Basic English Grammar

PARTS OF SPEECH for VERBAL ABILITY TEST

PARTS of DEFINITION EXAMPLE

SPEECH
The sun is shining. (specific sun)
An article is a word used before a noun to I saw a cat. (any cat)
ARTICLE specify it as definite (the) or indefinite (a, an). She ate an apple. (any apple,
starting with a vowel sound)

NOUN Noun are ‘Naming Words’. Jim lives in London.

A noun names a person, place, thing or idea.

PRONOUN Pronouns are used instead of Nouns. Jim lives in London. He loves
To avoid repetition of names, we use swimming with his friends.
pronouns. Pronouns replace the name of a They have a goodtime every
person, place , thing or idea in a sentence. weekend.

VERB The verbs are doing words or a being Play, sit, stand, like, feel,
words. see, taste, look, etc.
It can be a word or a group of words that
describes an action or experience.

ADVERB The adverb describes or modifies verbs. It Slowly, always, sometimes,

also describes an adjective or another quickly, soon, late, very, etc.
adverb.

ADJECTIVE An adjective is a describing word. It Fat, thin, tall, short, first,

describes a noun or a pronoun. last, etc

PREPOSITION A preposition shows the position of the At, in, on, about, to, for,
Noun. from, along, over, across,etc.
A preposition is used before a noun or a
pronoun to show place, time, direction in
a sentence.

CONJUCTION Conjunctions are joining words and are And, but, so, therefore,etc.
used to join words or sentences.

INTERJUNCTION Interjections express strong emotion and Hurray! How sad!

are often followed by an exclamatory Surprise!
mark.
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ARTICLES

The words a or an and the are called Articles. They come before the nouns. There are two articles; definite
article -the or indefinite article- a/an.

Definite Article: "The" is used to refer to a specific person, place, or thing known to both the speaker and
listener.

Indefinite Articles: "A" and "An" are used to refer to a non-specific or general person, place, or thing. "A" is
used before consonant sounds, and "An" is used before vowel sounds.

A and An:

The choice between a and an is determined by sound. Before a word beginning with a vowel sound an is used
as: an ass, an enemy, an ink-pad, an orange, an umbrella, an hour, an honest man, an heir. Note that the
words hour, honest, heir begin with a vowel sound, as the initial consonant h is not pronounced.

Before a word beginning with a consonant sound a is used as: a boy, a reindeer, a woman, a yard, a horse, also
a university, a union, a European, a unicorn, a useful article; because these words (university, union, etc) begin
with a consonant sounds, that of yu. Similarly, we say, a one rupee note, such as a one-eyed man.

Use of Indefinite Article

The indefinite article "A" or "An" is used before a singular noun to refer to any member of a group or to
introduce something for the first time. Here are some common situations where the indefinite articles are
used:

1. When Introducing Something for The First Time

Example: She bought a new laptop. (referring to any new laptop; not a specific one)

2. With Professions and Nationalities: Example:-

a. He’s an Engineer. . (reffering to any engineer)
b. She’s a Canadian. (reffering to any Candanian)

3. With Non-specific Quantities or Amounts:

Example: He had a piece of cake.(referring to any piece of cake)

4. With General Statements or Categories:

Example: She’s a student. (reffering to any student)

5. Before Words Starting With A Vowel Sound, Use ‘an’.

Example: He found an interesting book. (referring to any interesting book)

6. Before Words Starting with a Consonant Sound.

Example: She adopted a cat. (referring to any cat)
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7. To Express Membership in a Group:

Example: She’s a member of a club. (referring to any club)

8. To Express Possession or Ownership:

Example: He has a car. (referring to any car he owns)

Use of Definite Article

The definite article ‘the’ is used to specify a particular noun that is known or can be identified based on the
context. Here are some common situations where the definite article is used:

1. When Referring to a Specific Noun:

Example: He gave me the book. (Referring to a specific book that is known or has been mentioned
before.)

