Adjective

Definition:- An adjective is a word which qualifies a noun or pronoun. 

Ex - Shraddha is a naughty girl.
        A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

In these sentences, the words naughty, little and dangerous are adding something to the meaning of (qualifying) girl, knowledge and thing. These words are Adjectives.

Kinds of Adjective:- There are eight kinds of Adjective:

1.  Proper Adjective:- The Adjective which is formed from Proper      Noun is called a Proper Adjective.

Ex - Uday likes Chinese food.
        Indian tea is liked all over the world.

In these sentences, the words Chinese and Indian are formed from China and India and are qualifying food and tea. These are Proper Adjectives.

2. Adjective of Quality:- The Adjective which describes the quality or kind of a Noun or Pronoun is called an Adjective of Quality.

Ex - Mahatma Gandhi was a great man.
       The bear is a wild animal.

In these sentences, the words great and wild are describing the quality of man and animal. So these words are Adjectives of quality. 

Note:- An Adjective of Quality answers the question : of what kind?

3. Adjective of Quantity:-  The Adjective which describes the quantity of a noun is called an Adjective of Quantity.

Ex - There is a little tea in this cup.
        Mr. Paul lost all his property.

In these sentences, the words little and all are describing the quantity of tea and property. These words are Adjectives of Quantity. 

Note:- An Adjective of Quantity answers the question : How much?

4. Adjective of Number:- The Adjective which describes the number or order of a noun is called Adjective of Number.

Ex - Ten months have passed.
        Many people died in this accident.

In these sentences, the words ten and many describe the number of month and people. These are Adjectives of Number. 

Note:- An Adjective of Number answers the question : How many? or In what order?

5. Demonstrative Adjective:- The Adjective which points out a noun is called Demonstrative Adjective.

Ex - This boy helped me.
       These pens are costly.

In these sentences, the words this and these are pointing out boy and pens. These words are Demonstrative Adjectives.

Note:- A Demonstrative Adjective answers the question : Which?

6. Distributive Adjective:- The Adjective which refers to a noun from a group, after being placed before it, is called Distributive Adjective.

Ex - Each girl sang a song.
       Neither fans works properly.

In these sentences, the words each and neither are used to refer to girl and fans ( all nouns) of a group. These are Distributive Adjectives.

7. Interrogative Adjective:- The word which is used before a noun to ask a question is called an Interrogative Adjective.

Ex - What work will you do?
       Whose property is this?

In these sentences, the words what and whose have been used before work and property ( all nouns) and ask questions. These are Interrogative Adjectives. 

8. Possessive Adjective:- The Adjective which is used before a noun to show possession is called Possessive Adjective.

Ex - India is our country.
       His bag has been stolen.

In these sentences, the words our and his have been used before country and bag ( all nouns) and show possession or relation. These are Possessive Adjectives. 

Examples worked out 

Q. Fill in the blanks with suitable Adjectives given below in the bracket: 

[ hot, ten, enough, Marathi, my, what, long, neither, sweet, such, which, interesting, four, these, neither, old, thirsty, every, holy, stupid, kind, his, dense, which, big, her, intelligent, heavy, each, this wild ]

1. Ram is reading an .... story.

2. .... price did you pay for it?

3. The .... man was walking on the road.

4. The king was very .... to his people.

5. There is a .... gap between the rich and the poor.

6. The .... boy asked a question.

7. .... party was able to win the election.

8. .... sentence of this paragraph is correct.

9. .... way shall be taken to reach the station in time?

10. Do not be in .... a hurry.

11. This company suffered a .... loss in business.

12. Cuckoo's voice is very .... .

13. .... person must follow the rules of traffic.

14. Mr. Pathak has .... cars.

15. The .... man wanted cold water.

16. My father came out in .... weather.

17. .... books were stolen.

18. .... hotel is a five star hotel.

19. .... weeks have passed since he left home.

20. His father left .... money for him to live a comfortable life.

21. This animal is found in the .... forest of America.

22. .... people are very laborious.

23. The tiger is a .... animal.

24. .... letters are very dear to me.

25. .... uncle lives in Bangalore. 

26. .... solution was used in the lab.

27. .... story did you like most?

