsing.
No No

4. Subjects joined by AS WELL AS, NO LESS THAN, TOGETHER WITH, IN ADDITION TO


N1 as well as N2 + V - The father as well as the children goes to the sea.
- The guide, with all explorers, was lost in the
sing. sing. forest.
plu. plu.

5. Subject which is an indefinite pronoun


a EVERY(ONE, BODY, THING) - Nobody comes to see me.
. - Either of them is intelligent.
SOME(ONE, BODY, THING) - Neither of the answers is correct.
- Has anybody come here?
NO ONE, NOBODY, NOTHING
+Vsing.
ANY(ONE, BODY, THING)

EITHER, NEITHER, ANOTHER,

THE OTHER, EACH, ONE ...

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b ALL, SEVERAL, MANY, - Several have disappeared.
. + Vplu. - All were satisfied with their grades.
BOTH, SOME, FEW - Both are in the closet.

6. Subject modified by a phrase


N + modifying phrase + V

sing. sing. - The package of cigarettes is on the table.


- The boxes of candy are on the table.
plu. plu.

7. Collective Nouns: class, family, team, group, committee, club, herd,...


N (as a whole) + V-sing. - That family is a happy one.
- My family live in accord with each other.
(as number) + V-plu.

8. Collective Nouns + Vplu. - The police have not made any arrest.
- People are gathering to hear the speech.
(POLICE, PEOPLE, CLERGY, CATTLE,
FIRM)

9. Nplu. denoting TIME + Vsing. - Three weeks is a long time to wait.


- Fifty dollars is too much to pay for that coat.
MONEY - Forty miles on that road seems like 200.
- One hundred pounds is not a heavy load.
SPACE

WEIGHT

10. False Subject THERE


There + Be + N - There is a supermarket near our house.
- There are some workers in the room.
sing. sing.

plu. plu.

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11. Nplural form but singular meaning + Vsing.

- Diseases: mumps, rickets, measles, - Mumps is a childhood disease.


hives, diabetes,
- Subjects: mathematics, physics,
- Games: billiards, dominoes, draughts, - Politics is his major field of interest.
- Billiards is played by women as well as men.

12. N in plural form only + Vplu.


- Clothes: trousers, pants, shorts, - His new trousers are expensive.
- These scissors are getting rather blunt cùn,
- Things with 2 parts: scissors, glasses, aren't they?
pincers, tongs (cái kẹp),

13. N always used singularly + Vsing. - Their luggage was so heavy that they had to
take a taxi to get home.
(furniture, business, chess, luggage,
progress, merchandise,)

14. THE NUMBER OF + Nplu. + Vsing. - The number of students in the music class is
limited to 5.
A NUMBER OF + Nplu. + Vplu. - A number of books have been sold today.

15. NONE OF + Nuncountable. + Vsing. - None of this money is mine.


- None of us is/are coming.
+ Nplu.count. + Vsing../Vplu. - None of the policemen is/are willing to do it.

16. FRACTION + Nsing. + Vsing. - A quarter of the money has already been spent.
- Two-thirds of the area is flooded.
+ Nplu. + Vplu. - Three-quarters of all graduates find jobs
within six months.
- Half (of) the students are absent.
- Half (of) the time was spent in the country.
- One-third of the apples are yours.
Nsing. but represents a group of people + VSing. or Plu. * A third of the population is/ are in favour of
change.

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17. PERCENTAGE + Nsing. + Vsing. - 90% of the land is cultivated.
- Sixty percent of children play computer games.
+ Nplu. + Vplu. - What percentage of his income is taxable.
- An increasing percentage of the population own
their own homes.
- 80% of workforce is/ are against strike.

Nsing. but represents a group of people + VSing. or Plu.

18. Title of Books, Drama, Newspapers… + - Sleepless Nights is a detective novel.


Vsing. - Words and Idioms is a useful book for
students.

IV. Voices

Active Voice

Simple Continuous Perfect Perfect Continuous

S + Vs/es am has has


 S+  + Ved/3 S+  + been +
S + is + Ving have have
are
Present  Ving
I work/sing.
I have been working/
I am I have worked/sung.
working/singing. singing.

S + Ved/2 was S + had + Ved/3 S + had been + Ving


S+  + Ving
were
Past I was
working/singing.
I worked/sang. I had worked/sung. I had been working/
singing.

Future S + will + Vo S + will be + Ving S + will have + Ved/3 S + will have been +

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I will have worked/ Ving
sung.
I will work/sing. I will be working/ I will have been
singing. working/ singing.

Passive Voice

Simple Continuous Perfect Perfect Continuous

am has
am  has S + + been
S + is S + +been+Ved/3
 have have
S + is + Ved/3 are
Present  being+ Ved/3
are
 +Being+Ved/3
I have been being
I am paid. I am being paid. I have been paid. paid.

S + had been being


was was + Ved/3
S + + S + S + had + been + Ved/3
Past were were
Ved/3 being+Ved/3
I had been being
I was paid. I was being paid. I had been paid. paid.

S + will have been


S +will be S +will have being+ Ved/3
Future S +will be+Ved/3 being+Ved/3 been+Ved/3
I will have been
I will be paid. I will be being paid. I will have been paid. being paid.

Note: Perfect Continuous Tenses in Passive Voice are not used in British English.

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S + Vt +O
ACTIVE:
tense & form

PASSIVE: S’ + Be – Ved/3 + by + agent

Summary of Verb tenses and forms

Verb Tense & Form Active Passive

Simple Present - We bake the bread here. - The bread is baked here.

Simple Past - We baked the bread yesterday. - The bread was baked yesterday.

Simple Future - We will bake the bread. - The bread will be baked.

Present Continuous - We are baking the bread. - The bread is being baked. (not much
used)

Past Continuous - We were baking the bread. - The bread was being baked. (not much
used)

Future Continuous - We will be baking the bread. - The bread will be being baked (rarely
used)

Present Perfect - We have baked the bread. - The bread has been baked.

Past Perfect - We had baked the bread. - The bread had been baked.

Future Perfect - We will have baked the bread. - The bread will have been baked.

Present Perfect - We have been baking the bread. - The bread has been being baked. (not
Cont. used)

Past Perfect Cont. - We had been baking the bread. - The bread had been being baked. (not
used)

Future Perfect Cont. - We will have been baking the - The bread will have been being
bread baked.
(not used)
Conditional - We would bake the bread. - The bread would be baked.

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Verb Tense & Form Active Passive

Perfect Conditional - We would have baked the bread. - The bread would have been baked.

Infinitive - He wants someone to take - He wants photographs to be taken.


photographs.
Perfect Infinitive - We should have baked the bread. - The bread should have been baked.

Present - I remember them taking me to the - I remember being taken to the zoo.
participle/Gerund zoo.

Perfect participle - Having done the work, they took a - The work having been done, they
rest. took a rest.
Special structure - People say that Henry is in love - It is said that Henry is in love with
with verbs like agree, with Claire. Claire.
allege, announce, Henry is said to be in love with
assure, believe, - People reported that the President Claire.
consider, decide, had suffered a heart attack. - It was reported that the President had
suffered a heart attack.
expect, explain,
The President was reported to have
hope, know, .. suffered a heart attack.

Verbs with two - Henry gave Claire some flowers. - Claire was given some flowers.
objects: allow, Henry gave some flowers to Claire. Some flowers was given to Claire.
award, give, grant,
hand, leave, offer,
pay, promise, sell,
send, show, teach

Have - Claire had the man decorate her - Claire had her room decorated.
room.
Get (same meaning but - I got the man to sweep my - I got my chimneys swept.
more informal than chimney.
have)

Have meaning - We had all our money stolen.


‘experience’ - The car had its mirror pulled off.

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Active forms with Passive meaning

Need + V-ing - The bicycle needs oiling. =


The bicycle needs to be oiled.
- The windows need cleaning. =
The windows need to be cleaned.

If Subject of the sentence is a person, - I’ve got some letters to write today.
we can use an active infinitive when - We’ve got this bill to pay.
we talk about a job to be done. But

- These letters are to be written today.


- The bill is to be paid without delay.
- The goods have to be shipped.

Be + to Vo: to give an order - The matter is to be given top priority.


- You’re not to drive too fast.

There … + to Vo = - There are some letters to write/to be written today.


There … + to be Vo - There’s a bill to pay/to be paid.

V. Non-finite Verbs
Non-finite verbs are verbs that are not finite verbs. That is, there are no Subject-Verb agreements and no
tense changes with them.
There are three types of Non-finite verbs: Infinitive, Gerund, and Participle.

INFINITIVE
A. Form

ACTIVE PASSIVE

Present Infinitive (to) V (to) BE + Ved/3

Continuous Infinitive (to) BE + V-ing (to) BE + BEING + Ved/3

Perfect Infinitive (to) HAVE +Ved/3 (to) HAVE BEEN + Ved/3

Perfect Continuous Infinitive (to) HAVE BEEN + V-ing (to) HAVE BEEN BEING + Ved/3

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B. Function

Functions Examples

1. Subject - To love is to forgive.

2. Object of Verb - I like to walk in the rain.

3. Complement - My hobby is to collect stamps.

4. Object of Preposition - He did everything but learn.

5. Modifier as Adverb - This sentence is hard to understand.

6. Modifier as Adjective - This is a house to rent.

C. Use
1. Bare Infinitive (Infinitive without To)

a. After Auxiliaries

Examples
Auxiliaries

CAN, COULD, MAY, MIGHT, WILL, - He can swim.


WOULD, SHALL, SHOULD, MUST,
HAD BETTER = HAD RATHER,
- I ’d rather work on the land than work in a
WOULD RATHER/SOONER … (THAN) = factory.
HAD RATHER/SOONER … (THAN) - You ’d better not go near the edge.
OUGHT  - You ought to pay. = You should pay.
But:   + TO
 HAVE  - He need not wait.
- He doesn’t need to wait.
NEED + V → (Aux.) - He dare not interrupt.
- He didn’t dare to interrupt.
DARE + TO V → (common V)

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b. After Verbs of Perception

Verbs of perception Examples

SEE, WATCH, OBSERVE, HEAR, SMELL, - I saw her walk in the rain.
TASTE, FEEL, NOTICE, MARK, - She hears the bird sing.
BEHOLD, PERCEIVE, ...

c. In Causative Form

Structures Examples

MAKE - He made the child cry.


+ O + V
HAVE - She has the boy call the taxi.
- She got the boy to call the taxi.
But: GET + O + TO V

d. After some Verbs

Verbs Examples

LET + O + V - Let me see!


- I help her lift the box.
HELP + O + V to lift
TO V

2. Full Infinitive (Infinitive with To)


a. S + V + TO V

1. Afford - I can’t afford to buy it.


2. Agree - They agreed to help us.
3. Appear - She appears to be tired.
4. Arrange - I’ll arrange to meet you at the airport.
5. Ask - He asked to come with us.
6. Beg - He begged to come with us.
- I don’t care to see that show.
7. Care

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8. Claim - She claims to know a famous movie star.
9. Consent (agree, permit) - She finally consented to marry him.
10. Decide - I have decided to leave on Monday.
11. Demand - I demand to know who is responsible.
12. Deserve - She deserves to win the prize.
- I expect to enter graduate school in the fall.
13. Expect
- She failed to return the book to the library on time.
14. Fail
- I forgot to mail the letter.
15. forget
- Don’t hesitate to ask for my help.
16. Hesitate
- Jack hopes to arrive next week.
17. Hope
- He learned to play the piano.
18. Learn - She managed to finish her work early.
19. Manage - I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.
20. Mean - I need to have your opinion.
21. Need - They offered to help us.
22. Offer - I am planning to have a party.
23. Plan - We prepared to welcome them.
24. Prepare - He pretends not to understand.
25. Pretend - I promise not to be late.
26. Promise - I refuse to believe his story.
27. Refuse - I regret to tell you that you failed.
28. Regret - I remembered to lock the door.
29. Remember - That cat seems to be friendly.
- I struggle to stay awake.
30. Seem
- She swore to tell the truth.
31. Struggle
- She threatened to tell my parents.
32. Swear
- He volunteered to help us.
33. Threaten
- I will wait to hear from you.
34. Volunteer - I want to tell you something.
35. Wait - She wishes to come with us.
36. Want
37. Wish

b. S + V + O + TO V

1. advise - She advised me to wait until tomorrow.


2. allow - She allowed me to use her car.
3. ask - I asked John to help us.
4. beg - They begged us to come.
5. can’t bear - I can’t bear you to be unhappy.
- Her laziness caused her to fail.

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6. cause - She challenged me to race her to the corner.
7. challenge - I couldn’t convince him to accept our help.
8. convince - He dared me to do better than he had done.
9. dare - He encouraged me to try again.
10. encourage - The boy entreated his grandma to tell him more fairy tales.
- I expect you to be on time.
11. entreat (van nài)
- I forbid you to tell him.
12. expect
- They force him to tell the truth.
13. forbid
- She hired a boy to mow the lawn.
14. force
- They imlore the manager to raise the salary.
15. hire
- They instructed them to be careful.
16. implore (cầu khẩn) - Harry invited the Johnsons to come to his party.
17. instruct - They lead me to believe that there is no danger.
18. invite - We needed Chris to help us figure out the solution.
19. lead - The judge ordered me to pay the fine.
20. need - He permitted the children to stay up late.
21. order - I persuaded him to come for a visit.
22. permit - She pressed me to accept the job.
23. persuade - She reminded me to lock the door.
24. press (thúc giục) - Our teacher requires us to be on time.
25. remind - My brother taught me to swim.
26. require - The doctor told me to take these pills.
27. teach - I urged her to apply for the job.
- I want you to be happy.
28. tell
- I warned you not to drive too fast.
29. urge
30. want
31. warn

c. After Passive form

Example: I was allowed to go there.

d. After Interrogative words and some Conjunctions

WHEN, WHERE, HOW, WHAT, - She asks me where to go now.


WHICH, ... - I ask him what to do.
- She doesn’t know whether to go with them or not.
WHETHER, IF, ...

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e. In some structures

IT + BE + ADJ. + (FOR S.O) + TO DO S.TH - It’s difficult for him to find a job.

S + V + TOO ADJ. + TO V → negative meaning - He is too stupid to recognize this.

S + BE + ADJ. ENOUGH + TO V - She is old enough to live independently.

ADV.

S + V + ENOUGH + N + TO V - He has enough intelligence to solve the


problem.

IT (TAKE) + S.O + TIME TO DO S.TH - It took me 3 days to go from CT to HN by


train.

f. S + BE + TO V - He is to return tomorrow.
- We are to introduce our friends to you tonight.
- You are not to talk to strangers.

g. After some Adjectives

ABLE, AFRAID, CAREFUL, CERTAIN, EAGER, - I’m please to see you.


EASY, HAPPY, LUCKY, LIKELY, PROUD, - We were sorry to hear the bad news.
PLEASED, READY, SORRY, WORRIED

GERUNDS

A. Definition: A Gerund is the “ing” form of a verb used as a noun. (V-ING)


Examples: - Smoking is harmful for your health.

- Do you like watching TV?

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B. Form

ACTIVE PASSIVE

Present Gerund V-ing Being Ved/3

Perfect Gerund Having V-ed Having been Ved/3

C. Functions

Functions Examples

1. Subject of a Verb - Doing morning exercise makes people healthy.


- Travelling is my hobby.
2. Object of a Verb - She likes singing.
- I dislike my parents’ interfering into my affair.
3. Object of a Preposition - She is good at dancing.
4. Complement - My hobby is reading books.
5. Apposition - I hate his habbit, smoking cigarrettes.
6. Forming Compound Nouns - Working class, sleeping car, sitting room, swimming pool,...

D. Use

1. After Prepositions

Prep. + Ving - You were late in coming.


- She is tired of learning.
- We spoke about swimming.
Exceptions of TO in some expressions: - She is used to getting up early.
- They looked forward to seeing each other.
• BE/GET USED TO + Ving - The workers objected to working 12 hours a
= BE ACCUSTOMED TO + Ving day.
• LOOK FORWARD TO
• OBJECT TO = BE OPPOSED TO
• BE ADDICTED TO

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2. After some expressions

• CAN’T STAND = CAN’T BEAR + Ving - She can’t help being moved when she thinks of
CAN’T HELP + Ving her fatherland.
• HAVE DIFFICULTY + Ving - He has some difficulty making himself
understood.
• BE WORTH + Ving
- He is worth receiving the scholarship.
• IT’S NO GOOD = IT’S NO USE + Ving
- It is no use saying that.
• THERE IS NO + Ving (không còn cách gì)
- There is no knowing what may happen.
• THERE IS MUCH + Ving
- There was much debating on the subject.
• THERE IS LITTLE + Ving

3. After some verbs: S + V + V-ING

1. admit - He admitted stealing the money.


2. advise - She advised waiting until tomorrow.
3. anticipate - I anticipate having a good time on vacation.
4. appreciate - I appreciate your working hard.
5. avoid - I want to avoid repeating the same mistake.
6. complete - I finally completed writing my term paper.
7. consider - I considered buying a car.
8. delay - They delay opening the school.
9. deny - I deny taking the key.
10. detest - I detest having to get up early.
11. discuss - They discussed selling the house.
12. dread - I dread being ill.
13. enjoy - We enjoy meeting you.
14. escape - He escaped being hurt in the accident.
15. excuse = forgive = - He always excuses for being late.
pardon
16. fancy
17. finish - Fancy never having seen the sea.
18. go - Have you finish doing that work?
19. imagine - Did you go shopping?
20. keep - She can’t imagine living anywhere but England.
21. mention - I keep hoping he will come.
22. mind - Whenever I mention playing football, he says he is too busy.
23. miss - Would you mind closing the door?
24. postpone - I’m sorry that I missed seeing you.
- Let’s postpone making a decision until we have more information.

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25. practise/practice - She is practising playing the piano.
26. prevent - Nobody can prevent them getting married.
27. propose - I propose starting early.
28. quit - Quit kidding!
29. recall - I don’t recall meeting him.
30. recollect - She recollects meeting the king.
31. resent - She resent being interrupted.
32. resist - He couldn’t resist making joke about his boldness.(hoïi)
33. resume - Resume reading where you left off.
34. risk - He risk losing his life.
35. suggest - He suggested taking the children to the zoo.
36. tolerate - She won’t tolerate cheating during an examination.
37. understand - I don’t understand his leaving school.

PARTICIPLES
A. Form

Active Passive

Present Participle V-ing Being Ved/3

Past Participle Ved/3

Perfect Participle Having Ved/3 Having been Ved/3

Perfect Continuous Participle Having been Ving √

B. Functions: The Participle is a double part of speech; that is, a Verbal Adjective (a Verb & an
Adjective combined).

As a VERB, the participle - Running after me, the dog barked loudly.
- Having been bitten by the dog, I couldn’t run quickly.
 must refer to some noun or - Somebody threw a stone, wounding the dog.
pronoun as its doer or receiver.

 may have object (a word, a - Having shot the tiger, the man returned home.
phrase, or a clause) - A policeman was there, explaining the matter to the crowd.

