Practice Makes Perfect: Intermediate English Grammar for ESL Learners, Third Edition

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Contents

Preface

1   The sentence

Noun phrases

Verb phrases

Modifiers

2   The verb phrase

Auxiliary verbs

3   The verb

Linking verbs

Irregular verbs

Tenses

4   The progressive tenses

The present progressive

The past progressive

The future progressive

5   The perfect tenses

The present perfect

The past perfect

The future perfect

6   Modal auxiliaries

Shades of meaning

Special auxiliaries

7   The progressive forms of modal auxiliaries

8   The auxiliary verb do

Using do in questions

Using do in negative sentences

9   The passive voice

Using the passive

10   The passive form of modal auxiliaries

The future tense

The past tense

11   The stative passive

Adjectives and participles

The progressive form vs. the stative passive

Prepositions

12   Past participles with get

13   Participial adjectives

Present participles

Past participles

14   Subject-verb agreement

Third-person singular and plural

The verb be

Expressions of quantity

Collective nouns

Auxiliary verbs

Complex sentences

15   Agreement with nouns

Personal pronouns and collective nouns

Indefinite pronouns

Complex nouns

16   Using other

Adjectives

Pronouns

17   Gerunds

Distinguishing gerunds from present participles

The possessive

18   Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions

Conjunctions and their meaning

Correlative conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions

Adverbs that act as conjunctions

19   Prepositions

Compound prepositions

Noun and pronoun objects

More than one prepositional phrase

20   Adjectives and adverbs

Adjectives

Adverbs

21   Filler subjects and impersonal subjects

Filler subjects

Impersonal subjects

22   Clauses

Independent clauses

Dependent clauses

Relative clauses

23   Punctuation

The period

The comma

The semicolon

The colon

The question mark

The exclamation point

The apostrophe

Quotation marks

The hyphen and the dash

Parentheses and brackets

24   Capitalization, numbers, and italics

Capitalization

Numbers

Italics

APPENDIX Review exercises

Answer key

Preface

Grammar can be frustrating to master as you try to learn a language. This book was written to be easily accessible to students of English as a second language. Practice Makes Perfect: Intermediate English Grammar for ESL Learners is designed to help beginner- and intermediate-level learners hone their grammatical skills to the point where they are comfortable with English grammar. Technical terminology has been kept to a minimum, and simple terms are used wherever possible. As a result, you will be able to focus on learning new material.

You have already begun your study of English grammar. This book will provide you with a higher-level look at that grammar. The numerous examples provide models on which you can rely to form your own original sentences. The many practical exercises give you the opportunity to practice what you have learned. Be sure to use the answer key to check your work. And this second edition is supported by additional review questions in the McGraw-Hill Education Language Lab app.

As you progress through this book, you will find that your confidence in using English is growing, and by the time you finish the book, you will be one major step closer to being a fluent speaker and writer.

The sentence

In formal spoken or written English, every sentence must be complete. The basic rule is that all sentences must have a subject (S), which can be a pronoun, a noun, or a noun phrase, and a verb (V), which can also be a verb phrase. In many cases, the verb can be followed by a direct object (O). Consider the following examples.

She works. (S) + (V)

Fish swim. (S) + (V)

The children played. (S) + (V)

The bus driver needs a break. (S) + (V) + (O)

My mother liked the movie. (S) + (V) + (O)

Every sentence must have a subject. The imperative sentence is an exception to this basic rule, because the subject, you, is understood. Imperative sentences are used to instruct someone to do something.

Go to class.

Pick up your mess, please.

Read objective newspapers.

Verbs that do not require a direct object are called intransitive verbs. Some common intransitive verbs are exist and rise. They are typically used with prepositional phrases, as illustrated in the following examples.

It is possible that life existed on Mars millions of years ago.

Black smoke rose from the burning tires.

Rewrite each verb phrase as a complete sentence by adding a subject.

1.   Were eating an Italian specialty. ____________________________

2.   Have worked in Austin for two years. ____________________________

3.   Purchased it last week. ____________________________

4.   Is awful. ____________________________

5.   Looks comfortable. ____________________________

6.   Went to the theater. ____________________________

Noun phrases

The subject of a sentence can be a noun phrase, which can be simple or complex. The subject can be one word or a group of words that includes a noun together with other words that provide information about the noun. Some noun phrases can be quite complex. Consider the following sentences.

