English Grammar in Progress

Prévia do material em texto

Rina Bel l AbrahamRina Bel l Abraham 
Roma CaguimbalRoma Caguimbal 
Crist ine Pearl de CastroCrist ine Pearl de Castro 
Eloisa Marie MarasiganEloisa Marie Marasigan 
Tom Christopher ParmaTom Christopher Parma 
2 
 
Rina Bel l Abraham 
Roma Caguimbal 
Crist ine Pearl de Castro 
Eloisa Marie Marasigan 
Tom Christopher Parma 
3 
 
The authors wanted to express their deepest gratitude to the authors and publishers of 
the books and articles used in making “English Grammar in Progress” possible. 
 
The authors would also like to thank: 
 Mrs. Maricris Ascan and family for their limitless support. 
BatStateU Family for believing that the authors can make it. 
All the friends that light up their loads. 
 
Deepest gratitude are bestowed to: 
 
 Inay and Tatay 
 My sisters and brother 
 Love 
 -RMA 
 
 Mama and Papa 
 Rhea Jane 
 FFG 
 -RPC 
 
 Inay and Tatay 
 Carla and Christian 
 W.S.A 
 - CPBD 
 
 Inay and Tatay 
 My sisters and brother 
 -EMMM 
4 
 
Check It Out!!! 
Challenge 
Grammar Armchair 
 This book is designed to test and improve the students’ language proficiency by 
supplying the students with the basic knowledge in grammar including grammar rules, 
instructions and practices. It provides students with exercises in applying such gram-
mar rules aiming to enhance the students’ confidence in using the language in their 
everyday lives. 
 
The authors made use of techniques that will make the students easily acquire the 
grammar points necessary in communication 
 
Features 
 
 
 
 This provide test that will measure the students’ knowledge on 
what they already know in grammar. 
 
 
 
 Provides the students with activi- ties 
to be answered within a given time. 
 
 
 
 
 This contains discussions on 
the given topic. 
 
Grammar in Action 
Inkblot 
Mastery Test 
5 
 
Title Page 
Title Page i 
Acknowledgement iii 
Preface v 
Table of Contents vii 
Noun 1 
Pronoun 19 
Verb 35 
Simple Tenses 47 
Subject Verb Agreement 57 
Adjectives 65 
Adverbs 75 
Clauses and Phrases 85 
Basic Sentence Pattern 101 
Common Mistakes in English Grammar 
Bibliography 
107 
116 
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7 
 
After dealing with this chapter, the students should be able to: 
 Identify what nouns are; 
 Classify the kinds, plural and possessive forms of nouns; 
 Write and use the plural of a noun; 
 Write and use the possessive form of a noun; and 
 Assay if a word is a noun 
N o u n s 
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Check It Out!!! 
E N T H U S I A S M A Y E U X 
T S W A C W G S K E I Y E N O 
A P A P D A F T Y F X J A O Y 
Q E G N U E Q V S X E I U S R 
M E W E D R A O C U G L D S U 
U R F A A W E F R R A O I Y J 
I S L J K W Q R A H R S E K T 
R H R G C I R O P Q U T N A P 
O F F R M T P M E T O L C R E 
S E A A B T G P R O T P E L T 
R A I I F Y Q W F Z N V S L I 
E M O N G R E T C H E N A E S 
P T J A D Y Y E I K N E L F B 
S O F T A L K I N G P Z M I E 
A K S Y Y T I N U M M O C M W 
Direction: Encircle the nouns in the puzzle below and write it on the space provided. 
Then, classify them accordingly. 
NOUN HUNT 
Noun Classification 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Noun Classification 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
10 
 
Challenge 
Direction: Underline the nouns that can be found in the selection. 
This I Believe 
(Excerpt) 
Albert Einstein 
 
 My political idea is democracy. Everyone should be respected as an individual, but 
no one idolized. It is an irony of fate that I should have been showered with so much un-
called-for and unmerited admiration and esteem. Perhaps this adulation springs from the 
unfulfilled wish of the multitude to comprehend the few ideas which I, with my weak pow-
ers, have advanced. 
 Full well did I know that in order to attain my definite goal, it is imperative that 
one person should do the thinking and commanding and carry most of the responsibility. 
But those who are led should not be driven, and they should be allowed to choose their 
leader. It seems to me that the distinctions separating the social classes are false; in the 
last analysis they rest on force. I am convinced that degeneracy follows every autocratic 
system of violence, for violence inevitably attracts moral inferiors. Time has proved that 
illustrious tyrants are succeeded by scoundrels… 
 What is truly valuable in our bustle of life is not the nation, I should say, but the 
creative and impressionable individuality, the personality – he who produces the noble and 
sublime while the common herd remains dull in thought and insensible in felling. 
Grammar Armchair 
 Nouns are words used to name a person, animal, place, thing, and abstract 
idea. 
 Nouns may be classified according to the following groups: 
A. Proper Nouns - Proper noun represents the name of a specific person, place, or thing. The 
names of days of the week, months, historical documents, institutions, organisations, religions, 
their holy texts and their adherents are proper nouns. 
B. Common Nouns - Common noun is a noun referring to a person, place, or thing in a gen-
eral sense -- usually, you should write it with a capital letter only when it begins a sentence. 
C. Concrete Nouns - Concrete noun is a noun which names anything (or anyone) that you 
can perceive through your physical senses: touch, sight, taste, hearing, or smell. 
D. Abstract Nouns - Abstract noun is a noun which names anything which you can not per-
ceive through your five physical senses, and is the opposite of a concrete noun. 
 
11 
 
E. Countable Nouns - Countable noun (or count noun) is a noun with both a singular and a 
plural form, and it names anything (or anyone) that you can count. You can make a countable 
noun plural and attach it to a plural verb in a sentence. Over the course of twenty-seven years, 
Martha Ballad delivered just over eight hundred babies. 
F. Non-Countable Nouns - Non-countable noun (or mass noun) is a noun which does not 
have a plural form, and which refers to something that you could (or would) not usually count. 
A non-countable noun always takes a singular verb in a sentence. 
G. Collective Nouns - Collective noun is a noun naming a group of things, animals, or per-
sons. You could count the individual members of the group, but you usually think of the group 
as a whole is generally as one unit. You need to be able to recognise collective nouns in order 
to maintain subject-verb agreement. A collective noun is similar to a non-countable noun, and 
is roughly the opposite of a countable noun. 
 
 
Grammar in Action 
Exercise A 
Circle the nouns in each of the following sentences. 
1. Melissa used a red crayon and a black pen to complete her drawing. 
2. George Washington was the first President of the United States. 
3. Many people are fascinated by the art of the Incas. 
4. The airplane taxied down the runway on its way to Florida. 
5. The telephone was an important invention in the history of technology.6. Laughter is the 
best medicine when you have a case of the blues. 
7. An apple is a good snack according to nutritionists. 
8. The Middle East is often in the news these days. 
9. The guillotine is a machine invented by a doctor named Guillotine. 
10. The usher collected our tickets and let us into the theatre. 
Exercise B 
In each sentence, underline the common nouns and circle the proper nouns. 
1. The Stanley Steamer was hisfavourite automobile. 
2. Sports are quite exciting in the mountains. 
3. Nellie would rather read poems than novels. 
4. Mr. Putnam will tour the valleys of the Loire and the Rhine. 
5. Kathleen Ross was our excellent fielder. 
6. Be sure to bring paint, scissors, and paper for Art I. 
7. Do you prefer Superman, Spiderman, or Wonder Woman? 
8. Muffin was the tiniest dog in the show.9. Riverside Pool echoed with the yells of my little 
brother. 
10. Woof-Woof Unlimited sells clothing for dogs. 
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Exercise C 
In the following exercise, try to match the collective noun to the animal with which it belongs. 
1. pride kangaroos 
2. school ferrets 
3. pack fish 
4. army parrots 
5. cete lions 
6. mob seals 
7. crash dogs 
8. cast pigeon 
9. flock ants 
10.company badgers 
Inkblot 
 Think of a man or woman of principle whom you know and admire. Write a profile of 
his/her character in paragraph of not more than 20 sentences. Underline the nouns and identi-
fy what type of noun each one is. 
Challenge 
Direction : Fill in the puzzle with the plural form of each word. 
ACROSS 
2 Tooth. 
7 Wife. 
8 Snake. 
10 Party. 
12 Leaf. 
13 Box. 
16 House. 
17 Finger. 
19 Knife. 
20 Basket. 
DOWN 
1 Man. 
3 Hammer. 
4 Bush. 
5 Foot. 
6 Bench. 
9 Girl. 
11 Story. 
14 Shoe. 
15 Sock. 
18 Goose. 
13 
 
Grammar Armchair 
Rules for Forming Plural Nouns 
 
To form the plural of nouns, follow the rules below. 
 
