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Excellent Review for College Board Test
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Talent Search Program
Rio Piedras
English (Inglés)
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College Board Review
Affirmative Statements
An affirmative statement states something that is true, or that it will happen. In an affirmative statement, the verb follows the subject.
Example:o I am awake. (Correct)o They are ready. (Correct)o He are going (Incorrect. The helping verb should be ‘is’).o They is going (Incorrect. The helping verb should be ‘are’).
In the first example, the verb am follows the subject I. In the second example, the verb are follows the subject they. In written English, statements are always followed by a period. Statements and questions must begin with a capital letter.
INSTRUCTIONS: Use the words below to make these sentences as affirmative statements.
1. I / to read a book -
2. it / to rain -
3. he / to drive the car -
4. they / to buy a computer -
5. the cat / to sleep on the chair-
6. Jane and Emily / to do their homework-____________________________________________
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7. Bill / to wait at the bus stop- ____________________________________________________
8. we / to listen to the radio- ______________________________________________________
9. the children / to play a game- ____________________________________________________
10. Laura / to walk the dog- _______________________________________________________
Negative Statements
In the Simple Present of the verb to be, negative statements are formed by adding the word not after
the verb.
e.g. I am not awake. (Correct)
They are not ready. (Correct)
He are not going (Incorrect, the helping verb should be ‘is’)
In the first example, not follows the verb am. In the second example, not follows the verb are.
INSTRUCTIONS: Use the words below to make sentences as negative statements.
1. I / to read a book -
2. it / to rain -
3. he / to drive the car -
4. they / to buy a computer -
5. the cat / to sleep on the chair-
6. Jane and Emily / to do their homework- ___________________________________________
7. Bill / to wait at the bus stop- _________________________________________________
8. we / to listen to the radio- ___________________________________________________
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9. the children / to play a game- _________________________________________________
10. Laura / to walk the dog- ____________________________________________________
Tag Questions
A tag question is a question added at the end of a sentence. A tag question following an affirmative
statement generally has the form of a negative question, with the meaning: Isn’t that true? (In Spanish:
Fuistes a la clase, ¿verdad?) In some languages, such tag questions are invariable. However, in English,
tag questions vary, depending on the verbs and subjects of the preceding statements.
In spoken English, contractions are usually used in negative questions. In the contracted form of
a negative question, the contraction of not follows immediately after the verb.
For example:
Without contractions With contractions
To one person Are you not awake? Aren’t you awake?
To one person Is he not awake? Isn’t he awake?
To more than one person Are we not awake? Aren’t we awake?
To more than one person Are they not awake? Aren’t they awake?
In the following examples, the tag questions are underlined. Contractions are usually used in negative
tag questions. For example:
Affirmative statement Affirmative statement with tag question
I am awake. I am awake, am I not?
He plays today. He plays today, doesn’t he?
I (do) work tomorrow. I work tomorrow, don’t I?
He played. He played, didn’t he?
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You are awake. You are awake, aren’t you?
She is awake. She is awake, isn’t she?
We are awake. We are awake, aren’t we?
They are awake. They are awake, aren’t they?
These examples illustrate how subjects and verbs of the preceding statements are repeated in tag
questions. For instance, in the first example, the subject I and the verb am are repeated in the tag
question. In the second example, the subject you and the verb are are repeated in the tag question.
In spoken English, the expression “aren’t I?” (incorrect) is often used as a tag question. However, this is
not considered to be grammatically correct in formal, written English.
INSTRUCTIONS: Put in the correct question tags.
Example: Peter works in the shop, Answer: Peter works in the shop, doesn’t he?
1. She is collecting stickers, ____________________?
2. We often watch TV in the afternoon, ____________________?
3. You have brushed your teeth, ____________________?
4. John and Max don’t like Math, ____________________?
5. Peter played handball yesterday, ____________________?
6. They are going home from school, ____________________?
7. Mary didn’t do her homework last Monday, ____________________?
8. He could have passed the exam, ____________________?
9. Kevin will arrive tonight, ____________________?
10. I’m clever, ____________________?
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Modifiers
In grammar, a modifier is an optional element in phrase structure or clause structure; the removal of the modifier typically doesn’t affect the grammaticality of the sentence.