2. Before Superalitive Adjectives:

Example: She is the tallest girl in the class. (Referring to the tallest girl among a specific group)

3. Before unique or singular nouns

Example: He visited the Taj Mahal. (Referring to the specific monument in India)

4. Before Ordinal numbers

Example: I will see you on the fifth floor. (Referring to a specific floor in the building)

5. Before Specific Geographical Features

Example: They climbed the Rocky Mountains. (Referring to the specific mountain range)

6. Before Names of Oceans. Seas, and Rivers

Example: They sailed across the Pacific Ocean. (Referring to specific ocean)

7. Before Unique Descriptions

Example: She’s the girl who won the contest. (Referring to a specific girl who won a contest.)

8. Before Musical Instruments

Example: He plays the piano. (Referring to a specific musical instrument.)

9. Before Ships and Aircraft

Example: I saw the Titanic exhibit. (Referring to the specific ship)

10. Before Historical and Well-Known Events

Example: They studied the French Revolution. (Referring to specific historical event)

11. Before Specific Objects in Context.

Example: She reached for the keys on the table. (Referring to the specific keys in the context)

12. Before names of newspapers.

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Example: She writes for the New York Times. (Referring to the specific newspaper)

No Articles Used
The definite and indefinite articles “The,’"A" and "An" are not used in certain situations. Here are some
common cases where articles are omitted:

1. With Plural Nouns

Example: Dogs are loyal animals. (Not- The dogs are loyal animals.)

2. With non-countable Nouns

Example: She has a talent for music. (Not- She has a talent for the music.)

3. Before Abstract Nouns

Example: Love is a powerful emotion. (Not- The love is a powerful emotion.)

4. Before Names
Example: John is coming over. (Not- The John is coming over.)

5. In General Statements about a Category

Example: Cars need fuel to run. (Not- The cars need fuel to run.)

6. With Most Proper Nouns

Example: Paris is beautiful in spring. (Not- The Paris is beautiful in spring.)

7. In Titles of Books, Films, and Works of Art

Example: War and Peace. (Not- The War and Peace.)

8. With Most Names of Countries and Cities

Example: India is a diverse country. (Not- The India is a diverse country.)

9. In Expressions of Time and Place

Example: “at noon,” “in June,” “on Saturday” (Not- at the noon,” “in the June,” “on the Saturday.)

10. Before Languages

Example:. She speaks French. (Not- She speaks the French.)

11. In Certain Fixed Expressions

Example: “By accident” “on time,” “in danger.”

12. With Meals

Example: They had breakfast together. (Not- They had the breakfast together.)

Remember, the omission of articles can change the meaning or tone of a sentence, so it’s important to
consider the context and rules of usage when deciding whether to use an article or not.

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A noun is a word that refers to a person, place, thing, idea, or concept. It functions as the subject or object in a
sentence and can represent both concrete and abstract entities.

A. TYPES OF NOUNS
1. PROPER NOUN 2. COUNTABLE NOUN 3. UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
(THINGS IN MASS)
Persons Places Things Common Collective Material Abstract

Raman Bangalore Mercedes Lady Army Paper Communication

Kirloskar Delhi Toyato Month Gang Wood Courage
Sharuk London Benz Day Team Cloth Happiness
Amitab NewYork Mount- Sea Family Milk Freedom
Maduri Sydney Everest City Herd Gold Pride
Deepika Vidhan- Pepsi Student Flock Electricity Manhood
Rehman Soudha Parle Village Committee Sugar Fear
Virat Quitab- Minar Bosch Country Panel Sand Misery
Monday Kempegowda Godrej Animal Audience Air Integrity
January Airport Jio Year Jury Heat Poverty

4. COMPOUND NOUN 5. VERBAL NOUN

(Gerund)

Bathtub Reading
Hairbrush Watching
Worksheet Writing
Classroom Jogging
Cupcake Hopping
Fireman Swimming
Friendship Cooking
Sunshine Growing
Afternoon Dancing
Blackboard Teaching
.
.
.
.
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.
B. GENDER
Nouns Have Four Main Genders:
1. Masculine: Refers to male entities. Eg. man, king, lion

2. Feminine Refers to female entities Eg. woman, queen, lioness

3. Common Refers to nouns that can be either Eg. teacher, doctor, student
male or female.

4. Neuter Refers to non-living or inanimate Eg. table, book, car

objects with no gender.

