Essentials of Grammar

Oxford University Press 2011
Session 1
Essentials of Grammar

Why learn Grammar
My respective sirs and my dear most friends. Myself is Hitesh Tyagi, and
I am right now standing in front of you to give a farewell speech

Well Friends, I our stay in the college was momentous for all those
days, months and years.

I still remember a day, when I had entered into the gate of this college. I
had been feeling extreme nervous. Of course, everyone as fresher feel
that. But things change very quickly

Today I am passing away. But it is not just only me, all of us are passing
away. I have tears in my eyes. I had cried when I had come here. I have
cried again today, when I am going away from here. It was fantastical.
All that we had. All the funs.

Thanks for all of you all the teachers of mine, those who are junior
than me. I loves you. And will remember you for ever and ever. Thanks
a Lots
Why learn Grammar
My respective sirs and my dear most friends. Myself is Hitesh Tyagi, and
I am right now standing in front of you to give a farewell speech.

Well Friends, I our stay in the college was momentous for all those
days, months and years.

I still remember a day, when I had entered into the gate of this college. I
had been feeling extreme nervous. Of course, everyone as fresher feel
that. But things change very quickly.

Today I am passing away. But it is not just only me, all of us are passing
away. I have tears in my eyes. I had cried when I had come here. I have
cried again today, when I am going away from here. It was fantastical.
All that we had. All the funs.

Thanks for all of you all the teachers of mine, those who are junior
than me. I loves you. And will remember you for ever and ever. Thanks
a Lots
Parts of Speech - Nouns
Look at the following sentences
Jack is a stupid boy
India is a great country
The jury found the prisoner guilty
Beauty needs no ornaments
I have one sister
Milk is good for health
Parts of Speech - Nouns
Look at the following sentences
Jack is a stupid boy
India is a great country
The jury found the prisoner guilty
Beauty needs no ornaments
I have one sister
Types of Nouns Common and
Proper Nouns
Common and Proper Nouns word that refers to name
of a person, place or thing

Practice Test
Jaipur is a fascinating city
Kathak is a famous dance
Mohammad Rafi was a great singer
Nokia is a mobile manufacturer
Delhi is the capital of India
Pilani is a small town
Oranges can be had from D-Mart
The Tribune is a good newspaper
The God of Small Things is written by Arundhati Roy
Steve Waugh was an inspirational captain
Types of Nouns Common and
Proper Nouns
Common and Proper Nouns word that refers to name
of a person, place or thing

Practice Test
Jaipur is a fascinating city
Kathak is a famous dance
Mohammad Rafi was a great singer
Nokia is a mobile manufacturer
Delhi is the capital of India
Pilani is a small town
Oranges can be had from D-Mart
The Tribune is a good newspaper
The God of Small Things is written by Arundhati Roy
Steve Waugh was an inspirational captain
Types of Nouns Collective
Nouns
Collective Nouns Number of persons
or things taken together and spoken of
as one

Example
The army had besieged the town
The police went for a lathi charge
The jury gave its verdict
Suddenly, the mob started chasing us
The committee comprised of three members
Nouns
Collective Nouns Number of persons
or things taken together and spoken of
as one

Example
The army had besieged the town
The police went for a lathi charge
The jury gave its verdict
Suddenly, the mob started chasing us
The committee comprised of three members
Collective Nouns

Practice Test
The boys are sitting in the class
The sheep has lost touch with the herd
There are three girls in the family
Eleven players constitute a cricket team
The minister was ridiculed in the
parliament
Nouns
Types of Nouns Abstract
Nouns
Abstract Nouns The notions that one
can not touch, smell, hold, hear or see.
Example
Laughter is a good medicine; so you must
laugh
Friendship is a great blessing. We must be
proud of our friends
It is moving to see the poverty of the poor
Though ignorance is bliss, being ignorant is a
curse
Types of Nouns Abstract
Nouns
Abstract Nouns
Practice Test
Form abstract nouns from the following
words:
Choose, Judge, Broad, Sane, Starve,
Captain, Good, Proud, Woman, Quick,
Dark, Hero, Hate, Think, Bond, Vacant

Abstract Nouns
Choose choice/chosen
Judge judicious
Broad broadness/breadth
Sane sanity
Starve starvation
Captain captainship
Good goodness
Proud pride
Woman womanhood
Quick quickness
Dark darkness
Hero heroism
Hate hatred/hate
Think thought
Bond bondage
Vacant vacantness/vacancy

Abstract Nouns
You must make the big choices of life alone.
This is my chosen profession.
Judicious encouragement proves to be a
fine one.
Many male athletes, especially football
players, are admired for the broadness of
their shoulders.
Julie's professor always astonished her with
his breadth of knowledge about
Shakespeare's plays, poems and his life: he
could answer any question.
Sanity of some people is questionable.