1. Add s to most nouns. 
 
girl/girls bicycle/bicycles printer/printers 
 
2. Add es to nouns ending is s, x, z, ch, or sh. 
 
class/classes ax/axes buzz/buzzes church/churches wish/wishes 
 
3. For nouns ending in y preceded by a consonant, change y to i and add es. 
 
fly/flies party/parties daisy/daisies 
 
4. For nouns ending in y preceded by a vowel, add s. 
 
monkey/monkeys valley/valleys 
14 
 
 
5. For nouns ending in o preceded by a consonant, add es. 
 
hero/heroes potato/potatoes 
 
6. For nouns ending in o preceded by a vowel, add s. 
 
Oreo/Oreos radio/radios patio/patios 
 
7. For musical terms ending in o, add s. 
 
solo/solos alto/altos piano/pianos 
 
8. For nouns ending in f or fe, usually change the f or fe to ves. 
 
leaf/leaves shelf/shelves wolf/wolves 
 
Exceptions: chief/chiefs chef/chefs safe/safes 
 
9. Add s to the end of singular nouns ending in ful. 
 
cupful/cupfuls spoonful/spoonfuls 
 
10. Change the spelling of some words. 
 
cactus/cacti mouse/mice goose/geese woman/
women 
 
11. Leave some nouns as they are. 
 
sheep/sheep deer/deer fish/fish moose/moose 
 
12. Add s to the most important noun in a hyphenated word. 
 
editor-in-chief/editors-in-chief brother-in-law/brothers-in-law 
 
13. Add s to proper nouns which do not end in s. Add es to proper nouns which do 
end in s. 
 
Mr. and Mrs. Walker/the Walkers Mr. and Mrs. Ross/the Rosses 
 
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Grammar in Action 
Direction: Choose the correct form of the noun in each sentence. 
 
1. I have three (child, children). 
2. There are five (man, men) and one (woman, women). 
3. (Baby, Babies) play with bottles as toys. 
4. I put two big (potato, potatoes) in the lunch box. 
5. A few men wear (watch, watches). 
6. I put a (memo, memos) on the desk. 
7. I saw a (mouse, mice) running by. 
8. There are few (bus, buses) on the road today. 
Directions: Make the singular nouns into plural nouns. Directions: Make the singular nouns 
into plural nouns. 
1. box = __________________________ 7. class = ____________________________ 
2. church = _______________________ 8. shop = ____________________________ 
3. wish = _________________________ 9. glass = ____________________________ 
4. lake = __________________________ 10. city = _____________________________ 
5. bunny = ________________________ 11. friend = ___________________________ 
6. house = ________________________ 12. fox = _____________________________ 
 
Directions: Read each sentence and circle the correct plural form of the word in parentheses 
1. We had to buy ( nailes, nails ) at the hardware store. 
2. Please put the empty ( boxes, boxes ) in the house. 
3. The ( dishs, dishes ) in the sink need to be washed. 
4. My mother used ten ( matchs, matches ) to light the fire. 
5. Sara bought some new ( dresses, dresss ) today. 
6. Our sun is a ball of hot ( gases, gasss ). 
7. There were many ( flyes, flies ) at the beach. 
8. The bird spread its ( winges, wings ) before it flew into the air. 
9. I like to read the ( funnyes, funnies ) in the newspaper. 
10. I made three ( wishes, wishs ) last night 
List down at least 10 examples for each rule in the pluralisation of nouns. 
Inkblot 
16 
 
Challenge 
Grammar Armchair 
 Possessive Nouns 
 A possessive noun is a noun that names who or what owns or has possession of some-
thing. 
 In most cases, for singular nouns to show that possession, we add an apostrophe and an 
a (‘s). For plural nouns we simply an apostrophe except for those few plural nouns that do not 
end in s. 
17 
 
Grammar Rules for Possessive Nouns 
 Five basic grammar rules cover the majority of instances where writers encounter pos-
sessive nouns. 
Rule #1: Making singular nouns possessive 
 Add an apostrophe + s to most singular nouns and to plural nouns that do not end in s. 
 English has some words that are plural but do not add an ‘s’. Words like children, 
sheep, women and men are such words. These plural words are treated as if they were singular 
words when making noun possessives. 
Examples: 
 Singular nouns: kitten’s toy, Joe’s car, MLB’s ruling 
Plurals not ending in s: women’s dresses, sheep’s pasture, children’s toys 
Rule #2: Making plural nouns possessive 
 Add an apostrophe only to plural nouns that already end in s. 
 You don’t need to add an extra ‘s’ to plural nouns that already end with the letter ‘s’. 
Simply tuck the apostrophe onto the end to indicate that the plural noun is now a plural pos-
sessive noun. 
Examples: 
 Companies’ workers 
 Horses’ stalls 
Countries’ armies 
Rule #3: Making hyphenated nouns and compound nouns plural 
 Compound and hyphenated words can be tricky. Add the apostrophe + s to the end of 
the compound words or the last word in a hyphenated noun. 
Examples: 
 My mother-in-law’s recipe for meatloaf is my husband’s favourite. 
The United States Post Office’s stamps are available in rolls or in packets. 
Rule #4: Indicating possession when two nouns are joined together 
 If two nouns share ownership, indicate possession only once, and on the second noun. 
Add the apostrophe + s to the second noun only. 
 
18 
 
Grammar in Action 
Examples: 
Jack and Jill’s pail of water features prominently in the nursery rhyme. 
Abbot and Costello’s comedy skit “Who’s On First” is a classic act. 
Rule #5: Indicating possession when two nouns are joined, and ownership is separate 
 When two nouns indicate ownership, but the ownership is separate, each noun gets 
the apostrophe + s. The examples below may help you understand exactly what this means. 
Example: 
 Lucy’s and Ricky’s dressing rooms were painted pink and blue. (Each owns his or her own 
dressing room, and they are different rooms). 
Senator Obama’s and Senator Clinton’s educations are outstanding. (Each senator owns his or 
her education, but they attained separate educations). 
Direction: Fill the gapswith the possessive case of nouns. Decide whether you have to 
use 's or an of phrase. 
1. The boy has a toy. → It's the . 
2. Peter has a book. → It's . 
3. The magazine has my picture on its cover. → My picture is on . 
4. Our friends live in this house. → It's . 
5. There is milk in the glass. → It's . 
6. This house has a number. → What is ? 
7. The walk lasts two hours. → It's . 
8. John has a sister, Jane. → Jane is . 
9. The film has a name, "Scream". → "Scream" is . 
10. This school is for girls only. → It's a . 
 
19 
 
Direction: Change the phrases to possessive nouns 
the cheering of the children _______________________________ 
the laughter of the men __________________________________ 
the horn of the oxen _____________________________________ 
the jump rope of the girls ________________________________ 
the howling of the dogs __________________________________ 
the singing of the choirs _________________________________ 
the handbags of the women ______________________________ 
the cheese of the mice __________________________________ 
Direction: Write the singular and plural possessives form of the italicized nouns. 
Inkblot 
 Write a 10 sentence paragraph about the advantage and disadvantages of technology 
in education. Be sure to use the singular and possessive nouns in your sentences. 
20 
 
Mastery Test 
Underline the nouns that can be found in the selection below. 
THE TRANSFER 
Bienvenido Santos 
 
 At the meaning of the Local Catholic Action Committee held that Sun-
day morning at the Bishop’s Palace immediately after the High Mass, Mr. Conrardo Ara-
bia, who has an old government employee as well as chairman of the CAC for the past 
five years, mentioned casually the need for a particular retirement system for the Church, 
patterned after the civil service. The committee had met to discuss the final details of the 
welcome program for the first Bishop of the diocese ever to reside in town. 
The bishop’s Palace stood outside the Cathedral grounds. Formerly the mansion 
of a Chinese dry goods merchant, it was now ready for its distinguished resident. It still 
smelled of paint and varnish, but the transformation was complete. The ground floor, 
formerly a recreation hall and bar, had been partitioned to serve as officers of the Chan-
cery. File cabinets and chairs stood in appropriate corners. A huge mahogany table cov-
ered with glass occupied an inner compartment for the Bishop himself. On a wall was a 
colored painting of His Holiness Pope. Typewriter under black leathery hoods, looking 
like Monks asleep at their desks, bookcases with jacket gay leathery volumes, had re-
placed the open bar and the wine shelves; religious calendars, each page crowded with 
pictures of saints and fish in red, now hung on the walls where colourful targets for ar-
chery practices used to be. On the first floor, the guest room adjoining the sala was now a 
chapel, beautiful with imported rugs and carrying and gleaming pews. From where he 
sat, Mr. Arabia could see the altar gravely austere in its simplicity, and the chandeliers. 
Resplendent in the day time. 
Father Simplicio Ruivivar had been parish priest of the town for nearly half a 
century anfd he was not strong enough anymore to carry on the growing complexities of 
his job. Grown fast and habitually shabby, he waddled about with effort. Old age had im-
paired his senses. There were old priest who knew when it was time for them to retire 
and keep to corner, who allowed younger priest to take over their tasks even while they 
continued to be normal, at least, parish priest. But Father Ruivivar refused to acknowl-
edgement what was obvious to everybody, that he was too old for this job. His retort 
every time someone in the parish dared to brook him or express contrary opinion: “Who 
are you to say so? You think you are wise, but I am old. Remember, didn’t baptize you 
myself?” assumed a meaning beyond its implication, indeed, he was a priest grown too 
old for his job. 
 