28. Varanasi is a .... city.

29. Gangaram was a .... old brahmin.

30. The lady came with .... husband.

Answers:- [ interesting, what, old, kind, long, intelligent, either/neither, each, which, such, big, sweet, every, ten, thirsty, hot, his, this, four, enough, dense, Marathi, wild, these, my, heavy, which, holy, stupid, her ]

Question Tags: A Brief Explanation

Definition: The words that are used to ask the audience to confirm one's statement is called Question Tags.

Contracted forms of auxiliary verbs + Not 

Auxiliary verbs + Not            Short forms used in question tags

    do + not                                                          don't

    did + not                                                         didn't

    is + not                                                            isn't

    has + not                                                         hasn't

    had + not                                                        hadn't

    were + not                                                      weren't

    does + not                                                       doesn't

    am + not                                                          aren't

    are + not                                                          aren't

    have + not                                                       haven't

    was + not                                                         wasn't

    shall + not                                                       shan't

    will + not                                                         won't

    should + not                                                    shouldn't

    could + not                                                      couldn't

    might + not                                                     mightn't

    must + not                                                      mustn't

    need + not                                                      needn't

    can + not                                                         can't

    would + not                                                    wouldn't

    may + not                                                        mayn't

    ought + not                                                     oughtn't

    used + not                                                       usedn't

    dare + not                                                        daren't

Format of Question tags: 

(i) Affirmative: Auxiliary verbs + subject + ?

(ii) Negative: Auxiliary verbs + n't + subject + ?

Important facts of Question Tags: 

1. Main verbs like go, drink, come etc. are not used while forming Question Tags.

2. Pronoun or there is used as a subject in Question Tags.

3. Noun is not used as a subject in Question Tags.

4. The use of Auxiliary verbs or Auxiliary verbs + n't in Question Tags depends on the number and person of Tense or Question Tag used in the given sentence.

5. Auxiliary verbs for question tags depend on the auxiliary verbs of the given sentence.

6. If there is no auxiliary verb in the given sentence, then do, does or did is used accordingly for question tags.

How to Make Question Tags: 

Rules to make Question Tags: 

1. The question tag of affirmative sentence is negative.

Structure: Auxiliary verb + n't + subject(A.P.) + ?

A.P. = Appropriate Pronoun

Ex - He writes a letter, doesn't he?

        I am wrong, aren't I?

2. The question tag of negative sentence is affirmative.

Structure: Auxiliary verb + Subject(A.P.)

Ex - She does not make a noise, does she?

        You are not laborious, are you?

3. The question tag will be affirmative if negative words like - neither, no, not, never, none, no one, nobody, nothing, few, little, hardly, rarely, scarcely, seldom etc. are used in a sentence.

Ex - We have no friends, have we? 

        Neither of us helped you, did we?

4. The question tag will be negative if a few and a little are used in a sentence.

Ex - I have a little money, haven't I?

        I have read a few books, haven't I?

5. The question tag of affirmative imperative will be both affirmative(will you) and negative(won't you).

Ex - Switch on the radio, will you or won't you?

        Please give me money, will you or won't you?

6. The question tag of negative imperative will be affirmative(will you).

Ex - Don't open the window, will you? 

        Don't spit here, will you?

7. If affirmative imperative sentence is used to express more urgency(ज्यादा अत्यावश्यक ), the question tag will be negative(won't you).

Ex - Remember to shut the window, won't you?

        Be careful while solving the sums, won't you?

8. If the verb used in imperative sentence expresses rebukeness, then the question tag - 'can't you' will be used.

Ex - Use your own mind, can't you?

        Shut up, can't you? 

9. If the imperative sentence starts with Let us or Let's, then the question tag - 'shall we' will be used.

Ex - Let us dance together, shall we? 

        Let's go there, shall we?

10. If the imperative sentence starts with Let me/ him/ her/ them/ Shyam/ Veena etc., then the question tag - 'will you' will be used.

Ex - Let me do this work, will you? 

        Let Robert watch T.V., will you?

11. If 'used to' is used in a sentence, then usedn't or didn't will be used in the question tag.

Ex - He used to come here, usedn't he or didn't he?

12. If the subject of a sentence is no one, any one, someone, everyone, everybody, somebody, nobody,anybody, then the subject of question tag will be 'They".

Ex - Someone has stolen my watch, haven't they?

        Nobody has seen God, have they?

13.  If the subject of a sentence is everything, something, anything and nothing, then the subject of question tag will be 'It'.

Ex - Everything looks beautiful, doesn't it?

        Nothing is yours, is it?