Abstract Nouns
Refusing food and shelter, and forcing people
to suffer starvation is as bad as killing
people with bullets.
India won the World Cup under Dhonis
captainship.
That candy bar was filled with creamy
goodness.
We take pride in being able to bring out the
best in you.
True womanhood involves character, not just
external beauty.
He had quickness of anticipation.

Abstract Noun
Darkness fell as the sun set.
Heroism in the face of overwhelming odds
requires courage.
He had hatred in his heart for the whole world.
You need to put your thoughts in order before
speaking .
Slaves were captured in Africa and sold into
bondage.
The vacantness of the house was evident after
the party was over.
The committee has the power to fill any vacancy
which may arise.

Types of Nouns Countable and
Uncountable Nouns
Countable and Uncountable Nouns
There are certain nouns which can be
counted and some others that can not
be counted.
Example
I have one sister
Types of Nouns Countable and
Uncountable Nouns
Find out whether the nouns are countable
or non-countable-
Girl, Wisdom, Idea, Imagination, Style,
Composure, Kite, Intuition, Paper, Tub,
Pass, Title, Chair, Magazine, Seminar,
Crime, Integrity, Movie, Cricket, Speech

Countable/Uncountable Nouns
Girl-countable
Wisdom-uncountable
Idea-countable
Imagination- uncountable
Style- uncountable
Composure- uncountable
Kite- countable
Intuition-countable
Paper-countable
Tub-countable
Pass- countable/uncountable
Title- countable/uncountable
Chair-countable
Magazine-countable
Seminar-countable
Crime-countable
Integrity-uncountable
Movie-countable
Cricket- countable/uncountable
Speech- countable

Nouns with countable and uncountable meanings - Some nouns
have both countable and uncountable meanings. These nouns are
homonyms, where one meaning expresses a countable, the other an
uncountable concept
countable meaning uncountable meaning
substances
I need an iron to press my trousers. Steel is made from iron.
My grandma raises chickens. Would you prefer chicken or turkey?
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
Different kinds of stone can be used
for different purposes.
We found ourselves in the middle of
the wood.
All the desks in here are made of
wood.
A glass of beer, please. Glass does not conduct electricity well.
Would you like a coffee? Would you like some coffee?
Nouns with countable and
uncountable meanings
activities
I had an interesting thought yesterday.
Eastern thought is characterised by
dualism.
Johnny got a basketball for Christmas. Basketball is played by teams of five.
Mr Pit runs a business selling
recyclable diapers.
Online business is thriving these days.
No war is a just war.
Ive just read War and Peace by
Tolstoy.
My literature professors cats usually
get their names from Shakespeares
works.
How was work today?
abstract notions
This boy is a real help around the
house.
I need some help to finish this essay.
Languages can become extinct. Language is a human instinct.
Those apples are real beauties. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Its always good to do small
kindnesses for each other.
I thanked her for her kindness.
The play was a success.
Success is often only the result of hard
work.
emotions
And now, some of my worries about
the project.
Worry is usually a destructive emotion.
He was torn between two loves. All you need is love.
I have a fear that the party will be a
failure.
Aristotles definition of catharsis is
based on experiencing pity and fear.
There are hopes of finding a remedy
for your disease.
Hope dies last.
It is a pleasure to have met you. Pat finds great pleasure in nursing.
Find the mistakes
India has won both the one-day and the test
serieses
The gift cost me twenty thousands rupees
I bought three dozens oranges
If we ignore the advices of our parents, we can
not grow in life
Where should I keep my luggages
The evidences prove that he is guilty
Employments are not easy to fetch these days
Furnitures have become quite costly in recent
times
The government machineries are employed in
the rescue operation