These gender classifications help in understanding and using pronouns and other grammatical structures
correctly.

C. NUMBER
Singular: student, pen, child, boy, girl.
Plural: students, pens, children, boys, girls.

D. The forms of certain nouns are often wrongly used as; Un English Nouns:
 Say: Free studentship’ not Freeship
 Boarding house not boarding
 Members of the family and not family members
 Cousin not cousin brother/ sister

E. CLASSIFICATIONS BASED ON EXCEPTIONS

Nouns are essential parts of speech and play a critical role in sentence structure by identifying and naming
entities.
I. UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS FALL INTO THE FOLLOWING GROUPS:

 Things which are considered in mass or quantity and not in numbers.

Eg. sugar, sand, hair,dust, etc.
 Materials: paper, wood, cloth, silver, gold, iron, etc
 Liquids: water, milk, oil, ink, honey, etc.
 Gases: steam, mist, nitrogen, air, etc.
 Natural phenomena: heat, cold, electricity, lighting, etc.
 Abstract Nouns; name, states, qualities, processes, actions, ideas, etc Courage,
happiness, freedom, attention, childhood, honesty, enjoyment.
 Branches of Learning; Economics, Mathematics, Politics, etc.
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II. SINGULAR AND PLURAL NOUNS

A.

Nouns always Singular Nouns always Plural

Therefore take a singular verb Therefore take a plural verb

Abuse, advice, athletics, bedding, bread, Alms, annals, billiards, clothes, chattels,
burnings, character, classics, damage, ethics, drafts, droughts, goods, measles, pants,
fish, fruit, fuel, furniture, gallows, gram, premises, scissors, thanks, trousers, etc.
grass, hair, information, innings, machinery,
mathematics, mischief, money, news,
physics, poetry, progress, repair, rice,
scenery, stationery, thunder, lighting and
also nouns ending in ‘ ies.’

Note: These nouns take only a singular Note: These nouns take a plural verb because
verb because of their nature of of their basic plural nature.
boundlessness, countlessness,
immenseability or in exhaustibility.
B.
Nouns despite singular take a plural verb Nouns singular or plural depending on the
meaning.

Artillery, cattle, clergy’s, company, gentry, Audience, committee, commission,

peasantry, people, police, vermin, etc. government, jury, orchestra, public, team,
etc.
Note: These nouns always take a plural Note: Whenever these nouns indicate a
verb because they make a particular kind or division or individual contribution, they take
category of things as a whole. a plural verb,
otherwise take a singular verb.

C. Note the following

Singular Plural

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Advice = counsel Advices = information

Air atmosphere Airs = proud
Authority = command Authorities = persons in power
Good = wise Goods = property
Iron = metal Irons = chains, fitters
Content = satisfaction Contents = things contained
Physics = medicine Physics = physical sciences
Earnings = income Earnings = sowings
Quarter = one fourth Quarters = houses
Wood = material Woods = forests
Tin = metallic element Tins = cans

1. Pronoun Table

Subject Object Possessive Possessive Reflexive

Pronoun Pronoun Adjectives Pronouns Pronouns
I Person
(Singular) I Me My Mine myself
I Person
(Plural) We Us our ours ourselves
II Person
(Singular) You You Your Yours yourself
II Person
(Plural) You You your yours yourselves
III Person
(Singular) he Him his his himself
III Person
(Singular)
She Her her hers herself
III Person
(Singular) It It its its itself
III Person
(Plural) they Them their theirs themselves

A. Primary Pronouns to Form Simple Sentences

Understand what pronoun to use in subject/ object place in a sentence, also look into how
Possessive Adjectives are different from Possessive Pronouns. Note where Reflexive Pronouns

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are placed in a sentence.