Worked Out Examples: 

1. I am innocent, .......?

2. You are not helping me, .........?

3. Nobody is ready, .......?

4. He seldom comes here, .......?

5. Please take your seat, .....?

6. Let's work, .......?

7. Nobody liked your activities, .......?

8. Work hard, ...........?

9. I used to like her, ..........?

10. I have little money, .......?

[ Ans: aren't I, are you, are they, does he, will you/ won't you, shall we, did they, will you/ won't you, usedn't I/ didn't I, have I. ]

Articles: Position, uses and omission

Articles: A, an and the are called articles. Generally these are used before a noun. These are also called 'Determiners' in Modern English Grammar.

There are two types of articles.

1. Indefinite articles:  A and An are called indefinite articles. These are used to make the position of a noun Indefinite or uncertain.

Ex - He saw an old man.

        There was a king.

2. Definite Article: The is called Indefinite article. It is used to make the position of a noun definite or certain.

Position of Articles:  

1. A/ An/ The + Noun

Ex - I have a book.

        The cow has a tail.

2. A/ An/ The/ + Adjective + Noun

Ex - She is an intelligent girl.

        Tendulkar is the best player.

3. A/ An/ The/ Adverb + Adjective + Noun

Ex - She is a very intelligent girl.

        He is the very best player.

4. Such/ What/ Many/ Quite/ Rather + A/ An + Adjective + Noun

Ex - Such a beautiful girl.

        What a big fool!

        Many a good book.

5. Such/ What/ Many/ Half/ Rather + A/ An + Noun

Ex - Such a girl.

        Many an inkpot.

6. All/ both/ double/ + The/ + Noun

Ex - All the girls.

        Double the amount.

7. All + Both/ Double/ Exactly/ Just + The + Adjective + Noun

Ex - All the famous singers.

        Exactly the wrong colour.

8. How/ So/ Too/ As + Adjective + A/ An+ Noun

Ex - How a beautiful girl is she?

        Devan Babu is too weak a man.

Uses of Articles: 

Uses of A/ An: 

1. A/ An is used before the noun denoting indefinite person/ animal/ thing.

2. An is used before the word which has vowel sound and A is used before the word which has consonant sound.

Ex - She is an ideal girl.

        She is a beautiful girl.

Some More Uses of A/ An:

1. A/ An is used in some special phrases.

Ex - A team of, A gang of, A crowd of, An army of, An assembly of, A flock of etc.

2. A is used in the expressions denoting number or quantity.

Ex - A lot of, A great number of, A good many of, A good deal of, A great many of etc.

3.  A/ An is used in the meaning of one(1).

Ex - Mukesh has a(1) dog.

        Binay has an(1) apple.

4. A/ An is used in the meaning of 'Any'.

Ex - There was a(any) king of Magadh.

         Veena did not give her husband an(any) apple.

5. A/ An is used in the meaning of Each/ Every or per.

Ex - Mr. Dhananjay earns Rs 10,000/- a(per) month.

        Mr. Thakur walks five kilometres an(each/every) hour.

6. A is used in the meaning of 'on'.

Ex - He found her a(on) bed.

        He went a(on) hunting.

7. A/ An is used in the meaning of 'All'.

Ex - A(all) dog has a short tail.

        A(all) cow has along tail.

8. If a Proper noun is used as a common noun, A/ An is used before the Proper noun.

Ex - He is a Kalidas.

        You are a Tendulkar.

9. A is used before Most if it means very.

Ex - He is a most(very) handsome boy. 

        That was a most(very) interesting story.

10. If two adjectives are joined with 'and' referring to the same person or thing and are used before a singular countable noun, then A/ An is used before the first adjective.

Ex - A black and white cow.

        A tall and handsome boy.

11. If two adjectives are joined with 'and' referring to two different persons or things and are used before a singular countable noun, then A/ An is used before both the adjectives.

Ex - A black and a white cow.

        An honest and an intelligent teacher.

12. To denote the same person or thing by two singular nouns joined with 'and', article A/ An is used before the first singular noun.

Ex - A clerk and cashier.

        An uncle and guardian.

Auxiliary Verbs: A brief Description: Uses of Modal Verbs

English verbs are classified into two major classes.
(i) Lexical Verbs
(ii) Auxiliary Verbs

(i) Lexical Verbs: Lexical verbs are also known as ordinary verbs. They have independent means and are used as main verbs in a sentence. They have v1, v2, v3, v4(-ing), and v5(-s/es) forms.
Ex - Ram eats a mango.
        He is running.
        What do you want? 