The boy went to the playground.

The lively boy went to the playground.

The lively boy next door went to the playground.

No matter how complex a noun phrase is, it still remains the subject of the sentence and determines the form of the verb. The verb in the sentences above is went.

Underline the subject(s) in each sentence.

1.   Children ought to be more careful.

2.   Water is good for you.

3.   Prague is an amazing and historic Eastern European city.

4.   The furry, clean, calm cat slept on the couch.

5.   The furry, clean, calm, black cat ran outside.

6.   The furry, clean, calm, black cat with a scar jumped on the counter.

7.   The big, ugly, dirty, brown bear with long ears and large claws attacked a hunter.

8.   She read a magazine yesterday.

9.   Peter went to the circus.

10.   Lending money and giving too much advice can cause problems.

Verb phrases

The verb in a sentence can also appear in a verb phrase.

He has often spoken of you.

She will not be able to understand this document.

Sometimes extra information is added before the subject and verb, or between the subject and the verb. This information is often adverbial. In the first example below, the adverbial phrases tell where, how frequently, and when the action took place. In the second example, the adverbial phrase tells why and when the action took place.

In Pennsylvania, Marc often went running in the morning.

Marc, because he was feeling unhealthy, went running in the morning.

In both of these examples, when we ask the question Who went running? the answer is Marc—the subject of both sentences. The added information is that he often ran in the morning when he was in Pennsylvania, and that he ran because he felt unhealthy.

Underline both the subject and the verb or verb phrase in each sentence.

1.   The big, brown dog sitting in the shade is hungry.

2.   I always drink coffee in the morning before work.

3.   After getting to the hotel room, Saul ordered room service.

4.   The youth hostels we stayed in while we were in Budapest weren’t too expensive.

5.   My professor, after noticing that I had been studying hard, was nicer to me.

6.   Maybe her father is sicker than you think.

7.   In the future, presidential elections will be held on the Internet.

8.   After the show, the people who were sitting in the front row got up.

Modifiers

There are many types of sentence modifiers. Among the most important are adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases.

Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns.

That striped snake is poisonous.

Our new neighbor is a professional basketball player.

He is old.

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.

She seldom wrote after she moved away.

The severely wounded man was taken to the hospital.

The witness spoke very nervously about the robbery.

Prepositional phrases can modify nouns or verbs.

The man in the garden is a police officer.

For many years they lived in Mexico.

Complete each sentence with an appropriate modifier: adjective, adverb, or prepositional phrase.

1.   ____________________________ he headed for home on foot.

2.   Do you recognize the ____________________________ man on the corner?

3.   She ____________________________ speaks to me anymore.

4.   ____________________________ I was at Macy’s hoping to buy a ____________________________ dress.

5.   He took her advice very ____________________________.

6.   ____________________________, we ____________________________ go skiing in Colorado.

7.   Your ____________________________ brother plays the piano ____________________________.

8.   Please speak ____________________________. I’m trying to nap.

9.   Yesterday, I saw a ____________________________ accident ____________________________.

10.   My sister is a ____________________________ competent lawyer.

The verb phrase

It is impossible to compose a correct sentence without using a proper verb. The verb is at the very foundation of a sentence. The verb phrase may be composed of only one word or it may have related parts. Consider the following examples.

Angela had to go to Chicago.

The boys are fishing at the creek.

Someone should repair that window.

Sometimes, the related parts are composed of more than one word. In the examples above, the verbs are go, fish, and repair, and the related parts are had to, are, and should.

Underline the verb phrase in each sentence, whether the verb phrase is composed of a verb alone or a verb and related parts.

1.   He doesn’t go to meetings on Tuesdays.

2.   He goes to the park with his dog.

3.   She is heading out to school.

4.   He never washes the dishes.

5.   She is going to the theater tonight.

6.   He has traveled to Spain before.

7.   She has been practicing yoga for two years now.

8.   He has to be at the train station by 8 A.M.

9.   She goes to school in Chicago.

10.   She had visited Chicago many times.

11.   She is going to travel to Chicago.

Auxiliary verbs

Some sentences contain a single verb (for example, go), while other sentences include a related part before the main verb (for example, a form of be + a form of the verb go). Auxiliary verbs are among the related parts that can form a verb phrase; in some grammar books, they are called helping verbs. The second example below illustrates the verb be used as an auxiliary.

