Understanding Articles in English

ARTICLES
What is an article?
An article is a word that modifies or describes the Noun. It
is used before the noun to show whether it refers to
something specific or not. So, in a way, articles can also be
described as a type of adjectives as they also tell us
something about the nouns, like adjectives.
Types of Articles
There are two types of Articles in the English language.
They are as follows:
Definite article: Definite means to be clear, exact or
obvious about something. It is called definite because it is
used in relation to a particular thing or person. The is
the definite article in English, which is used to refer to
particular nouns, the identities of which are known. The
definite article indicates that the noun is specific. The
speaker talks about a particular thing. For example:
The cat sat on the couch.
The dog attacked me and ran away.
Notice how the reference is not left indefinite in both the
sentences. It is clear that a particular cat sat on the couch
in the first sentence and a specific dog that attacked the
speaker is being spoken about in the second example.
Indefinite articles: Indefinite means something which is
not clear, obvious or exact. They are called indefinite
because the identity of the thing or person being spoken
about is left unclear or indefinite. The indefinite article
indicates that the noun is not someone or something in
particular. The speaker talks about any one of that type of
things. The indefinite articles in English are "a" and "an."
For example:
Do you have a pencil?
I want to have an apple.

Notice how the speaker is not asking for a particular
pencil or apple, but any pencil or apple in the above
sentences.
Difference between A and An
Indefinite articles a/an are used as follows:
A is used before a word beginning with a consonant
sound. Consonant letters in the English alphabet are
B,C,D,F,G,H,J,K,L,M,N,P,Q,R,S,T,V,W,X,Y,Z.
For example: A boy, a cat, a dog, a fight, a gym, a horse, a
joke, a kite, a lion, a mirror, a noise, a pin, a quilt, etc.
An is used before a word beginning with a vowel sound.
Vowel letters in the English alphabet are A, E, I, O, U.
For example: An apple, an elephant, an idiot, an orange,
an umbrella, etc.
Note here that the usage is on the basis of sound and not
only the letter the word starts with.
For example:
An hour
An honest man
A one eyed dog
Do these seem wrong to you?
Theyre not and the reason is that the usage is on the
basis of sound. The words 'hour' and 'honest' both begin
with a vowel sound, as the consonant 'h' is not
pronounced. Similarly, the word 'one' begins with the
consonant sound of 'w' and hence is written as 'a one eyed
dog', not 'an one eyed dog'.
Also, remember that we use "a" and "an" only before a

singular noun. We can't use "a" and "an" before a plural
noun. For example:
A book - correct
A books - incorrect
An egg - correct
An eggs incorrect
Tips to remember the differences in a nutshell
a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a bag; a
pen, etc.
an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an egg; an
orphan, etc.
a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound:
user (sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e., gives a 'y' sound, so 'a' is
used); a university; a European, etc.
an + nouns starting with silent "h": an hour; an honest
man, etc.
NOTE:
These rules also apply in Acronyms.
For example:
He is a DU (Delhi University) student.
He is an IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) graduate.
The rule also applies when acronyms start with consonant
letters but have vowel sounds.
For example:
She is an MBA (Master of Business Administration).
When/If the noun is modified by an adjective, the choice
between a and an depends on the initial sound of the
adjective that immediately follows the article.
For example:
a beautiful umbrella
an unusual situation
a European country (pronounced as 'yer-o-pi-an,' i.e.,
sounds like consonant 'y')
A/An is used to indicate membership in a group.
For example:
I am a journalist. (I am a member of a large group of
professionals known as journalists.)
She is an Indian. (She is a member of the people from
India, known as Indians.)
Difference between A and The
"The", as mentioned earlier, is used to give information
about particular or known nouns. These are usually things
that have been mentioned before or that the listener is
familiar with. On the other hand, "A" or "an" is used to talk
about things which are not particular. Usually, these are
things that haven't been mentioned before or that the
listener is unfamiliar with.
For example, study these sentences:
I went to see a tattoo artist.
The tattoo artist has given me an appointment next week.
It is clear that in the first sentence, the speaker did not go
to see a particular tattoo artist. He/she went to see any
tattoo artist and was speaking to a friend about the same.
The tattoo artist in this case has either not been
mentioned before or is not that important, and therefore
their identity is unknown.
Whereas in the second sentence, the speaker refers to the
tattoo artist that had already been mentioned before. The
identity is already known, therefore, the has been used

to refer the tattoo artist.
Usage of the
Lets study the different cases where the can or cannot
be used.
Count and Noncount Nouns
The can either be used with noncount nouns or the article
can be omitted entirely. For example:
She liked to sail over the water. Here, some specific body
of water is being talked about.
She liked to sail over water. Here, no particular water is
being talked about. It can refer to any water.
A/An can be used only with single count nouns.
I need a bottle of juice.
I need an eraser.
Use of the in case of geography
There are some specific rules for using the with
geographical nouns.
Do not use the before:
names of most countries/territories: India, Brazil,
Canada; however, the Netherlands, the Dominican
Republic, the Philippines, the United States
names of cities, towns, or states: Toronto, Delhi, Sao
Paolo
names of streets: Callowhill Drive, Park Avenue
names of lakes and bays: Lake Michigan, Lake Ontario;
except while referring to a group of lakes - the Great
Lakes
names of mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Fuji except

with ranges of mountains like theAndes or the Rockies or
unusual names like the Matterhorn
names of continents: Asia, Europe
names of islands (Easter Island, Maui, Key West) except
with island chains like theAndaman Islands, the Canary
Islands
Use the before:
names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Ganga, the India
Ocean
points on the globe: the Equator, the South Pole
geographical areas: the South East, the Asia Pacific
deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the Kalahari, the
Sunderbans
Where articles are not used?
The usage of articles is one of the most confusing things
to remember for many English learners. It is not always
necessary to use articles everywhere. Our tip is to
remember the cases where articles should not be used.
Do not use articles:
When you talk about things in general.
For example: I like birds.
Here, the speaker wants to imply that he/she likes any
bird in general, and not a specific type of a bird.
When talking about plural count nouns.
For example: Dogs make great pets.
Here, you are not talking about one specific dog or one
specific pet; you are talking about all dogs in general.
When talking about non-count nouns.
For example: I love music.

Here, the speaker is saying that he enjoys music, in
general not any specific kind of music or song.
When talking about specific days or holidays,
geography, companies, languages.
For example: I have bought candles for Diwali.
Here, the speaker is talking about the candles he has
bought to use on the day of Diwali.
When talking about Geography.
Articles are not used before countries, states, cities,
towns, continents, single lakes, single mountains, etc.
For example: I live in Canada.
Mt. Rosa is part of the Alps mountain range.
Here, Mt. Rosa is one mountain, whereas The Alps refer to
a group of mountains.
NOTE:
The United Arab Emirates, The Russian Federation", The
People's Republic of China, The United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland, The Dominion of Canada,
etc., all contain articles because of the usage of common
nouns such as kingdom, republic, states, united,
dominion, emirates, etc.
The Netherlands, the Philippines, The Bahamas, The
Maldives, etc. have the before them due to the plural
nature of the names of the countries.
The Ukraine, the Sudan, etc. are exceptions to all of these
rules. It is perhaps, due to common use, or at least
previous common use. There have been historical uses of
articles before names of countries that don't fit into either
category.
When you talk about companies.
For example: Steve Jobs founded Apple.

I use Facebook every day.
Here, the speaker is referring to companies like Apple and
Facebook.
When you talk about languages.
For example: I speak Hindi.
Here, the speaker is talking about the language Hindi.
When you talk about places, locations, streets.
For example: My house is located on Callowhill Drive.
I left my pen at home.
Here, a street called Callowhill Drive and speakers home
are being talked about.
However, there are specific places that do need the use an
article. For example:
the bank, the hospital, the post office, the airport, the
train station, the bus stop, etc.
When you talk about sports and physical activities.
For example: I love to play cricket.
She enjoys dancing.
Here, cricket and dancing is being talked about.
When there is a noun + number
For example: She is staying at the Hilton hotel in room
127.
The train to Montreal leaves from platform 9.
Here, the nouns are followed by numbers; hence, no
article is used.
When talking about academic subjects.
For example: I hate attending Mathematics classes.

Here, the mathematic classes are being discussed.
A table to remember when or when not to use Articles
Different cases
When mentioning
something for the first
time.
Examples
I went for a
movie.
When talking about

something which belongs This is a pen.
to a set of the same thing.
A/ An When talking about
is used someone who belongs to
a certain group.
When talking about a
certain kind of a thing.
She is an
engineer.
I've have made
a great movie.
When wanting to say that

She is a shy
someone is a certain kind
girl.
of person.
When talking about a
particular thing.
When talking about
The is
something that you are
used
sure of.
When there is only one
such thing.
The movie that I

went for was
fantastic.
I cleared the
interview.
I dont like to
go out in the
sun.
When talking about

something in general.
Swimming is a
great physical
activity.
No
article
We visited
is used When talking about cities, France.
countries, streets, sports,
We watched
etc.
soccer together.
NOUNS
Nouns are simply the names we give to everything around
us, whether it be a person, an event, a place or an object,
etc. Every particular name used to define something is a
noun. E.g. : Amsterdam, Anita, Blackberry, Honesty,
Waiter, etc.
The names given to a group of noun to identify them as a
whole are called Collective Nouns. E.g.: pride of lions,
gaggle of geese etc.
Nouns or pronouns can also modify themselves to show
possession of another noun, usually by attaching 's' to the
end of the noun. These nouns that show possession are
calledPossessive Nouns.
Sometimes nouns have different forms for different
genders, although this practice has been largely
abandoned by the people who prefer to use the same
noun for both genders. For example - Actor (male) Actress (female), but people nowadays refer to women
who act as female actors rather than actresses.
Most nouns can be converted into plural forms by adding
-s or -es at the end of the word. E.g.: box-boxes, catcats, echo-echoes , etc.
But some nouns require the last consonant to be modified
before adding -es. For example: the Y in city changes
to I to form cities, kitty to kitties and f to v in dwarf to
dwarves, wharf to wharves, etc.
Some nouns become plurals irregularly by changing the
entire word: mouse- mice, ox - oxen, etc.
You can learn more about Plurals here: How to make
Plurals : Making Plurals-Easy Guide
Grammarians have divided nouns into different categories