 
21 
 
I. Classify the following nouns accordingly. 
_____ 1. Love _____11. Hacienda Luicita 
_____2. Sack of rice _____12. train 
_____3. Market _____13. A kilo of cotton 
_____4. Steve Jobs _____14. subway 
_____5. Happiness _____15. Channel Bag 
_____6. SM Hypermart _____16. governor 
_____7. Sugar _____17. Jessica Soho 
_____8. Sweetness _____18. books 
_____9. Fear _____19 .hate 
_____10. Trainor _____20. Water 
 
II. Write the following nouns in their plural form. 
 
_____1. Fact _____11. cupful 
_____2. Cameo _____12. knife 
_____3. Lasso _____13. appendix 
_____4. Ally _____14. ghetto 
_____5. Dwarf _____15. radius 
_____6. Mouse _____16. scenery 
_____7. Child _____17. lion 
_____8. Axis _____18. flash 
_____9. Man _____19. louse 
_____10. Son-in-law _____20.buoy 
IV. Add an appropriate nominal qualifier to indicate the plural form of the non-
count nouns. 
1. Corn 6. Thunder 
2. Dust 7. Work 
3. Oil 8. Grass 
4. Rice 9. Bread 
5. Tea 10. Paper 
 
 
22 
 
V. For each of the following, write the singular and possessive forms. 
 Singular Possessive Plural Possessive 
the front of the ox ________________ ________________ 
the iPod of the woman ________________ ________________ 
the watch of the teenager ________________ ________________ 
the label of the box and the 
can 
________________ ________________ 
the dialysis machine in the 
hospital 
________________ ________________ 
the tooth of the crocodile ________________ ________________ 
the curriculum of the nurse ________________ ________________ 
the office of the editor-in-
chief 
________________ ________________ 
the bikes of Mitch and Rose ________________ ________________ 
the requirement of Mathe-
matics subject 
________________ ________________ 
 
Write two sentences for each of the rules in forming the possessive form of a noun. 
1. 
a.______________________________________________________________________
b.______________________________________________________________________
2. 
a._____________________________________________________________________ 
 
b._____________________________________________________________________ 
3. 
a._____________________________________________________________________ 
 
b._____________________________________________________________________ 
4. 
a.______________________________________________________________________ 
b.______________________________________________________________________ 
5. 
a.______________________________________________________________________ 
 
b.______________________________________________________________________ 
6. 
a.______________________________________________________________________ 
 
b.______________________________________________________________________ 
7. 
a.______________________________________________________________________
b.______________________________________________________________________ 
 
23 
 
Write the correct form the possessive noun in the blank in the blanks to correctly complete 
the sentences. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None of the __________ 
 (computers) 
processors are fast enough for this game. 
(9) Be careful, the ________ edges are very 
 (knives) 
 sharp. 
The lawyer proved that his ______ 
 (client) 
rights were violated. 
(10) Our _________ batteries only last for a(cellphones) 
 couple of hours. 
The ___________ glass was shattered 
 (windows) 
shattered by the earthquake. 
(11) There is a telephone in my __________ 
 (parents) 
 bedroom. 
The __________ pages had been 
 (textbook) 
 extensively marked up. 
(12) When the ________ long hand reaches 
six, 
 (clock) 
 put down your pencils. 
You also need to paint the ___________ 
 (windows) 
frames. 
(13) Shelby pulled back the drapes to let the 
________ light in. 
 (sun) 
The __________ manuals can be found on 
 (programs) 
the shelf. 
(14) All of _____________ menus can be 
found 
 (restaurants) 
 in this book. 
The _________ surfaces need to be 
 (desks) 
cleaned with soap and water. 
(15) The ____________ bindings are starting 
to 
 (books) 
fall apart. 
The _________ lecture notes are available 
 (professors) 
online. 
(16) The ___________ solutions are staring us 
 (problems) 
 in the face! 
 Singular Possessive Plural Possessive 
Christian duty 
Brother opinion 
Church congregation 
Mother garden 
Family yard 
Worker uniform 
Day rest 
Money worth 
24 
 
25 
 
After dealing with this chapter, the students must be able to: 
 Familiarize with the different kinds of pronouns; 
 Identify the different kinds of pronouns in a sentence; 
 Determine the cases of pronouns 
 Identify the pronoun’s antecedent isn a sentence 
P r o n o u n s 
26 
 
27 
 
Check It Out!!! 
Pronoun 
Underline the pronouns that you found in the song entitled “Lean on Me”. 
Sometimes in our lives 
We all have pain 
We all have sorrow 
But if we are wise 
We know that there's always to-
morrow 
 
Lean on me, when you're not 
strong 
And I'll be your friend 
I'll help you carry on 
For it won't be long 
'Til I'm gonna need 
Somebody to lean on 
 
 
Please swallow your pride 
If I have things you need to bor-
row 
For no one can fill those of your 
needs 
That you won't let show 
[ Lyrics from: http://
www.lyricsty.com/bill-withers-
lean-on-me-lyrics.html ] 
You just call on me brother, when 
you need a hand (Chorus) 
We all need somebody to lean on 
I just might have a problem that 
you'd understand 
We all need somebody to lean on 
 
Second Verse 
(Chorus) 
 
If there is a load you have to bear 
That you can't carry 
I'm right up the road 
I'll share your load 
If you just call me 
(Chorus) 
Call me (if you need a friend) 
Call me (call me) 
Call me (if you need a friend) 
Call me (if you ever need a friend) 
Call me (call me) 
Call me 
Call me (if you need A friend) 
“Lean on Me” 
By: Bi l l Withers 
28 
 
Grammar Armchair 
 Pronouns comes from the two words pro which means “for” and noun. A pronoun is 
traditionally defined as a noun replacement. 
 A pronoun is used in place of a noun or a whole noun phrase, that is also known as 
noun—substitutes. Pronouns are commonly used. 
 
 1. In place of a noun or noun phrase that has already been mentioned, when the repeti-
tion of the noun or noun phrase would be very strange. 
 Example: 
 Mandy has to go the airport. Can you give her a lift? 
 
 2. When we know perfectly well who or what to referred to. When, foe example, I use 
the pronoun I, it is because it would be unusual to referred to myself by name. 
 Example: 
 I’m sorry I’m late. 
 
 3. When the name of someone to our office yesterday. 
 Example: 
 She’s the woman who came to our office yesterday. 
 
ANTECEDENTS 
 
 An antecedent is a noun phrase that gives it meaning to another noun phrase in the 
sentence. Antecedents usually occurs before the pronoun. 
 
Here are some examples: 
Adeline bit her lip. 
Adeline = antecedent; her = personal pronoun. 
Our carnivorous friends will not attend the picnic be-
cause they despise tofu hotdogs and black bean burgers. 
Friends = antecedent; they = personal pronoun. 
When Kris sprained his ankle, Coach Ames replaced him with Jasper, 
a much slower runner. 
Kris = antecedent; him = personal pronoun. 
Eating with your mouth closed has several benefits. Most im-
portantly, itkeeps people from turning away in disgust. 
Eating with your mouth closed = phrase as antecedent; it = personal pronoun. 
Karline hopes that her roommates remember to walk the new pup-
py. It will mean less urine to mop up when she gets home. 
 
 
29 
 
Direction: Underline the correct pronoun in each sentence below. 
1. During early rehearsals, an actor may forget (his or her, their) lines. 
2. The Washington team was opportunistic; (it, they) took advantage of every break. 
3. A person needs to see (his or her, their) dentist twice a year. 
4. The committee members put (its, their) signatures on the document. 
5. If any one of the sisters needs a ride, (she, they) can call me. 
6. When someone has been drinking, (he or she, they) may drive poorly. 
7. If the board of directors controls the company, (it, they) may vote for a raise. 
8. Neither the pilot nor the attendants gave (his or her, their) opinion about the mishap. 
9. Each of these companies had (its, their) books audited. 
10. Some of the china has lost (its, their) luster. 
Grammar in Action 
Proofread each sentence for errors in pronoun/antecedent agreement. Correct the in-
correct pronouns. Write a C next to sentences that use correct pronoun/antecedent 
agreement. 
1. One of the boys had tears in their eyes. 
2. Somebody left their books on the counter. 
3. A student should see an advisor if they have any questions. 
4. Any injured athlete should see a trainer as soon as they are injured. 
5. Many of us love the movies, but you seldom have time to go to them. 
6. Everyone has his or her own way of studying. 
7. Teachers are responsible for providing their students with accurate grades. 
8. Someone had blocked the driveway with their car. 
9. When I asked the teacher why I failed the test, he said that I had not studied the proper ma-
terial. 
10. Each woman must do their best to take care of their health. 
11. Each of the apartment owners had his or her apartment repainted. 
12. As the weather got colder everyone wished they had brought a coat. 
13. Everyone gets angry when someone accuses him or her of voting for the wrong candidate. 
14. Jill told Reagan that she had to get more sleep. 
15. A person needs to learn how to read or you will not do very well in school. 
 