Find the mistakes
India has won both the one-day and the test
series.
The gift cost me twenty thousand rupees
I bought three dozen oranges
If we ignore the advice of our parents, we can
not grow in life
Where should I keep my luggage?
The evidence proves that he is guilty
Employment is not easy to fetch these days
Furniture has become quite costly in recent
times
The government machinery is employed in the
rescue operation

Practice Test Find Abstract
Nouns
Ladies and Gentlemen, you know why is it
that Gandhiji was a man of extraordinary
stature and standing? It is simply because he
has many complex and rare virtues rolled into
one single human being. Well, Gandhiji had
wisdom; he had honesty; he possessed a
vision which is rare and demonstrated an
unimpeachable integrity. His insight was
exemplary and his depth immeasurable. But
what impresses me most as an ardent
admirer of this great man was the magnitude
of his concern for the entire mankind
Practice Test Find Abstract
Nouns
Ladies and Gentlemen, you know why is it
that Gandhiji was a man of extraordinary
stature and standing? It is simply because
he has many complex and rare virtues rolled
into one single human being. Well, Gandhiji
had wisdom; he had honesty; he possessed
a vision which is rare and demonstrated an
unimpeachable integrity. His insight was
exemplary and his depth immeasurable. But
what impresses me most as an ardent
admirer of this great man was the magnitude
of his concern for the entire mankind

Nouns- Different Meanings
People/Peoples People (persons) in Europe are very
broad-minded.
- The students went on an industry immersion trip to Peoples
Republic of Korea.
Rooms/Room Rooms (place to live) are available in the
guest house.
- There is no room (scope) for discussion.
Stone/Stones - The beautiful statue is made of stone
(material)
- He has kidney stones (chemical deposition) in his stomach
Glass/Glasses I have broken my glasses (eye-glass).
- He filled his glass (tumbler) with more wine.
Sight/ Sights There was no help in sight (visible).
- We are going to Paris for the weekend to see the sights
(scene, view).
Choose the correct form of the
word
1. The girl was beautiful; she had blonde hair/hairs
2. He loves listening to quality music/musics
3. The speaker was appreciated with loud applause/applauses
from the audience
4. Businesses/ business can not grow in times of recession
5. The company is planning to purchase more
equipment/equipments
6. Time has come/time have come when we need to be
serious about climate change
7. Women always have lots of houseworks/housework to do
8. There is no point in visiting Rajasthan during summer
because sightseeing/sightseeings can not be enjoyed
9. Cutlery/cutleries has/have become quite stylish of late
10. In the laughter show the audience had lots of funs/fun
Choose the correct form of the
word
1. The girl was beautiful; she had blonde hair/hairs
2. He loves listening to quality music/musics
3. The speaker was appreciated with loud
applause/applauses from the audience
4. Businesses/ business can not grow in times of recession
5. The company is planning to purchase more
equipment/equipments
6. Time has come/time have come when we need to be
serious about climate change
7. Women always have lots of houseworks/housework to do
8. There is no point in visiting Rajasthan during summer
because sightseeing/sightseeings can not be enjoyed
9. Cutlery/cutleries has/have become quite stylish of late
10. In the laughter show the audience had lots of funs/fun

Pronouns
Pronoun is a word that replaces a noun. Without using
pronouns, we actually cannot write in a manner that would be
viewed as polished and proper.

Examples
It is I/me who protested the move in the meeting.
We are not so stupid as they/them are.
Let I/me speak for a while.
Mildred and I/me are childhood friends.

Continued
If the pronoun has to be the subject of the sentence, it should be
in the subjective case, i.e., it should be written as I , He, She,
They, etc.

If the pronoun has to be the object of the sentence, it should be
in the objective case, i.e., it should be written as Me, Him, Her,
Them, etc.
Continued

We have to use the pronoun in

the subjective case (I , We, You, They, He, She, I t, etc.)

the objective case (Me, Us, You, Them, Him, Her, I t, etc.)

or the possessive case (My, Our, Your, Their, His, Her, I ts, etc.)
Continued

Different nuances with regard to the usage of pronouns, lets see the
different types of pronouns

Personal pronouns (He, She, They, I, We, You, etc.)
Impersonal pronouns (It)
Demonstrative pronoun (This, Those, These, etc.)
Distributive pronouns (Each, Either, Neither, etc.)
Indefinite pronouns (Some, Many, Everyone, Someone, etc.)
Relative pronouns (Who, Which, Whose, That)

Contd

Reflexive and Emphatic Pronouns (Myself, Yourself, Themselves,
Herself, Himself, etc.)