based on their use and purpose. Learning these divisions
within the nouns will help in sentence construction and
vocabulary. The different types of Nouns are PROPER NOUNS
These nouns are the names of specific people and places.
These nouns also refer to the names of the days of weeks
and months, and also the various names for religions,
organizations, institutions, etc. Proper nouns basically
refer to the names that are specific to that particular
noun. These nouns are always capitalised as they need to
be distinct from other nouns.
- William Shakespeare was a playwright. - Proper
noun that is the name of a specific person.
- I will be visiting New York next month. - Proper noun
that is the name of a specific place.
- Everyone dislikes Monday mornings. - The names of
days are proper nouns.
- The holy book of Islam is the Koran. - Name of a
religion and religious text.
COMMON NOUNS
These are the nouns that are used to denote a general
category of people, places or things. They are capitalized
only when they are at the beginning of a sentence.
Common Nouns dont refer to something specific rather
they are a general term used for every noun of a
particular kind or type.
- The boys went to play cricket. Both boys and cricket are common nouns as they can
refer to any boy or any cricket match. There is
nothing specified by these nouns.
- This neighbourhood is one of the best in the area. Hereneighbourhood is the common noun as there are
innumerable neighbourhoods all over the world.
- She was trying to answer her phone while
buying coffee. - Here we seephone and coffee that
both are general indicators of the object and the
drink.
ABSTRACT NOUNS
These nouns are the names of things that we cannot
perceive through our five senses of touching, smelling,
seeing, hearing and tasting. These nouns can also refer to
medical conditions related to the mind and are also used
to express thoughts.
- She screamed with great delight. - Delight is an
abstract noun as it tells about the state of a persons
mind and any actual physical thing.
- His bravery in the war won him a medal. - The
abstract noun bravery is used to name the motivation
behind certain actions made by people.
- One should learn to be as independent as possible.
Here, independent describes a state or a way of
being, hence it is an abstract noun.
COUNTABLE NOUNS
The nouns that fall under this category are the ones that
have both singular and plural forms. They can be counted
either relatively or completely, and form plurals to
associate with plural verbs in a sentence. They can also be
expressed in numerical terms
- I need to buy four new suitcases for my trip.
- Suitcase (s) is a countable noun as adding s to it
makes it plural.
- Does anyone want some oranges? - Here some is

being used to count the noun orange(s).
- She had a pet dog. - Dog is also a countable noun as
its plural is dogs.
UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
These nouns are the exact opposite of Countable Nouns.
These nouns are the names of things that cannot be
counted and have only a singular form. These nouns use
singular verbs in a sentence.
- The furniture was damaged in moving out.
- Furniture is an uncountable noun and therefore, we
use the singular was in referring to it.
- Is 250gms of sugar enough? - Here, sugar is an
uncountable noun assugar itself cannot be counted. It
can only be weighed.
- He always answers questions with honesty.
- Honesty is an uncountable noun as it has no plural
and cannot be counted in physical terms either.
List of Nouns, Noun Examples
Actor
Doctor
Helmet
Match
Rose
Advertise
ment
Dog
Holiday
Microph
one
Russia
Afternoon Dream
Honey
Monkey
Sandwic
h
Airport
Dress
Horse
Morning School
Ambulanc
e
Easter
Hospital
Motorcy
cle
Scooter
House
Egg
Answer
Eggplan Hydroge
Napkin
t
n
Shoe
Apple
Egypt
Needle
Soccer
Army
Elephan
Insect
t
Nest
Spoon
Australia
Energy
Insuranc
Nigeria
e
Stone
Balloon
Engine
Iron
Sugar
Banana
England Island
Noteboo
Sweden
k
Battery
Evening Jackal
Ocean
Teacher
Beach
Eye
Jelly
Oil
Telepho
ne
Beard
Family
Jewelry
Orange
Televisio
n
Bed
Finland
Jordan
Oxygen
Tent
Belgium
Fish
Juice
Oyster
Thailand
Boy
Flag
Kangaro
Painting Tomato
o
Branch
Flower
King
Ice
Nail
Shampo
o
Animal
Night
Parrot
Toothbr
ush
Breakfast
Football Kitchen
Pencil
Traffic
Brother
Forest
Kite
Piano
Train
Camera
Fountai
n
Knife
Pillow
Truck
Candle
France
Lamp
Pizza
Uganda
Car
Furnitur
Lawyer
e
Planet
Umbrell
a
Caravan
Garage
Leather
Plastic
Van
Carpet
Garden
Library
Portugal Vase
Cartoon
Gas
Lighter
Potato
Vegetabl
e
China
Ghost
Lion
Queen
Vulture
Church
Girl
Lizard
Quill
Wall
Crayon
Glass
Lock
Rain
Whale
Crowd
Gold
London
Rainbow Window
Daughter
Grass
Lunch
Raincoat Wire
Death
Greece
Machine
Refriger
ator
Denmark
Guitar
Magazin Restaura
Yacht
e
nt
Diamond
Hair
Magician River
Xylopho
ne
Yak
Dinner
Hambur Manches
Rocket
ger
ter
Zebra
Disease
Helicopt
Market
er
Zoo
Room
These collective nouns are commonly used under the

category of people.
1. A class of students.
2. An army of soldiers.
3. A choir of singers.
4. A crew of sailors.
5. A band of musicians.
6. A bunch of crooks.
7. A crowd of people/spectators.
8. A gang of thieves.
9. A group of dancers.
10.
A team of players.
11.
A troupe of artists/dancers.
12.
A pack of thieves.
13.
A staff of employees.
14.
A regiment of soldiers.
15.
A tribe of natives.
16.
An audience of listeners.
17.
A panel of experts.
18.
A gang of labourers.
19.
A flock of tourists.
20.
A board of directors.
The following collective nouns are used for animals.

1. A catch of fish.
2. An army of ants.
3. A flight of birds.
4. A flock of birds.
5. A haul of fish.
6. A flock of sheep.
7. A herd of deer/cattle/elephants/goats/buffaloes.
8. A hive of bees.
9. A litter of cubs.
10.
A host of sparrows.
11.
A team of horses.
12.
A troop of lions.
13.
A zoo of wild animals.
14.
A pack of wolves.
15.
A litter of puppies/kittens.
16.
A swarm of bees/ants/rats/flies.
17.
A team of horses/ducks/oxen.
18.
A murder of crows.
19.
A kennel of dogs.
20.
A pack of hounds.
The following collective nouns are used for things.

1. A group of islands.
2. A galaxy of stars.
3. A wad of notes.
4. A forest of trees.
5. A stack of wood.
6. A fleet of ships.
7. A string of pearls.
8. An album of stamps/autographs/photographs.
9. A hedge of bushes.
10.
A library of books.
11.
A basket of fruit.
12.
A bowl of rice.
13.
A pack of cards.
14.
A pair of shoes.
15.
A bouquet of flowers.
16.
A bunch of keys.
17.
A chest of drawers.
18.
A pack of lies.
19.
A range of mountains.
20.
A cloud of dust.
TENSES
The concept of time can be split into:
1. The Present - What you are currently doing.
I eat, I am eating
1 The Past - What you did some time back.
I ate, I was eating
1 The Future - What you will do later.
I will eat, I will be eating
In the English language, tenses play an important role in

sentence formation.
The tense of a verb shows the time of an event or action.
There are four types of tenses. Simple, Perfect,
Continuous and Present Perfect Continuous and each of
these has a present, past and future form.
PRESENT TENSES
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
In Simple Present, the action is simply mentioned and
there is nothing being said about its completeness.
I eat.
I sleep.
I play.
In Simple Present, the action is simply mentioned and
there is nothing being said about its completeness. It is
used to talk about an action which happens on a regular
basis.
POSITIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT
VERB
REST OF THE
SENTENCE
study
in Bal Bharti school.
You
study
He
studies
Mohan
studies
The boy
studies
She
studies
Pooja
studies
The girl
studies
We
study
You
study
They
study
The children
study
Notice how we use study for the subjects I, You, We, You
and They and we use studies for the subjects He and
She.
Simple Present Exercise 1
NEGATIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT
DONT (DO
NOT) /
DOESNT
(DOES NOT)
VERB
REST OF THE
SENTENCE
dont
play
football.
You
dont
play
football.
He
doesnt
play
football.
Mohan
doesnt
play
football.
The boy
doesnt
play
football.
She
doesnt
play
football.
Pooja
doesnt
play
football.
The girl
doesnt
play
football.
We
dont
play
football.
You
dont
play
football.
They
dont
play
football.
The men
dont
play
football.
Notice how we use dont for the subjects I, You, We, You
and They
and we use doesnt for the subjects He and She. The
verb form remains the same for all subjects.
INTERROGATIVE STATEMENTS / QUESTIONS
DO / DOES SUBJECT
VERB
REST OF THE
SENTENCE
Do
sleep
in the
afternoon?
Do
you
sleep
in the
afternoon?
Does
he
sleep
in the
afternoon?
Does
Mohan
sleep
in the
afternoon?
Does
the boy
sleep
in the
afternoon?
Does
she
sleep
in the
afternoon?
Does
Pooja
sleep
in the
afternoon?
Does
the girl
sleep
in the
afternoon?
Do
we
sleep
in the
afternoon?
Do
you
sleep
in the
afternoon?
Do
they
sleep
in the
afternoon?
Do
the men
sleep
in the
afternoon?
Notice how we use Do for the subjects I, You, We, You

and They
and we use Does for the subjects He and She. The
verb form remains the same for all subjects.
PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
In Present Continuous, the action is on-going/ still going
on and hence continuous.
I am eating.
I am sleeping.
I am playing.
PRESENT PERFECT TENSE
In Present Perfect, the action is complete or has ended
and hence termed Perfect.
I have eaten.
I have slept.
I have played.
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE
In Present Perfect Continuous, the action has been taking
place for some time and is still ongoing.
I have been eating.
I have been sleeping.
I have been playing.
In the Present Perfect Continuous tense, the action has
been taking place for some time and is still ongoing.The
duration for which the action has been going on is usually
mentioned in the present perfect continuous tense.
POSITIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT
HAVE
VERB +
BEEN/
ing
HAS BEEN
REST OF THE
SENTENCE
have
been
waiting
for an hour.
You
have
been
waiting
for an hour.
He
has been
waiting
for an hour.
Mohan
has been
waiting
for an hour.
The boy
has been
waiting
for an hour.
She
has been
waiting
for an hour.
Pooja
has been
waiting
for an hour.
The girl
has been
waiting
for an hour.
We
have
been
waiting
for an hour.
You
have
been
waiting
for an hour.
They
have
been
waiting
for an hour.
The children
have
been
waiting
for an hour.
Notice that we use

have been with the subjects I, You, We and They
has been with the subjects He and She
The verb form remains the same for all subjects.
NEGATIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT
HAVE NOT
BEEN / HAS
NOT BEEN
have not been living
in Mumbai since
March.
You
in Mumbai since
March.
He
has not been
living
in Mumbai since
March.
Mohan
has not been
living
in Mumbai since
March.
The boy
has not been
living
in Mumbai since
March.
VERB +
ing
REST OF THE
SENTENCE
She
has not been
living
in Mumbai since
March.
Pooja
has not been
living
in Mumbai since
March.
The girl
has not been
living
in Mumbai since
March.
We
in Mumbai since
March.
You
in Mumbai since
March.
They
in Mumbai since
March.
The
children
in Mumbai since
March.
Notice that we use

have not been with the subjects I, You, We and
They
has not been with the subjects He and She
HAV
E/
HAS
SUBJEC BEE VERB

