Learn English Grammar Grammar is the set of rules that govern the usage of English language. A strong grasp of English grammar is therefore of the greatest importance. Most non-native English speakers make grammatical mistakes while speaking in English. Improving grammar takes time and effort but it is well worth it. Here are some tips which will help you improve English grammar Understand the building blocks of grammar As a first step, it is important to know the different building blocks of grammar like nouns, pronouns, articles, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections. The internet is full of resources about these and it is usually a good idea to understand them well. Pay attention to sentence structures When you read an article or watch a movie, it is important to pay attention to how sentences are constructed. This practice helps ingrain different sentence structures and will help your spoken and written English. Practice when you can This tip can never be overemphasized. As an English learner, it is extremely important for you to talk in English at any given opportunity. If you do not have partners to practise with, then try to speak in front of the mirror. Grammar exercises will help you Try doing different grammar exercises and find out your weaknesses. These exercises are freely available on the internet. It is only after you are able to correctly assess your weaknesses that you will be able to rectify them. Find a mentor Many learners have improved their grammar working with a mentor. A mentor could even be a friend who has a strong command over English grammar. You must speak only in English with your mentor and ask the mentor to point out your mistakes. This real time feedback is very beneficial in improving grammar. Join a course Many students find that an English improvement course is the quickest way to improve English grammar. If joining a classroom program is difficult, then an online course is a great option. Grammar Lessons IMPORTANTBUILDING BLOCKS OF GRAMMAR NOUNS A noun is a word used as the name of a person, place or thing. Examples: King, Mohan, Sarita, Mumbai, Table PRONOUNS A pronoun is a word used instead of a noun. Examples: He, She, It, They ARTICLES The words ‘a’, ‘an’ and ‘the’ are called articles. They are used before nouns.

VERBS A verb is a word that describes an action or occurrence or indicates a state of being. Examples: He talks to Sameer, She sings a song ADJECTIVES An adjective is a word used to describe a noun. Examples : Beautiful house, Tall man ADVERBS An adverb is a word which modifies the meaning of a verb, adjective or another adverb. Examples: He runs fast, They fought bravely. PREPOSITIONS A preposition is a word which shows the relation between the noun or pronoun and other words in the sentence. Examples: The boy is in the room, The book is on the table. CONJUNCTIONS A conjunction is a word which joins to sentences to complete their meaning. Examples : They reached the station but it was too late. He put on his shoes because he was going for a run. INTERJECTIONS An interjection is a word which expresses sudden feeling or emotion. Examples : Hello!, Alas!, Hurray!, Oh! Practice English Grammar EnglishLeap provides you with a huge list of exercises which test different grammar concepts. These exercise help you understand your mistakes and take corrective action. Nouns Nouns are simply the names we give to everything around us, whether it be a person, an event, a place or an object, etc. Every particular name used to define something is a noun. E.g. : Amsterdam, Anita, Blackberry, Honesty, Waiter, etc. The names given to a group of noun to identify them as a whole are called Collective Nouns. E.g.: pride of lions, gaggle of geese etc. Nouns or pronouns can also modify themselves to show possession of another noun, usually by attaching’s’ to the end of the noun. These nouns that show possession are called Possessive Nouns. Sometimes nouns have different forms for different genders, although this practice has been largely abandoned by the people who prefer to use the same noun for both genders. For example - Actor (male) - Actress (female), but people nowadays refer to women who act as female actors rather than actresses. Most nouns can be converted into plural forms by adding ‘-s’ or ‘-es’ at the end of the word. E.g.: box-boxes, cat-cats, echo-echoes, etc. But some nouns require the last consonant to be modified before adding ‘-es’. For example: the ‘Y’ in ‘city’ changes to ‘I’ to form cities, kitty to kitties and ‘f’ to ‘v’ in dwarf to dwarves, wharf to wharves, etc. Some nouns become plurals irregularly by changing the entire word: mouse- mice, ox - oxen, etc.

You can learn more about Plurals here: How to make Plurals : Making Plurals-Easy Guide Grammarians have divided nouns into different categories based on their use and purpose. Learning these divisions within the nouns will help in sentence construction and vocabulary. The different types of Nouns are - PROPER NOUNS These nouns are the names of specific people and places. These nouns also refer to the names of the days of weeks and months, and also the various names for religions, organizations, institutions, etc. Proper nouns basically refer to the names that are specific to that particular noun. These nouns are always capitalized as they need to be distinct from other nouns. William Shakespeare was a playwright. - Proper noun that is the name of a specific person. I will be visiting New York next month. - Proper noun that is the name of a specific place. Everyone dislikes Monday mornings. - The names of days are proper nouns. The holy book of Islam is the Koran. - Name of a religion and religious text. COMMON NOUNS These are the nouns that are used to denote a general category of people, places or things. They are capitalized only when they are at the beginning of a sentence. Common Nouns don’t refer to something specific rather they are a general term used for every noun of a particular kind or type. The boys went to play cricket. - Both boys and cricket are common nouns as they can refer to any boy or any cricket match. There is nothing specified by these nouns. This neighborhood is one of the best in the area. - Here neighborhood is the common noun as there are innumerable neighborhoods all over the world. She was trying to answer her phone while buying coffee. - Here we see phone and coffee that both are general indicators of the object and the drink. ABSTRACT NOUNS These nouns are the names of things that we cannot perceive through our five senses of touching, smelling, seeing, hearing and tasting. These nouns can also refer to medical conditions related to the mind and are also used to express thoughts. She screamed with great delight. - Delight is an abstract noun as it tells about the state of a person’s mind and any actual physical thing. His bravery in the war won him a medal. - The abstract noun bravery is used to name the motivation behind certain actions made by people. One should learn to be as independent as possible. – Here, independent describes a state or a way of being; hence it is an abstract noun. COUNTABLE NOUNS The nouns that fall under this category are the ones that have both singular and plural forms. They can be counted either relatively or completely, and form plurals to associate with plural verbs in a sentence. They can also be expressed in numerical terms I need to buy four new suitcases for my trip. - Suitcase (s) is a countable noun as adding ‘s’ to it makes it plural. Does anyone want some oranges? - Here some is being used to count the noun orange(s). She had a pet dog. - Dog is also a countable noun as its plural is dogs. UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS These nouns are the exact opposite of Countable Nouns. These nouns are the names of things that cannot be counted and have only a singular form. These nouns use singular verbs in a sentence. The furniture was damaged in moving out. - Furniture is an uncountable noun and therefore, we use the singular ‘was’ in referring to it.