Examples
It is raining quite hard this time. (Its raining quite hard this
time.)
Its been ages since I met him (It has been ages since I met him.)
Exercise

Fill in the blanks with appropriate pronouns

1._______ am the one who cares for ________.

2. When ______ came to the room, ______ was locked.

3. Here is ______ book, take ______ away.

4. He loves _____ wife and cannot live without _____.

5. _______ has lent ______ scooter to _____ for a week.
Answers
1. I; you

2. I/he/she; it

3. your; it

4. his; her

5 .He; his; him

Adjectives
A word used to add to the meaning of a noun or pronoun is an
adjective.

Examples:
1. Amita is a clever girl.
2. Rohan gave me five books.
3.There is little time for preparation.
4. Each boy must wait for his turn.
5. Neither statement is true.

Contd
When words such as each, either, neither, etc. are used with some
nouns, they are called Distributive Adjectives.

When words like this, that, those etc. precede some nouns, they
are called Demonstrative Adjectives.

When words like which, what, etc. precede a noun or a pronoun,
they are known as Interrogative Adjectives.
Contd
Adjectives of Quality good, bad, wonderful, stupid, beautiful,
ugly
Definite Numeral Adjectives
Cardinal one, two, three
Ordinal first, second, third
Indefinite Numeral Adjectives all, few, many, some, certain,
enough
Distributive Adjectives this, that, those
Demonstrative Adjectives each, neither
Interrogative Adjectives which, what
Emphasizing Adjectives Very, own
Difference between few, a few, and the
few; and little, a little, and the little
Few suggests hardly anything or anybody.
A few stands for some whereas the few is used to refer to the
nouns in the context.

Little is almost nothing.
A little means some.
The little means whatever little amount of something.

Exercise

Fill in the blanks with appropriate adjectives from the list of
adjectives given below:
Pampered, petrified, latest, sensuous, ghastly, stylish, redundant,
talented

1. _________ children always get spoilt.
2. Keats poetry is remarkably __________.
3. With dead bodies littered around, it was a ______ sight.
4. Fashionable girls tend to dress-up in a _____ way.
5. Avoid using ________ words in your speech.

Answers
1. Pampered children always get spoilt.

2. Keats poetry is remarkably sensuous.

3. With dead bodies littered around, it was a ghastly sight.
4. Fashionable girls tend to dress-up in a stylish way.

5. Avoid using redundant words in your speech.
Verbs
The verb is the most essential part of speech in English. You can
think of a sentence without subject or object but you can not
think of a sentence without a verb. Even the shortest sentence
contains a verb.
Example:
Stop!, Come!, Go!, Sit!, etc.

Contd
The verbs in English change in form according to Subject and
tense. For example, the verb to sing, to dance, to cry, etc. have
following forms:
1. to sing, sing, sings, sang, singing, sung
2. to dance, dance, dances, danced, dancing
3. to cry, cry, cries, cried, crying
Classification of Verbs
We divide verbs into two broad categories

1. Helping verbs

2. Main verbs
There are only about 15 helping verbs : is, are, am, was, were, has,
have, had, can, could, may, might, must, will, would
Modals
Examples
I. We can.
II. People must.
III.They will.
Linking Verbs
Example
Manisha is intelligent. (Manisha= intelligent)
Helping Verbs
Main Verbs
These verbs have meaning on their own.

Examples
I write.
Children play.
They run.
We laugh.

Main verbs are also called lexical verbs.

Contd
Main verbs have meaning on their own unlike helping verbs.
There are thousands of main verbs, and we can classify them
in following ways.

Transitive and Intransitive

Dynamic and Static

Regular and Irregular

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

Example
I. He read a novel yesterday.
II. My mother has planned a trip to Mumbai.
III. Snigdha loves swimming.

