Saturday, October 31, 2015

WORKSHEET FOR BEGINNERS (WAS OR WERE)

Use ‘was’ when the subject is a singular noun. ‘Was’ is also used with I, he, she and it.

Use ‘were’ when the subject is a plural noun. ‘Were’ is also used with they, we and you.

Complete the following sentences with was/were.

1. I ………………. hungry.

2. The boy ………………… sleeping.

3. We …………………. waiting for them.

4. The girls ……………….. singing.

5. The peacock ………………… dancing.

6. It ………………… getting dark.

7. She ……………….. upset.

8. You …………………… playing with your friends.

9. They …………………. working on an important project.

10. Samuel …………………. anxious to leave.

11. James and John …………………… playing chess.

12. Maria ………………… listening to a song.

13. The princess …………………. beautiful but the frog ……………… ugly.

14. The dogs ……………… barking.

15. I …………………. reading a detective novel.

16. Yamuna …………….. playing with her daughter.

Answers

1. I was hungry.

2. The boy was sleeping.

3. We were waiting for them.

4. The girls were singing.

5. The peacock was dancing.

6. It was getting dark.

7. She was upset.

8. You were playing with your friends.

9. They were working on an important project.

10. Samuel was anxious to leave.

11. James and John were playing chess.

12. Maria was listening to a song.

13. The princess was beautiful but the frog was ugly.

14. The dogs were barking.

15. I was reading a detective novel.

16. Yamuna was playing with her daughter.

ADVERBS – A QUICK OVERVIEW

ADVERBS – A QUICK OVERVIEW

Adverbs are words used to modify verbs. Adverbs can also modify adjectives and other adverbs. There are several different types of adverbs.

Adverbs of time

Time adverbs answer the question ‘when’. Examples are: before, now, already, then, late, early, yesterday, tomorrow etc.

I have seen him before.
You should start now.
I haven’t heard anything from him lately.
I have already discussed this with him.

Adverbs of frequency

Frequency adverbs answer the question ‘how often’. Common examples are: twice, once, always, often, seldom, again, frequently etc.

He often visits his grandmother.
I will not invite him again.
I met him only once.
He is seldom late for work.

Adverbs of place

Adverbs of place answer the question ‘where’. Examples are:here, there, up, down, in, out.

He looked up.
He is not in at the moment.
Put it there.
Come here
Get out.
Come in.

Adverbs of manner

Adverbs of manner answer the question ‘how’. Most adverbs ending in –ly are examples of adverbs of manner. Examples are:kindly, cruelly, pleasantly, softly, cleverly, bravely, slowly, sadly, well, hard etc.

I can see clearly.
Our soldiers fought bravely.
The child wept bitterly.
She speaks English well.
You must work hard.

Adverbs of degree

Degree adverbs answer the question ‘to what extent’ or ‘in which degree’. Examples are: too, very, almost, any, quite, enough, pretty etc.

You are too late.
She was very happy.
You are partly right.
She sings pretty well.
I am rather busy.
She was so happy.

Monday, October 26, 2015

CORRECT USE OF SOME CONJUNCTIONS

CORRECT USE OF SOME CONJUNCTIONS

Conjunctions are used to connect words, phrases or clauses.
Note that you need only one conjunction to connect two clauses.
In this lesson, we will review the correct use of some conjunctions.

Except and unless

Except cannot be used as a conjunction equivalent to unless.

Incorrect: I will not come except you invite me.
Correct: I will not come unless you invite me.

Except is a preposition. It should be followed by a noun or noun-equivalent.

He ate everything on his plate except potatoes. (NOT He ate everything on his plate unless potatoes.)

Except and without

The preposition without also cannot be used as an equivalent tounless.

Unless you leave my house, I will call the police. (NOT Without you leave my house, I will call the police.)

Without is a preposition. It should be followed by a noun or noun equivalent.

Without your help, I would have failed. (NOT Except your help, I would have failed.)

The sentences given below express more or less the same meaning, but structures are different.

Compare:

I shall not go unless you do.
I shall not go without you.

Like and as

Like is a preposition. It cannot be used to connect two clauses. It should be followed by a noun or noun equivalent which acts as its object.

She looks like her mother.

As is a conjunction. It should be followed by a clause.

She walks as her mother does. (NOT She walks as her mother.)

NOUN CLAUSES TEST

A noun clause can act as the subject or object of the verb. It can also act as the object of a preposition.

Identify the noun clauses in the following sentences.

1. I wondered what he was doing there.

2. He replied that he would come.

3. She asked if I could help her.

4. That honesty is the best policy is a well-known fact.

5. I expected that I would get the first prize.

6. Do you know why he is late?

7. I don’t know what he wants.

8. Pay careful attention to what I am going to say.

9. That she should forget me so quickly hurts me.

10. That you should behave like this is strange.

Answers

1. I wondered what he was doing there. (Here the noun clause acts as the object of the verb wondered.)

2. He replied that he would come. (Here the noun clause acts as the object of the verb replied.)

3. She asked if I could help her. (Here the noun clause acts as the object of the verb asked.)

4. That honesty is the best policy is a well-known fact. (Here the noun clause acts as the subject of the verb is.)

5. I expected that I would get the first prize. (Here the noun clause acts as the object of the verb expected.)

6. Do you know why he is late? (Here the noun clause acts as the object of the verb know.)

7. I don’t know what he wants. (Here the noun clause acts as the object of the verb know.)

8. Pay careful attention to what I am going to say. (Here the noun clause acts as the object of the preposition to.)

9. That she should forget me so quickly hurts me. (Here the noun clause acts as the subject of the verb hurts.)

10. That you should behave like this is strange. (Here the noun clause acts as the subject of the verb is.)

GRAMMAR TEST

GRAMMAR TEST

Complete the following sentences.