In English, adverbs and adjectives prototypically function as modifiers, but they also have other functions. Moreover, others can function as modifiers as the following examples show:
[Put it gently in the drawer]. (adverb in verb phrase)
Spanish: [Coloque eso cuidadosamente en la gaveta].
She set it down [very gently]. (adverb in adverb phrase)
He was [very gentle]. (adverb in adjective phrase)
Spanish: El fue [bien cuidadoso].
[Even more] people were there. (adverb in determiner phrase)
It ran [right up the tree]. (adverb in prepositional phrase)
It was [a nice house]. (adjective in noun phrase)
His desk was in [the faculty office]. (noun in noun phrase)
[The swiftly flowing waters] carried it away. (verb phrase in noun phrase)
I saw [the man whom we met yesterday]. (clause in noun phrase)
She's [the woman with the hat]. (preposition phrase in noun phrase)
It's not [that important]. (determiner in adjective phrase)
[A few more] workers are needed. (determiner in determiner phrase)
We've already [gone twelve miles]. (noun phrase in verb phrase)
She is [two inches taller than I]. (noun phrase in verb adjective phrase)
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Note:
A pre-modifier is a modifier placed before
the head (the modified component).
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land mines (pre-modifier)
mines in wartime (post-modifier)
time immemorial (post-modifier)
Determiners
Determiners are words placed in front of a noun to
make it clear what the noun refers to. For example: the word “people” by itself is a general reference to
some group of human beings. If someone says “these people” (esas personas), we know which group
they are talking about, and if they say “a lot of people”, we know how big the group is.
Classes of determiners
Definite and indefinite articles: the, a, an
Demonstrative: this, that, these, those
Possessives: my, your, his, her, its, our, their
Quantifiers: a few, a little, much, many a lot of, most, some, any, enough, etc.
Numbers: one, ten, thirty, etc.
Distributives: all, both, half, either, neither, each, every
Difference words: other, another
Question words: which, what, whose
Defining words: which, whose
Modifier placement
Since a modifier is a word or a phrase that describes something else, you should place it as close as
possible to what it describes. If you don’t, your intended meaning may not be clear.
Check the unintentional meanings in the following sentences:
El joven buscaba su mascota con la guitarra.
The young girl was walking the dog in a short skirt.
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Note:
A pre-modifier is a modifier placed before
the head (the modified component).
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The dog was chasing the boy with the spiked collar.
You can see what’s wrong. The dog isn’t “in a short skirt” and the boy doesn’t have a “spiked collar”.
Because the modifier is misplaced, we have to think for a minute before we get the intended meaning.
The correct versions are:
El joven con la guitarra buscaba su mascota.
The young girl in a short skirt was walking the dog.
The dog with the spiked collar was chasing the boy.
INSTRUCTIONS: Select the correctly written sentence in each group with emphasis in the placement of modifiers.
1. Select the correctly written sentence in this group.
a. Spending way too much money on his old car, Fred’s salary just wasn’t enough.
b. Spending way too much money on his old car, Fred soon found he used more than his salary.
2. Select the correctly written sentence in this group.
a. To become a respected politician, one must administer campaign funds carefully
b. To become a respected politician, campaign funds must be carefully administered.
3. Select the correctly written sentence in this group.
a. I like to listen to rock music doing my homework.
b. I like to listen to rock music while I do my homework.
4. Select the correctly written sentence in this group.
a. The soccer team only won four games in the last three years.
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b. The soccer team won only four games in the last three years.
5. Select the correctly written sentence in this group.
a. Without a plan for the weekend, we decided to take in a Saturday matinee.
b. Without a plan for the weekend, a Saturday matinee seemed a good idea at the time.
6. Select the correctly written sentence in this group.
a. The children were delighted by the monkeys swinging wildly through the trees.
b. Swinging wildly through the trees, the children were delighted by the monkeys.
Direct and Indirect Object Phrases
A direct object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of a “transitive verb” in an active sentence or shows the result of the action. It answers the question “What?” or “Whom?” after an action verb.
For example: Mary burnt the toast. (What did Mary burn? The toast. “toast” is the direct object.