30 
 
Case refers to the form a word takes and its function in a sentence. The English language 
has just three cases: subjective, possessive and objective. 
 Most nouns, many indefinite pronouns and “it” and“you” have distinctive forms only for 
the possessive case. For most nouns and indefinite pronouns, that form usually is indicated 
by an apostrophe: John's coat; states' powers; someone's house; another's task. For “it.” the 
possessive is formed by adding “s”; for “you” the possessive is formed by adding “r” or “rs” to 
the word. 
 (Never use an apostrophe to form a possessive for it, you or the personal pronouns noted 
below.) 
 Six personal pronouns have a distinctive form for each of the three cases: 
Subjective 
 “I,” “we,” “he,” “she,”“who” and “they” are the forms used for subjects and subject comple-
ments. 
Examples: 
 Subjects — He and I were great friends. We grew uptogether. They lived nextdoor. Who teaches that course? 
 Complements of the subject — The ones responsible are Joe and she. It is I. Joe Smith, 
that's who. 
Possessive 
 “My/mine,” “our/ours,” “his,” “her/hers,” “their/theirs and “whose” are the formsused to 
show ownership. 
Examples: 
 Before noun — My car broke down. Our boat leaks.His dog is ugly. Her back is 
wet. Their name is Mudd.Whose job is that? 
 Possessors in the noun position — Mine is green. Ours is over there.His looks 
heavy. Hers was last inline. Theirs sank yesterday.Whosewill be chosen? 
 Objective 
 “Me,” “us,” “him,” “her,” “them” and “whom” are the forms reserved for use as objectsof 
verbs or prepositions. 
Examples: 
 Sue likes me. Elaine drove to the airport to meet us. For him this is no problem. Sam 
wanted her to leave. Jim was introduced to them. Finding whom I was looking for, I re-
turned to my favorite pastime. 
Grammar Armchair 
CASES 
31 
 
Determining the Case of Pronouns 
Underline the correct form from the choices given in the parenthesis. 
1. (Who, Whom) did you say you saw at the park. 
2. If it is (he, him), why don’t you bother to tell us. 
3. (Whoever, Whomever) you vote will represent us in Congress. 
4. Philippines and (you, yourself) are the official candidates. 
5. Are you astonished at (us, our) winning the Championship. 
6. There’s enough for you and (she, her) to fix your relationship. 
7. That is one beautiful lady (who, whom) I like so dearly. 
8. The box should be returned to either Joan or (me, myself). 
9. Between you and (I, me), they should not be here at all. 
10. They triumphantly won at least two or more games than (we, us). 
 
Grammar in Action 
Inkblot 
 Write an essay about your prized possession as of this moment. Take 
note to use pronouns and cases of pronouns and underline it. 
Grammar in Action 
Choose the correct pronoun for each sentence below. Read the entire sentence before making 
your choice. 
 
 
1. Five of (we, us, ourselves) took a cab to the play. 
2. Are you and (they, them, themselves) attending the meeting. 
3. No one is more concerned about the matter than (she, her, herself). 
4. (Who, Whom) can I go out with tonight? 
5. Margaret and (I, me, myself) hope to be roommates. 
6. The committee told Smith and (they, them, themselves) to write a new resolution. 
7. Is he the one for (who, whom) the note is intended? 
8. We discovered that it was (they, them, themselves) who started the fire. 
9. Everyone asked Joan and (he, him, himself) to speak at the convention. 
10. A person as young as (she, her, herself) should not be given too much responsibility. 
32 
 
Types of Pronoun 
 
There five types of pronoun 
 1. Personal Pronoun 6. Indefinite 
 2. Possessive Pronoun 7. Reciprocal 
 3. Reflexive Pronoun 8. Interrogative 
 4. Relative Pronoun 
 5. Demonstrative Pronoun 
 
Personal Pronouns 
Personal pronoun describes a particular person or thing or group. 
 
Personal pronoun describes the person speaking (I, me, we, us), the person spoken to (you), 
or the person or thing spoken about (he, she, it, they, him, her, them). 
Example. 
He helps poor. 
The pronoun “he” in above sentence describes a person who helps poor. 
Possessive Pronouns 
Possessive Pronoun indicates close possession or ownership or relationship of a thing/
person to another thing/person. 
e.g. yours, mine, his, hers, ours, theirs, hers, 
 
Example. 
This book is mine. 
The pronoun “mine” describes the relationship between book and a person (me) who pos-
sesses this book or who is the owner of this book. 
Grammar Armchair 
Reflexive Pronoun. 
 
Reflexive pronoun describes noun when subject’s action affects the subject itself. 
e.g himself, yourself, herself, ourselves, themselves, itself are reflexive pronouns. 
 
Reflexive pronouns always act as objects not subjects, and they require an interaction be-
tween the subject and an object. 
33 
 
Reciprocal Pronouns. 
Reciprocal Pronouns are used when each of two or more subjects reciprocate to the other. 
or 
Reciprocal pronouns are used when two subjects act in same way towards each other, or, 
more subjects act in same way to one another. 
For example, A loves B and B love A. we can say that A and B loves each other. 
There are two reciprocal pronouns 
Each other 
One another. 
Demonstrative Pronouns. 
 
Demonstrative pronoun is a pronoun that points to a thing or things. 
e.g. this, that, these, those, none, neither 
These pronouns point to thing or things in short distance/time or long distance/time. 
Short distance or time: This, these. 
Long distance or time: That, those. 
Demonstrative pronouns “this and that” are used for singular thing while “these or those” 
are used for plural things. 
Relative Pronouns 
 
Relative Pronoun describes a noun which is mentioned before and more information is to 
be given about it. 
Or 
Relative pronoun is a pronoun which joins relative clauses and relative sentences. 
 
For example, It is the person, who helped her. 
In this sentence the word “who” is a relative pronoun which refers to the noun (the per-
son) which is already mentioned in beginning of sentence (It is the person) and more in-
formation (he helped her) is given after using a relative pronoun (who) for the noun (the 
person). 
Similarly, in above sentence the pronoun “who” joins two clauses which are “it is the per-
son” and “who helped her”. 
34 
 
information (he helped her) is given after using a relative pronoun (who) for the noun (the 
person). 
Similarly, in above sentence the pronoun “who” joins two clauses which are “it is the per-
son” and “who helped her”. 
 
Indefinite Pronouns 
 
Indefinite pronoun is used when you do not know or do not need to say precisely who or what 
you are referring to. 
 
Examples: 
 Many are called, but few are elected. 
 Each of us has his own share of protecting the environment. 
 
Singular indicators: anybody, anymore, anyone, anything, everybody, everyone, everything, somebody, 
someone, something, another, each, either, neither, nobody, nothing, none, one. 
 
Plural indicators: all, any, both, enough, few, more, none, plenty, several, some 
 
Portion Indicators: all, any, enough, less, little, more, much, none, plenty, some. 
 
Interrogative Pronouns 
Interrogative pronoun allows us to build a question around the thing that the pronoun refers 
to. 
 
Examples: 
 Who is dancing with Helen in the movie? 
 Which of these development theories would you recommend for reading? 
 Whose are these artefacts? 
Circle any pronouns that you see in the narrative below. 
Jane and Jack went out to play. It was a hot Saturday afternoon as they played ball. After 
playing with the ball, they went on the swings in the backyard. Jane ran ahead of Jack. 
“I wonder where she is going,” Jack said quietly. Waiting for a moment, Jack then ran after 
Jane quickly. “Wait for me!” he yelled. As Jane looked back, she smiled sweetly. “I will meet 
you at the top of the hill,” she yelled back as she kept running. Jack was out of breath, but 
he still managed to catch up with her. 
“Hey,” he said panting. “You run fast,” he continued. 
“I know!” said Jane giggling loudly as she poked Jack’s arm playfully and he laughed as 
well. 
 
Grammar in Action 
35 
 
In each of the following sentences a pronoun has been highlighted. What type of pronoun is 
it? 
 
