Pronouns

PRONOUNS

A Pronoun is a word used in place of a noun.  Usually pronouns refer to something that was already mentioned in previous sentence or understood by the listener or reader. They are very useful words because when you use them, you do not need to repeat nouns all the time.  Without pronouns  Alexander is my neighbor. Alexander says that Alexander likes to sleep.  With pronouns  Alexander is my neighbor. He says that he likes to sleep. When a pronoun replaces a word (or a group of words), the word being replaced is called anantecedent.  I wrote a letter to the president, who responded quickly.  In that sentence, president is antecedent of the pronoun who. A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in person, number, and gender.	Pronouns List and Quizzes English Pronouns List Alphabetical list of English pronouns with definitions and translations. Pronouns spelling quiz Check-Practice your spelling of English pronouns. Quiz lets you choose only those pronouns that you have trouble with.  Personal Pronouns Quiz on Pronoun Usage. Personal, possessive, reflexive/intensive pronouns, and possessive adjectives.  The Types of Pronouns Identify the type of a pronoun in each sentence. Personal, Demonstrative, Relative, Reflexive, Indefinite, etc.  Pronoun or Adjective Identify the function of the word in the sentence. Demonstrative, Interrogative, and Indefinite pronouns acting as adjectives.  Pronouns Practice Identify each pronoun in a sentence by clicking on it. Random sentences are given each time.  Pronoun: Who whom Whose Learn how to use subjective, objective, and possessive forms of the pronoun Who
The different kinds of pronouns are:  Demonstrative Personal Indefinite Intensive Interrogative Reciprocal Reflexive Relative Personal pronouns In order to use personal pronouns, it is important to know about case (subject, object, and possessive), number(singular and plural), person (first, second, and third), and gender (male, female and neutral). Subject Pronouns: I, you, she, he, it, we, they are used as a subject or predicate noun.  She is a teacher. It was he who said that. Object Pronouns: me, you, him, her, them, us, it are used as an indirect object, direct object, or object of a preposition.  She baked him a pie. I can hardly see it. They are going with us. Possessive Pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, theirs, ours, its take the place of possessive nouns.  If this isn’t ours, it must be theirs. Yours is much better then mine. Tables below show the breakdown of the English personal pronouns  along the four dimensions of case, person, number, and gender. Singular Subjective/Nominative Objective Possessive Male Female Neutral Male Female Neutral Male Female Neutral First Person I me mine Second Person you you yours Third Person he she it him her it his hers its Plural Subjective/Nominative Objective Possessive Male Female Neutral Male Female Neutral Male Female Neutral First Person we us ours Second Person you you yours Third Person they them theirs Case and personal pronouns Always use nominative case pronoun if pronoun is a part of the subject. In the following example the pronoun is a part of the subject so subject pronoun should be used.  My sister and me went to the movie.       (Incorrect)  My sister and I went to the movie.       (Correct)  Always use objective case pronoun if pronoun is part of the object. In the following example the pronoun is a direct object so object pronoun should be used.  My sister took a picture of him and I.       (Incorrect)  My sister took a picture of him and me.       (Correct) Person and personal pronouns :) Personal pronouns are called personal because they indicate a person speaking, spoken to, or spoken about. Personal pronoun refers to a specific individual(singular) or a group(plural). I saw you when she talked to them. The pronoun I refers to the person speaking.  The pronoun you refers to the person spoken to.  The pronoun she and them refer to persons spoken about. Number and personal pronouns The number shows whether the pronoun refers to a single person or thing or more than one person or things. It tells what verb to use – singular or plural.  He is late.      using singular form of the verb to be - is  We are late.      using plural form of the verb to be - are  Remember that pronoun you, whether it is plural or singular, always takes a plural form of the verb to be. Correct Incorrect You are late. You is late. You were tired. You was tired. Gender and Personal pronouns  Some of the personal pronouns have gender, which means that they are masculine (male), feminine (female) or neuter (neither male or female). Knowing the gender of antecedent, we can choose a pronoun with matching gender.  Alex is my brother. I like him.  This is Nancy. She is ten.  This is my watch. Give it to me. Demonstrative Pronouns Demonstrative Pronouns point out a specific persons, animals, places, things or ideas.  List of Demonstrative pronouns: this, that, these, those That is his book. This is an excellent question.  I want to exchange this for that and these for those. Intensive Pronouns Intensive pronouns (also called emphatic) end with self or selves and emphasize (intensify) a noun or another pronoun. They make you notice the nouns and pronouns they go with. Instructor himself ordered this product.  In that sentence, the pronoun is himself and it goes with the noun Instructor. We did all the work ourselves.  