improve your English language skills through interactive and engaging learning activities. Whether you are a beginner or looking to refine your fluency, this course will provide you with the necessary tools and resources to become a more confident English speaker.
1 Part 1
The alphabet letters:
2 1- Parts of speech: In the English language there are various parts of speech which are put together in order to form a sentence. Without these, the language would never be able to function.
In the English language, there are around ten
common parts of speech. These include nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, interjections, determiners, and articles.
3 4 . A noun is a word which gives a name to something, in some cases you might hear them referred to as a ‘naming word.’ Pen, New Year, dog, cat, elephant, garden, school, work, music, town, Manila, teacher, farmer, Bob, Sean, Michael, police officer, France, coffee, football, danger, happiness…
5 A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun. She... we... they... it A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun. A pronoun is usually substituted for a specific noun, which is called its antecedent. In the sentence above, the antecedent for the pronoun she is the girl. Pronouns are further defined by type: personal pronouns refer to specific persons or things; possessive pronouns indicate ownership; reflexive pronouns are used to emphasize another noun or pronoun; relative pronouns introduce a subordinate clause; and demonstrative pronouns identify, point to, or refer to nouns. The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she quickly disappeared. Oh my!
6 A verb expresses action or being. Jump ... is... write ... become The verb in a sentence expresses action or being. There is a main verb and sometimes one or more helping verbs. ("She can sing." Sing is the main verb; can is the helping verb.) A verb must agree with its subject in number (both are singular or both are plural). Verbs also take different forms to express tense. The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she quickly disappeared. Oh my!
7 An adjective modifies or describes a noun or pronoun. pretty... old... blue... smart An adjective is a word used to modify or describe a noun or a pronoun. It usually answers the question of which one, what kind, or how many. (Articles [a, an, the] are usually classified as adjectives.) The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she quickly disappeared. Oh my!
8 An adverb modifies or describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. gently... extremely... carefully... well An adverb describes or modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb, but never a noun. It usually answers the questions of when, where, how, why, under what conditions, or to what degree. Adverbs often end in -ly. The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she quickly disappeared. Oh my!
Articles are words that identify a noun as being
specific or unspecific. Consider the following examples: 9 Example: After the long day, the cup of tea tasted particularly good. By using the article the, we’ve shown that it was one specific day that was long and one specific cup of tea that tasted good. Example: After a long day, a cup of tea tastes particularly good. By using the article a, we’ve created a general statement, implying that any cup of tea would taste good after any long day.
The definite article
The definite article is the word the. It limits the meaning of a noun to one particular thing. For example, your friend might ask, “Are you going to the party this weekend?” The definite article tells you that your friend is referring to a specific party that both of you already know about. The definite article can be used with singular, plural, or uncountable nouns. Below are some
10 examples of the definite article, the, used in context: Example Please give me the hammer. Example Please give me the red hammer; the blue one is too small. Example Please give me the nails. Example Please give me the large nail; it’s the only one strong enough to hold this painting. Example Please give me the hammer and the nails.
The indefinite article
The indefinite article takes two forms. It’s the word a when it precedes a word that begins with a consonant. It’s the word an when it precedes a word that begins with a vowel. The indefinite article indicates that a noun refers to a general idea or category of a thing rather than a specific thing.
11 For example, you might ask your friend, “Should I bring a gift to the party?” Your friend will understand that you are not asking about a specific type of gift or a specific item. “I am going to bring an apple pie,” your friend tells you. Again, the indefinite article indicates that she is not talking about a particular apple pie. Your friend probably doesn’t even have any pie yet. The indefinite article appears only with singular nouns. Consider the following examples of indefinite articles used in context: Example Please hand me a book; any book will do. Example Please hand me an autobiography; any autobiography will do.
Exceptions: using a or an There are a few exceptions to the general rule of using a before words that start with consonants and an before words that begin with vowels. The first letter of the word honor, for example, is a consonant, but it’s unpronounced. Despite its spelling, the word honor begins with a vowel sound. Therefore, we use an. Consider 12 the example sentence below for an illustration of this concept. Incorrect My mother is a honest woman. correct My mother is an honest woman.
Similarly, when the first letter of a word is a
vowel but is pronounced with a consonant sound, use a, as in the sample sentence below: Incorrect She is an United States senator. correct She is a United States senator. This holds true for acronyms and initialisms too: an LCD display, a UK-based company, an HR department, a URL.
An article before an adjective
Sometimes an article modifies a noun that is also modified by an adjective. The usual word order is article + adjective + noun. If the article is indefinite, use a or an based on the word that immediately follows it. Consider the following examples for reference: 13 Example Eliza will bring a small gift to Sophie’s party. Example I heard an interesting story yesterday.
