© 2014 Scholastic Education International (Singapore) Private Limited

A division of Scholastic Inc.

First published by Learners Publishing Private Limited

All rights reserved . No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored
in a retrieval system , or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical ,
photocopying, recording , or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher.

For information regarding permission, write to:

Scholastic Education International (Singapore) Pte Ltd
81 Ubi Avenue 4, #02-28 UB.ONE , Singapore 408830
Email: education @scholastic.com .sg

For sales enquiries write to:

Latin America, Caribbean Europe (except UK) Middle East Australia
and Africa Scholastic Australia Pty Ltd
Scholastic International PO Box 579, Gosford, NSW 2250
557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, USA Email: scholastic_education @scholastic.com .au
Email : intlschool @scholastic.com
New Zealand
Philippines Scholastic New Zealand Ltd
Scholastic Philippines Private Bag 94407, Botany, Auckland 2163
Penthouse 1, Prestige Tower, F. Ortigas Jr. Road, Email : orders @scholastic.co.nz
Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1605
Email : educteam @scholastic.com.ph 1o.dia
Scholastic India Pvt. Ltd.
Asia (excluding India and Philippines) A-27 , Ground Floor, Bharti Sigma Centre,
Scholastic Asia lnfocity-1 , Sector 34, Gurgaon
Plaza First Nationwide, 161 , Jalan Tun H S Lee, (Haryana) 122001 , India
50000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Email : education @scholastic.co.in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Email : international @scholastic.com

Rest of the World

Scholastic Education International (Singapore) Pte Ltd
81 Ubi Avenue 4 #02-28 UB.ONE Singapore 408830
Email : education @scholastic.com .sg

Visit our website : www.scholastic.com.sg

This edition 2014

Reprinted 2015, 2016

ISBN 978 981 4399 51 7

This 3-book series -Basic English GRAMMAR, Essential English GRAMMAR
and Complete English GRAMMAR- has been specially developed for learners
for whom English is the language for learning and communication. It offers
a systematic and comprehensive study of English grammar. The series is
specially designed to introduce, explain and reinforce essential grammar
topics. The well-organised content structure in this series makes it a handy
reference resource suitable for self-study.

Covering all the essential topics of grammar, each book includes:

• concise and age-appropriate definitions and carefully annotated

examples to facilitate understanding of form and function;

• contextual exercises at sentence and text level that serve to

reinforce learning;

• panel notes throughout the books that provide useful additional

information on spelling rules, common grammatical errors and
related concepts to make self-study easy.

6.3 I he Prnent Con1muou1 Tc-nst Qukl< Check , .,.

'iou IIW 1kt, pruntl COfl linuou, ICIIM' 1<> u,JI,: •Lou t 1Kl1utn 111 the l11Mkriino•t~ 1chffi!l intJM'IIO'""'llffteft.
pttt'<IIII, or dnn1t• that an, ft<.ingon ,,.. hl{'l...,.,'"8'""->">. 1.~un.,n.-l:ly,tor101Mt{.t,wlllowl'/',
2, l don' t compil'ttlyundffltllldwtlathlppentd.
You u~ 1111. •~ u11I •~ a~ help lng \'t'rh101" 111 )1: \ll nry >'f:rbs tu
i,r,o thr. po·r...,nt ('(011timi, ll1t l <'lllO:'. YouJOm thun lo t/11: ~ J C J.Thebklb~-.lntmlfrlylnrMlrffS.

A n01m i:o • n•mi11g wunJ Noun• 1n: di, iJ.,.d i1m.1 common lt(Kln• p.i.n ldp le (1,ffl,..,,din,:in •lnc).
■nd pl'O(l'ffllfflllUI 4-ilttfflffl&ifi,ll!ii
flCil],,:, •ili\!IJij,li Mnie .,h-fflltl kl.I you tlw .,.., ,-,pH'do 1hinp. ~ •~ndW
ach·ien>$ofmaann

c,_.._nr_h.., actOf'.
.. TIM,,..._; ""::".....,
~1i.c rw- - --Yib.•hM
,....,...._.,..,. ...,u.,,, ...
1\-o>r'ff"• ...- - ·il,,, J.J,., ..,.
Mary W"PrlOlrun•....,•-•

.,,..,,.,,.,,, ....,,.__,

- -
, _ . , , . , . _ .. oni.
1o.. , .. ,....,
n..., .......... ;..;...,.;

........ -
' -=--/
_ ... _
-- - ...
Plf_ ...,._ tt...ty,
Pwt.. . . . . . ,,,..,,.., fott'-party
1.°"'- daHfv MtNWlootprint,. .
You c....r.,,~ ~ ..

This series will help build a strong foundation in English grammar and enable
students to communicate clearly, accurately and effectively.
 Contents

The Capital Letter 7

Nouns 12
2.1 Common Nouns 16
2. 2 Proper Nouns 22
2.3 Concrete Nouns
24
2.4 Countable Nouns
25
2.5 Uncountable Nouns
26
2.6 Singular Nouns
2.7 Plural Nouns
28
2.8 Collective Nouns 39
2.9 Masculine and Feminine Nouns 42
2.10 Noun Phrases 45

Pronouns 47
3.1 Personal Pronouns 47
3.2 Reflexive Pronouns 50
3.3 Possessive Pronouns 51
3.4 Interrogative Pronouns 52
3.5 Demonstrative Pronouns 54
3.6 Indefinite Pronouns 55

Adjectives 57
4.1 Kinds of Adjectives: Quality, 58
Opinion, Age, Temperature, Origin,
Colour, Size, Shape, Material
4.2 Nouns Used as Adjectives 65
4.3 Comparison of Adjectives 66

Determiners 71
5.1 The Articles 71
5.2 Demonstrative Determiners 73
 5.3 Interrogative Determiners 74
5.4 Possessive Determiners 75
5.5 Cardinal Numbers 77
5.6 Ordinal Numbers 78
5.7 Quantifiers 79

Verbs and Tenses 82

6.1 The Simple Present Tense 83
6.2 am, is and are 85
6.3 The Present Continuous Tense 89
6.4 have and has 91
6.5 The Simple Past Tense 93
6.6 was and were 94
6.7 Regular and Irregular Verbs 96
6.8 The Past Continuous Tense 99
6.9 The Future Tense 100
6.10 do, does and did 104
6.11 can and could 108
6.12 may 110
6.13 would and should 111
6.14 must 112
6.15 Infinitives 113
6.16 Transitive and Intransitive Verbs 115
6.17 Phrasal Verbs 117

Subject-Verb Agreement 120

Adverbs 123
8.1 Adverbs of Manner 124
8.2 Adverbs of Time 125
8.3 Adverbs of Frequency 126
8.4 Adverbs of Place 128
8.5 Comparison of Adverbs 129
Prepositions 131
9. 1 Prepositions of Position 131
9.2 Prepositions of Direction 132
9.3 Prepositions of Time 133
9.4 Prepositions with Special Uses 134
9.5 Complex Prepositions 136

Connectors 137
10.1 Connectors of Sequence 137
10.2 Connectors of Contrast 138
10.3 Connectors of Reason 139
10.4 Connectors of Purpose 140
10.5 Connectors of Addition 141

Sentences 142
11.1 Kinds of Sentences 143
11.2 The Subject and the Object 145
11.3 Positive and Negative Sentences 146
11.4 Questions 147
11.5 Linking Sentences 151
11.6 Direct Speech 153

Punctuation 156
12.1 Full Stop 156
12.2 Comma 157
12 .3 Exclamation Mark 158
12.4 Question Mark 158
12.5 Apostrophe 159
12.6 Indentation 163
The capital letter is also called a big letter or upper-case letter, or
sometimes just a capital.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

In these examples, you can see how capital letters appear in a sentence.

Sam went to Paris in November.

L capital1etter j
I made my mother a card for M other's Day.

capitali etter _j
When do you use a capital letter?
You use a capital letter for the first letter in a sentence:
The dog is barking.
Come here!

Quick Check 1
Underline the letters that should be CAPITALS and write the
correct letter in the space above them.
1. we don't want to go to school.
2. our teacher didn't give us any homework.
3. there isn't any monster under your bed.

7
You always use a capital letter for the word I:

I am eight years old. You may sometimes need two

capital letters when you are
Tom and I are good friends . writing about what someone says:
The policeman said, "You will
have to come with me."

Quick Check 2
Underline the letters that should be CAPITALS and write the
correct letter in the space above them.
1. you and i have many hobbies in common.
2. helen and i are good friends.
3. i missed school because i was not well.

You use a capital letter for the names of people:

Alice Tom Kim You use capital letters for names

of people you are related to:
James Snow W hite I call my mother Mum but my little
sister calls her M ummy.
Does this book belong to you, Alice? - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Once upon a time, there lived a lovely princess named Snow W hite.

Quick Check 3
Underline the letters that should be CAPITALS and write the
correct letter in the space above them.
1. gordon lives with his grandparents.
2. they have named their baby jasmine.
3. robert is sally's elder brother.

The Capital Letter

You use a capital letter for initials in people's names:

E.B. White James P. Smith M.H. Chao J.K. Rowling

E.B. White wrote a book called 'Stuart Little' about a talking mouse.
J.K. Rowling is the author of the Harry Potter books.

Quick Check 4
Underline the letters that should be CAPITALS and write the
correct letter in the space above them.
1. my brother likes to read the books of j.m. barrie.
2. the stories of winnie the pooh were written by a.a. milne.
3. wile e. coyote is a well-known cartoon character.

You also use a capital letter for titles used with people's names:

Mr and M rs Brown M iss Lee King Richard

Captain Wells Queen Elizabeth Princess Daisy

Miss Lee took us to the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Yesterday, we visited our new neighbour, M r Brown.

Quick Check 5
Underline the letters that should be CAPITALS and write the
correct letter in the space above them.
1. my teacher's name is mrs smith.
2. general rogers is leading the army parade.
3. have you met miss jones?

The Capital Letter 9

---
 You use a capital letter for the names of places:
National M useum Queen's Road London Singapore

We took our guests to the National M useum yesterday.

My uncle is staying at the Prince Hotel in Singapore.

If the name of something such as a boat has little words in it like 'the', 'of',
'in', they do not have capitals:
The name of his boat was 'Pride of the Islands'.

Quick Check 6
Underline the letters that should be CAPITALS and write the
correct letter in the space above them.
1. gary lives on thomson road.
2. we are going to visit japan during the holidays.
3. sally goes to the national library to study.

You use a capital letter for the names of languages:

English French Japanese
M alay Thai Spanish

The people in France speak French.

John can speak English, French and M andarin.

Quick Check 7
Underline the letters that should be CAPITALS and write the
correct letter in the space above them.
1. he is learning russian in school.
2. mr mew teaches french, spanish and german.
3. the official language of india is hindi.

10 The Capital Letter

You use a capital letter for festivals, holidays, days of the week and
months of the year:

New Year's Day Christmas M other's Day

Sunday M onday Friday
January M ay October

We have a test on Friday.

In Australia, Christmas falls in the summertime.

Quick Check 8
Underline the letters that should be CAPITALS and write the
correct letter in the space above them.
1. december is the last month of the year.
2. there is an exciting football match on sunday.
3. molly went to the doctor last thursday.

The Capital Letter 11

A noun is a naming word. Nouns are divided into common nouns
and proper nouns.

2.1 Common Nouns

Common nouns are words for people, animals, places or things.

My ~ loves to chew ( bo~es ).

common noun common noun

These are words for people. They are common nouns.

Common nouns like actor,

dentist or nurse describe what
people are or what they do.
People's names like John or
Mary are not common nouns.
artist

Word File
clown
These are also common
nouns. They are words
for people:
actor doctor
aunt lawyer
teacher man
baker nurse
cook singer
dentist soldier
astronaut acrobat
 He wants to be a dentist when he grows up.
Our cook makes delicious food .

Quick Check 1
Underline the common nouns in these sentences.
1. Who is your teacher?
2. My father is a doctor.
3. Every child likes to play.

These are words for animals. They are common nouns.

eagle

deer
zebra

bird
Here are some more words
for animals:
cat goose
cow hen
dog horse
dolphin mouse
duck whale
crocodile fish goat

Common Nouns 13
 The goat is bleating.
She was very upset because When you have more than one of
her dog was ill. these animals, you usually add -s
to the name of the animal:
two cats three ducks six whales
Quick Check 2 These are different:
six geese seven mice
Underline the common nouns in
these sentences.
1. There is a tiny bird hopping about outside.
2. My little rabbit loves to sleep.
3. He has a canary that sings beautifully.

These are words for places. They are also common nouns.

Word File
Here are some more words
for places:
airport mosque
zoo mountain
park
church playground
farm restaurant
hill school
hospital sea
hotel stadium
house supermarket
island temple

beach

[ EVERFRESH

library shop

14 Nouns
 I went to the nearest hospital for a check-up.
We were staying in a hotel near the sea .

Quick Check 3
Underline the common nouns in these sentences.
1. Have you seen the new airport?
2. Kate goes to church every Sunday.
3. She is late for school again.

These are words for things. They are common nouns too.

t:: "" ....'-" ~~ r-..

F::
r-.. Word File
H ere are some more words
for things:
D
bag kite
□
box ladder
bread lamp
can picture
chair radio
gate cot television
cup train
desk truck
door watch
egg window

drum cake

Common Nouns 15
 ball basket blanket

Please open the door.

John lost his bag yesterday.

Quick Check 4
Underline the common nouns in these sentences.
1. I love cakes.
2. Don't eat that rotten apple.
3. Jill has a lovely doll.

Proper nouns are names for particular people, animals, places or

things. They always begin with a capital letter.

( Bo~by ) and his sister ~ have a house in ( lndo;esia ).

proper noun proper noun proper noun

These are words for particular people. They are proper nouns.

))
Your own name and the
names of your friends are
proper nouns too. So are the
names you give to pet animals:
This is Kim Lee.
His cat's name
is Fluffy.
Kim Lee
Santa Claus Beethoven

16 Nouns
 Word File
Here are some more names
of people:
Ali Baba
Florence Nightingale
Pauline
Yang Min
Patrick
Harry Potter
Pinocchio
Omar Lisa

One day Ali Baba saw the forty thieves hiding in a cave.
Patrick is my best friend.

Quick Check 1
Underline the proper nouns in these sentences.
1. Goldilocks went to the house of the three bears.
2. Peter and Susan are going to the beach for a swim.
3. Mr Lee is reading a book.

The names of countries and their people are also proper nouns.

__
Filipino Arab Indian Italian Thai

Proper Nouns 17 ____,

 Word File
Here are some more names
of countries and their people:
Country People
America Americans
Australia Australians
China the Chinese
Japanese Korean Mexican Malay Thailand Thais
France the French
China hosted the Summer Olympic India Indians
Games in 2008. Italy Italians
The Dutch are the people who live in Japan the Japanese
the Netherlands. Korea Koreans
Malaysia Malaysians
Pakistan Pakistanis
'Thai' is pronounced like 'tie'. But don't Singapore Singaporeans
forget the 'h' while writing!

Quick Check 2
Underline the proper nouns in these sentences.
1. There are many Indians and Chinese in Australia.
2. The English love to play and watch football.
3. The people of Spain are known as Spaniards.

The names of towns, cities, buildings and landmarks are proper nouns.

the Great Wall of China

the Statue
the Taj Mahal Sydney of Liberty
18 Nouns
 Word File
Here are some more names of places and landmarks:
Bangkok Beijing the Grand Canyon
London Taipei Central Park
New York Paris the Holiday Hotel Tokyo
New Delhi Big Ben the Little Mermaid
Amsterdam Venice the Great Pyramid of Giza

The Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the seven

wonders of the ancient world.
Beijing is the capital of China .
Hong Kong

Quick Check 3
Underline the proper nouns in these sentences.
1. We plan to visit Rio de Janeiro next year.
2. The Niagara Falls are well known the world over for their amazing beauty.
3. The Eiffel Tower is one of the most visited places in Paris.