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- Believing that Juliet was dead, Romeo decided to kill
himself.

 may be modified by an adverb (a - Smiling gracefully, she accepted his invitation.


word, a phrase, or a clause) - Driving at full speed, he tried to be in time for the
conference.
- Coming back where he was born, he was filled with sweet
memoried of his childhood.
- Born where his father had died, the boy was badly brought
up.

AS AN ADJECTIVE, the
participle

 may be used as a Modifier - The broken vase can’t be mended.


The vase, broken into small pieces, can’t be mended.

 may be used as a Complement - The play was boring.


- The audience was bored.
- I found the fire burning brightly.
- I found the house burnt down.

 may be preceded by THE to - the living, the wounded, the defeated, …


become noun equivalent - Can the living keep in touch with the dead?

 is used as long adjectives, always - I am more tired today.


has degrees of comparisons with - She is most interested in classical music.
more/most

C. Use

Kinds of participles Meanings Examples

Express an active - The mother, making a cake, tries to please her


Present Participle meaning little daughter.
- Seeing the dog, Jim kicked it.

Past Participle Express a passive - The cake, made by the mother, is for her
meaning daughter’s birthday.
- Kicked by Jim, the dog ran after him.

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Express a - The mother, making a cake, broke a bowl.
Present Participle simultaneous action - The cake, being made by the mother, seemed not
very delicious.

Perfect Participle Express a previous - The mother, having made the cake, set the table
action for the party.
- The cake, having been made by the mother, had
eight little candles on it.

Passive Present Emphasize a - My car, being repaired in this garage, is for sale.
Participle progressive state - I found the boy being scolded by his mother.

Past Participle Denoting a state in - A car repaired in this garage can promise a safe
general run.
- I found a boy bitten by a dog.

Common verbs followed by either Infinitives or V-ing

S + V + V-ING = S + V + TO V

begin - It began to rain = It began raining.


- But: It was beginning to rain.
start
- [main verb: progressive + TO V]
continue
- In spite of my efforts to pacify it, the baby continue
like to cry/crying.

love

prefer
- I can’t endure to see/ seeing children to suffer.
hate
- I hear they intend to marry/marrying.
can’t stand - He neglected to write and say “thank you”.

can’t bear - Don’t neglect writing to your mother.

endure

intend

neglect

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Remember + TO V (in order to to sth) - Judy always remember to lock the door.
Forget V-ING (sth that happened) - I remember seeing the Alps for the first time. The
sight was impressive.
Regret

Try + TO V (make an effort) - I’m trying to learn English.


V-ING (experiment with a new - The room was hot. I tried opening the windows but
or different approach to see if it works) that didn’t help. So I try turning on the fan, but I
was still hot. Finally, I turned on the air condition.

Stop + TO V - I stop to work. (I stop in order to work)


- I stop working. (to do something else)
V-ING

Allow O + TO V - The librarian allows us to talk here.

Permit +
- The librarian allows talking here.
Advise V-ING

Propose + TO V (intend) - I propose to start now.


- I propose waiting until the police get there.
V-ING (suggest)

S + hear + O + V-ing (in progress) - We saw Peter leaving.


- We saw Peter leave.
see Inf. (whole action)

smell

watch

GRAMMAR EXERCISES
PRESENT SIMPLE

Exercise 1: Complete the sentences by putting in the verbs. Use the present simple. You have to
decide if the verb is positive or negative.

Examples: - Clair is very sociable. She knows (know) lots of people.

- We’ve got plenty of chairs, thanks. We don’t want (want) any more.

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1. My friend is finding life in Paris a bit difficult. He ________ (speak) French.
2. Most students live quite close to the college, so they _______________ (walk) there.
3. My sports kit is really muddy. This shirt ___________ (need) a good wash.
4. I’ve got four cats and two dogs. I _______________ (love) animals.
5. No breakfast for Mark, thanks. He _______________ (eat) breakfast.
6. What’s the matter? You _______________ (look) very happy.
7. Don’t try to ring the bell. It _______________ (work).
8. I hate telephone answering machines. I just _______________ (like) talking to them.
9. Mathew is good at badminton. He _______________ (win) every game.
10. We always travel by bus. We _______________ (own) a car.

PAST SIMPLE

Exercise 2: Complete the conversation. Put in the past simple negatives and questions.

Claire: Did you have (you/have) a nice weekend in Paris?


Mark: Yes, thanks. It was good. We looked around and then we saw a show. (1) _____________
(we/not/try) to do too much.
Claire: What sights (2) _________________ (you/see)?
Mark: We had a look round the Louvre. (3) _________________ (I/not/know) there was so much in
there.
Claire: And what show (4) _________________ (you/go) to?
Mark: Oh, a musical. I forget the name. (5) _________________ (I/not/like) it.
Claire: Oh, dear. And (6) _________________ (Sarah/enjoy) it?
Mark: No, not really. But we enjoyed the weekend. Sarah did some shopping, too, but (7)
_________________ (I/not/want) to go shopping.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

Exercise 3: Rachel is in the computer room at college. Complete her conversation with Andrew.
Andrew: What are you doing? (you/do)
Rachel: I’m writing (I/write) a letter to a friend. He’s a disc jockey. Vicky and I
(1)_________________ (try) to organize a disco.

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Andrew: That sounds a lot of work. How (2) _________________ (you/find) time for your studies?
Rachel: Well, as I said, Vicky (3) _________________ (help) me. (4) _________________ (we/get) on
all right. (5) _________________ (we/not/spend) too much time on it. (6) _________________
(it/not/take) me away from my studies, don’t worry about that. Oh, sorry, (7)
_________________ (you/wait) for this computer?
Andrew: Yes, but there’s no hurry.
Rachel: (8) _________________ (I/correct) the last bit of the letter. I’ve nearly finished.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS or SIMPLE

Exercise 4: At work Mark is talking to Alan in the corridor. Complete their conversation. Put in the
Present Continuous or Simple of the verbs.

Mark: Are you looking (you/look) for someone?

Alan: Yes, I need (I/need) to speak to Neil. He isn’t in his office.

Mark: (1)__________________ (he/talk) to the boss at the moment. (2)__________________


(I/think) (3)__________________ (they/discuss) money.

Alan: Oh, right. And what about you? (4)__________________ (you/look) for someone too?

Mark: Yes, Linda. (5)__________________ (you/know) where she is?

Alan: Oh, she isn’t here today. She only (6)_____________ (work) four days a week.
(7)_____________ (she/not/work) on Fridays. She’ll be here on Monday.

Mark: Thank you. (8)________________ (you/know) a lot about Linda.

Alan: Well, most days (9)_____________ (I/give) her a lift, or (10)______________ (she/give) me
one. (11)__________________ (she/live) quite close to me. (12)__________________ (it/save)
petrol.

Mark: Yes, of course. Good idea. Yes, (13)__________________ (I/agree). Well,


(14)__________________ (I/waste) my time here then. I’ll get back to my computer.

Exercise 5: Put in the correct form of BE.

Examples: Daniel is doing some of the work. He’s being very helpful at the moment.
I’m tired. I want to go home.

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1. The children _____________ very polite today. They don’t usually behave so well.

2. I’m afraid Melanie can’t come because she _____________ ill.

3. Of course you can understand it. You ___________ stupid, that’s all.

4. We ___________ interested in doing a course here.

5. Vicky ________ very lazy at the moment. She’s done no work at all today.

PAST CONTINUOUS

Exercise 6: Complete the conversation. Put in the past continuous forms.


Jessica: I was looking (I/look) for you, Vicky. I’m afraid I’ve broken this dish.

Vicky: Oh no! What (1) _______________ (you/do)?

Jessica: (2) _____________ (I/take) it into the kitchen. I bumped into Emma. (3) _____________
(she/come) out just as (4) ____________ (I/go) in.

Vicky: I expect it was your fault. (5) ________________ (you/not/look) where (6) ______________
(you/go).

Jessica: Sorry. I’ll buy you another one as soon as I have some money.

PAST CONTINOUS or SIMPLE


Exercise 7: Put in the correct form of the verb.
Rita: I hear the lights went (go) out in your flats last night.

Emma: Yes, I was watching (I/watch) a documentary on TV when suddenly (1)______________


(we/lose) all the power. But (2)______________ (it/come) on again after about ten minutes.

Vicky: Rachel (3)____________ (come) down the stairs after when the lights (4)____________ (go)
out. She almost (5)____________ (fall) over.

Daniel: Mathew and I (6)______________ (play) table tennis at the time.

Andrew: (7)______________ (I/work) on the computer. (8)______________ (I/lose) a whole hour’s


work. But this morning (9)______________ (I/get) up early and (10)______________ (do) it
again.

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PRESENT PERFECT

Exercise 8: Trevor and Laura are decorating their house. Put in the verbs. Use the Present Perfect.
Laura: How is the painting going? Have you finished? (you/finish)

Trevor: No, I haven’t. Painting the ceiling is really difficult, you know. (1)_____________ (I/not/do)
very much. And it looks just the same as before. This new paint (2)______________
(not/make) any difference.

Laura: (3)________________ (you/not/put) enough on.

Trevor: (4)________________ (I/hurt) my back. It feels bad.

Laura: Oh, you and your back. You mean (5)________________ (you/have) enough of decorating.
Well, I’ll do it. Where (6)________________ (you/put) the brush?

Trevor: I don’t know. (7)________________ (it/disappear). (8)________________ (I/look) for it, but I
can’t find it.

Laura: You’re hopeless, aren’t you? How much (9)________________ (you/do) in here? Nothing!
(10)________________ (I/paint) two doors.

Trevor: (11)________________ (I/clean) all this old paint around the window. It looks much better
now, doesn’t it?

Laura: (12)________________(we/make) some progress, I suppose. Now, where


(13)________________ (that brush/go)? Oh, (14)________________ (you/leave) it on the
ladder, look.

PRESENT PERFECT – JUST, ALREADY, YET

Exercise 9: Complete the dialogue. Use the Present Perfect with JUST, ALREADY, and YET.

Vicky: You haven’t done your project yet (you/not do/ your project/yet), I suppose.

Rachel: No, I haven’t. (1)_________________________ (I/not/start/it/yet).

Vicky: (2)_________________________ (I/just/see/Andrew), and he says


(3)_________________________ (he/already/do) about half of it.

Rachel: Well, he works too hard.

Vicky: (4) )_________________________ (I/not/finish/my plan/yet).

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Rachel: (5)_________________________ (you/already/begin) to worry about it, haven’t you? Take it
easy. There’s plenty of time.

Vicky: (6)_________________________ (we/already/spend) too long thinking about it.


(7)_________________________ (I/no/do/any real work/yet) and
(8)_________________________ (I/just/realize) that there are only four weeks to the end of
term.

Rachel: OK. (9)_________________________ (I/just/decide) to start next week. Well, maybe.

PRESENT PERFECT – FOR, SINCE

Exercise 10: Complete the sentences.


Examples:
- You ought to wash the car. You haven’t washed it for ages.

- I’d better have a shower. I haven’t had one since Thursday.

1. I think I’ll ring my girl friend. I haven’t __________________ the weekend.

2. We’re going to see some old friends. We haven’t _______________ five years.

3. Let’s watch a video, shall we? We haven’t ______________ quite a while.

4. We could have a barbecue. We haven’t _________________ last summer.

5. Shall we play tennis? We haven’t _____________________ our holiday.

PRESENT PERFECT – FIRST TIME, SECOND TIME

Exercise 11: What would you say in these situations? Use Time and the Present Perfect.
Example:
- You are watching a cricket match. You have never seen one before.

 This is the first time I’ve seen a cricket match.

1. You have lost your bank card. It has happened once before.
_____________________________________________________________________________

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2. The washing machine has broken down. This has happened twice before.
_____________________________________________________________________________

3. You are in England for the first time in your life.


_____________________________________________________________________________

4. You are staying in a hotel where you once stayed before.


_____________________________________________________________________________

5. You have missed the bus. You’ve done the same thing about four times before.
_____________________________________________________________________________

PRESENT PERFECT or PAST SIMPLE

Exercise 12: Put in the correct verb form.

Examples:

- I’ve done (I/do) all the housework. The flat is really clean now.

- A young couple bought (buy) the house next door. But they didn’t live there long.

1. Our visitors _________________ (arrive). They’re sitting in the garden.

2. There’s still a problem with the television. Someone _________________ (repair) it, but then it
broke down again.

3. _________________ (I/lose) my bank care. I can’t find it anywhere.

4. The match ______________ (start). United are playing well.

5. My sister __________ (run) away from home. But she came back two days later.

6. Daniel _________________ (earn) some money last week. But I’m afraid he’s already spent it all.

7. ____________ (we/plant) an apple tree i the garden. Unfortunately it died.

8. Prices _______________ (go) up. Everything is more expensive this year.

9. Someone _________________ (turn) on the hi-fi. What’s that song called?

10. _________________ (I/phone) the office at eleven to speak to the manager, but he isn’t there today.

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PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
Exercise 13: Put in the verbs. Use the Present Perfect Continuous.

Ilona: Sorry I’m late.

Emma: It’s OK. I haven’t been waiting (I/not/wait) long. What (1) _______________ (you/do)?

Ilona: I’ve been with Mrs King. (2) _______________ (she/help) me with my English.

Emma: Your English is very good. You don’t need lessons, surely. How long (3) _______________
(you/study) English?

Ilona: Er, eight years now. But my accent wasn’t so good before I came to England. (4)
_______________ (I/try) to improve it. I think (5) _______________ (it/get) better lately.

Emma: Your accent is fine, Ilona. Honestly.

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS or PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE

Exercise 14: Put in the correct form of the verb. Use the Present Perfect Continuous or Simple.
Sarah: I feel really tired.

Mark: It’s because you’ve been doing (you/do) too much.

Sarah: Well, at least I’ve finished (I/finish) that report now, and I can relax.

1. David: Someone _________________ (leave) the ladder outside, look.


Harriet: I expect that’s Mike. _________________ (he/clean) the windows. I don’t think
_________________ (he/finish) yet.

2. Laura: You’ve got mud on your shoes.


Trevor: It’s all right, I’ll take them off. _______________ (I/work) in the garden.
Laura: Yes, it looks a lot tidier. Well done. ______________ (you/do) a good job.

3. Tom: _________________ (I/hear) that you and Harriet are building a garage. How long
_________________ (you/do) that?
Mike: Oh, for about a month now. (we/do) _____________ about half of it.

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PRESENT PERFECT or PAST PERFECT

Exercise 15: Put the verbs in the Present Perfect or Past Perfect.

Examples:

- It isn’t raining now. It has stopped (stop) at last.


- We had no car at that time. We had sold (sell) our old one.
1. The park looked awful. People ____________ (leave) litter everywhere.

2. You can have that newspaper. I _______________ (finish) with it.

3. There’s no more cheese. We _______________ (eat) it all, I’m afraid.

4. There was no sign of a taxi, although I _______________ (order) one half an hour before.

5. This bill isn’t right. They _______________ (make) a mistake.

6. I spoke to Melanie at lunch-time. Someone _______________ (tell) her the news earlier.

7. I was really tired last night. I _______________ (have) a hard day.

8. Don’t you want to see this programme? It _______________ (start).

9. It’ll soon get warm in here. I _______________ (turn) the heating on.

10. At last the committee were ready to announce their decision. They _______________ (make) up their
minds.

Exercise 16: Complete the conversation with WILL or BE GOING TO

Vicky: Have you got a ticket for the play?


Daniel: Yes, I (1)(see) __________________ it on Thursday.

Laura: Would you like tea or coffee?


Sarah: Oh, I (2)(have) __________________ coffee, please.

Trevor: I’m going to miss a good film on TV because I’ll be out tonight.
Laura: I (3)(video) __________________ it for you, if you like.

Rachel: I’m just going out to get a paper.


Emma: What newspaper (4)(you/ buy) __________________?

PRESENT CONTINUOUS & BE GOING TO


Exercise 17: Complete the sentences using the Present continuous or Be Going to.

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1. I (see) _________________________ Sara this afternoon.

2. Hurry up! We (miss) _________________________our bus.

3. It (snow) _________________________later tonight.

4. She (meet) _________________________them tomorrow morning.

5. What (you/do) _________________________this afternoon?

6. Be careful! You (break) _________________________ that glass.

7. He (not/come) _________________________ next Saturday.

8. Look out! You (hurt) ________________________ yourself with that knife.

Exercise 18: Circle the letter of the correct form of the verb.
1. Oh, no! It ___ again!
A. is raining B. does rain C. does raining D. is rain
2. You look sad! What ___ you ___ about?
A. do/think B. do/thinking C. are/think D. are/thinking
3. ___ Anna ___ to the party or not?|
A. Does/come B. Is/come C. Is/coming D. Does/coming

4. Children, please ___ quiet! You ___ very naughty today!


A. being/are being B. be/are being
C. be/are D. being/are

5. Can I speak to Jem, please. – Sorry, he ___ Dad in the garden at the moment.
A. helps B. does help C. help D. is helping
6. I really ___ it when it ___ like this.
A. like/is snowing B. am liking/is snowing
C. am liking/snows D. likes/snows

7. I ___ Philip ___ in the team.


A. wasn’t thinking/was playing B. no thought/was playing
C. not thought/played D. didn’t think/was playing
8. I ___ busy when Tom ___ a game of squash.
A. was/suggested B. was being/was suggesting
C. was being/suggested D. was/was suggesting
9. Anna ___ in the park when she ___ a wallet.
A. was walking/was finding B. was walking/found
C. walked/found D. walked/was finding

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10. The smoke alarm ___ off while my parents ___.
A. was going/was eating B. was going/ate
C. went/were eating D. went/ate
11. That man ___ and ___ on his mobile phone at the same time!
A. drove/was speaking B. was driving/spoke
C. drove/spoke D. was driving/speaking
12. The explorer Tasman ___ to get to South America when he ___ in New Zealand.
A. tried/landed B. was trying/was landing
C. was trying/landed D. tried/was landing
13. Anne: ___ you ever ___ to Thailand?
A. Did/go B. Have/been C. Have/gone D. Did/went

14. Sue: No, I ___ there yet but I’d like to go sometime.
A. have been B. didn’t C. haven’t been D. didn’t go
15. Mr Chen: Mr Li, how long ___ you ___ in Singapore so far?
A. did/live B. has/live C. have lived D. have/live
16. Mr Li: My family and I ___ to Singapore 6 years ago.
A. have come B. did come C. has come D. came
17. Steven: Danny, ___ you ___ Nancy yesterday morning?
A. have/say B. did/seen C. have/seen D. did/see
18. Danny: No, she ___ at school yesterday.
A. hasn’t been B. wasn’t being C. haven’t been D. wasn’t
19. Why ___ Lucy ___ all morning?
A. has/been crying B. has/cried
C. have/cried D. is/crying

20. Lucy is unhappy because her puppy ___ missing.


A. has gone B. have gone C. has been D. have been
21. I ___ for you for ages and I am very angry!
A. waited B. have been waiting
C. has been waiting D. am waiting

22. You’re late. Where ___ you ___?


A. have/been B. have/been being C. did/be D. are/being
23. Mum ___ all morning and she is covered in flour!
A. has baked B. baked C. has been baking D. is baking
24. The baking is finished. Mum ___ three cakes and lots of bread rolls.
A. have made B. makes C. has made D. is making

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25. Mr. Chen’s car was stolen last night! - ___ he ___ to lock it properly?
A. Has/remembered B. Had/remembered C. Was/remembering D. Did/remembered

SUBJECT & VERB AGREEMENTS

Exercise 19: Underline the correct answer in each sentence below.