1. Let's contact one another once we've made some progress. 
2. She wants to do it herself. 
3. I can't find them. 
4. I can't believeit's finally ours. 
5. The girl who usually cuts my hair has won the lottery. 
6. He wants to go to Scarborough. 
7. Why are you shouting at me? 
8. Jim gave me the last copy. 
9. Nobody said a word all night. 
Inkblot 
 Write your plan and highlight the pronouns by underlining it and the antecedents by 
writing it in bold letters. 
Grammar in Action 
Directions: Choose the correct pronoun in each sentence below. 
 
1. During early rehearsals, an actor may forget (his or her, their) lines. 
 
2. The Washington team was opportunistic; (it, they) took advantage of every break. 
 
3. A person needs to see (his or her, their) dentist twice a year. 
 
4. The committee members put (its, their) signatures on the document. 
 
5. If any one of the sisters needs a ride, (she, they) can call me. 
 
 
36 
 
6. When someone has been drinking, (he or she, they) may drive poorly. 
 
7. If the board of directors controls the company, (it, they) may vote for a raise. 
 
8. Neither the pilot nor the attendants gave (his or her, their) opinion about the 
 mishap. 
 
9. Each of these companies had (its, their) books audited. 
 
10. Some of the china has lost (its, their) luster. 
Direction: Look for the pronouns in the poem and box it out. 
The Lover’s Death 
By Ricardo Demetillo 
 
He who had lived the earth with a firm love 
Is now, being infirm, laid in the earth 
That covers him with green grass quietly. 
Once when he walked the fields, he suddenly knelt 
And with an avid gesture clasped the earth. 
His sun-lit fingers sifted dust. 
Lovers would write their incoherent view 
On passionate pages; but he, on pads of meadow, 
Wrote with his plow a tongue tied love. 
Fields understood, for when the harvest ripened, 
Fruits lay like brown breasts for his hands to pluck, 
And he with lightness, touched each pregnant stalk. 
His house was quiet, like the one who closed. 
The gate-behind him when the lamplight glowed 
He knew no woman’s touch except the earth’s. 
We thought it fitting that the sun should touch 
With quite fingers the rice-fronds in the field 
When he, after a fever, gave himself to dusk. 
We could not salvage breath, but we could swathe 
His body and lay it in the earth he loved 
He may returned and beckon from sheaf. 
 
37 
 
Mastery Test 
Write an A over the antecedent for the pronoun choice in parentheses, then write S or P 
next to the number of the sentence to indicate singular or plural. Finally, circle the pro-
noun that agrees with its antecedent. 
 
 
____ 1. A reporter talked to Mrs. Bea Zwack after (her, their) home was struck by a tor-
nado. 
____ 2. Jack Zwack spent most of (his, their) time cleaning up the yard. 
____ 3. Nick, Mack, and Patty Zwack are staying with (his or her, their) neighbors for the 
time being. 
____ 4. The Zwacks now have a healthy respect for tornadoes and (its, their) power. 
____ 5. The reporter finally submitted (her, their) assignment to the editor of the paper. 
____ 6. The newspaper featured tornadoes on (its, their) front page. 
____ 7. Subscribers that read the story and saw the pictures realize that (he or she, they) 
could have been the victims of the storm. 
____ 8. A mature person is responsible for (his or her, their) actions. 
____ 9. The detective told (his or her, their) chief that (he or she, they) had caught the 
criminal. 
____ 10. Each of the Olympic champions proudly wore (his, their) medal. 
____ 11. Either the professional craftsmen or the amateur woodworkers enjoyed working 
with (his or her, their) hands. 
____ 12. Almost anybody who has worked with wood would say that woodworking 
soothes (his or her, their)s spirit. 
____ 13. Each of the Hopi Indian fathers carved (his, their) daughter a kachina doll from 
cottonwood root. 
____ 14. Every one of the Iroquois carvers used basswood for (his or her, their) healing 
ritual mask. 
____ 15. One of the wooden masks from the Pacific Northwest shows by (its, their) detail 
the customs of the tribe. 
____ 16. Each of my sisters has tried (her, their) hand at whittling. 
____ 17. Neither cut (herself, themselves). 
____ 18. Everybody used to buy (his or her, their) tobacco at the store with the carved 
wooden Native American in front. 
____ 19. Anybody who likes (his or her, their) home uncluttered with detail would appre-
ciate the simple wooden furniture made by the Quakers. 
____ 20. Everyone, including Queen Victoria, wished (he or she, they) could own the fancy 
Victorian furniture painstakingly carved by William Bartels. 
 
38 
 
Box the correct pronoun from the choices given in brackets. 
1. How many times has Bill told a lie to (his / him) father? 
2. Where did Sally go with (she / her) friends yesterday? 
3. I love going to the park with Mark, even though (he / him) is a little odd. 
4. The cat was taking care of (its / his) young. 
5. The dog was chasing (her / its) tail. 
6. Many students wonder where (they / them) will end up after college. 
7. A parent always wonders if (he or she / they) are doing the best for the kids. 
8. How many times did Mr., Johnson have to tell you to stay out of (his / he / him) yard? 
9. I don’t know what’s gotten into the dogs but (them / they) have been barking all day. 
10. Look at the mother and father bird building (their / its) nest in the tree. 
Proofread each sentence for errors in pronoun/antecedent agreement. Correct the 
incorrect pronouns. Write a C next to sentences that use correct pronoun. 
 
1. One of the boys had tears in their eyes. 
2. Somebody left their books on the counter. 
3. A student should see an advisor if they have any questions. 
4. Any injured athlete should see a trainer as soon as they are injured. 
5. Many of us love the movies, but you seldom have time to go to them. 
6. Everyone has his or her own way of studying. 
7. Teachers are responsible for providing their students with accurate grades. 
8. Someone had blocked the driveway with their car. 
9. When I asked the teacher why I failed the test, he said that I had not studied the proper 
Each woman must do their best to take care of their health. 
10. Each of the apartment owners had his or her apartment repainted. 
11. As the weather got colder everyone wished they had brought a coat. 
12. Everyone gets angry when someone accuses him or her of voting for the wrong candi-
date. 
13. Jill told Reagan that she had to get more sleep. 
 
39 
 
14. A person needs to learn how to read or you will not do very well in school. 
15. The children insisted on doing it theirselves. 
I. PERSONAL PRONOUNS 
Fill in the correct personal pronouns. 
1. She is very handsome. I envy _____. 
2. They are not reliable. He doubts ______. 
3. I taught her. ________ learned it from ______. 
4. We asked for his advice. ______ advised ______ not to come. 
5. He dislikes her, and ______ hates ______; it’s evident. 
6. You should be there on time. I want _____ to come on time. 
7. She is English; _____ gave me lessons in English. 
8. They are our friends. We invited _____ to the party. 
9. It was him who wrote this letter. I recognized _____ by _____ handwriting. 
10. Did you see the snake? – Yes, I saw _____ and _____ saw _____. 
II. POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS 
Fill in the correct possessive pronouns. 
1. This book belongs to me. This is _____ book. 
2. Whose book is that? It is not _____. 
3. The cat ate _____ food. 
4. She took out _____ purse and gave it to me. 
5. A friend of _____ gave me that toy. 
6. This is their car. That car is _____ too. 
7. May Iintroduce to you one of _____ colleagues? 
8. Has anyone here lost _____ books? 
9. Every season is beautiful in _____ own way. 
10. They would like a house of _____ own. 
III. DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS 
Fill in the correct demonstrative pronoun. 
1. What is _____? 
2. _____’s how he does it. 
3. They talked about _____ and _____. 
4. _____ is his book, isn’t it? 
5. _____’s why they accepted his proposal. 
 