The days of the week and months of the year are proper nouns.

Days
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday Thursday Friday
Saturday

You say 'on a day of the week' but 'in a month of the year':
on Saturday ~
__·m
_ _J_
ul_Y_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, ~- - -

Proper Nouns
-19- -
 Months
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
M
August

~~
September
October
November
October November
December

It is difficult to get up early on

a Monday. A table th at shows th e months,
weeks and days of the year is
Her birthday is in September, called a calendar. T ake care
but I don't remember the date. with the vowels:
A calEndAr shows us the end
of the year.
Quick Check 4
Underline the proper nouns in these sentences.
1. July is the hottest month in some countries.
2. Next Tuesday is a public holiday.
3. Many schools have their winter vacation in December.

The names of mountains, oceans, seas, rivers and lakes are proper nouns.

1/ _;:::::::=::::.~
~
Mount Everest
------
-..............::...::
the Niagara Falls
20 Nouns
 Word File
Here are some more
proper nouns:
the Arab ian Sea
the Alps
the Himalayas
the Pacific Ocean
the Thames
Mount Fuji
The Ganges is a sacred river for Hindus. the Yellow River
the Ganges
Mont Blanc is the highest peak of the Alps.

You often use the before names of rivers, seas, oceans and ranges
of mountains.
Mount means mountain. It is often used in the names of mountains:
Mount Fuji
The written short form for Mount is Mt:
Mt Fuji

Quick Check 5
Underline the proper nouns in these sentences.
1. The Amazon River is the second longest river in the world.
2. Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world.
3. Mt Everest in the Himalayas is the tallest mountain in the world.

The names of festivals and holidays are proper nouns too.

r ~ Ir.
~ ,r,:'
4 ,. / " '
0
~
·~i;?-
~ Cl
o

New Year's Day

Proper Nouns 21
---
 Christmas Father's Day

Word File
Here are some names of festivals and holidays :
Deepavali Mother's Day
Hari Raya National Day
Independence Day Thanksgiving Day
Labour Day Vesak

Our office remains closed on Labour Day.

India celebrates its Independence Day on 15 August.

Quick Check 6
Underline the proper nouns in these sentences.
1. On Halloween, people give children sweets and money.
2. Deepavali is celebrated by lighting lamps.
3. Christmas is not complete without a turkey.

Concrete nouns are words for people, animals, places and things that
you can see or hear or smell or touch or taste.

This is a ( photograph ) of Spot, my naughty little ( pu~py )

:+
concrete noun concrete noun

22 Nouns
 I •~,.,_ I
Word File
IHIIHIIH
Here are some more
concrete nouns:
bicycle City Hall
I \ dancer door
Grand Hotel
0 0
fish
music
lemonade
Nancy
nurse parcel
aeroplane

,. .. . .,-.
.
.:'" ~ ··. __. :·-.··.
~,
duck
CY
ti!
, :. -.
... - -
0
~
.. •
'-:, r ~
,.
•

~ .:, '--'

<::) _,_°' - f'!9,~. ...,

policeman waves crowd

The mayor called a meeting at the City Hall.

I need to learn how to ride a bicycle.

Words for things that you cannot see or hear or smell or touch or
taste are not concrete nouns.
birthday Christmas Friday July
holiday hours idea love

Quick Check 1
Underline the concrete nouns in these sentences. Circle the nouns
that are not concrete nouns.
1. Mark went on a holiday to London and sent us a postcard from there.
2. My brother's birthday is in January.
3. The magician pulled three rabbits out of his hat.

Concrete Nouns 23
 2.4 Countable Nouns
Most nouns are countable nouns. We call them countable nouns
because they are words for people, animals, places or things that
we can count.

There are eight ( sparrows ) sitting on that ~ -

+ ~
countable noun countable noun

Word File
Here are some more
countable noun s:
arrow fish
axe fox
books computer bird panda
calculator pupils
camera rabbits
children rainbow
clock sofa
dollars telephone
donkeys village
snowman

circus

I bought a camera .
You can put a, an or a counting word
This clock costs ten dollars. before a countable noun:
an arrow three boxes
an umbrella a few children
a computer a few carrots

24 Nouns
Quick Check 1
Underline the countable nouns in these sentences.
1. Kate has three balloons.
2. She bought a few books.
3. How many brothers do you have?

2.5 Uncountable Nouns

Some nouns are called uncountable nouns. We call them uncountable
nouns because they are words for things that you cannot count.

Please pass me the ( ju~e ).

uncountable noun
Word File
Here are some more
uncountable nouns:
blood metal
bread milk
butter oil
cheese paper
coffee rice
dust salt
gold sugar
ice tea
jam water

meat

sand snow

Uncountable Nouns 25
 I I
I A II I I
II I I I I I I I I

rain fog

Oil and water don't mix. Uncountable nouns are always

singular. You do not put a, an
Would you like to have some tea ?
or a counting word before an
uncountable noun.

Quick Check 1
Underline the uncountable nouns in these sentences.
1. There is not much food left.
2. He is drinking a lot of water.
3. I can see plenty of dust.

2.6 Singular Nouns

Countable nouns can be singular or plural. When you are talking
about one person, animal, place, thing or idea, you use a singular
countable noun.

A ~ came to our ~ and bought a ~ -

singular noun singular noun singular noun

26 Nouns
 a train

a woman

Word File
an owl a flower Here are some more
singular nouns:
an aeroplane a letter
a bicycle a map
a boy a photograph
a bus a refrigerator
a comb a slide
a girl a swing
a ship a key a van

G
You usually put a or an before singular countable nouns. You put an before
words beginning with vowels (a, e, i, o, u). For example, you say:
an axe an igloo
an egg an orange
an envelope an umbrella
an ice cream an uncle
Some words do not follow this rule. For example, you use a (not an) before
these words that begin with the vowel u because the vowel u in these words
sounds like the word you:
a uniform a university

Singular Nouns 27
 You usually put a before words beginning with the other letters of the
alphabet, called consonants. For example, you say:
a basket a rainbow
a bowl a monster
a car a pillow
a hill a watch
a house a zoo
Some words do not follow this rule. For example, you use an (not a) before
these words because the h in them is silent:
an heir
an honour
an hour

We bought a refrigerator.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Quick Check 1
Write a or an before these singular nouns.
fox aunt
child _ holiday
_apple hour
bottle invitation
unicorn _elephant

2. 7 Plural Nouns
When you are talking about two or more people, animals, places or
things, you have to make the countable nouns plural. You usually
make countable nouns plural by adding -s at the end.

The ~ wore their new ( go~ ns ) to the party.

plural noun plural noun

28 Nouns
 ~ ----------------,
mug ~ :
I

1 bat l

bats
L---------

mugs

Word File
fan star
Here are some plural nouns:
Singular Plural
bird bird s
fan s
broom broom s
camel camel s
desk desks
doll doll s
egg eggs
flower flowers
fork forks stars
game games
lamb lambs
nest nests cap
pen pen s
photo photos
shirt shirts
spoon spoon s

Don't forget to send her flowers for her birthday.

Never put all your eggs in one basket.

Plural Nouns 29
 Some plural nouns end in -es .
glass

watch
glasses

watches When the word glass

means a drinking cup, it is
brushes a countable noun. When
it means a material that is
used to make things such
as windows or dishes, it is
an uncountable noun.

bus

fox foxes
buses 1

Word File
Here are some more plural
nouns like these: When the last letters
Singular Plural
of singular nouns are ch,
sh, s, ss or x, you usually
beach beaches
add -es to form the plural.
branch branches
box boxes
bush bushes
dish dishes
dress dresses
witch witches

She has a cupboard full of dresses .

The witches in the movie scared Tim.

30 Nouns
Some plural nouns end in -ies.

canary

canaries

Word File
H ere are some more plural
nouns like these:
Singular Plural
baby babies
cherry cherries
city cities
diary diaries
dictionary dictionaries
jelly
fairy fairies
family families
fly fli es
lilies lady ladies
library libraries
puppy puppies
story stories
strawberry strawberries
teddy tedd ies

Let's pick those lovely red cherries on the tree.

Look at these cute puppies ! I wish we could take some of them home.

You make these nou ns

plural by changing y
to i and addin g -es .

Plural Nouns 31
 If there is a vowel before the y, you just add -s to form the plural.

turkey

turkeys

Word File
H ere are some more plural
nouns like these:
Singular Plural
chimney chimneys
cowboy cowboys
day days
donkey donkeys
jersey jerseys
kidney kidneys
monkey monkeys
toy t oys
trays trolley trolleys
valley valleys

Put your toys in the box. Don't leave

them lying around.
Monkeys like to climb trees.

32 Nouns
Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with the correct plural form of each noun, ending
. .
1n -s, -es or -1es.
Singular Plural
1. key a bunch of - - - - - -
2. teddy three cuddly - - - - - -
3. class all the - - - - - - in the school
4. chair a set of six - - - - - -
5. city famous capital _ _ _ _ __
6. fox four - - - - - -

If a noun ends in -f, you often change f to v and add -es.

Singular Plural Singular Plural

calf cal ves loaf loaves 'I)

•
elf el ves shelf shelves
half halves thief thieves
leaf leaves wolf wolves

The elves were happy with the clothes that the shoemaker gave them.
Please give me two loaves of bread.

These nouns end in -f, but you just add -s to form the plural.
Singular Plural Singular Plural
chef chefs sheriff sheriffs
chief chiefs roof roofs
cliff cliffs

The roofs of all these houses are painted red.

All the chefs in the city are taking part in the competition.

Plural Nouns 33
 With some words that end in -f, you can spell the plural in two ways.

Singular Plural
dwarf dwarfs or dwarves
hoof hoofs or hooves f

scarf scarfs or scarves

handkerchief handkerchiefs or handkerchieves

Snow White lived in a cottage with the seven dwarfs or dwarves.

That shop sells some pretty scarfs or scarves.

With some words that end in -fe, you change f to v, and add -s .
Singular Plural
knife knives
" WMC
You only add -s
life lives to giraffe to form
the plural.
wife wives

All the officers and their wives came to General Smith's farewell dinner.
The villagers worked hard and saved many lives after the earthquake.

Quick Check 2
Change the underlined nouns into the plural form in these sentences.
1. Don't throw the handkerchief away. _ _ _ _ __
2. Please pass me the penknife. _ _ _ _ __
3. The shepherd carried the sheaf of hay on his head. _ _ _ _ _ __
4. Where have you kept my scarf? _ _ _ _ __
5. My horse has hurt his hoof. _ _ _ _ __
6. The cow and her calf are resting in the cowshed. _ _ _ _ _ __

34 Nouns
If a noun ends in -o, you just add -s to form the plural.

Word File
Here are some more plural
nouns like these:
Singular Plural
kangaroos
a hippo hippos
a video videos
a zoo zoos a kangaroo

With some nouns that end in -o, you add -es to form the plural.

Word File
Here are some more plural
a flamingo nouns like these:
Singular Plural
a tomato tomatoes
flamingoes a potato potatoes
a hero heroes

To make mashed potato, first boil the potatoes .

Of all the superheroes, Superman is my favourite.

With some nouns that end in -o, you can add -s or -es to form the plural:
Singular Plural
a mango mangoes or mangos
a mosquito mosquitoes or mosquitos
a zero zeroes or zeros
I love ripe mangos or mangoes .
The number thousand has three zeros or zeroes .

Quick Check 3
Fill in the blank with the plural form of each noun.
1. piano _ _ _ _ _ __
2. disco - - - - - - -
3. buffalo - - - - - - -

Plural Nouns 35
 Some plural nouns do not follow the -s rule. They do not end in -s,
.
es, -1es or -ves.

l
feet
foot

mouse

geese

Word File
Singular Plural
child children
man men
mouse mice
person people
cactus cacti

The plural of the mouse that

you ~se with your computer
1s mice or mouse.

The children went out to play after school.

Most of the men were dressed in black at the party.

Quick Check 4
Change the underlined nouns into the plural form in these sentences.
1. The woman ran home quickly. _ _ _ _ _ __
2. The ox ploughed the field every day. _ _ _ _ __
3. The boy fell down and broke his tooth. _ _ _ _ __

36 Nouns
Some plural nouns are th e same as the singular noun.

sheep
reindeer

reindeer
sheep

--------------- - ~

Word File fish ~~

~
H ere are some more plural
nouns like these:
fish
Singular Plural
bison bison
deer deer
G
You can use fishes as the plural
of fish when you are talking about
different kinds of fis h:
all the fishes of the Pacific Ocean

How many fish can the pelican catch in its beak?

There is a herd of bison grazing in that field.

Quick Check 5
Fill in the blank with the plural form of the noun in brackets.
1. Nine _ _ _ _ __ ___ pull Santa Claus's sleigh. (reindeer)
2. The five flew over the city. (aircraft)
3. The boy drove his flock of into the valley. (sheep)

Plural Nouns 37
 Some nouns are always plural. You can make these
plural nouns sing ular
by using a pair of:
a pair of binoculars
a pair of spectacles
spectacles goggles binoculars
a pair of goggles
a pair of jeans
a pair of shorts
a pair of pliers

pliers jeans

Word File
H ere are some more plural
W hen glasses refer s to things nouns like these:
you drink out of, yo u talk about
two glasses. When g lasses pants scissors
means spectacles, you talk about pyjamas shorts
a pair of glasses. trousers tongs

Some nouns are usually used in the plural.

socks shoes ~ ticks

Or,gloves

He broke his brother's favourite pair of goggles.

Your spectacles are on the table.

Quick Check 6
Fill in the blank with the plural form of the noun in brackets.
1. Tom was wearing bright red swimming _______ . (trunk)
2. This is Mum's favourite pair of _______ . (glass)
3. I can't find my new pair of _ _ _ _ _ _ . (short)

38 Nouns
2.8 Collective Nouns
Collective nouns are words for groups of people, animals or things.

The ( swarm ) of bees buzzed around the hive.

+
collective noun

a crew an orchestra

These are nouns for groups of people.

Word File
Here are some more
groups of people:
an audience a club
a band a gang
a choir a group
a class a team
a family a crowd

A team of doctors went to the village.

A gang of thieves stole the diamonds.

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with a suitable collective noun.
1. a _ _ _ _ _ _ of people
2. a of football players
3. a of singers

Collective Nouns 39
 These are collective nouns for groups of people, animals or things.

Word File
Here are some more
collective nouns:
a block of flats
a bunch of keys
a herd of horses
a collection of books
a fleet of ships
a flock of sheep
a band of musicians a herd of cattle
a litter of cubs
a pack of wolves
a set of stamps
a troupe of actors

a team of players a shoal of fish

ey
a brood of chickens

A pack of wolves chased the rabbit.

a flight of steps
The library has a good collection of books.

40 Nouns
Quick Check 2
Farmer John had several different kinds of animals on his farm. Fill in
the blank with a suitable collective noun for each group of his animals.

Farmer John had

a _ _ _ _ ___ of geese,
a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ of sheep,
a - - - - - - -of cattle and
a - - - - - - -of horses.

One day a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ of wolves wanted to eat his animals. Farmer John

fired his rifle and frightened the wolves away.

Collective Nouns 41
 2.9 Masculine and Feminine Nouns
Masculine nouns are words for men and boys, and male animals.
Feminine nouns are words for women and girls, and female animals.

My ~ and ~ live in Singapore.-. ~~~~~~-::sf/.-::sf/.~~

4
masculine noun fem in ine noun
Word File
Masculine Feminine
boy girl
man woman
prince princess
steward stewardess
waiter waitress

bride bridegroom

king queen

cock

lioness

The steward and stewardess look after the passengers on the plane.
The prince and princess lived happily ever after.

42 Nouns
 Here are some more masculine and feminine nouns for people.

Feminine

actor actress
brother sister
emperor empress
father mother
gentleman lady
grandfather grandmother
grandson granddaughter
headmaster headmistress
husband wife
master mistress
nephew niece
policeman policewoman
son daughter
spaceman spacewoman
uncle aunt
wizard witch

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our

M asculine nouns belong to
party this evening.
the masculine gender.
My grandfather and grandmother live Feminine nouns belong to
on a farm. the feminine gender.