1. Either the physicians in this hospital or the chief administrator (is/are) going to have to make a
decision.
2. (Is/Are) my boss or my sisters in the union going to win this grievance?
3. Some of the votes (seems/seem) to have been miscounted.
4. The tornadoes that tear through this country every spring (is/are) more than just a nuisance.
5. Everyone selected to serve on this jury (has/have) to be willing to give up a lot of time.
6. Kara Wolters, together with her teammates, (presents/present) a formidable opponent on the
basketball court.
7. He seems to forget that there (is/are) things to be done before he can graduate.
8. Some of the grain (appears/appear) to be contaminated.
9. Three-quarters of the students (is/are) against the tuition hike.
10. Three-quarters of the student body (is/are) against the tuition hike.
11. A high percentage of the population (is/are) voting for the new school.
12. A high percentage of the people (was/were) voting for the new school.
13. The books borrowed from the library (is/are) on my desk.
14. The boy who won the two medals (is/are) a friend of mine.
15. Many a child (dreams/dream) about becoming famous one day.
16. Bread and butter (is/are) our daily food.
17. Collecting match-boxes (is/are) one of his favourite pastimes.
18. The quality of the candies (is/are) poor.
19. Neither his father nor his mother (plays/play) tennis.
20. None of the students (has/have) done their homework.
21. Many students (has/have) made the same mistake.
22. Gold, as well as platinum, (has/have) recently risen in price.
23. The boss, as well as his colleagues, (has/have) been robbed by the robber.
24. Ten tons (is/are) a heavy load.
25. Fifty miles (is/are) a long distance.

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VOICES

Exercise 20: Complete the information about Barfold Hall. Put in the correct form of these verbs.

Build (past simple) 3. buy (past simple) 5. do (present perfect)

1. own (present simple) 4. not look (past perfect) 6. use (present simple)

2. use (past continuous)

The building at the end of the High Street is Barford Hall, which was built in 1827. Today the Hall (1)
________________ by Bardale Council. It (2) ________________ as a warehouse when it (3)
________________ by the council in 1952, and it (4) ________________ after very well. Since then a lot
of work (5) ________________ on it, and these days the Hall (6) ________________ as an art centre.

Exercise 21: Choose the correct verb forms in this news report about a storm.

Millions of pounds’ worth of damage has caused/has been caused by a storm which (1) swept/was
swept across the north of England last night. The River Ribble (2) burst/was burst its banks after heavy
rain. Many people (3) rescued/were rescued from the floods by fire-fighters, who (4) received/were
received hundreds of calls for help. Wind speeds (5) reached/were reached ninety miles an hour in some
places. Roads (6) blocked/were blocked by fallen trees, and electricity lines (7) brought/were brought
down, leaving thousands of homes without electricity. ‘Everything possible (8) is doing/is being done to
get things back to normal,’ a spokeman (9) said/was said.
http://www.englishservice.cz/download/Active%20and%20Passive%20Sentences%20in%20Theory%20and%20Practice.pdf

Exercise 22: You are telling a friend some news. Use the notes and complete the second sentence.
Sometimes you need to use the active and sometimes the passive.
Examples:

➢ (past simple: Claire/ go/ to Florida/ last month)


You remember Claire? She went to Florida last month.

➢ (present perfect: send/ our luggage/ to Australia)


Bad news about our luggage. It’s been sent to Australia.

1. (past simple: Claude Jennings/ win/ the quiz competition)


Did you hear about the quiz competition? It _______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

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2. (past simple: Mrs Miles/ do/ a parachute jump/ last week)
You know Mrs Miles? She ____________________________________________________

3. (present perfect: a bull/ attack/ David)


Have you heard about David? He’s _____________________________________________

4. (present continuous: build/ the house)


Trevor and Laura have bought a house. It’s still ___________________________________

5. (present simple: Andrew/ like/ Jessica)


Did I tell you about Andrew? He _______________________________________________

6. (present perfect: throw away/ your stamp collection)


Bad news about your stamp collection. It’s _______________________________________

7. (present perfect: Martians/ kidnap/ my neighbours)


Did I mention my neighbours? They’ve __________________________________________

8. (past simple: five people/ see/ the ghost)


Did you hear about the ghost? It ________________________________________________

HAVE SOMETHING DONE

Exercise 23: Look at the picture and say what people are doing or what they did. Use these phrases:
her photo, his windows, his car, her eyes, his hair. Use these verbs: clean, cut,
repair, take, test

(John Eastwood, 1992, Oxford practice grammar, exercise 1, page 139)

Example: At the moment Trevor is having his hair cut.

1. Last week Mike _____________________________________________________________

2. At the moment Melisa ________________________________________________________

3. Yesterday David ____________________________________________________________

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4. At the moment Rachel _______________________________________________________

Exercise 24: Complete the following definitions.

Example: A garage is a place where you can have your car repaired.
1. A dry cleaner's is a place where you can have ___________________________________
2. A florist's is a place where you can have _________________________________________
3. A hairdresser's is a place where you can have _____________________________________
4. A dentist's is a place where you can have _________________________________________
5. An optician's is a place where you can have _______________________________________

‘HAVE’ MEANING ‘EXPERIENCE’

Exercise 25: Say what happened to these people.

Example: Claire (whose luggage was searched in customs)


 Claire had her luggage searched in customs.

1. Tom (whose car was stolen from outside his house)


__________________________________________________________________________

2. Rita (whose rent was increased by ten per cent)


__________________________________________________________________________

3. David (whose electricity has been cut off)


__________________________________________________________________________

4. Jack (whose nose was broken in a fight)


__________________________________________________________________________

5. John (whose car was damaged by a fallen tree)


__________________________________________________________________________

NON-FINITE VERBS

Exercise 26: Are the underlined words Gerund or Present Participle? Write G and P on the lines.

Examples: G Lucy’s favorite activity is studying .

P Lucy is studying at the library.

1. ___ He has ruined his lungs by smoking.

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2. ___ Asking questions is easier than answering them.
3. ___ We saw a clown standing on his head.
4. ___ He hates spending money.
5. ___ Waving their hands, the spectators cheered the runners.
6. ___ We are fighting a losing battle.
7. ___ It is freezing cold.
8. ___ We are confident of winning the election.
9. ___ The boy cried thinking that he would be whipped.
10. ___ Can you teach me painting?

Exercise 27: Underline the correct form (infinitive with or without to).

1. I can speak/to speak English.


2. We have do/to do our homework.
3. You must stay/to stay at home.
4. I will help/to help you.
5. He cannot see/to see us.
6. My little sister learns speak/to speak.
7. They want go/to go to the cinema.
8. You should ask/to ask your parents.
9. I'd like have/to have a dog.
10. May we come/to come in?
Exercise 28: Circle letter of the correct verb form.
Example: If you want ___ another piece of cake, please help yourselt.
A. to have B. has C. having D. had

1. They have decided ___ a new sports center in the suburbs.


A. building B. to build C. builds D. built
2. Jack invited his cousin ___ to the cinema.
A. to go B. going C. goes D. gone
3. Anne asked the teacher ___ her extra swimming practice a week before the competition.
A. gave B. giving C. to give D. gives
4. That cat just wants ___ all day.
A. to sleep B. slept C. sleeping D. sleeps

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5. We advise you ___ a good night’s sleep before the exam.
A. got B. getting C. gets D. to get
6. ___ is one of my favorite sports.
A. To cycle B. Cycling C. Cycle D. Cycles
7. Monkeys love ___ trees.
A. climbing B. climb C. climbs D. climbed
8. We recommend ___ the city in the spring.
A. to visit B. visit C. visiting D. visits
9. There’s no ___ people are the same all over the world.
A. deny B. denies C. to deny D. denying

10. ___ a phone is getting less expensive these days.


A. Use B. Using C. Used D. Uses
11. Both my father and brother really enjoy ___ fishing together.
A. to go B. go C. going D. goes
12. Sally, don’t forget ___ Linda.
A. to ring B. ringing C. ring D. rings
13. I think I’d rather ___ my piano practice now than later.
A. does B. doing C. do D. to do
14. Why did they make Tom ___ at school late?
A. to stay B. staying C. stay D. stayed
15. Jem, when you’ve finished ___ your homework, you can go to the park.
A. to do B. done C. do D. doing
16. My friends and I decided ___ a picnic.
A. having B. to have C. have D. had
17. Mum, you needn’t ___ the washing-up. I’ll do it.
A. do B. to do C. doing D. does
18. I’m terribly sorry! I didn’t mean ___ on your toe.
A. step B. stepping C. to step D. stepped
19. My sister promised ___ that I had broken Tom’s DVD player.
A. not telling B. don’t tell C. not to tell D. to not tell
20. Excuse me, would you mind ___ the window?
A. opening B. to open C. open D. opened

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GRAMMAR IN USE

Exercise 29: Read the letter below and

(3) underline the main verbs;


(4) Find out and correct 10 mistakes on verbs and subject-verb agreement.

1 Hi Jane,

2 I writing to tell you about my trip to Da Nang with my family two weeks ago. Our family decided go to
3 Da Nang because it have many famous and interesting tourist attractions. We flew from Ho Chi Minh
4 city to Da Nang and stay there for nearly a week. Our family rented two double rooms in a three-star
5 hotel by the beach.

6 When we were there, we did some exciting activities. On the first day, we were visited Ngu Hanh Son
7 and Linh Ung pagoda. Then we booked a day tour to Ba Na hill. We spent the whole day to explore the
8 place, taking lots of photos and playing many games. We also swam in the sea and eat a lot of fresh
9 seafood. Besides, we went to Son Tra peninsula to relax and go sightseeing. During our visit in Da Nang,
10 the weather very nice and beautiful. Our family enjoyed visit different places in Da Nang. We felt very
11 relax and refreshed after the trip.
12
Have you been to any interesting places recently? Write to me and tell me about it.
13
Fondly,
14
Nam
15

Exercise 30: Let’s talk.


A. Talk about your travel experiences.
1. What places in Viet Nam have you ever visited?
2. Where did you visit last year?
3. Where are you going to visit next year?
4. If you can travel abroad, where would you like to go? Why?
5. Which is your favourite destination for travelling? Why?
B. Talk about your high school.
6. Where did you study at high school?
7. What was your favourite subject at high school? Why?

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8. What did your high school look like?
9. What did you like most about your high school?
10. If you could make a change to your high school, what would you like to do?

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Unit 4: Adjectives

OBJECTIVES: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to


• know the definition, classification, position, and order of English adjectives; and
• use adjectives, especially articles and quantifiers, correctly in sentences.

GETTING STARTED
Think of the answers to the following questions. You can use any resources (grammar books,
internet, etc.) to help you.
1. What are adjectives?

2. How many kinds of adjectives are there? What are they?

3. What are the positions of adjectives in a sentence?

4. What is the order of adjectives when there are more than one before a noun?

GRAMMAR KNOWLEDGE

I. Definition
Adjectives are words used to describe nouns, pronouns, or noun-equivalents.

Example: - They live in a beautiful house.

- Swiss chocolates are famous all over the world.

- Many cars are parked in the basement.

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II. Classification

Kinds of adjectives Examples

1. Proper adjectives - American jeans are probably the best jeans in the
world.
- Hydrogen gas is the lightest gas and element.

2. Descriptive adjectives: tell something - He is a funny little man.


about the appearance, nature, or properties - The green grasshopper is sitting on the flower.
of the nouns.

3. Numeral adjectives: show the number of - We ordered for two cups of coffee.
nouns. - Kim bought six apples.
• Cardinal numbers - Peter secured first position in his class.
• Ordinal numbers - December is the twelfth month of the year.

4. Interrogative adjectives: are used to ask - Which boy is the tallest in this class?
questions. - Whose hat is this?
WHAT - What time is it?
- Which/ What color do you like best?
WHICH + NOUN

WHOSE

5. Possessive adjectives: used to show - Where is your hat?


possession or ownership of something. - My basket is bigger than her basket.
My, our,your, his, her, its, their, one’s

6. Demonstrative adjectives: are used to - This pen is expensive.


point out the noun. - Those people are strange.
This, that, these, those + Noun

7. Indefinite adjectives: are used to describe - There’s some ice in the fridge.
a noun in a non-specific sense. - All horses are animals but not all animals are
Some, any, no, little, few, many, much, each, horses.
every, all

8. Articles: are used to indicate whether a - I’m a student.


noun in a sentence is specific or general. - The house overthere is mine.
A, an, the

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III. Positions of adjectives in sentences

Positions of adjectives Examples

1. Generally before a noun - He is a clever student.


- We live in an independent country.

2. After TO BE or linking verbs - I feel hungry.


- Are you thirsty?
- The baby looks healthy.
- We feel happy.

3. After a noun - He has a face thin and worn but eager and
resolute.
a. In a series linked by conjunctions - He is a writer both witty and wise.

b. In a phrase - She carries a basket full of fruit.


- I want to employ a secretary capable of
translating scientific papers.

c. Denoting measurement and time - The mountain is over 5,000 feet high.
- They have built a tower 10 storeys high.
- I met a man 100 years old.

d. As an objective complement - They set the prisoner free.


- His appearance makes me frightened.

e. Adjectives begun with ‘a’: asleep, - The police wanted to arrest the thief alive.
awake, alike, alive, awry (xiên, lệch), - Are the children still awake?
alone, afloat, akin to (có họ hàng với),...
→ placed after Nouns or To Be/ Linking
verbs

f. In a few expressions - The Secretary General.


- Court martial
- By all means possible
- The sum total
- All the people present

- Alfred the Great (Alfred Đại đế)


- William the Silent (William người trầm lặng)
g. Proper noun + THE + Adj - King George the First

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Positions of adjectives Examples

4. After an Indefinite Pronoun - I’ll tell you something important.


- He’ll provide everything necessary.
- There’s nothing new under the sun.

IV. Adjective Order before Nouns

Article Numeral Opinion Size Qualilty Age Shape Color Nationality Materia Type/ Purpose Noun
origin l
Demonstrati ordinal Kind (Noun/
ve
cardinal Verbal)
Possessive

Indefinite

a, an, the first Nice big quiet, new old round black French cotton sports/ watches
famous young brown Vietnamese swimming
this, that, second ugly small square plastic
these, important red,
one terrible soft, wet, blue, lead
his, her, my, green
two difficult,
some fast, angry,
warm

these four expensive Square golden Swiss wrist Watches

my sister’s first nice Blue swimming Suit

a wonderful new face cream

some nice easy quiz question

an electric kettle

awful plastic souvenirs

white leather running shoes

A long patient queue

A small Round bath

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Article Numeral Opinion Size Qualilty Age Shape Color Nationality Materia Type/ Purpose Noun
origin l
Demonstrati ordinal Kind (Noun/
ve
cardinal Verbal)
Possessive

Indefinite

the first two new Red French sports cars

Mary’s sudden surprising attitude

some sour big green American apples

Notes:

- Adjectives of size and length usually go before adjectives of shape and width.
- Adjectives of Personality/Emotion can precede or follow Young/Old: a young ambitious man
(stronger stress on young), an ambitious young man (less stress on young)
- Adjectives of Personality/Emotion come after Adjective of Physical description, including
dark/fair/pale but before color: a small suspicious official, a pale anxious girl, a long patient queue, a
kindly black doctor.

V. Articles

A. Form & Pronunciation

a student, a book, an idea


Indefinite article A, AN + singular, countable nouns Not: a students, an ideas, a water (U), a
music (U)

the man
singular countable N
Definite Article THE + plural N the shoes
uncountabl e N
the water

a book, a car, a day, a friend, a girl


Indefinite Article A + Consonant sound
But: an hour

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an apple, an egg, an interview, an old
AN + Vowel sound coat, an umbrella

But: a university

THE [đə] + Consonant Sound the book, the car, the girl
Definite Article
THE [đi:] + Vowel sound the end

B. Use
The indefinite article “A/AN” is used

1. when the listener or reader does not know - There is a book on the table.
exactly which person or thing we mean. (We don’t know which book.)
- He met a girl last night. She works in a bank.
(We don’t know which girl or which bank.)

2. when we say what someone or something - I’m an architect.


is. - He’s a vegetarian.
- It was a good film.

3. when we to talk about something in - A vegetarian doesn’t eat meat.


general (meaning “any”). - An architect designs buidings.

The definite article “THE” is used

1. when we talk about people or things that we - I met a girl and a boy. I didn’t like the boy very
have already mentioned. much, but the girl was very nice.
- My father bought a shirt and some shoes. The
shoes were quite expensive.
2. when we say which person or thing we - Who is the man over there talking to Sue?
mean.
3. when it is clear from the situation which - “Where’s Simon?” “He’s in the bathroom.” (=
person or thing we mean. the bathroom in this house.)
- Are you hot? I’ll open the window. (= the
window in this room.)
- I got into a taxi. The driver asked me where I
wanted to go. (= the driver of the taxi.)

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4. when we mention the unique thing. the sun, the moon, the earth, the Queen

5. with superlative comparison or ordinal - He is the richest man in the world.


number. - She is the first to come.
6. before proper name of
- oceans, seas, rivers, canals, plural
lakes, - the Pacific, the Red Sea, the Nile, the Panama
- deserts, island groups, mountains Canal
- hotels, theatres, museums, clubs, - the Sahara, the Canaries; the Himalayas
restaurants, pubs - the Plaza, the Cannon Cinema, the Prado
- newspapers Museum, the Black Cat Club, the Hard Rock
Cafeï, the Swan (pub)
But: not with hotels, restaurants, churches, ... - the Times
named after the people who started them or The Macy’s Hotel, The Lloyds Bank, The
saints + the possessive ‘s Woolworths, The St Peter’s Church, The St Paul’s
Cathedral

7. when we talk about something in general.

− species of animals, flowers and plants; - The dolphin is an intelligent animal.


cinema, theatre; musical instruments, - Which do you prefer, the cinema or the theatre?
inventions - She can play the guitar and the flute.
THE + singular count N - Marconi invented the radio.

− groups of people - The young should listen to the old.


THE + Adj - The English drink a lot of tea.

No article
We do not use articles

When talking about things in general - I like potatoes.


- Milk is good for you.

Before places when we think of the main - I think I’ll go to bed early tonight. (to sleep)
purpose of the place - Maria goes to school every morning. (to study)
- Mr. Woods has gone into hospital. (for medical
treatment)

Before contitents, countries, states, - I live in Cantho.


departments, towns, cities, village, streets,

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Before individual lake or mountain Lake Michigan, Lake Geneva, Mount Everest, Mount
Fuji

Before languages, meals, holidays - I had lunch with John.