(ii) Auxiliary Verbs: The verbs that help main verbs to form Tense, Mood, Voice and required expressions is known as Auxiliary Verbs.
Ex - I am going. 
        He has eaten.
        It might rain today.

Note: Auxiliary verbs such as am, is ,are, have, has etc. are used as main verb in independent way in a sentence. Again Auxiliary verbs such as be, do, have, need and dare are also used as Lexical verbs.
Ex - I am a boy. (am - main verb)
        He has a car. (has - main verb)
        He is doing the work. (doing - lexical verb)
        What do you have? (have - lexical verb)

Kinds of Auxiliary Verbs: 

According to the uses and structure, Auxiliary verbs are divided into three parts.

(i) Primary Auxiliary Verbs: Verb to be like - be, am, is, are, was, were, been, being; verb to have like - have, has, had, having and verb to do like - do, does, did are known as Primary Auxiliary Verbs.

(ii) Modal Auxiliary Verbs: Can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must, ought to are called Modal Auxiliary Verbs. 

(iii) Marginal Auxiliary Verbs: Used to, dare and need are called Marginal or Semi Modal Auxiliary Verbs.

Some Important Facts of Auxiliary Verbs: 

(i) Modal Auxiliaries are used as helping verbs not as main verbs.

(ii) Modal Auxiliaries do not have v1, v2, v3, v4 and v5 forms. They are used as the same form with all the numbers and persons.

(iii) Generally there is M.v1(first form of main verb) after the Modal Auxiliaries. It means we can not use infinitive with 'to'.

Ex - I can go. (Correct)           (go - v1)

        I can to go. (Incorrect)   (to go - infinitive with to) 

(iv) Infinitive with 'to' is used after ought and used. 

Ex - We ought to help the poor.   ( Correct)

        We ought help the poor.        ( Incorrect)

(v) Dare and need are used as main verbs.

Ex - He needs my help.

        He does not dare to go there.

(vi) Verb to be is used as M.v4(present participle) in Continuous Tense.

Ex - He is taking coffee.

(vii) Verb to be is used as M.v3(past participle) in Passive Voice.

Ex - A letter was written by me.

(viii) Verb to be is used before the v3(past participle) of Intransitive verbs in Passive voice.

Ex - The sun has come out.

        Summer is gone.

(ix) Do is used to make negative of an Imperative sentence and to form an Emphatic sentence.

Ex - Don't go there.

        Do sing it again.

Uses of Modal auxiliaries: 

A. Use of Can: 

(i) Can is used to express power, ability and capacity.

Ex - He can lift the box.               ( power)

        You can speak English.        ( ability)

        We can climb Mount Abu.  ( capacity)

(ii) Can is used to express permission.

Ex - You can go now.

        Can i see your diary?

Note: To express Permission, the use of 'May' is better than the use of 'Can'.

(iii) It is used to express theoretical possibility.

Ex - Everyone can make a mistake.

        It can't be true.

(iv) It is used to express habit or nature.

Ex - A deceitful person can deceive us.

       An honest man cannot harm anyone.

Syntax - Subject - Verb Agreement

Definition: The use of verb according to the number and person of a subject in a sentence is called Subject-Verb Agreement.

Rules of Subject-Verb Agreement: 

I. General Rules: 

1. Singular verb is used for Singular Subject.

2. Plural verb is used for Plural Subject.

3. First Person Singular Subjects take singular verb and Plural Subjects take plural verb.

4. Second Person Singular and Plural Subjects both take plural verb.

5. Third Person Singular Subjects take singular verb and Plural subjects take plural verb.

Note: I is used as a singular subject, but both singular and plural verb is used for it.

Ex - I am a teacher.

           s.v.

        I have a cycle. 

           p.v.

II. Special Rules: 

1. Suppositional Sentences generally start with if, as if, as though, if only, suppose, I wish, We wish, He wishes, She wishes always take Plural Verb 'Were'. 

Ex - I wish Manisha were my wife.

        If he were my boss, he would suspend me.

2. Two singular nouns joined with 'and', take plural verb.

Ex - A boy and a girl love each other.

        John and Robert have done well in the examination.