PRONOUNS - TEST YOURSELF
TABLE 1:
Pronouns In Subject Place Pronouns In Object Place
(Subject comes before the Verb) (Object comes after the verb)
I We You me us you
He She It They him her it them
I know Meena. Meena knows me.
We know Meena. Meena knows us.
You know Meena. Meena knows you.
He knows Meena. Meena knows him.
She knows Meena. Meena knows her.
It knows Meena. Meena knows it.
They know Meena. Meena knows them.

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TABLE 1.2:
My/ our/ your/ his/ her/ its/ their + noun
These are Possessive Adjectives and come before a noun

I like my school.
We like our school.
You like your school.
He likes his school.
She likes her school.
It likes its school.
They like their school.

Possessive Pronouns:

We use my/our/your/his/her/its/their + NOUN

Ie. My money or my book can be expressed without the noun (money or book), by saying;
my money = mine_our money = ours- these are pronouns, used in place of nouns;

TABLE 1.3: Use mine/ ours/ yours /his/ hers/its/ theirs and fill in the blanks.
It is my money. It’s mine.
It is our money. It’s ours.
It is your money. It’s yours.
It is his money. It’s his.
It is her money. It’s hers.
It is its money. It’s its.
It is their money. It’s theirs.

.
.
.
.
.

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.TABLE 1.4: Reflexive Pronouns

myself/ ourselves/ yourself/ yourselves/ himself/ herself/ itself/ themselves

I do my work myself.
We do our work ourselves.
You do your work yourself.
You do your work yourselves
He does his work himself.
She does her work herself.
It does its work itself.
They do their work themselves.

Demonstrative
Pronouns
Demonstrative Pronouns are used to show or identify one or a number of nouns that may be far or
near in distance or time.

THIS and THAT THESE and THOSE

 This is the best item available.  These are useful things.
 That’ s a good idea.  Those were the best days.

Indefinite Pronouns
Singular Plural Both

Another anyone anything Both few fewer many All any more most none
each either enough others several some such
everyone everything less
little much neither no one
nothing other one someone
something
 Anything is possible.  Both are guilty.  All is well./ All of them
 Less is more.  Many are unhappy. are experts.
 Something is better  A few are interested.  Such a thing is bad.
than nothing.  Some time is enough. /
give me some time.

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Relative Pronoun
A Relative Pronoun relates to the word that it modifies and is not specific. They refer back to people
or things previously mentioned, and are used in relative clauses.
Who whom which whose that
 The lady who called yesterday is the warden.
 They were living in the house which is converted into guest house.

Interrogative Pronouns
A Interrogative Pronoun is used in a question, the words within the category are Who whom what
how whose whoever whatever whichever whomever
 How many apples do you have?
 Which is the best hotel nearby?

Reciprocal Pronouns
A Reciprocal Pronoun is used to show an action or feeling which is reciprocated, words in this
category are one another and each other.
 They loved and cared for each other.
 The siblings helped one another.

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VERB
Verbs include more words other than action verbs. Some examples are given below:
ACTION WORDS write walk read eat sleep
INVOLUNTARY ACTION see hear smell taste touch
WORDS
LINKING VERBS BE verbs become seems feel remain appears
MENTAL ACTIVITIES observe remember recognise think plan
OFFICIAL WORDS analyse draft report submit register

Note: Verbs are used in various tenses and tense forms

A verb is a word or a combination of words that indicates action or a state of being or condition.
A verb is the part of a sentence that tells us what the subject performs.

Type of Verbs Meaning Example

1.Regular A verb that has past and past participle -He played well.
Verb forms ending with ‘d’ or ‘ed’. - She has played two games.

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2.Irregular The formation of verb is otherwise than He wrote a letter yesterday.

Verb the regular verb, it is called Irregular
He has written several letters by
verb.
now.

3.Linking A verb that acts as a link between two -She appears ready for the game.
Verb words is called linking verb. It connects -You look happy.
-The food seemed delicious.
or links a subject to a noun or an
- The child is cute.
adjective in the predicate.

