Basic english grammar free ebook download

Using whom where the subject form is called for, however, is an error to be avoided at all costs. These pronouns are used to stand for a noun and separate it from other entities.

For example: Is this the one you wanted? Hand me those. NOTE: Generally speaking, use this and these to indicate items near the speaker, and that and those for items farther away. Notice that demonstrative pronouns replace the noun. Here "this" is pointing out the noun "house. There are many of them, including anyone, anywhere, everyone, none, and someone.

Examples: Everyone is going to the party. That's not anywhere I'd want to go. Relative Pronoun The relative pronouns are that, who, whom, which, where, when, and why. Like a conjunction, it serves as a joining word between clauses.

For example: That's the man who climbed Everest. The word "who" is a relative pronoun. It stands for "man" and it links the main clause "That's the man" to the dependent clause "who climbed Everest. There are two main kinds: attributive and predicative.

An adjective is used attributively when it stands next to a noun and describes it. For example: The black cat climbed a tree. For example: This soup tastes bad. They include all the forms of to be and sensing verbs like seem, feel, and taste. You can have a whole string of adjectives if you like: The tall thin evil-looking cowboy roped the short, fat, inoffensive calf.

Sometimes, for rhetorical or poetic effect, the adjective can come after the noun: Sarah Plain and Tall book title This is the forest primeval. Some people even consider articles as a separate part of speech. In function, however, they can be grouped with the demonstrative adjectives that are used to point things out rather than describe them. The is called definite article, while a an is called indefinite article. The definite article is usually used to point out something that has already been introduced.

The indefinite article is used to introduce something unspecific, or something being introduced for the first time. For example: From the top of the rise we could see a house. As we drew nearer, we could see that the house was a Victorian mansion. The article a derives from a word meaning "one. An is used before words beginning with a vowel sound: an ape, an image, an untruth, an honorable man. Verb errors can be avoided if one understands the following terms: principal parts, person, transitive, intransitive, tense, voice, and mood.

Principal Parts of the Verb The writer who knows the three principal parts of the verb is able to build any tense. The three principal parts of the verb are: present, past, and past participle. The past participle form is the form used with has or have. That means that they form the simple past and the past participle by adding the -ed ending.

A few English verbs form the past by changes in spelling. Person Verbs are said to have person. First person is the form of the verb used with the subject pronouns I and we. Second person is the form of the verb used with the subject pronoun you. Third person is the form of the verb used with the subject pronouns he, she, it, and they. English verb forms are almost completely uniform. Except for third person present singular, the forms are identical in all persons and tenses.

Kinds of Verb English has three kinds of verbs: transitive, intransitive, and incomplete. Transitive Verbs A verb is transitive when the action is carried across to a receiver: The farmer grows potatoes.

The receiver is called the direct object. Grows what? Sang what? Intransitive Verbs A verb is intransitive when the action stays with the verb. It is not carried across to a receiver: Corn grows. Elvis sang. NOTE: Adding a prepositional phrase to modify the verb does not change the fact that the action of the verb remains with the subject. For example: Corn grows in the fields. Elvis sang all over the world. The phrases "in the fields" and "all over the world" simply add information about the verbs.

Both transitive and intransitive verbs are action verbs. Incomplete Verbs There are three types of incomplete verbs: i. If in doubt, substitute a form of to be for the verb.

If the sentence still makes sense, the verb is being used as a copulative verb. For example: He feels depressed. The replacement makes sense.

He feels the wall. The replacement is nonsense. It's a transitive action verb. These auxiliary verbs are used to form different tenses, voices, and moods. Some of them, like have and do, have other uses as complete verbs. Most of them, like shall and may, do not exist as complete verbs. For example: one can do something, but one cannot may something.

Voice English verbs are said to have two voices: active and passive. Active Voice: the subject of the sentence performs the action. For example: His son catches fly balls. Creative children often dream in class. Passive Voice: the subject receives the action. For example: The ball was caught by the first baseman. The duty is performed by the new recruits. The dough was beaten by the mixer. Only transitive verbs can be used in the passive voice. What would be the direct object of the verb in the active voice, becomes the subject of the verb in the passive voice.

Active voice: The dog bit the mailman. A passive verb in either present or past tense will always have two parts: some form of the verb to be am, is, are, was, were , and a past participle verb form ending in -ed, -en, or any form used with have when forming a perfect tense.

NOTE: The mere presence of the verb to be does not indicate that a verb is in the passive voice. If the subject is receiving the action, then the verb is in passive voice. Sometimes the passive voice is the best way to express a thought. Used carelessly, however, passive voice can produce a ponderous, inexact writing style. Mood English verbs have four moods: indicative, imperative, subjunctive, and infinitive.

Mood is the form of the verb that shows the mode or manner in which a thought is expressed. Indicative Mood: expresses an assertion, denial, or question: Little Rock is the capital of Arkansas. Ostriches cannot fly. Have you finished your homework? Be careful! Subjunctive Mood: expresses doubt or something contrary to fact. Americans are more likely to say: If I see him, I will tell him. The verb may can be used to express a wish: May you have many more birthdays. May you live long and prosper.

Infinitive Mood: expresses an action or state without reference to any subject. It does not indicate time. It can be the source of sentence fragments when the writer mistakenly thinks the infinitive form is a fully-functioning verb. Verbs in the infinitive mood include participle forms ending in -ed and -ing. Verbs in the infinitive mood are not being used as verbs, but as other parts of speech.

For example: To err is human; to forgive, divine. He is a man to be admired. Tense Modern English has six tenses, each of which has a corresponding continuous tense. The first three tenses, present, past, and future, present few problems. The other three tenses, perfect, pluperfect, and future perfect, are formed with the helping verbs have, has, and had.

For example: Queen Elizabeth has reigned for 56 years. For example: I had driven all the way to Oklahoma when I realized my mistake.

For example: As of February 26, I shall have been in this job six years. Basically, they modify everything except nouns and pronouns which are modified by adjectives. Adverb modifying a verb: He was running fast. Conjunctive Adverbs This class of adverb also partakes of the function of the conjunction. Not true conjunctions, they require the addition of a semi-colon after the clause that precedes them: You broke the law; therefore you must go to prison.

The group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun is called a prepositional phrase. The word that ends the phrase is called the object of the preposition. Usually prepositions show a spatial or temporal relationship between the noun and the object: The cat is under the table. Here is a list of words commonly used as prepositions: about, above, after, among, around, along, at, before, behind, beneath, beside, between, by, down, from, in, into, like, near, of, off, on, out, over, through, to, up, upon, under, and with.

The two classes of conjunction are coordinate or coordinating and subordinate or subordinating. Search icon An illustration of a magnifying glass. User icon An illustration of a person's head and chest. Sign up Log in. Web icon An illustration of a computer application window Wayback Machine Texts icon An illustration of an open book. Books Video icon An illustration of two cells of a film strip. Video Audio icon An illustration of an audio speaker. Audio Software icon An illustration of a 3.

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