An indirect object precedes the direct object and tells “to whom” or “for whom” the action of the verb is done and who is receiving the direct object. There must be a direct object to have an indirect object. Indirect objects are usually found with verbs giving or communicating like give, bring, tell, show, take, or offer.
An indirect object is always a noun or pronoun which is not part of a prepositional phrase.
For example: She gave me the report.
(Who received the report? Me.)
INSTRUCTIONS: Read the sentence provided and choose whether the underlined phrase presents an example of a direct or an indirect object.
1. My boss’ speech caused a great amount of relief.
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a. Direct objectb. Indirect object
2. The teacher is giving students a set of pencils.a. Direct objectb. Indirect object
3. Give me your glasses.a. Direct objectb. Indirect object
4. I’ll call you a taxi.a. Direct objectb. Indirect object
5. They owe the landlord a small amount.a. Direct objectb. Indirect object
Parallelism (Phrases in Series)
Phrases in a series need to be in the same form in order to make sense easily in a sentence. That is, if you have a series of coordinate (equally important) phrases in a sentence, you need to put them into the same grammatical form (all –ing words, all past tense, all starting with nouns, etc.) in order to make sense. The form itself doesn’t matter; the consistency does.
For example, the phrases in the following sentences do not agree in form, and have to be read
over in order to make sense:
Incorrect sense: Henry James Sr. liked reading and writing philosophy, discussing his
ideas with his sons William and Henry and to offer opportunities to his children to
pursue whatever interests developed.
o Most phrases start with ing-words, so, “to offer” should be changed to “offering”
to make sense.
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Correct sense: Henry James Sr. liked reading and writing philosophy, discussing his ideas
with his sons William and Henry and offering opportunities to his children to pursue
whatever interests developed.
INSTRUCTIONS: Rewrite each sentence to fix all parallelism errors.
1. An actor knows how to memorize his lines and getting into character.
________________________________________________________________________
2. Tell me where you were, what you were doing, and your reasons for doing it.
________________________________________________________________________
3. Clark’s daily experiences include running, swimming, and to lift weights.
________________________________________________________________________
4. To donate money to the homeless shelter is helping people stay warm in the winter.
________________________________________________________________________
5. Jim likes to work outside and to help people.
________________________________________________________________________
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6. We followed the path through the forest, over the hill, and we went across the river.
________________________________________________________________________
7. The writer was brilliant and was talented.
________________________________________________________________________
8. After the party, we want to either go to a movie or to a diner.
________________________________________________________________________
9. She told Jake to take out the trash, to mow the lawn, and be listening for the phone call.
________________________________________________________________________
10. Marcie studied for the test by reviewing her class notes and she read her textbook.
________________________________________________________________________
Prepositions
A preposition links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence. The word or
phrase that the preposition introduces is called the object of the preposition.
A preposition usually indicates the temporal, spatial or logical relationship of its object to the
rest of the sentence as in the following examples:
The book is on the table.
The book is beneath the table.
The book is leaning against the table.
The book is beside the table.
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She held the book over the table.
She read the book during class.
Prepositions – Time
English Usage Example
on days of the week on Monday
in
months / seasons
time of day
year
after a certain period of time(when?)
in August / in winter
in the morning
in 2006
in an hour
at
for night
for weekend
a certain point of time (when?)
at night
at the weekend
at half past nine
since from a certain point of time (past till now) since 1980
for over a certain period of time (past till now) for 2 years
ago a certain time in the past 2 years ago
before earlier than a certain point of time before 2004
to telling the time ten to six (5:50)
past telling the time ten past six (6:10)
to / till / until marking the beginning and end of a period of
time from Monday to/till Friday
till / until in the sense of how long something is going
to last He is on holiday until Friday.
by in the sense of at the latest
up to a certain time
I will be back by 6 o’clock.
By 11 o'clock, I had read five
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pages.
Prepositions – Place (Position and Direction)
English Usage Example
in
room, building, town, country
book, paper etc.
car, taxi
picture, world
in the kitchen, in London
in the book
in the car, in a taxi
in the picture, in the world
at
meaning next to, by an object
for table
for events
place where you are to do something typical (watch a film, study, work)
at the door, at the station
at the table
at a concert, at the party
at the cinema, at school, at work
on
attached
a street
for a place with a river
being on a surface
for a certain side (left, right)
for a floor in a house
for public transport
for television, radio
the picture on the wall
I am on Cristina Street.