REST OF THE SENTENCE
T
N
+ ing
Have I
bee worki hard for the last three

n
ng
days?
Have you
ng
days?
Has
he

n
ng
days?
Has
Mohan

n
ng
days?
Has
the
boy

n
ng
days?
Has
she

n
ng
days?
Has
Pooja

n
ng
days?
Has
the girl

n
ng
days?
Have we

n
ng
days?
Have you

n
ng
days?
Have they

n
ng
days?
the
men

n
ng
days?
Have
Notice that we use

have with the subjects I, You, We and They
has with the subjects He and She
PAST TENSES
SIMPLE PAST TENSE
In Simple Past, the action is simply mentioned and
understood to have taken place in the past.
I ate.
I slept.
I played.
In the Simple Past tense, the action is simply mentioned
and understood to have taken place in the past. The
action started and ended sometime in the past but the
time may or may not be mentioned.
POSITIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT
VERB (in
past form)
REST OF THE
SENTENCE
played
cricket yesterday.
You
played
cricket yesterday.
He
played
cricket yesterday.
Mohan
played
cricket yesterday.
The boy
played
cricket yesterday.
She
played
cricket yesterday.
Pooja
played
cricket yesterday.
The girl
played
cricket yesterday.
We
played
cricket yesterday.
You
played
cricket yesterday.
They
played
cricket yesterday.
The children
played
cricket yesterday.
For making positive statements in the simple past tense,

notice how we use the verb in the past form for all
subjects.
NEGATIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT
DIDNT (DID
NOT)
VERB (in
base form)
REST OF THE
SENTENCE
didnt
talk
to Mohit last
week.
You
didnt
talk
to Mohit last
week.
He
didnt
talk
to Mohit last
week.
Mohan
didnt
talk
to Mohit last
week.
The boy
didnt
talk
to Mohit last
week.
She
didnt
talk
to Mohit last
week.
Pooja
didnt
talk
to Mohit last
week.
The girl
didnt
talk
to Mohit last
week.
We
didnt
talk
to Mohit last
week.
You
didnt
talk
to Mohit last
week.
They
didnt
talk
to Mohit last
week.
The men
didnt
talk
to Mohit last
week.
For making negative statements in the simple past tense,

notice how we use didnt or did not and the verb in the
base form for all subjects.
DID
SUBJECT
VERB (in
REST OF THE
base form) SENTENCE
Did
complete
the work?
Did
you
complete
the work?
Did
he
complete
the work?
Did
Mohan
complete
the work?
Did
the boy
complete
the work?
Did
she
complete
the work?
Did
Pooja
complete
the work?
Did
the girl
complete
the work?
Did
we
complete
the work?
Did
you
complete
the work?
Did
they
complete
the work?
Did
the men
complete
the work?
For making questions in the simple past tense, notice how

we use did and the verb in the base form for all subjects.
PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE
In Past Continuous, the action was ongoing till a certain
time in the past.
I was eating.
I was sleeping.
I was playing.
The Past Perfect Continuous tense is used to express
something that started in the past and continued until
another time in the past.
POSITIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT
HAD BEEN
VERB +
ing
REST OF THE
SENTENCE
had been
standing
at the bus stop for

thirty minutes.
You
had been
standing
at the bus stop for

thirty minutes.
He
had been
standing
at the bus stop for

thirty minutes.
Mohan
had been
standing
at the bus stop for

thirty minutes.
The boy
had been
standing
at the bus stop for

thirty minutes.
She
had been
standing
at the bus stop for

thirty minutes.
Pooja
had been
standing
at the bus stop for

thirty minutes.
The girl
had been
standing
at the bus stop for

thirty minutes.
We
had been
standing
at the bus stop for

thirty minutes.
You
had been
standing
at the bus stop for

thirty minutes.
They
had been
standing
at the bus stop for

thirty minutes.
The
children
had been
standing
at the bus stop for

thirty minutes.
Notice that we use had been and the verb + ing the same
for all subjects.
NEGATIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT
HAD NOT
BEEN
VERB +
ing
REST OF THE
SENTENCE
had not been
exercisi
ng
at the
gymnasium.
You
had not been
exercisi
ng
at the
gymnasium.
He
had not been
exercisi
ng
at the
gymnasium.
Mohan
had not been exercisi
at the
ng
gymnasium.
The boy
had not been
exercisi
ng
at the
gymnasium.
She
had not been
exercisi
ng
at the
gymnasium.
Pooja
had not been
exercisi
ng
at the
gymnasium.
The girl
had not been
exercisi
ng
at the
gymnasium.
We
had not been
exercisi
ng
at the
gymnasium.
You
had not been
exercisi
ng
at the
gymnasium.
They
had not been
exercisi
ng
at the
gymnasium.
The
children
had not been
exercisi
ng
at the
gymnasium.
Notice that we use had not been and the verb + ing form
for all subjects.
HAD
SUBJEC BEE VERB

T
N
+ ing
Had I
bee waiti
for a long time?
n
ng
Had you
bee waiti
for a long time?
n
ng
Had he
bee waiti
for a long time?
n
ng
Had Mohan
bee waiti
for a long time?
n
ng
Had the boy
bee waiti
for a long time?
n
ng
Had she
bee waiti
for a long time?
n
ng
Had Pooja
bee waiti
for a long time?
n
ng
Had the girl
bee waiti
for a long time?
n
ng
Had we
bee waiti
for a long time?
n
ng
Had you
bee waiti
for a long time?
n
ng
Had they
bee waiti
for a long time?
n
ng
the
men
bee waiti
for a long time?
n
ng
Had
PAST PERFECT TENSE

Past Perfect is used to express something that happened
before another action in the past.
I had eaten.
I had slept.
I had played.
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

Past Perfect Continuous is used to express something that
started in the past and continued until another time in the
past.
I had been eating.
I had been sleeping.
I had been playing.
The Past Perfect Continuous tense is used to express
something that started in the past and continued until
another time in the past.
POSITIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT
HAD BEEN
VERB +
ing
REST OF THE
SENTENCE
had been
standing
at the bus stop for

thirty minutes.
You
had been
standing
at the bus stop for

thirty minutes.
He
had been
standing
at the bus stop for

thirty minutes.
Mohan
had been
standing
at the bus stop for

thirty minutes.
The boy
had been
standing
at the bus stop for

thirty minutes.
She
had been
standing
at the bus stop for

thirty minutes.
Pooja
had been
standing
at the bus stop for

thirty minutes.
The girl
had been
standing at the bus stop for
thirty minutes.
We
had been
standing
at the bus stop for

thirty minutes.
You
had been
standing
at the bus stop for

thirty minutes.
They
had been
standing
at the bus stop for

thirty minutes.
The
children
had been
standing
at the bus stop for

thirty minutes.
Notice that we use had been and the verb + ing the same
for all subjects.
NEGATIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT
HAD NOT
BEEN
VERB +
ing
REST OF THE
SENTENCE
had not been
exercisi
ng
at the
gymnasium.
You
had not been
exercisi
ng
at the
gymnasium.
He
had not been
exercisi
ng
at the
gymnasium.
Mohan
had not been
exercisi
ng
at the
gymnasium.
The boy
had not been
exercisi
ng
at the
gymnasium.
She
had not been
exercisi
ng
at the
gymnasium.
Pooja
had not been
exercisi
ng
at the
gymnasium.
The girl
had not been
exercisi
ng
at the
gymnasium.
We
had not been
exercisi
ng
at the
gymnasium.
You
had not been
exercisi
ng
at the
gymnasium.
They
had not been
exercisi
ng
at the
gymnasium.
The
children
had not been
exercisi
ng
at the
gymnasium.
Notice that we use had not been and the verb + ing form
for all subjects.
HAD
SUBJEC BEE VERB

T
N
+ ing
Had I
bee waiti
for a long time?
n
ng
Had you
bee waiti
for a long time?
n
ng
Had he
bee waiti
for a long time?
n
ng
Had Mohan
bee waiti
for a long time?
n
ng
Had the boy bee waiti for a long time?
ng
Had she
bee waiti
for a long time?
n
ng
Had Pooja
bee waiti
for a long time?
n
ng
Had the girl
bee waiti
for a long time?
n
ng
Had we
bee waiti
for a long time?
n
ng
Had you
bee waiti
for a long time?
n
ng
Had they
bee waiti
for a long time?
n
ng
the
men
bee waiti
for a long time?
n
ng
Had
FUTURE TENSES
SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE
Simple Future is used when we plan or make a decision to
do something. Nothing is said about the time in the
future.
I will eat.
I will sleep.
I will play.
The Simple Future tense is used when we plan or make a
decision to do something. Nothing is said about the time
in the future.
POSITIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT
WILL
VERB
REST OF THE
SENTENCE
will
read
the story book

tomorrow.
You
will
read
the story book

tomorrow.
He
will
read
the story book

tomorrow.
Mohan
will
read
the story book

tomorrow.
The boy
will
read
the story book

tomorrow.
She
will
read
the story book

tomorrow.
Pooja
will
read
the story book

tomorrow.
The girl
will
read
the story book

tomorrow.
We
will
read
the story book

tomorrow.
You
will
read
the story book

tomorrow.
They
will
read
the story book

tomorrow.
The children will
read
the story book
tomorrow.
SUBJECT
AM / IS /
ARE
GOING
TO
am going
read
to
the story book

tomorrow.
You
are going
read
to
the story book

tomorrow.
He
is going
to
read
the story book

tomorrow.
Mohan
is going
to
read
the story book

tomorrow.
The boy
is going
to
read
the story book

tomorrow.
She
is going
to
read
the story book

tomorrow.
Pooja
is going
to
read
the story book

tomorrow.
The girl
is going
to
read
the story book

tomorrow.
We
are going
read
to
the story book

tomorrow.
You
are going
read
to
the story book

tomorrow.
They
are going read
the story book
VERB
REST OF THE
SENTENCE
The children
to
tomorrow.
are going
read
to
the story book

tomorrow.
Notice how we use will or going to and the verb in the

base form for all subjects.
NEGATIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT
WILL
NOT
VERB
REST OF THE
SENTENCE
will not
play
football next week.
You
will not
play
football next week.
He
will not
play
football next week.
Mohan
will not
play
football next week.
The boy
will not
play
football next week.
She
will not
play
football next week.
Pooja
will not
play
football next week.
The girl
will not
play
football next week.
We
will not
play
football next week.
You
will not
play
football next week.
They
will not
play
football next week.
The children will not
play
football next week.
SUBJECT
VERB
REST OF THE
AM / IS /
ARE
NOT
GOING
TO
SENTENCE
am not
going to
play
football next week.
You
are not
going to
play
football next week.
He
is not
going to
play
football next week.
Mohan
is not
going to
play
football next week.
The boy
is not
going to
play
football next week.
She
is not
going to
play
football next week.
Pooja
is not
going to
play
football next week.
The girl
is not
going to
play
football next week.
We
are not
going to
play
football next week.
You
are not
going to
play
football next week.
They
are not
going to
play
football next week.
The children
are not
going to
play
football next week.
Notice how we use will not or not going to and the verb
in the base form for all subjects.
WILL
SUBJECT
VERB
REST OF THE
SENTENCE
Will
go
to Mumbai next
month?
Will
you
go
to Mumbai next
month?
Will
he
go
to Mumbai next
month?
Will
Mohan
go
to Mumbai next
month?
Will
the boy
go
to Mumbai next
month?
Will
she
go
to Mumbai next
month?
Will
Pooja
go
to Mumbai next
month?
Will
the girl
go
to Mumbai next
month?
Will
we
go
to Mumbai next
month?
Will
you
go
to Mumbai next
month?
Will
they
go
to Mumbai next
month?
Will
the
children
go
to Mumbai next
month?
AM / IS /
ARE
SUBJECT
GOING
TO
Am
going to go
to Mumbai next
month?
Are
you
going to go
to Mumbai next
month?
Is
he
going to go
to Mumbai next
month?
Is
Mohan
going to go
to Mumbai next
month?
Is
the boy
going to go
to Mumbai next
month?
Is
she
going to go
to Mumbai next
month?
Is
Pooja
going to go
to Mumbai next
month?
Is
the girl
going to go
to Mumbai next
month?
Are
we
going to go
to Mumbai next
month?
VERB
REST OF THE
SENTENCE
Are
you
going to go
to Mumbai next
month?
Are
they
going to go
to Mumbai next
month?
Are
the
going to go
children
to Mumbai next
month?
FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE

The future continuous tense is used to express action at a
particular moment in the future. However, the action will
not have finished at the moment.
I will be eating at 9 a.m.
I will be sleeping when you arrive.
I will be playing at 5 p.m.
The future continuous tense is used to express action at a
particular moment in the future. However, the action will
not have finished at the moment.
POSITIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT
WILL BE
VERB + ing
REST OF THE
SENTENCE
will be
studying
at 4 p.m. tomorrow.
You
will be
studying
at 4 p.m. tomorrow.
He
will be
studying
at 4 p.m. tomorrow.
Mohan
will be
studying
at 4 p.m. tomorrow.
The boy
will be
studying
at 4 p.m. tomorrow.
She
will be
studying
at 4 p.m. tomorrow.
Pooja
will be
studying
at 4 p.m. tomorrow.
The girl
will be
studying
at 4 p.m. tomorrow.
We
will be
studying
at 4 p.m. tomorrow.
You
will be
studying
at 4 p.m. tomorrow.
They
will be
studying
at 4 p.m. tomorrow.
The children will be
studying
at 4 p.m. tomorrow.
Notice that we use will be and the verb + ing for all
subjects.
NEGATIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT
WILL
NOT BE
VERB + ing
REST OF THE
SENTENCE
will not
be
playing
at 6 p.m. tomorrow.
You
will not
be
playing
at 6 p.m. tomorrow.
He
will not
be
playing
at 6 p.m. tomorrow.
Mohan
will not
be
playing
at 6 p.m. tomorrow.
The boy
will not
be
playing
at 6 p.m. tomorrow.
She
will not
be
playing
at 6 p.m. tomorrow.
Pooja
will not
playing
at 6 p.m. tomorrow.
be
The girl
will not
be
playing
at 6 p.m. tomorrow.
We
will not
be
playing
at 6 p.m. tomorrow.
You
will not
be
playing
at 6 p.m. tomorrow.
They
will not
be
playing
at 6 p.m. tomorrow.
The children
will not
be
playing
at 6 p.m. tomorrow.
Notice that we use will not be and the verb + ing for all
subjects.
WILL
SUBJECT BE
VERB +
ing
REST OF THE
SENTENCE
Will
be
sleeping
at 7 a.m
tomorrow?
Will
you
be
sleeping
at 7 a.m
tomorrow?
Will
he
be
sleeping
at 7 a.m
tomorrow?
Will
Mohan
be
sleeping
at 7 a.m
tomorrow?
Will
the boy
be
sleeping
at 7 a.m
tomorrow?
Will
she
be
sleeping
at 7 a.m
tomorrow?
Will
Pooja
be
sleeping
at 7 a.m
tomorrow?
Will
the girl
be
sleeping
at 7 a.m
tomorrow?
Will
we
be
sleeping
at 7 a.m
tomorrow?
Will
you
be
sleeping
at 7 a.m
tomorrow?
Will
they
be
sleeping
at 7 a.m
tomorrow?
Will
the
be
children
sleeping
at 7 a.m
tomorrow?
FUTURE PERFECT TENSE

Future Perfect expresses action that will occur in the
future before another action in the future.
I will have eaten before 10 a.m.
I will have slept before you arrive.
I will have played before 6 p.m.
FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE
Future Perfect Continuous is used to talk about an ongoing action before some point in the future.
I will have been sleeping for two hours when you
arrive.
I will have been playing for an hour when it is 5 p.m.
VERBS
Verbs are the most important component of any sentence.
These words talk about the action or the state of any noun
or subject. This means that verbs show what the subject is
doing or what is the state or situation of the subject.
For example:
- He ran to the store. - Here the verb ran describes the
action of the subject he
- She is a creative person. - Here there is no action being
done. Instead the auxiliary verb is shows the state of the
subject she as being creative.
There are different types and classifications of Verbs;
some of the most important ones are listed below:
Regular Verbs
base
-s form
past
past participle
-ing form
call
calls
Called
called
calling
notes
clean cleans
cleaned cleaned
cleaning
look
looks
looked
looked
looking
talk
talks
talked
talked
talking
end
ends
ended
ended
ending
wait
waits
waited
waited
waiting
kiss
kisses
kissed
kissed
kissing
wash washes washed
washed
washing
live
lives
lived
lived
living
love
loves
loved
loved
loving
beg
begs
begged
begged
begging
sin
sins
sinned
sinned
sinning
play
plays
played
played
playing
stay
stays
stayed
stayed
staying
cry
cries
cried
cried
crying
studies studied
studied
studying
die
dies
died
died
dying
tie
ties
tied
tied
tying
Notes :
1. Pronunciation differences in past/past participle after
/p, s, k, f/ sounds
2. Pronunciation differences in past/past participle after /t,
d/ sounds
3. Spelling and pronunciation differences in -s form
after /s, sh, ch, z/ sounds
4. Dropping of "silent e" with -ing endings
5. Doubled consonants after "short" vowel sounds

6. Spelling differences when "y" is preceded by a
consonant
Irregular Verbs
base
-s form past
past participle
-ing form
cut
cuts
cut
cut
Cutting
fit
fits
fit
fit
Fitting
hit
hits
hit
hit
Hitting
let
lets
let
let
Letting
put
puts
put
put
Putting
quit
quits
quit
quit
Quitting
set
sets
set
set
Setting
shut
shuts
shut
shut
Shutting
split
splits
split
split
Splitting
upset upsets upset
upset
Upsetting
burst
bursts burst
burst
Bursting
cast
casts
cast
cast
Casting
cost
costs
cost
cost
costing*
hurt
hurts
hurt
hurt
Hurting
sprea spread
spread
d
s
spread
Spreadin
g
knit
knit/knitted
Knitting
knits
knit/knitted
sit
sits
sat
sat
Sitting
spit
spits
spat/spit
spat/spit
Spitting
begin begins began
begun
Beginnin
g
swim
swims
swam
swum
Swimmin
g
ring
rings
rang
rung
ringing
sing
sings
sang
sung
singing
spring springs sprang
sprung
springing
cling
clings
clung
clung
clinging
fling
flings
flung
flung
flinging
sling
slings
slung
slung
slinging
sting
stings
stung
stung
stinging
swing swings swung
swung
swinging
wring wrings wrung
wrung
wringing
hang
hangs
hung/hanged**
hung/hanged
hanging
drink
drinks
drank
drunk
sinking
shrink shrinks shrank
shrunk
shrinking
stink
stinks
stank
stunk
stinking
think
thinks
thought
thought
thinking
bring
brings brought
brought
bringing
buy
buys
bought
bought
buying
seek
seeks
sought
sought
seeking
fight
fights
fought
fought
fighting
catch
catche
caught
s
caught
catching
teach
teache
taught
s
taught
teaching
creep creeps crept
crept
creeping
keep
keeps
kept
kept
keeping
sleep
sleeps slept
slept
sleeping
sweep sweeps swept
swept
sweeping
weep
wept
weeping
bleed bleeds bled
bled
bleeding
breed breeds bred
bred
breeding
feed
feeds
fed
fed
feeding
flee
flees
fled
fled
fleeing
lead
leads
led
led
leading
speed speeds sped/speeded
sped/speeded
speeding
meet
meets
met
met
meeting
bend
bends
bent
bent
bending
lend
lends
lent
lent
lending
weeps wept
send
sends
sent
sent
sending
spend spends spent
spent
spending
deal
deals
dealt
dealt
dealing
feel
feels
felt
felt
feeling
knelt
kneeling
kneel kneels knelt
dream dreams
dreamt/dreame dreamt/dreame
dreaming
d
d
mean means meant
meant
meaning
spill
spills
spilt/spilled
spilt/spilled
spilling
build
builds
built
built
building
burn
burns
burnt/burned
burnt/burned
burning
hold
holds
held
held
holding
sell
sells
sold
sold
selling
tell
tells
told
told
telling
find
finds
found
found
finding
grind
grinds ground
ground
grinding
wind
winds
wound
winding
wound
break breaks broke
broken
breaking
choos choose
chose
e
s
chosen
choosing
freeze freezes froze
frozen
freezing
speak speaks spoke
spoken
speaking
steal
steals
stole
stolen
stealing
wake
wakes
woke
woken
waking
weave weaves wove
woven
weaving
arise
arises
arose
arisen
arising
drive
drives
drove
driven
driving
ride
rides
rode
ridden
riding
rise
rises
rose
risen
rising
write
writes
wrote
written
Writing
telling, speaking, walking, running, faking, pulling,

pushing, bluffing, lying, sleeping, relaxing, dreaming,
sitting, standing, beating, playing, jogging, dancing,
swimming, driving, riding, cycling, hopping, drinking,
eating, shaking, raking, piling, piercing, penetrating,
squeezing, mashing, rolling, spinning, wearing, removing,
adding, distributing, begging, gifting, praying, cursing,
laughing, crying, smiling, texting, typing, printing, calling,
receiving, ignoring, opening, closing, gardening, watering,
planting, cooking, strolling, chatting, connecting,
showing, revealing, seeing, proposing, rejecting,
worrying, going, coming, swinging, recalling, dialing.
List of Verbs, Verb Examples