Is 250gms of sugar enough? - Here, sugar is an uncountable noun as sugar itself cannot be counted. It can only be weighed. He always answers questions with honesty. - Honesty is an uncountable noun as it has no plural and cannot be counted in physical terms either. Nouns Exercise 1 List of Nouns, Noun Examples Actor Doctor Helmet Match Rose Advertisement Dog Holiday Microphone Russia Afternoon Dream Honey Monkey Sandwich Airport Dress Horse Morning School Ambulance Easter Hospital Motorcycle Scooter Animal Egg House Nail Shampoo Answer Eggplant Hydrogen Napkin Shoe Apple Egypt Ice Needle Soccer Army Elephant Insect Nest Spoon Australia Energy Insurance Nigeria Stone Balloon Engine Iron Night Sugar Banana England Island Notebook Sweden Battery Evening Jackal Ocean Teacher Beach Eye Jelly Oil Telephone Beard Family Jewellery Orange Television Bed Finland Jordan Oxygen Tent Belgium Fish Juice Oyster Thailand Boy Flag Kangaroo Painting Tomato Branch Flower King Parrot Toothbrush Breakfast Football Kitchen Pencil Traffic Brother Forest Kite Piano Train Camera Fountain Knife Pillow Truck Candle France Lamp Pizza Uganda Car Furniture Lawyer Planet Umbrella Caravan Garage Leather Plastic Van Carpet Garden Library Portugal Vase Cartoon Gas Lighter Potato Vegetable China Ghost Lion Queen Vulture Church Girl Lizard Quill Wall Crayon Glass Lock Rain Whale Crowd Gold London Rainbow Window Daughter Grass Lunch Raincoat Wire Death Greece Machine Refrigerator Xylophone Denmark Guitar Magazine Restaurant Yacht Diamond Hair Magician River Yak Dinner Hamburger Manchester Rocket Zebra Disease Helicopter Market Room Zoo Pronouns Pronouns are words that we use in place of Nouns (or other Pronouns) in a sentence to make it less repetitive and less awkward. Some of the most common Pronouns are - he, she, you, they, it, etc. These Pronouns are divided into different categories based on their use - Personal Pronouns These pronouns are used for a specific object or person and they change their forms to indicate the different genders, numbers, case and persons speaking -

Tanya told him to take the food to them as soon as possible as it was urgently needed. ‘Him’ is a Pronoun of gender. ‘Them’ is a Pronoun of number showing that there is more than one person, and it is also a Pronoun of case as it is referring to a specific group in an objective manner. ‘It’ is also a Pronoun of gender showing the object (food). So we can see that the Personal Pronouns can be based on - Gender – He went to the market. - He is used for the male gender. Other examples are - His, Him, He, etc. She is doing the laundry. - She is used for the female gender. Other examples are - Her, Hers, etc. It is important to them. - It is gender neutral as it shows an object, them is also gender neutral as them can consist of both genders. Other gender neutral pronouns are - Their, They, Its, etc. Number – Singular Pronouns - Where the pronoun is only referring to one specific noun. That book belongs to me. - Me refers to one singular person only. Plural Pronouns - Where the pronoun is used to refer to a number of nouns. That is their book, not yours. - Their shows a number of people, hence it’s a plural personal pronoun. Whereas the ‘yours’ in this sentence is another example of singular personal pronoun. Cases - Subjective Case - She is at work. -‘She’ is the main subject of the sentence, hence in this sentence, ‘she’ is the subjective personal pronoun. You can ask the question ‘who/what is doing ______?’ to recognize whether a pronoun is subjective or objective. Objective Case - He will meet us later. -‘Us’ is the objective personal noun as it the object of the verb meet. ‘He’ is the subject as he is the person who will be doing the action of meeting. Possessive Case - That is our clubhouse. - ‘Our’ shows the possession of the object ‘clubhouse’. Possessive pronouns can also be used to show possession over people. Demonstrative Pronouns Demonstrative Pronouns are used to show or identify one or a number of nouns that may be far or near in distance or time. They are only four in number - This, That, These and Those. This and That are singular demonstrative pronouns and These and Those are plural demonstrative pronouns. They can also be used to show an unspecified quantity in a sentence. That is a beautiful house. - That is a demonstrative pronoun that is referring to a specific noun (house). This is a singular pronoun as it is referring to only one house.

These were made by me. - These is showing an unspecified quantity of something that was made by a person. This is a plural demonstrative pronoun as it’s referring to a number of objects. Everyone remembers those days. - Those is showing a particular time or period of days in the past; it is being used in place of a noun that could be - school, summer, college, etc. Here also those is a plural demonstrative pronoun as it’s indicating a number of days. This is what he is charging? - This is used as pronoun in place of a number and it is also acting as a quantifier by referring not only to the noun but to the amount/number of the noun as well. This is a singular demonstrative pronoun. Interrogative Pronouns Who, Whom, Which and What are Interrogative Pronouns as they are used to ask questions about a person or object that we do not know about. Compounds of these words are made by attaching ‘-ever’ to the words to strengthen the emphasis on the word. Which one would you like? - Here, ‘which’ is being used to ask someone to make a choice between different things, instead of naming every single choice that is available. What is your name? - What is used to ask a personal noun that the speaker doesn’t know. Who will be managing the buffet? - Who is used to ask about a specific person related to a task. Whom did you tell about this? - Whom is showing/asking the person who was told something by ‘you’. Whoever could have done this? - Whoever is the compound of ‘Who’ and it is used here to emphasise the feeling of confusion in the sentence while still asking a question. Whichever one will you choose? - Whichever is used here to show strong emotion while asking a person’s choice. In the case of Who and Whom - Who is always the subject of the verb. The emphasis is on the identity of the person who did the action. Who rang the bell? Here, we can see that the verb phrase rang the bell is secondary and the main emphasis is on the identity of the person ringing the bell. Whom is never the subject of the verb. It is used to show the person to or for whom the action is being done. In other words, it is the object of the verb. Whom were you meeting with? Here, we can see that the subject of verb or the person who was meeting someone is ‘you’. Whom is the object of the verb or the person ‘you’ were ‘meeting’. Relative Pronouns Relative Pronouns are used to join or relate two different clauses together by referring to the noun in the previous clause using the pronouns - Who, Whom, Whose, Which and That. Which and That are generally used for objects; while Who and Whom are used for people, and Whose is used to show possession. She will choose the colour which looks good on everyone. Here, which is joining the two related clauses about choosing a colour and a colour which would look good on everyone.