London lies on the Thames.
on the table
on the left
on the first floor
on the bus, on a plane
on TV, on the radio
by, next to, beside left or right of somebody or something Jane is standing by / next to /
beside the car.
under on the ground, lower than (or covered by)
something else the bag is under the table
below lower than something else but above ground the fish are below the surface
over covered by something else
meaning more than
put a jacket over your shirt
over 16 years of age
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getting to the other side (alsoacross)
overcoming an obstacle
walk over the bridge
climb over the wall
above higher than something else, but not directly
over it a path above the lake
across getting to the other side (alsoover)
getting to the other side
walk across the bridge
swim across the lake
through something with limits on top, bottom and the
sides drive through the tunnel
to
movement to person or building
movement to a place or country
for bed
go to the cinema
go to London / Ireland
go to bed
into enter a room / a building go into the kitchen / the house
towards movement in the direction of something (but
not directly to it) go 5 steps towards the house
onto movement to the top of something jump onto the table
from in the sense of where from a flower from the garden
Other important Prepositions
English Usage Example
from who gave it a present from Jane
Of who/what does it belong to
what does it show
a page of the book
the picture of a palace
By who made it a book by Mark Twain
On walking or riding on horseback
entering a public transport vehicle
on foot, on horseback
get on the bus
In entering a car / Taxi get in the car
Off leaving a public transport vehicle get off the train
out of leaving a car / Taxi get out of the taxi
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By rise or fall of something
travelling (other than walking or horseriding)
prices have risen by 10 percent
by car, by bus
At for age she learned Russian at 45
about for topics, meaning what about we were talking about you
INSTRUCTIONS: Complete the exercise according to the picture.
1. __________ the picture, I can see a woman.a) Atb) Inc) On
2. The woman is sitting __________ a table.a) Atb) In front ofc) On
3. She is sitting __________ a chair.a) At
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b) Itc) On
4. There is another chair __________ the woman.a) Acrossb) Besidec) Opposite
5. Her feet are __________ the tablea) Besideb) Onc) Under
INSTRUCTIONS: Complete the following sentences by writing the correct time-related
preposition.
1. Peter is playing tennis ___________ Sunday.
2. My brother's birthday is ___________ the 5th of November.
3. My birthday is ___________ May.
4. We are going to see my parents ___________ the weekend.
5. ___________ 1666, a great fire broke out in London.
6. I don't like walking alone in the streets ___________ night.
7. What are you doing ___________ the afternoon?
8. My friend has been living in Canada ___________ two years.
9. I have been waiting for you ___________ seven o'clock.
10. I will have finished this essay ___________ Friday.
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Pronouns
Pronouns are small words that take place of a noun. We can use a pronoun instead of a noun. Pronouns
are words like: he, you, ours, themselves, some, each, etc. If we didn’t have pronouns, we would have to
repeat a lot of nouns.
Without pronouns, we would say:
Do you like the president? I don’t like the president. The president is too pompous.
With pronouns, we can say:
Do you like the president? I don’t like him. He is too pompous.
Types of Pronouns
Personal pronouns: I, me, you, he, him, she…
Demonstrative pronouns: this, that, these, those…
Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, his…
Interrogative pronouns: who, what, which…
Reflexive pronouns: myself, yourself, himself…
Reciprocal pronouns: each other, one another
Indefinite pronouns: another, much, nobody, few, such…
Relative pronouns: who, whom, which…
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Pronoun case: subjective, objective, possessive…
INSTRUCTIONS: Use the correct personal pronouns. Watch the words in brackets.
Example: ___ often reads books. (Lisa)
Answer: She often reads books.
1. __________ is dreaming. (George)
2. __________ is green. (the blackboard)
3. __________ are on the wall. (the posters)
4. __________ is running. (the dog)
5. __________ are watching TV. (my mother and I)
6. __________ are in the garden. (the flowers)
7. __________ is riding the bike. (Tom)
8. __________ is from Bristol. (Victoria)
9. __________ has got a brother. (Diana)
10. Have __________ got a computer, Mandy?
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Connectives
A connective, or a conjunction as it is more formally known, is a part of speech that connects two words,
phrases, or clauses together.