Accept
Catch
Achieve
Expand
Lie
Select
Challeng
Explain
e
Like
Sell
Add
Change
Fear
Listen
Send
Admire
Cheat
Feel
Lose
Sing
Admit
Chew
Fight
Love
Snore
Adopt
Choose
Find
Make
Stand
Advise
Clap
Fly
Marry
Stare
Agree
Clean
Forget
Measure
Start
Allow
Collect
Forgive
Meet
Stink
Announce Compare Fry
Move
Study
Appreciat
Complain Gather
e
Murder
Sweep
Approve
Confess
Get
Obey
Swim
Argue
Confuse
Give
Offend
Take
Arrive
Construc
Glow
t
Offer
Talk
Ask
Control
Greet
Open
Teach
Assist
Copy
Grow
Paint
Tear
Attack
Count
Guess
Pay
Tell
Bake
Create
Harass
Pick
Thank
Bathe
Cry
Hate
Play
Travel
Be
Damage
Hear
Pray
Type
Beat
Dance
Help
Print
Understan
d
Become
Deliver
Hit
Pull
Use
Beg
Destroy
Hope
Punch
Visit
Behave
Disagree Identify
Punish
Wait
Bet
Drag
Interrupt Purchase Walk
Boast
Drive
Introduc
Push
e
Want
Boil
Drop
Irritate
Quit
Warn
Borrow
Earn
Jump
Race
Wed
Breathe
Eat
Keep
Read
Weep
Bring
Employ
Kick
Relax
Wink
Build
Encourag
Kiss
e
Remembe
Worry
r
Burn
Enjoy
Reply
Laugh
Write
Bury
Establish Learn
Retire
Buy
Estimate Leave
Rub
Call
Exercise
See
Lend
Yell
PRONOUNS
Pronouns are words that we use in place of Nouns (or
other Pronouns) in a sentence to make it less repetitive
and less awkward. Some of the most common Pronouns
are - he, she, you, they, it, etc. These Pronouns are
divided into different categories based on their use Personal Pronouns
These pronouns are used for a specific object or person
and they change their forms to indicate the different
genders, numbers, case and persons speaking -
Tanya told him to take the food to them as soon as

possible as it was urgently needed.
Him is a Pronoun of gender.
Them is a Pronoun of number showing that there is more
than one person, and it is also a Pronoun of case as it is
referring to a specific group in an objective manner.
It is also a Pronoun of gender showing the object (food).
So we can see that the Personal Pronouns can be based on
Gender
He went to the market. - He is used for the male gender.
Other examples are - His, Him, He, etc.
She is doing the laundry. - She is used for the female
gender. Other examples are - Her, Hers, etc.
It is important to them. - It is gender neutral as it shows
an object, them is also gender neutral as them can consist
of both genders. Other gender neutral pronouns are Their, They, Its, etc.
Number
Singular Pronouns - Where the pronoun is only referring to
one specific noun.
That book belongs to me. - Me refers to one singular
person only.
Plural Pronouns - Where the pronoun is used to refer to a
number of nouns.
That is their book, not yours. - Their shows a number of
people, hence its a plural personal pronoun. Whereas the
yours in this sentence is another example of singular
personal pronoun.
Cases -
Subjective Case She is at work. -She is the main subject of the sentence,
hence in this sentence, she is the subjective personal
pronoun. You can ask the question who/what is doing
______? to recognize whether a pronoun is subjective or
objective.
Objective Case He will meet us later. -Us is the objective personal noun
as it the object of the verb meet. He is the subject as he
is the person who will be doing the action of meeting.
Possessive Case That is our clubhouse. - Our shows the possession of the
object clubhouse. Possessive pronouns can also be used
to show possession over people.
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. They are only four in number - This, That, These
and Those. This and That are singular demonstrative
pronouns and These and Those are plural demonstrative
pronouns. They can also be used to show an unspecified
quantity in a sentence.
That is a beautiful house. - That is a demonstrative
pronoun that is referring to a specific noun (house). This is
a singular pronoun as it is referring to only one house.
These were made by me. - These is showing an
unspecified quantity of something that was made by a
person. This is a plural demonstrative pronoun as its
referring to a number of objects.
Everyone remembers those days. - Those is showing a
particular time or period of days in the past; it is being
used in place of a noun that could be - school, summer,
college, etc. Here also those is a plural demonstrative

pronoun as its indicating a number of days.
This is what he is charging? - This is used as pronoun in
place of a number and it is also acting as a quantifier by
referring not only to the noun but to the amount/number
of the noun as well. This is a singular demonstrative
pronoun.
Interrogative Pronouns
Who, Whom, Which and What are Interrogative Pronouns
as they are used to ask questions about a person or object
that we do not know about. Compounds of these words
are made by attaching -ever to the words to strengthen
the emphasis on the word.
Which one would you like? - Here, which is being used to
ask someone to make a choice between different things,
instead of naming every single choice that is available.
What is your name? - What is used to ask a personal noun
that the speaker doesnt know.
Who will be managing the buffet? - Who is used to ask
about a specific person related to a task.
Whom did you tell about this? - Whom is showing/asking
the person who was told something by you.
Whoever could have done this? - Whoever is the
compound of Who and it is used here to emphasise the
feeling of confusion in the sentence while still asking a
question.
Whichever one will you choose? - Whichever is used here
to show strong emotion while asking a persons choice.
In the case of Who and Whom Who is always the subject of the verb. The emphasis is on
the identity of the person who did the action.
Who rang the bell? Here, we can see that the verb phrase
rang the bell is secondary and the main emphasis is on the
identity of the person ringing the bell.
Whom is never the subject of the verb. It is used to show
the person to or for whom the action is being done. In
other words, it is the object of the verb.
Whom were you meeting with? Here, we can see that the
subject of verb or the person who was meeting someone is
you. Whom is the object of the verb or the person you
were meeting.
Relative Pronouns
Relative Pronouns are used to join or relate two different
clauses together by referring to the noun in the previous
clause using the pronouns
- Who, Whom,Whose, Which and That.
Which and That are generally used for objects;
while Who and Whom are used for people, and Whose is
used to show possession.
She will choose the colour which looks good on everyone.
Here, which is joining the two related clauses about
choosing a colour and a colour which would look good on
everyone.
She is complaining to whoever she comes across
nowadays.
Here, the whoever is the object of the verb complaining
and it is linking the two clauses about someone
complaining and the frequency of their complaints.
There is a car in the parking lot that someone has painted
a bright pink.
That is joining the two sentences related to the object and
its location in the first and its appearance in the second.
She needs to know by tomorrow who will be accompanying

her on the trip.
Who here stands for the unknown person and it also joins
the two different clauses together.
Is there anyone here whose mobile phone has a signal?
Whose is used here to ask if anyone has possession of
something that the speaker needs.
Indefinite Pronouns
These pronouns are used to show unspecified objects or
people, whether in plural or in singular. They are used to
indicate the entire noun or some of the noun or none of
the noun. They are used when we want to refer to group
of nouns without actually specifying who or how much.
Some common indefinite nouns are - anyone, someone,
none, everything, many, few, etc.
If anyone has seen my notebook please return it to me.
Here, we see the pronoun anyone is being used to refer to
everyone without any specification.
A few of the members were not satisfied with the service.
- Few means a small number of people/objects. Hence, it is
a plural indefinite pronoun.
Nobody was answering when I called them last. Here, we
see a pronounnobody being used to show no one at all. It
is a singular indefinite pronoun.
Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns
Reflexive Pronouns are those which are used to indicate a
noun which has been used in an earlier part of the same
sentence. These pronouns are
- Myself,Themselves, Yourself, Ourselves, Herself, Himself
and Itself.
Rosa was going to take it to the shop but ended up fixing

it herself one afternoon. Here, we can see that herself is
being used to refer to Rosa again at the end of the
sentence.
He prefers to be by himself after a game.
Here, himself is used to refer to him.
Apart from ordering in, they cooked a few
snack themselves. Here themselves is used to show that
they cooked something.
The horse hurt itself while trying to escape. Since itself is a gender neutral pronoun, it is used to show
the nouns that have no definite gender. E.g. : material
things or ideas, etc.; or whose gender is unknown. E :
animals.
These same words are also called Intensive Pronouns,
which are used to lay emphasis on the pronoun that comes
before them in the sentence.
They themselves knew that the prank was in bad taste. Here, the pronoun themselves is used to emphasise they.
Avoid reporting things that you yourself havent
witnessed. - Here yourself is used to emphasise the
pronoun you.
Reciprocal Pronoun
There are just two Reciprocal Pronouns - Each
other and One another. They are used when two or more
nouns are doing or being the same to one another. Both of
these pronouns are plural in nature as they can only be
used in situations where there is more than one noun.
Jamie and Jack always sit beside each other in break.
Here, the reciprocation is between the children as they
both sit together.
They havent seen one another since last year. Here,

neither of the two parties has seen each other in some
time.
The trees seem to reach towards each other in a strong
wind. Here, we have an unspecified amount of trees
bending towards the others in a strong wind.
ADJECTIVES
Adjectives are words that are used to describe (what kind
of?) nouns and pronouns and to quantify (how much of?)
and identify (which one?) them. In a nutshell, Adjectives
are what define nouns and give them characteristics to
differentiate them from other nouns. For example:
- He was wearing a blue shirt.
Here blue is an adjective as it is describing the noun
shirt by answering the question what kind of shirt?
- There are seven rooms in the house.
Here Seven is also an adjective as its telling the
quantity/the number of the noun rooms, answering the
question how many rooms?.
There are different types of adjectives based upon their
effect on a noun and what do they tell about the noun.
There are five categories of adjectives
1 Adjectives of Quality - These adjectives are used to
describe the nature of a noun. They give an idea
about the characteristics of the noun by answering
the question what kind.
- Honest, Kind, Large, Bulky, Beautiful, Ugly etc.
- New Delhi is a large city with many historical
monuments.
- Sheila is a beautiful woman.
1 Adjectives of Quantity - These adjectives help to show

the amount or the approximate amount of the noun or
pronoun. These adjectives do not provide exact
numbers; rather they tell us the amount of the noun
in relative or whole terms.
All, Half, Many, Few, Little, No, Enough, Great etc.
- They have finished most of the rice.
- Many people came to visit the fair.
1 Adjectives of Number - These adjectives are used to
show the number of nouns and their place in an order.
There are three different sections within adjectives of
number; they are Definite Numeral Adjective - Those which clearly denote
an exact number of nouns or the order of the noun.
One, Two, Twenty, Thirty-Three etc. also known as
Cardinals.
First, Second, Third, Seventh etc. also known as Ordinals.
Indefinite Numeral Adjective - Those adjectives that do not
give an exact numerical amount but just give a general
idea of the amount.
Some, Many, Few, Any, Several, All etc.
E.g.: There were many people present at the meeting.
Distributive Numeral Adjective -Those adjectives that are
used to refer to individual nouns within the whole amount.
Either, Neither, Each, Another, Other etc.
E.g: Taxes have to be paid by every employed citizen.
1 Demonstrative Adjectives - These adjectives are used
to point out or indicate a particular noun or pronoun
using the adjectives - This, That,These and Those.
That bag belongs to Neil.

Try using this paintbrush in art class.
I really like those shoes.
These flowers are lovely.
1 Interrogative Adjectives - These adjectives are used
to ask questions about nouns or in relation to nouns,
they are - Where, What, Which and Whose.
Where did he say he was going?

- What assignment did I miss out on?
- Which is your favorite author?
- Whose pen is this?
In some instances, we find that we need to use more than
one adjective to describe a noun in a satisfactory manner.
In these cases, commas are used to separate the
adjectives but some series of adjectives do not require a
comma. Therefore, we need to know the difference
between Coordinate and Non-coordinate Adjectives Coordinate Adjectives - Are those words which can be rearranged in the series easily and are still grammatically
sound. This kind of series makes use of commas. This
series can also insert and between them and still be
correct.
- She was a kind, generous, loving human being.
- She was a generous, loving, kind human being.
- She was a loving, kind and generous human being.
Here we can see that all three sentences are
grammatically correct. In this case, the adjectives only
need to be separated by commas.
Non-coordinate Adjectives - These are those adjectives
which cannot be rearranged in the series. These do not
use commas to separate the adjectives. Also, this kind of
series do not make sense if we insert and between them.
She has two energetic playful dogs.