4.Transitive A verb that needs an object to complete -I painted the car.

Verb its meaning is called transitive verb. It is -She is reading the newspaper.
called so because it passes its action
from subject to object.

5.Intransitive A verb that doesn’t need any object to - She smiled sweetly.
Verb complete itself is called intransitive
-I wake up at 6 AM.
verb. It does not pass its action from
subject to object.

6. Finite Verb Finite verbs are those which change -The children went to
their form in accordance with the school.
-Robert plays hockey.
subject.
-He is playing well.

7.Non-finite Non-finite Verbs are not actual verbs. -Alex went abroad to
They do not work as verbs in the play (infinitive)
Verb sentence rather they work as nouns,
-I have a broken bat. (Past
adjectives, adverbs, etc.
The forms of non-finite verbs are – participle)
infinitive, gerund, and participle -Walking is a good habit. (Gerund)

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3. ADVERBS

An adverb describes a verb, an adjective or another adverb.

ADVERBS MODIFY
VERBS ADVERBS ADJECTIVES
1. He turned quickly. 1. He answered the 1. Pandu was greatly
2. The shoes shone question quite easily. surprised.
brightly 2. He is very sad today.
2. She walked very
slowly.

An adverb describes a verb, an adjective or another adverb, therefore it answers the question ….
How? How often? How much? Where? When?
Adverb of Manner Adverb of Adverb of degree/ Adverb of Place Adverb of Time
Frequency Affirmation
Boldly Usually Fully Here Today
Bravely Normally Almost There Yesterday
Cheerfully Regularly Rather Inside Last month
Eagerly Generally Enormously Outside Last week
Honestly Always Completely Anywhere Yearly
Gently Frequently extremely Elsewhere Weekly
Softly Occasionally Fairly Away Now then
Kindly Seldom Certainly In Already
Generously Sometimes Obviously Out Just
sincerely rarely Surely Nearby Soon
Undoubtedly downstairs later

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ADJECTIVES
There are two main types of adjectives: 1. Descriptive and 2. Limiting Adjectives

1. Descriptive adjectives describe quality of the noun.

Adjectives before the noun are called attributive adjectives. Those after the noun are
called predicative adjectives and they follow a verb.
Adjectives to Describe Anything!
Taste Taste Touch
 Delicious  Delicious  Soft
 Bland  Bland  Windy
 Bitter  Bitter  Oily
 Sweet  Sweet  Smooth
 Tasty  Tasty  Cold

Sound Size Shape

 Noisy  Gigantic  Narrow
 Whispering  Huge  Hollow
 Shrill  Minute  Straight
 Silent  Tiny  Rotund
 Hissing  Wee  Crooked

Time Amount Emotion

 Late  Lots  Excited
 Old  Many  Amused
 Slow  Ample  Kind
 Speedy  Sparse  Grumpy
 Daily  Enough  Boring

Personality Appearance Situation

 Generous  Attractive  Nasty
 Happy  Fat  Aromatic
 Smart  Spotless  Illegal
 Sassy  Confident  Rainy
 Jaunty  Plain  Worse

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2. Limiting Adjectives limit the noun being described

1. Definite and A An (qualify singular A table, an umbrella,

Indefinite Articles countable nouns) The house, the milk

The (qualify definite nouns,

both singular & plural, and
countable & uncountable
nouns)
2. Possessive my our your his My house our school
Adjectives hers their + NOUN Your friend his pen

3. Demonstrative here there this these that This house that car
Adjectives those + NOUN These books
Those books

4. Indefinite Adjectives any/ more + NOUN Any student any driver

more experience
more rain
5. Interrogative which whose what+ Which plant Whose book
Adjectives NOUN What news

6. Cardinal Adjectives One, two, three….. Two cars five times

(denote how many) one seat
7. Ordinal Adjectives First, second, last,…. First car Second house
(tells the position) 5th Street
8. Indefinite Numeral All few some Many pictures
Adjective a lot of Many a few A few friends much sugar
a little Much several some rice