Examples of connectives
Connective Translation Connective Translation
Whoever Quien quiera Although Aunque
Whatever Lo que sea Besides Además
If Si (si vieve) But Pero
Meanwhile Mientras tanto Since Desde
Moreover Además Consequently Consecuentemente
Nonetheless Sin embargo Alternatively Alternativamente
For Para Henceforward De aquí en adelante
While Mientras Until Hasta
When Cuando Notwithstanding Con todo y que
As Si, como, cómo, cuan Whereas Considerando que
Furthermore En adición Then Entonces
Therefore Por ende Because Porque
However Sin embargo Whenever Cuando sea
So Lo que significa que After Después
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And Y Nevertheless No obstante
With Con Yet Todavía
INSTRUCTIONS: Choose the correct connective to use in the sentence provided.
1. Karen is rich; ___, her cousin Kate is poor.a) thereforeb) howeverc) otherwise
2. You’d better take a taxi. ___, you’ll arrive late.a) moreoverb) furthermorec) otherwise
3. I enjoy reading this new magazine. ___, it has good articles.a) moreoverb) neverthelessc) however
4. Jack wasn’t tired. ____, he took a nap.a) otherwiseb) hencec) nevertheless
5. Phil was not thirsty; ___, he drank five glasses of water.a) howeverb) moreoverc) furthermore
6. The kids didn’t study. ___, they failed the course.a) thereforeb) nonetheless
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c) otherwise
7. The weather was terrible. ___, we decided to delay our trip.a) furthermoreb) besidesc) therefore
8. You must buy the tickets; ___, we won’t be able to see that play.a) otherwiseb) althoughc) besides
9. The neighborhood isn’t very interesting. I like the house, ___.a) moreoverb) thusc) though
10. We live in the same building; ___, we hardly see each other.a) howeverb) thereforec) furthermore
Subject-Verb Agreement
The subject and verb must agree in number: both must be singular, or both must be plural. Problems
occur in the present tense because one must add an –s or –es at the end of the verb when the subject or
the entity performing the action is a singular third person: he, she, it, or words for which these pronouns
could substitute.
Notice the difference between singular and plural forms in the following examples:
Singular Plural
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The student sings. (He or she sings) Your children sing. (They sing)
The bird does migrate. (It does) Those birds do migrate. (They do)
INSTRUCTIONS: Select one answer from the choices provided after each sentence. The word
you choose should fit the blank in the sentence.
1. Either the physicians in this hospital or the chief administrator ____ going to have to
make a decision.
a. is
b. are
2. ______ my boss or my sisters in the union going to win this grievance?
a. Is
b. Are
3. Some of the votes __________ to have been miscounted.
a. seem
b. Seems
4. The tornadoes that tear through this county every spring _____ more than just a
nuisance.
a. are
b. is
5. Everyone selected to serve on this jury _____ to be willing to give up a lot of time.
a. have
b. has
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6. Kara Wolters, together with her teammates, _________ a formidable opponent on the
basketball court.
a. presents
b. present
7. He seems to forget that there __________ things to be done before he can graduate.
a. are
b. is
8. There _______ to be some people left in that town after yesterday's flood.
a. have
b. has
9. Some of the grain __________ to be contaminated.
a. appear
b. appears
10. Three-quarters of the students __________ against the tuition hike.
a. is
b. are
Active and Passive Voice
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In grammar, the voice (also called diathesis) of a verb describes the relationship between the
action (or state) that the verb expresses and the participants identified by its arguments
(subject, object, etc.). When the subject is the agent or doer of the action, the verb is in
the active voice. When the subject is the patient, target or undergoer of the action, it is said to
be in the passive voice.
For example, in the sentence: The cat ate the mouse.
o The verb "ate" is in the active voice.
However, in the sentence: The mouse was eaten by the cat.
o The verb phrase "was eaten" is passive.
In: The hunter killed the bear.
o the verb "killed" is in the active voice
To make it passive: The bear was killed by the hunter.
o Change to the receiving action instead of the active action.