She goes to class.

She is going to class.

The first sentence contains a form of the single verb go. In the second example, however, the sentence also contains the verb go, but this time it has a related part, the auxiliary verb is, which precedes the verb in its present participle form (is going).

Auxiliary verbs change how a verb is used. Such changes can affect the tense, mood, or even the meaning of the verb.

The auxiliary be can be used in any tense, and in every tense the main verb is in the form of a present participle.

The auxiliary verb have is used with a past participle to form the present perfect or past perfect tense.

She has lived here all her life.

They have been working on the problem all day.

Martin had never seen a kangaroo before.

She had been napping when the fire broke out.

The auxiliary do/did is used with a basic verb to form a question, a negative statement with not, or an emphatic statement. Do is used in the present tense, and did in the past tense.

Do you understand Arabic?

Did Mr. Keller sell that old car yet?

You don’t have enough money to buy that CD.

You’re wrong. I do have enough money.

But you did not have enough money yesterday.

Modal auxiliaries

Some auxiliary verbs are called modal auxiliaries. They are used with a verb to show the degree of obligation of the action of the verb. Two important modal auxiliaries are have to and should.

Do you have to play the radio so loud?

Mary has to stay at home today.

Dad, you shouldn’t work so hard in this heat.

Why should I care?

Underline the auxiliary verb in each sentence.

1.   He does attend meetings on Tuesdays.

2.   He is walking to the park with his dog.

3.   She is leaving for summer camp on Sunday.

4.   Alberto has gone to Cuba.

5.   He has traveled to the south of Spain for years.

6.   She should go alone this time.

7.   He has to walk faster.

Rewrite each sentence three times: (1) with be and a present participle, (2) in the present perfect tense, and (3) with the modal auxiliary should.

1.   James tries on a pair of pants.

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

2.   I live on about a hundred dollars a week.

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

3.   Father scolds the children.

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

4.   Does she work hard?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

5.   The conductor waits on the platform.

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

The verb

Verbs are words that express action. They can express tense (the time at which the action occurred) and voice. The voice can be active (where the subject performs the action) or passive (where the subject is placed in a passive position in the sentence).

The most common verb tenses are the present, past, and future. Each of these tenses has a progressive, habitual, and perfect form.

Linking verbs

A linking verb connects a subject and a subject complement, a word that describes or clarifies the subject. The most commonly used linking verb is the verb be. Consider the following examples.

Table tennis is fun.

Their grandfather was a war hero.

Other words commonly used as linking verbs are appear, seem, look, feel, sound, taste, and smell.

You seem a little unhappy today.

That woman looks rather sick.

This sweater feels warm.

Her meatloaf smells great!

Linking verbs are intransitive. They do not have direct objects. Notice that the verb in each of the following examples is a transitive verb with the direct object flower.

The little girl smelled the flower.

No one wanted to buy a flower from her.

I only sold one flower today.

To identify the direct object in a sentence, ask what or whom of the verb: What did the little girl smell? What did no one want to buy? What did I sell today? The answer to each question is flower, the direct object. Linking verbs never have a direct object.

Complete each sentence with an appropriate linking verb.

1.   Her suggestion ____________________________ useful at the time.

2.   Barbara ____________________________ very different with her new haircut.

3.   From here, clouds ____________________________ fluffy like cotton balls.

4.   Chocolate éclairs ____________________________ my favorite pastry.

5.   This honey ____________________________ wonderful.

6.   That idea ____________________________ crazy to them.

7.   Peter told me he ____________________________ sick today.

Most verbs have five forms:

   Base form. This is the verb in its original form, the form you find in the dictionary. Run, study, eat, think, write, fall, open, and ask are verbs in their base form.

   Third-person singular form: base form + -s (or -es). This form is used with he, she, or it in the present tense. Runs, studies, eats, thinks, writes, falls, opens, and asks are verbs in the third-person singular form.

   Past tense form. This form can be regular or irregular. The regular past tense is the base form + -ed. Studied, opened, and asked are verbs in the regular past tense form. There are fewer