Before parts of the body, and some forms - She goes to work by bus (plan / car / train)/on foot.
of transport

VI. Quantity Expressions

A. Quantity: General

When we talk about quantity, we use words such as:

- some, any
- much, many, a lot, (a) little, (a) few
- no, none
- all, every, each
- both, either, neither
- more, most, half

1.

We can use the above words (except none, a lot, - There are some eggs in the fridge.
& half) directly before a noun. - Have we got any milk?
- There are no letters for you today.
- Both films were very good.

2.

We also use these words (except no and every) - I’ve finished writing some of the letters.
before of + the, her, your, this, … + noun - Can either of your parents speak French?

We also use these words (except no and every) - Not all of these books are mine. Some of them
with of before an object pronoun (them, us, it, are Peter’s.
etc.) - Neither of us saw the film.

After all, half, and both we can leave out of - I switched off all (of) the lights.

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before the, her, my, your, this, etc. - Half (of) my friends are on holiday at the
moment.
- I enjoyed both (of) the films.

But after all, half, and both we cannot leave out - Have you read these books?
of before an object pronoun (e.g. them, us, it) Not all of them. (Not … all them.)
- I haven’t finished my homework. I’ve done
about half of it. (Not … half it.)
- She invited both of us to the party. (Not …
both us…)

We can also use every one of before the, her, my, - Every one of the students passed the exam.
etc. or an object pronoun. - I’ve read some of those books, but not every
one of them.

3.

We can also use these words (except no and - If you want some coffee, I’ll make some.
every) alone, without nouns. - Were there a lot of people on the train? – No,
not many.

In stead of all and each alone, we often use all of - I like some Elvis Presley records, but not all of
+ object pronoun (them, it, etc.) and each one them.
- They’ve got three children and each one goes
to a different school.

We can also use every one alone. - I’ve read some of these books, but not every
one.

B. Some and Any


1.

We use some and any before plural nouns and - Some letters - any letters
uncountable nouns to talk about an indefinite - Some money - any money
quantity.

2.

In general, we use some mostly in affirmative - There are some letters for you.
sentences and any mostly in negative sentences - I’ve got some money.
and questions. - There aren’t any letters for you.
- I haven’t got any money.

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3.

We use any after words with a negative meaning - I found a taxi without any trouble.
eg. without, never, seldom, rarely, hardly. - You never do any homework.
- There are hardly any eggs left.

4.

We can use some or any after if. - If you need some/any money, tell me.

5.

We normally use any in open questions (when we - Have you got any writing paper?
do not expect a particular answer). - Is there any tea in the cupboard?

But we use some in questions when we expect - Have you got some paper I could have, please?
people to say ‘yes’. (I think you have got some paper; I expect you
to say ‘yes’)

We also use some in questions when we want to - ‘Can you let me have some paper?’
encourage people to say ‘yes’, for example in ’How much do you want?’
requests and offers. - ‘Would you like some more tea?’
’Oh, yes please.’

6.

We can also use any to mean ‘it doesn’t matter - You can get the tickets from any travel agency.
which’ or ‘whichever you like’. - I can come and see you any day next week.

7.

We also use some (with the strong pronunciation - Some people like lying in the sun; others don’t.
/sʌm/) to make a contrast.

Notes:

Some time means ‘at some indefinite time’. - Let’s meet some time next week.

Sometimes means ‘on some occasions’ - We sometimes meet after school.

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The difference between something & anything,
somebody/someone & anybody/anyone is the
same as the difference between some & any.

C. Much, Many, A Lot of, (A) Little, (A) Few


1.

We use much and (a) little with uncountable - Much milk, much rice
nouns, and many and (a) few plural countable - Many cars, many books
nouns. - (a) little wine, (a) little sugar
- (a) few jobs, (a) few eggs

We use a lot of, lots of and plenty of with both - A lot of milk, a lot of cars
uncountable nouns and plural countable nouns. - Lots of rice, lots of books
- Plenty of wine, plenty of jobs

Note: - a lot /lots = a great quantity or number

- plenty = more than enough

2. Much, Many, A Lot (of)

We use much and many mostly in questions and - How much milk have we got?
in negative sentences. - We haven’t got much milk.
- Is there much rice left?
- There isn’t much rice left.
- Has he got many books?
- He hasn’t got many books.

In affirmative sentences, we normally use a lot - We’ve got a lot of milk.


(of), lots (of) and plenty (of), not much and many Not: We’ve got much milk.
- There’s lots of rice left.
Not: There’s much rice left.
- He’s got plenty of books..

But we often use much and many in affirmative - We’ve got far too much milk.
sentences after too, as, so, and very. - Take as much milk as you want.
- I’ve got so many jobs to do today.
- We enjoyed the party very much.

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3. (A) Little, (A) Few

A little and a few are positive ideas. - There’s still a little work to do before we go
home. (= a small amount of work, but some
A little means ‘a small amount, but some’. work)
- The exam was extremely difficult, but a few
A few means ‘a small number, but some’ students passed it. (= a small number of
students, but some students)

Little and Few, without a, are more negative - There’s little work to do. We’re already
ideas. Little means ‘not much’ or ‘almost no’; finished most of it. (=almost no work)
Few means ‘not many’ or ‘almost no’. - The exam was extremely difficult and few
students passed it. (= almost no students)

Little and few (without a) are rather formal. In - There isn’t much time left.
everyday speech, it is more common to use not - Hardly any students passed the exam.
much, not many, only a little, only a few, or
hardly any (= almost no).

But very little and very few are quite common in - I’ve got very little money.
everyday speech. - Very few people went to the football match.

D. No and None
1. No

We use no (= ‘not a’ or ‘not any’) before a noun. - There’s no lock on the door.
- There are no letters for you today.
- We’ve got no milk.

We can use no before singular countable nouns, - No lock


plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns. - No letters
- No milk

No is more emphatic than not a or not any. - There isn’t a lock on the door.
- There aren’t any letters for you today.

2. None

None is a pronoun; we use it alone, without a - ‘Are there any letters for me today?’
noun. ’No, none. I’m afraid.’
- ‘How much milk have we got?’ ‘None’.

Before my, this, the, etc or an object pronoun eg - None of my friends have seen the film.
us, them, we use none of. - None of the photographs were very good.
- None of us have any money.

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When we use none of with a plural noun, the - None of my friends have/has seen the film.
verb can be singular or plural.

* A singular verb is more formal.

E. All, Every, Everybody, Everything, Whole


1. All and Every

Every has a similar meaning to all; every means - All the students in the class passed the exam.
‘all without exception’. - Every student in the class passed the exam. (=
all the students without exception)

Note that we can use all with plural words, but - All children like playing.
we only use every with singular words. - Every child likes playing.

We can use all but not every with uncountable - Do you like all pop music?
nouns. (not: … every pop music)

2. All, Everybody, Everything

We do not normally use all alone, without a - All the people stopped talking.
noun, to mean everybody or everyone. - Everybody stopped talking.
(not: All stopped …)
- I have invited all the students in my class to
the party.
- I have invited everyone in my class to the
party. (not: … all in my class…)

We do not often use all to mean everything. - Everything is so expensive these days. (not:
All is so expensive these days.)
- Have you got everything?
(not: Have you got all?)

But we can use all to mean everything in the - Have you got all (that) you need?
structure all (that) + relative clause. - He’s forgotten all (that) I told him.

We also use all in the expression all about. - Tell me all about yourself.

We can also use all to mean ‘the only thing(s)’ or - I’ m not hungry. All I want is a cup of tea.
‘nothing more’.

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3. All and Whole

Whole means ‘complete’ or ‘every part of’. - I didn’t see the whole film. I missed the first
part.
We normally use whole with singular countable - I spent my whole salary on clothes last month.
nouns.

We always use the, my, this, etc. before whole + - The whole film
a singular noun - My whole salary

We can also use the, my, this, etc with all, but the - All the film - the whole film
word order is different. - All my salary - my whole salary

We can also use a whole before a (singular) - Mike ate a whole chicken himself.
noun.

We do not normally use whole with uncountable - We’ve finished all the coffee. (not: … the
nouns. whole coffee.)

4. All day, every day, etc.

- We use all with some singular countable nouns - I work hard all day. (= the whole day)
(e.g. all day/morning/week/year to mean ‘the
whole of’
- I work hard every day. (= Monday, Tuesday,
- We use every day/morning, etc to say how etc.)
often something happens.

We can use the whole day/morning etc instead of - We’ve been waiting the whole morning/all
all day/morning etc morning.

* The whole is stronger than all in this use.

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F. Both, Either, Neither
1. Both

We use both (= ‘the two together’ or ‘one and the - Both films were very good.
other’) before a plural countable noun. - I spoke to both girls.

We use both of before the, your, these, etc + - Both (of) the films were very good.
plural noun; in this case we often leave out of. - Do both (of) your parents like dancing?

We use both of before the plural object pronouns - She invited both of us to the party.
you, us, them; in this case, we cannot leave out (not: … both us …)
of.

We can use both after an object pronoun. - She invited us both to the party.

2. Either and Neither

We use either (= ‘one or the other’) and neither - We could meet on Saturday or Sunday. Either
(= ‘not one and not the other’) before a singular day is fine with me.
countable noun. - Neither road goes to the station.

We use either of and neither of before your, - Can either of your parents speak French??
these, the, etc + a plural countable noun. - Neither of these roads goes to the station.

We also use either of and neither of before the - Can either of you type?
plural object pronouns you, us, them. - Neither of us went to the party.

After neither of we can use a singular or a plural - Neither of these roads goes/go to the station.
verb. - Neither of us is/are hungry.

A singular verb is more common in a formal


style.

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Note:

We also use both, either and neither as - I spoke to both Sally and Peter.
correlative conjunctions to link ideas: - John is both thoughtful and generous.
- She both speaks Japanese and writes it.
- both … and … - I don’t like either football or rugby very much.
- either … or … - We can either stay in or go out.
- neither … nor … - Neither Mrs Woods nor her husband were at
home.
- He neither apologized nor explained.

GRAMMAR EXERCISES
CLASSIFICATION
Exercise 1: Name the bold adjectives in the following sentences.

1. The roar of the guns sounded terrible.


__________________________________________________________________
2. The tired and hungry child lay down on the bed.
__________________________________________________________________
3. The first chapter of this novel is short.
__________________________________________________________________
4. Which coat is your?
__________________________________________________________________
5. My friend’s brother has three different bicycles.
__________________________________________________________________
6. I am sorry that the storm has done some damage to your house.
__________________________________________________________________
7. Many apples, ripe and green still hung on the tree.
__________________________________________________________________
8. These low tables belong to that room.
__________________________________________________________________
9. The old lady looked sad and weary.
__________________________________________________________________
10. Which vitamins should be taken every day?
________________________________________________________________________

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Interrogative Adjectives
Exercise 2: Fill in the blanks with suitable interrogative adjectives.

1. _________________ time is the flight ?


2. _________________ girl has a red bag ?
3. _________________ mother is a nurse ?
4. _________________ subject do you like ?
5. _________________ books are these ?
6. _________________ jacket is yours? The blue one or the red one?
7. _________________ bicycle is this?
8. _______________ school do you go to? This one or the one in the city center?
9. _______________ parents are coming to the meeting at school tonight?
10. _______________ city did she work in, Mumbai or Kolkata?

Possessive Adjectives
Exercise 3: Write the correct possessive adjective in the blank.

1. Two students didn't do ____________ mathematics homework.


2. I have a car. ____________ color is black.
3. We have a dog. ____________ name is Pancho.
4. Nancy is from England. ____________ husband is from Australia.
5. Ann and Nadia go to a high school. ____________ little brother goes to primary school.
6. Alan has a van. ____________ van is very old.
7. We go to a high school. ____________ high school is fantastic.
8. I like singing. ____________ mother sings with me.
9. François and Alain are French. ____________ family are from France.
10. Mary likes ____________ grandmother. She often visits her.

Demonstrative Adjectives
Exercise 4: Circle the letter of the correct answer.
11. ___ elephants are sleeping under the shade of the baobab tree over there.
A. This B. That C. These D. Those
12. ___ students at Vo Truong Toan want to transfer to our school.
A. This B. That C. These D. Those
13. Come here and look at ___ film. It is an interesting movie to watch.
A. this B. that C. these D. those

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14. May I buy five of ___ pictures hanging over there, please?
A. this B. that C. these D. those
15. You shouldn't do it like that, do it ___ way.
A. this B. that C. these D. those
16. Take one of ___ books from that pile.
A. this B. that C. these D. those
17. Everyone does it ___ days.
A. this B. that C. these D. those
18. Everyone did it in ___ days.
A. this B. that C. these D. those
19. If ___ class doesn't stop making so much noise, I'm going to go and tell them to shut up.
A. this B. that C. these D. those
20. Can you see what ___ word is? It's too far away for me.
A. this B. that C. these D. those

Descriptive Adjectives
Exercise 5: Fill in the gaps with the correct Adjective from the box. Use every Adjective only once.

beautiful funny gentle happy

frightened kind painful strange

little serious

Going to the Dentist


When I was (1) ______________ I was (2) ______________ of going to the dentist. I always thought that
it would be (3) ______________. The room smelled (4) ______________ and the dentist always looked
very (5) ______________. But now I am (6) ______________ to go. My new dentist is very (7)
______________ and he always makes me laugh! He is very (8) ______________! He never hurts me
because he is very (9) ______________. And now my teeth are (10) ______________ and strong.

POSITIONS OF ADJECTIVES
Exercise 6: Put the adjectives in their right positions.

1. These are students. (intelligent)


2. Mary looked this morning. (pale)
3. Vicky looked . (ill)
4. Vicky is a girl. (sick)

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5. I want a glass (full of water)
6. He is a boy. (worthy of praise)
7. I have something to tell you. (special)
8. There is nothing under the sun. (new)
9. The lake is over five meters. (deep)
10. He is 2 meters. (tall)
11. We saw a picture of a lion. (asleep)
12. I have never seen a deer. (alive)
13. He is a boy neither nor. (intelligent, hard-working)
14. She is a girl both and. (beautiful, grateful)
15. I find the book. (interesting)

ADJECTIVE ORDERS
Exercise 7: Circle the letter of the correct order of Adjectives.

1. We all sat around our ___ table.


A. wooden, old, dining B. old, dining, wooden
C. old, wooden, dining D. wooden, dining, old
2. My father gave my mother a ___ vase for her birthday.
A. beautiful, Venetian, flower B. Venetian, beautiful, flower
C. flower, beautiful, Venetian D. beautiful, flower, Venetian
3. I put on my ___ shirt.
A. cotton, white, new B. white, new, cotton
C. new, cotton, white D. new, white, cotton
4. Our new sports teacher is a ___ man.
A. slim, Indian, tall B. tall, slim, Indian
C. Indian, tall, slim D. slim, tall, Indian
5. My baby sister has ___ eyes.
A. round, black, big B. black, round, big
C. big, round, black D. round, big, black
6. My brother gave me a(n) ___ game.
A. new, exciting, computer B. computer, new, exciting
C. exciting, computer, new D. exciting, new, computer
7. We went to a café and had a dish of ___ noodles.
A. hot, tasty, Chinese B. Chinese, hot, tasty
C. tasty, hot, Chinese D. Chinese, tasty, hot
8. Our neighbor has a ___ motorbike.
A. Japanese, red, powerful B. powerful, red, Japanese
C. red, powerful, Japanese D. Japanese, powerful, red

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9. I need a ___ bag for the new term.
A. new, leather, school B. leather, new, school
C. new, school, leather D. leather, school, new
10. I’m wearing a pair of ___ jeans.
A. old, blue, denim B. blue, old, denim
C. denim, old, blue D. old, denim, blue

ARTICLES
Exercise 8: Complete the story using A, AN, THE or X.

(1) ___ man from California was spending (2) ____ month in (3)____ Britain. One day he booked into (4)
____ hotel in (5) ____ Cheltenham, (6) ____ nice old town in (7)____ West of (8)____ England. Then he
went out to look around (9) ____ place. But (10) ____ man didn’t return to (11) ____ hotel. He
disappeared, leaving (12) ____ suitcase full of clothes behind.(13) ____ police were called in, but they
were unable to find out what had happened to (14) ____ missing tourist. It was (15) ____ mystery. But
two weeks later (16) ____ man walked into (17) ____ police station in (18) ____ Cheltenham. He
explained that he was very sorry, but while walking around (19) ____ town, he had got lost. He had also
forgotten (20) ____ name of (21) ____ hotel he had booked into. So he had decided to continue with his
tour of (22) ____ country and had gone to visit (23) ____ friend in (24) ____ Scotland before returning to
pick up (25) ____ case he had left behind.

Exercise 9: Complete the conversations. Put in ‘a’, ‘an’ or ‘the.’

Examples: Laura: Look outside. The sky is getting very dark.

Trevor: I hope there isn’t going to be a storm.

Mike: I’m going out for (1) ____ walk. Have you seen my shoes?

Harriet: Yes, they’re on (2) ____ floor in (3) ____ kitchen.

Melanie: Would you like (4) ____ tomato? There’s one in (5) ____ fridge.

David: Oh, yes, please. I’ll make myself (6) ____ cheese and tomato sandwich.

Sarah: If you’re going into (7) ____ city centre, can you post these letters for me?

Mark: Yes, I’ll take them to (8) ____ main post office.

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Rita: I’ve got (9)____ problem with my phone bill. Can I see someone about it?

Receptionist: Yes, go to (10)____ fifth floor. (11)____ lift is along the corridor.

Tom: I didn’t know Melanie had (12)____ dog.

David: It isn’t hers. She’s just taking it for a walk while (13) ____ owner is away.

Vicky: I’ve got (14) ____ headache. I’ve had it all day.

Rachel: Why don’t you go to (15) ____ health center? It’s open until six.

Andrew: Guess what. I found (16) ____ £50 note on the pavement this morning.

Jessica: You really ought to take it to (17) ____ police station, you know.

Exercise 10: Add A, An, The where necessary.

Examples: - We saw an interesting film at the cinema last night.


- I start X work at 9 o’clock every morning.
1. _______ Soviet Union is _______ biggest country in _______ world.

2. Have you ever been to _______ St Peter’s Square in _______ Rome?

3. _______ weather was lovely when I woke up yesterday morning; _______ sun was shining and
there was _______ beautiful blue sky.

4. My sister works in ____ large hospital in ____ London. She’s ____ doctor.

5. Who was _______ woman you were talking to just now?

6. ‘Where’s Kate?’ ‘She’s in _______ living room.’

7. What time do you usually have _______ lunch?

8. Do you prefer cooking with _______ gas or _______ electricity?

9. We visited _______ Prado Museum when we were in _______ Madrid.

10. What time does Andrew finish _______ school?

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11. There are 20 classrooms in _______ school.

12. Who invented _______ telescope?

13. How long have you been looking for _______ work?

14. Did you go to _______ Scotland by _______ car or by _______ train?

15. _______ Japanese export a lot of cars.

16. Sue and Frank have got two children; _______ girl and _______ boy. _______ girl is _______
student and _______ boy is _______ engineer.

17. ____ Giovannis’s restaurant is next to ____ Midland Bank in ____ Bath Road.