3. Two subjects(Nouns) joined with and but referring to one idea, same person, same thing, take singular verb.

                                              or 

When pairing words like - bread and butter, rice and curry, hammer and sickle, slow and steady, truth and honesty, horse and carriage, crown and glory, rise and fall, coming and going, screaming and shouting, age and experience, eggs and bacon, ham and eggs, long and short, sum and substance, bag and baggage etc. used as a subject in a sentence, singular verb is used.

Ex - Bread and butter is my favourite breakfast.

        Rice and curry is a popular dish.

Note: If two singular uncountable nouns joined with 'and', and used as a subject of a sentence then it refers to a class and Plural Verb is used for it.

Ex - Time and tide wait for none.

        Fire and water do not agree.

4. If two Singular nouns joined with 'and', and there is articles or possessive adjectives before the first noun, then it refers to same person and singular verb is used for it.

Ex - The Principal and Secretary was there.

        My uncle and guardian has come to see me.

5. Two singular nouns joined with 'and', and there is articles or possessive adjectives before both the nouns, Plural verb is used.

Ex - The Principal and the Secretary were there.

        My uncle and my guardian have come to see me.

6. If two Adjectives joined with 'and' are used before a common noun and there is an indefinite article(a/an) before the first adjective, singular verb is used.

Ex - A black and white cat is mewing.

7. If two Adjectives joined with 'and' are used before a common noun and there is an indefinite article(a/an) before both the adjectives, plural verb is used.

Ex - A black and a white cat were mewing.

8. Each/every/either/neither + singular countable noun = singular verb.

Ex - Each boy was handsome.

        Either pen writes well.

9. Each of/either of/neither of + plural noun/plural pronoun = Singular verb.

Ex - Each of these four pens is red.

        Neither of you knows English.

10. Two subjects joined with or, nor, either....or, neither...nor, not only ... but also take verb according to the second subject.

Ex - He or I am to blame.

        Neither Shyam nor his friends were innocent.

11. Two subjects joined with 'with' or 'as well as', take verb according to the first subject.

Ex - I with my guards was going to the market.

        You as well as your puppy were coming to Shyam.

Time and Tense

Difference between Time & Tense: Time and Tense are two different things. Time means Past time, Present time and Future time. The time is directed as past, present and future in the whole world. Its concept is free from language or grammar. This is a non-grammatical thing, which human beings used to feel even those days when they didn't know any languages. In the contrary, Tense is  totally a grammatical thing. Tense is the study of the forms of the verbs. The structure and treatment of Tense is different in different languages, but the concept of Time is equal to all. I am buying a car next year - In this sentence, the verb is of present tense but it is indicating the future time. The fact is that, the verb in this sentence is of present, still it is showing future time. If both the Time and the Tense were equal, then present tense would show the present time not the future. Exactly Time and Tense are two different things.

Uses of Tense:  Now we are going to understand some main uses of each tense.

Noun & Pronoun

Noun

Definition:-     A noun is the name of any person, place, animal or thing.

   e.g. - Ram, Shyam, Box etc.

Or

  A noun is a naming word.

Kinds of Noun: There are five kinds of noun:-

1.Proper Noun:- A proper noun is the name of any particular person, place, animal or thing.

e.g.- Ram, America, India, Ganga etc.

2.Common Noun:- A common noun is the name of the class given to any person, place, animal or thing.

e.g.- Country, river, boy, bench etc.

3.Collective Noun:- A collective noun is the name of the collection of any person, animal or thing, when the collection is thought as a whole.

e.g.- Crowd, class, army, herd etc.

Phrase & Sentence

Phrase & Sentence

Phrase: A phrase is a group of words which makes a sense but not a complete sense.

e.g. – The sun rises in the east.

The birds fly in the sky.

In the above mentioned examples the group of words (in the east & in the sky) has sense but not a complete sense so they are phrases.

Sentence: A sentence is a group of words that makes a complete sense.

e.g. – Gopal plays tennis every day.

I respect my parents.

Kinds of Sentences: There are five kinds of Sentences.

1.   Assertive sentence: A sentence that makes a statement or assertion is called an Assertive Sentence.

e.g. – I am going to school.

Honesty is the best policy.

2.   Interrogative Sentence : A sentence that asks a question is called an Interrogative Sentence.

e.g. – Where do you live?

Have you ever seen the Taj Mahal?

3.   Imperative sentence: A sentence that expresses a command, an advice or a request is called an Imperative Sentence.

e.g. – Stand up on the bench.

Take exercise daily.

Kindly close the door.