Basic Grammar for correct communication

Ranjna Sharma

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[Link] Institute of technology and Management

1. The Eight Parts of Speech

These are the building blocks of English sentences.

 Noun: Names a person, place, thing, or idea (e.g., dog, city, love). Can
be proper (capitalized) or common, singular or plural.
 Pronoun: Replaces a noun to avoid repetition (e.g., he, they, it). The
word it replaces is called the antecedent.
 Verb: Shows action or state of being (e.g., run, is, think). Can be a
main verb or a helping verb.
 Adjective: Describes or modifies a noun or pronoun
(e.g., red, tall, funny). Answers: Which one? What kind? How many?
 Adverb: Modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb
(e.g., quickly, very, well). Often ends in -ly. Answers: How? When?
Where? Why?
 Preposition: Shows the relationship between a noun/pronoun and
another word. Always part of a phrase (e.g., on the table, with friends).
 Conjunction: Joins words, phrases, or clauses (e.g., and, but, because).
 Interjection: Expresses strong emotion (e.g., Wow!, Oh!, Ouch!).

2. Pronoun Usage: Key Rules

  Subject vs. Object: Use subject pronouns (I, he, she, we, they) as the
subject of a sentence. Use object pronouns ( me, him, her, us, them) as the
object.

o Correct: She and I went to the store. (Subjects)

o Correct: The teacher gave it to him and me. (Objects)
 Who vs. Verb: The verb after who must agree with its antecedent.

o Correct: It is I who am responsible. (I am)

 Singular Indefinite Pronouns: Words like everyone, each, nobody are
singular and take singular verbs and pronouns (e.g., Everyone has his or
her book). Using they for a singular person is common but informally
accepted.
 Possessives: Do not use an apostrophe with possessive pronouns
(yours, hers, its, theirs).

o It's = it is. Its = possessive.

o Who's = who is. Whose = possessive.
 Reflexive Pronouns: Use myself, yourself, etc., only when the subject
and object are the same (e.g., I hurt myself). Do not use them to
replace I or me (Incorrect: He gave it to my sister and myself).

3. Subject-Verb Agreement

The verb must match its subject in number (singular/plural).

 The Core Rule: Identify the true subject, ignoring prepositional

phrases in between.

o Example: The list of items is on the desk. (Subject is "list," which is

singular).
  Compound Subjects:

o Joined by and: Usually plural (The dog and the cat are here).
o Joined by or/nor: The verb agrees with the subject closest to it.

 Neither the teacher nor the students are here.

 Neither the students nor the teacher is here.

 Indefinite Pronouns: Most (each, everyone, somebody) are

singular. Few, many, several, both are plural.
 Collective Nouns: Words like team, family, class are usually singular
(The team is winning).
 Titles: Treat the title of a book, movie, etc., as singular ( "The Burbs" is
a movie).

4. Verb Tenses & Modal Verbs

Verb Tenses: Indicate the time of an action.

 Simple: Basic time (I read, I read, I will read).

 Continuous/Progressive: Ongoing actions (I am reading, I was reading,
I will be reading).
 Perfect: Actions completed before another time (I have read, I had read,
I will have read).

Modal Verbs: Special verbs that express ability, permission, obligation, or

possibility. They are followed by the base form of another verb.

 List: can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must.
 Key Examples:

o Ability: I can swim.

 o Permission: May I leave?
o Obligation: You must stop. / You should study.
o Prohibition: You must not smoke.
o Possibility: It might rain.
o Lack of necessity: You need not come.

5. Prepositions: Usage of "Of," "To," "For" & Common

Rules

Specific Uses:

 Of: Belonging, relating, reference, amount.

o the color of the car, a cup of tea

 To: Direction, recipient, limit, relationship, time.

o go to school, give it to me, ten to five

 For: Purpose, benefit, duration, reason.

o a tool for cooking, I did it for you, for two hours

General Rules:

 Time:

o At: Specific times (at 5 pm), at night

o On: Days (on Monday)
o In: Months, years, seasons (in July, in 1999, in winter)
o No Preposition: next year, every day, yesterday
 Place:

o In: Enclosed spaces (in a room, in a book)

o On: Surfaces (on the wall, on a page)
 o At: Specific points (at the door, at work)
 After Adjectives & Verbs: Many are fixed expressions and must be
memorized.

o Adjective + Preposition: good at, afraid of, interested in

o Verb + Preposition: listen to, depend on, wait for

This summary covers the core concepts from your extensive notes. Focus on
practicing the rules for subject-verb agreement and pronoun usage, as these
are common areas for mistakes.

provide exercise of 10 sentences for each concept

Of course! Here are 10-sentence exercises for each of the key grammar
concepts from your notes.