Quick Check 1
Fill in each blank with a suitable masculine or feminine noun.
1. The _ _ _ _ _ __ and hostess welcomed their guests.
2. The king and _ _ _ _ _ _ had two children.
3. The headmaster and _ _ _ _ _ _ sat in the front row, waiting for the
concert to begin.

Masculine and Feminine Nouns 43

 Here are some masculine and feminine nouns for animals.

Male Female
Animals
chicken cock/ rooster hen
cattle bull cow
deer buck doe
dog dog bitch
duck drake duck
fox fox vixen
goose gander goose
horse stallion mare
lion lion lioness
sheep ram ewe
tiger tiger tigress

Nouns that end in -ess and -ress often belong to the feminine gender:
actress lioness steward ess
empress mistress tig ress
hostess princess waitress

The lion and lioness fought hard to save their cubs.

He owns two horses: a stallion and a mare.

Quick Check 2
Fill in each blank with a suitable masculine or feminine noun.
1. The _______ and drake were swimming in the pond.
2. The fox and lived in a den.
3. Farmer Lee has two bulls and four - - - - - - - on his farm.

44 Nouns
2 .10 Noun Phrases
We often find groups of words that include a noun and say
something about the noun. Such a group of words is called a
noun phrase.

The thieves stole ( some valuable jewels ) from the palace.

+
noun phrase

( Here are some more noun phrases. J

hot drinks a birthday present a daily newspaper
a slightly damaged vase some old paintings white paper
some very strange people an ancient vase pretty gifts

tree a tree a tall tree a very tall tree

cakes lovely cakes some lovely cakes some really

lovely cakes

Noun Phrases 45
 ( Here are some more noun phrases. J

a high mountain three old women

Peter gave me a guitar as a birthday present .

Some very strange people have moved in yesterday.

Quick Check 1
Circle the nouns in these sentences and underline the noun phrases
(including the nouns).
1. The little girl picked up some pretty stones on the beach.
2. The old horse was pulling a heavy cart along the dusty road.
3. The three very lazy cats were sleeping beside a nice, warm fire.

46 Nouns
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a common noun or a
proper noun . There are different kinds of pronouns.

3 .1 Personal Pronouns
The words I, you, he, she, it, we and they are called personal
pronouns. T hey take the place of word s for people, animals, places
or things and are used as the subject of the verb in a sentence .
• =~
This is my uncle . ~ works in a bank. The subject of a sentence
is the person, animal, place
pronoun used as a subject or thing that does the
action shown by the verb .

.-=7
My name is David . I am the youngest in the family .
.-=~
Th is is my father. He is a lawyer .
• =~
Th is is my mother. She is a teacher .

•
I have a brother and two sisters . They are Brian, Ann and Li z.
.-=7 . -=7

.--=~
I have a dog . It is called Lucky. Lucky, you are a good dog .

Good morning, children ! You may sit down now.

~ - - - -=- - -- -

My family and I live in a big city. We have an apartment.

47
 Quick Check 1
F ill in the blank with the correct personal pronoun.
1. Peter and I are brothers. _ __ _ _ _ share a bedroom together.
2. My brother is a teacher. _ _ _ _ _ _ teaches English.
3. Children, _ __ _ _ _ are making too much noise!

The words me, you, him, her, it, us and them are also personal
pronouns. T hey also take the place of words fo r people, animals,
places or things. They are used as the object of the ver b in
a sentence.

Baby birds cannot fly. Mother bird has to feed ~ -

pronoun used as an object

G
, , - - - - - - - -=- - - - - - ~ T he object of a sentence
am standing on my head . Look at me. is the per son, animal, place
, , - - - - - - - -=-------------. or thing that receives the
action shown by the verb.
My mother is kind. Everybody likes her .
.-=~
Lisa, I told you to tidy your bed!

Sharon and Jenny! Dad is waiting for you !

Lucky and I are playing in the park. Dad is watching us .

.-=~
You must not play with the knife . Give it to me .
..
Pick up your toys and put them away.
, - - - - - - - - - -=- - - - - - - ~

The vase was very heavy and I almost dropped it.

, - - - - - - - - -= - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - .

Tom likes riding my bicycle. I often let him borrow it.

48 Pronouns
Quick Check 2
Fill in the blank with the correct personal pronoun.
1. Sue is not well. Dad is taking _ _ _ __ _ to see a doctor.
2. All his students like - - - - - -
3. Here is another tennis racquet. I don't know who left _ _ __ _ _ here.

In grammar you talk about the first person, second person and third person:
♦ T he person speaking is called the first person. T he first person
pronouns are I or me (in the sing ular) and we or us (in the plural).
♦ The person spoken to is called the second person. The second person
pronoun is you (in both singular and plural).
♦ T he person (or animal, or thing) spoken about is called the third
person. The third person prono uns are he or him, she or her, and it
(in the singular) and they or them (in the plural).
♦ You always spell I with a capital letter.
♦ Yo u use he for men and boys, she fo r women and girls and it for things
and animals.

Here is a table to help you.

Singular Subject Object

First person I me
Second person you you
Third person he him
she her
it it

Plural Subject Object

First person we us
Second person you you
Third person they them

Personal Pronouns 49
 Pronouns
The words myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves,
yourselves and themselves are called reflexive pronouns.
They refer to the person or animal that is the subject of the verb.
cp made this cake ( my~elf )

subject reflexive pronoun

=
Be careful with the knife. You will cut yourself.
f
Michael is looking at himself in the mirror .

•
Susan has hurt herself.

•
Our cat washes itself after each meal.
- - - - - -·=- - - - - -
We organised the party all by ourselves.
f
Come in, children , and find yourselves a seat.

Baby birds are too young to look after themselves.

Here is a table to remind you about reflexive pronouns.

Singular Plural

First person I, me myself we, us ourselves

Second person you yourself you yourselves

Third person he, him himself they, them themselves

she, her herself they, them themselves

it itself they, them themselves

50 Pronouns
Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with the correct reflexive pronoun.
1. No one can help us. We have to help _ _ _ _ __
2. John, you must behave _ _ _ _ _ _ in front of your friends.
3. They painted the wall all by _ _ _ _ __

3.3 Possessive Pronouns

The words mine, yours, his, hers, ours and theirs are called
possessive pronouns. You use possessive pronouns to talk about
things that belong to people .

•
This must be my mug . I'm sure it's mine
..,. .
possessive pronoun

.--=,
This is not your pen . Yours
..,. is over there .
possessive pronoun

Is that glass of lemonade yours or mine?

Joanne borrowed my pencil because she had lost hers.
Here comes your bus now. Ours is late.
Be careful to spell
- - - - -=- - - -~ their correctly. The
Where are Rita's gloves? Are those gloves hers? e comes before the i.
..,.
possessive pronoun

r =7
Your dog is bigger than our dog. Ours is really small.
..,.
possessive pronoun

Possessive Pronouns 51
 This is John's book . At least, I think it is his .
..,.
possessive pronoun Possessive
pronouns take
.-=~
That is not the Tans' car. Theirs is grey.
the place of
nouns. They are
..,. not used in front
possessive pronoun of a noun.

Quick Check 1
F ill in the blank with a suitable possessive pronoun.
1. It was my fault, not _ __ _ __
2. This is my bag. _ _ _ _ _ _ is under that chair.
3. James and I both have bicycles. _ _ _ __ _ is red but _ _ _ _ __
is blue.

3 .4 Interrogative Pronouns
T he words who, whom, whose, what and which are called
interrogative pronouns. You use these pronouns to ask questions.

~ knows the answer? ( w;at ) would you like to eat?

interrogative pronoun interrogative pronoun

What is your dog's name? Which of these bags is yours?

What are you yell ing for?
What is the time?

Whose is th is umbrella?
Whose are these gloves?

Who are those people?

..,.
Whom did you see?
subject ..,.
Who is he watching? object
..,.
Whom did you speak to ?
object ..,.
object

52 Pronouns
 What is the matter with you?
Who invented the computer?

Who can be used as the object of a verb as well as the subject:

Who said that? (subject)
Who did he find in the shed? (object)

Who can also be th e object of a preposition:

Who was he talking to?

Whom is used m uch less often than who. It can only be the object of a
verb or preposition:
Whom did you see there?
Whom was he talking to?

In both these sentences, whom sounds rather for mal; who wo uld be m uch
more natural. However, you must use whom after a preposition:
To whom was he talking?

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with the correct interrogative pronoun.
1. _ _ __ __ broke the vase?
2. _ _ _ _ _ _ came first, the chicken or the egg?
3. is the word for a stamp collector?

ey
Interrogative Pronouns
---
53
 The words this, these, that and those are called demonstrative
pronouns. They are showing words.

~ is a mountain.
demonstrative pronoun

( Those are goats. )

( These are sheep. ) V
~

----
---
This is my house. What is this?
Did you drop this? This is a hill.
Hi, Jane! This is Ben. These are donkeys.

You use this and these when you point to things near you.
You use that and those when you point to things further away.
Demonstrative pronouns can be singular or plural:
Singular Plural
this these
that those

That is John's bicycle. We can do better than that.

Those are horses. Hello, who is that speaking, please?
What are those? Hello, is that you, George?
No, that is not mine. Those are my trousers.

54 Pronouns
Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with a suitable demonstrative pronoun.
1. _ _ _ _ _ _ is a picture of our beach house.
2. Is _ _ _ _ _ _ yours?
3. Are your scissors? No, _ _ _ _ _ _ are Mary's.

------ are mine.

3.6 Indefinite Pronouns

The words anyone, anybody, anything, someone, somebody
and something are called indefinite pronouns. You use indefinite
pronouns when you are not talking about a particular person
or thing.

Is ( anybody ) there? There is ( someone ) in the garden .

+ +
indefinite pronoun indefinite pronoun

Did anyone see anything?

Can somebody help me, please?
There is something wrong with this machine.

Indefinite Pronouns 55
 The words everyone, everybody, everything, no one, nobody and
nothing are also indefinite pronouns.

Has ( everyone ) got a pencil? There is ( nothing ) in the box.

+
indefinite pronoun
+
indefinite pronoun

Everybody likes ice cream. No one is usually written

as two words, but it can also
No one saw who left the parcel be written as no-one, with
at the door. a hyphen.

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with a suitable indefinite pronoun.
1. _ _ _ _ _ _ knows the answer to that question.
2. Put _ _ _ _ _ _ back in the cupboard, please.
3. I can see - - - - - - but I don't know what it is.

56 Pronouns
An adjective is a describing word. It tells you about a noun, or
describes it. An adjective often comes before the noun it describes.
It can also come after the noun, later in the sentence.

This is a ~ street. Sue's drawing is ( beautiful ).

+
adjective before a noun adjective after a noun

She hid the box in a dark corner.

The ship sank in the deep sea.
There is a large bed in the room.
It is windy.

a low fence
John's handwriting is very neat.
L__}
The sea is rough .
The sum is too difficult for me.
Peter is very quiet today.

a tall basketball player an old building a smart dog

l________,f L__} L__}
57
 Quick Check 1
Underline the adjectives in the following sentences.
1. There is an empty room upstairs.
2. It is a hot summer.
3. Don't be crazy.
4. Singapore is clean and green.
5. Regular exercise keeps you healthy.
6. We are bored . There isn't anything to do.

There are differen t kinds of adjectives.

Some adjectives describe people or animals or things by telling you
what sor t of people or animals or things they are. They are called
adjectives of quality.

Bring me that ( em:ty ) basket.

adjective of quality

an empty basket

Word File
Here are some more
a loud crash a fierce dog
adjectives of quality:
a clean plate
Dad is wearing torn shoes. a bright day
They live in a quiet street.
a noisy crowd
a rich family
a strong man
a wet umbrella

58
--- Adjectives
Some adjectives say what you think about something. They are
called adjectives of opinion.

Jane is a ( beautiful ) woman .

t
adjective of opinion

Word File
Here are some more adjectives of opinion: an ugly monster
a dear friend a difficult question
an interesting book a lovely vase
a nice present a sad story
a silly mistake a useful tool

I am reading an interesting book.

Sally is a dear friend. a pretty flower

Some adjectives describe how old people or things are. They are
called adjectives of age.
'
Sheila bought a ~ car.

adjective of age

a new car

Word File
Here are some more
adjectives of age:
an ancient church
an old house
a newborn baby
an aged man
a young lady

Kinds of Adjectives
---
59
 Some adjectives describe how hot or
cold a person or thing is. They are The u of useful is
called adjectives of temperature. pronounced like you, so
you write a useful tool,
not an useful tool.
Can I have a ~ cup of tea?

adjective of temperature

,
v V

Word File 0 u "

• u •
.,
Here are some more adjectives of temperature: \,, V V "
v I, V

a bitter wind a warm coat

a cool breeze chilly weather

A cool breeze was blowing in from the sea.

Please put on a warm coat.

a hot bun

Some adjectives tell you which place or country a person or thing

comes from, or belongs to. They are called adjectives of origin.

She wore a shawl made of ( Belgian ) lace.

t
adjective of origin

an Indian temple a Filipino shirt Chinese kungfu

60 Adjectives
 Word File
Here are some more
adjectives of origin:
an African tribe
a Mexican hat Australian apples
a Malay kris a Balinese dancer
the English language
the French flag
a German castle
an Italian car
a Japanese garden
a Scottish kilt
He dreamt of owning an Italian car. Thai boxing

I prefer Chinese food to Indian food.

Some adjectives tell you the colour of things. They are called
adjectives of colour.

I love ( ye~ow ) roses.

adjective of colour

Give me some white paint, please.

Word File
Here are some more
adjectives of colour:
The sky is grey. The sea is blue.
Ken is wearing brown shoes.
I do not like green apples.
Carrots are orange.
Flamingoes are pink.
Eggplants are purple.
Roses are red .
Your hands are black!

Kinds of Adjectives 61
---
 Some adjectives tell you the size of people, animals, places or things.
They are called adjectives of size.

We saw a ~ bird sitting on a branch.

adjective of size

a huge balloon

a thin boy a fat sumo wrestler a short man

Word File
Here are some more
adjectives of size: ♦ You use tall to describe
a big hat people and narrow,
broad shoulders
upright objects.
a large ship a tall girl
a long bridge a tall building
a low ceiling ♦ You use high to describe
a narrow lane bigger or wider objects
small animals that reach a great height.
tiny insects a high mountain
a wide street a high wall

'The Titanic' was a large ship.

Don't open the window! Tiny insects will fly in.

62 Adjectives
Some adjectives describe what shape a person or thing is. They are
called adjectives of shape.

Sheena bought me an ~ tray.

adjective of shape

a round ball a square table

Word File Straight is an adjective.

Here are some other adjectives of shape: Can you draw a straight line?
a bent pin a curved line A strait is a narrow part
a flat stone a straight road of the sea.
a thick book a thin branch the Strait of Malacca

A dictionary is a thick book.

The bird sat on a thin branch .

Some adjectives describe what material a thing is made from.

They are called adjectives of material.

Who broke the ~ bowl?

adjective of material

a wooden chair

J 8
a brick wall

Kinds of Adjectives __
63 _,
 Word File
Here are some more adjectives of material:
a cardboard box cotton socks
a tin kettle a leather belt
a metal clip a paper bag
a plastic cup a woollen jersey

Put all your toys in the cardboard box.

The air hostess gave a paper bag to the sick traveller.

Quick Check 1
Underline the adjectives in these sentences. What kinds of
adjectives are they?
In the blanks, write Q if the adjectives are adjectives of quality,
C if the adj ectives tell you about colour, S if they tell you about size,
Sh if they tell you about shape, Or if they tell you about origin, or
M if they are adjectives of material.