She is complaining to whoever she comes across nowadays. Here, the whoever is the object of the verb ‘complaining’ and it is linking the two clauses about someone complaining and the frequency of their complaints. There is a car in the parking lot that someone has painted a bright pink. That is joining the two sentences related to the object and its location in the first and its appearance in the second. She needs to know by tomorrow who will be accompanying her on the trip. Who here stands for the unknown person and it also joins the two different clauses together. Is there anyone here whose mobile phone has a signal? Whose is used here to ask if anyone has possession of something that the speaker needs. Indefinite Pronouns These pronouns are used to show unspecified objects or people, whether in plural or in singular. They are used to indicate the entire noun or some of the noun or none of the noun. They are used when we want to refer to group of nouns without actually specifying who or how much. Some common indefinite nouns are - anyone, someone, none, everything, many, few, etc. If anyone has seen my notebook please return it to me. – Here, we see the pronoun anyone is being used to refer to everyone without any specification. A few of the members were not satisfied with the service. - Few means a small number of people/objects. Hence, it is a plural indefinite pronoun. Nobody was answering when I called them last. – Here, we see a pronoun nobody being used to show no one at all. It is a singular indefinite pronoun. Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns Reflexive Pronouns are those which are used to indicate a noun which has been used in an earlier part of the same sentence. These pronouns are - Myself, Themselves, Yourself, Ourselves, Herself, Himself and Itself. Rosa was going to take it to the shop but ended up fixing it herself one afternoon. – Here, we can see that herself is being used to refer to ‘Rosa’ again at the end of the sentence. He prefers to be by himself after a game. – Here, himself is used to refer to ‘him’. Apart from ordering in, they cooked a few snack themselves. – Here themselves is used to show that ‘they’ cooked something. The horse hurt itself while trying to escape. - Since itself is a gender neutral pronoun, it is used to show the nouns that have no definite gender. E.g. : material things or ideas, etc.; or whose gender is unknown. E : animals. These same words are also called Intensive Pronouns, which are used to lay emphasis on the pronoun that comes before them in the sentence. They themselves knew that the prank was in bad taste. - Here, the pronoun themselves is used to emphasise ‘they’.

Avoid reporting things that you yourself haven’t witnessed. - Here yourself is used to emphasise the pronoun ‘you’. Reciprocal Pronoun There are just two Reciprocal Pronouns - Each other and One another. They are used when two or more nouns are doing or being the same to one another. Both of these pronouns are plural in nature as they can only be used in situations where there is more than one noun. Jamie and Jack always sit beside each other in break. – Here, the reciprocation is between the children as they both sit together. They haven’t seen one another since last year. – Here, neither of the two parties has seen each other in some time. The trees seem to reach towards each other in a strong wind. – Here, we have an unspecified amount of trees bending towards the others in a strong wind.

Articles What is an article?

An article is a word that modifies or describes the Noun. It is used before the noun to show whether it refers to something specific or not. So, in a way, articles can also be described as a type of adjectives as they also tell us something about the nouns, like adjectives.

Types of Articles

There are two types of Articles in the English language. They are as follows:

Definite article: Definite means to be clear, exact or obvious about something. It is called definite because it is used in relation to a particular thing or person. “The” is the definite article in English, which is used to refer to particular nouns, the identities of which are known. The definite article indicates that the noun is specific. The speaker talks about a particular thing. For example:

The cat sat on the couch.

The dog attacked me and ran away.

Notice how the reference is not left indefinite in both the sentences. It is clear that a particular cat sat on the couch in the first sentence and a specific dog that attacked the speaker is being spoken about in the second example.

Indefinite articles: Indefinite means something which is not clear, obvious or exact. They are called indefinite because the identity of the thing or person being spoken about is left unclear or indefinite. The indefinite article indicates that the noun is not someone or something in particular. The speaker talks about any one of that type of things. The indefinite articles in English are "a" and "an."For example:

Do you have a pencil?

I want to have an apple.

Notice how the speaker is not asking for a particular pencil or apple, but any pencil or apple in the above sentences.

Difference between “A” and “An”

Indefinite articles ‘a/an’ are used as follows:

‘A’ is used before a word beginning with a consonant sound. Consonant letters in the English alphabet are B,C,D,F,G,H,J,K,L,M,N,P,Q,R,S,T,V,W,X,Y,Z.

For example: A boy, a cat, a dog, a fight, a gym, a horse, a joke, a kite, a lion, a mirror, a noise, a pin, a quilt, etc.

‘An’ is used before a word beginning with a vowel sound. Vowel letters in the English alphabet are A, E, I, O, U.

For example: An apple, an elephant, an idiot, an orange, an umbrella, etc.

Note here that the usage is on the basis of sound and not only the letter the word starts with.

For example:

“An hour” “An honest man” “A one eyed dog”

Do these seem wrong to you?

They’re not and the reason is that the ‘usage is on the basis of sound’. The words 'hour' and 'honest' both begin with a vowel sound, as the consonant 'h' is not pronounced. Similarly, the word 'one' begins with the consonant sound of 'w' and hence is written as 'a one eyed dog', not 'an one eyed dog'.

Also, remember that we use "a" and "an" only before a singular noun. We can't use "a" and "an" before a plural noun. For example: A book - correct

A books - incorrect An egg - correct An eggs – incorrect

Tips to remember the differences in a nutshell

Ø a + singular noun beginning with a consonant : a bag;a pen, etc.

Ø an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an egg; an orphan, etc.

Ø a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound:auser(sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e., gives a 'y' sound, so 'a' is used); a university; a European, etc.

Ø an + nouns starting with silent "h":an hour; an honest man, etc.

NOTE:

These rules also apply in Acronyms.

For example:

He is a DU (Delhi University) student.

He is an IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) graduate.

The rule also applies when acronyms start with consonant letters but have vowel sounds.

For example:

She is an MBA (Master of Business Administration).

When/If the noun is modified by an adjective, the choice between a and an depends on the initial sound of the adjective that immediately follows the article.

For example:

a beautiful umbrella

an unusual situation

a European country (pronounced as 'yer-o-pi-an,' i.e., sounds like consonant 'y')

A/An is used to indicate membership in a group.

For example:

• I am a journalist. (I am a member of a large group of professionals known as journalists.) • She is an Indian. (She is a member of the people from India, known as Indians.)

Difference between “A” and “The”

"The", as mentioned earlier, is used to give information about particular or known nouns. These are usually things that have been mentioned before or that the listener is familiar with. On the other hand, "A" or "an" is used to talk about things which are not particular. Usually, these are things that haven't been mentioned before or that the listener is unfamiliar with. For example, study these sentences:

I went to see a tattoo artist.

The tattoo artist has given me an appointment next week.

It is clear that in the first sentence, the speaker did not go to see a particular tattoo artist. He/she went to see any tattoo artist and was speaking to a friend about the same. The tattoo artist in this case has either not been mentioned before or is not that important, and therefore their identity is unknown.

Whereas in the second sentence, the speaker refers to the tattoo artist that had already been mentioned before. The identity is already known, therefore, “the” has been used to refer the tattoo artist.

Usage of ‘the’

Let’s study the different cases where ‘the’ can or cannot be used.

Count and Noncount Nouns

The can either be used with noncount nouns or the article can be omitted entirely. For example:

She liked to sail over the water. Here, some specific body of water is being talked about.

She liked to sail over water. Here, no particular water is being talked about. It can refer to any water.

‘A’/’An’ can be used only with single count nouns.

I need a bottle of juice.

I need an eraser.

Use of ‘the’ in case of geography

There are some specific rules for using ‘the’ with geographical nouns.