INSTRUCTIONS: Decide whether the sentences are written in Active or Passive.
1. They listen to music.
a. Active
b. Passive
2. She is reading an e-mail.
a. Active
b. Passive
3. These cars are produced in Japan.
a. Active
b. Passive
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4. Alan teaches Geography.
a. Active
b. Passive
5. German is spoken in Austria.
a. Active
b. Passive
6. Lots of houses were destroyed by the earthquake.
a. Active
b. Passive
7. Henry Ford invented the assembly line.
a. Active
b. Passive
8. The bus driver was hurt.
a. Active
b. Passive
9. You should open your workbooks.
a. Active
b. Passive
10. Houses have been built.
a. Active
b. Passive
Verb Phrases
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Verb phrases consist of one main verb and one or more helping verbs (also called auxiliary
verbs).
Example:
Sometimes they are separated:
Another Important Detail
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Reminder
When we ask questions, the auxiliary verb comes at the beginning of the
sentence, and the main verb comes later.
Words like never, not, and “n't” contraction are not part of the verb.
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Verb Phrases Act as Verbs. This seems obvious, right? They are made up of verbs. But, the point
here is that although they are made up of different words, all of the words come together to act
as one part of speech, a verb. Here are a few examples.
The cheesecake might be exploding.
Did you call Owen?
Owen has become a great cook.
INSTRUCTIONS: Identify the Verb Phrase in each sentence by underlining or circling it.
1. I am arriving in the morning.
2. I arrived as soon as possible.
3. She comes by every day.
4. Send me the package in the mail.
5. The new part was sent to me.
6. I am sending Jeff with the neighbors.
7. He should have tried again.
8. The dog had suddenly come into the yard.
9. Has anyone taken out the trash?
10. Could they have been pointing at our car?
Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
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Comparative adjectives compare the qualities of an object with another object.
Example: This sandwich is tastier than the one I ate yesterday.
o (it is comparing the sandwich with the other one)
Superlative adjectives compare the qualities of an object with the rest of the objects with
relatively similar qualities.
Example: This sandwich is the tastiest of all the sandwiches I’ve ever tasted.
o (it is comparing the sandwich with all the sandwiches he/she has ever tasted)
Even though the concept may seem easy to understand, there are specific rules to change
words from the normal form to comparative/ superlative form.
One-syllable adjectives: Form the comparative and superlative forms of a one-syllable
adjective by adding –er for the comparative form and –est for the superlative.
One-Syllable Adjective Comparative Form Superlative Form
tall taller tallest
old older oldest
long longer longest
Example:
o Mary is taller than Max.
o Mary is the tallest of all the students.
o Max is older than John.
o Of the three students, Max is the oldest.
o My hair is longer than your hair.
o Max's story is the longest story I've ever heard.
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Note:
If the one-syllable adjective ends with an e, just add –r for the comparative form and –st for the superlative form.
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Also, If the one-syllable adjective ends with a single consonant with a vowel before it,
double the consonant and add –er for the comparative form; and double the consonant
and add –est for the superlative form.
Adjective Comparative Form Superlative Form
Big bigger biggest
Thin thinner thinnest
Fat fatter fattest
Example:
o My dog is bigger than your dog.
o My dog is the biggest of all the dogs in the neighborhood.
o Max is thinner than John.
o Of all the students in the class, Max is the thinnest.
o My mother is fatter than your mother.
o Mary is the fattest person I've ever seen.
Two-syllable adjectives.
With most two-syllable adjectives, you form the comparative with more and the superlative
with most.
Two-Syllable
Adjective
Comparative Form Superlative Form
peaceful more peaceful most peaceful
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pleasant more pleasant most pleasant
careful more careful most careful
thoughtful more thoughtful most thoughtful
Example
o This morning is more peaceful than yesterday morning.
o Max's house in the mountains is the most peaceful in the world.
o Max is more careful than Mike.
o Of all the taxi drivers, Jack is the most careful.
o Jill is more thoughtful than your sister.
o Mary is the most thoughtful person I've ever met.
Adjectives with three or more syllables
For adjectives with three syllables or more, you form the comparative with more and the
superlative with most.
Example:
o John is more generous than Jack.
o John is the most generous of all the people I know.