1. The boy held the box ……………….. even though him arm hurt ……………….

a) tightly, badly
b) tight, bad
c) tightly, bad
d) tight, badly

2. ………………. as fast as she could, she managed to arrive on time.

a) Being driving
b) Driven
c) Having driving
d) Driving

3. …………………. much blood, the driver struggled with the controls.

a) Being lost
b) Having lost
c) Losing
d) Lost

4. The man was charged with DUI. ………………., he was suspected of committing robbery in another state.

a) In addition
b) For instance
c) In the same way
d) Similarly

5. I believe that smoking is extremely injurious ………………… health.

a) to
b) for
c) with
d) on

6. You will greatly benefit ………………. the experience.

a) with
b) to
c) from
d) by

7. I have invited Alice and Rebecca. ……………….. Sally, I don’t care whether she comes or not.

a) As far as
b) As for
c) While
d) Whereas

8. The train was late. ………………….. I managed to arrive on time.

a) On the contrary
b) By contrast
c) Despite that
d) Incidentally

9. Why do you want to get a job as a typist? You won’t be able to work from 9 to 6. ……………….. you can’t type.

a) In any case
b) In general
c) For instance
d) Incidentally

Answers

1. The boy held the box tightly even though him arm hurt badly.

2. Driving as fast as she could, she managed to arrive on time.

3. Having lost much blood, the driver struggled with the controls.

4. The man was charged with DUI. In addition, he was suspected of committing robbery in another state.

5. I believe that smoking is extremely injurious to health.

6. You will greatly benefit from the experience.

7. I have invited Alice and Rebecca. As for Sally, I don’t care whether she comes or not.

8. The train was late. Despite that I managed to arrive on time.

9. Why do you want to get a job as a typist? You won’t be able to work from 9 to 6. In any case you can’t type.

Saturday, October 24, 2015

PARAPHRASE OF "THE PRELUDE"

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

PERSUASIVE TECHNIQUES IN ADVERTISING

Logos, Ethos, and Pathos in Advertising

Logos, Ethos, and Pathos in Advertising from D Shazz

Pathos, Logos, and Ethos in Advertising

Monday, October 19, 2015

HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS

HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second novel in the Harry Potter series, written by J. K. Rowling. The plot followsHarry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, during which a series of messages on the walls of the school's corridors warn that the "Chamber of Secrets" has been opened and that the "heir of Slytherin" would kill all pupils who do not come from all-magical families. These threats are followed by attacks which leave residents of the school "petrified" (frozen like stone). Throughout the year, Harry and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger investigate the attacks.

The book was published in the United Kingdom on 2 July 1998 by Bloomsbury and in the United States on 2 June 1999 by Scholastic Inc. Although Rowling found it difficult to finish the book, it won high praise and awards from critics, young readers and the book industry, although some critics thought the story was perhaps too frightening for younger children. Much like with other novels in the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets triggered religious debates; some religious authorities have condemned its use of magical themes, while others have praised its emphasis on self-sacrifice and on the way in which a person's character is the result of the person's choices.

Several commentators have noted that personal identity is a strong theme in the book, and that it addresses issues of racism through the treatment of non-magical, non-human and non-living characters. Some commentators regard the diary as a warning against uncritical acceptance of information from sources whose motives and reliability cannot be checked. Institutional authority is portrayed as self-serving and incompetent. The book is also known to have some connections to the sixth novel of the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Friday, October 16, 2015

TENSES WORKSHEET

TENSES WORKSHEET

Insert the correct tense of the verb in the blank spaces and complete the sentences.

1. I waited for him until he ………………… (come)

2. As long as the rain ………………….., I stayed at home. (continue)

3. He ran as fast as he …………………. (can/could)

4. He was so tired that he …………………. barely stand. (can / could)

5. Wherever he …………………, the people gathered to listen. (preach)

6. He ………………. because he was in a hurry. (run)

7. Although he began late, he ………………… first. (finish)

8. I asked him what I ……………….. do for him. (can / could)

9. He said the he …………………. make another attempt. (will / would)

10. He rested his horse because it ………………. (limp)

Answers

1. I waited for him until he came.

2. As long as the rain continued, I stayed at home.

3. He ran as fast as he could.

4. He was so tired that he could barely stand.

5. Wherever he preached, the people gathered to listen.

6. He ran because he was in a hurry.

7. Although he began late, he finished first.

8. I asked him what I could do for him.

9. He said the he would make another attempt. (When the verb in the main clause is in the past tense, we use a past tense in the subordinate clause as well.)

10. He rested his horse because it was limping.