Do not use ‘the’ before:

Ø names of most countries/territories: India, Brazil, Canada; however, the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, the United States

Ø names of cities, towns, or states: Toronto, Delhi, Sao Paolo

Ø names of streets: Callowhill Drive, Park Avenue

Ø names of lakes and bays: Lake Michigan, Lake Ontario; except while referring to a group of lakes - the Great Lakes

Ø names of mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Fuji except with ranges of mountains like the Andes or the Rockies or unusual names like theMatterhorn

Ø names of continents: Asia, Europe

Ø names of islands (Easter Island, Maui, Key West) except with island chains likethe Andaman Islands, the Canary Islands

Use ‘the’ before:

Ø names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Ganga, the India Ocean

Ø points on the globe: the Equator, the South Pole

Ø geographical areas: the South East, the Asia Pacific

Ø deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the Kalahari, the Sunderbans

Where articles are not used?

The usage of articles is one of the most confusing things to remember for many English learners. It is not always necessary to use articles everywhere. Our tip is to remember the cases where articles should not be used.

Do not use articles:

Ø When you talk about things in general.

For example: I like birds.

Here, the speaker wants to imply that he/she likes any bird in general, and not a specific type of a bird.

Ø When talking about plural count nouns.

For example: Dogs make great pets. Here, you are not talking about one specific dog or one specific pet; you are talking about all dogs in general.

Ø When talking about non-count nouns.

For example: I love music. Here, the speaker is saying that he enjoys music, in general – not any specific kind of music or song.

Ø When talking about specific days or holidays, geography, companies, languages.

For example: I have bought candles for Diwali.

Here, the speaker is talking about the candles he has bought to use on the day of Diwali.

Ø When talking about Geography.

Articles are not used before countries, states, cities, towns, continents, single lakes, single mountains, etc.

For example: I live in Canada.

Mt. Rosa is part of the Alps mountain range. Here, Mt. Rosa is one mountain, whereas The Alps refer to a group of mountains.

NOTE:

The United Arab Emirates, The Russian Federation", The People's Republic of China, The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, The Dominion of Canada, etc., all contain articles because of the usage of common nouns such as kingdom, republic, states, united, dominion, emirates, etc. The Netherlands, the Philippines, The Bahamas, The Maldives, etc. have ‘the’ before them due to the plural nature of the names of the countries. The Ukraine, the Sudan, etc. are exceptions to all of these rules. It is perhaps, due to common use, or at least previous common use. There have been historical uses of articles before names of countries that don't fit into either category.

Ø When you talk about companies.

For example: Steve Jobs founded Apple.

I use Facebook every day.

Here, the speaker is referring to companies like Apple and Facebook.

Ø When you talk about languages.

For example: I speak Hindi.

Here, the speaker is talking about the language Hindi.

Ø When you talk about places, locations, streets.

For example: My house is located on Callowhill Drive.

I left my pen at home.

Here, a street called Callowhill Drive and speaker’s home are being talked about.

However, there are specific places that do need the use an article. For example: the bank, the hospital, the post office, the airport, the train station, the bus stop, etc.

Ø When you talk about sports and physical activities. For example: I love to play cricket.

She enjoys dancing.

Here, cricket and dancing is being talked about.

Ø When there is a noun + number

For example: She is staying at the Hilton hotel in room 127. The train to Montreal leaves from platform 9.

Here, the nouns are followed by numbers; hence, no article is used.

Ø When talking about academic subjects.

For example: I hate attending Mathematics classes.

Here, the mathematic classes are being discussed.

A table to remember when or when not to use Articles

Different cases Examples

‘A’/ ‘An’ is used

When mentioning something for the first time. I went for a movie.

When talking about something which belongs to a set of the same thing.

This is a pen.

When talking about someone who belongs to a certain group.

She is an engineer.

When talking about a certain kind of a thing.

I've have made a great movie.

When wanting to say that someone is a certain kind of person.

She is a shy girl.

‘The’ is used

When talking about a particular thing. The movie that I went for was fantastic.

When talking about something that you are sure of. I cleared the interview.

When there is only one such thing. I don’t like to go out in the sun.

No article is used

When talking about something in general.

Swimming is a great physical activity.

When talking about cities, countries, streets, sports, etc.

We visited France.

We watched soccer

together.

Verbs Verbs are the most important component of any sentence. These words talk about the action or the state of any noun or subject. This means that verbs show what the subject is doing or what is the state or situation of the subject.

For example:

He ran to the store. - Here the verb ran describes the action of the subject ‘he’

She is a creative person. - Here there is no action being done. Instead the auxiliary verb ‘is’ shows the state of the subject ‘she’ as being ‘creative’.

There are different types and classifications of Verbs; some of the most important ones are listed below:

Action Verbs

These verbs talk about what the subject is doing in the sentence. Action Verbs are one of the most easily identifiable types of verbs. To recognize them, you simply have to look for the word in the sentence that answers the question ‘What is the subject doing?’ e.g. -

Rose is painting the kitchen walls.

The subject here is Rose, and what is Rose doing? Rose is painting. Hencepainting is our action verb.

My dog is sleeping on the sofa.

The subject here is dog, and what is the dog doing? The dog is sleeping. Sosleeping is our action verb.

There are two types of Action Verbs which describe the Verb and the Subject doing the action and the Object on which the action is done, they are -

Transitive Verbs -

These Action Verbs have a definite object on which, or for which the action is being performed. That means that the action has a definite recipient or object. To identify them you can ask the question what is the/did the subject -verb-?

Rose is painting the kitchen walls.

Here the verb is painting and the subject is Rose.

If we form the question - what is Rose painting?

The answer is- The kitchen walls.

Thus, we see that there was a specific object on which the action of paintingwas being done.

Hannah gave him a big hug.

Here we see that the action ‘gave’ is being performed by the subject Hannah. So the question is what did Hannah give? And the answer is - A big hug.

Here, we also have a indirect object as ‘him’. This indirect object would be the answer to the question-

Who did the subject (Hannah) - verb - (give) the object (hug) to?

Intransitive Verbs -

These verbs also show an action but here there is no specific object on which the action is being done. To recognize these verbs, we ask the question what is the/did the subject -verb- ? If there is no answer present, then the verb in the sentence is an Intransitive Verb.

Rose is painting right now.

Here, if we ask the question what is Rose painting? There is no answer which means that in this sentence painting is an Intransitive Verb.

It is telling us about the action of the subject but there is no specific object for the action.

Hannah sneezed repeatedly.

Here, the verb is sneezed. If we ask the question what did Hannah sneeze?There is no answer present for it making sneezed a intransitive verb.

Dynamic and Stative Verbs

This category of verbs deals with the verb words themselves; and whether they indicate an action or a state of the subject. This category is not concerned with the object in particular.

Dynamic Verbs

These verbs denote an actual action or expression or process done by the subject. They mean an action which can be seen or physically felt or the result of which is seen or physically felt by the object or an indirect object.