Read, planned, and loves require objects in order to complete
the sentences. Such verbs are called transitive verbs.
Transitive verb takes a direct object, e.g., somebody killed the
snake. An intransitive verb does not require a direct object, e.g.,
he died.
Dynamic and Stative Verbs
The verbs which describe action are called dynamic verbs. These
can be used with continuous tenses. There are other verbs which
describe state or a situation and are called stative verbs. They
cannot normally be used with continuous tenses.

Examples of dynamic verbs: hit, kill, fight, run, go, throw, explode,
write, etc.

Examples of stative verbs: be, like, love, prefer, impress, hear, see,
sound, belong to, consist of, need, appear, resemble, seem, etc.
Regular and Irregular Verbs
Regular verbs: base, past tense, past participle
Examples
Cook, cooked, cooked
Clean, cleaned, cleaned
Water, watered, watered
Irregular verbs: base, past tense, past participle
Examples
Do, did, done
Eat, ate, eaten
Drink, drank, drunk

Exercise
Identify the verbs in the following sentences, as transitive or
intransitive.
1. The children are flying kites in the sky.
2. Planes are flying in the sky.
3. He is a man of letters; he writes quite well.
4. He wrote a letter to his beloved.
5. Always speak the truth

Answers

1. Transitive
2. Intransitive
3. Intransitive
4. Transitive
5. Transitive

Adverbs
Examples
Zaheer Khan is a fast bowler.

He bowls fast.

But he does not bowl very fast.

He bowls moderately fast.
Exercise
Given below are sentences which choose different adverbs or
adverbial phrases. Identify them and define their types:

1. I have not seen him lately.
2. He therefore could not achieve success.
3. She moved around quite sprightly.
4. The refugees slept fretfully in the tent.
5. Probably, he has gone to the market.

Answers
1. I have not seen him lately.
(lately; adverb of time)
2. He therefore could not achieve success.
( therefore; adverb of reason)
3. She moved around quite sprightly.
( sprightly; adverb of manner)
4. The refugees slept fretfully in the tent.
(fretfully; adverb of manner)
5. Probably, he has gone to the market.
(probably; adverb of certainty)
Modals
The words such as can, could, may, might, will, would, shall,
should, must, and ought to are called modals.

Examples
1. It may rain today.
2. It might rain today.
3. It will rain today.
4. I can lift this box.
5. I could lift this box.

May and Might; Can and Could
When I was young, I ________ swim very well.
______ you live long.
You ______ leave now. ______ I, Sir?
______ you solve this sum for me?
Though its quite late, it ______ just be fine even if
we reach now.
_______ you help me cross the road?
Answers
1.When I was young, I could swim very well.
(Could for reference to the capability in the past)
2. May you live long!
(May for wishes)
3.You may leave now. May I, Sir?
(May for seeking and giving permission. Can also possible in
informal speech)
4. Could/Can you solve this sum for me?
(Could for polite request; Can somewhat impertinent)
5. Though its quite late, it might just be fine even if we reach now.
(Might for expressing slight hope)

Shall, Should and Will, Would
Look at the following sentences and try to figure out which of
the modals out of the given options will suit the purpose
according to the context.

1. Will/Shall/Should I open the door for you?

2. Be sincere lest you would/should/may fail miserably in life.

3. She told me that she will/should/would turn twenty six next
month.
Answers
1. Shall I open the door for you?
(Shall I are used to know the willingness of the person
addressed)
2. Be sincere lest you should fail miserably in life.
(Lest meaning so that it does not happen is followed by
should)
3.She told me that she would turn twenty six next month.
(In indirect narration, will becomes would)
Must, Should, and Ought to

The modals must, ought to, and should are used to express
concepts of obligation, necessity, duty, advice, suggestion,
command, expectation, etc.
Must, Should
and Ought to
Fill in the blanks with appropriate modals.