1. Dad has two pairs of leather shoes.

2. One pair is brown and the other pair is black.
3. What colour is the American flag?
4. They are driving a small car.
5. There is a large crowd of people outside.
6. Sue likes those yellow balloons.
7. Jack was carrying a wooden box with metal handles.
8. The box was square at one end and round at the other.
9. Grandma sat down on a smooth rock to rest.
10. There is an Indian temple in the city.

---
64 Adjectives
4.2 Nouns Used as Adjectives
Many nouns can be used in the same way as adjectives.

Th is is an ~ tree . This is my ~ racquet.

noun describing a noun noun describing a noun

a ballet dancer football boots

a garden bench

Nouns Used as Adjectives

---
65
 Word File Nouns when used as adjectives
always come before the word they
Here are some more nouns describe in the sentence.
used as adjectives:
a church bell a lunch bag
a cheese sandwich
a dog basket
a garage door
a cherry tree
a kitchen table
a rugby match
a train station

Quick Check 1
Underline the nouns that are used as adjectives in these sentences.
1. The boys were playing on the basketball court.
2. This is my new pencil box.
3. Our cat knocked over the table lamp.
4. There is a rose plant just outside our gate.
5. Ray bought me a cotton shirt for my birthday.

4.3 Comparison of Adjectives

When you compare two people or animals or things, you use the
comparative form of the adjective.

Lots of comparative adjectives end in -er.

Your hair is long, but mine is ( lo";er ) than yours.

comparative adjective

---
66 Adjectives
. ----------,
--------
_,,/
I I \ bright

-/ II fast faster

brighter / / / \ \ \
---------------,
-----------------~

small
Comparative
smaller I

cheap cheaper --------------------~

clever cleverer
loud louder
old older
rich richer
short shorter
You often use than together with
tall taller comparative adjectives:
Jack is taller than John.
slow slower
A sports car is faster than
thick thicker a motorbike.

Tom ran fast, but Jim was faster than him.

A ladybird is small, but an ant is smaller than it.

Comparison of Adjectives 67
----
 When you compare three or more people, animals or things, you use
the superlative form of the adjective.

Lots of superlatives end in -est.

He dived into the ( deepest ) part of the pool.

t
superlative adjective

dark darker darkest

thick thicker thickest long longer longest

r
( r
Superlative
clean cleaner cleanest
easy easier easiest
flat flatter flattest
heavy heavier heaviest
hot hotter hottest
noisy noisier noisiest
simple simpler simplest
thin thinner thinnest
wet wetter wettest
\.._
'

When you use the superlative form, yo u often add the before it:
Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
Peter is the tallest boy in his class.

68
--- Adjectives
♦ With adjectives that end in -e, you j ust add -r to form the comparative,
and -st to form the superlative:
Comparative Superlative
close close r closest
large larger largest
safe safe r safest
wide wide r widest

♦ Some adjectives have only one syllable. They end with a consonant and
have a single vowel before the consonant. With such adjectives you
double the last letter before adding -er to form the comparative and
-est to form the superlative:
Comparative Superlative
big bigger biggest
dim di mmer di mmest
mad ma dder ma ddest
sad sa dder sa ddest

♦ Some adjectives have two syllables and end in -y. With such adjectives
you change the y to i and add -er to form the comparative, and -est to
form the superlative:
Comparative Superlative
busy busier busiest
dirty dirtier dirtiest
happy happier happ iest
pretty prettier prettiest

69
Comparison of Adjectives
---
 The comparative and superlative forms of some adjectives are
different from the adjective.

g_,
---
I
,11,/m.,kft
-
English test

- -
----
-~--
-
English test

----
c,, English test

--
----
l)
-

--- - -,w~- -----.......

- ----
....._
- -···~--
--
- ---- ----··- ----
----
roo
-✓
---
io6 - --
good better best bad worse worst

,.
Comparative Superlative
bad worse worst
far farther/ further farthest/ furthest
many more most
much more most
I
' - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -' - - ' - - - - - - - - - -

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with the correct comparative or superlative form
of the adjective in brackets.
1. I could send a letter, but a telephone call would be _ _ _ _ _ _ . (quick)
2. Did you get the answer wrong? But that was the _ _ _ _ _ _ question
of them all! (easy)
3. Don't wear that hat. You look much _ _ _ _ _ _ without it. (nice)
4. They are having a competition to see who is the _ _ _ _ _ _ boy in the
class. (strong)
5. When we go on holiday, Mum always has the _ _ _ _ __
suitcase. (heavy)
6. My sister used to be much _ _ _ _ _ _ than me, but she went on a
diet. (fat)

---
70 Adjectives
Determiners are words such as the, this, those, my, their and
which. They are used before nouns.

5 .1 The Articles
The words a, an and the belong to this group of words called
determiners. The words a and an are called indefinite articles. You
can use them with singular countable nouns to talk about any single
person, animal or thing.

Can you hear ~ singing?

indefinite article
before words
beginning with
consonants
What sound does an ( an owl ) make?
:+
indefinite article
before words
This is a picture of an elephant.
beginning with
Rudy is reading a book. vowels

Mum bought me a new dress today.

Do you wear a uniform to school?
Take an umbrella with you.
She eats an apple a day.
You usually put an before
words beginning with
vowels, and a before
The u of uniform is pronounced like you, words beginning with
so yo u say a uniform, not an uniform. consonants.
 The word the is called the definite article. You can use the before a
noun when you are talking about something or someone definite and
people know which thing or person you mean.

Open ~ door, Paul.

definite article

The telephone is ringing. Tom has won the race.

Granny is sitting in the garden.

The street is very busy today.
The sky is getting dark.

You also put the before a

countable noun when there
is only one:
the Sun
the Moon
the sky
Where is the cat?
I think she is under the bed. the front door of my house

Quick Check 1
Write a, an or the in the blanks to complete the sentences.
1. There is _ _ _ _ _ _ rainbow in _ _ _ _ _ _ sky.
2. Who is _ _ _ _ _ _ man outside _ _ _ _ _ _ gate?
3. doctor gave Jane injection.

72 Determiners
5.2 Demonstrative Determiners
The words this, that, these and those are determiners. They are
showing words. You use them to tell people which thing or person
you mean. They are called demonstrative determiners.

~ camera is mine.
demonstrative determiner

I am keeping these books.

James lives in this house. I am selling those books.

This ice cream is delicious.

How much is that racquet?
What is that animal?
Bring me those books.
Would you like these apples?

♦ You use this and these to point to people or things near you.
♦ You use that and those to point to people or things further from you.
♦ You use this and that before singular nouns.
♦ You use these and those before plural nouns.
♦ Here is a table to help you remember the rules:
Singular Plural
this these
that those

Demonstrative Determiners 73
 Quick Check 1
F ill in the blanks with the correct demonstrative determiners.
1. Come and look at - - - -- - insects.
2. Stop _ _ _ _ __ man!
3. I was in Primary 1 last year. I am in Primary 2 _ _ __ __ year.

nterrogative Determiners
The words what, which and whose are another set of deter miners.
You use them before nouns to ask about people or things. They are
called interrogative determiners.

(<

~ size do you wear? ( Wh~ch ) runner is the winner?

interrogative interrogative
determiner determiner
before a noun before a noun

What time is it?

What colour is her hair?
What kind of bird is that?
What drink would you like to have?

74 Determiners
 Which school do you go to?
Which doll is your favourite?
Which road leads to the zoo?
Do you know which train is going to London?

Whose footprints are these?

Whose baby is this?
Whose dog was barking in the middle of the night?

Quick Check 1
Choose the correct interrogative determiner from the box to fill in
the blank.
( what which whose)

1. - - - - - - kind of insect is that?

2. desk is this?
3. twin is taller?

The words my, your, his, her, its, our and their are another set
of determiners. They are called possessive determiners. You can
use them before nouns to say who something belongs to.

possessive determiner
before a noun

The dentist asked 8 patient to open ~ mouth.

possessive determiner
before a noun

Possessive Determiners 75
 Here is a table to help you remember th e
possessive determiners .
Singular Plural
First person my our
Second person your your
Third person his their
her their
its their I lent Doris ~ guitar.

possessive determiner
before a noun

Is this your house?

My sister lost her way in the city.
Lisa, your handwriting is difficult to read.
Mike is showing his tortoise to his friends.
The lion is chasing its prey.

Quick Check 1
Choose the correct possessive determiner from the box to fill in
the blank.
( my his your her its our their )

1. Is this Jane's dog? Yes, this is _ _ _ _ _ _ dog.

2. The dog is chasing _ _ _ _ _ _ own tail.
3. Peter, is _ _ _ _ _ _ father at home?
4. Rudy is showing stamps to Ali.
5. I am going to aunt's house this evening.
6. We always keep classroom clean.
7. Children, have you all finished _ _ _ _ _ _ homework?
8. The children are proud of school.

76 Determiners
5.5 Cardinal Numbers
Numbers are determiners too. They tell you how many people, or
animals, or things there are. Numbers such as one, two, three, four,
five, six , seven, eight, nine and ten are called cardinal numbers.

In the forest, Snow White makes friends with ( se~en ) dwarfs.

cardinal number

two princes three princesses four mermaids

one giant five witches six fairies seven elves

eight puppets nine dwarfs ten angels

My neighbour has seventeen kittens.

The farmer's eleven hens laid twenty eggs last week.

Word File
Here are some more cardinal numbers:
eleven hens twelve geese
thirteen birds fourteen mice Numbers above twenty
fifteen frogs sixteen snails require a hyphen:
seventeen kittens eighteen ants twenty-one roses
nineteen lizards twenty butterflies thirty-six miles

Cardinal Numbers 77
 Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with the correct cardinal number.
1. A week has _ _ _ _ _ _ _ days.
2. A year has months.
3. A day has hours.

Numbers such as first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh,

eighth, ninth and tenth are called ordinal numbers. Ordinal
numbers tell you where people, animals or things come in a row,
on a list or in a group.

Thomas came in ~ in the sack race , and Joanna was ( second )

---._ ordinal numbers ~
01

21 21 24 2S 26 27 2g
Saturday is the ( seventh ) day of the week.
:+
ordinal number

Three ducks were swimming in the pond.

The ( fo~rth ) duck was sitting on the bank.

ordinal number

78 Determiners
 Word File
Here are some more ordinal numbers:
eleventh twelfth Take care over the spelling
th irteenth fourteenth of eighth (with only one t)
fifteenth sixteenth and ninth (with no e).
sevent eenth eight eenth
nineteenth twentieth

What is the sixth let ter of the alphabet?

Eight of the lambs were white but the ninth one was black.
That is t he tenth tim e you have asked me that question tod ay !

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with the correct ordinal number.
1. I'm taking four books on holiday with me. Three are adventure stories but
the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ one is a book about birds.
2. Sadly, eleven of the twelve eggs were broken, but the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ one
was all right.
3. John carried one of the two bottles. I carried the - - - - - - - one.

5. 7 Quantifiers
Some determiners tell you how many people or things there are
without giving you the exact number. These determiners are
called quantifiers.

Is there ~ milk at home?

quantifier

Yes, there is ~ in the jug.

quantifier
some soldiers

Quantifiers 79
 many puppies

II I1
I II Ill a lot of books

I\ I I a few cups

♦ Yo u use a few and many

Word File with countable nouns.
Here are some more quantifiers: ♦ Yo u use a little and much
a little ice cream several people with uncountable nouns.
too much salt lots of insects ♦ You can use a lot of, lots
plenty of money enough food of, plenty of and some
with both countable and
uncountable nouns.

He has plenty of money in the bank.

She put too much salt in the food.
You won't find many people on the streets after midnight.

The words all, both, each, every and no are also quantifiers.

Both the girls had ponytails. I'm sorry. We have no bananas left.

80 Determiners
 All visitors must go to the school office.
No dogs allowed.
Each vase was carefully wrapped.

All and both often come between the helping verb and the main ver b
in a sentence.
The boys were all playing football.
The girls are both doing their homework.

Each sometimes follows the noun or pronoun it refers to.

We gave them each five dollars.

When each comes before the noun, the no un and verb are singular.
Each child was given a present.

When each comes after the noun, the no un and verb are plural.
The children each were given a present.

Quick Check 1~
Choose the correct quantifier from the box to fill in the blank.
a lot of much both all plenty of no every many

1. It was very crowded at the market. There were _ _ _ _ _ _ people

looking at the stalls.
2. The theatre was nea rly empty. There weren't _ _ _ _ _ _ people there.
3. There's not _ _ _ __ _ water in the kettle. Shall I fill it?
4. 'Do I need to buy more milk?' 'No, we've got _ _ _ __ _ milk.'
5. _ __ __ _ pupil in the school learns English.
6. Mr and Mrs Wang have two sons. _ _ __ __ boys want to be policemen.
7. The notice in the park said' _ __ __ _ ball games allowed', so we went
to the beach instead.
8. The children were _ _ _ _ _ _ shouting and laughing.

Quantifiers 81
Most verbs are doing words. Verbs that tell you what people, animals
or things are doing are called main verbs.

Bats ~ during the day. The children ~ to school by bus.

verb verb

read knock drop

Word File ◊t1 ~

act jump ~}_)~
bake move g)~1~@
blow
buy
pull
run ~ZJ
close
cook
cross
fall
shout
sing
sit
slide
Ir burst
fly stand
--.
go start
dig
grow swim
6.1 The Simple Present Tense
The simple present tense tells you that something is always true or
that it is tr ue now even though it may not always be true.

Mr Thomas ( teaches ) English.

+
simple present tense

,
~\\I I i/ //
/ \ \ I I /
~,,,,,/1/
~-~
Q.) --+ The Sun rises in the east. --+ Sally boils water for tea .
::::,
.... ~
+-' 0
V) C
>
ro
Q.)

~ ....::::,
+-'
ro V)
V)
+-'
+-' ro
ro .s:::.
.s:::.
+-'
b.O
C
"-:)~
---
a
+-'
b.O
C
.s:::.
.s:::. ~~ +-'
Q.)
+-'
~ ~
............. Q.)
E
E 0
0 V)
V) - - + Ducks love water. --+ Julia lives in the house next
door to me.

Mary enjoys singing. This box costs twenty dollars.

Cows eat grass. Fish swim in the sea.

The monsoon brings heavy rain. The Earth goes round the Sun.

It often snows in winter. John's uncle owns a sports car.

Caterpillars turn into butterflies. My brother lives in Australia .

The Simple Present Tense

----
83
 The simple present tense also describes something that happens at
one moment or some action that is done often or as a habit .

---+ The children go to school by bus. ....,C ---+ The dog barks when it sees the cat.
QJ
E
..... 0
..Cl
ro
E
..c QJ
C
ro 0
Vl
ro
.....
ro
QJ b.O
C C
0 C
"C QJ
C c..
0
·.p
c..
ro
u ..c
<! C
0
.....
u
---+ Uncle Joe wears glasses. <! ---+ The bus stops to pick up passengers.

The people cheer as Queen Elizabeth drives past.

Peter sometimes lends me his bike.
The tree crashes to the ground in the storm.
Fiona cries when she drops her ice cream.
Tom collects stamps.
Miss Lee comes into the room.
We eat three meals a day.
Suddenly, the door opens.
Father takes the dog for a walk every morning.

84 Verbs and Tenses

Quick Check 1
Circle all the verbs in this story and underline the verbs that are in
the simple present tense.
On her birthday, Alice likes to open her presents and birthday
cards before she goes to school. The postman usually comes
early, before we have breakfast. Sometimes he brings the post
too late, and Alice has to wait until after school.
Granny always tries to send her present early so that it arrives
a few days before Alice's birthday, and so do Auntie Betty and
Uncle Jack. Then we keep the presents and cards in a secret
place until Alice's special day.

6.2 am, is and are

T he words am, is and are are also verbs, but they are not action
words. They are the simple presen t tense of the verb be.

You use am with I the pronoun I

I
You use is with I the pronouns he, she, it I

You use are with I the pronouns you, we, they I

I am angry with Joe, but she is not. They are my good friends.