She buys new clothes every week.

Here the verb is buys which is an action done by the subject ‘she’, hence it is a dynamic verb.

He is swimming at the beach.

Here again we have the definite action swimming done by the subject ‘he’, making ‘swimming’ a dynamic verb in this sentence.

Stative Verbs

These verbs refer to the state of the subject or the situation of the subject. Stative Verbs tell us about the state of mind of the subject, or the relation between the subject and the object.

She prefers strawberry jam.

Here the Stative Verb is ‘prefers’ which shows the thinking of the subject ‘She’ towards the object, which is ‘jam’.

The cupboard requires a new coat of paint.

Here the subject is ‘cupboard’ and the stative verb is ‘requires’ which is telling about the relation between the subject ‘cupboard’ and the object ‘paint’.

Linking Verbs

These verbs are unlike other verbs as they do not tell anything about a subject themselves, instead Linking Verbs connect the subject to a noun or adjective that helps in describing or providing additional information about the subject. Those nouns or adjectives are called the subject complements.

Lisa is fussy about food.

Here we see the subject is Lisa and the linking verb is ‘is’ which is connecting Lisa to the subject complement ‘fussy about food’ which is giving additional information about Lisa’s preferences.

They are stubborn children.

Here the linking verb is ‘are’ which is combining the subject They to the subject complement of ‘stubborn’ which is an adjective.

The best to recognize linking words in a sentence is to see whether the verb can be replaced by ‘is, am or are’. If the sentence still sounds logical you know you have a linking verb.

The students felt relieved. - The students are relieved.

Hence ‘felt’ was a linking verb and not an action verb. As ‘felt’ here is simply connecting the subject to the adjective.

Every student felt the relief. - Every student is/am/are the relief.

Hence in this sentence ‘felt’ is action verb as it is the action of ‘feeling an emotion.’

Using Verbs in Sentences -

To use verbs correctly in sentences you need to learn more about the construction and use of the various verbs. And how they change form according to tenses and use in a sentence. For correct application verbs in written text you will need to know about -

Regular and Irregular Verbs - These are the two different ways in which verbs change to form different tenses. Whether to simply add ‘-ed’ at the end of a verb or does it take a different form altogether.

Finite and Non-Finite Verbs - These are verbs which can be either the main verb of a sentence or just one that is used as an adjective or noun as well.

Modal Verbs - These verbs tell us whether something is probable or about the skills of a noun etc. There are 10 modal verbs in total and each have an important part in sentence formation.

List of Verbs, Verb Examples

Accept Catch Expand Lie Select

Achieve Challenge Explain Like Sell

Add Change Fear Listen Send

Admire Cheat Feel Lose Sing

Admit Chew Fight Love Snore

Adopt Choose Find Make Stand

Advise Clap Fly Marry Stare

Agree Clean Forget Measure Start

Allow Collect Forgive Meet Stink

Announce Compare Fry Move Study

Appreciate Complain Gather Murder Sweep

Approve Confess Get Obey Swim

Argue Confuse Give Offend Take

Arrive Construct Glow Offer Talk

Ask Control Greet Open Teach

Assist Copy Grow Paint Tear

Attack Count Guess Pay Tell

Bake Create Harass Pick Thank

Bathe Cry Hate Play Travel

Be Damage Hear Pray Type

Beat Dance Help Print Understand

Become Deliver Hit Pull Use

Beg Destroy Hope Punch Visit

Behave Disagree Identify Punish Wait

Bet Drag Interrupt Purchase Walk

Boast Drive Introduce Push Want

Boil Drop Irritate Quit Warn

Borrow Earn Jump Race Wed

Breathe Eat Keep Read Weep

Bring Employ Kick Relax Wink

Build Encourage Kiss Remember Worry

Burn Enjoy Laugh Reply Write

Bury Establish Learn Retire Yell

Buy Estimate Leave Rub

Call Exercise Lend See

Adjectives Adjectives are words that are used to describe (what kind of?) nouns andpronouns and to quantify (how much of?) and identify (which one?) them. In a nutshell, Adjectives are what define nouns and give them characteristics to differentiate them from other nouns. For example:

He was wearing a blue shirt.

Here ‘blue’ is an adjective as it is describing the noun ‘shirt’ by answering the question ‘what kind of shirt?’

There are seven rooms in the house.

Here ‘Seven’ is also an adjective as it’s telling the quantity/the number of the noun ‘rooms’, answering the question ‘how many rooms?’.

There are different types of adjectives based upon their effect on a noun and what do they tell about the noun. There are five categories of adjectives

1. Adjectives of Quality - These adjectives are used to describe the nature of a noun. They give an idea about the characteristics of the noun by answering the question ‘what kind’.

Honest, Kind, Large, Bulky, Beautiful, Ugly etc.

New Delhi is a large city with many historical monuments.

Sheila is a beautiful woman.

2. Adjectives of Quantity - These adjectives help to show the amount or the approximate amount of the noun or pronoun. These adjectives do not provide exact numbers; rather they tell us the amount of the noun in relative or whole terms.

All, Half, Many, Few, Little, No, Enough, Great etc.

They have finished most of the rice.

Many people came to visit the fair.

3. Adjectives of Number - These adjectives are used to show the number of nouns and their place in an order. There are three different sections within adjectives of number; they are -

Definite Numeral Adjective - Those which clearly denote an exact number of nouns or the order of the noun.

One, Two, Twenty, Thirty-Three etc. also known as Cardinals.

First, Second, Third, Seventh etc. also known as Ordinals.

Indefinite Numeral Adjective - Those adjectives that do not give an exact numerical amount but just give a general idea of the amount.

Some, Many, Few, Any, Several, All etc.

E.g.: There were many people present at the meeting.

Distributive Numeral Adjective -Those adjectives that are used to refer to individual nouns within the whole amount.

Either, Neither, Each, Another, Other etc.

Taxes have to be paid by every employed citizen.

4. Demonstrative Adjectives - These adjectives are used to point out or indicate a particular noun or pronoun using the adjectives - This, That, Theseand Those.

That bag belongs to Neil.

Try using this paintbrush in art class.

I really like those shoes.

These flowers are lovely.

5. Interrogative Adjectives - These adjectives are used to ask questions about nouns or in relation to nouns, they are - Where, What, Which and Whose.

Where did he say he was going?

What assignment did I miss out on?

Which is your favorite author?

Whose pen is this?

In some instances, we find that we need to use more than one adjective to describe a noun in a satisfactory manner. In these cases, commas are used to separate the adjectives but some series of adjectives do not require a comma. Therefore, we need to know the difference between Coordinate and Non-coordinate Adjectives -

Coordinate Adjectives - Are those words which can be re-arranged in the series easily and are still grammatically sound. This kind of series makes use of commas. This series can also insert ‘and’ between them and still be correct.

She was a kind, generous, loving human being.