18. Are you interested in _______ politics?

19. _______ Atlantic Ocean is larger than _______ Indian Ocean.

20. _______ Mont Blanc is higher than _______ Mount Etna.

QUANTITY EXPRESSIONS
Quantity: General
Exercise 11: Choose the correct answer.
Example: I’ve finished most/most of my homework.
1. Not all/all of birds can fly.
2. The teacher interviewed each/each of student in turn.
3. I’ve heard some/some of those records, but not all/all of them.
4. I can’t lend you any/any of money because I haven’t got any/any of.
5. Most/Most of people like Kate.
6. Neither/Neither of my parents will be at home this evening.
7. Neither/Neither of these jackets fits me properly.
8. ‘How much/much of coffee have we got?’ ‘Not a lot/a lot of.’
9. A few/A few of Simon’s friends went to the concert, but not many/many of.
10. Are there many/many of museums in Brighton?
11. We tried several chemist’s and every/every one of them was closed.
12. He spends most/most of his time watching TV.
13. My sister has read nearly every/every one of book in the library.
14. I answered each/each of question carefully.
15. Do either/either of these books belong to you?

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Some and Any
Exercise 12: Complete the sentences using some or any. Sometimes either word is possible.

Example: He hasn’t got any brothers or sisters.

1. There are __________ people outside who want to see you.

2. I like __________ water sports, but not all of them.

3. Can you buy __________ butter when you go to the shops? There’s hardly __________ left.

4. ‘Could I have __________ more coffee, please?’ ‘Yes, of course.’

5. ‘I haven’t got _______ money.’ ‘Would you like me to lend you _______?’

6. If you need __________ more information, please ask me.

7. Phone me __________ time you like tomorrow. I’ll be at home all day.

8. I’ve done __________ revison for the exams, but not much.

9. __________ museums are worth visiting, but others aren’t.

10. Tell me if you want __________ help.

Much, Many, A Lot of, (A) Little, (A) Few


Exercise 13: Complete the sentences using much, many, a lot (of), a little or a few. Sometimes more
than one answer is possible.
Examples:
- There are so many jobs to do today and we haven’t got much/a lot of time.

- There were only a few people in the cinemas.

1. I know ___________ people in London, but not many.


2. We’ve got ___________ coffee left, but not much.
3. He earns ___________ money in his job.
4. She’s got ___________ classical music records.
5. We had ___________ wine with our meal, but not very much.
6. Have we got ___________ potatoes left?
7. How ___________ money did you spend on holiday?
8. I didn’t enjoy the party on Saturday very ___________. There were far too ___________ people
there, and there wasn’t ___________ food and drink, so everybody was hungry and thirsty.

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Exercise 14: Choose the correct answer.
Example: I’ve got a little/little money, so I could lend you some if you want.
1. I’m sorry, but I’ve got very a little/little money at the moment. I’m afraid I can’t lend you any.

2. He has very a few/few friends and he gets rather lonely.

3. She has a few/few friends in London and she’s very happy there.

4. It is an extremely poor country: it has a few/few natural resources and a little/little good agricultural
land.

5. Would you like a little/little more wine? There’s still a little/little left in the bottle.

6. It won’t take long to drive into town. There’s very a little/little traffic on the road at this time of the
day.

7. I think Peter went out a few/few minutes ago.

8. It’s a very boring little town; there’s very a little/little to do there.

No and None
Exercise 15: Complete the sentences using no or none.
Example: We really must hurry. There’s no time to lose.
1. ________ of my family are rich.

2. Unfortunately, there were ________ tickets left for the concert.

3. He’s so serious. He’s got ________ sense of humour.

4. I’ve got ________ idea what I’m going to do when I leave school.

5. ________ of the students failed the examination.

6. I haven’t got any money at the moment, ________ at all.

7. My friends and I would all like to go to the concert, but ________ of us has got a ticket.

All, Every, Everybody, Everything, Whole


Exercise 16: Complete the sentences using all, every, everybody or everything. Sometimes two
answers are possible.
Example: Have you spent all the money I gave you?

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1. I tried __________ key in the lock, but none of them fitted.
2. __________ enjoyed the film except Peter.
3. I’m really tired. __________ I want to do is go to bed.
4. Listen to me. I can explain __________.
5. Has Sarah told you __________ about her holiday in Australia?
6. It was late when Simon arrived home and __________ was asleep.
7. Did you remember to switch off __________ the lights?
8. I believe __________ word he says.
9. Have you packed __________ into this suitcase?
10. I learnt __________ I know about physics at school.

Exercise 17: Complete the sentences using all (the) or the whole. Sometimes more than one answer
is possible.
Examples: - We’ve finished all the wine.
- I didn’t see all the/the whole film.
1. __________ family went on holiday together.
2. Have you spent __________ money I gave you?
3. The tap was dripping __________ night.
4. Did you understand __________ information I gave you?
5. She was given __________ advice she needed.

Exercise 18: Choose the correct answer.

Example: My favourite TV programme is on at 8.30 all/every Tuesday evening.


1. What time do you normally get up all/every morning?

2. The weather was terrible yesterday, so we spent all/every day at home.

3. Peter was late for work all/every day last week.

4. My neighbours had a party last night and the noise kept me awake all/every night.

5. The questionnaire was sent to all/every employee.

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Both, Neither, Either
Exercise 19: Complete the sentences using both, both of, either, either of, neither, neither of. In one
sentence two answers are possible.

Example: The tennis match was very exciting. Both players were very good.
1. ‘Have your parents got a car?’ ‘No, ___________ them can drive.’

2. They don’t like each other and I made the mistake of inviting them ___________ to my party.

3. ‘What does ‘ambidextrous’ mean?’ ‘It means being able to use ___________ hand with equal
skill.’

4. ‘Which of these shirts do you prefer?’ ‘I don’t really like ___________ them very much.’

5. ‘What’s the capital of Switzerland, Geneva or Zurich?’ ‘___________. It’s Berne.’

6. Simon had a very bad accident when he was younger. He fell from a tree and broke ___________
his legs.’

GRAMMAR IN USE

Exercise 20: Read the letter below and


1. Underline the adjectives;

2. Find out and correct 10 mistakes on adjectives and articles.

1 Hello Jane,

2 How are you? What did you do last weekend? Did you play soccer with your friends? I was rather busy
3 with my study. In your previous letter, you asked me about my best friend. Today I will tell you about
4 her.

5 My best friend is Nhung, and her full name is Tran Hong Nhung. She is eighteen years old, and she
6 comes from Can Tho city. We first met at high school. She is not only beautiful but also intelligence.
7 She looks quite thin, and she is very tall. She has eyes black, red lips and nice smile. She is a generous
8 person but serious. However, sometimes, she is quite humorous and easy-going. She gets on well with
9 everyone in my class; she is willingness to help me whenever I have difficult. Besides, she is also
10 talkative person. She always talks everywhere and all the time, so sometimes, I get angrily with her, but I
11 always love her.
12
We have many hobbies similar; for example, we both enjoy playing sports, especially table-tennis.

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13 We often play it when we have free time. I hope that ours friendship will last forever.
14
I have just told you about my close friend. Can you tell me about yours?
15
I’m waiting for your letter.
16
Best wishes,
17
Nam
18

19

Exercise 21: Let’s talk.


A. Let’s talk about your best friend.
1. Who is your best friend? What does s/he look like?
2. How long have you known each other?
3. How did you first meet each other?
4. What do you like most about your friend?
5. What do you often do together?
B. Let’s talk about your favourite teacher.
6. Who was your favourite teacher at high school?
7. Why did you like him/ her?
8. What did s/he look like?
9. Do you still keep in touch with your favourite teacher?
10. In your opinion, what are some essential qualities of a good teacher?

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Unit 5: Adverbs

OBJECTIVES: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to


• know the definition, classification, functions, position, and order of English
adverbs; and
• use adverbs correctly in sentences.

GETTING STARTED
Think of the answers to the following questions.. You can use any resources (grammar books,
internet, etc.) to help you.
1. What are adverbs?

2. How many kinds of adverbs are there? What are they?

3. What are the functions of adverbs in English?

4. What are the positions of adverbs in a sentence?

5. How are adverbs arranged when there are more than one before a noun?

GRAMMAR KNOWLEDGE

I. Definition
An adverb is a word which modifies the meaning of a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a phrase, a
clause, or the whole sentence.

II. Classification

Types Examples

1. Adverbs of Time: to show when the action - I have heard this before.
happens: already, late, lately, still, tomorrow, - Today he arrived late.
early, now, soon, yesterday, finally, recently, - Mr Brown formerly lived here.
today, yet, before, …

2. Adverbs of Frequency: to show how often the - I have told you twice about that.
action happens - He often makes mistakes.

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Types Examples

- ever, always, usually = normally/ generally, - They seldom come here.


often = frequently, occasionally, sometimes, - She always tries to do her best.
rarely, seldom, hardly ever, never, … - Wasted time never returns.

3. Adverbs of Place: to show where the action - Please wait for me right here.
happens - The horses galloped away.
- Walk backward.

4. Adverbs of Manner: to show how the action - The teacher reads the text clearly.
happens - We waited anxiously by the phone.
Manner adverbs are often formed from adjectives - The beef steak is well prepared.
by adding –ly. - They are working hard in the garden.
Some common manner adverbs have the same - You should not do so.
form as adjectives and they have similar - Driving fast is dangerous.
meanings (e.g. fast, right, wrong, straight, tight).

5. Adverbs of Degree or Quantity: to show how - He was too careless in his speech.
much, in what degree, or to what extent the action - These durians are almost ripe.
happens; or to express degrees of qualities, - I am fully prepared.
properties, states, conditions and relations. - He is good enough for my purpose.
- little, much, extremely, very, very much, just, - You are partly right.
enough, quite, only, merely, too, rather, nearly, - She speaks English pretty well.
almost, absolutely, perfectly, somewhat, a (little)
bit, entirely, pretty, terribly, a lot, fairly, totally,
awfully, highly, remarkably, utterly, completely,
lots, slightly

6. Adverbs of Affirmation: certainly, naturally, - Surely you are mistaken about that.
surely, of course, very well, - I’ve definitely decided to go to California.

7. Adverbs of Negation: never, neither, nor, - We never go out for dinner.


nowhere, at not time, by no means, in no cases, in - He can scarcely have said so.
no way, under no circumstances, on no account,
in no occasion, not only, no sooner…than,
seldom, rarely, hardly, scarcely, little

8. Adverbs of Possibility: maybe, perhaps, - The weather possibly turned cold.


possibly, probably - Maybe, they will be late again.

9. Interrogative Adverbs: to make questions - Where is he from?


- Why are they so late?
- When will they come?

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Types Examples

10. Relative Adverbs: to introduce an Adjective - We have visited the village where Nguyễn
Clause Du was born.

Notes:

1. Several words are used sometimes as adverbs and sometimes as prepositions. A word is a preposition
when it governs a noun or pronoun. It is an adverb when it does not.

Adverb Preposition

- Go and run about. - Don’t loiter about the street.


- Has he come in? - Is he in his room?
- The wheel came off. - The driver jumped off the car.

2. Two adverbs sometimes go together, joined by the conjunction “and”.


Adverbs Meanings

again and again repeatedly

By and by before long (ngay bây giờ), presently (chẳng mấy chốc, ngay sau đó,
hiện thời), after a time

far and near/ far and wide in all directions, everywhere (khắp nơi, rộng khắp)

far and away/ out and away by a great deal, decidedly, beyond all comparison (bỏ xa, hơn hẳn,
không thể so sánh được)

first and foremost first of all (trước tiên)

now and then from time to time, occasionally (thỉnh thoảng)

Off and on not regularly, intermittently (chốc chốc, chập chờn lúc có lúc không)

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Adverbs Meanings

once (and) again on more than one occasion (thêm một lần nữa)

Out and out Decidedly (hoàn toàn, triệt để, dứt khoát)

over and above in addition to, besides, as well as (đã thế lại còn…, lại còn…nữa)

through and through thoroughly, completely (hoàn toàn; trở đi trở lại)

to and pro backwards and forwards, up and down (tới lui)

III. Function

Functions Examples

1. Modifier of a verb - Tom runs quickly out of the house.

2. Modifier of an adjective - Those students are quite lazy.

3. Modifier of a another adverb - Our friends study very hard during the exam.

4. Modifier of an adverbial phrase - I see a plane flying exactly over my house.


5. Modifier of a adverbial clause - I like this house simply because it is near a supermarket.
- Maybe, I’ll go with you.
6. Modifier of a whole sentence - Luckily, I passed the exam.

IV. Position

A. General Positions
Positions Examples

1. right before the adjective - This shirt is too small.


adverb - He speaks very slowly.
preposition - They stand exactly behind me.
conjunction - I like an orange only when it is ripe.

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Positions Examples

Exception: ENOUGH - My coffee is not sweet enough.


- He didn’t drive fast enough.

2. Right after the Intransitive verb - He sleeps soundly.

3. Before a transitive verb or after its Object - The father severely punished his son.
- The father punished his son severely.

4. After special verbs - The wind had suddenly risen.


- He can surely do it.
- He is still living with his old parents.

5. Before or after an infinitive - He seems really to understand.

6. At the beginning of the sentence


- To modify a whole sentence
- To emphasize the adverb itself - Fortunately, the injured man didn’t die.
- To make an exclamation (*Inversion if - Never had I seen anything so dreadful.
subject is a noun.) - Here she comes!/ Here comes the bride!
- Away it flew!/ Away flew my hat!
- Interrogative adverb - Where does it happen?

B. Some Specific Adverbs


1. Adverbs of Time
Still, Yet & Already

Still: ‘as late as now or then’; ‘later than - My brother is 18, but he still behaves like a child.
expected’ - Has Andrew woken up? – No, he’s still asleep.
- before a full verb - I can still remember the first time we met.
- after be or Aux. - They received the bill a month ago and they still
- S + Still + negative (to express haven’t paid it.
impatience or surprice) - I’ve known Mike for years, but I still don’t
understand.

Yet: ‘up to now or then’ - Have you had your exam results yet?
- used in questions and negative - I wrote to her a week ago, but she hasn’t answered my
sentences letter yet.
- normally goes at the end of a clause - Have you passed your driving test yet? – No, not yet.
- not yet (short answer)

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Already: ‘by now or then’; ‘sooner than - You don’t need to tell Ken the news; he already
expected’ knows.
- before a full verb - What time is Sue going to be here? – She’s already
- after be or Aux. here.
- end of a clause for emphasis - Could you do the washing up? – I’ve already done it.
- I’ve seen the film already.
- Have you finished already?

Any more, Any longer & No longer


We can use not … any more, not … any longer and no longer to say that a situation has changed.

Any more and Any longer go at the end - Annie doesn’t live here any more. She moved last
of a clause. year.
- My father is not a young man any longer.

No longer goes before a full verb, or after - Annie no longer lives here. She moved last year.
be or an auxiliary verb. - My father is no longer a young man.
We do not normally use no more in this
way.

2. Adverbs of Frequency
Adverbs of
Meanings Examples
Frequency

ALWAYS 100% of the time, at all - Tom is always late to class. (He never comes
times, without exception early.)

- I’m usually home by six o’clock.


USUALLY 90% of the time
- Doris is usually late to class. (Today she is
early.)

NORMALLY About 80% of the time - I normally get good marks.


GENERALLY - I generally get up at six.

70% of the time - Bill is often late to class. (3 times a week)


OFTEN
- Buses run frequently between the city and the
FREQUENTLY airport.

SOMETIMES 50% of the time - Sometimes I go by car.


30% of the time - We occasionally meet for a drink after work.
OCCASIONALLY

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Adverbs of
Meanings Examples
Frequency

- There is rarely enough time in a week to get


RARELY 20% of the time
everything done.
SELDOM 10% of the time - I seldom put salt on my food.

HARDLY EVER 5% of the time - I hardly ever get angry.

NEVER At no time - Vegetarians never eat meat.

These Adverbs - They usually watch TV.


- normally go before a full verb - She never eats sweets.
- after be or an auxiliary - I always go to work by bus.
- after the first aux. if there are more than one - They’re usually in bed by 11.30.
auxiliary. - She’s never eaten Chinese food.
- I’ll always remember you.
- These curtains have never been cleaned.
- Have you ever been invited to one of his
parties?

Sometimes, usually, normally, frequently, often - Sometimes I walk to work.


& occasionally can also go at the beginning or - Do you see your parents often?
end of a clause.

Adverb phrases of frequency (eg every evening, - They watch TV every evening.
once a week) normally go at the end (or the - I go swimming once a week.
beginning) of a clause.

Adverbs of definite frequency (daily, weekly, - The post is delivered here twice daily.
monthly, yearly) normally go at the end of a
clause.

3. Adverbs of Probability
Certainly, definitely, obviously, probably - He probably knows your address.
normally go - They definitely saw me.
- before a full verb - She obviously likes you.
- after be or an auxiliary - He’s probably at home now.

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- before the negative. - They’ve definitely gone out.
- She can obviously do the job.
- She probably won’t be late.
- He certainly isn’t at home now.
- They’re obviously not very happy.

Perhaps & Maybe normally go at the beginning of - Perhaps I’ll see you later.
a clause. - Maybe you’re right.
* Maybe is quite informal.

4. Adverbs of Degree
Fairly < Quite < Rather/Pretty < Very
a.

These adverbs normally go before the - The film was quite good.
adjective or adverb which they modify. - I know her fairly well.

b.

Quite is stronger than Fairly - I’m fairly tired, but I don’t think I’ll go to bed yet.
- I’m quite tired. I think I’ll go to bed now.

Rather is stronger than quite. - The TV is rather loud. Shall I turn it down?
It means - We’re rather late. We’d better hurry.
- ‘more than is usual’ - The concert was rather good. I was surprised.
- ‘more than is wanted’
- ‘more than is expected’

Pretty = Rather - We’re pretty hungry. We haven’t eaten all day.


Pretty can be used in a more informal
style.

The meaning of fairly, quite, rather & - He’s quite ‘nice. (more positive)
pretty can depend on stress and - He’s ‘quite nice. (less positive)
intonation.

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c.

Quite + a/an - He’s quite a young man.


- It was quite an interesting film.
A/An + Fairly/Pretty
- He’s a fairly young man.
Rather + a/an or A/An + Rather - It was a pretty interesting film.
- It was rather an interesting film.
It was a rather interesting film.

d.

Quite & Rather can modify verbs. - She quite enjoyed the film.
They go before a full V, but after an - I rather like driving at night.
auxiliary V. - He’s quite enjoying himself.

e.

Rather (not fairly, quite, pretty) can be - Rather colder


used before comparative. - Rather more expensive

f.

Quite can also mean ‘completely’ - The animal was quite dead. (= completely dead)
- with non-gradable adjectives - The meal was quite perfect. (completely perfect)
(cannot be more or less) - The story is quite untrue. (completely untrue)
- with some adverbs and verbs - She sang quite perfectly. (completely perfect)
- I quite understand. (completely understand)

Too & Enough


a.

Too goes before Adjectives & Adverbs. - I don’t think I’ll go out tonight. I’m too tired.