1. Parts of Speech Identification

Identify the part of speech of the underlined word in each sentence.

1. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

2. She sings beautifully in the choir.
3. I looked for him everywhere.
4. Wow! That was an amazing magic trick.
5. Please put the book on the table.
6. My sister and I are going to the park.
7. They are going to the new museum downtown.
8. Honesty is the best policy.
9. This is a fantastically clever idea.
10. The cat slept through the entire storm.
Answers:

1. Adjective
2. Verb
3. Adverb
4. Interjection
5. Preposition
6. Conjunction
7. Pronoun
8. Noun
9. Adverb
10. Preposition

2. Pronoun Usage

Choose the correct pronoun to complete each sentence.

1. Between you and (I / me), I think the plan will fail.

2. The teacher gave (we / us) students a challenging assignment.
3. It was (she / her) who answered the phone.
4. Please keep this secret between you and (I / me).
5. (He and I / Him and me) are responsible for the project.
6. The manager praised Sarah and (I / me).
7. That is the man (who / whom) I met yesterday.
8. Each of the girls brought (their / her) own lunch.
9. I am taller than (he / him).
10. The dog licked (its / it's) paws clean.
Answers:

1. me
2. us
3. she
4. me
5. He and I
6. me
7. whom
8. her
9. he
10. its

3. Subject-Verb Agreement

Choose the verb that correctly completes each sentence.

1. The list of required items (is / are) on the desk.

2. The captain, along with his players, (is / are) celebrating.
3. Neither the students nor the teacher (was / were) in the classroom.
4. Everybody in the clubs (has / have) to pay the fee.
5. The news (was / were) very surprising to everyone.
6. My friend and colleague (wants / want) to meet you.
7. Some of the water (is / are) spilled.
8. Some of the students (is / are) absent today.
9. The committee (debates / debate) these issues carefully.
10. Five hundred dollars (is / are) too much to pay for that.
Answers:

1. is
2. is
3. was
4. has
5. was
6. wants
7. is
8. are
9. debates
10. is

4. Verb Tenses

Identify the verb tense of the underlined verb phrase.

1. She has finished her homework already.

2. I will be waiting for you at the airport.
3. They played soccer last weekend.
4. The children are sleeping right now.
5. By next year, I will have lived here for a decade.
6. He had eaten before we arrived.
7. The sun rises in the east.
8. We were watching a movie when you called.
9. I have been working here since 2020.
10. She will call you tomorrow.
Answers:

1. Present Perfect
2. Future Continuous
3. Simple Past
4. Present Continuous
5. Future Perfect
6. Past Perfect
7. Simple Present
8. Past Continuous
9. Present Perfect Continuous
10. Simple Future

5. Modal Verbs

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate modal verb: can, could, may,
might, must, shall, should, will, or would.

1. You __________ stop when the traffic light is red.

2. __________ I borrow your pen for a moment?
3. I __________ swim when I was five years old.
4. We __________ go to the beach tomorrow, but it depends on the
weather.
5. Students __________ complete their assignments on time.
6. __________ you please pass the salt?
7. I __________ probably be late to the meeting.
8. He __________ speak three languages fluently.
9. You look tired. You __________ get some rest.
10. I promise I __________ not let you down.
Answers:

1. must
2. May / Could
3. could
4. might / may
5. should
6. Would / Could
7. will
8. can
9. should
10. will

6. Prepositions (Of, To, For, In, On, At)

Choose the correct preposition to complete each sentence.

1. I am grateful __________ my family. (of / to / for)

2. She arrived __________ the airport at noon. (in / at / on)
3. The key __________ success is hard work. (of / to / for)
4. My birthday is __________ March. (in / on / at)
5. He has a great interest __________ science. (of / in / for)
6. Please put the books __________ the table. (in / on / at)
7. This is a gift __________ you. (of / to / for)
8. I will see you __________ Monday. (in / on / at)
9. The movie starts __________ 7:30 PM. (in / on / at)
10. The top __________ the mountain is covered in snow. (of / to / for)
Answers:

1. for
2. at
3. to
4. in
5. in
6. on
7. for
8. on
9. at
10. of