She was a generous, loving, kind human being.

She was a loving, kind and generous human being.

Here we can see that all three sentences are grammatically correct. In this case, the adjectives only need to be separated by commas.

Non-coordinate Adjectives - These are those adjectives which cannot be rearranged in the series. These do not use commas to separate the adjectives. Also, this kind of series do not make sense if we insert ‘and’ between them.

She has two energetic playful dogs.

She has playful two energetic dogs.

She has energetic and playful and two dogs.

Here we see that only the first sentence makes sense and is grammatically correct. The second and third ones are incorrect. Hence, the sentence uses non-coordinate adjectives and does not need commas.

There are certain rules regarding the placement of different kinds of adjectives in a sentence. The general order followed is -

1.Determiners – These are the various articles (the, a, an), demonstratives (this, that, these, those), possessives (my, mine, your, yours, -‘s), quantifiers (all, many etc.), numerals (one, twenty, thirty-seven etc.) and distributives (each, every, neither, either)

2.Observations/Quantity and Opinion - Then come the adjectives that give a quantity (also known as post-determiners) and subjective opinion to the noun, telling ‘how much’ and ‘how was’ the noun.

Few, Most, One, Three/ Beautiful, Ugly, Difficult etc.

The beautiful house.

3.Size - The position after Observations is for the adjectives that tell about the size of the noun, they can be used for an object as well as living thing.

Huge, Little, Bulky, Thin, Vast, Tiny, Lean etc

The beautiful little house.

4.Age -Then is the turn of the Adjectives that tell about the age of a noun either by itself or in relation to another noun.

Young, Old, Teenage, Mature, Recent, Bygone etc.

The beautiful little old house.

5.Shape - Next are the adjectives that tell about the shape or appearance of the noun.

Circular, Crooked, Triangular, Oval, Wavy, Straights etc.

The beautiful little old square house.

6.Colour - After that are the adjectives that tell the shade and hue of a noun.

Pastel, Red, Blue, Metallic, Colourless, Translucent etc.

The beautiful square blue coloured house.

7.Origin - Next are the adjectives that show the different geographical locations associated with a noun.

Southern, Northern, Lunar, Mexican, French etc.

The beautiful blue coloured Mexican house.

8. Material - Next are the adjectives that talk about the raw material or texture of the objects or the behaviour of the living nouns.

Wooden, Plastic, Steely, Metallic, Cottony etc.

The beautiful Mexican limestone house.

9.Qualifier – Lastly, the qualifier or the grammatical modifier comes, which is an additional word or phrase provided to change the meaning of the noun in a sentence.

Pink + eye, Royal + treatment, Hot + fudge etc.

The beautiful Mexican limestone doll house.

Adjective Exercise 1

Adjective Exercise 2

List of Adjectives, Adjective Examples

Abundant Chubby Fearless Lively Sharp

Accurate Clean Fertile Lonely Shiny

Addicted Clever Filthy Loud Shocking

Adorable Clumsy Foolish Lovely Short

Adventurous Cold Forgetful Lucky Shy

Afraid Colorful Friendly Macho Silly

Aggressive Comfortable Funny Magical Sincere

Alcoholic Concerned Gentle Magnificent Skinny

Alert Confused Glamorous Massive Slim

Aloof Crowded Glorious Mature Slow

Ambitious Cruel Gorgeous Mean Small

Ancient Curious Graceful Messy Soft

Angry Curly Grateful Modern Spicy

Animated Cute Great Narrow Spiritual

Annoying Damaged Greedy Nasty Splendid

Anxious Dangerous Green Naughty Strong

Arrogant Dark Handsome Nervous Successful

Ashamed Deep Happy New Sweet

Attractive Defective Harsh Noisy Talented

Auspicious Delicate Healthy Nutritious Tall

Awesome Delicious Heavy Obedient Tasty

Awful Depressed Helpful Obese Tense

Bad Determined Hilarious Obnoxious Terrible

Bashful Different Historical Old Terrific

Beautiful Dirty Horrible Overconfident Thick

Belligerent Disgusting Hot Peaceful Thin

Beneficial Dry Huge Pink Tiny

Best Dusty Humorous Polite Ugly

Big Early Hungry Poor Unique

Bitter Educated Ignorant Powerful Untidy

Bizarre Efficient Illegal Precious Upset

Black Elderly Imaginary Pretty Victorious

Blue Elegant Impolite Proud Violent

Boring Embarrassed Important Quick Vulgar

Brainy Empty Impossible Quiet Warm

Bright Encouraging Innocent Rapid Weak

Broad Enthusiastic Intelligent Rare Wealthy

Broken Excellent Interesting Red Wide

Busy Exciting Jealous Remarkable Wise

Calm Expensive Jolly Responsible Witty

Capable Fabulous Juicy Rich Wonderful

Careful Fair Juvenile Romantic Worried

Careless Faithful Kind Royal Young

Caring Famous Large Rude Youthful

Cautious Fancy Legal Scintillating Zealous

Charming Fantastic Light Secretive

Cheap Fast Literate Selfish

Cheerful Fearful Little Serious

Adverbs Adverbs are words that are used in sentences to describe or change the meaning of a Verb or Adjective or even another Adverb. They add description to the sentence to make it more detailed and interesting. For example:

He walked slowly across the square.

Here, one can see that the Adverb ‘slowly’ is describing the Verb ‘walk’ by telling that the person was walking slowly.

Types of Adverbs Adverbs are used in sentences to answer many questions about the Verbs/Adjectives/Adverbs themselves. The different types of Adverbs are as following:

Adverb of Time

E.g.: The results were announced yesterday.

Here the Adverb is yesterday which is answering the question: When were the results announced? ‘Announced’ is the verb in this sentence.

She will visit the hospital tomorrow.

Here the Verb is ‘visit’ and the Adverb is tomorrow as the question being asked is: Whenwill she visit the hospital?

Other examples of Adverbs of Time are – Once, Never, Tomorrow, Daily etc.

Adverb of Place

E.g.: They will meet you there.

The Adverb here is there that is specifying a place for the Verb meet and the question being answered is: Where will they meet you?

In spring, flowers bloom everywhere.

Here the Verb is bloom and the Adverb is everywhere, answering the question:Where do the flowers bloom in spring?

Other examples of Adverbs of Place are - Anywhere, Somewhere, Near, Far etc.

Adverb of Manner

E.g.: He quietly slipped away.

The Adverb here is quietly which is telling the way or manner in which the action was carried out and the Verb is slipped which is telling: How did he slipaway.

She works fast.

The Verb here is work and the Adverb is fast and the question being asked is:How does she work?

These Adverbs tell about the manner of the action being done, whether it is done happily or haltingly etc. Other examples of Adverbs of Manner are - Honestly, Joyfully, Cunningly etc.

Adverb of Frequency

He likes to watch TV every day.