In that sentence, the pronoun is ourselves and it goes with the pronoun We. List of Intensive pronouns: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, oneself, ourselves, themselves, yourselves. Table shows English Intensive pronouns classified by gender, person and number. Singular Plural Male Female Neutral Male Female Neutral First Person myself ourselves Second Person yourself yourselves Third Person himself herself itself themselves Reflexive Pronouns Reflexive pronouns are the same as intensive pronouns (see above) but they don’t intensify; they point back to the subject of the sentence. He wanted to kick himself for even making that stupid comment.  I bought myself a new shirt. Reflexive and intensive pronouns turn the action of the verb back to the subject of the sentence. Never use a reflexive/intensive pronoun in place of a personal pronoun. They are correctly used only in reflexive or intensive roles. The following sentences are incorrect.  Mary and myself went to the movie.  My father drove Mary and myself to the movie. The following sentences are correct.  Mary and I went to the movie.  My father drove Mary and me to the movie. More about reflexive intensive pronouns usage Indefinite pronouns Indefinite pronouns do not refer to any particular persons or places or things. They replace nouns without specifying which noun they replace. List of Indefinite pronouns Singular: another, anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, little, much, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one, other, somebody, someone, something  Plural: both, few, many, others, several  Singular or plural: all, any, more, most, none, some Hint: Indefinite pronouns that end in -one or -body are always singular. //except none// These words include: anyone, everyone, someone, one, anybody, somebody, nobody. Examples: Pronouns that are always singular  Everybody can do something, but nobody can do everything.  Either looks like a good option. Examples: Pronouns that are always plural  Few were late for the meeting.  Many bought tickets to the show. For indefinite pronouns that can be singular or plural, it depends on what the indefinite pronoun refers to.  There is a lot of furniture in the room; some is damaged.         some refers to furniture, which is singular.  There are many books there; some are very interesting.       some refers to books, which is plural. Reciprocal Pronouns Reciprocal Pronouns show a mutual relationship. They are each other and one another.  Each other is used when the group consists of just two people, animals or things. One another is used when the groups consists of more than two people, animals ot things. Examples  John and Bob respect each other.  We are commanded to love one another. Relative Pronouns Relative Pronoun begins a subordinate clause and connects that clause to another noun that precedes it in the sentence. Relative pronouns list: who, whom, whose, whoever, whomever, which, whichever, that, what, whatever. Examples  It is a book that is difficult to ignore.  The dog, which is a terrier, is four years old.  I will consider renting or buying, whichever works out best. All relative pronouns do not change the form with gender, person, or number.  Only who changes form with case. Subjective: who  Objective: whom  Possessive: whose Examples  The girl who told me the story lives down the street.  The girl whom I chose will get a present.  I am not sure whose that is. Interrogative Pronouns Interrogative pronouns are used to begin or introduce interrogative sentences. They are who, whom, whose, what, and which.  They are similar to the Relative Pronouns; the difference is their use in the sentence. Examples  Whom did you invite to the party?  Which did you prefer?  Who did what to whom?
Possessive adjectives Possessive adjectives (also called determiners ordeterminative possessive pronouns) always modify/describe a noun. They must be used together with nouns they are describing, and come in front of them. There are seven of them in modern English: my, your, his, her, its, our, their. His book is excellent.  Their house is new.  Highlighted words inform us to whom something belongs and their function is similar to those of adjectives. More about possessive adjectives
Pronouns and Adjectives Some words that function as pronouns may function as adjectives because they tell something about the noun they modify rather than stand in for it. Examine the following table to see the different roles of some words and remember that          Adjective describes a noun and Pronoun replaces a noun. Possessive Adjectives  My English is good.  I see your money.  His girl is a student.  I like her hair.  It is our place.  Their house is old. Possessive Pronouns  Mine is better  Yours are gone.  I will take his.  I like hers.  It is ours.  I do not want theirs. Demonstrative Adjectives  I like that story.  These quizzes are nice.  Who did this work?. Demonstrative Pronouns  I like that.  These are nice quizzes.  Who did this?. Interrogative Adjectives  Which classes did you take?  Whose phone did you use?  What kind of pronoun is it? Interrogative Pronouns  Which did you like?  Whose did you break?  What is a pronoun? Indefinite Adjectives  Many children like ice cream.  Did you want some bananas?  Is there any tea?  I need a few minutes. Indefinite Pronouns  Many bought tickets to the show.  Some are not fresh.  No, there is not any?  I have a few.