! ~
pronoun verb
!
pronoun
~
verb
!~
pronoun verb

It is very hot today. It is a donkey.

It is not very wet. It is not a horse.

am, is and are 85

 I am Peter. I am not Paul.
She is Miss Lee. She is my teacher.
He is my father. He is a doctor. He is not a lawyer. the verb be
You are a wolf. You are not my Granny.
We are in the same class, but we are not
in the same team.
They are good friends. They are not enemies.

GRA
♦ Here is a table to help you remember the use of am, is and are:
Singular Plural
First person l am we are
Second person you are you are
Third person he is they are
she is they are
it is they are

♦ Learn these short forms:

I am = I'm
you are = you 're
re
he is = he's
she is = she's
we
it is = it's you
they
they are = they're
we are = we're
am not = aren't (only in questions)
is not = isn't
are not = aren't
♦ You use aren't as a short form of am not only in questions.
For example, you can say:
I'm taller than you, aren't I?
but you say:
I'm not as old as you.

86 Verbs and Tenses

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with am, is or are.
1. We _ _ _ _ _ _ very hungry.
2. He - - - - - - a soldier.
3. I thinner than you.

You use is with I singular nouns

You use are with I plural nouns I

is are
( The camel ) is a desert animal.
t
singular noun

( La; bs ) are baby sheep. Vegetables and fruit are good for the body.

plural noun plural nouns

Ali is a lawyer.
Rex is a clever dog.
A duck is a kind of bird.
My house is near the school.
The playground is full of people today.
These sums are too difficult. Be careful not to write your
when you mean you're . It is
The balloons are very colourful. a very common error.
These people are very busy. You're too late. Your bus
has already left.
Dad and Mum are in the kitchen.
am , is and are 87
 You use is and are with there to say what you can see and hear.

There is a castle on the hill.

There are some clouds in the sky.

There is a fence round the school.

There are lots of books in the library.
There are two guards at the gate.
Is there any food in the fridge?
Are there any mangoes left in the tree?
How much rice is there?
There are a few sharks in the sea.
There are two pigeons on the roof.
There is a wasps' nest in the tree. There are enough sweets for everyone.

G
Learn these short forms :
there is = there's
Quick Check 2 there are = there're

Fill in the blank with There is or There are.

1. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ a fence round the barn.
2. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ trees along the road.
3. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ a rainbow in the sky.
4. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ lots of parks in our country.
5. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ not many bedrooms in the new house.

88 Verbs and Tenses

6.3 The Present Continuous Tense
You use the present continuous tense to talk about actions in the
present, or things that are going on or happening now.

You use am, is and are as helping verbs or auxiliary verbs to

form th e present continuous tense. You join them to the present
participle (a verb ending in -ing).

helping present
verb + participle
I ( am writing ) a letter.
t
present
continuous
tense

helping present
verb + participle
The phone ( is ringing ) .
:+
present
continuous tense

I am playing chess with my friend.

She is riding a horse .
We are rushing to the airport to meet M r Lee.
They are practising for sports day.
What are they doing?

Present participle verb + ing

For example:
cook + ing = cooking
read + ing = read ing
laugh + ing = laugh ing

The Present Continuous Tense 89

 ♦ You have to do uble the las t letter of some ver bs before you add -ing.
For example:
get + t + ing = getting
nod + d + ing = nodd ing
jog + g + ing = jogging
rob + b + ing = ro bbing
stop + p + ing = stopping
swim + m + ing = swi mm ing

Notice that these are all short verbs having one syllable. They all
end with a consonant such as b, d, g, m , p, t and have only one vow el
before the consonan t.
♦ If the verbs end with e, yo u usually have to drop the e before you add
-ing. For example:
chas¢ + ing = chasing
com¢ + ing = com ing
cycl¢ + ing = cycling
driv¢ + ing = driving
smil¢ + ing = smil ing
writ¢ + ing = writing

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with the present continuous tense of the verb
in brackets.
1. He _ _ _ _ ___ (run} after the thief.
2. Why _ _ _ _ ___ you not
_ __ _ _ _ _ (do) your homework?
3. They _ _ _____ (swim} in the sea.
4. Mum (knit) a sweater for Sally.
5. Rita (sit} by the fountain.

90 Verbs and Tenses

6.4 have and has
The verbs have and has are used to say what people own or possess.
You also use them to talk about the things that people do and things
that people get, like illnesses.

Have and has are the simple present tense of the verb have.

Emily ~ two brothers. Sam and Tom both ~ new bikes.

simple present tense simple present tense

Monkeys have long tails. We have breakfast at 7.00 am.

He has a lot of stamps.

She has long hair.
I have a kid brother.
We have art lessons on Wednesdays.
Have another cup of tea.
Dad has a cold.
Jenny often has sandwiches for lunch.
Our house has large windows. Peter has a sore knee .

have and has 91

 You use has with I the pronouns he, she, it J

You use has with I singular nouns

You use have with I the pronouns I, you, we, they I

You use have with I plural nouns I

♦ Here is a table to help you remember th e rules:

Singular Plural
First person I have we have
Second person you have you have
Third person he has they have
she has they have
it has they have
♦ Learn these short forms:
I have = I've ve
you have = you 've
he has = he's
she has = she's we
you
it has = it's they
we have = we've
they have = they've
have not = haven't
has not = hasn't

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with have or has.
1. The girls _ _ _ _ _ _ golden hair.
2. An insect six legs.
3. A triangle three sides.
4. The man two daughters.
5. The children games in the afternoon.

92 Verbs and Tenses

6.5 The Simple Past Tense
You use the simple past tense to talk about things that happened in
the past. You also use it to talk about things that happened in stories.

Mike ( climbed ) up the ladder carefully.

:+
simple present tense

Dinosaurs lived millions of years ago.

The wicked queen gave Snow Pinocchio's nose grew longer

White a poisoned apple. every time he told a lie.

I bought a new camera last week.

Joe learnt to play the guitar very quickly.
We drove to the safari park last weekend.
The giant panda gave birth to a baby last night.
Yesterday Dad took me to the carnival.
The plane landed a few minutes ago.
The children visited a farm during the holidays.
Who invented the computer?
Jack and Jill went up the hill.
Little Red Riding Hood decided to visit her grandmother.
The three bears found Goldilocks asleep in their house.

The Simple Past Tense

-~-
93
 6.6 was and were
The verbs was and were also belong to the verb be. Was is the
simple past tense of am and is.

You use was with f the pronouns I, he, she, it f

You use was with f singular nouns

Jack ~ a sailor.

simple past tense

Sue was at the library this morning.

It was very wet on Monday. Edison was a
Ten years ago I was only a baby. famous inventor.
He was not well yesterday.
Samantha was second in the race, wasn't she?

Were is the simple past tense of are.

f the pronouns you, we, they f

You use were with I plural nouns I

Jack's brothers ~ soldiers.

simple past tense

They were third in the wheelbarrow race.

There weren't any clouds in the sky.
Were you still in bed when I phoned?
We were in the school team together. These were my
The socks were in the wrong drawer. best jeans.

94 Verbs and Tenses

 El£
♦ Here is a table to help you remember the rules:
Singular Plural
First person I was we were
Second person you were you were
Third person he was they were
she was they were
it was they were

♦ Here is a table to show yo u the different forms of the verb be:

Singular Simple Present Simple Past
First person am was
Second person are were
Third person is was

Plural
First person are were
Second person are were
Third person are were

♦ Learn these short forms:

was not = wasn't
were not = were n't J
was not = wasn't
were not = weren't

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with was or were.
1. We _ _ _ _ _the champions last year.
2. Where is James? He _ _ _ _ _ here just now.
3. Mum and Dad _ _ _ _ _ on leave last week.
4. The weather _ _ _ _ _fine this morning.
5. There ______ a lot of people at our party yesterday.

was and were 95

 6. 7 Regular and Irregular Verbs
The simple past tense of most verbs ends in -ed. These verbs are
regular verbs.

Word File
Base Form Simple Past
aim aim ed
borrow borrowed
open open ed
happen happened
Who ( closed) all the windows?
pull pulled
+ push push ed
simple past tense
scold scold ed
shout shouted
visit visited
wait waited
0 0
0 0
0 0 0 0 NOTE : The base form means a verb
0 ~
0 ~ ~ 0 in its basic form, without endings
~~ ~ ~ such as s, ed, ing.

It snowed last night.

Mum opened the door for us.

The story happened long ago.
We visited our uncle last week.
They walked to school together yesterday.
William Tell aimed at the apple on his son's head.

You usually form the simple past tense by adding -ed to the verb:
jump + ed = jumped lift + ed = lifted
laugh + ed = laughed look + ed = looked

If the verb ends with -e, you just add -d:

agree + d = agreed bake + d = baked
die + d = died live + d = lived

96 Verbs and Tenses

 Remember these spelling rules:
♦ You have to double the last letter of some verbs before you add -ed.
For example:
fan + n + ed = fa nned
grab + b + ed = grabbed
nod + d + ed = nodded
pat + t + ed = patted
rip + p + ed = ri pped
slam + m + ed = sla mmed

Notice that these verbs are all short verbs and have only one syllable.
They all end with a consonant such as b, d, m, n, p, t , and have only a
single vowel before the consonant.
♦ With verbs that end in -y, you change they to i before adding -ed.
For example: ~ ,,
bur.vi + ed = buried i
c)
+
carr.vi + ed = carried \
er.vi + ed = cried
hurr,¥i + ed = hurried
tr.vi + ed = tried

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with the simple past tense of the verb in brackets.
1. It all _ _ _ _ _ _ (happen) very quickly.
2. She _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (add) a little milk to her coffee.
3. They (walk) as far as the corner of the street.
4. An apple (drop) on his head.
5. She (hurry) home in the rain.

Regular and Irregular Verbs

---
97
 The simple past form of some verbs does not end in -ed. Such verbs
are called irregular verbs.The simple past tense of some irregular
verbs does not change at all.

Word File
Base Form Simple Past
beat beat
burst burst
cost cost
cut cut
Her ring ~ ten dollars. hit hit
~ David hurt his foot when hurt hurt
irregular verb he jumped over the drain . put put
read read
shut shut

He hit the ball over the net.

Dad read to us last night.
The worker cut down the tree this morning. He shut the door.

Most irregular verbs change to a different form for their simple

past tense.

Word File
~ Base Form Simple Past
break broke
bring brought
buy bought
fall fell
fly flew
get got
Tom shot and scored a goal. A bird flew into hear heard
the classroom. keep kept
lose lost
I lost my pen on the bus. sell sold
We sold our car last week. shoot shot
sleep slept

98 Verbs and Tenses

 The baby slept right through the night.
Peter got a watch for his birthday.
He brought his mouse to school. Sam broke the
stick in two.

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with the simple past tense of the verb in brackets.
1. She _ _ _ _ _ _ (go) home alone.
2. I _ _ _ _ _ _ (think) I _ _ _ _ _ _ (know) the answer to the question.
3. Mary _ _ _ _ _ (sing) beautifully.

You use the past continuous tense to talk about actions that were
going on or happening at a certain moment in the past.
You use was and were as helping verbs or auxiliary verbs to form
the past continuous tense. You join them to the present participle.
helping present
verb + participle
Mary ( was waiting ) for the bus when Peter passed by.
+
past continuous tense

Miss Lee was cleaning the blackboard.

Sally was packing her books into
her schoolbag.
Mum was cooking the dinner when
I came home.
Jenny and I were tidying the classroom.
The twins were fighting in the corner.
Michael and John were washing the paintbrushes.

The Past Continuous Tense 99

 G
In the examples given, was and were are called helping verbs or auxiliary
verbs. They help to form the past continuous tense when you join them
to the present participle. The present participle is the form of verb ending
in -ing. For example:
Peter was doing his sums.
Ben and I were making a kite.

Quick Check 1
When Miss Lee walked into the class, what were the children
doing? Fill in the blank with the past continuous tense of the
verb in brackets.
1. James _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (talk) to Peter.
2. Sue (read) a storybook.
3. Rudy (wipe) the blackboard.
4. David (do) his Maths exercise.
5. Some children (make) a lot of noise.

ense
You use the future tense for things that have not happened yet, but
are going to happen.

You use the verbs shall and will as helping verbs or auxiliary verbs to
form the future tense. You join them to other verbs in the base form.

helping base
verb + form
They ( will finish ) the job next week.
t
future tense

100 Verbs and Tenses

 I ( shall be ) eight years old next year. The weatherman says it
t ( will rain ) this afternoon .
future tense
t
future tense

We shall have a game of chess after tea.

You will be sick if you eat too much.
You will enjoy New Zealand.
Dad will be back for dinner.
He will make lots of friends at his new school.
Sharon is ill. She will not be at the party.
I hope it will not rain tomorrow.

G
You can use shall or will with I the pronouns I, we I

You use will with I the pronouns you, he, she, it, they I

♦ Here is a table to help you remember the rule :

Singular Plural
First person I shall we shall
Second person you will you will
Third person he will they will
she will they will
it will they will

The Future Tense 101

 ♦ Learn these short forms: r-- l"I

I shall = I'II
I will = I' II [Q
you will
he will
=
=
you 'll
he'll
EJ
she will = she'll
it will = it'll 0 /")

we shall = we'll
lvou j
we will = we'll ~
they will = they'll
~
shall not = shan't
will not = won't
[IQ
!the~

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with the future tense of the verb in brackets, using
shall or will.
1. You _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (grow) fat if you eat too many sweets.
2. The new school building _ __ ____ (be) ready soon.
3. We _ __ ____ (go} to the zoo after breakfast.
4. I (take) my bath before dinner.
5. Peter _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (find) lots to do at his grandmother's home.

There are other ways of talking about future actions and happenings.
You can use be + going to.

verb be + going to + verb

Lily is not well. She ( is going to see ) a doctor.

102 Verbs and Tenses

 We are going to make a cake this afternoon .
I am sure Mum and Dad are going to be proud of me.
When are you going to tidy your room?
They are going to wash the car for Dad.
It is going to get dark very soon.

You can also say that something is not going to happen.

I don't need a coat . It's not going to rain.

I' m not going to wait for him any longer.
You're not going to tell her, are you?
We're not going to go swimming today.
Jane is not going to sing in the school
choir after all.
It's all right. I'm not going to
drop the vase.

Quick Check 2
Change the words in bold to is / are + going to / not going to to
complete these sentences.
1. They will be busy tomorrow.
They _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ be busy tomorrow.
2. We shall visit James this evening.
We _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ visit James this evening.
3. Dad will take us to the movie tomorrow.
Dad - - - -- - -- take us to the movie tomorrow.
4. We will not wait for you.
We _ _ __ _ _ _ _ wait for you.
5. She will not be home for tea.
She _ _ __ _ _ _ _ be home for tea.

The Future Tense 103

 6.10 do, does and did
You use do, does and did to talk about actions. Did is the simple past
tense of do and does.

You use do with I the pronouns I, you, we, they I

You use do with I plural nouns J

You use does with I the pronouns he, she, it I

You use does with I singular nouns Mum does the cooking.

Our dog ~ such funny tricks.

simple present tense

Tell Daddy what we ~ today.

simple past tense

He does such interesting work.

They do two shows every day. Dad does the washing-up .
Sally did her hair in front of the mirror.
They did the dusting and cleaning.
You did well in the test.

Who did this drawing? We always do exercise together.

104 Verbs and Tenses

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with do, does or did.
1. I _ _ _ _ _ _ badly in my exam.
2. Jane _ _ _ _ _ _ all the washing by herself every day.
3. The book is called 'What Katy _ _ _ _ _ _ Next'.
4. We _ _ _ _ __ a lot of walking when we're on holiday.