40 
 
6. _____ is Ann speaking. 
7. After _____ they decided not to come. 
8. _____ will do. 
9. I’ll take _____ books. 
10. He’s been waiting _____ three weeks. 
______ had the right love 
At the wrong time 
Guess ______ always knew inside 
______ wouldn't have ______ for a long time 
 
______ dreams of ______ 
Are shining on distant shores 
And if they're calling you away 
______ have no right to make you stay 
 
But somewhere down the road 
______ roads are gonna cross again 
______ doesn't really matter when 
But somewhere down the road 
______ know that heart of ______ 
Will come to see 
______ you belong with ______ 
 
Sometimes good-byes are not forever 
______ doesn't matter if you're gone 
______ still believe in ______ together 
______ understand more than you think 
______ can 
______ have to go out on ______ own 
So ______ can find ______ way back home 
 
And somewhere down the road 
______ roads are gonna cross again 
______ doesn't really matter when 
But somewhere down the road 
______ know that heart of ______ 
Will come to see 
 
______ belong with ______ 
Letting go is just another way to say 
I'll always love ______ so 
 
______ had the right love 
At the wrong time 
Maybe we've only just begun 
Maybe the best is yet to come 
'Cause 
 
Somewhere down the road 
______ roads are gonna cross again 
______ doesn't really matter when 
But somewhere down the road 
______ know that heart of yours 
Will come to see 
That ______ belong 
With ______ 
 
Somewhere Down the Road 
By: Nina 
41 
 
After dealing with this chapter, the students should be able to: 
 Learn the various types of verbs 
 Improve their skills in using verb in a sentence 
 Construct meaningful sentences and composition employing correct verb use 
Ve r b s 
42 
 
43 
 
Check It Out!!! 
HOW STEVE JOBS CHANGED 
BY JAMES SUROWIECKI 
 As seemingly everyone on the planet knows, Steve Jobs’s defining quality was per-
fectionism. The development of the Macintosh, for instance, took more than three years, be-
cause of Jobs’s obsession with detail. He nixed the idea of an internal fan, because he thought 
it was noisy and clumsy. And he wanted his engineers to redesign the Mac’s motherboard, 
just because it looked inelegant. At NeXT, the company Jobs started after being nudged out 
of Apple, in 1985, he drove his hardware team crazy in order to make a computer that was a 
sleek, gorgeous magnesium cube. After his return to Apple, in 1997, he got personally in-
volved with things like how many screws there were in a laptop case. It took six months un-
til he was happy with the way that scroll bars in OS X worked. Jobs believed that, for an ob-
ject to resonate with consumers, every piece of it had to be right, even the ones you couldn’t 
see. 
 This perfectionism obviously had a lot to do with Apple’s success. It explains why 
Apple products have typically had a feeling of integrity, in the original sense of the word; 
they feel whole, rather than simply like collections of parts. But Jobs’s perfectionism came at 
a price, too. It could be literally expensive: back in the eighties, Jobs insisted that in maga-
zine ads and on packages the Apple logo be printed in six colors, not four, which was thirty 
to forty per cent more expensive. And there were more important costs: Jobs’s vision re-
quired Apple to control every part of the user experience, and to make everything it possibly 
could itself. Its hardware was proprietary: the company had its own Mac factory and favored 
unique cables, disk drives, and power cords, rather than standardized ones. Its software was 
proprietary, too: if you wanted to run Apple software, you needed to own an Apple comput-
er. This made Apple’s computers more expensive than the competition. It also made them 
hard to customize, which businesses didn’t like. So, while Apple changed the world of com-
puting in the eighties, with machines that were more user-friendly and powerful than your 
typical I.B.M. clone, most users never touched a Macintosh. They ended up with P.C.s in-
stead. 
 When Jobs returned, he still wanted Apple to, as he put it, “own and control the pri-
mary technology in everything we do.” But his obsession with control had been tempered: he 
was better, you might say, at playing with others, and this was crucial to the extraordinary 
success that Apple has enjoyed over the past decade. Take the iPod. The old Jobs might well 
have insisted that the iPod play only songs encoded in Apple’s favored digital format, the 
A.A.C. This would have allowed Apple to control the user experience, but it would also have 
limited the iPod market, since millions of people already had MP3s. So Apple made the iPod 
MP3-compatible. (Sony, by contrast, made its first digital music players compatible only 
with files in Sony’s proprietary format, and they bombed as a result.) Similarly, Jobs could 
have insisted, as he originally intended, that iPods and iTunes work only with Macs. But 
that would have cut the company off from the vast majority of computer users. So in 2002 
Apple launched a Windows-compatible iPod, and sales skyrocketed soon afterward. And, 
while Apple’s designs are as distinctive as ever, the devices now rely less on proprietary 
hardware and more on standardized technologies. 
Direction: Look for the verbs in the selection and write it on a piece of paper. 
44 
 
Grammar Armchair 
Verbs carry the idea of being or action in the sentence. It can be an action word, and 
auxiliary or a linking verb. 
 
1. Action Verb. States the action performed by the subject. This can be transitive, which requires 
a direct object or intransitive, which does not need direct object and can stand alone as a predicate. 
Example: 
 TV 
George plays basketball every weekend. 
 IV 
The choir sings well. 
 
2. Linking Verb. Connects the subject to its complement which can be a predicate noun or predi-
cate adjectives. Verbs which appeal to senses are considered linking verbs. The commonly used linking 
verbs are the formed. 
Example: 
 
Jenny feels good upon seeing her high school friends. 
Ted is a physician. 
The children are excited to see the clown. 
 
3. Auxiliary Verb. It may be formed from have, may be, shall, will, might, must, do and appears 
before the main verb in a verb phrase. The commonly used auxiliary verbs are: 
 
 Example: 
 Lucky is doing his assignment. 
 The going will have their vocation in Vigan. 
 She has been working in the university since 2003. 
 She could have done better if she studied her lessons. 
Grammar in Action 
Underline the action verbs in the following sentences. 
1. I assumed that you would bring your swimsuit because the invitation stated "pool par-
ty." 
2. As I walked home, I noticed a box of abandoned kittens on the sidewalk. 
3. Many people have the ill-conceived notion that "natural" means pesticide-free. 
4. They will close the theater for two weeks while workers install the new seats. 
5. Let's go downtown and spend some time at the museum. 
 
45 
 
6. Alex's laptop wouldn't reboot after the unexpected power surge at the office earlier in 
the day. 
7. Brush corn on the cob with butter andsalt, wrap it in heavy-duty aluminum foil, and 
roast it on the grill for a delicious treat. 
8. Uncle Drew cast his fishing line off the edge of the pier. 
9. Lexi considered Morgan to be her best friend. 
10. Marcia watched the squirrel hop from limb to limb. 
Determine whether the boldfaced verbs in the following sentences are action or linking 
verbs. 
1. "It appears that the only solution to this problem is starting over," said Trudy. 
2. "The group appears dismayed at that prospect," she thought to herself. 
3. Dennis was asked to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the butler did it. 
4. There was no doubt in his adversary's mind that his argument would prove faulty. 
5. The sign says to stay behind the line when viewing the work of art. 
6. We stayed quiet while the tour guide explained the painting. 
7. We tasted the orange sherbet and ordered a pint to take home. 
8. We decided that it tasted delicious. 
9. Mom's chicken and dumplings taste too salty for some reason. 
10. Charlotte grew green and yellow peppers in her container garden. 
Grammar Armchair 
Auxiliary Verbs 
Auxiliary Verbs are the verbs be, do, have, will when they are followed by another verb 
(the full verb) in order to form a question, a negative sentence, a compound tense or the pas-
sive. 
The verb "be" 
 The verb be can be used as an auxiliary and a full verb. As an auxiliary we use this 
verb for compound tenses and the passive voice. Note that be is an irregular verb: 
Simple Present: 
I am, he/she/it is, we/you/they are 
Simple Past: 
I/he/she/it was, we/you/they were 
Past Participle: 
been 
 You can tell that in the following sentences be is an auxiliary because it is followed 
by another verb (the full verb). (For progressive forms use the "-ing" form of the full verb; 
for passive voice, use the past participle of the full verb.) 
 
46 
 
Progressive Forms 
Present Progressive: 
He is playing football. 
Past Progressive: 
He was playing football. 
Present Perfect Progressive: 
He has been playing football. 
Past Perfect Progressive: 
He had been playing football. 
Passive 
Simple Present/Past: 
The house is/was built. 
Present/Past Perfect: 
The house has/had been built. 
Future I: 
The house will be built. 
"be" as a full verb 
The verb be can also be a full verb. In this case, it's not followed by another verb. If be is 
used as a full verb, we do not need an auxiliary in negative sentences or questions. 
positive sentence: 
They are fifteen years old. 
negative sentence: 
They are not fifteen years old. 
question: 
Are they fifteen years old? 
The verb "have" 
The verb have, too, can be used both as an auxiliary and as a full verb. As an auxiliary we 
use this verb to form compound tenses in active and passive voice. (Use the past participle of 
the full verb.) 
Compound Tenses - Active Voice 
Present Perfect Simple: 
He has played football. 
Past Perfect Simple: 
He had played football. 
Present Perfect Progressive: 
He has been playing football. 
Past Perfect Progressive: 
He had been playing football. 
Compound Tenses - Passive Voice 
Present/Past Perfect: 
The house has/had been built. 
Note that have is an irregular verb, too: 
Simple Present: 
I/we/you/they have, he/she/it has 
Simple Past: 
I/he/she/it/we/you/they had 
Past Participle: 
had 
 
47 
 
"have" in positive sentences 
As a full verb have indicates possession. In British English, however, we usually use have 
got (have being the auxiliary, got the full verb). 
full verb: 
I have a car. 
auxiliary verb: 
I have got a car. 
"have" in negative sentences and questions 
When we use have as a full verb, we must use the auxiliary do in negative sentences and 
questions. If we use have got, however, we do not need another auxiliary. 
have as a full verb: 
I do not have a car. 
Do I have a car? 
have as an auxiliary verb: 
I have not got a car. 
Have I got a car? 
The verb "will" 
The verb will can only be used as an auxiliary. We use it to form the future tenses. 
The auxiliary verb "will" 
Future I: 
He will not play football. 
Future II: 
He will have played football. 
The verb will remains the same for all forms (no "s" for 3rd person singular). The short 
form for negative sentences is won't.' 
Examples: 
I will, he will 
I will not = I won't 
The verb "do" 
The verb do can be both an auxiliary and a full verb. As an auxiliary we use do in negative 
sentences and questions for most verbs (except not for be, will, have got and modal verbs) in 
Simple Present and Simple Past. (Use the infinitive of the full verb.) 
The auxiliary "do" in negative sentences 
Simple Present: 
He does not play football. 
Simple Past: 
He did not play football. 
The auxiliary "do" in questions 
Simple Present: 
Does he play football? 
Simple Past: 
Did he play football? 
 