1. I ________ leave; I am getting late.
2. ________ that I were selected Miss India!
3. What is the point in crying over the spilt milk? You ______
have listened to us earlier!
4. I ______ leave for America next month.
5. Leave it; I _______ do this for you.
Answers
1. Have to/Must
2. Would
3. Ought to/Should
4. Am
5. Will

Exercise
Choose appropriate modal for the following expressions:
Living in such rooms should be/ must be so difficult!
Mustnt you have/Couldnt you have informed us about it in
time?
Would/May you suggest me some more names?
He could/used to be a fun loving guy before marriage.
He said I should/might come at any time.
Answers
1. Must be
2. Couldnt you have
3. Would
4. Used to be
5. Might

Prepositions
Look at the italicized words in the following sentences:
Majestic, the super boar, loves traveling by air.
Pussy, the cute cat, sat on the table.
Champion, the pampered dog, sat in the car.
Petty, the tiny mouse, hid under the chair.

Prepositions are the words placed before a noun or a pronoun to
show the relation or connection with the remaining part(s) of
the sentence.
Important Points to Remember
Using prepositions correctly is not always as easy as it
sounds and many a time, errors are caused in sentences due
to wrong choice of prepositions in a sentence.

Since prepositions relate more to collocations than to rules,
it would be more appropriate to learn them with the help of
examples.
Let us see if you can make out the errors that are caused by wrong
choice of prepositions in the following sentences:

See you in Christmas.
Applications must reach the Registrars Office on 31
st
May.
You must be home before twelve oclock.
See you on the theatre.
I will discuss this issue on tomorrow.
On last Sunday, we went on a picnic.
When I listened to him, I found him quite boring.
What are doing? I am searching my mobile.
For many years, Foxy lived at Delhi; now she is at Jaipur.
The Gujarat Earthquake registered 8.1 in the Richter scale.

Exercise
Correct Usage
See you at Christmas.
Applications must reach the Registrars Office by
31
st
May.
You must be home by twelve oclock.
See you at the theatre.
I will discuss this issue tomorrow.
Last Sunday, we went on a picnic.
When I listened to him, I found him quite boring.
What are doing? I am searching for my mobile.
For many years, Foxy lived in Delhi; now she is in
Jaipur.
The Gujarat Earthquake registered 8.1 on the
Richter scale

At Times Only a Particular Preposition
Follows Certain Verbs
Choose Between
He is endowed by/with
wonderful creative talent.
On a foreign tour, players
have to adapt with/to the
changed climatic conditions.
I am really grateful to/for you
to/for all your support.
New meanings can always be
derived from/on good
writings.
He was quite poorly judged
with/by his teachers.

Correct Usage
He is endowed with wonderful creative talent.
On a foreign tour, players have to adapt to the
I am really grateful to you for all your support.
New meanings can always be derived from
good writings.
He was quite poorly judged by his teachers.

Contd
Choose Between
The Congress has recently been
profited with/by infightings in the
BJP.
Though a rebel to the core before
marriage, he now is confined
with/to his wife and kids.
The Prime Minister was apprised
with/of the latest incidents in the
riot-hit areas.
The Speakers timely
intervention prevented the
members from/of coming to
blows with each other.
He just cant help it; he is
addicted with/to wine.
Correct Usage
The Congress has recently been profited by
infightings in the BJP.
Though a rebel to the core before marriage, he
now is confined to his wife and kids.
The Prime Minister was apprised of the latest
incidents in the riot-hit areas.
The Speakers timely intervention prevented
the members from coming to blows with each
other.
He just cant help it; he is addicted to wine.

Exercise
Now, choose the right prepositions in each of the following sentences
:
When we watch a tragedy, we are overcome in/with
emotions.
Having been caught using unfair means, he was debarred
from/with sitting for/in the examinations of/for three years.
Despite all the rumours, we are quite confident about/of
securing a win.
Many members abstained with/from casting their votes.
The captain attributed his victory to/on his team.
You need to apologize for/to her immediately.
The poem refers with/to the mythical allusions.
He was disgusted at/with the idea for/of having to change
his childs diapers on/in his wifes absence.
If you are ignorant of/about everything, you are likely to
fail in life.
He sounded particularly obliged to/for his family members.
When we watch a tragedy, we are overcome with
emotions.
Having been caught using unfair means, he was
debarred from sitting in the examinations for three
years.
Despite all the rumours, we are quite confident of
securing a win.
Many members abstained from casting their votes.
The captain attributed his victory to his team.
You need to apologize to her immediately.
The poem refers to the mythical allusions.
He was disgusted with the idea of having to change
his childs diapers in his wifes absence.
If you are ignorant of everything, you are likely to
fail in life.
He sounded particularly obliged to his family
members.