G
♦ Here is a table to remind you about the use of the verbs do and does:
A I"\

Singular Plural ~
First person I do we do
lvou l
Second person you do you do
lwe I
Third person he does they do lthevl
she does they do
it does they do
~
♦ H ere is a t able to remind you about th e use of G
th e verb did: m
Singular Plural [JJ
A I"\
First person I did we did G
Second person you did you did ~
Third person he did they did ~
she did they did G
it did they did m
Ithey j
♦ Learn these shor t for ms:
do not = don't
does not = doesn't
did not = did n't

do, does and did 105

 You also use do, does and did as modal verbs. You use do, does and
did with other verbs in the base form to ask questions and you use
do, does and did to answer them.

Where did you find the wallet? Do ducks like water?

Yes, they do.

( Do you like ice crea ~

C Yes, I do. )
( Does it rain often he~ ~Yes, it does. )
( Does he enjoy musi~ ~ Yes, he does. )
( Did it snow last nig~ ~ No, it didn't. )
Who wants to come
with me to the zoo?
C: We all do ! )

( Who broke this vasQ C: Peter did ! )

Does everyone have a dictionary? C: Yes, we do. )

106 Verbs and Tenses

Quick Check 2
Fill in the blank with do, does or did.
1. The shoes are too small. They _____ not fit me.
2. _____ Ken often come home late?
Yes, he _ _ __
3. Why _ _ _ _ he leave so suddenly?
4. cats like fish?
5. What you want for lunch?

You use do not, does not and did not to make other verbs negative.

The baby does not look

Dad did not catch his train . very happy.

Cats do not like water.

Sophie does not want to go to school.
He did not get to the station in time.
Don't you have a ticket? No, I don't.
Didn't they win? No, they didn't.
Did you see the rainbow? No, I didn't.
The garden looks lovely, doesn't it?
Do not forget to switch off the fan. Yes , it does.

do, does and did 107

 Quick Check 3
Fill in the blank with don,t, doesn,t or didnt.
1. I _ __ _ enjoy Maths tests.
2. _ _ _ _ they go to the gym on Mondays? Yes, they do.
3. You _ _ _ _ draw that picture yourself, did you?
4. Jane like spiders.
5. I believe him. Did you?
6. He always tell the truth, does he?

6.11 can and could

The ver bs can and could are modal verbs. You use can and could to
t alk about people's ability to do things.

Could is the past tense of can.

I, you, he, she,

You use can and could with the pronouns
it, we, they

You use can and could with [ singular or plural nouns [

I ~ see lots of stars!

present tense

The children ~ smell something burning.

past tense
Jack could run very fast.

He can run faster than me. Can you help me?

The children can all read and write. I knew you could do it if you tried.

108 Verbs and Tenses

 She could not come because she was ill.
She cannot afford such an expensive ring.
I am full. I cannot eat any more.

People often use can when they are asking Some birds cannot fly.
for per mission to do something. For example:
Can I use your pen? Yes, here it is.

Learn these short forms: When you put not

after can, you write
can not = ca n't it as one word:
could not = could n't cannot.

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with can, can't, could or couldn't.
1. _ _ __ __ you jump over that fence?
2. We ran as fast as we - - - -- -
3. Some people _ _ _ _ _ _ speak three languages.
4. _ _ _ _ _ _ I borrow your dictionary?
5. I _ _ _ _ _ _ swim, I have never learned how to.
6. _ _ _ _ _ _ you show me the way to the zoo?
7. There are too many people here. I _ _ _ _ __ see Tim in the crowd .
8. I was waving at you but you _ _ _ _ _ _ see me.

can and could 109

 6.12 may
May is a modal verb too.

~ I borrow your pen?

modal verb

You use may to ask if you are allowed

to do something, or to give someone
permission to do something.

You may come in.

You may go now.
May I watch television now?
Simon may have a biscuit, but you may not. Yes, you may.

You can ask for or give permission with can or may.

Can I use your ruler? Yes, of course you can .

May I use your ruler? Yes, of course you may .

Although in this case can and may mean the same thing, asking
permission with may is a little more polite than asking permission
with can.

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with can, may or could.
1. _ _ _ _ _ _ I speak to the principal, please?
2. She _ _ _ _ _ _ ride a horse when she was only four years old.
3. No, you not go to the park.
4. Who answer that question?

110 Verbs and Tenses

6.13 would and should
Would and should are modal verbs too. You use would as the past
tense of will.

~ You said you would come with us.

s
o/ modal verb

Ben and Sue said they would come.

I knew you would enjoy Disneyland.
John said he would meet me at the airport.
He promised he would not forget her birthday.

You use should to t alk about things people ought to do.

We ~ wait for them to arrive.

modal verb

If you are tired, you should go to

bed early.
We should all drink more water.
Should I turn off the computer
when I am not using it?
We should always say thank you
for presents, shouldn't we? Children should not play on the road .

Learn these short forms :

I would = I'd you would = you'd
he would = he'd she would = she'd
we would = we'd they would = they'd
should not = should n't would not = would n't

would and should 111

 Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with would or should.
1. Every student _____ have a good dictionary.
2. _____ you like some coffee?
3. Yes, I _ _ _ _ _ love a cup of coffee.
4. What _ _ _ _ _ _ we do now?
5. _ _ _ _ _ _ you help if I asked?
6. Of course, I _ _ _ _ _ help you!

The verb must is another modal verb. You use must to talk about
something you have to do.

I~ remember to phone Mum this evening.

modal verb

I must go and post this letter. You must finish your homework
before you watch television.
I must buy some new shoes.
Children must learn how to write neatly.
Why must I get up so early?
You must not pull the cat's tail.
You must not play with matches.
Go to bed now. Oh, must I?

112 Verbs and Tenses

You also use must to talk about something necessary.
If you want to be a good pianist, you must practise every day.
To stay healthy, you must eat fruit and vegetables.
If we want flowers in spring, we must plant bulbs in autumn.
To cross the road safely, you must wait till the traffic stops.

Learn this short form:

must not = mustn't

We mustn't be late for school, must we?

We must remember to say thank you, mustn't we?

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with must or mustn't.
1. You really _____ come and see my garden one day.
2. You _____ disturb Grandma when she's sleeping.
3. _____ we leave now? I don't want to.
4. I _ _ _ _ thank her for all her help.
5. Tell the boys they _ _ _ _ do that, it's too dangerous.

6.15 Infinitives
T he infinitive is the base form of the verb. It is the form a verb has
without any endings such as -s, -ed or -ing. It is often used with the
word to in front of it. This is called a to-infinitive.
You can use a to-infinitive after some verbs.
to-infinitive form

The baby began ~

• -

base form

Infinitives 113
 It's starting to rain . I didn 't mean to break the vase.

I want to come with you.

All the children learn to play a musical instrument.
The puppy tried to climb on the bed.
Crowds of people were waiting to see the parade.
We're hoping to go to Japan this year.

Sometimes there is a noun or a pronoun between the verb and the

to-infinitive.

Mummy asked us to help her.

Miss Lee told the girls to wait for her in the classroom.
He wants us to meet him at the station.

If you use the word not with a to-infinitive, the not comes before the to:
I promised not to tell anyone.
I told you not to come.

You can use a to-infinitive after adjectives as well.

I'm so pleased to meet you.

The children are keen to go camping.
John is always the first to arrive and the last to leave.
History books are always interesting to read .
114 Verbs and Tenses
Quick Check 1
Fill the fir st blank in the sentence with a to-infinitive and the second
blank with a to-infinitive and not.
1. John wanted _ _ _ __ (go) but I asked him _ _ __ _ (go) .
2. Joan promised (tell) Mary but promised _ _ _ _ _ _ (say)
anything to anyone else .
3. I was pleased _ _ _ _ _ _ (see) John at the concert but disappointed
_ __ _ __ (be) able to speak to him.
4. John decided _ _ _ _ __ (buy) a puppy and _ _ _ _ _ _ {buy)
a rabbit.

6.16 Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

A verb which has an object is called a transitive verb.

I ( was watching ) television last night.

+ ..,.
transitive verb object

Tom is eating a banana . Our cat likes milk.

Who knows the answer?

That big dog frightened my baby sister.
I met Sue this morning.
Simon scored two goals in the football match.
The car needs a good wash .

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs 115

 A verb which has no object is called an intransitive verb.

Fish ~ in water.

intransitive verb

The little dog looked so sad. Anne is standing beside Kim .

Simon and Jane live on a farm.

Suddenly the baby sneezed.
You must work harder.
James cycles to school every day.
We arrived in London at nine o'clock.

Some verbs can be both transitive and intransitive:

The girls are playing tennis. (transitive)
The girls are playing in the garden. (intransitive)

Quick Check 1
Underline the verbs and decide whether they are transitive or
intransitive. Write T beside a transitive verb and I beside an
intransitive verb.
1. The little mouse was eating the cheese.
2. The plane flew over our house.
3. Write your name at the top of the page.
4. The wind blew through the trees.
5. Mr Lee always drives carefully.
6. The loud noise wakened the baby.

116 Verbs and Tenses

6.17 Phrasal Verbs
A phrasal verb is a phrase that consists of a verb and either an
adverb or a preposition.

Jane dressed up The plane took off

as a princess. with a loud roar.

Don't ( th ~ w ) that box ( a;av ), we might need it.

verb adverb

Do you ( believe in ) ghosts?

t ..,.
verb preposition

These phrasal verbs consist of a verb and an adverb.

Donald woke up very early on his birthday.
Please go away.
The cat ran out into the garden and came back with a bird in its mouth.

The adverb in a phrasal verb often shows the direction in which a

person, animal or thing is moving.

John ran back quickly.

When the bus stopped, a lot of people got on .
Suddenly the door opened and Simon rushed in.

Phrasal Verbs 117

 The man drove away in a hurry.
The puppy kept jumping up.
"Get down !" I said.

These phrasal verbs consist of a verb and a preposition.

That car belongs to my uncle.

I don't agree with you at all.
Baby animals depend on their parents for food.
You know you can rely on me.

Some phrasal verbs are easy to understand.

Come in and sit down.

Take off your shoes.
Daddy cut down the old apple tree.
The notice said, 'Keep out !'
Breathe in, then breathe out slowly.

Some phrasal verbs have special meanings that are harder to guess.

A fire broke out (= began) in the factory.

I came across (= met) a friend of yours last week.
John and I get on very well (= are very friendly).
Robert tried to cover up (= hide) his mistake.
The referee called off (= cancelled) the match because the ground
was too wet.

Sometimes, the words in a phrasal verb are separated by another word

or words:
Please put that vase down.
Mummy spilt some milk and the cat licked it up.

118 Verbs and Tenses

Quick Check 1
Complete the phrasal verbs in these sentences with the correct
preposition or adverb from the box.
( after of with back up in)
1. Beware _ _ _ _ the dog!
2. Stop fiddling your pencil and pay attention!
3. Doctors and nurses look _ _ _ _ patients.
4. Let's swim as far as that rock and then swim _ _ _ _ to the beach again.
5. Please pick _ _ _ _ all those books and put them on that shelf.
6. Come _ _ _ _ out of the rain. It's too wet to play outside.

Phrasal Verbs 119

When you write a sentence you have to make sure that the subject
and the verb match each other.

If the subject is a singular noun, or the pronoun he, she or it, you
need a singular verb.

0
0 0
0
0 0
0
0
0 0 0 0

( She shares ) her books with her friend. ( It is snowing )

t t t t
singular singular singular singular
pronoun verb pronoun verb

You can say that the subject and verb in

a sentence agree with each other or that
a verb agrees with its subject. This is
called agreement.

The zookeeper is feeding the animals.

The child is playing on the swing.
The Earth moves round the Sun. singular singular
noun verb
Dad always drives to work. + +
( My brother enjoys ) music.
 The postman is delivering a parcel.
Does everyone know the answer? Practise is a verb, practice
1s a noun:
Mum has bought a dress for Sally.
John practises a lot because
Mary is practising her piano lesson. he needs a lot of practice.

If the subject is a plural noun, or the pronoun we, you or they, you
need a plural verb.

All birds lay eggs. ( They are playing ) on the swing .

t t
plural plural plural plural
noun verb pronoun verb

( Zoe and Linda ) always ~ home together.

+ ~
plural plural
noun verb

The stars shine brightly on a clear night.

Mum and Dad love us.
Do you all know the words?
We have finished our game of tennis.
They have both worked very hard.
Subject-Verb Agreement 121
 ♦ Remember that the noun or pronoun nearest the verb may not be the
subject of the verb:
( That box ) of books ~ too heavy to lift.
t y
singular noun singular verb

( The pieces ) of the broken vase ( were lying ) on the floor.

t t
plural noun plural verb

♦ I is a singular pronoun, but the singular verb with I has the same form
as the plural verb:
My sisters like chocolate and I like chocolate too.

Similarly, when you is a singular pronoun, the singular verb with you
has the same form as the plural verb:
Your sisters like chocolate and you like chocolate too, don't you, Johnny?

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with the simple present tense of the verb in brackets.
Use the correct form so that the verb matches the subject.
1. I always _ _ _ _ _ _ (go) to school with my brother.
2. Mark always (go) to school with his brother.
3. You (know) the answer.
4. She (know) the answer too.
5. Pat and Alice (be) good at English.
6. There (be) twelve months in a year.

122 Subject-Verb Agreement

An adverb is a word that describes a verb. It tells you about an action
or the way somebody does something. A lot of adverbs end in -ly.

Many adverb are made by

adding -ly to adjectives.

Word File
Adjective Adverb
beautiful beautiful ly
They laughed ~ -
bright brightly
adverb careless carelessly
correct correctly
different differently
fierce fierce ly
playful playful ly
loud loud ly
peaceful peacefu lly
slow slowly
sound sound ly
sweet sweetly
The baby is sleeping sound ly.

The dog is barking fierce ly. The birds are singing sweetly.
You have all answered correct ly. The old man walked slowly.
The man drove careless ly. The twins liked to dress differently.
The Sun is shining brightly. The dog and the cat lived
together peacefu lly.
 Quick Check 1
Underline the adverbs in these sentences.
1. Rabbits run quickly, tortoises crawl slowly.
2. I don't completely understand what happened.
3. The birds were singing merrily in the trees.

8.1 Adverbs of Manner

Some adverbs tell you the way people do things. They are called
adverbs of manner. ""

tells you tells you

I ~ / h~o_w_~---
The parcel arrived ~ - The driver braked suddenly

M,

The dog jumped up ( playfully )

\ tellsyou /
how

Please speak clearly. Look closely at these footprints .

Peter dressed smartly for the party. You can buy everything cheaply
in this shop.
124 Adverbs
 The prince and the princess lived
happily ever after.
Word File
It is raining heavily. Adjective Adverb
The soldiers fought bravely. brave bravely
cheap cheaply
clear clearly
close close ly
When an adverb is formed from an happy happily
adjective ending in -y, the -y changes heavy heavily
to -i- before the -ly. safe safely
The man was angry. He shouted angri ly. selfish selfish ly
The rain was very heavy last night. It skilful skilfu lly
rained very heavi ly. smart smartly

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with the correct adverb of manner formed from
the adj ective in bracket s.
1. She played _ _ _ _ (skilful).
2. Sally is behaving _ _ _ _ (selfish).
3. The boys walked away (sad).

8.2 Adverbs of Time

Some adverbs tell you abo ut time. They are called adverbs of time.

tells you
when

Can I do my homework
tells you
when

Adverbs of Time 125

 The train has already left.
The children are still in bed.
I haven't finished my homework yet.
Paul has just arrived .
Everyone arrived early.
This dress fitted me last year but this year it's too small.
The mother bird started to build her nest yesterday.
It rained last night.
I will meet my friends tomorrow.

Quick Check 1
Underline the adverbs of time in these sentences.
1. I need you to help me now, not later.
2. The parcel will arrive either today or tomorrow.
3. Has the bus gone or hasn't it come yet?

8.3 Adverbs of Frequency

Some adverbs tell you how often something happens. They are called
adverbs of frequency.