Enough goes after Adjectives & Adverbs. - Are you warm enough, or do you want me to switch
on the heating?
- We aren’t working quickly enough. We’d better
hurry.

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b. We use too many, too much & enough before Nouns.

Too many + plural count noun - I bought too many eggs.


- There’s too much salt in this soup.
Too much + noncount noun
- We can’t make an omelette. We haven’t got enough
Enough + count/noncount noun eggs.
- There’s enough salt in the soup. It doesn’t need any
more.

c.

too & enough + for + O - This jacket is too small for me.
- The flat isn’t really big enough for all of us.

too & enough + to V - It’s too early to have dinner.


- He isn’t old enough to drive a car.

Too & Enough + for O + to V - It’s too early for us to have dinner.
- This jacket isn’t large enough for me to wear.

d.

Too (not enough) can be modified with - Much too heavy


much, a lot, far (=very much), a little, a - Far too cold
bit, rather. - A bit too fast

e.

Too (# very) has negative meaning: - She’s a good worker. She works very quickly.
- ‘more than necessary’ ≠ He works too quickly and makes a lot of mistakes.
- ‘more than is good’ - They arrived at the airport very late, but they just
caught their plane.
≠ They arrived at the airport too late and missed their
plane.
- He is old enough to be my brother.

Enough has positive meaning.

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So & Such

Such + (Adj) N - She’s such a nice woman.


- Don’t be such a fool!

So + Adj/Adv - She’s so nice.


- Don’t be so foolish!
- He works so slowly.

So (not such) + many/much - There were so many people on the train.


- I’ve got so much to do today. I’m really busy.

Such (not so) + a lot (of) - There were such a lot of people on the train.
- I’ve got such a lot to do today. I’m really busy.

So/Such … that clause - The table was so heavy that I couldn’t move it.
- It was such a beautiful afternoon that we went to the
beach.

Inversion of Subject & Verb with front-position adverbs

Adv of Negation + V + S - Never have I heard such a sweet song.


- Seldom is she absent from school.

- By his side sat his faithful dog.


(His faithful dog sat by his side.)
Adv of Place + Vi + S
(necessary) - In the heart of Hanoi City lies the ‘Lake of Restored Sword’.
- Near the church an old ruined building.
- In front of the museum stands a memorial monument.

- Only then did they fully understand what he had meant.


- Only with the full agreement of everyone can we hope to succeed.
Only + Adv + V + S
- Only by shouting was he able to make himself heard.
- Only when all attempts at negociation had failed, did the workers
decide to go on strike.

- So deafening was the noise that I could hardly hear myself speak.
So + Adj/Adv + V + S
The noise was so deafening that …
- So seriously was he injured that he was taken to the hospital.

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He was injured so seriously that …

- My great news comes now.


Now my great news comes.
Now comes my great news.
- He has given me presents many times.
When other adverbs begin a
Many times he has given me presents.
sentence for emphasis, Many times has he given me presents.
inversion is NOT
- We would rather die than live under foreign domination.
obligatory.
Rather we would die than live under foreign domination.
Rather would we die than live under foreign domination.
- World wars have taken place twice within my life time.
Twice within my life time world wars have taken place.
Twice within my life time have world wars taken place.

V. Order of Adverbs
1. Pattern One: ORDINARY VERB
Sentence Degree Manner Place Frequency Time

- He spoke to us very rudely right here this morning.

- He has been rather hard downstairs all the day.


working

- She looked at me very tenderly in the park last night.

- Beth swims enthusiastically in the pool every evening before dark.

2. Pattern Two: VERBS OF MOVEMENT


Sentence Place Degree Manner Frequency Time

- She went there very quickly at 5 o’clock.

- They drove downtown a little slowly this morning.

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- We rode to school very carefully yesterday.

- He is going to japan by ship twice during dec.

- John went to the library by bicycle every night last week.

- The king left here secretly three times on sunday.

Note: Shorter adverb goes before longer one.

Example: Dad walks impatiently into town every morning before work to get a newspaper.

VI. Use of some confusing adverbs

Adverb Meaning Example

RARELY not often - He rarely comes to see me.


- I scarcely finished my exercises.
SCARCELY not quite

VERY acceptable - He arrived very late. (We waited for him.)


- He arrived too late. (We couldn’t wait.)
TOO not acceptable

HARD attentively - He works very hard.


- It’s too dark here. I can hardly see you.
HARDLY nearly not

CERTAINLY I know for a fact. It is - I’m certainly not going out in this rain.
definite. - You’re surely not going out in this rain.

SURELY I firmly believe/


- I’m certainly going to see it.
I very much hope this to be - It’s worth going to see, surely.
true.

It’s not certain, but I feel

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Adverb Meaning Example

confident it will probably


happen.

FAIRLY to affirm some positive or - Your homework was fairly good this week.
pleasant idea - Your hands look rather dirty.

the idea is negative or


RATHER unpleasant

GRAMMAR EXERCISES

CLASSIFICATION
Exercise 1: Name the adverbs in the following sentences.
1. Put it there.
2. Can you do it now.
3. Do you know the reason why he left her?
4. Don’t work too hard.
5. He drove off angrily.
6. He is constantly in debt.
7. He was too careless in his speech.
8. How long is this desk?
9. I don’t remember him very well.
10. I have never heard this before.
11. I have told you twice about this.
12. I know a shop where you can find sandals.
13. I looked for it everywhere.
14. I’ll never forget the day when I first met you.
15. I’m definitely decided to go to London.
16. Mary sometimes goes to the cinema with Tom.
17. Please wait for me right here.

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18. She angrily tore up the letter.
19. She has never written to me.
20. She is still busy.
21. She smiles friendly.
22. She’s a highly intelligent young woman.
23. Surely you are winners.
24. The buses go every 10 minutes.
25. The children are playing upstairs.

FUNCTIONS

Exercise 2: Write the function of each Adverb in the sentences.


1. She dances beautifully.
2. That is quite complex work.
3. It ran very quickly.
4. I’m almost through my work.
5. His remarks were not quite to the point.
6. I like this house simply because it is near a supermarket.
7. I see a plane flying exactly over my house.
8. Luckily, he passed the exam
9. She is still busy.
10. He is constantly in debt.
11. Mary sometimes goes to the cinema with Tom.
12. The buses go every 10 minutes.
13. I led a very pleasant life there.
14. She acts too badly.
15. He arrived shortly before it happened.
16. Gradually, men began to travel great distances.
17. Often I visit the village where my parents live.
18. I dislike this room simply because it’s too small.
19. Doubtless he is a genius.
20. He speaks English fluently.
21. Why do you speak so indistinctively?

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22. Tom is a rather lazy boy.
23. There came a voice from the backyard.
24. The rain fell exactly when we arrive home.
25. Do it exactly as I tell you.
26. Maybe she will be late again.
27. I like him mostly because he has a pleasing personality.
28. The dog is lying there now.
29. Tom pronounces the difficult words perfectly well.
30. I did it much against my will.

POSITIONS
Exercise 3: Put the Adverb in brackets into the correct place.
Example: He’ll be in Paris until next Friday. (probably)
 He’ll probably be in Paris until the next Friday.
1. They’ve been trying to contact us. (probably)

__________________________________________________________________________

2. She went to the meeting last week. (probably)

__________________________________________________________________________

3. They take their summer holidays in May. (normally)

__________________________________________________________________________

4. Have you lived in a foreign country? (ever)

__________________________________________________________________________

5. I’ve eaten Indian food. (never)

__________________________________________________________________________

6. Do you live in the same flat? (still)

__________________________________________________________________________

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7. He wants to borrow the money. (only)

__________________________________________________________________________

8. I won’t see Martin again until next weekend. (probably)

__________________________________________________________________________

9. We’ve finished painting the outside of the house. (almost)

__________________________________________________________________________

10. I try to go jogging at least three times a week. (always)

__________________________________________________________________________

11. We haven’t got any time to lose. (certainly)

__________________________________________________________________________

12. I can lend you some money until next week. (certainly)

__________________________________________________________________________

13. He’s complaining about something. (always)

__________________________________________________________________________

14. I don’t watch this TV programme. (usually)

__________________________________________________________________________

Still, Yet & Already


Exercise 4: Complete the sentences using still, yet or already.

Example: Is Lynne still here, or has she gone home?

1. When we arrived at the cinema, the film had _______ started.

2. Paul has been looking for a job for ages, but he _______ hasn’t found one _______.

3. Do you _______ drive the same car or have you sold it?

4. Have you had your exam results, or are you _______ waiting for them?

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5. She only started the book yesterday, but she’s finished it _______.

6. ‘They started the job ages ago. Haven’t they finished it _______?’ ‘No, not _______.’

Any more, Any longer & No longer


Exercise 5: Put the correct word in brackets in the correct place in the sentence.

Example: I don’t want to stay here. (any more/no longer)


- I don’t want to stay here any more.

1. Sue works for the same company in London. (any longer/no longer)

__________________________________________________________________________

2. My brother isn’t a young child. (any more/no longer)

__________________________________________________________________________

3. Her father is unemployed. (any longer/no longer)

__________________________________________________________________________

4. There is a large ship-building industry in Britain. (any more/no longer)

__________________________________________________________________________

Positions of Adverbs of Frequency


Exercise 6: Put the adverbs in the correct place in the sentences. Sometimes more than one answer
is possible.

Example: She always tries to visit her parents at the weekends. (always)

1. I’ve seen that programme on TV. (never)


__________________________________________________________________________

2. He’s late for appointments. (hardly ever)


__________________________________________________________________________

3. They go to the cinema nowadays. (rarely)


__________________________________________________________________________

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4. Is he bad-tempered? (often)
__________________________________________________________________________

5. They listen to the radio. (every morning)


__________________________________________________________________________

6. I’m at home before 8 o’clock. (seldom)


__________________________________________________________________________

7. Have you had a really serious illness? (ever)


__________________________________________________________________________

8. I’ll forget our holiday together. (never)


__________________________________________________________________________

9. She’s been interested in music. (always)


__________________________________________________________________________

10. I brush my teeth. (always/three times a day)


__________________________________________________________________________

Adverbs of Probability
Exercise 7: Put the adverbs in the correct place in the sentence.

Example: In the future, machines will probably do many of the jobs that people do today.

1. Simon is at Sarah’s house at the moment. (probably)

__________________________________________________________________________

2. There will be an election early next year. (probably)

__________________________________________________________________________

3. We’ll play tennis later this afternoon. (perhaps)

__________________________________________________________________________

4. They enjoyed the film very much. (obviously)

__________________________________________________________________________

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5. You should go and see the doctor. (definitely)

__________________________________________________________________________

6. I don’t want to be home late tonight. (definitely)

__________________________________________________________________________

7. Computers are becoming more and more important in our lives. (certainly)

__________________________________________________________________________

8. The bridge has been repaired by now. (probably)

__________________________________________________________________________

Adverbs of Degree
Fairly, quite, rather, pretty
Exercise 8: Complete each sentence using the correct word in brackets. Sometimes either word is
possible.

Examples: She’s quite a generous woman. (quite/fairly)


It’s rather/fairly cold in this room. (rather/fairly)

1. I’ve made _________ a stupid mistake. (pretty/rather)


2. She _________ enjoys working at night. (fairly/quite)
3. It was a _________ boring football match. (pretty/rather)
4. I’m _________ looking forward to the party on Saturday. (pretty/quite)
5. The weather was _________ worse than we’d expected. (quite/rather)
6. My grandfather was _________ an amazing man. (quite/fairly)
7. Maria speaks English _________ well, doesn’t she? (quite/pretty)
8. I’m feeling _________ better today. (fairly/rather)

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Too & Enough
Exercise 9: Complete each sentence using too or enough and an adjective or adverb in the box.

warm dark well early quietly loud

Example: Annie can’t go to school today. She has got a temperature and isn’t well enough to get up.

1. We couldn’t see what was in the room because it was _____________.


2. I couldn’t hear everything she said because she spoke ____________.
3. They missed their plane because they didn’t leave home ___________.
4. He told them the music was _____________ so they turned it down.
5. We didn’t go to the beach yesterday because the weather wasn’t _____________.

Exercise 10: Complete the sentences using too much, too many or enough.
1. I’d like to go to the cinema, but I haven’t got _____________ money.
2. I can’t drink this soup. It’s got _____________ salt in it.
3. Doctors say that _____________ sugar is bad for you.
4. We didn’t really enjoy the party; there were far ________ people there.
5. We couldn’t make an omelette because we didn’t have ________ eggs.

So & Such
Exercise 11: Complete the sentences using so or such.

Example: It was such a good film. I really enjoyed it.

1. She’s ______ shy. She always gets very nervous when she meets people.
2. You shouldn’t eat ______ quickly; you’ll give yourself indigestion.
3. It’s _____ an interesting town; there really is ______ much to do there.
4. I was ______ disappointed when I failed my driving test.
5. He felt ______ tired that he decided not to go out.
6. It was ______ a hot day that they had to open all the windows.

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7. I’ve made ______ many mistakes in this letter. I think I’ll type it again.
8. He had ______ a lot of luggage that we couldn’t get it all into the car.

ORDERS OF ADVERBS
Exercise 12: Put the parts in brackets in the correct order.

Example: Annie did ____. (last night/her homework/very quickly)


 Annie did her homework very quickly last night .

1. Sue can play ____ (now/very well/the piano)

__________________________________________________________________________

2. I posted ____ (early this morning/in the town centre/your letters)

__________________________________________________________________________

3. The children have been playing ___ (this afternoon/in the park/football)

__________________________________________________________________________

4. It snowed ____ (yesterday evening/heavily/in the north of Scotland)

__________________________________________________________________________

5. They studied ____ (carefully/later on in the day/the map)

__________________________________________________________________________

6. He walked ____ (out of the room/at the end of the meeting/angrily)

__________________________________________________________________________

7. She played ____ (at the concert/last night/ beautifully/the guitar)

__________________________________________________________________________

8. I have to run ____ (quickly/ after breakfast/ each morning/ down the street / in order to catch my bus

to school)

__________________________________________________________________________

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9. He dances ____ (every night/ in the most extraordinary way)

__________________________________________________________________________

10. I lived ____ (with my parents/ to save money/ at home) while I was working on my doctorate.

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

GRAMMAR IN USE
Exercise 11: Read the letter below and
(5) underline the adverbs;

(6) Find out and correct 10 mistakes on adverbs.

1 Hi Jane,

2 How have you been? Have you enjoyed your English course? I’ve just registered to learn English at the
3 Centre for Foreign Languages at Can Tho University. I’ll brief tell you about my language classes.
4
I attend English classes five time a week. All of my classes are in the evening. Right now, I can speak
5 English a bit because I have rarely a chance to communicate with native speakers of English. However, I
6 can write in English pretty good. I will make greatly efforts in order to use English fluent by the end of
7 this course. I usually listen to English songs or TED talks to improve my listening comprehension.
8 Besides, I often also read shortly stories or magazines in English so that I can learn new vocabulary. I
9 keep always a diary to practise writing in English. I believe that if I use regularly English, I can learn it
10 more fastly.
11
Can you tell me about your English classes?
12
Write to me soon.
13
Best regards,
14
Nam
15

16

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Exercise 12: Let’s talk.
A. Let’s talk about your foreign language learning.
1. What foreign language(s) are you good at?
2. How well can you use the foreign language(s)?
3. Can you speak English fluently?
4. What can you do to improve your English?
5. How often do you practise your English?
B. Let’s talk about your habits.
6. What time do you often get up/ go to bed?
7. How often do you do physical exercises?
8. How often do you cook/ eat out?
9. Do you often go shopping? Why or why not?
10. Do you usually surf the Internet? Why or why not?

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Unit 6: Prepositions

OBJECTIVES: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to


• know the definition and classification of English prepositions; and
• use them in sentences correctly.

GETTING STARTED
Think of the answers to the following questions. You can use any resources (grammar books,
internet, etc.) to help you.
1. What are prepositions?

2. What are some kinds of prepositions in English?

GRAMMAR KNOWLEDGE

I. Definition
A preposition is a word which precedes a noun (or a pronoun) to show the noun's (or the pronoun's)
relationship to another word in the sentence.

II. Classification

A. Prepositions of places
1. Meanings

144
145
(Eastwood, J. (1999). Oxford Practice Grammar, 2 nd and new edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press)

2. Position and Movement


Most of these prepositions can express either position (where something is) or movement (where it is
going).

Under Position : The coin was under the sofa.


Movement : The coin rolled under the sofa.

In/Into Position: The manager was in the office.


Movement: The manager came in/into the office.

On/Onto Position: The papers were on the floor.


Movement: The papers fell on/onto the floor.

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At/To Position: Vicky was at the doctor’s.
Movement: Vicky went to the doctor’s.

Up/Down Movement: She went up the stairs. Then she went down again.

(A)round Position: They were all sitting (a)round the table.


I live just round the corner.
Movement: They are running (a)round the track.

3. Differences of Some Prepositions of Place


Above (prep. & adverb)/Over (prep.): ‘higher than’
Below (prep. & adverb)/Under (prep.): ‘lower than

Over A - A is over B.

Under B - B is under A.

Above A - A is above B.
- We stayed at a hotel above the lake.

Below B - B is below A.
- From the top of the hill we could see a house below us in the
valley.

Over: ‘covering’ - He put his hand over his face.


Under: ‘covered by’ - What are you wearing under your coat?
Underneath What are you wearing underneath your coat?

Beneath can sometimes be used - He would think it beneath him to tell a lie. (unworthy of him)
instead of under, but it is safer to - She married beneath her. (into a lower social class)
keep it for abstract meaning.

Over = Across - We walked over/across the fields to the village.


- The café is just across/over the road.
Over is preferred for movement - A small bridge goes across/over the river.
to the other side of something
- He climbed over the wall. (not: across the wall)
high.

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Beside v.s Besides

Beside: ‘at the side of’ - We camped beside a lake.

Besides (prep.): ‘in addition to/ as - I do all the cooking and besides that I help Tom.
well as - Besides doing the cooking I help Tom.

Besides (adv):

- ‘in addition to that/ as well as - I do the cooking and help Tom besides.
that’
- I can’t afford oysters. Besides, Tom doesn’t like them.
- ‘in any case/any way’

Between v.s Among

Between: normally relates a person/thing to - Luxembourg lies between Belgium, Germany, and
two other people/things, but can be used of France.
more when we have a definite number in
mind.

Among: relates a person/thing to more than - He was happy to be among friends again.
two others; normally we have no definite - It’s a village among the hills.
number in mind

In, On and At (Place)

In the phone box Sit on the floor Sit at my desk

In the kitchen Walk on the pavement Wait at the bus stop

Work in the garden A number on the door At the crossroads

Swim in the pool Egg on your shirt Wait at the traffic lights

In a town/country On a floor (1st, 2nd, ) At a place on a journey


- Kate lives in York. on the first floor - Does this train stop at
- Atlanta is in Georgia. York?

