Refresh Your Grammar

2.9.1 Noun

2.9.1.1 Give the plurals of the following nouns

cow, glass, story, tomato, box, mouse, child, wish, friend, parent, piano, key, tooth, lorry, bus, monkey, house, way, clergyman, leaf, sheep, stepdaughter, datum, youth.

2.9.1.2 Complete these sentences with a singular or a plural verb

a) The children…... ready to school. (is getting/are getting)

b) My brother …….in the army. (is/are)

c) The cake ……delicious. (smell/smells)

d) The mice …….the cheese. (has eaten/have eaten)

e) The books we bought…….. expensive. (was/were)

f) Did you notice the picture that …….on the wall? (was hanging/were hanging)

g) The young man you met …….to college with my sister. (go/goes)

h) The letters you posted…… wrongly addressed. (was/were)

i) The woman they were meeting…telephoned to say she can't come. (has/have)

j) Mary and Peter, the couple I met last week, …invited us to dinner. (has/have)

2.9.2 Article

2.9.2.1 Where you find a noun phrase with a singular count noun but no determiner, put in a or an

a) In English a noun phrase with a singular count noun can hardly ever stand
on its own.

b) We have just bought new house with large garden.

c) My brother is teacher and I have cousin who works with young children as well.

d) Would you like biscuit or piece of cake?

e) I spoke to official and he gave me very good advice.

2.9.2.2 Explain the use of the

Three learned Christian monks were travelling through Turkey hoping to meet the wisest man in the whole country. The monks explained that they wanted to meet him because they each had a question to ask him. The sultan sent for Nasreddin Hodja who came to the palace at once. The first monk stepped up and asked his question.

'Where is the centre of the earth?' 'At this moment the centre of the earth is exactly below the front right foot of my donkey.'

'How can you possibly know that?' asked the monk.

'If you measure the earth carefully you will find that I am correct replied Hodja.

The second monk stepped up and asked his question.

'How many stars are there in the sky?'

'As many as there are hairs on my donkey,' replied Hodja. 'As you will see if you count them.'

The third monk came forward. 'How many hairs are there in my beard?' he asked.

'That is easy said Hodja. 'As many as there are hairs in the donkey's tail. If you do not believe me step forward and we can pull out the hairs from your beard and the hairs from the donkey's tail one by one and count them.'

The third monk was not very keen on this idea so he had to admit he was beaten, so every one could see that Hodja was the wisest man of all.

2.9.3 The verb “to be”

2.9.3.1 Fill the gaps with “to be” in Present Indefinite

a)... these women old?

b) My teacher... a professional person.

c) Ann... absent today

d) These... knives and forks.

e) His son.....ill.

f) What colour... those desks?

g) What... this? This...a dean's office.

h) Who... they? They... students.

2.9.3.2 Read and translate these sentences