9. Proper Adjectives Chinese virus

(Formed from proper Indian food
nouns)
American landmark
10. Nouns used as A car race
Adjectives (comes A love story
first or before the A cricket bat
second or main
noun)

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PREPOSITIONS
A preposition is a word normally placed before a noun or a pronoun in order to show its relation with some
other word in the sentence.
Prepositions are of five different kinds:
1. Simple prepositions
2. Compound prepositions
3. Double prepositions
4. Participle prepositions
5. Phrase prepositions

1. Simple Prepositions

Simple prepositions are used in the simple sentences . Words like in, on, at, about, over, under, off, of, for,
to, etc.
1. She sat on the sofa.
2. He is going to the market.
3. He fell off the ladder.
4. There is some water in the bottle.

A. Prepositions of Place

Some prepositions show where something happens. They are called prepositions of place.
Examples: On Under Next To In Front Of Behind
Between Around Through
1. Sanny was sitting under a tree.
2. There’s a wooden floor underneath the carpet.
3. Some geese flew over their house.
4. John and Sarah were hiding inside the wardrobe.
5. There was a tree beside the river.
6. have a friend who lives in America.

B. Prepositions of Time

Some prepositions show when something happens. They are called prepositions of time.
1. School starts at nine o’clock.
2. We’re going to the zoo on Saturday.
3. No, you can’t watch a video. It’s past your bedtime already.
4. I visited my grandparents during the summer.
5. You must finish the work by Friday.
6. I’ll do my homework before dinner.

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2. Compound Prepositions

Compound prepositions are used to join two nouns, pronouns or phrases. Some of the compound
prepositions are about, across, among, beside, before, above, along, inside, between, around, behind,
below, beneath, etc.
1.The child sat between parents.
2. Rabbit is behind the grass.
3. Double Prepositions

Double prepositions are words having two prepositions like outside of, out of, from behind, from beneath
etc.
1. Suddenly he emerged from behind the curtain.

2. He walked out of the compound.

4. Participle Prepositions

Participle prepositions is a participle (like an, ed, or ing verb) which acts as a preposition such as assuming,
considering, barring, given, concerning, notwithstanding, pending, during, regarding, respected, provided,
etc.
1. We are provided with free water supply.
2. You did the job well, considering your age and inexperience.
5. Phrase prepositions
Phrase prepositions are groups of words having prepositions indicating relationships among various
elements in the sentence. Phrases like because of, by means of, with regard to, on behalf of, instead of,
on account of, in opposition to, for the sake of etc.
1. I am standing here on behalf of my friends and colleagues.

2. The match was cancelled because of the rain.

3. He succeeded by means of perseverance.

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QUESTION TAGS

Rules for Question Tags:

1. Match the auxiliary or modal verb: Use the auxiliary/modal verb from the statement in the tag.
Example: She is happy, isn’t she?
2. Positive statement, negative tag: Add a negative tag to a positive statement.
Example: You are coming, aren’t you?
3. Negative statement, positive tag: Add a positive tag to a negative statement.
Example: He didn’t go, did he?
4. Use pronouns: Always use a pronoun in the tag, not the noun.
Example: John likes pizza, doesn’t he?
5. For sentences without auxiliaries: Use do/does/did in the tag.
Example: She plays the piano, doesn’t she?
6. Imperatives: Use will you or won’t you.
Example: Close the door, will you?
7. Let’s: Use shall we.
Example: Let’s go for a walk, shall we?

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Strong and Weak Forms of Words refer to the variations in pronunciation of certain English words, depending
on their emphasis in a sentence.
 Strong Forms: Used when the word is stressed or stands alone.
Example: I want to go. (stressed to sounds like /tuː/)
 Weak Forms: Used when the word is unstressed in connected speech.
Example: I want to go. (unstressed to sounds like /tə/)

Common Examples:
 And: /ænd/ (strong), /ən(d)/ or /n(d)/ (weak)
 Of: /ɒv/ (strong), /əv/ or /ə/ (weak)
 For: /fɔː(r)/ (strong), /fə(r)/ (weak)

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