Adjective

ADJECTIVE

An adjective is a word that tells us more about a noun or a pronoun. An adjective describes or modifies a noun. Adjective Links What is an adjective? from HyperGrammar Adjective from wikipedia Adjectives quizzes and lists:  List of adjectives Spelling of adjectives Adjective lists that follow each topic are only partial ones. Three Questions Adjectives usually answer three questions about the nouns they describe: 1. What kind of? I found a red rose in the cave. What kind of rose? Red 2. How many? Three tickets, please. How many tickets? Three. 3. Which one(s)? I would eat these muffins. Which muffins? These. Kinds of adjectives 1. Demonstrative adjective this, that, these, those are called demonstrative adjectives. They point out nouns. They always answer the question which one? In the following example, demonstrative adjectives are shown in color. Lets play this game and later watch that movie. Remember that this, that, these, those can also act as demonstrative pronouns in which case they are not followed by nouns (as demonstrative adjectives are), but take the place of nouns. In the following example, demonstrative pronouns are shown in color. Lets play this and later watch that. 2. Common adjective is just a simple, regular adjective. It describes a noun in a general way. sharp, flexible, hot, red, hidden, dripping, nice, huge. 3. Proper adjective is derived from a proper noun and is capitalized. Proper noun Proper adjective China Chinese California Californian Mars Martian Spain Spanish Christianity Christian Japan Japanese Hollywood Hollywood Texas Texas Sometimes, as in last two examples, a proper noun does not change at all to become a proper adjective.

Where an adjective goes in a sentence Usually an adjective comes in front of the noun it is describing. The big balloon floated over the dark sea. An adjective can also come after a linking verb, liketo be, and describe the subject of the sentence. In this case it is called predicate adjective. The balloon was dark. Comparison of adjectives Positive degree – the simplest form. Comparative degree – comparing two things or persons. Superlative degree – comparing three or more things or persons. Positive Comparative Superlative large larger largest horrible more horrible most horrible How to compare adjectives 1. Add er and est to short adjectives of one syllable (sometimes two syllables) Positive Comparative Superlative short shorter shortest great greater greatest small smaller smallest old older oldest 2. If a short adjective ends with consonant and y, change the y to i and add er and est. Positive Comparative Superlative lucky luckier luckiest heavy heavier heaviest happy happier happiest silly sillier silliest ugly uglier ugliest 3. If a short adjective ends with e, add er and st. Positive Comparative Superlative little littler littlest fine finer finest 4. Put more(less) and most(least) in front of longer adjectives (with two or more syllables) to show comparison. Positive Comparative Superlative appealing less appealing least appealing remarkable more remarkable most remarkable beautiful more beautiful most beautiful alert more alert most alert If you are uncertain whether to add er and est or to use more and most, then check dictionary. In most cases, you can trust your ears. Some adjectives are irregular adjectives and don't follow thee rules. They change form considerably from one degree to the next. You need to study these changes carefully in order to recognize them easily. List of irregular adjectives. Positive Comparative Superlative bad worse worst far further furthest far farther farthest good better best many more most little less least old elder eldest well (healthy) better best Never use er or est at the same time you use moreor most. These are incorrect: more shorter, most alertest Incomparable adjectives. Some adjectives cannot be compared because the positive (simplest) form expresses the only degree possible. List of incomparable adjectives: perfect, unique, fatal, universal, dead, wrong, straight, blind, final, vertical, right, left