48 
 
Grammar in Action 
Fill in each blank space with the correct auxiliary verb: 
 
1. ________ the teacher explain this properly? 
2. ________ the professor angry? 
3. ________ you spoken to him before he called you? 
4. If you ________ told me, I would have never found out. 
5. ________ they seeing each other? 
6. ________ they continue seeing each other? 
7. ________ you learn anything? 
8. ________ he in my American History class? 
9. I realized that I ________ learned a thing (= anything). 
10. ________ your sister living in Paris for a while? 
Identify the action verbs in the following sentences. 
1. I assumed that you would bring your swimsuit because the invitation stated "pool party." 
2. As I walked home, I noticed a box of abandoned kittens on the sidewalk. 
3. Many people have the ill-conceived notion that "natural" means pesticide-free. 
4. They will close the theater for two weeks while workers install the new seats. 
5. Let's go downtown and spend some time at the museum. 
6. Alex's laptop wouldn't reboot after the unexpected power surge at the office earlier in the 
day. 
7. Brush corn on the cob with butter and salt, wrap it in heavy-duty aluminum foil, and roast 
it on the grill for a delicious treat. 
Determine whether the boldfaced verbs in the following sentences are action or linking verbs. 
1. "It appears that the only solution to this problem is starting over," said Trudy. 
2. "The group appears dismayed at that prospect," she thought to herself. 
3. Dennis was asked to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the butler did it. 
4. There was no doubt in his adversary's mind that his argument would prove faulty. 
5. The sign says to stay behind the line when viewing the work of art. 
6. We stayed quiet while the tour guide explained the painting. 
7. We tasted the orange sherbet and ordered a pint to take home. 
8. We decided that it tasted delicious. 
 
49 
 
The verb do is irregular: 
Simple Present: 
I/we/you/they do, he/she/it does 
Simple Past: 
I/he/she/it/we/you/they did 
The full verb "do" 
As a full verb we use do in certain expressions. If we want to form negative sentences or 
questions using do as a full verb, we need another do as an auxiliary. 
positive sentence: 
She does her homework every day. 
negative sentence: 
She doesn't do her homework every day. 
question: 
Does she do her homework every day? 
Sentences without the auxiliary "do" 
In the following cases, the auxiliary do is not used in negative sentences/questions: 
the full verb is "be" 
Example: 
I am not angry. / Are you okay? 
the sentence already contains another auxiliary (e.g. have, be, will) 
Example: 
They are not sleeping. / Have you heard that? 
the sentence contains a modal verb (can, may, must, need, ought to, shall, should) 
Example: 
Weneed not wait. / Can you repeat that, please? 
the question asks for the subject of the sentence 
Example: 
Who sings that song? 
Grammar in Action 
 The following sentences are taken from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Underline 
the auxiliary verb in each sentence. 
1. Tom was swimming in bliss. 
2. Well, I’ve been pretty much so, too, Huck. 
3. I been creeping all over, ever since I got here. 
4. The boys were subdued by these solemnities, and talked little. 
5. Now the raft was passing before the distant town. 
6. Well, he’s mended kites for me, Huck, and knitted hooks on to my line. 
 
50 
 
7. Daily Muff Potter’s gratitude made Tom glad he had spoken; but nightly he wished he had 
sealed up his tongue. 
8. Aunt Polly was vexed to think she had overlooked that bit of circumstantial evidence, and 
missed a trick. 
9. They’re coming right toward the door. 
10. The family were still at table, but they had finished breakfast. 
The Other Woman 
by Virgilio Samonte 
 It is almost a month since my uncle died. Nana Cecilia, his widow, has made up 
with my maiden aunt Cora, and now stays with her in San Nicolas. The suspicions -- for 
they proved to be mere suspicions after all -- she had entertained concerning Nana Cora 
and my late uncle, were dispelled at his death. I don't know the truth myself up to now. But 
I don't want to know. What matters now is that they are no longer young. 
 
 Loida, I learned some time ago, is gone from the old house in Laoag. She stayed 
there for some days after my uncle's burial, and no one could make her go away then. No 
one knows where she had gone. Anyway it does not matter. She does no t matter anymore. 
 
 As for the old house, it now stands bleak and empty, except for the thick, gathering 
shadows and the inevitable dust; the bats hanging from the tattered eaves like the black 
patches; the mice scampering freely within ; cockroaches and lizrds; and perhaps ghosts. 
The flower-laden cadena de amor, draped heavily on the rotting bamboo fence surrounding 
it, it is a huge funeral wreath around the deserted house. 
 
 The same sense of desolation seemed to enshroud the old house even then, about a 
month ago, when I arrived from the city. I had come ahead of my father after we received 
the wire from Nana Cecilia, saying that my uncle was seriously ill, and that she needed my 
f a t h e r ' s a s s i s t a n c e . 
 
 It was a cold grey dawn, and the clatter of the calesa as it left me, sounded loud 
and sharp in the yet deserted streets. the old house seemed to loom bigger than the others 
in the neighborhood, and it seemed to stand apart, squat and dark; light filtered through 
the closed or half opened windows of the other houses where early breakfast fires were al-
ready burning. The large, gnarled trunk of an acacia tree beside it, rose like a phantom, its 
foliage blotting out a portion of the sky overhead. i knocked for what it seemed a long time 
on the closed door, the sounds echoing hollowly within as though the house was a huge, 
empty shell before I heard muffled footsteps coming down the stairway. Light glimmered 
through the cracks of the door. The sliding bar was moved noisily and then the door 
opened slowly, grating on the scattered pebbles on the cement floor. 
Read the selection below. Underline the auxiliary verb, box the linking verb and encircle 
the action verb 
51 
 
Spot the verb used in the sentences and write whether it is Tr(Transitive), Intr(Intransitive), 
LV(Linking Verb), or Aux V(Auxiliary Verb). 
Electric Love 
Verb Kind 
_____ _____ 1. Some people still believe in love at first sight. 
_____ _____ 2. The internet has introduced a new way of meeting the love of one’s 
 life. 
_____ _____ 3. The story of Garth and Pituca explains this phenomenom. 
_____ _____ 4. Garth Fairlight is a Londoner. 
_____ _____ 5. Pituca Chang hails from California. 
_____ _____ 6. They started to like each other through as online game. 
_____ _____ 7. According to them, they fell genuinely in love long before they 
met face to face. 
_____ _____ 8. It seems unbelievable. 
_____ _____ 9. In the online fantasy world, they appeared as avatars or cartoon 
versions of themselves. 
_____ _____ 10. They communicated by typing messages. 
_____ _____ 11. Their story sounds like a fairytale. 
_____ _____ 12. They are now engaged to be married in real life. 
_____ _____ 13. Though unusual, online relationships are becoming rampant. 
_____ _____ 14. One may not know it. 
_____ _____ 15. He or she might already be chatting with a future lifetime partner. 
Identify whether the sentences use a linking verb(LV) or an auxiliary verb(aux V). 
_____ 1. His passion is creating masterpieces for the museum. 
_____2. The removed sculptor is creating his twentieth masterpiece. 
_____3. He was last seen painting the sidewalks in Manhattan. 
_____4. His preferred activity is painting the sidewalks in Manhattan. 
_____5. The baby’s habit is nibbling his little fingertip. 
_____6. Amiel’s greatest joy is seeing his kids happy and healthy. 
_____7. The president is now seeing the fruits of his labor. 
_____8. Their only pressure is serving their countrymen. 
_____9. The organization is serving the people to the best of their abilities. 
_____10. His task is implementing the plans previously agreed upon. 
 