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Adjective with Three or
More Syllables
Comparative Form Superlative Form
generous more generous most generous
important more important most important
intelligent more intelligent most intelligent
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o Health is more important than money.
o Of all the people I know, Max is the most important.
o Women are more intelligent than men
o Mary is the most intelligent person I've ever met.
INSTRUCTIONS: Write the correct comparative or superlative adjective depending on what
the sentence needs.
1. My suitcase is ________________ (+ large) than your suitcase.
2. This scarf is ________________ (+ beautiful) than the one in the window.
3. The palace Hotel was ________________ (+ expensive) than the Grosvenor.
4. John is a ________________ (+ good) gardener than Stuart.
5. They are not going to the ________________ (+ bad) hotel.
6. The palace is the ________________ (+ expensive) hotel.
7. John is the ________________ (+ good) gardener.
8. These are the ________________ (+ beautiful) colors.
9. Mr.Smith is ________________ (+ bad) today than yesterday.
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Note:
Even though these rules apply to almost every word, there are some exceptions to these rules. These are:
Irregular Adjective Comparative Form Superlative Form
Good better bestBad worse worstFar farther farthestLittle less leastMany more most
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10. I will go to the ________________ (+ amazing) air balloon ride ever.
Adverbs
Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, nouns and other adverbs by answering the
questions when, where, why, or under which conditions something happens or happened.
For Example
a verb = He drove slowly. — How did he drive?
an adjective = He drove a very fast car. — How fast was his car.
another adverb = She moved quite slowly down the aisle. — How slowly did she move?
Adverbs frequently end in “-ly”; however, many words and phrases not ending in “-ly” serve an
adverbial function and an “-ly” ending is not a guarantee that a word is an adverb. The
words lovely, lonely, motherly, friendly, neighborly, for instance, are adjectives:
Example: That lovely woman lives in a friendly neighborhood.
Practice Exercises
INSTRUCTIONS: Find the adjective in the first sentence and fill the gap with the adverb.
1. Joanne is happy. She smiles ____________________.
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2. The boy is loud. He shouts ____________________.
3. Her English is fluent. She speaks English ____________________.
4. Our mum was angry. She spoke to us ____________________.
5. My neighbor is a careless driver. He drives ____________________.
6. The painter is awful. He paints ____________________.
7. Jim is a wonderful piano player. He plays the piano ____________________.
8. This girl is very quiet. She often sneaks out of the house ____________________.
9. She is a good dancer. She dances really ____________________.
10. This exercise is simple. You have to put one word in each space ___________________.
Inference
Inference is when you use clues from a story to figure out something that the author doesn’t
directly tell you.
Example: Jimmy pulled hard on Sarah’s braids. Poor Jimmy, he never saw the banana
peel on the floor. That’s how he broke his arm.
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o (It doesn’t tell us that he fell. However, we can infer that that was what
happened to him because of the comment “That’s how he broke his arm.”)
INSTRUCTIONS: See if you can infer an implied or hidden message in each of the following
selections.
Turner almost wished that he hadn’t listened to the radio. He went to the closet and grabbed
his umbrella. He would feel silly carrying it to the bus stop on such a sunny morning.
1. Which probably happened?
a. Turner realized that he had an unnatural fear of falling radio parts.
b. Turner had promised himself to do something silly that morning.
c. Turner had heard a weather forecast that predicted rain.
d. Turner planned to trade his umbrella for a bus ride.
“Larry, as your boss, I must say it’s been very interesting working with you,” Miss Valdez said.
“However, it seems that our company’s needs and your performance style are not well
matched. Therefore, it makes me very sad to have to ask you to resign your position effective
today.”
2. What was Miss Valdez telling Larry?
a. She would feel really bad if he decided to quit.
b. He was being fired.
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c. He was getting a raise in pay.
d. She really enjoyed having him in the office.
No, Honey, I don’t want you to spend a lot of money on my birthday present. Just having you
for a husband is the only gift I need. In fact, I’ll just drive my old rusty bucket of bolts down to
the mall and buy myself a little present. And if the poor old car doesn't break down, I’ll be
back soon.
3. What is the message?
a. I don’t want a gift.
b. Buy me a new car.
c. The mall is fun.
d. I’ll carry a bucket for you.