0 c:::::J
,~, r .·~; ·~,~; ·, : ~·; :~.·

The bus is ( always) crowded. We visit Granny ( every week)

\ tells you
I tells you /
how often how often

126 Adverbs
 He often swims in the evening.
Sometimes I cycle to school.
It is snowing again .
I would never hurt an an imal.
Have you ever been to America?
I usually have a shower when I come home from school.
My parents occasionally have a glass of juice with their dinner.
You seldom see eagles around here.
The paper is delivered to our house every day.

Quick Check 1
Underline the adverbs of frequency in these sentences.
1. Lisa is always cheerful.
2. Ba_rking dogs seldom bite.
3. We usually drink tea in the evening.
4. I go to the gym every day.
5. She never finishes her homework on time.
6. My brother Sam visits me every Sunday.

Adverbs of Frequency 127

 8.4 Adverbs of Place
Some adverbs tell you about place and direction. They are called
adverbs of place.
Mum and Dad are watching

television ( up;iairs )J
tells you
where

The children are playing

downstairs . /

tells you
where

tells you
where
\ It is raining. Let's g~ ( inside ) .

\
tells you
\ / where
\ Rex, you can stay ( out;de )-

Come here ! They have planted trees everywhere .

Please put the books there. Alice lived next door.
I will come back tomorrow. Do come in .
The miners are working The workers are moving the
underground. rubbish away.

Many adverbs of time, frequency and place do not end in -ly.

Joy is playing in the garden today.
She often plays in the garden.
She is playing there with her friends.

128 Adverbs
Quick Check 1
Underline the adverbs of place in these sentences.
1. My purse isn't here.
2. Perhaps I left it somewhere when I was shopping.
3. Oh, I know, it's upsta irs.

8.5 Comparison of Adverbs

Many adverbs that do not end in -ly form their comparative and
superlative in the same way as adj ectives, by adding -er and -est.

John is running ~ • Tom is running ( 1a~er). but Simon is running the ( tas~sD.

adverb comparative adverb superlative adverb

Mary works hard, but Sue works harder.

I arrived late, but my brother arrived even later.
A bird can fly high in the sky, but a plane can fly higher.

♦ You often use than with compar ative adverbs:

Dad will be home sooner than Mum .
Can a sha rk swim faster than a whale?
♦ You often use the with superlative adverbs:
We all sent Tim a postcard, but my card arrived the soonest.
 My brother arrived later than me, but my sister arrived the latest.
A plane can fly higher than a bird, but a spaceship can fly the highest.
James got up earlier than me, but Tim got up the earliest.

The comparative and superlative forms of some adverbs are quite

different from the base for m of th e adverb.

Susan sings well. I play the violin badly.

Maggie sings better. John plays the violin worse than me.
Diana sings the best. We all agree that Peter plays the worst.

Cats don't like swimming Mike's baby sister cried a little.

very much .
Ducks like swimming more My baby sister cried less than
than cats. Mike's baby sister.
Fish like swimming the most. Kim's baby brother cried the least.

G
T he comparative and superlative of far are farther and farthest or further
and furthest .
Anne swam farther than Tim, but Sue swam the farthest .

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with the correct comparative or superlative form
of the underlined adverb.
1. I got up early, but James got up even _ _ __
2. Mary works hard. Sue works _ _ _ _ than Mary, but Kim works _ _ __
3. Jim only likes Maths a little, Sam likes Maths _ _ _ _ than Jim, and Tom
likes Maths _ _ _ _ of all of them .
4. I play golf very badly, my sister plays _ _ _ _ than I do, but my brother
plays _ _ _ _ of all of us.

t30 Adverbs
A preposition is a word that connect s one thing with another and
shows how they are related.

9 .1 Prepositions of Position
Some prepositions tell you about the position or place of someone
or something. These prepositions are known as prepositions of
position or place.

A preposition is
usually followed by
a noun, a pro noun
or a noun phrase
□
(two or more words Draw a square and then
doing the work of
a noun). draw a circle ~ ;1.
followed by
a pronoun

Dad is stand ing

( b;hind ) M•,m

followed by
a noun

The lions were sleeping under the tree.

There is a long mirror on the wall.
Jane is playing ~ the p+ool.
followed by
The school is near the park. a noun phrase
There is an old castle on the hill.
 Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with a suitable preposition of position.
1. There is a fence - - - - - the house.
2. Why are you still bed?
3. There is a picture the wall.

9 .2 Prepositions of Direction
Some prepositions are used to talk about where someone or
something comes from or goes to. These prepositions are known
as prepositions of direction.

Jane is jumping The puppy ran

~ ool ~ chair.

The giant panda comes from China.

We were driving along the road when
a tyre burst.
Take care not to confuse the
The book fell off the shelf.
preposition past with the
We drove past your house verb passed.
this afternoon. The procession went past our
apartment. (preposition)
We rowed our boat across the river.
We passed the procession
The train went through a tunnel. as we were driving to the
airport. (verb)
Please give this letter to your parents.

132 Prepositions
 Some words can be both prepositions of position and prepositions of direction.
The meaning of the sentence can help you decide which is which:
Her shoes were under the bed . (position)
The mouse ran under the bed. (direction)
You've got mud all over your clothes. (position)
The plane flew over our house. (direction)

Quick Check 1
Underline the prepositions of direction in these sentences.
1. John comes from Australia.
2. I'm not allowed to eat sweets between meals.
3. I thought she was my friend, but she just walked past me yesterday.

Some prepositions are used to talk about time.

They are known as prepositions of time.
CD

Many shops close ~ ays. Dad gets home ~ x

~ ening.

The trees lose their leaves We watched the World

~ !er Cup ~ am .

Prepositions of Time 133

 We get up in the morning.
We go to bed at night.
It is always hot in summer.
They were married in 1990.
Joe arrived after me.
We always wash our
It has not been raining for two weeks.
hands ~ als.
Breakfast is served from seven o'clock.
Peter and Joe have been in the same
class since Primary 1.

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with the correct preposition of time.
1. Autumn begins _____ September.
2. The movie starts two - - - - - the afternoon.
3. I'll be here again _____ two o'clock and four o'clock this afternoon.
4. Always brush your teeth going to bed.
5. I have not spoken to her we left school.

. .
9-.4 Prepositions with Special V ses
Here are some more uses of prepositions.

A preposition of purpose is used to say why something happens.

For is a common preposition of purpose.

My brother runs five miles every day ~ n.

Mark bought a toy for the little girl.

They went shopping for Jean's birthday present.

134 Prepositions
A preposition of means tells us how something is done.

The problem was solved ~ puter.

He cut the string with a pair of scissors.

I painted the picture by myself, without anyone's help.

A preposition of possession describes what a person or thing has

(or sometimes what a person or thing does not have).

The workmen are repairing the surface ~ oad.

Who is that man with the long beard?

Our house is the only one without a chimney.

One common example of a preposition of accompaniment is with.

With is used to say that two or more people or things are together.
When Mary had to go to hospital, I went ~ er.

John came home with terrible scratches on his face.

Lee's grandparents live with him.

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with the correct preposition.
1. I baked a cake _ _ _ _ your birthday.
2. They crossed the river great care.
3. Chop the vegetables a sharp knife.
4. My granddad is that man over there _____ a cheerful smile _ _ _ __
his face.
5. Help came to the islanders _____ sea and _____ air.
6. We don't use knives and forks, we eat _____ chopsticks.

Prepositi ons with Special Uses 135

 Complex prepositions are phrases that act like single prepositions.
Here are some examples of complex prepositions.

Miss Lee is standing Look! The cat is sitting

~ car

There were fifty people on board

You can have two prepositions
the ship when it sank. together in a sentence:
When you walk on the beach, you The mouse scurried from below
get sand in between your toes. the bed to under the wardrobe .

The swimmers were trying to climb

on to the raft.
A strange man was getting out of the car.

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with a complex preposition using the word
in brackets.
1. The parcel was hidden _ _ _ _ _ _ the cupboard. (top)
2. John was several metres the other runners. (front)
3. _ _ _ _ _ _ the ship were many people from North Africa. (board)

136 Prepositions
Connectors are linking words. You use connectors to link words and
sentences together.
Look both ways ( be~re ) you cross the road.

connector

10.1 Connectors of Sequence Maggie could play the

piano before she was five.
The words after, afterwards, as, before,
since, then, until, when and while are
connectors of sequence or time. You use
them to say when something happens.
Joe listened to the music while he was doing
his homework.
Miss Lee was smiling as she walked into the class. I always brush my teeth
after I have had my
Finish your homework, then you can watch television. breakfast.
Do not leave until you have finished your work.
We had a lovely meal. Afterwards, we walked along the beach.
Take all your belongings with you when you leave the plane.
Tom and Joe have been together since they were in Primary 1.

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with a suitable connector of sequence.
1. Peter saw an accident _ _ _ _ _ _ he was walking home.
2. Wait here I come back.
3. Joe met his friend he was walking to the bus stop.

137
 10.2 Connectors of Contrast
The words although, but, even if, however, nevertheless,
or, though and while are connectors of contrast. You use
connectors of contrast to link words or ideas that have different
or opposite meanings.

Ants are small but they

are very strong .

Watch the spelling

Although the Sun of although. There
was shining , it was is only one 1.
cold and windy.

Elephants are large but very gentle animals.

Even if I don't win the race, I'll enjoy taking part.
I thought Mum would be angry with me. However, she wasn't.
I know you were just trying to catch the ball. Nevertheless, you should
not have run out on the road.
All the flowers have turned out to be pink or red.
I enjoy playing the piano, though I'm not very good.
Mr Wong is very keen on football, while his wife prefers to watch tennis.

At the beginning of a sentence, however should be followed by a comma(,):

It's a pity it's raining . However, we can go to the zoo tomorrow.

In the middle of a sentence, you put a comma before and after however:
We can , however, go to the zoo tomorrow.

At the end of a sentence, you put a comma before however:

We can go to the zoo tomorrow, however.

138 Connectors
Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with a suitable connector of contrast.
1. There was snow on the ground _ _ _ _ _ _ the Sun was shining.
2. I was ready to catch him if he fell. he didn't.
3. My mother drinks tea my father doesn't.

10.3 Connectors of Reason

The words as, because, for, in case, since, so and therefore are
connectors of reason. You use connectors of reason to say why
something happens.

As it was raining, we took a taxi home.

James ate some biscuits because he was hungry.
Because you have both been very good, I'm going to take you to
the cinema.
They knew it was time to get up, for the Sun was shining through
the window.
Take an umbrella with you in case it rains.
Since you're going to the supermarket, could you get me some milk, please?
I had nothing to do that afternoon, so I went to the museum.
His story is quite unbelievable. Therefore, I think he is lying.

Quick Check 1
Complete these sentences using the connectors of reason
in brackets.
1. John didn't go to school this morning ___________ . (because}
2. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ we couldn't play outside. (so}
3. Take some money with you, . (in case}

Connectors of Reason 139

 .10.4 Connectors of Purpose
The words in order to, so, so as to and so that are connectors
of purpose. You use connectors of purpose to say what the purpose
is of doing something.

In order to win the race, you will need to train hard.

I'll take a note of your phone number so I don't forget it.
We started off early so as to get to the beach before it became
too crowded .
I gave George a map so that he wouldn't get lost.

Sometimes so is a connector of purpose, sometimes it is a connector

of reason:
I wrote down the address so I wouldn't forget it. (purpose)
I didn't have any paper, so I wrote the address on my arm. (reason)

G
In these connectors of purpose, the word not comes before to:
In order not to wake her, he tiptoed out of the room.
He asked her her name twice so as not to forget it.

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with a suitable connector of purpose.
1. We will have to leave early _______ arrive on time .
2. We'll stop in the next town _______we can get something to eat.
3. Stand still a moment _______ I can brush your hair.
4. You should brush your teeth twice a day _______ get cavities.
5. _______ get perfectly shaped cookies, you must use a cookie cutter.

140 Connectors
10.5 Connectors of Addition
The words also, and, as well, as well as and too are connectors
of addition. Connectors of addition link words or sentences that you
have to think of together, adding one piece of information to another.

Lions and tigers are big cats.

Leopards are big cats too.

Tim eats a lot of fruit. He also eats a lot of vegetables.

Fruit and vegetables are good for you.
I'm coming, and Jean is coming as well.
As well as tennis, my sister plays hockey.

Sometimes there is more than one connector in a sentence:

Bobby is a very fat cat, and also very lazy.
Bobby is a very fat cat, and a very lazy cat too .

Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with and, also or as well as.
1. Mary's uncle is a famous writer _ _ _ _ _ _ poet.
2. _ _ _ _ _ _ being a famous writer, Mary's uncle is a well -known poet.
3. Mary's uncle is a famous writer. He is _ _ _ _ _ _ well known for
his poetry.

Connectors of Addition 141

A sentence is a group of words that you use to say something. It
must have a subject and a verb, but it may or may not have an object.

SENTENCE
Subject Verb Object
Sally is making a doll •
The hedgehog curled up - •
M aggie is reading a book •
It is raining - •
Dad cooked dinner •
t anet screamed - ..,.•
begins with a capital letter usually ends with a full stop

A written sentence usually begins with a capital letter and ends with a
full stop.

A sentence may also have an adverb in it.

Subject Verb Adverb

Jean was reading quietly.
Snails move slowly.
Bring the ball here.
My aunt is coming tomorrow.

Subject Verb Object Adverb

Jane plays the piano beautifully.
I won't do that again.
 The adverb does not always come at the end of a sentence:
The train has already left.
I usually walk to school.

Quick Check 1~
In these sentences, draw a line (I) between the subject, the verb, the
object and the adverb. An example is done for you.
Example: She I read I the report I nervously.
1. John bought some new shoes yesterday.
2. The banker counted the money carefully.
3. Everyone arrived early.
4. We often drink milk.

11.1 Kinds of Sentences

There are four kinds of sentences.

A declarative sentence makes a statement.

The children are swimming.

The telephone rang.
Paul is feeding
Everyone sat down. the hens. 0

An interrogative sentence asks a question.

Where are the twins?

Are you watching TV now?
What is
What is your name? Ben doing?

Kinds of Sentences 143

 An exclamatory sentence is in the form of an exclamation.

The silly girl!

How stupid I am!
What a surprise! What lovely
weather! --
An imperative sentence gives an order.

Please sit down.

Tell me the truth.
Speak up! Come back!

When you are giving orders or instructions, you use the base form of the
verb. This use of the verb is called the imperative. Imperative sentences
are the only sentences that do not need a subject.
Stand, everyone! Take a sandwich.
You can make an imperative sound politer by using do or please before it.
I\ I\
Do sit down .
Please help yourselves to some food.
Would you please talk quietly?

Quick Check 1
Here are different kinds of sentences. In the blanks, write D if it is a
declarative sentence, In if it is an interrogative sentence, E if it is
an exclamatory sentence and Im if it is an imperative sentence.
1. Have you seen my glasses?
2. The dogs were still barking.
3. Please come back tomorrow.
4. The children sang a song.
5. Do stop arguing, you two.
6. Can you draw an elephant?
7. Look out!
8. That's wonderful!

144 Sentences
11.2 The Subject and the Object
The subject of a sentence sometimes does something to someone or
something else. The person or thing that the subject does something
to is called the object.

~ is cooking ~ - (We] have built ( a sandcastle )

~ t
subject object subject object

Subject Verb Object

Susan has bought a painting.
Maggie is reading her book.
The twins climbed the hill.
James stroked the cat.
Mum is holding the baby.
Peter is making a kite.
They were playing football.
I am writing a story.
Sally crossed the road.
You have forgotten your umbrella.

Quick Check 1
Underline the subjects and circle the objects in these sentences.
1. Anne has drawn a panda.
2. They are playing table tennis.
3. Judy has a pretty doll.

The Subject and the Object 145

 11.3 Positive and Negative Sentences
A positive sentence is a sentence that tells you something is so.
A sentence that tells you something is not so is called a negative
sentence. It contains a negative word like not, never, no, no one,
nobody or none, or a negative verb like is not, cannot or will not.

i----- Positive sentence - - - -

Peter is running.
We should tell the truth.
Everyone is in the garden.
The fridge is empty.
It is very cloudy.
I have sold the last newspaper.
Someone has eaten all the cookies.