Mastery Test 
52 
 
 Write a two paragraph essay using action and linking verb with the theme “How To 
Make Your Life Interesting”. Each paragraph must contain a minimum of 7 sentences and 
maximum of 15 sentences. 
Inkblot 
Challenge 
VERB HUNT 
Direction: In ten minutes time, encircle the verb in the puzzle below 
Verb Verb 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Verb Verb 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
S U R F K Q A R Z A T W J S X 
A E D F W A T E R P C E U D C 
F R S G E F E V B P U N M M L 
P J U H W I Y P P L R I P D A 
M P A N E T V B S U T P G N R 
L Z Z J N I N Q W A S M R E I 
C M X K T R O W I D N K O P S 
G I V E E T F E M E O E T S E 
C J C L E W R R J D C X Z B P 
O S V P R Q I T K G W O R E L 
M Q B A B I D E L H A Z U M B 
P W N O T B E Y P F S U N G K 
O E M I A M J U O D S B M R B 
S C A R R Y R I S W O R N C D 
E R I U Y L D M P E R F O R M 
53 
 
After dealing with this chapter, the students should be able to: 
 Distinguish the various types of simple sentences 
 Apply the rules of verb tenses in writing 
S i m p l e Te n s e s 
54 
 
55 
 
Check It Out!!! 
 
One year ago this month, Lady Gaga arrived for an interview in the dark, oak pan-
eled lobby of the Roosevelt Hotel, a massive Spanish-style place in the tourist dis-
trict of Hollywood that was supposed to make the area chic but has largely failed. “Just 
Dance,” the lead single off her first album, The Fame, had reached No. 1 in Australia, Sweden, 
and Canada in early 2008, but in March 2009, she was still an up-and-coming artist in Amer-
ica: a few thousand MySpace plays, a generic website, and a short tour as the opening act for 
New Kids on the Block. Gaga had a video, though. “My colleagues at radio in those three 
countries agreed to support her if I made a video,” says Martin Kierszenbaum, the president 
of A&R at her label, Interscope. The “Just Dance” video, shot a few miles from the Roosevelt, 
featuresGaga shimmying with a disco ball in her hands while her friends drape themselves 
on a couch nearby—though most of those people were extras, not real friends. She didn’t 
know many people on the West Coast. “I don’t like Los Angeles,” she told me. “The people 
are awful and terribly shallow, and everybody wants to be famous but nobody wants to play 
the game. I’m from New York. I will kill to get what I need.” 
 Before the meeting, I assumed that someone with a stage name like “Lady” (her given 
name is Stefani Joanne Germanotta) was going to be a bit standoffish—that’s the strategy 
employed by most nervous young musicians on the occasion of their first real interview, in 
any case. But I never thought she was going to actually be Lady Gaga. These days, very few 
artists play the media like Bob Dylan, or stay in character as Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh did 
in his early career. In the age of VH1’s Behind the Music, tabloid culture, and reality televi-
sion, musicians are aware that they should show themselves to journalists in as much mun-
dane detail as they can muster. “But Lady Gaga is my name,” she said, amazed that I would 
have thought otherwise. “If you know me, and you call me Stefani, you don’t really know me 
at all.” 
Growing Up Gaga 
Direction: Write down the verbs you can see on the article below. Identify whether 
it’s on past, present pr future tense of the verb 
Direction: Write the past tense of the verb. 
 
1.. rise ______________ 6. fix ________________ 
2. swim ______________ 7. am ________________ 
3. call _______________ 8. talk _______________ 
4. is ________________ 9. run _______________ 
5. write _____________ 10. eat ______________ 
56 
 
Grammar Armchair 
Simple Tense 
 
 Verb tense tells you when the action happens. There are three main verb tenses: pre-
sent, past, and future. Each main tense is divided into simple, progressive, perfect, and per-
fect progressive tenses. 
 
 
 
 
Things to remember about simple tense: 
 
 a. Present tense is the original verb form. 
 b. Past tense has a few patterns. 
 c. Future tense needs will (shall) + verb. 
 Simple Progressive Perfect 
Perfect Pro-
gressive 
Present finish 
am/is/are fin-
ishing 
have/has fin-
ished 
have/has been 
finishing 
Past finished 
was/were fin-
ishing 
had finished 
had been fin-
ishing 
Future will finish 
will be finish-
ing 
will have fin-
ished 
will have been 
finishing 
run 
 
 
I run a marathon this year. (present) 
I ran a marathon last year. (past) 
I will run a marathon next year. (future) 
 
eat 
 
 
I eat lunch now. 
I ate lunch an hour ago. 
I will eat lunch in one hour. 
 
see 
 
 
I see a movie once a week. 
I saw a movie yesterday. 
I will see a movie tomorrow. 
 
know 
 
 
I know it. 
I knew it the day before yesterday. 
I will know it by tomorrow. 
 
learn 
 
 
I learn English. 
I learned English the last two years. 
I will learn English next year. 
 
 
57 
 
 Past Present Future 
act 
leave 
lay 
wear 
understand 
read 
beat 
bind 
cost 
meet 
Direction: Write down the proper tenses of the verb. 
Inkblot 
 Write a minimum of 3 paragraph article/essay about one of your most memora-
ble experience during your childhood. Observe correct use of verbs. 
Grammar in Action 
58 
 
Fill the gaps with the correct tenses. 
1. I (learn) English for seven years now. 
2. But last year I (not / work) hard enough for English, that's 
why my marks (not / be) really that good then. 
3. As I (pass / want) my English exam successfully next year, I 
(study) harder this term. 
4. During my last summer holidays, my parents (send) me on a 
language course to London. 
5. It (be) great and I (think) I 
(learn) a lot. 
6. Before I (go) to London, I (not / enjoy) 
learning English. 
7. But while I (do) the language course, I (meet) 
lots of young people from all over the world. 
8. There I (notice) how important it (be) 
to speak foreign languages nowadays. 
9. Now I (have) much more fun learning English than I (have) 
before the course. 
10. At the moment I (revise) English grammar. 
11. And I (begin / already) to read the texts in my English 
textbooks again. 
12. I (think) I (do) one unit every 
week. 
13. My exam (be) on 15 May, so there (not / be) 
Grammar in Action 
59 
 
any time to be lost. 
14. If I (pass) my exams successfully, I (start) 
an apprenticeship in September. 
15. And after my apprenticeship, maybe I (go) back to London 
to work there for a while. 
Fill the gaps with the correct tenses. 
1. They (build) a new power station at the moment. 
2. When I was buying the stamps somebody (call) my name. 
3. 'What time (Kevin come) ?' 'An hour ago.' 
4. I (not go) to the cinema last night. I was too tired. 
5. Carol invited us to the party but we (not go) . We had other 
things to do. 
6. I saw Bridget at the museum when I was going to the restaurant but she (not see) 
me. 
7. 'Where (your parents live) ?' 'In a village near London. They 
have always lived there.' 
8. She speaks English but she (not speak) French. 
9. Jeff is from London. He (live) there all his life. 
10. My favourite country is Canada. I (be) there four times. 
11. I (never eat) bananas. 
12. 'How long (you study) Photography?' 'For one year.' 
13. 'Where are you going on holiday?' 'I don't know. We (not decide) 
yet.' 
14. Who (invent) the washing machine? 
 
60 
 
15. 'Where's Jill?' 'She (have) lunch at the moment.' 
16. (Terry work) ? No, he is on holiday. 
17. Somebody (steal) my sunglasses at the swimming pool last week. 
18. (she wear) the nice jacket when you saw her? 
19. Where (be) you yesterday? 
20. As you (see / can) , I (become) a real 
London fan already. 
Inkblot 
Brainstorming: making a Sensory Table 
 Before you begin to write your personal narrative, complete the following table that would 
help you recall all the significant details you may want to add your own story. The table should con-
tain details that appeal to your five senses. This is similar to the you table completed at the beginning 
of the lesson. Recall the complete sentence you wrote after filling out that table. Write it on the space 
below and then proceed to write your sensory details. 
Sentence: ___________________________________________________________________ 
Senses Descriptive Sensory Details 
Sight 
Smell 
Touch 
Taste 
Hearing 
61 
 
Review the past tense by changing the verb inside the parenthesis to complete each sentence. 
I (enjoy) ________ biking with my cousins in Baguio. 
I (look) ________ sad when my father (go) ________ on a business trip. 
I was glad when he (laugh) ________ at my joke. 
I (dream) _______ of being an Olympic swimmer when I was five years old. 
I (see) _______ my old playmates during my birthday last year. 
 
Choose the word that would best complete each sentence. Then change the form of your chosen verb to 
the simple past tense. 
I (make, wish, feel) ________ for a baby sister to be my playmate. 
Last night, I ( cry, show, pray) ________ for my mother to get better. 
I (want, start, give) ________ to live with my cousins in Pangasinan last summer. 
For one year, I (cover, smell, ask) ________ with joy when I was announced as the winner. 
 
Complete the paragraph below by changing each verb in the parenthesis to the simple past tense. 
 It was July. Luis (walk0 ________ home from school very slowly. As he (cross) ________ the 
small