Indefinite articles with uncountable nouns
Uncountable nouns are nouns that are impossible to count, whether because they name intangible concepts (e.g., information, animal husbandry, wealth), collections of things that are considered as wholes (e.g., jewelry, equipment, the working class), or homogeneous physical substances (e.g., milk, sand, air). Although most of these nouns are singular in form, because they refer to things that can’t be isolated and counted, they never take a or an. Uncountable nouns can be modified by indefinite adjectives like some, however. Consider the examples below for reference: Incorrect Please give me a water. Water is an uncountable noun and should not be used with the indefinite article. 14 Correct Please give me some water. If you describe the water in terms of a countable unit (like a bottle), you can use the indefinite article to modify the unit. Correct Please give me a bottle of water. Incorrect Please give me an ice. Correct Please give me an ice cube. Correct Please give me some ice. Note that depending on the context, some nouns can be countable or uncountable (e.g., hair, noise, time): Correct We need a light in this room. Correct We need some light in this room.
Using articles with pronouns
Possessive pronouns—words like his, my, our, its, her, and their—can help identify whether you’re talking about specific or nonspecific items. As we’ve seen, articles also indicate specificity. But if you use both a
15 possessive pronoun and an article together, readers will become confused. Articles should not be used with pronouns. Consider the examples below: Incorrect Why are you reading the my book? The and my should not be used together, as they are both identifying the same noun. Instead, choose one or the other depending on the intended meaning: Correct Why are you reading the book? Correct Why are you reading my book?
Omission of articles Occasionally, articles are omitted altogether before certain nouns. In these cases, the article is implied but not actually present. This implied article is sometimes called a “zero article.” Often, the article is omitted before a noun that refers to an abstract idea. Look at the following examples: Incorrect Let’s go out for a dinner tonight.
16 Correct Let’s go out for dinner tonight. Incorrect The creativity is a valuable quality in children. Correct Creativity is a valuable quality in children. Tip: The words for many languages and nationalities are not preceded by an article. Incorrect I studied the French in high school for four years. Correct I studied French in high school for four years. Tip: Sports and academic subjects do not require articles. Incorrect I like to play the baseball. Correct I like to play baseball. Incorrect My sister was always good at the math. Correct My sister was always good at math.
Article FAQs
17 What is an article? An article is a word that comes before a noun to show whether it’s specific or general. Specific nouns use the article the and general nouns use the article a (or an, if the next word starts with a vowel sound).
What are definite and indefinite articles?
The definite article refers to something specific, and the indefinite article refers to something general. The is the definite article and a/an is the indefinite article.
What is an example of an article in grammar?
“The hammer” refers to only one hammer, but “a hammer” refers to any hammer.
When should we not use articles?
We don’t use the indefinite article with uncountable nouns, or any article with a possessive pronoun. Certain nouns such as nationalities, school subjects, and sports often
18 don’t take articles, especially when they refer to general or abstract ideas.
19 2- Personal pronouns| Definition and examples
A personal pronoun is a pronoun that is
associated primarily with a particular person, in the grammatical sense. When discussing “person” in terms of the grammatical, the following rules apply: First person, as in “I” Second person, as in “you” Third person, as in “It, he, she”
Personal pronouns may take on various
forms depending on number (singular or plural for the most part). They may also take different forms depending on case, gender, or formality. It is important to note that personal pronouns may refer to 20 objects, animals, or people. Personal pronouns provide us with the following information: The person – Who is speaking? The number – Is the pronoun plural or singular? The gender – Is the pronoun feminine, masculine, or neuter?
Examples of Personal Pronouns
The word “he” is an example of a personal pronoun. He is third person (because he is the person being spoken about), singular, and masculine. The word “we” is another example of a personal pronoun. We is first person (because we are speaking as a group), plural, and neuter. In the following examples, personal pronouns are italicized. 1. You need to stop lying to me. 2. We would love for you to join us.
21 3. Come look at my cat! He has climbed to the top of that tree.
Personal Pronouns as Subject Pronouns
When a personal pronoun takes the place of a noun as the subject of a sentence, it is both a personal pronoun and a subject pronoun. What is a subject pronoun? In essence, it’s any pronoun that is used to replace a common or proper noun as a sentence’s subject.