Choose the right answer
He is endowed by/with wonderful creative
talent.
On a foreign tour, players have to adapt with/to
the changed climatic conditions.
I am really grateful to/for you to/for all your
support.
New meanings can always be derived from/on
good writings.
He was quite poorly judged with/by his
teachers.

Correct Usage
He is endowed with wonderful creative talent.
On a foreign tour, players have to adapt to the
I am really grateful to you for all your support.
New meanings can always be derived from
good writings.
He was quite poorly judged by his teachers.

Connectives
Connectives are the words such as and, but, after, because,
though, as, wherein, whereupon, for, unless, lest, while,
whereas, etc. These are also called conjunctions.

Some of these connectives are known as Coordinating
Conjunctions and some others are called Subordinating
Conjunctions.
To distinguish the Coordinating Conjunction
from a Subordinating Conjunction, look at the
following sentences

As he was not well, he could not come to the meeting.

(The conjunction as connects the subordinate clause As he was not
well, to the main clause he could not come to the meeting; hence a
Subordinating Conjunction)
As he was not well Subordinate Clause
he could not come to the meeting Main Clause

He was not well and he could not come to the meeting.

(The conjunction and connects two independent clauses he was not
well and he could not come to the meeting; hence a Coordinating
Conjunction)
Unless you solve sums, you cannot feel
confident in Mathematics.
(The conjunction unless connects a subordinating
clause unless you solve sums to the main clause you
cannot feel confident in Mathematics; hence a
Subordinating Conjunction)
She was not beautiful but she looked
attractive in that dress.
(The conjunction but connects two independent clauses
she was not beautiful and she looked attractive in that
dress; hence a Coordinating Conjunction)

Write the correct sentence
1. Hardly I had entered the room, when
the phone rang.
2. He neither appeared prepared or
confident while speaking.
3. You must work hard lest you should not
fail.
4. Not only he is stupid but stubborn as
well.
5. Such rituals are seldom or ever
observed in America.
6. She not only makes errors, but she does
not also admit them.
7. No sooner we had boarded the train, it
started to move.
8. We can either speak our mind or can
keep quiet in such situations.
9. He is in a fix; he cannot either leave his
job nor can do it well.
Correct
1. Hardly had I entered the room, when the
phone rang.
2. He appeared neither prepared for the
interview nor confident while speaking.
3. You must work hard lest you should fail.
4. He is not only stupid but also stubborn. (OR)
Not only is he stupid but also stubborn.
5. Such rituals are seldom or never observed in
America.
6. She not only makes errors, but also does not
admit them.
7. No sooner had we boarded the train, than it
started to move.
8. We can either speak our mind or keep quiet in
such situations.
9. He is in a fix; he can neither leave his job nor
do it well.
Main Coordinating Conjunctions:
And, but, or, also, eitheror, neithernor, etc.

Main Subordinating Conjunctions:
Though, although, as, when, unless, while, because, etc.

Contd
Phrases and Clauses
A sentence is a group of words that makes complete sense.
Example
1. The boy sang a song in the class.

Phrase
A group of words that makes partial sense and does not have a
subject and predicate of its own is called a phrase.
Example
sang a song in the class.
Contd.
A group of words that forms a part of a sentence and also
has a subject and predicate of its own is called a clause.

Example
When we reached home, it was midnight.
When we reached home, too seems to make complete sense, but
it is not as complete as the other part - it was midnight - is.
Even then, it has a subject (we), a verb (reached) an object
(home) and an adverb (when).
So both these parts are clauses.
Difference between whereupon
and wherein
Desdemona drops her handkerchief whereupon Iago misuses
it.

The conjunction whereupon means immediately
afterwards, wherein means in place.
Difference between even if
and even though
They allowed me to continue the diploma even though I had
failed in the first two papers.

Even if is only conditional whereas even though is
concessional.
Difference between while and
whereas
He is idiotic whereas his father is quite intelligent.
I met him while I was going to college.

The conjunction while suggests a simultaneous action whereas
the conjunction whereas is written to bring out the contrast.

Difference between Despite and
In spite of
Despite the fact that he has five daughters, he is not worried.
OR
I n spite of the fact that he has five daughters, he is not worried.