Adverb

ADVERB

An adverb is a part of speech that describes or modifies a verb, an adjective, another adverb, clause, or sentence. Adverbs answer the questions "How?", "When?", "Where?", "Why?", "In what way?", "How much?", "How often?", "Under what condition", "To what degree?" The easiest adverbs to recognize are those that end in-ly. Some adjectives end with -ly also but remember that adjectives can modify only nouns and pronouns. Adverbs modify everyting else. An adverb can be placed anywhere in a sentence. The three most common adverbs used in English Language are: not, very, too Adverbs as modifiers  (adverbs in adverbial functions) • An adverb modifies a verb  He walked quickly. ('quickly' modifies verb 'walked') I accepted new task willingly. ('willingly' modifies verb 'accepted') Mike snored melodically. ('melodically' modifies verb 'snored') • An adverb modifies an adjective They were really unhappy. ('really' modifies adjective 'unhappy') My brother is completely fearless. ('completely' modifies adjective 'fearless') I know she is very careful. ('very' modifies adjective 'careful') • An adverb modifies an adverb  He is almost always hungry. ('almost' modifies adverb 'always') John plays tennis very well. ('very' modifies adverb 'well') You never can work too carefully. ('too' modifies adverb 'carefully') • An adverb modifies a clause Perhaps you are correct, but not at first glance. ('perhaps' modifies clause 'you are correct') Surely he will be on time, but I hope not. ('surely' modifies clause 'he will be on time') • An adverb modifies a sentence  Suddenly, she went home. ('suddenly' modifies a whole sentence) Finally, he will be on time. ('finally' modifies a whole sentence) Today, we can take a vacation.('today' modifies a whole sentence) Adverb Formation •Adverbs that end in -ly are formed by adding -ly to an adjective, a present participle, or a past participle. - from an adjective  careful - carefully beautiful - beautiful fitting - fittingly - from a present participle willing - willingly glowing - glowingly surprising - surprisingly - from a past participle assured - assuredly affected - affectedly surprised - surprisedly •When adjective ends in -able or -ible, the adverb is formed by replacing final -e with -y horrible - horribly terrible - terribly •When adjective ends in -y, the adverb is formed by replacing final -y with -ily happy - happily lucky - luckily •When adjective ends in -ic, the adverb is formed by replacing final -ic with -ically economic - economically ironic - ironically Adverbs Position Adverbs can be placed anywhere in a sentence. •At the front (prior to the subject) Today we will study adverbs. Lately, I have had lots of phone calls. •At the center of the sentence (between the subject and the verb) He seldom goes to movies. I hardly noticed her. •At the end of the sentence I learn English slowly. I study adverbs now. Adverbs as intensifiers Adverbs can be used as amplifiers, down toners, or emphasizers. •As emphasizers. I really like him. I literally wrecked my car. •As amplifiers They completely abandoned the city. I absolutely refuse to leave. •As down toners I somewhat like this movie. Peter almost quit that job.