Personal Pronouns as Object Pronouns
When a personal pronoun is the direct or indirect object of a verb, or when it is used as the object of a preposition, it is called an object pronoun. What is an object pronoun? It’s any pronoun that is affected by the action the subject of the sentence takes. 22 The personal pronouns that are used as object pronouns are different than the personal pronouns that are used as subject pronouns, but they are just as important. There are seven object pronouns that also happen to be personal pronouns: me, you, him, her, it, us, and them.
Personal Pronoun Exercises
The following exercises will help you gain greater understanding about how personal pronouns work. Choose the best answer to complete each sentence. 1. __________ often reads until late at night. A. He B. Alan C. Mary D. They 2. __________ is running up and down the stairs. A. The cat B. She C. My brother D. You
23 3. __________ is from Ireland. A. Rory B. My friend C. He D. This souvenir 4. Have __________ got a dog, Mary? A. Anyone B. They C. Someone D. It 5. We enjoy the roses so much. __________ really liven up the garden. A. They B. Its C. Someone D. Flowers 6. Melissa isn’t an architect; __________ is an engineer. A. He B. They C. It D. She 7. Are __________ friends or not? A. He B. She C. We D. It 8. My doctor was born in Germany. __________ teaches language lessons in his spare time. A. They
24 B. It C. She D. He 9. All of my teachers are Americans. __________ come from all over the country. A. She B. We C. They D. Them 10. Our friends are athletes. All of __________ are either strong, fast, or both. A. We B. They C. Them D. You
Answers: 1. A - He often reads until late at night. 2. B - She is running up and down the stairs. 3. C - He is from Ireland. 4. B - Have they got a dog, Mary? 5. A - We enjoy the roses so much. They really liven up the garden. 6. D – Melissa isn’t an architect; she is an engineer. 7. C – Are we friends or not? 8. D – My doctor was born in Germany. He teaches language lessons in his spare time. 9. C – All of my teachers are Americans. They come from all over the country. 10. C – Our friends are athletes. All of them are either strong, fast, or both.
25 3- Sentence structure: How to make a sentence Sentence structure is how all the parts of a sentence fit together.
What is sentence structure? Sentence structure is the order of all the parts in a sentence: subject, predicate, objects, phrases, punctuation, etc. It deals a lot with independent and - dependent clauses and how they combine (explained below), the placement of words and phrases next to what they modify, as well as the use of proper grammar. 26 3- Basic parts of a sentence Every sentence requires at least a verb and a subject; a verb is an action, and a subject is the noun that does the action. I am waiting.
In this example, am waiting is the verb.
The main verb is wait, but when we conjugate it in the present continuous, we use the –ing form and add the auxiliary verb am. The subject is I, the person who waits.
The exception to this rule is imperative
sentences (commands), which only need a verb. We can assume the 27 subject is the person the speaker is talking to. Stop!
This single word is a complete
sentence. The verb is stop, and no subject is necessary because it’s a command. Some sentences can add objects, which are nouns that also participate in the action. Let’s say you forgot your calculator and you ask your friend to borrow theirs. My buddy lends me their calculator.
In this example, lends is the verb
and my buddy is the subject because 28 they’re the one lending. The word calculator is what’s called a direct object, the noun that receives the action. In this case, the direct object is the thing being lent—a calculator.
The indirect object is the noun that
receives the direct object. In the example above, the indirect object is me, because that’s who receives the calculator. Indirect objects come between the verb and direct object.
4- sentence structure grammar rules
29 Aside from knowing the parts of a sentence, you also have to follow the grammar rules. In case you forget, here’s a quick list: 1. Capitalize the first letter of the first word in a sentence. 2. End a sentence with a period, question mark, exclamation point, or quotation marks. 3. Most of the time, the subject of the sentence comes first, the verb comes second, and the objects come last. (Subject -> Verb -> Object) 4. If the subject is singular, the verb must also be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb must be plural. This is known as subject-verb agreement.
30 31 Part 2
Vocabulary Basic units of time
32 33 Time
Clock
Second
Minute
Hour Now Later 34 Morning Noon
Afternoon
Evening
Night
Midnight 35 Sunrise
Sunset
Today
Yesterday
Tomorrow 36 37 38 39 Seasons of the year
40 Names of colors in English
41 Numbers in English
42 43 Fruits in English
44 Animals in English
45 Jobs in English
46 47 Musical instruments
48 Hobbies in English
49 Weather in English
How to describe the weather:
Here are some phrases to help you prepare. 50 1. How’s the weather? / What’s it like out there? Both of these are good questions to ask if you haven’t gone outside in a while, and you’re wondering if things have changed. Or maybe you’re still debating about whether or not you want to venture (go) outdoors, so you might ask this to someone who comes inside.