Here, the Adverb is every day and it is telling about the amount of time spent in doing the Verb, which is watch. The question in this sentence is: How oftendoes he watch TV?

They meet every week.

The Adverb here is every week and it is telling the frequency and the Verb ismeet. The sentence is telling us: How often do they meet?

These Adverbs are used to show the duration or timing of the action that is happening/had happened/will happen. They also tell us how often and how long these actions would be. Other examples of Adverbs of Frequency are - Frequently, Often, Yearly, Briefly etc.

Adverbs of Degree

She almost finished the work.

The Verb here is finished and the Adverb is almost which is telling us about the amount of the work finished. The question being asked is: How much of the work did she finish?

They were completely surprised by the windfall.

The adverb here is completely which is showing the degree to which ‘they’ were surprised which is the Verb. The question being asked here is: How muchwere they surprised?

The Adverbs of Degree are used to show to what extent or how much has an action been done or will be done. Other examples of these Adverbs are - Fully, Partially, Altogether etc.

Adverbs of Confirmation and Negation

They will certainly like this vase.

The Adverb here is certainly which is reinforcing the Verb like in answer to the question: Will they like this vase?

He never leaves his house.

The Adverb never is negating the Verb leave. It is answering the question in denial: Does he ever leave his house?

These Adverbs either confirm or deny the action of the Verb. They are also used to reinforce the action that is described by the Verb. Other examples of Adverbs of Confirmation are - Definitely, Absolutely, Surely etc. Examples for Adverbs of Denial or Negation are - No, Don’t, Can’t etc.

Adverbs of Comment

These Adverbs are used to make a comment on the entire sentence. They give a look at the speaker’s viewpoint or opinion about the sentence. These Adverbs don’t just change or describe the Verb; they influence the whole sentence.

They found his secret easily.

+

Unfortunately

Unfortunately, they found his secret easily.

Here, we see that adding the Adverb unfortunately has changed the entire tone of the sentence. Earlier, it was a passive tone, now it has a negative or disappointed tone.

Other examples of Adverbs of Comment are -

• Luckily, the dog did not bite the children. • Happily, the power returned before the big match. • Did he honestly expect me to lie for him? (Adverb adds comment on the anger of the speaker.) • And they would win the world cup, obviously. (Can be said in a sarcastic as well as positive manner)

Adverbs of Conjunction

These Adverbs are used to connect ideas or clauses, they are used to show consequence or effect or the relation between the two clauses. To use these Adverbs to conjugate two clauses you need to use a semicolon (;) to connect them.

Clause 1: He was going for an important interview.

Clause 2: He made sure he reached on time.

He was going for an important interview; accordingly, he made sure he reached on time.

Here, we see how the Adverb ‘accordingly’ is joining the two clauses and showing the relation between them with the use of a semicolon (;). Accordingly means- therefore or that is why.

A few other Adverbs of Conjunction are -

• However - Yet, on the other hand, in spite of • Consequently - As a result, resulting in • Moreover - Beside, in addition • Conversely - Opposite of, contrary to

Adverbs Exercise 1 Adverbs Exercise 2

List of Adverbs, Adverb Examples

Accidentally Eventually Jealously Poorly Suddenly

Always Exactly Joyfully Positively Surprisingly

Angrily Excitedly Kindly Properly Sweetly

Arrogantly Extremely Lazily Quickly Terribly

Badly Fairly Less Quietly Thankfully

Beautifully Faithfully Loudly Rarely Thoughtfully

Bitterly Fast Lovingly Really Tomorrow

Blindly Foolishly Loyally Regularly Unexpectedly

Boldly Fortunately Madly Reluctantly Unfortunately

Bravely Frankly More Repeatedly Urgently

Briefly Generally Mysteriously Rudely Usually

Busily Generously Naturally Sadly Valiantly

Carefully Gently Nearly Safely Very

Certainly Gracefully Nervously Seldom Violently

Clearly Happily Never Selfishly Well

Courageously Highly Obediently Seriously Wisely

Cruelly Honestly Officially Silently Yearly

Curiously Hopelessly Often Slowly Yesterday

Daily Immediately Openly Softly

Delightfully Innocently Painfully Sometimes

Easily Instantly Patiently Soon

Enthusiastically Interestingly Politely Strictly

Prepositions Prepositions are the words which are used to connect the different nouns, pronouns and phrases in a sentence. It functions to introduce or precede the word or phrase to be connected, called the object of the preposition.

The preposition usually indicates the relation between the words it is connecting. It tells whether the words are connected in actual space or a place, or related through time or are they part of a thought or process.

Prepositional phrases are the preposition and its object and any adjectives or adverbs that were applied to the object. The prepositional phrase as a whole can also be used as a noun, adverb or adjective.

He found the book on the table.

• Here the preposition is ‘on’ as it shows the relation in place between the book and the table. • The prepositional phrase is ‘on the table’ which is acting as an Adverb telling where the book was found.

She went to sleep early.

• In this sentence the preposition is ‘to’ which is introducing where or in what state had the noun gone into.

Her house was beside a steep hill.

• The preposition here is beside which is telling the place where the house was. • The prepositional phrase is ‘beside a steep hill’ which is acting as an adverb.

Kinds of Prepositions -

Simple Prepositions

- These prepositions are constructed by only one word like -

-On, at, about, with, after, for, etc.

- He found the book about dogs on the table, in the bedroom.

Double Prepositions

- These prepositions are formed by combining two words or two Simple Prepositions-

-Into, within, upon, onto, etc.

- The dog jumped onto the bed and left marks upon the sheets.

Compound Prepositions

- These prepositions are two word prepositions.

-According to, because of, next to, due toetc.

- He was upset because of his son's behaviour.

Participle Prepositions-

- Participles are actually verbs that end with ‘-en’ or ‘-ing’. As these verbs were commonly and very popularly used as prepositions by the people, these verbs have been given a special status as prepositions.

-Considering, during, given, including etc.

-Considering what he had to work with, he did a pretty good job.

Phrase Prepositions

- These prepositions are a combination of the preposition + a modifier (optional) + the object. They are used to modify the nouns, verbs or sentences and also complete clauses.

- At home, in time, with me, from my father, under the blanket,etc.

- The clothes left on the bed have been ironed and kept back.

These classifications are based on the construction of the prepositions themselves. Apart from this, prepositions are also categorized based on their use in a sentence as -

• Prepositions of Place • Prepositions of Time • Prepositions of Movement

List of Prepositions

Prepositions can only be learnt by memory; unfortunately there is no method or particular way to recognize and learn them. To help you with memorizing the different prepositions, here is a list of common prepositions.