Bill and Jessica were almost done taking turns choosing the players for their teams. It was
Jessica’s turn to choose, and only Kurt was left. Jessica said, “Kurt.”
4. We can infer that ________
a. Kurt is not a very good player.
b. Jessica was pleased to have Kurt on her team.
c. Kurt was the best player on either team.
d. Jessica was inconsiderate of Kurt’s feelings.
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Using Context Clues To Derive Meaning
When we use context clues to derive meaning, we use whatever else is written in the sentence
to know what a word or phrase really means.
Example: We wore his glasses to improve his ocular perception.
There are two words in this sentence that could present a problem: the word ocular and the
word perception. If we don’t know what the words ocular or perception mean, we can derive
their meaning by using the words glasses and improve as context clues. We know that glasses
improve our sight. Therefore, the word ocular could mean eyes and perception, what we
perceive.
INSTRUCTIONS: Use the context to help you define the term in bold.
1. Your anecdote was so funny. Please tell another one.
a. A short account, usually personal
b. anything owned that has value
c. a personal letter
d. act of helping
2. If you don’t want to alienate people, you must be kind.
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a. to divide
b. having an abundance of goods
c. a foreigner
d. to estrange
3. Sometimes people won’t understand your abbreviations. You might want to spell them
out.
a. to set apart for a special purpose
b. a shortened form or a word or phrase
c. referring to beauty
d. highly skilled; proficient
4. The farmer has a great deal of acreage. He will be planting for many weeks.
a. Animals
b. Tractors
c. collection of acres
d. barns
5. The pianist is quite adept. He plays beautifully.
a. Wealthy
b. highly skilled
c. few skills
d. por
6. Know who your enemies are. If you know your adversaries, you can strike early.
a. Families
b. Friends
c. one who opposes another
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d. pets
7. Do you really mean that? I would like you to affirm your position.
a. declare or state positively
b. enemies
c. friends
d. contradict
8. One can find a collection of newer cars in the affluent section of the city.
a. Poor
b. Wealthy
c. Business
d. Rundown
9. We should give everyone an equal amount. I will see that funds are allocated properly.
a. to act upon
b. to divide and distribute
c. to be wealthy
d. to not care
10. You can either stay here or go to the store. Those are your alternatives.
a. two meanings
a. choices
b. back and forth
c. none of the above
Author’s Purpose
An author writes for many reasons. An author may give you facts or true information about a
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subject. Some authors write fiction stories or stories that are not true. They write these stories
to entertain you. Other authors may write to persuade or to try to get you to do something.
The general purpose of an author in its composition is often either to persuade, to inform, or to
entertain. Below are a few examples of what compositions with certain purposes might be.
Informative: News article, essay
Persuasive: Essay
Entertainment: Novel, short story, essay.
INSTRUCTIONS: Read the descriptions of each item and determine the author’s purpose in
writing it (to entertain, persuade, or inform). Then, in a sentence or two, explain your
answer.
1. A story about a family trying to stick together and survive through the Great
depression in the Midwest in the 1930s
Author’s Purpose: _____________________________
2. A section in a history book describing the conditions and causes of the Great
depression in the Midwest in the 1930s
Author’s Purpose: _____________________________
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3. An instructional booklet describing how to operate an MP3 player
Author’s Purpose: _____________________________
4. An article where the author argues that an IPOD music player is better than a ZUNE
Author’s Purpose: _____________________________
5. A poem about why the IPOD is the greatest consumer electronic device ever made
Author’s Purpose: _____________________________
6. The story of a young athlete who takes steroids and his life and future fall apart
Author’s Purpose: _____________________________
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7. A medical report describing the effects of steroids on the human body
Author’s Purpose: _____________________________
8. A speech written by Jose Canseco listing the negative effects of steroids and urging
young athletes to not use steroids
Author’s Purpose: _____________________________
9. A booklet containing the school rules and the consequences for violating those rules
Author’s Purpose: _____________________________
10. A story written about a young boy who moves to a new school and is bullied, but he
gains self-confidence by joining a sports team and learns to stand up for himself.
Author’s Purpose: ___________________________
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“Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement”
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