Adverbs lists and quizzes Alphabetical listing of 3732 adverbs Adverbs starting with: a b c d e f g h Adverbs starting with: i j k l m n o p q Adverbs starting with: r s t u v w x y z Adverb Quizzes Adverbs Practice List of random sentences is given. You need to identify each adverb by clicking on it. Adverbs Links Adverb Adverbs in English, examples of adverbs in adverbial functions and more BBC - Skillswise Words - Making more interesting sentences using adverbs. Factsheets,worksheets, quizzes Adverb from The Guide to Grammar and Writing. Lots of info and two quizzes. Adverbs can be classified by their functions Adverb lists that follow each category are only partial ones. •Adverbs of manner - answer the question How? I watch them closely. I play well. I walk carefully. List: cheerfully, fast, quicly, slowly, inadequately, healthy •Adverbs of time - answer the question When? He has not played chess recently. I arrive late for most appointments. Lately, I have had many sleepless nights. List: early, never, now, often, soon, then, today, tomorrow •Adverbs of place (location, direction) - answer the question Where? I walked downstairs. Have you ever gone there? I will meet you outside. List: above, away, below, down, here, inside, there, up •Adverbs of degree - answer the question How much? He is totally prepared for his birthday. I am too tired to play tennis tonight. He is completely tired from the journey. List: almost, entirely, little, much, rather, very, too •Adverbs of frequency - answer the question How often? He rarely goes by himself. She constantly finishes her job first. List: always, never, usually, frequently, sometimes, occasionally •Conjunctive (connecting) adverbs - connect the ideas expressed in different clauses or sentences. Use of conjunctive adverb between two independent clauses requires a semicolon before the adverb and comma after it. I want to sleep; however, I need to study. If conjunctive adverb is used at the beginning of a sentence, comma is used to set it off. note that the period takes the place of a semicolon. The day was over. Therefore, I went to sleep. If conjunctive adverb is placed within a clause, commas are used to set it off. The day is over. I will, therefore, go to sleep. Some of the most common conjunctive adverbs:accordingly, also, anyhow, furthermore, however, moreover, otherwise, still, therefore. •Interrogative adverbs - used at the beginning of questions. Why are you so angry? When does the movie start? List: why, where, how, when Comparison of adverbs Like adjectives, adverbs have three forms of comparison: positive, comparative, and superlative. •Positive degree expresses the quality without comparison. •Comparative degree compares two verbs, adjectives, or adverbs. •Superlative degree compares three or more verbs, adjectives or adverbs. Adverb comparison Most adverbs are compared by using another adverb. More or less are used to express the comparative degree. Most or least are used to express the superlative degree. I dance gracefully (or horribly). I dance more gracefully (or more horribly). I dance most gracefully ( or most horribly). Suffix comparison Some adverbs are compared using a suffix –er for the comparative forms and –est for the superlative forms. I will arrive soon (or fast). I will arrive sooner (or faster). I will arrive soonest (or fastest). Irregular comparison There are also a number of adverbs compared irregularly. These must be remembered. Here are some of them. POSITIVE   COMPARATIVE   SUPERLATIVE  bad/badly worse worst far farther/further farthest/furthest late/lately later latest little less least much more most well better best Beyond comparison Some adverbs are never compared. They express qualities unsuitable for comparison. Here are some of them: again, almost, before, ever, never, here, there, now, then, there, thus, too, twice, very.

The Prepositions Exercise

Prepositions of Direction Exercise

Complete the following sentences with the correct preposition:

to, toward, on, onto, in, or into. Some sentences may have more than one possible correct answer. Remember that a few verbs of motion take only "on" rather than "onto."

1. Anna has returned ______ her home town.

2. The dog jumped ______ the lake.

3. Are the boys still swimming ______ the pool?

4. Thomas fell ______ the floor.

5. The plane landed ______ the runway.

6. We drove _____ the river for an hour but turned north before we reached it.

7. The kids climbed ______ the monkey bars.

8. Joanna got ______ Fred's car.

9. The baby spilled his cereal ______ the floor.

10. We cried to the man on the ladder, "Hang ______!"

11. I went ______ the gym.

12. Matthew and Michelle moved the table ______ the dining room.

13. Allan left your keys ______ the table.

14. Dr. Karper apologized for interrupting us and told us to carry ______ with our discussion.

15. I walk ______ the amusement park.

16. Pat drove Mike ______ the airport.

17. Glenn almost fell ______ the river.

18. The waitress noticed that there was no more Diet Pepsi ______ Marty's glass.

19. Lee and Sarah took the bus that was heading ______ the university.

20. Mary Sue jumped ______ the stage and danced.

                                     

Go to Answer

Reading Comprehension

Reading Comprehension

Within this page,the complex processes involved in reading comprehension are divided into three categories (much like the National Reading Panel Report). The categories include vocabulary instruction, text comprehension instruction, and teacher preparation and comprehension strategies instruction. You'll also find useful websites that students can visit to practice their use of comprehension strategies with fiction and non-fiction texts at a variety of reading levels.

Skimming

                                        Skimming

      

        is used to quickly identify the main ideas of a text. When you read the newspaper, you're probably not reading it word-by-word, instead you're scanning the text. Skimming is done at a speed three to four times faster than normal reading. People often skim when they have lots of material to read in a limited amount of time. Use skimming when you want to see if an article may be of interest in your research.

         There are many strategies that can be used when skimming. Some people read the first and last paragraphs using headings, summarizes and other organizers as they move down the page or screen. You might read the title, subtitles, subheading, and illustrations. Consider reading the first sentence of each paragraph. This technique is useful when you're seeking specific information rather than reading for comprehension. Skimming works well to find dates, names, and places. It might be used to review graphs, tables, and charts

Skimmimg Exercise
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/570/pulp/hemp1.htm