She has playful two energetic dogs.
She has energetic and playful and two dogs.
Here we see that only the first sentence makes sense and
is grammatically correct. The second and third ones are
incorrect. Hence, the sentence uses non-coordinate
adjectives and does not need commas.
There are certain rules regarding the placement of
different kinds of adjectives in a sentence. The general
order followed is 1 Determiners These are the various articles (the, a,
an), demonstratives (this, that, these, those),
possessives (my, mine, your, yours, -s), quantifiers
(all, many etc.), numerals (one, twenty, thirty-seven
etc.) and distributives (each, every, neither, either)
2 Observations/Quantity and Opinion - Then come the
adjectives that give a quantity (also known as postdeterminers) and subjective opinion to the noun,
telling how much and how was the noun.
Few, Most, One, Three/ Beautiful, Ugly, Difficult etc.
.- The beautiful house.
1 Size - The position after Observations is for the
adjectives that tell about the size of the noun, they
can be used for an object as well as living thing.
Huge, Little, Bulky, Thin, Vast, Tiny, Lean etc
- The beautiful little house.
1 Age -Then is the turn of the Adjectives that tell about
the age of a noun either by itself or in relation to
another noun.
Young, Old, Teenage, Mature, Recent, Bygone etc.
- The beautiful little old house.
1 Shape - Next are the adjectives that tell about the

shape or appearance of the noun.
Circular, Crooked, Triangular, Oval, Wavy, Straights etc.
- The beautiful little old square house.
1 Colour - After that are the adjectives that tell the
shade and hue of a noun.
Pastel, Red, Blue, Metallic, Colourless, Translucent etc.
- The beautiful square blue coloured house.
1 Origin - Next are the adjectives that show the
different geographical locations associated with a
noun.
Southern, Northern, Lunar, Mexican, French etc.
- The beautiful blue coloured Mexican house.
1 Material - Next are the adjectives that talk about the
raw material or texture of the objects or the
behaviour of the living nouns.
Wooden, Plastic, Steely, Metallic, Cottony etc.
- The beautiful Mexican limestone house.
1 Qualifier Lastly, the qualifier or the grammatical
modifier comes, which is an additional word or phrase
provided to change the meaning of the noun in a
sentence.
Pink + eye, Royal + treatment, Hot + fudge etc.
- The beautiful Mexican limestone doll house.
Adjective Exercise 1
Adjective Exercise 2
List of Adjectives, Adjective Examples
Abundan Chubby
Fearles
Lively
Sharp
Accurate Clean
Fertile
Lonely
Shiny
Addicted Clever
Filthy
Loud
Shocki
ng
Adorable Clumsy
Foolish
Lovely
Short
Adventu
rous
Cold
Forgetf
ul
Lucky
Shy
Afraid
Colorful
Friendl
y
Macho
Silly
Aggressi
ve
Comfort
able
Funny
Magical
Sincere
Alcoholic Concern
ed
Gentle
Magnifice
nt
Skinny
Alert
Confuse
d
Glamor
ous
Massive
Slim
Aloof
Crowded
Gloriou
s
Mature
Slow
Ambitiou Cruel
s
Gorgeo
us
Mean
Small
Ancient
Curious
Gracef
ul
Messy
Soft
Angry
Curly
Gratefu Modern
Spicy
l
Animate
d
Cute
Great
Narrow
Spiritu
al
Annoyin
g
Damage
d
Greedy
Nasty
Splendi
d
Anxious
Dangero
us
Green
Naughty
Strong
Arrogant Dark
Handso Nervous
me
Succes
sful
Ashame
d
Deep
Happy
New
Sweet
Attractiv
e
Defectiv
e
Harsh
Noisy
Talente
d
Auspicio
us
Delicate
Health
y
Nutritious Tall
Awesom
e
Delicious Heavy
Obedient
Tasty
Awful
Depress
ed
Helpful
Obese
Tense
Bad
Determi
ned
Hilario
us
Obnoxiou
s
Terribl
e
Bashful
Different Histori
cal
Old
Terrific
Beautifu
l
Dirty
Horribl
e
Overconfi
dent
Thick
Belligere Disgusti
nt
ng
Hot
Peaceful
Thin
Benefici
al
Dry
Huge
Pink
Tiny
Best
Dusty
Humor
ous
Polite
Ugly
Big
Early
Hungry
Poor
Unique
Bitter
Educate
d
Ignora
nt
Powerful
Untidy
Bizarre
Efficient
Illegal
Precious
Upset
Black
Elderly
Imagin
ary
Pretty
Victori
ous
Blue
Elegant
Impolit
e
Proud
Violent
Boring
Embarra
ssed
Import
ant
Quick
Vulgar
Brainy
Empty
Impossi Quiet
ble
Warm
Bright
Encoura
ging
Innoce
nt
Weak
Rapid
Broad
Enthusia
stic
Intellig
ent
Rare
Wealth
y
Broken
Excellen
t
Interes
ting
Red
Wide
Busy
Exciting
Jealous
Remarkab Wise
le
Calm
Expensiv Jolly
e
Responsi
ble
Witty
Capable
Fabulous Juicy
Rich
Wonde
rful
Careful
Fair
Juvenil
e
Romantic
Worrie
d
Careless
Faithful
Kind
Royal
Young
Caring
Famous
Large
Rude
Youthf
ul
Cautious
Fancy
Legal
Scintillati
ng
Zealou
s
Charmin
g
Fantasti
c
Light
Secretive
Cheap
Fast
Literat
e
Selfish
Cheerful
Fearful
Little
Serious
Making Comparatives and Superlatives
There are certain rules that must be followed in the

making of the comparatives and superlatives of the
adjectives. Not all adjectives form their comparatives and
superlatives in the same way and there are also some
irregular adjectives that form completely different
comparative and superlative forms.
Single Syllable Words and Double Syllable Words ending
with -y, -er, -ow, -le We use -er to make the comparative and -est to make
the superlative.
Positive
Comparative
Superlative
Black
Blacker
Blackest
Fair
Fairer
Fairest
Clever
Cleverer
Cleverest
When there is a silent e at the end of the positive form,

we remove that and add -er and -est
Positive
Comparative
Superlative
Nice
Nicer
Nicest
Late
Later
Latest
When the adjective ends with a y, we convert the y into

i before adding -er and -est
Positive
Comparative
Superlative
Pretty
Prettier
Prettiest
Lazy
Lazier
Laziest
If the adjective is a small one with little stress on the

vowel, we double the last consonant.
Positive
Comparative
Superlative
Hot
Hotter
Hottest
Wet
Wetter
Wettest
Other Words with Two or More Syllables For other double syllable words that do not end with -y,
-er, -ow, -le, and for adjectives with more than two
syllables we use more and most to form the comparatives
and superlatives.
Positive
Comparative
Superlative
Difficult
More Difficult
Most Difficult
Careful
More Careful
Most Careful
Handsome
More Handsome
Most Handsome
Interesting
More Interesting
Most Interesting
Special Adjectives There a few adjectives that can use both -er and -est and
more and most to form their comparative and
superlative forms. The distinction between these is that er and -est are used when we are comparing the noun to
another noun and more and most is used when we are
comparing characteristics within the noun.
Positiv Comparativ
Superlative
e
e
Clever Cleverer/
Example
Cleverest/Mo He is cleverer
than her.
More Clever st Clever
Quiet
Brave
Quieter/
More Quiet
Quietest/
Most Quiet
Braver/
Bravest/
More Brave Most Brave
He is more
clever than
studious.
This is the most
quiet it gets
here.
This is the
quietest place.
She is braver
than other girls.
She was more
brave than
afraid.
He was surer of
the result than
others.
Sure
Surer/ More Surest/ Most Youll be more

Sure
Sure
sure about the
concept after
you read the
chapter.
Irregular Comparisons These adjectives do not make their comparative and

superlative forms using the rules above. Their
comparative and superlative forms are different words
altogether.
Positive
Comparative
Superlative
Bad
Worse
Worst
Good
Better
Best
Far (place & time)
Further
Furthest
Far (place)
Farther
Farthest
Old (people)
Elder
Eldest
Little (amount)
Less
Least
Late (order)
Latter
Last
ADVERBS
These Adverbs are used to make a comment on the entire
sentence. They give a look at the speakers viewpoint or
opinion about the sentence. These Adverbs dont just
change or describe the Verb; they influence the whole
sentence.
They found his secret easily.
+
Unfortunately
Unfortunately, they found his secret easily.
Here, we see that adding the Adverb unfortunately has
changed the entire tone of the sentence. Earlier, it was a
passive tone, now it has a negative or disappointed tone.
Other examples of Adverbs of Comment are Luckily, the dog did not bite the children.
Happily, the power returned before the big match.
Did he honestly expect me to lie for him? (Adverb
adds comment on the anger of the speaker.)
And they would win the world cup, obviously. (Can be
said in a sarcastic as well as positive manner)
Adverbs of Conjunction
These Adverbs are used to connect ideas or clauses, they

are used to show consequence or effect or the relation
between the two clauses. To use these Adverbs to
conjugate two clauses you need to use a semicolon (;) to
connect them.
Clause 1: He was going for an important interview.
Clause 2: He made sure he reached on time.
He was going for an important interview; accordingly, he
made sure he reached on time.
Here, we see how the Adverb accordingly is joining the
two clauses and showing the relation between them with
the use of a semicolon (;). Accordingly means- therefore or
that is why.
A few other Adverbs of Conjunction are However - Yet, on the other hand, in spite of
Consequently - As a result, resulting in
Moreover - Beside, in addition
Conversely - Opposite of, contrary to
List of Adverbs, Adverb Examples