In a street (GB) On a street (US) At a house/an adress


- in Shirley Road - on Fifth Avenue - at Mike’s (house)

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On a road/river - at 65 Shirley Road
- a village on this road
- Paris is on the Seine At an event
- at the party

In prison/hospital On the platform At the station/airport

In the lesson On the farm At home/work/school

In a book/newspaper On the page/map

In the photo/picture On the screen

In the country On the island/beach/coast At the seaside

In the middle Drive on the right/left At the top/bottom of a hill

In the back/ front of a car On the back of an envelope At the end of a corridor

In a queue/line/row

In and At with Buildings

We use In when we mean inside a building. - There are 400 seats in the cinema.
- It was raining, so we waited in the pub.

We normally use At when we are talking - I was at the cinema. (= watching a film)
about what happens there. - We were at the pub. (= having a drink)

B. Prepositions of Time

In + year/month/season On + day/date At + clock time/meal time


in 1988 on Wednesday at three o’clock
in September on 15 April at that time
in winter on that day at the moment
in the 21st century

In + a week or more On + a single day At + two or three days


in the Easter holiday on Easter Monday at Easter/Christmas
in the summer term on Christmas Day
on the weekend (US) at the weekend (GB)

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In + part of day On + day + part of day
in the morning on Friday morning
in the evening on Tuesday evening

I woke up in the night. (in the It happened on Monday night. I can’t sleep at night. (= when it
middle of the night) is night.)

Note:

In/On/At + every, last, next, this, - I go to Greece in every summer.


tomorrow and yesterday. - My brother came home last Christmas.
- I’ll see you on next Friday.
- I leave school in this year.
- The party is tomorrow evening.
- The group set off yesterday morning.
In time or On time

In time: ‘early enough’ - We’ll have to hurry if we want to be in time for the show.
- We got to the airport in time to have a coffee before checking
in.
- I was about to close the door when just in time I remembered
my key. (= at the last moment)

On time: ‘at the right time’, - The plane took off on time.
‘on schedule’ - I hope the meeting starts on time.
- Rachel is never on time. She’s always late.
At the end & In the end

At the end: ‘at the point where - We’re going on holiday at the end of this week.
something stops’ - At the end of the film I felt very sad.

In the end: ‘finally’, - We couldn’t decide what to do yesterday evening. In the end
‘after some time’ we decided to stay at home.
- At first, I didn’t like him, but in the end we became good
friends.

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Other uses of IN

We can use IN for the time it takes to - I did the crossword in five minutes.
complete something. - Could you walk thirty minutes in a day?

We can also use IN for a future time - Your photos will be ready in an hour. (= an hour from
measured from the present. now)
- The building will open in six weeks/ in six week’s
time.

For, Since, Ago & Before

For (prep.) + a period of time - I’ve been waiting for 40 minutes.


- to say s.th continues up to the present - We’ve known about it for 2 days.
- to say s.th continues in the past,
- Melanie has been living here for a year now.
present, or future

- We were in Rome for ten days last August.


- They usually go on holiday for two weeks every
summer.
- I’ll be in Manchester for the next three days.

Since (prep.) + a point of time - I’ve been waiting since ten past six.
- to say when s.th began - We’ve known about it since Monday.
- Melanie has been living here since last year.

Ago (adv): ‘before now’ - It’s 10 o’clock now. Sue left two hours ago. (Sue left
- expression of time + ago at 8 o’clock)
- to talk about a past time measured - Six months ago they moved to Manchester. (=six
from the present months before now)

Before (adv): ‘before a past time’ - I bought a car in August. I’d passed my driving test
- past perfect + before three months before. (in May, 3 months before
August)
- Vicky finally received a reply to the letter she had
written weeks before.
During or In

During = In - We were in Rome during/in the summer.


- to refer to a period of time - It snowed during/in the night.

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During:
- preferred when we say that something
continues all through a period. - We were in Rome during/in the whole of the
summer.
- to refer to an activity (e.g., a visit or
meal) rather than a period of time. - We visited the Colosseum during/in our visit to
Rome.
- During/in lunch I explained my plans.

During or While

During (prep.) + pharse - I often read during a meal.


- It happened during the night.
- You’ll have to be quiet during the performance.

While (conj.) + clause - I often read while I’m eating.


- It happened while they were asleep.
- Were there any phone calls while I was out?

By or Until

Until/Till (prep. & conj.): - -- ‘up to the - I’ll stay until Sunday lunchtime. (up to Sunday
time when’ lunchtime)
- Both + phrase/clause - He’ll be out till 10 o’clock. (up to 10 o’clock)
- Till is more informal.

By (prep.) + Phrase - I’ll have to leave by Sunday lunchtime. (not later


- ‘not later than’ than Sunday lunchtime)

By the time + Clause - He’ll be home by 10 o’clock. (not later than 10)
- There was no food left by the time we arrived.

C. Other Prepositions
But & Except

But/Except + O - Come any day but tomorrow.


bare Inf. - Read the last but one line. (đọc dòng trên dòng cuối.)
clause
- The restaurant is open every day except Monday.
- He did nothing but complain.

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- I could do nothing except agree.
- I don’t deny but that you are telling the truth.
(Tôi không phủ nhận rằng anh đang nói thật.)

- Who knows but that what he says is true? We have


no proof that he is lying. (Đố ai biết được điều nó nói là
không thật? Chúng ta đâu có bằng chứng cho thấy nó nói dối.)

- I understand everything except why she killed him.

But is more usual when Prep.+ O is placed - Nobody but Tom knew the way.
immediately after Nobody, None, Nothing, - Nothing but the best is sold in our shops.
Nowhere.

Except is more usual when the Prep. - Nobody knew the way except Tom.
Phrase
- comes later in the sentence.
- after All, Everybody, Everyone,
Everything, Everywhere, etc.

But is more emphatic after anybody, - You can park anywhere but/except here.
anything, anywhere, etc.

As, Like, As if

As (prep.) + phrase - She works as a fashion model.


- to talk about a job or function (She is a fashion model.)
- As a beginner you simply have to learn the basics.
- I’m using this tin as an astray.

Like (prep.) + phrase - She dresses like a fashion model.


- to talk about things being - Mark is a good golfer, but today he played like a beginner.
similar.
- You look like your brother.
- to give examples
- She enjoys some water sports, like sailing and windsurfing.

As/Like (conj.) + Clause - We drive on the left here, as/like you do in Britain.
- Like is more informal. - Mike and Sarah are going to Paris for the weekend, as/like they
did last year.

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As + Verbs of speaking or knowing - As I said before, I’m sorry.
(I’m sorry, and I said so before.)
- I haven’t much money, as you know.
(I haven’t much money, and you know it.)
- Rachel arrived late, as we expected.
(We expected her to arrived late, and she did.)

As if/As though + Clause - Tom looks really awful. He looks as if/as though he had been
(subjunctive) up all night.
- to say how s.th seems - Nick can be a difficult person. He sometimes behaves as if/as
- Like, in informal style, is though he were the only one with problems.
s.times used instead of As - It looks like it’s going to stop raining.
if/though

Means of Transport

By + means of transportation (car/ bus/ train/ - I always come to school by bus.


plane/ helicopter/ hovercraft/ coach/
Underground = Tube/ boat/ ship/ lorry/
truck/ tram/ etc.)

By + transportation environment - They travelled to Paris .


(land/ air/ sea)
By + surface area (rail/ road/ water)

On foot - Does he usually go to school on foot?

In + my/a/the/… + Car - I usually go to work in my car.


Helicopter
* If you must sit inside a vehicle, you use
‘in’. taxi

On + my + bicycle - They went for a ride on a motorbike.


a motorbike - Did you go to London on the train?

the Public transport


* I you can stand or walk on a vehicle, or if
(bus/train/etc.)
… stand on the top of the vehicle, you
you sit or
use ‘on’.

154
On the way: ‘during the journey’ - I’m driving into town. I’ll get some petrol on the
way.

In the way: ‘blocking the way’ - We couldn’t get past because there was a parked
car in the way.

III. Positions of Prepositions

A. Preposition + Noun
Some useful phrases

On holiday - I’m travelling on business.


- We’re on a coach tour of Europe.
On business

On a journey/a trip/a tour

In cash - It’s cheaper if you pay in cash.

By cheque/credit card - Can I pay by credit card?

In writing - Could you confirm that in writing?


- I’ll write the names in pencil.
In pen/biro/felt-tip/ink/ pencil

On television - I saw the programme on TV.


- Mark is on the phone at the moment.
On the radio/the phone/ the Internet

For sale - The house next door is for sale.


- It’s the best hi-fi on the market.
On the market

On the whole - On the whole it’s a good idea, but there are one or
two problems.

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In general
- People in general aren’t very interested in politics.

In advance - The company wants us to pay for the goods in


advance.
Up to date
- Oh no! My passport is out of date.
Out of date - These latest figures are up to date.

In my opinion - All sport is silly in my opinion.


- Matthew never sees things from Emma’s point of
From my point of view
view.

On purpose - I didn’t spill my drink on purpose.


- I pressed the wrong button by mistake.
By mistake/chance/ accident
- We didn’t arrange to meet. We met by chance in
the street.

B. Noun + Preposition
Some useful phrases

Difference between - There are a lot of differences between living in the


country and living in a city.
Contrast between

Reason/ Demand/ Need/ appetite/ - What was the reason for the accident?
application/ desire/ order/ preference/ - There is a need for more houses in this area.
request/ taste/ wish for

Respect for - Respect for the environment

Increase/ Rise/ Decrease/ Reduction/ Fall - There has been an increase in the price of petrol.
in sth - There has been a reduction in the number of
unemployed.

Increase/ Rise/ Decrease/ Reduction/ Fall - An increase of $10


of + an amount - A reduction of 3%

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Difficulty in doing s.th - Does he have much difficulty in doing his school
work?
Difficulty with s.th
- Does he have much difficulty with his school
Matter with work?
- Something the matter with you
Trouble with
- Having trouble with my teeth

Example of - This building is an example of good modern


architecture.

Cause of - What was the cause of the accident?

Picture/photograph of - Have you got a photograph of your family?

Cost of - The cost of living

Hope of - No hope of winning

Lack of - A lack of money

Price of - The price of food

Student of - A student of chemistry

Answer/ solution/ reply/ invitation/ - Have you had an answer to your letter?
reaction to - I got an invitation to dinner yesterday.

Damage to - Some damage to the car

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C. Adjective + Preposition
1. Feelings

excited about - I’m excited about having my birthday party tomorrow.

Sorry about s.th - I’m sorry about the mistake.


- I feel sorry for poor Melanie.
Sorry for s.o

Anxious about so/s.th - Vicky is anxious about her exams.


feeling worried or nervous
- People are anxious for news.
Anxious for s.th
wanting s.th very much

Angry AT/ABOUT sth - We were angry at/about the delay.


- Sarah was angry with Henry.
Angry WITH s.o

Annoyed AT/ABOUT sth - We were annoyed at/about the delay.


- Emma was annoyed with Mathew.
Annoyed WITH s.o

Pleased ABOUT s.th - I was pleased about winning.


- The winner was pleased with himself.
Pleased WITH s.o

Happy ABOUT/WITH - Happy about the arrangements

Disappointed WITH/ABOUT - Disappointed with the poor figures

Nervous OF/ABOUT - Nervous of flying

Surprised/ shocked/ - We were surprised at/by the size of the house.


astonished/ amazed
AT/BY

Afraid/ Ashamed/ - Are you afraid of spider?


Fridghtened/ scared/ - I’m ashamed of myself

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Fond/ Proud/ full/ short/
- He is fond of my sister
Aware/ conscious/
jealous/ envious/ - We are very proud of you.
suspicious/ capable/ tired - Are you jealous of his success?
OF - We are a bit short of milk. Can you buy some more?

Keen on - She’s not very keen on tennis.

Interested in - I’m quite interested in photography.

2. Good/Bad

Good/Clever/ brilliant/ bad/ To talk about a person’s ability. - Good at tennis


hopeless AT - Bad at games

Good/bad FOR To talk about whether sth - Oranges are good for you.
makes you healthy or ill - Smoking is bad for you.

Good/ kind/ nice/ polite/ rude For behaviour towards another - My friends have been good to
TO person me.
- You were very rude to the
waitress.

Good/ kind/ nice/ polite/ To talk about a person’s - It was very nice of Simon to
friendly/ rude/ stupid OF behaviour lend you the money.

3. Others

Different from/to - He’s very different from/to his sister.

Famous for - He became internationally famous for his novels.

Fit for - He is not fit for the job.

Full of - The bottle is full of water.

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Guilty of - The jury found the defendant not guilty of the offence.

Involved in - We need to examine all the costs involved in the project first.

Prepared/ Ready/ Responsible - I was not prepared for all the problems it caused.
FOR - I'm just getting the kids ready for school.
- Mike is responsible for designing the entire project.
- Who's responsible for this mess?
Safe from - He was safe from attack.

Same … as - Our children go to the same school as theirs.

Similar to - Their ideas are similar to mine.

Typical of - This meal is typical of local cookery.

Used to - I am used to driving on the left in England.

D. Verb + Preposition
Some common prepositional verbs

Agree with - Yes, I agree with you.

Appologize for - Tom’s neighbors apologized for the noise.

Approve of - I approve of the new scheme. I think it’s a good idea.

Apply for - Have you applied for the job?

Ask for - The patient asked for a glass of water.

Believe in - Do you believe in God?

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Care about - I’m sorry, but I don’t care about your problems.

Care for (= like) - I didn’t care for the film.

Concentrate on - Please concentrate on your work.

Consist of - The US consists of fifty states.

Deal with - I can deal with any enquiries.

Decide on - Claire finally decided on a holiday in Turkey.

Depend on - Whether we go out will depend on the weather.

Feel like - I feel like a drink. (= want)

Laugh at/ smile at - Everyone laughed at the joke.

Listen to - I was listening to the radio.

Look at - Look at this photograph.

Pay for - Did you pay for the coffee?

Rely on - You can’t rely on the weather forecast.

See to - I’ll see to the matter at once.

Suffer from - Vicky suffers from headaches.

Ask/ complain/ dream/ enquire/ - Did you hear about the accident?

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hear/ know/ learn/ protest/ speak/
- Mark was talking about golf.
talk/ think/ wonder ABOUT

But: Discuss about We discussed about the problem.

Dream/ hear/ think OF - I’d never tell you a lie. I wouldn’t dream of it.
- Who’s Ron Mason? – I don’t know. I’ve never heard of him.
- Did you like the play? What did you think of it?

Apologize / complain/ talk/ write - I’m writing to my sister.


TO - We talked to Natasha about classical music.
But: phone to - I’m phoning to the office.

E. Verb + Object + Preposition


Some common prepositional verbs

Accuse sb of sth: say that sb has done sth wrong - Tom accused Nick of cheating at cards.
or is guilty of sth

Add … to: put sth together with sth else to - Can I add something to your list?
increase the size, number, amount,..

Aim/Point … at: direct a weapon, … toward - You should never aim/point a gun at someone.
sth/sb

Ask … for: request that sb gives sth or does th - Let’s ask someone for directions.
- Did I tell you about my operation?
Ask sb about sth: request information by means
of a question - Ask your travel agent about cheap flights.
- You should inform everyone about/of the
Inform sb about/of: give sb fact or /information decision.
about sth, to tell sb

Blame sb/sth for sth/ - The passengers blamed/criticized the airline for
Blame sth on sb/sth: think or say that sb/sth the delay.

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is responsible for sth bad

Borrow sth from sb/sth: take and use sth that - I’ll have to borrow the money from my
belong to s.o else, and return it to them at a parents.
later time

criticize sb/sth for sth: say what you do not like - The government has been criticized for not
or think is wrong about sb/sth taking the problem seriously.

Compare A with/to B = Compare A and B: - If you compare these figures with/to last year,
examine people or things to see how they are you can see the improvement.
similar and how they are different

Congratulate sb on sth: tell sb that you are - I congratulated Andrew on his excellent exam
pleased about their success or acchievement results.

Cut/Divide/Split sth into sth: divide sth into two - Melanie cut/divided/split the pudding into four
or more pieces with a knife portions.
- He cut four thick slices from the loaf.
Cut sth from sth: remove sth or part of sth,
using a knife

Discourage/prevent sb from doing sth: stop sb - The cameras discourage/prevent motorists


from doing sth from speeding.

Insure sth/oneself against sth/ - Luckily, he had insured himself against long-
Insure sth/oneself for sth: buy insurance so term illness.
that you will receive money if your property, - The painting is insured for $1 million.
car, etc. get damaged or stolen, or if you get
sick or die

Invite sb to sth: ask sb to come to a social event - Harriet has invited us to a party.

Prefer sb/sth to sb/sth: like one thing/person - I prefer hot weather to cold. I hate the cold.
better than another

Provide/Supply sb with sth: give sth to sb, or - The hotel provided/supplied us with a packed

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make it available for them to use lunch.

Regard sb/sth as sth: think about sb/sth in a - Most people regard Picasso as a great artist.
particular way

Rob sb/sth of sth: steal money or property from - The two men robbed the woman of her
a person or place savings.
- The tomb had been robbed of its treasures.

Steal sth (from sb/sth): take sth from a - They stole £20,000 from her.
person/place without permission, and without
indending to return it or to pay for it

Share sth with sb: use sth at the same time as sb - The restaurant was full. We shared a table with
else; give some of what you have to sb else a young Swedish couple.
- Eli shared his chocolate with the other kids.

Spend sth on sth/on doing sth: use - Mike doesn’t spend much money on clothes.
money/time/effort for goods/services/a - How long did you spend on your homework?
particular purpose/

Suspect sb/sth of sth: have an idea that sb is - Zedco suspected one of their managers of
guilty of sth, without having definite proof selling commercial secrets.

Tell th to sb/ Tell sb sth/ Tell sb about sth: to - He told the news to everyone he saw.
make sth known in spoken or written words - Did she tell you her name?
- Why wasn’t I told about the accident?

Thank sb for sth: tell sb that you are grateful for - Don’t forget to thank Tom for his help.
sth

Translate sth into sth: express the meaning of - Victor translated the letter into English.
speech or writing in a different language

Warn (sb) of sth: tell sb about sth, esp. sth - The police are warning (teamsters) of possible
dangerous or unpleasant that is likely to traffic jams.
happen, so that they can avoid it - She has been warned of the danger of driving
in weather like this

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Warn (sb) about/against sth: strongly advise sb
- He warned us against pilferers.
to do or not to do sth in order to avoid
danger or punishment - The police have warned shopkeepers about
shoplifters.
- The doctor warned us against waking her too
soon.

Remind sb (about sth): help sb remember sth, - Emma reminded me about my appointment.
esp. sth important that they must do (Emma told me not to forget.)
- Emma reminds me of my sister.
Remind sb of sb/sth: make sb remember or think (Emma is like my sister.)
about the other person,place, thing,

Write/Describe/Explain … to s.o - I’ve written several letters to the company.


- The woman described her attacker to the
police.
- It was difficult to explain the problem to
beginners.
- The government now has to explain its
decision to the public.

GRAMMAR EXERCISES

PREPOSITIONS OF PLACES
Exercise 1: Put in the prepositions. Sometimes more than one answer is correct.

Example: Sarah is getting out of 1. David is going ________ the 2. The furniture is ________ the
the taxi. ladder. van.