He is not walking.
We should never tell lies.
There is no one in the house.
There is nothing in the fridge.
It is n't sunny.
I have no newspapers left.
There are none in the tin.

Quick Check 1
Turn these positive sentences into negative sentences, using the
words in brackets.
1. There are some biscuits left. (no) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
2. It is very windy today. (not) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
3. There is somebody in the garden. (nobody) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
4. It always rains on my birthday. (never) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

146 Sentences
11.4 Questions
There are two kinds of questions : yes or no questions and
wh- questions.

When you ask a yes or no question, Can you swim? Yes .

you want the answer yes or the
Is it raining? No.
answer no . You use the verbs be,
have or do, or any of the helping Are they coming? No.
verbs, to ask yes or no questions. Do you read? Yes .
May I come in? Yes .

helping verb

In questions, the helping verbs come before the subject of the

sentence. The verbs be and have come before the subject when
they are used as ordinary verbs in questions too.

r Statement Question
Jim is ill today. Is Jim ill today?
She has an older brother. Has she an older brother?
We should go now. Should we go now?
You may use my computer. May I use your computer?
The children want to go shopping. Do the children want to go shopping?
Kate can ride a bike. Can Kate ride a bike?
\.. ...,.
'
subject before the
'
verb or helping verb
verb or helping verb before the subject

Here are some different ways of asking the same question:

Has he a sister called Jane?
Does he have a sister called Jane?
Has he got a sister called Jane?

Questions 147
 Quick Check 1
Change the following statements into questions.
1. It will rain tomorrow. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2. The cats want to be fed. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
3. Janet was laughing at John. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
4. Jim has finished his homework. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Although you can answer yes or no questions by simply saying

yes or no, you can also answer with short sentences that include
a subject and a verb (and sometimes not or the shorter form -n't).

Question Answer

Did Alice like her present? Yes, she did.

Did you see John at the party? No, I didn't.
Can your brother really speak Japanese? Yes, he can.
Can you speak Japanese too? No, I can't.
Are you coming with us? No, I'm not.
May I borrow a pen? Yes, you may.

Should I tell her what really happened? No, you shouldn't.

Has your grandmother got a pet parrot? Yes, she has.
Did Mum tell you about the party? Yes, she did.

You form wh- questions with the verbs be, have, do, or any of the
helping verbs .

You use the question words what, which, who, whom, how, when,
why, where and whose to ask for facts.

148 Sentences
The helping verbs in wh- questions usually come before the subject.
So does the verb be when used as an ordinary verb.

be verb before
the subject subject
J. J.
What is your problem?

Where are you?

What is David saying?
How did you get up here?
Why was the girl crying?
Which colour do you prefer?
Whose dictionary
Who is she going to invite to her party?
When do the shops open in the morning? ~ ~?
Where shall I put this box? verb be subject
before the
What have you done to my computer? subject

How am I going to finish all this work?

What would you like for dinner?

If the wh- question word is the subject of the question, it comes

before the verb.

What made you change your mind?

t t
wh- question word verb after
as the subject the subject

Who told you that?

Remember that how is the only wh- word that doesn't start with w.
Wh- words are so called because they include the letters w and h in them
(why, how, when, what, who, where, whose, which, whom).

Questions 149
 There are many different ways in which yo u can answer a wh-
question. Look at the examples below, which show you some possible
answers to wh- questions.

r Question Answer

Who gave you that book? John.

John did.
John gave me this book.
Where are you going? Into town.
I'm going into town.
What have you got in your hand? Nothing.
A pencil.
I haven't got anything in my hand.
Why is she crying? Because a dog ate her ice cream.
Which car is yours? The blue one.
The blue one is ours.
Ours is the blue one.
When is Granny leaving? Tomorrow.
She's leaving tomorrow.

Quick Check 2
Choose the correct question word from the box to fill in the blank.
You may have to use some of the words more than once.
( where when why how whose what who - whi~

1. _____ isyourhouse?
2. _____ wallet is this?
3. _____ are you always late?
4. _____ wrote this book?
5. _____ of the two boys is smarter?
6. _____ size do you wear?
7. _ _ _ _ old is he?
8. _____ is Jeff going to have a haircut?

150 Sentences
11.5 Linking Sentences
You can use the connector and to link short sentences together to
make longer sentences.
Some people are rich ~ some people are poor.

connector

Peter is singing. Lucy is playing the piano. Peter is singing and Lucy
is playing the piano.

Sentences made in this way are called compound sentences.

Here are more examples of compound sentences formed with and.
Dad is working in the garden and Mum is working in the kitchen.
Sam had a glass of lemonade and Samantha had a glass of orange juice.

Here is another way of using and to join sentences.

Liz likes to swim. Liz likes to play tennis.
Liz likes to swim and play tennis.

You can also use and to make a list.

I like apples. I like plums. I like peaches.
I like apples and plums and peaches.
I like apples, plums and peaches.

We saw lions. We saw tigers. We saw elephants. We saw giraffes.

We saw lions and tigers and elephants and giraffes.
We saw lions, tigers, elephants and giraffes.
Linking Sentences 151
 You can also use the connector or to link short sentences together
to make compound sentences. The sentences should have different
or opposite meanings.

Would you like an apple? Would you prefer an orange? Would you like an apple
or would you prefer
an orange?

Here are some compound sentences formed with or.

Are you coming with us or are you staying here?

Is John the older of the two children or is Wendy older than John?
Shall I carry the tray or do you want May to carry it?
Do you want a taxi or are you going to catch the bus?

Here is another way of using or to join sentences.

Is a spider an insect? Is a spider an animal?

Is a spider an insect or an animal?

Would you like a cup of tea? Would you like a glass of juice?
Would you like a cup of tea or a glass of juice?

Will Uncle John come by plane? Will Uncle John come by train? Will Uncle
John come by car?
Will Uncle John come by plane or by train or by car?
Will Uncle John come by plane, by train or by car?

152 Sentences
Quick Check 1
Fill in the blank with and or or.
1. Is it your sister __ your brother who likes painting?
2. On my birthday I got a new bike, a new dress __ a new doll.
3. You can have an apple __ a pear but not both.
4. Daddy must be in the garage __ the garden hut.
5. Daddy is in the garage __ James is in the garden hut.
6. In the box were pencils, pens __ paper to draw on .
7. Tim Tom are brothers.
8. Sue likes to plant seeds in the garden_ watch the flowers grow.
9. Does Sue only plant flowers __ does she plant vegetables as well?
10. Jane's grandma has bought a kitten _ _ a puppy. I can 't wait to see them!

11.6 Direct Speech

W hen you write down the exact words that someone says or th inks,
it is called direct speech. When you write direct speech, you put the
words that people say or think between quotation marks or inverted
commas like this '' " or this ' '

T he full stop at the end of the direct

( "Come in," ) sa id the old lady. speech goes inside the quotation marks.
:+ Mum said, "Your shoes are very dirty."
direct speech
John said, "The path wa s very muddy."

H ere are some examples of direct speech.

Sally closed her eyes and whispered, "Thank you for a lovely day."
Dan thought to himself, "The bus is very late."
Mummy said, "It's time for bed."

Direct Speech 153

 The speaking or thinking verb is followed by a comma if it comes
before the direct speech.

Dad laughed and said, 'I've lost the car keys.'

James got out of bed, saying, 'I must brush my teeth.'
Granny gave Sue $10 and said, 'Buy something for your holiday.'
The teacher said, 'All students must stand in line.'

The speaking or thinking verb may come after the direct speech. In
such cases, the direct speech is followed by a comma, not a full stop.

"I've found your missing glove," he said.

"I'll see you next week," she promised.
"That's very strange," I thought.

When the subject of the speaking or thinking verb is not a pronoun, it

often comes after the verb.
'This is my house,' said the old woman .
'I can finish this after tea,' thought John.

As well as full stops and commas, you can use question marks and
exclamation marks in direct speech.

'Who are you ?' asked the man.

'Are you not ready yet?' asked Simon.
'Why did they paint the door red ?' she wondered.
'Look out !' they shouted.
'I've found it !' said the elf.
'Help ! We're lost !' shouted the boys.
'Where are you going?' asked Mum.

154 Sentences
The first letter of direct speech must be a capital letter.

"How old are you?" asked the policeman.

The policeman asked, "How old are you?"

"W e like cheese," said the girls.

The girls said, " W e like cheese."

"Are you ready?" asked Daddy.

Daddy asked, "Are you ready?"

Quick Check 1
Write out these sentences in direct speech. Remember to use capital
letters and the correct punctuation marks.
1. where are you going asked the mouse
2. I am six years old said the little girl
3. is it your birthday today asked her teacher
4. ouch he said
5. mandy's cat has got five kittens said grace
6. here I come he shouted
7. jane asked what are you doing
8. simon said I feel sick
9. you look a little pale said his mother
10. peter picked up the book and asked how much is this book

Direct Speech 155

Punctuation marks are signs such as full stops, commas and question
marks. You use them in sentences to make the meaning clear.

12.1 Full Stop

•
You put a full stop at the end of a sentence.

He drew a horse

Peter is my good friend .

Please do not be late.
The bird is sitting on a branch .
It is raining heavily.
There is a rainbow in the sky.
This big house belongs to a rich man .
I can swim .
James is good at drawing.
They all enjoyed playing chess.
12.2 Comma
•
You put a comma between nouns and noun phrases in a list.

I bought two apples, three oranges and some grapes.

He enjoys tennis, badminton, skating and football.
We study English, Maths, Science, History and Health
Education at school.

You put commas between adjectives when you use a lot of them to
describe something.

A giraffe is a tall, long-necked, long-legged animal.

She wore her pretty, new, pink, woollen coat to the party.

You put a comma after yes and no, and before please. You also
put a comma before or after the name of the per son you are
speaking to.

No, it has stopped.

Goodbye
Good morning, sir!
Can you tell me what time it is, please?
Yes, it is a quarter past three, George.

You use commas to show where th ere is a little pause.

Unfortunately, she injured her knee.

She was in the bedroom, listening to music on the radio.

Comma 157
 12.3 Exclamation Mark
•
You often put an exclamation mark after commands and words
that show surprise, fear or anger.

Sit down ! Quiet !

Oh dear ! Put the knife down !
What a surprise ! Help ! Help !
Look out ! Eeek ! A ghost !
I told you not to do that ! Stop him !

12.4 Question Mark

•
You put a question mark after a question.

How are you

What is your name ?

How many stamps do you have ?
Where do they come from ?
Who has taken my pen ?
Can you lend me your bicycle?
Where are you going?
Why are you always late ?
What is the meaning of this word ?
Do you know the answer to this sum ?

158 Punctuation
Quick Check 1
Choose the punctuation marks from the box and put them in the
correct places in the following sentences.
( , ?)
1. He hates cheese
2. Who is your teacher
3. Stop that man
4. Keep quiet
5. Good morning madam
6. George are you OK
7. Peter David and Susan are playing hide and seek
8. Mum bought meat fish and vegetables from the supermarket
9. What is the time now
10. Anne is a pretty girl

12.5 Apostrophe
•
You use the apostrophe with ans ('s) to show who owns something.

You add 's after singular nouns or names.

I Mike's

This is Peter's bed and that is Mike 's bed . A squirrel 's tail is
big and bushy.

Apostrophe 159
 We all like Mum's cooking.
Susan collects everybody's plate after the meal.
John's dog is very friendly.
All the pupils have a month's holiday in June.
I took a ride in Tom's car.
Father is holding Susie's hand. Possessive pronouns like yours,
Jane is wearing her mother's shoes. hers and theirs also show who
owns something but they do not
We are going to our aunt's house. use an apostrophe:
There is a bird's nest in that tree. This book is hers.
Those pencils are theirs .
Our dog's collar is brown.
Is this purse yours ?
Is this Singapore's tallest building?

When a name or a singular noun ends in -s, you use the same rule.
You put an apostrophe first and then add another s ('s).

The princess's golden ball fell into a well.

A rhinoceros's skin is very thick. When a name ends in -s,
some people prefer not
Dad is at his boss's party.
to add 's to it, only an
apostrophe:
For plural nouns that end in -s, you I think that is James' book.
put the apostrophe after the -s (s').

Bird s' beaks are all different shapes and sizes.

Miss Lee is marking her pupils' work.
This is my parents' wedding photo.
Dresses are upstairs in the ladies' department.
James goes to a boys' school.
Dr Kim parked his car in the doctors' car park.
My brothers' bedrooms are always tidy.
The girls' bedrooms are usually untidy.
A flood has destroyed all the farmers' crops.

160 Punctuation
Some plural nouns do not end in -s. With these plural nouns,
you just add 's.

There are slides and swings and seesaws in the children 's playground.
The men's changing room is over there.
The newsagent sells newspapers, comics and women 's magazines.
Doctors look after people's health.

♦ You can also refer to a person's office or shop by using a possessive

form with an apostrophe:
I will collect the bread from the baker's.
I was reading a book at the dentist's.
It is time you went to the barber's.
♦ You can also refer to your friends' homes like this:
I am going round to Peter's.
I stayed the night at Susan's.
I spent the evening at David's playing video games.
♦ When you make a possessive form of two people joined by and,
like Peter and John, or Mary and An ne, you put 's only after the
second name:
Barbara and David's house
Jill and Andy's party
♦ You can use these possessive forms of names and nouns without a
fo llowing noun:
Which desk is Susan's?
George's is in the back row.
This room is my brother's.

You also use the apostrophe to show a letter or some letters in a

word have been left out.

Mary would

(
*
Mary 'd ) like a cat as a pet, but she ( wouldn 't ) like a turtle .
t
would not

Apostrophe 161
 You often find has and is shortened
to 's after a noun or proper noun:
The mail has arrived.
The mail's arrived.

Sally is here.
Sally's here.
You are taller than Peter, but

you ~ as tall as me.

are not

I've finished my sums, but I haven't finished my spelling.

We'll come to your party, but you'll have to drop us back.
He's gone to the library.
Dad wasn't at home and the children weren't at home either.
I don't like potatoes and Susan doesn't like tomatoes.
I didn't watch which way I was going and now I can't find my way home.
We're late because we couldn't find your house.
Mum's finished her shopping but she hasn't been through the checkout yet.

Quick Check 1
Put the apostrophe ( ' ) in the right place in these sentences.
1. This is Peters bike.
2. Paul cant find his shoes.
3. Miss Lee is marking the pupils papers.
4. They are all in the childrens playground.
5. Dont make so much noise!
6. Doctors take care of peoples health.
7. Theyre having a game of tennis.
8. Jack doesnt look well.

162 Punctuation
12.6 Indentation
When you have a long piece of writing, it is best to break it up into
groups of sentences. T his makes it easier to read. A group of sentences
is called a paragraph.

When you start a new paragraph, yo u should start on a new line and
leave a small space before the fir st word. You should leave a space
equal to three letters. This is called indentation.

Here is an example of a story written in paragraphs.

first pa ragra ph - . One stormy night, a girl appeared at the door of a

castle . She was cold and hungry, and she asked for shelter
for the night. She said she was a princess.

second paragraph - . In the castle, there lived a king and queen and the ir
son, the prince. The prince wanted to marry a princess,
and he liked the girl who had just come to the castle, but
he had to be sure that the girl was a real princess.

third paragraph - . The queen had a plan. Before the girl went to bed, she
put a pea under the mattress on the girl 1s bed, and then
put anot her mattress on top of the first mattress, and a
third mattress on top of the second one.

fourth paragraph - . In the morning, the queen asked the girl if she
had slept well. The girl said that she had not slept
at all, because there was something very hard and
uncomfortable under the mattresses.

fifth paragraph - . Then the queen knew that the girl was a real princess.
Only a real princess could feel something as small as a pea
through three thick mattresses. The prince married the
princess and they lived happily ever after.

Indentation 163