The conjunction despite is not followed by of though in spite is
Types of Sentences (based on
Sense)
Sentence
Assertive
or
Declarative
Imperative Interrogative
Negative
Exclamatory
Contd
Assertive or Declarative Sentences
Example
Cassius does his work on time.

Negative Sentences
Example
Catherine does not do her work on time.

Interrogative Sentences
Example
Does Brutus do his work on time?
Contd
Imperative Sentences
Example
Antony, do you work on time!

Exclamatory Sentences
Example
You too, Brutus! Then Caesar must die!

Types of Sentence (based on
structure)
Sentence
Simple Complex
Compound
Contd
Simple Sentence
Example
I ndia won the match.

Compound Sentence
Example
We tried hard but we could not win the match.

Complex Sentence
Example
Although we tried hard, we could not win the match

Exercise
Read the following sentences and state whether they are
declarative, exclamatory, imperative, interrogative, or
negative.
1. Help us, please.
2. We dont like such things.
3. What a shame!
4. Be quiet.
5. He was stabbed in the party.
Answers
1. Imperative
2. Negative
3. Exclamatory
4. Imperative
5. Declarative

Exercise
Read the following expressions and state which of the them are
compound sentences and which others are complex
sentences.

1. All are equal but some are more equal than others.
2. You must go or I shall slap you.
3. When we reached back it was quite dark.
4. Show me the place where he was killed.
5. They always claim who never achieve.

Answers
1. Compound
2. Compound
3. Complex
4. Complex
5. Complex

Applied Grammar and Usage
Session 4
Q 1: Choose the correct answer for the following sentences: (5 marks)
1. Diabetes is/are a silent killer.
2. I like Physics. It is/are an interesting subject.
3. Statistics prove/proves that our population is still growing at an alarming rate.
4. The Jury gave its/their verdict in an unbiased manner.
5. Politics today has/have degenerated awfully.
6. For achieving success we sometimes employ means which is/are unfair.
7. Where are/is my clothes/cloth?
8. That day, I saw as many as twenty airplane/airplanes which was/were performing in the
parade.
9. My advices/advice are/is always important. Dont ignore it/ them.
10. The information/ informations sent by you is/are not really sufficient.
Q 2: Correct the following sentences: (10 Marks)
1. The murderer killed her, sleeping in cold blood.
2. Have you met our teacher in English?
3. Yes, he just passed away me when I was entering the college gate.
4. Students if you have any doubt, meet me behind the class.
5. While playing in the garden, the scorpion bit the child.
6. We are trying to change this house for the last three years.
7. Yesterday, the interview of Amitabh Bachchan was telecasted.
8. He is not at house, he has gone out in the morning.
9. She is one of the best student in our class.
10. Both the sister are seen in the party.
Q 3 : Define, what is listening. Explain the process of listening. (5 marks)

Q 1 : Jumbled parts of a sentence are given below. Arrange them to make meaningful sentences.
(5 marks)
1. what you/ will get / you / want.
2. She was/ of her youth/ at that time/in the prime.
3. Mr. Sukhwal /Chennai / living /in/ 2001 /since /has been.
4. did not /called /when /My brother/ respond /I.
5. saw /I /him /A moment /going to/ the Registrars /office /ago.
6. the /U.S. /Global Summit /Our Prime Minister /last week/ went to /to attend.
7. yesterday /teacher /scolded/ Our /English /Ram.
8. aside / him /and advised/ buy that carpet /my friend/ not to/ I drew /.
9. ship / finally / sank /The wrecked / collapsed.
10. his youngest son /is /very upset/ because/ Mr. Bajaj / has run / from home / away.
Q 2: Correct the following sentences: ( 10 marks)
1. I cant cope at this problem.
2. He was elected for a Chairman.
3. In this poem, the poet describes about his childhood.
4. He was proved in the wrong.
5. He resembles to his father.
6. He shot himself dead after bidding his wife good-bye with a gun.
7. Let us discuss on the matter.
8. Ill report at about a week or so.
9. I consider her brilliant student.
10. I have two daughters and both are girls.
Q 3: Describe the different types of listening. How can poor listening be a barrier to effective
communication? (5 marks)

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Oxford University Press 2011

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