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3. My friend live in a flat 4. The boss is coming 5. There’s a garage _________
________ a shop. _________ the corridor. the house.

6. We walked _________ the 7. There’s a statue ________ 8. Tom and Nick are walking
lake. the museum. ________ the stadium.

Exercise 2: Complete the conversations. Choose the correct preposition.

1. Vicky: I felt really afraid when I was walking home from/off the club. All the time I could hear
someone behind/in front of me, but I didn’t dare turn round.
Rachel: I expect you were imagining it.
Vicky: No, I wasn’t. I saw him after I’d come in across/through the gate. He was wearing a long
black coat that came down well below/under his knees.

2. Daniel: You know Adam, don’t you? He’s very strange. He walked right along/past me yesterday as
I was coming among/down the stairs, but he didn’t say hello.
Mathew: The other day he was sitting beside/opposite me at lunch, so I couldn’t help looking at
him. I said hello, but he didn’t speak.

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Exercise 3: Look at the plan and explain where things are. Use Between, Next to or Opposite.

Example: The bank is next to the gift shop.


1. The sports shop is _____________ the bank.

2. The travel agency is _____________ the sports shop and the art gallery.

3. The restaurant is _____________ the art gallery.

4. The gift shop is _____________ the bank and the restaurant.

5. The art gallery is _____________ the travel agency.

Exercise 4: Put in the correct preposition.


Example: Rachel was lying on on the grass reading a book.
1. It’s my holiday next week. I’m going ___________ Spain.
2. There was a big crowd ___________ the shop waiting for it to open.
3. That man is an idiot. He pushed me ___________ the swimming pool.
4. I went ___________ the chemist’s just now, but I didn’t notice if it was open.
5. David hurt himself. He fell ___________ his bike.
6. There’s a café ___________ top of the mountain. You can have a coffee there before you go down.
7. The sheep got out ___________ a hole in the fence.
8. Pompeii is quite ___________ Sorrento. It’s on a short train ride.
9. There’s such a crowd. You won’t find your friend ___________ all these people.
10. She is waiting ___________ the entrance.

Exercise 5: Put in the preposition in, on, or at.

Example: We spent the whole holiday on the beach.


1. I read about the pop festival __________ a magazine.
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2. My parents’ flat is __________ the twenty-first floor.

3. Melanie was holding a small bird __________ her hands.

4. I’ll meet you __________ the airport.

5. Natasha now lives __________ 32 The Avenue.

6. I was standing __________ the counter in the baker’s shop, waiting to be served.

7. London is __________ the Thames.

8. There weren’t many books __________ the shelves.

9. The passengers had to stand __________ a queue.

10. The woman sitting next to me left the train __________ Chesterfield.

Exercise 6: Complete the sentences. Use in or at and these words: the petrol station, the restaurant,
the stadium, the station, the theatre, the zoo.
Example: There’s a huge crowd in the station waiting for the Games to start.
1. Sarah’s just rung. She’s ____________________ getting some petrol.

2. The children like the wild animals. They’d love to spend an afternoon ____________________.

3. It was so hot ____________________ that I didn’t really enjoy the play.

4. We’re quite a large group. Ther may not be enough room ____________________ for all of us to sit
together.

5. I saw Daniel while I was ____________________ waiting for a train.

PREPOSITIONS OF TIME
Exercise 7: Mark is arranging a business meeting. Decide if you need in, on or at. If you do not need a
preposition, put a cross (X).

Mark: I’m sorry I was out when you called X yesterday afternoon, Alice. Look, I’m free on the
fifteenth of March. Can we meet then?

Alice: I’m pretty busy (1)_________ next week, I’m afraid. I can’t see you (2) _________ Friday.

Mark: I’d like to have a meeting (3) _________ this month if possible. I’ll be very busy (4)
_________ April.

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Alice: I’m going away (5) _________ Easter, so how about the week after? Shall we meet (6)
_________ the twenty-seventh? That’s a Wednesday.

Mark: I’ve got an appointment (7) _________ the morning but nothing (8) _________ the afternoon.
Let’s meet (9) _________ Wednesday afternoon (10) _________ half past two.

Exercise 8: Add at, on or in where necessary.

Example: Can you meet me at 2 o’clock X next Saturday afternoon?


1. Kate doesn’t normally work _____ weekends, but she had to work _____ last Saturday.

2. We’re leaving _____ tomorrow morning, but we’ll be back _____ three weeks’ time.

3. Did she send you a card _____ your birthday?

4. _____ what time does the meeting start _____ Monday?

5. I can normally get home from work _____ about half an hour _____ Friday evenings.

6. They went on holiday to Spain _____ Easter and then again _____ the summer.

7. The bridge was built _____ the 16th century.

8. Do you enjoy driving _____ night?

9. I’m taking my driving test _____ 4.30 _____ July 3rd.

10. He was born _____ 1900 and died _____ 1972.

11. I’m going to a conference in Egypt _____ a week.

Exercise 9: Complete the sentences using in time or on time.

Example: I didn’t arrive in time to see her before she left.


1. The bus service is terrible; the buses are never __________ .

2. I hope my car will be repaired __________ for the weekend.

3. She’s very punctual. She always arrives __________ .

4. She didn’t arrive __________ to say goodbye to him.

5. I don’t think I’ll be home ___________ to see the film this evening.

6. If the plane is late, we won’t get to Paris ___________ for our connecting flight.

7. We were up very early, __________ to see the sun rise.

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8. How can the buses possibly run __________ with all these traffic jams?

9. The post goes a five. I’m hoping to get this letter written __________ .

10. The coach will be here at 12.30 if it’s __________ .

Exercise 10: Complete the sentences using at the end or in the end.

Example: We were going to walk home, but in the end we decided to take a taxi.
1. I hated school at first, but ___________ I quite enjoyed it.

2. They’re going to Italy ___________ of next week.

3. At first, he didn’t want to come with us on holiday, but ___________ he changed his mind.

4. I looked everywhere for my wallet and ___________ I found it in my jacket.

5. She’s starting work ___________ of May.

6. We were all exhausted ___________ of the journey.

Exercise 11: Put in for or since.

Daniel: How long have you been learning English?

Ilona: Well, I studied it for five years at school, and I’ve been having evening classes
(1)__________ last summer. That’s when I left school.

Daniel: And you’re staying here (2)__________ three months?

Ilona: That’s right. I’ve been here (3)__________ the end of April. I’m going to London
(4)__________ a week before I go home.

Exercise 12: Put in a phrase with for, since or ago.

Example: I got here an hour ago. – What! You mean you’ve been waiting for an hour?
1. The phone last rang at four o’clock.
– So you’ve had no calls _______________________________________________________ ?

2. I haven’t been to the dentist for ten years.


– You last went to the dentist ___________________________________________________ ?

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3. I last saw Rachel on Monday.
– Haven’t you seen her ________________________________________________________ ?

4. We’ve had six weeks without rain.


- Yes, it hasn’t rained _________________________________________________________ .

5. It’s three years since Laura got married.


- Really? Has she been married _________________________________________________ ?

Exercise 13: Put in ago or before.

Example: This film looks familiar. Didn’t we see it at the cinema about two years ago?
1. The road was wet when the accident happened. It had stopped raining only half an hour _________.

2. My telephone is working now. They repaired it a week _________.

3. A young man threw himself off this bridge last year. His girlfriend had left him two days _________.

4. It was two years _________ that I first met Alice.

5. I think I have seen him _________.

Exercise 14: Complete the sentences using for, since, ago or before.

Example: Tina moved away from Newcastle five years ago and she hasn’t been back there since then.
1. My grandparents visited Edinburg ________ two weeks in 1980. They had been there five years
________, so it wasn’t completely new to them.

2. My brother has been interested in music ________ quite a long time. He was given his first guitar 20
years ________.

3. John worked in a travel agency ________ six months in 1985. He already had some experience of the
tourist industry because he had worked in a Tourist Information office in London two years
________.

4. Patricia started working as a journalist with a newspaper in Madrid ten years ________. She’s been
working for the same newspaper even ________ then.

5. I have lived here ________ my childhood. We have lived here ________ twelve years.

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Exercise 15: Put in during or while.

Example: Did you take notes during the lecture?


1. Shall we have a coffee _________ we’re waiting?

2. Try not to make any noise _________ the baby is asleep.

3. The fire alarm rang _________ yesterday’s meeting.

4. Trevor tried to fix the shelves _________ Laura was out shopping.

5. I fell asleep _________ the film because it was so boring.

Exercise 16: Rachel is talking to her teacher. Put in by or until.

Mrs Lewis: You’ll need to hand your project in by the end of the week. I’d like to have it (1)
________ Friday, ideally.

Rachel: Well, I’m going on a three-day study trip tomorrow. I’ll be away (2) ________ Thursday.
The project will probably take me (3) ________ the middle of next week. I can’t finish it
(4) ________ the end of this week.

Mrs Lewis: Well, let me have it (5) ______ Wednesday of next week, please.

Exercise 17: Put in as or like.

Example: Sarah works in here. She uses this room as her study.
1. Mathew worked ______ a waiter last summer.

2. The way your sister plays the violin sounds ______ two cats fighting.

3. Do you mind using this saucer ______ a plate?

4. The body sank ______ a stone to the bottom of the river.

5. Nobody sings _____ she does.

Exercise 18: Put in as or as if.

Example: That poor dog looks as if it never get fed.


1. Rachel failed her driving test, ______ she expected.

2. Daniel spends money ______ it grows on trees.

3. We shall deliver the goods on the twenty-seventh, ______ we promised.

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4. From what Emma said, it sounds ______ she and Matthew are going to get married.

5. He is acting ______ the manager while the real manager is on holidays.

POSITIONS OF PREPOSITIONS

Preposition + Noun
Exercise 19: Put in by, from, in or on.

Example: There is something I want to listen to on the radio.


1. They’ve promised me more money, but I haven’t got it _______ writing.

2. Why can’t you look at the problem _______ my point of view?

3. Would you mind moving? You’re rather _______ the way here.

4. I rang the wrong number _______ mistake.

5. I booked our seats more than a month _______ advance.

6. Sarah’s mobile phone was stolen while she was away _______ a business trip.

7. Could you be quiet for a minute, please? I’m _______ the phone.

8. We’ve had a few nice days, but _______ general it’s been a poor summer.

9. I was lucky. I found the solution _______ accident.

10. It’s a long journey. Let’s stop somewhere _______ the way and have a meal.

11. I spent ages looking for a phone box. _______ the end I found one.

12. Are you here _______ holiday or _______ business?

Exercise 20: Complete the conversation. Put in by, in or on.

Sarah: It’s a long way to Glassgow. Why don’t you go on the train?
Mark: I don’t know. I think I’d rather go (1) _____ car.
Sarah: How far is your hotel from the station?
Mark: Oh, it’s only five minutes (2) _____ foot, but with all my luggage, I’ll probably go (3) _____ a
taxi.
Sarah: Well, why not? It’s less tiring going (4) _____ train, isn’t it?
Mark: I could go (5) _____ air. That would be quickest.

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Noun + Preposition
Exercise 21: Complete the conversation. Put in at, in or of.

Daniel: What’s the job you’ve applied for?

Vicky: It’s with a travel company. But the advert says that you need some experience of work in
tourism. I haven’t got that. And I don’t think my knowledge (1) _____ foreign languages will
be good enough. I’m having no success at all (2) _____ my attempts to get a job.

Daniel: What about your interest (3) _____ computers? And your skill (4) _____ typing? That’s the sort
of thing employers are looking for.

Exercise 22: Complete the advertisement for a supermarket. Put in between, for, in, of or with.

Why not shop at Greenway Supermarket? You’ll find the cost of your weekly shopping is muc lower.
There’s quite a contrast (1)______ other stores. Here’s one example (2)________ this: from today many
of our products have a price reduction (3)______ five percent! But this is not the only reason (4)
________ Greenway’s success. We’re proud of our good relationship (5) ________ our customers. We
believe there is simply no substitute (6) ________ quality. And there is no lack (7) ________ choice at
Greenway. That’s the difference 8) ________ Greenway and ordinary stores.

Exercise 23: What are they saying? Read about each situation and complete the sentence.

Example: A motorist has rung the garage and requested a breakdown truck.
Mechanic: I’ve just had a request for a breakdown truck.
1. Claude can answer all the quiz questions.
Claude: I can tell you the ______________________________________________________

2. Mathew doesn’t know any French.


Mathew: Unfortunately I have no ________________________________________________

3. The Prime Minister greatly desires progress.


Prime Minister: I have a great ___________________________________________________

4. Vicky thinks the two colours are the same.


Vicky: I can’t see any _________________________________________________________

5. Most people say they prefer Zedco products.


Zedco: Most people express a ___________________________________________________

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Adjective + Preposition
Exercise 24: Say what these people’s feelings are. Use the adjectives in brackets and a preposition.

Example: The children are leaving on a trip to the zoo. (excited)


 They’re excited about the trip to the zoo.
1. Vicky doesn’t like the dark. (afraid)
She _______________________________________________________________________

2. Nick was watching a video, but he’s going to switch it off. (bored)
He’s _______________________________________________________________________

3. Emma is reading about computers. (interested)


She’s ______________________________________________________________________

4. Mark has just heard some news that he didn’t expect. (surprised)
He’s _______________________________________________________________________

5. United have won a victory. (proud)


They’re ____________________________________________________________________

6. Olivia’s children are being very silly. (annoyed)


She’s ______________________________________________________________________

7. The Zedco staff don’t think their pay increase is big enough. (not satisfied)
___________________________________________________________________________

Exercise 25: Complete the conversation. Put in at, for or to.

Sarah: You were very rude to Henry when you said he needs to lose weight.

Claire: Well, it’s true. Exercise would be good (1) ____ him. He started jogging and then gave it up.

Sarah: Yes, but we can’t all be good (2) ____ taking physical exercise.

Claire: Anyone can do a bit of jogging. You don’t have to be brilliant (3) ____ it. And eating so much
must be bad (4) ____ you.

Sarah: Well, you could have been more polite.

Claire: Sorry. I’m not very good (5) ____ saying the right thing. I’ll try to be nice (6) ____ him next
time I see him.

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Exercise 26: Complete these paragraphs from a letter Emma has received from her brother. Use
these adjectives and put a preposition after each one: aware, different, famous, full,
interested, late, ready, responsible, similar, used.

Everything was strange here at first because this new job is different from any I’ve had before. But I’ve
got used to it now, and I’m really enjoying it. I’m mainly (1) _______________ controlling the costs of
the project. The work is quite hard, and I must say I feel (2) _______________ a holiday. The company
expect people to do overtime. I wasn’t (3) _______________ that before I arrived because they hadn’t
told me at the interview, but I don’t mind.

I’ve got a nice flat, which is very (4) _______________ the one I had in London. The only difference is
that my flat here is (5) _______________ horrible old furniture. I keep falling over it! I live right by the
harbour. It’s a pity I’ve never been (6) _______________ boats, because this is a good place for sailing.
The noise of the motor boats wakes me up every morning, so I’m never (7) _______________ work. The
area is (8) _______________ its seafood, which is great, because I love eating fish, as you know.

Verb + Preposition
Exercise 27: Complete the conversation between Laura and her friend Olivia. Put in after, at, for
and into.

Laura: Did you say you were looking for an au pair?


Olivia: Yes, I was just looking (1) _______ this advertisement. We need someone to look (2) _______
our children.
Laura: Do you have to pay an au pair?
Olivia: I’m not sure. I’ll have to look (3) _______ how it all works.

Exercise 28: Put in verbs and add a preposition if necessary.

Mark and Sarah had accepted an invitation to Mike and Harriet’s party. Sarah had to stay late at work to
see to one or two things. Her boss really (1) _____________ (relies) her.

It’s usually Sarah who (2) _____________ (deals) all the little problems.

Sarah didn’t really (3) _____________ (feel) going to a party but thought she ought to keep Mark
company. She decided to go straight to the party instead of going home first.

She (4) _____________ (reached) the house just after nine. Mark was sitting in his car outside waiting for
her. He was (5) _____________ (listening) the radio. Sarah (6) _____________ (apologized) being late.
At the party mark talked to a strange woman who (7) _____________ (believed) ghosts. Sarah met a man

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who kept (8) _____________ (laughing) his own jokes. She managed to get away from him but couldn’t
avoid a woman who wanted to (9) _____________ (discuss) house prices. Mark and Sarah (10)
_____________(left) the party early and drove home feeling exhausted.

Exercise 29: Complete the conversation. Put in about, of or to.

David: Did you hear about my experience at the Quick Burger café?

Harriet: No. And I’ve never heard of the Quick Burger café.

David: Oh, it’s near the station. I was just talking (1) _______ Melanie about it. They took at least
twenty minutes to bring me a burger. I don’t call that quick. I complained (2) _______ the
waitress, and she poured a can of cola over me.

Harriet: Really? She must have had a bad day.

David: The manager wasn’t there, so I’ve written (3) _______ him to complain (4) _______ the
service. It was terrible. I wouldn’t go there if I were you.

Harriet: I wouldn’t dream (5) _______ going there. I hate those burger places.

Exercise 30: Put in about, of or to.

Example: The interviewer asked Mrs Miles about her parachute jump.
1. I’ve told the police _______ people throwing stones at our windows.

2. That man over there reminds me _______ someone I know.

3. The man explained _______ the court that he had some personal problems.

4. Vicky is writing a letter _______ her friends in Toronto.

5. There was a poster warning young people _______ the dangers of drugs.

6. Melanie had to remind Nick _______ the money he owed her.

7. We would like to inform our customers _______ a number of improvements in the service we offer.

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GRAMMAR IN USE

Exercise 31: Read the letter below and


(7) underline the prepositions;

(8) find out and correct 10 mistakes on prepositions.

1 Hi Jane,

2 On yesterday my teacher gave me a topic: choose your favourite means of transport to get around the big
3 city every day among the three choices like a motorbike, a bus or a car.
4
I think that going motorbike is the best choice for me because the following reasons. First of all,
5 going by motorbike is more convenient the others. I may not get traffic jam while rush hours. It helps me
6 save time, so I am not late for school. In contrast, going by bus, I must wait in a long time because it
7 always runs following a timetable. Sometimes, it is late. In addition, if I go by car, I must look for
8 a parking place which is not easy to find at the big city.
9
Addition, a motorbike usually uses less fuel than a car. I do not need to spend a lot of money on repairs.
10
Besides, motorbikes are easier to park than cars. People who take half an hour to get to work may take
11 just as long to find a parking place.
12
Can you tell me your choice?
13
I am waiting your reply.
14
Lots love,
15
Nam
16

17

Exercise 32: Let’s talk.


A. Let’s talk about transport.
1. How do you go to school?
2. Is public transport popular in Can Tho city?
3. What are some popular private means of transport in Viet Nam?
4. What are some problems of using private transport?
5. Do you prefer to own a motorcycle or a car?

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B. Let’s talk about holidays.
6. What are some popular holidays in the Mekong Delta?
7. What do you often do on these holidays?
8. What do people in your hometown often do then?
9. What is your favourite holiday?
10. How do you feel on your days off?

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