Accidentall Eventual
Jealously Poorly
y
ly
Always
Exactly
Joyfully
Angrily
Excitedly Kindly
Arrogantly Extremel Lazily
Suddenly
Positivel Surprising
y
ly
Properly Sweetly
Quickly
Terribly
y
Badly
Fairly
Less
Quietly
Thankfull
y
Beautifully
Faithfull
y
Loudly
Rarely
Thoughtfu
lly
Bitterly
Fast
Lovingly
Really
Tomorrow
Blindly
Foolishly Loyally
Regularl Unexpect
y
edly
Boldly
Fortunat
Madly
ely
Relucta
ntly
Bravely
Frankly
Repeate
Urgently
dly
Briefly
Generall Mysterio
Rudely
y
usly
Usually
Busily
Generou
Naturally Sadly
sly
Valiantly
Carefully
Gently
Very
Certainly
Gracefull Nervousl
Seldom
y
y
Clearly
Happily
Courageou
Highly
sly
Cruelly
More
Nearly
Never
Safely
Unfortuna
tely
Violently
Selfishly Well
Obedient Seriousl
Wisely
ly
y
Honestly Officially Silently
Yearly
Curiously
Hopeless
Often
ly
Slowly
Daily
Immedia
Openly
tely
Softly
Delightfull Innocent
Someti
Painfully
y
ly
mes
Easily
Instantly Patiently Soon
Enthusiasti Interesti
Politely
cally
ngly
Strictly
Yesterday
PREPOSITIONS
Prepositions are the words which are used to connect the
different nouns, pronouns and phrases in a sentence. It
functions to introduce or precede the word or phrase to be
connected, called the object of the preposition.
The preposition usually indicates the relation between the
words it is connecting. It tells whether the words are
connected in actual space or a place, or related through
time or are they part of a thought or process.
Prepositional phrases are the preposition and its object
and any adjectives or adverbs that were applied to the
object. The prepositional phrase as a whole can also be

used as a noun, adverb or adjective.
- He found the book on the table.
Here the preposition is on as it shows the relation in
place between the book and the table.
The prepositional phrase is on the table which is
acting as an Adverb telling where the book was
found.
- She went to sleep early.
In this sentence the preposition is to which is
introducing where or in what state had the noun gone
into.
- Her house was beside a steep hill.
The preposition here is beside which is telling the
place where the house was.
The prepositional phrase is beside a steep hill which
is acting as an adverb.
Kinds of Prepositions Simple Prepositions
These prepositions are constructed by only one word like On, at, about, with, after, for, etc.
- He found the book about dogs on the table, in the
bedroom.
Double Prepositions
These prepositions are formed by combining two words or
two Simple PrepositionsInto, within, upon, onto, etc.
- The dog jumped onto the bed and left marks upon the
sheets.
Compound Prepositions
These prepositions are two word prepositions.
According to, because of, next to, due toetc.
- He was upset because of his son's behaviour.
Participle PrepositionsParticiples are actually verbs that end with -en or -ing.
As these verbs were commonly and very popularly used as
prepositions by the people, these verbs have been given a
special status as prepositions.
Considering, during, given, including etc.
-Considering what he had to work with, he did a pretty
good job.
Phrase Prepositions
These prepositions are a combination of the preposition +
a modifier (optional) + the object. They are used to modify
the nouns, verbs or sentences and also complete clauses.
At home, in time, with me, from my father, under the
blanket, etc.
- The clothes left on the bed have been ironed and kept
back.
These classifications are based on the construction of the
prepositions themselves. Apart from this, prepositions are
also categorized based on their use in a sentence as Prepositions of Place
Prepositions of Time
Prepositions of Movement

WITH PREPOSTION
I am going to the mall with my friends."
"I am spending time with my sister today."
"Make sure to take this medicine with food."
"I need to do math with a calculator."
"I decorated the room with posters."
"I shaped the clay with my hands."
"How much is the total with tax?"
"Are you angry with me?"
"Are you happy with the results?"
"Please bring a notebook with you."
At (prep): in a place; in a certain time; towards a direction
Example sentences:
"Let's meet at the library."
"I found this at the store."
"She is at the bank."
"I saw them at the movies."
"They were at school."
"There are many dogs at the park."
"I'll meet you at noon."

"Let's eat dinner at seven o'clock."
"Take a look at all of these items."
"I glanced at the clock."
From (prep): used to indicate the starting point of a place

or thing; used to indicate where someone or something
originated
Example sentences:
"The marathon started from the school."
"Do you live far from here?"
"Start from the letter A."
"Measure the distance from here to there."
"The smell is coming from the trash can."
"There is a strange sound coming from outside."
"She is from Italy."
"They moved here from Canada."
"I'm from another country."
Into (prep): towards the inside or towards a direction of

something
Example sentences:
"Please put your dishes into the sink."

"We went into the room to talk."
"I ran into an old friend yesterday."
"My phone accidentally fell into the trash can."
"The kids jumped into the lake."
"He got into trouble again at school."
During (prep): while; within a certain time
Example sentences:
"Please call back during business hours."
"We lost power during the rainstorm."
"My puppy sleeps a lot during the day."
"I got an emergency phone call during my meeting."
"Let's go to Hawaii during the winter months."
"We got sick during our trip."
"My mom works part-time during school hours."
"There was a fire alarm during the test."
Until (prep): up to a certain time

Example sentences:
"It didn't bother you until now."
"I won't see you until tomorrow."

"He didn't arrive until 10 o'clock this evening."
"I can't wait until tonight."
"I'm going to study hard until graduation."
Until (conj): up to the time that
Example sentences:
"She was mean to us until her mother showed up."
"Don't go anywhere until I get back."
"Don't eat anything until the others arrive."
"Let's play games until the party starts."
"You cannot play outside until you finish your homework."
"I was having fun until my ex-wife showed up."
"Please wait in the lobby until the doors open."
"Don't enter the room until you see the green light."
Against (prep): competing with; next to; not agreeing with
Example sentences:
"The Seattle Seahawks are playing against the Denver
Broncos."
"Two rival baseball teams are playing against each other."
"He was leaning against the wall."
"She leaned against me to rest her legs."

"I am against animal experimentation."
"They are against the new office policy."
"She voted against the new law."
Among (prep): in the middle of
Used with nouns:

"She is comfortable being among friends."
(friends, co-workers, family, peers)
"She is nervous being among famous people."
(famous people, strangers, influential people, older
people)
Used with verbs:
"They found the lost dog among the wreckage."
(found, discovered, located)
"The child star grew up among famous people."
(grew up, be + raised)
"We had no idea a criminal lived among us."
(lived, resided)
Throughout (prep): in every part of something
Example sentences:
"The rumor was spread throughout the school."
"There was tension throughout the debate."
"They were arguing throughout the meeting."

"There was smoke throughout the house."
"I could smell it throughout the apartment building."
"Throughout her life, she always took care of others."
"I've been struggling with this disorder throughout my
entire life."
"He is known throughout the world."
"She suffered abuse throughout her childhood."
"I cried throughout the whole movie."
"I got good grades throughout school."
Despite (prep): in spite of; without being affected by
Example sentences:
"The kids were playing outside despite the rain."
"She finished the marathon despite her injured foot."
"The singer went on stage despite having the flu."
"He remains positive despite the bad news."
"The players played hard despite having no chance of
winning."
"The doctors couldn't save him despite all of their efforts."
Towards (prep): in the direction of someone or something;

concerning someone or something
Example sentences:
"The car was moving towards us."
"The train was coming towards the station."
"A flock of birds was heading towards the power lines."
"The waiter was so rude towards us."
"My children are polite towards adults."
Upon (prep): on top; on; indicating someone or something

is close by
Example sentences:
"The king put his crown upon the prince's head."
"She gently placed the antique vase upon the shelf."
"Once upon a time, there lived a prince and princess."
"The movie star was escorted into a room upon arrival."
"The soldiers were upon the enemy within minutes."
Between (prep): being in the middle of two things;
comparing two things
Example sentences:
"There is a door between the two rooms."
"I got stuck between two rocks."
"The ball rolled between the couch and the wall."

"The neighbors built a fence between the two houses."
"They are arriving sometime between lunch and dinner."
"The accident happened between noon and one o'clock."
"She stood between her parents."
"I had to choose between the two shirts."
"The voters had to decide between the two candidates."
For (prep): used when indicating a use or function; used

with referring to something given to someone; used when
indicating the intention of something
Example sentences:
"This gift is for my parents."
"I made potato salad for the potluck."
"I bought balloons for the party."
"I made this for you."
"I need a table for five."
"I've known you for a long time."
"I quit college for financial reasons."
"I take medicine for my headaches."
By (adv): near; close to
Used with verbs:

"My parents stood by just in case I need help."
(stood)
"I didn't see them pass by."
(pass, walk, run, go)
"Time is flying by."
(be + flying, be + zooming, be + speeding)
About (adv): almost; close to doing something
Used with adjectives:

"Are you about ready?"
(ready, finished, done)
"The cake was about gone."
(gone, done, finished)
"I'm about halfway there."
(halfway)
Used with verbs:
"They are about to leave."
(leave, go, depart, take off)
"He is about to get angry."
(get, become)
After (prep): later than someone or something

Example sentences:
"I have soccer practice after school."

"Let's go to the movies after dinner."
"I will go on a diet after the holidays."
"I think I will order dessert after dinner."
"He took a shower after the game."
"After much thought, I have decided to retire."
"After a nice trip to Hawaii, I was sad to go home."
"They are coming the day after tomorrow."
"I'll go after your turn."
After (conj): later than
Example sentences:
"I can go out to play after I finish my homework."
"I like the smell of the air after it rains."
"I was sad after everyone left."
"I was so angry after I found out she lied to me."
"I am going on vacation after I complete this project."
After (adv): at a later time
Example sentences:
"They are coming the morning after."
"I throw food out the day after."
"The package should arrive the week after."

"Don't say anything to them until after."
"She dropped off some food and left just after."
Since (prep): from a certain point in time to now

Example sentences:
"I haven't seen him since college."
"They haven't eaten since breakfast."
"I haven't heard this song since my childhood."
"She's been waiting for you since this morning."
"I haven't talked to her since last week."
"He's been asking about you since last night."
"They have been waiting for the train since dawn."
"I haven't thought about her since high school."
Since (conj): because; from a certain time
Example sentences:
"Since you're good at cooking, could you please cater my
party?"
"Since it's hot today, let's turn on the air conditioner."
"Since we work in the same building, could you give me a
ride tomorrow morning?"
"I've been coming to this restaurant since it first opened."
"She's been seeing this doctor since she was born."

"They have been attending this church since they got
married."
Under (prep): below or beneath something; being

managed or controlled by someone or something;
Example sentences:
"Let's have a picnic under the tree."
"I found my keys under the sofa."
"Make sure to vacuum under the table."
"The ball rolled under the car."
"The restaurant is under new management."
"There are more rules under the new policy."
"Remember you are under oath."
Under (adv): in a position that is below or beneath
something
Example sentences:
"There was a big wave and the surfer went under."
"The dolphin jumped out of the water, then dived back
under."
"The sign was too low, so the truck could not go under."
Along (prep): following the direction of something

Example sentences:
"We walked along the beach."
"We drove along the dusty road."
"The children sat along the sidelines of the baseball
game."
"Be careful along the busy street."
"The students lined up along the wall."
Along (adv): following in the direction of
Example sentences:
"The police officers told the crowd to move along."
"We walked along the beach as the sun was setting."
"The people in the parade waved to the crowd as they
marched along."
"You're more than welcome to come along."
"The carolers asked the crowd the sing along."
Across (prep): on the opposite or other side of something
Used with nouns:
"She lives across the street."
(street, hall, way)
"He ran across the border."
(border, room, street, bridge, field)
Across (adv): from one side to another side

Used with verbs:
"They walked across as quickly as they could."
(walked, ran, jogged, moved)
"They were able jump across."
(jump, leap, make it, hop, step)
Behind (prep): on the other side of something

Example sentences:
"The dog is behind the fence."
"The child was hiding behind the door."
"The performers were waiting behind the curtain."
"My keys fell behind the couch."
"He was standing behind me."
"She sits behind me in class."
Behind (adv): in or towards the back
Example sentences:
"They decided to stay behind and help clean up."
"She was accidentally left behind."
"I'm falling behind at school."
Behind (adj): lower
Example sentences:
"She is behind in her schoolwork."
"I'm behind in my payments."
Out (adv): not in; away from home
Used with verbs:
"He went out last night."
(went)
"Let's go out to eat."
(go)
"She called out for help."
(called)
"Has the new book come out yet?"
(come)
"He spread out a picnic blanket under the oak tree."
(spread, put, rolled, laid)
"He jumped out from behind the bush and scared us."
(jumped)
"The dog's tongue is hanging out."
(be + hanging, be + sticking)
"She threw the spoiled food out."
(threw, tossed)
"He emptied his desk out."
(emptied, cleaned, cleared)"Has the new book come out
yet?"
(come)
"He spread out a picnic blanket under the oak tree."