Simple Prepositions

For

By

At

On

Of

Off

To

Double Prepositions

Into

Onto

Upto

From Behind

From Beneath

Out Of

Upon

Compound Prepositions

Across

Along

Beside

Behind

Before

Without

Inside

Participle Prepositions

Concerning

Notwithstanding

Pending

During

Given

Failing

Excluding

Phrase Prepositions

At high speed

By all means

For a change

In accordance with

On a journey

Out of curiosity

To the best of

Conjunctions A conjunction is a word which connects two words or clauses or sentences and shows the relation between them. They are used to avoid making the text seem like bullet points and to make the text flow. E.g. -

Jai saw a dog on the road. He decided to adopt the dog. Jai brought the dog home.

Jai saw a dog on the road and decided to adopt the dog, so he brought the dog home.

Here ‘and’ and ‘so’ are conjunctions which are used to join the sentences and show the relation between them.

There are three main categories of conjunctions that are explained below. Apart from these, there are also Adverbs of Conjunctions,. To learn more about the Adverbs of Conjunctions visit the Adverbs page.

Coordinating Conjunctions

These conjunctions are used to link or join two words or phrases that are equally important and complete in terms of grammar when compared with each other. That is to say, the sentences or words do not depend on anything to give themselves meaning.

There are seven main coordinating conjunctions -

• For

And

Nor

But

Or

Yet

Soon

As you can see, these conjunctions are arranged in this way to provide the mnemonic acronym of FANBOYS so that it is easier to remember them. These conjunctions are always placed between the two clauses or words that they are joining. The following are some examples of the coordinating conjunctions -

Chris does not want tea. Chris does not want coffee. - Chris does not want teaor coffee.

• Here, we see how ‘or’ was used to combine the two words and make a cohesive sentence using them. Also, notice how the ‘or’ is between the two words.

I scored 60% in the exams this year. Anita scored 7% more than me this year. - I scored 60% in the exams but Anita scored 7% more than me this year.

• Here we see that ‘but’ was used in the middle to combine and show the relation between the two sentences that were both equally important and cohesive by themselves.

Subordinating Conjunctions

These conjunctions are used to join an independent and complete clause with a dependent clause that relies on the main clause for meaning and relevance. The dependent clause cannot exist on its own as a sentence and often does not make sense without the main clause.

The subordinating conjunction always comes before the dependent clause but the dependent clause itself can be placed either ahead of or following the independent clause.

Since they had misbehaved, the boys were given one week suspensions from school.

Here, we see the dependent clause is ‘they had misbehaved’ which is not a valid sentence by itself.

The independent main clause is ‘the boys were given one week suspensions from school’.

They are joined by the subordinating conjunction ‘since’.

He was fond of playing basketball because it was his father’s favourite game.

In this sentence, because is the subordinating conjunction as it introduces the dependent clause ‘it was his father’s favourite game’

The main clause in this sentence is ‘he was fond of playing basketball’ as it is the sentence which can be said independently and still be grammatically correct.

Other subordinating conjunctions are - Although, As, Before, Once,Though, Until, Whether, etc.

Correlative Conjunctions

Correlative Conjunctions are simply pairs of conjunctions used in a sentence to join different words or groups of words in a sentence together. Correlative Conjunctions are generally not used to link sentences themselves, instead they link two or more words of equal importance within the sentence itself. Some of the more commonly used correlative conjunctions are -

Both the shoes and the dress were completely overpriced.

• This is an example of using the correlative conjunctions ‘both/and’ in a sentence. As you can see in this sentence, the ‘shoes’ and the ‘dress’ were equally important elements that needed to be given the same importance.

They should either change their strategy or just forfeit the game.

• The ‘either/or’ conjunctions are used to suggest a choice between two options. Here the choice being suggested is between - ‘change their strategy’ or ‘forfeit the game’.

Just as she loves hiking so she enjoys travelling as well.

• The correlative conjunctions ‘just as/so’ are used to link two phrases that have a similar theme or are referring to a similar thing together. This conjunction is used to show the correspondence between two phrases or words.

He neither helps around the house nor does he look for a job.

• ‘Neither/nor’ are conjunctions that are used to deny or negate words and phrases. In the case of ‘neither’, it gives two options that are both negated. ‘Nor’ is the negative form of ‘or’.

Not only does he play the lead guitar but he is also the band’s songwriter.

• The correlative conjunctions ‘not only/but’ are used to show an additional and important element in the sentence that is used to indicate excess when combined with the first element. For instance, in this sentence the fact that he is a guitarist and a song writer are equally important but when shown together, they indicate an excess of talent in the person.

It doesn’t matter whether the roses are fresh or if they are drooping, just buy them.

• ‘Whether/or’ is used as a conjunction to show two different options in the sentence. The conjunction can be used both in a manner of negation and confirmation.

Interjections Tweet

Interjections are small words that bear no grammatical connection with the sentences in which they are used. They express the emotions or sentiments of the speaker or convey hesitation or protest. They are usually followed by an exclamation mark.

Since many interjections are mainly written forms of actual sounds that were produced by humans, they are hardly used in academic or scholarly writing, unless they are a part of a direct quote or otherwise.

Ah! Now that’s what I call a good shot! Bravo!

Both Ah and Bravo are interjections used to show the speaker’s admiration in the sentence. There are many different uses for various interjections; the following is a list of the common interjections you may hear around you in daily life -

Interjection Meaning Use

Aah Exclamation of fear Aah! The monster’s got me!

Ahh Realization or acceptance

Ahh, now I see what you mean.

Aww Something sweet or cute Aww! Just look at that kitten.

Bingo Acknowledge something as right

Bingo! That’s exactly what we were looking for!

Eh Question something So that was all she said, eh?

Eww Something disgusting Eww! That movie was so gory.

Hmph To indicate displeasure Hmph. I could do that for half the amount he charged.

Oh I see/ I think Oh, it’s been around a week since I saw her.

Oops Making a mistake Oops! Sorry I didn’t see those skates there.

Ouch Exclamation of pain Ouch, that hurt! Stop pinching me!

Shh An indication for silence Shh! The show is about to start.

Uh oh Showing dismay Uh oh! The teacher’s caught him.

Whew Amazement and/or relief Whew! I can’t believe we actually finished it all.

Wow Expressing surprise or admiration

Wow! That’s really great news!

Yay/Yaay Congratulatory exclamation

I can’t believe you’re actually coming here! Yaay!

Yeah Variant of ‘yes’ Yeah, I’d love some orange juice.

Yikes For fear or concern (not serious) Yikes, my mother’s home!

Yippee Exclamation of celebration

Yippee! We won, lets head to the bar.

Some interjections are used to stall for time or indicate that the speaker is thinking of something. These interjections are also used when someone doesn’t know what to say. The following is a list of these sounds or words; they are also called Hesitation Devices -

Interjection Meaning Use

Uh Indicates a pause/ need for more time

Wait I know this… uh… is it Ruskin Bond?

Hmm Thinking/Hesitating about something

Hmm, I’m not sure this colour is the best for this room.

Er Not knowing what to say I don’t think…er… wait… let me call my boss.

Um Pausing or being skeptical Not that I don’t believe you but, um, you say it’s a ghost?