(spread, put, rolled, laid)
"He jumped out from behind the bush and scared us."
(jumped)
"The dog's tongue is hanging out."
(be + hanging, be + sticking)
"She threw the spoiled food out."
(threw, tossed)
"He emptied his desk out."
(emptied, cleaned, cleared)
Out (prep): used when saying someone or something is
moving from inside to outside or going away from home
Used with verbs:
"The dog ran out the door.
(ran)
"She jumped out the window."
(jumped, leaped, climbed)
"He walked out the back door."
(walked, slipped, escaped)
"Please take out the trash."
(take)
Around (adv): in a surrounding path
Example sentences:
"He doesn't know his way around."
"How are you getting around?"

"Let's take a look around."
"There are many tourists around."
"We like to travel around."
Around (prep): surrounding
Example sentences:
"She tied a ribbon around the box."
"We live around the area."
"Can you show me around town?"
"How do we get around this building?"
"We are going to travel around the world."
Down (v): to drink quickly

Used with nouns:
"He downed his beer."
(beer, coffee, drink, whiskey)
Down (adj): in a low position or place; sad
Used with verbs:
"She feels down about her breakup."
(feels, looks, be: is/am/are)
Used with nouns:
"Hit the down arrow."

(arrow)
"Take the down elevator."
(elevator)
Down (adv): towards a lower position or place
Used with verbs:
"He fell down."
(fell)
"Please come down."
(come, sit, lie, step)
"Don't look down."
(look, go)
Off (adv): away from a place or position; not on

Example sentences:
"He got angry and walked off."
"He went off on his own."
"The thief saw the police and took off."
"Please take your shoes off."
Off (prep): away from; not on something
Example sentences:
"Please take your feet off the coffee table."
"Please remove everything off the floor."
Off (adj): not working; wrong; not at work

Example sentences:
"We discovered that the machine was on the off position."
"His calculations were completely off."
"She is off this whole week."
Above (adv): in higher place; more than

Example sentences:
"The kite was flying above."
"The birds were sitting above on the power lines."
"Water was leaking from above."
"The books are located on a shelf high above."
"Her grades are above average."
"The temperature has been above normal for the past
couple of weeks."
1
Above (adj): mentioned earlier
Used with nouns:
"Please refer to the above paragraph."
(paragraph, email, sentence, choices, options, questions)
Above (n): something or someone higher in position or
place
Example sentences:
"My answer is none of the above."
"My answer is all of the above."
List of Prepositions
Prepositions can only be learnt by memory; unfortunately
there is no method or particular way to recognize and
learn them. To help you with memorizing the different
prepositions, here is a list of common prepositions.
Preposit
ion
Meaning
Examples
above
higher than or
over
across
from one side to

It's dangerous to
the other
run across the road.
after
- following
something
- later than
- The boy ran after the ball.

- I'll phone you after lunch.
against
- in opposition to
- in contact with
- Stealing is against the law.

- The sofa is against the wall.
along
from one end to

They are walking along the
the other
street.
among
surrounded by
The sun is above the clouds.
Peter was among the

spectators.
around
- in a circle
- near,
approximately
- He walked around the table.

- It costs around 50 euros.
before
- earlier than
- The day before yesterday.
- in front of
- He bowed before the king.
behind
at the back of
Passengers sit behind the

driver.
below
lower than
His shorts are below his

knees.
beneath
under
The pen was beneath the

books.
beside
next to
The bank is beside the

cinema.
in the space
between separating two
things
by
close to
near, at the side

of
near
Mary sat between Tom and

Jane.
The restaurant is by the river.
The school is near the church.
down
from higher to
lower
from
where something
The wind is blowing from the
starts or
north.
originates
in
at a point within
an area
The pen is in the drawer.
directly before
The child ran out in front

of the bus.
in front
of
She pulled down the blind.
inside
on the inner part

of
The bird is inside the cage.
into
enter a closed
space
He went into the shop.
near
close to
The school is near the church.
next to
beside
The bank is next to the

cinema.
off
down or away
from
He fell off the horse.
on
in a position
touching a
surface
The plate is on the table.
onto
move to a
position on a
surface
The cat jumped onto the roof

of the car.
opposite
facing, on the
other side
Eva sat opposite Tom at the

table.
NOW MAKE SENTENCES ON THE BELOW PREPOSITIONS

(ATLEAST 2 TO 5 SENTENCES)
One Word Prepositions
about
above
across
after
against
along
among
around
as
at
before
behind
below
beneath
beside
between
beyond
by
despite
down
during
except
for
from
in
including
inside
into
like
near
next
of
off
on
onto
opposite
out
outside
over
past
through
to
toward
towards
under
until
up
upon
with
without
Multiple Word Prepositions
Two Word Prepositions

according to
ahead of
aside from
because of
close to
due to
except for
far from
inside of
instead of
near to
next to
out from
out of
outside of
regardless of
Three Word Prepositions
as far as
as well as
by means of
in accordance with
in addition to
in case of
in front of
in place of
in spite of
on account of
on behalf of
on top of
with regard to
Conjunctions
A conjunction is a word which connects two words or
clauses or sentences and shows the relation between
them. They are used to avoid making the text seem like
bullet points and to make the text flow. E.g. Conjunctions
A conjunction is a word which connects two words or
clauses or sentences and shows the relation between
them. They are used to avoid making the text seem like
bullet points and to make the text flow. E.g. Jai saw a dog on the road. He decided to adopt the dog.
Jai brought the dog home.
Jai saw a dog on the road and decided to adopt the

dog, so he brought the dog home.
Here and and so are conjunctions which are used to
join the sentences and show the relation between them.
There are three main categories of conjunctions that are
explained below. Apart from these, there are also
Adverbs of Conjunctions,. To learn more about the
Adverbs of Conjunctions visit the Adverbs page.
Coordinating Conjunctions
These conjunctions are used to link or join two words or
phrases that are equally important and complete in terms
of grammar when compared with each other. That is to
say, the sentences or words do not depend on anything
to give themselves meaning.
There are seven main coordinating conjunctions For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
Soon
As you can see, these conjunctions are arranged in this
way to provide the mnemonic acronym of FANBOYS so
that it is easier to remember them. These conjunctions
are always placed between the two clauses or words that
they are joining. The following are some examples of the
coordinating conjunctions -
Chris does not want tea. Chris does not want coffee. Chris does not want teaor coffee.
Here, we see how or was used to combine the two
words and make a cohesive sentence using them.
Also, notice how the or is between the two words.
I scored 60% in the exams this year. Anita scored 7%
more than me this year. - I scored 60% in the
exams but Anita scored 7% more than me this year.
Here we see that but was used in the middle to
combine and show the relation between the two
sentences that were both equally important and
cohesive by themselves.
Subordinating Conjunctions
These conjunctions are used to join an independent and
complete clause with a dependent clause that relies on
the main clause for meaning and relevance. The
dependent clause cannot exist on its own as a sentence
and often does not make sense without the main clause.
The subordinating conjunction always comes before the
dependent clause but the dependent clause itself can be
placed either ahead of or following the independent
clause.
Since they had misbehaved, the boys were given one
week suspensions from school.
Here, we see the dependent clause is they had
misbehaved which is not a valid sentence by itself.
The independent main clause is the boys were given one
week suspensions from school.
They are joined by the subordinating conjunction since.
He was fond of playing basketball because it was his

fathers favourite game.
In this sentence, because is the subordinating
conjunction as it introduces the dependent clause it was
his fathers favourite game
The main clause in this sentence is he was fond of
playing basketball as it is the sentence which can be said
independently and still be grammatically correct.
Other subordinating conjunctions are
- Although, As, Before, Once,Though, Until, Whether, etc.
Correlative Conjunctions
Correlative Conjunctions are simply pairs of conjunctions
used in a sentence to join different words or groups of
words in a sentence together. Correlative Conjunctions
are generally not used to link sentences themselves,
instead they link two or more words of equal importance
within the sentence itself. Some of the more commonly
used correlative conjunctions are Both the shoes and the dress were completely
overpriced.
This is an example of using the correlative
conjunctions both/and in a sentence. As you can see
in this sentence, the shoes and the dress were
equally important elements that needed to be given
the same importance.
They should either change their strategy or just forfeit
the game.
The either/or conjunctions are used to suggest a
choice between two options. Here the choice being
suggested is between - change their strategy or
forfeit the game.
Just as she loves hiking so she enjoys travelling as well.

The correlative conjunctions just as/so are used to
link two phrases that have a similar theme or are
referring to a similar thing together. This conjunction
is used to show the correspondence between two
phrases or words.
He neither helps around the house nor does he look for a
job.
Neither/nor are conjunctions that are used to deny
or negate words and phrases. In the case of neither,
it gives two options that are both negated. Nor is
the negative form of or.
Not only does he play the lead guitar but he is also the
bands songwriter.
The correlative conjunctions not only/but are used to
show an additional and important element in the
sentence that is used to indicate excess when
combined with the first element. For instance, in this
sentence the fact that he is a guitarist and a song
writer are equally important but when shown
together, they indicate an excess of talent in the
person.
It doesnt matter whether the roses are fresh or if they
are drooping, just buy them.
Whether/or is used as a conjunction to show two
different options in the sentence. The conjunction can
be used both in a manner of negation and
confirmation.

Understanding Articles in English

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Understanding Articles in English

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ARTICLES

I want to have an apple.

Also, remember that we use "a" and "an" only before a

identity is already known, therefore, the has been used

names of mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Fuji except

For example: I love music.

For example: Steve Jobs founded Apple.

For example: I hate attending Mathematics classes.

When talking about

When wanting to say that

The movie that I

When talking about

Grammarians have divided nouns into different categories

- Does anyone want some oranges? - Here some is

These collective nouns are commonly used under the

The following collective nouns are used for animals.

A zoo of wild animals.

The following collective nouns are used for things.

In the English language, tenses play an important role in

in Bal Bharti school.

in Bal Bharti school.

in Bal Bharti school.

in Bal Bharti school.

in Bal Bharti school.

in Bal Bharti school.

in Bal Bharti school.

in Bal Bharti school.

in Bal Bharti school.

in Bal Bharti school.

in Bal Bharti school.

in Bal Bharti school.

Notice how we use Do for the subjects I, You, We, You

Notice that we use

have not been living

have not been living

has not been

has not been

has not been

has not been

has not been

has not been

have not been living

have not been living

have not been living

have not been living

Notice that we use

SUBJEC BEE VERB

bee worki hard for the last three

bee worki hard for the last three

bee worki hard for the last three

bee worki hard for the last three

bee worki hard for the last three

bee worki hard for the last three

bee worki hard for the last three

bee worki hard for the last three

bee worki hard for the last three

bee worki hard for the last three

bee worki hard for the last three

bee worki hard for the last three

Notice that we use

For making positive statements in the simple past tense,

For making negative statements in the simple past tense,