Penguin2. I went to the doctor yesterday. He gave me .a. Candy b. medicine c. hospital3. The works hard in the fields all day.a. Police officer b. farmer c. salesperson4. I helped my younger with his homework. A. sister b. uncle c. brotherExercise 2Choose the best answers.1. PERSON:letter France firefighter2. PLACE:apartment time tennis3. THING:sweater grandparents fun4. IDEA:fear garage stomachExercise 3Circle the correct answers.1. Doctor Smith has an office in the city.2. We don t have any time.3. John bought coffee, milk, and sugar at the store.4. My mother put a cake in the oven. Exercise 1Underline the nouns. Practice 28 Unit 1 Nouns and ArticlesExercise 5Circle all the nouns and write them in the correct boxes.tree house boredom go girlswim Mr. Smith love run campleave sad school dad truckteach printer cards catch havefriendship fun brother room walkExercise 4Listen and put a check for each type of noun you hear. PeoplePlaces Things Ideas1. 2.3.Places People Things Ideas Track 2Part A 9Grammar in Usetiger parents animals manes lion zoos stripesExercise 6Complete the sentences with words from the box.1. Ligers are small. TF2. Some ligers have manes. TF3. Ligers only live in Africa. TF4. Ligers don t have stripes. TFExercise 7Read the statements about Exercise 6. Circle T for true or F for false. A liger is an amazing animal. It is a mix between a 1. And a2. . Ligers only live in 3. . They are bigger thantheir 4. . Ligers have 5. Like a tiger. Someligers have long hairy 6. Like lions. Ligers are the largest catsin the world. They really are amazing 7. ! Countable and UncountableNounsPart B10 Unit 1 Nouns and ArticlesGrammar ExplanationPreviewA: These cookies are delicious!B: Thanks. Here is your lemonade. A: Thank you. Wow!


Countable and UncountableNounsPart B10 Unit 1 Nouns and ArticlesGrammar ExplanationPreviewA: These cookies are delicious!B: Thanks. Here is your lemonade. A: Thank you. Wow! It s sour!B: Yes, it is! Let s add some sugar. A: Good idea. Nouns can be either countable or uncountable. Countable nouns represent things that can be countedI bought eleven CDs and a new book.as individuals. Use a, many, few, or numbers We saw many cars and a few vans.before countable nouns. Countable nouns: apple, ant, bag, book, cat, chair, donut, friend, house, jacket, map, neighbor, page,question, raft, stoveUncountable nouns represent things that cannot beI had some soup before dinner.counted as individuals. Use much, little, some or any I didn t have any coffee. For negatives and questions before uncountable nouns. Did you have any fun at the zoo?Yes, we had some fun at the zoo. Uncountable nouns: bread, cheese, coffee, food, fruit, furniture, homework, mail, meat, milk, music, paper, rice, soup, water Some and any can also be used with countable nouns. Any is used for questions and negatives. Someis used when the exact number is not known or is not important. Example: Do you have any apples? Yes, we have some apples in the fridge. 1. The keeps her in a 2. The tailor cut some cloth.3. I filled my cup with juice.4. He had cereal for breakfast.5. The team scored five goals. Part B 11Practice 1Exercise 1Write the nouns in the correct box.book bread teacherwoodmusic country gold monkeyboy ice tooth erasersugar juice rain cupCountable Nouns Uncountable Nouns Exercise 2Underline the nouns and write C for countable or U for uncountable.woman jewelrybox. CUC1. Sugar juice sandwich soup2. Notebook CD pencil paper3. Chair wood money glue4. Ice cream cereal cookie riceExercise 3Circle the odd words. Practice 212 Unit 1 Nouns and ArticlesExercise 4Listen and circle the correct answers. Then number the pictures.1.


Ice cream cereal cookie riceExercise 3Circle the odd words. Practice 212 Unit 1 Nouns and ArticlesExercise 4Listen and circle the correct answers. Then number the pictures.1. We had two some fried chicken for lunch.2. He locked a much door with a key.3. He ate some any pasta for dinner.4. Are there any much chickens on the road? Yes, there are two. Exercise 5Fix the mistake in each sentence.1. I drank any water yesterday. 2. She is buying twelve eggs and much apples. 3. There was too many butter on my popcorn. Exercise 6Write sentences about yourself. Change the underlined words.1. I had an apple, a sandwich, and milk for lunch yesterday. 2. I don t have any brothers, but I have three sisters. Track 3Part B 13Grammar in UseExercise 7Complete the sentences with words from the box.salt and peppermeatsome lettuce, cheese, fresh breada big bitemayonnaiseFirst, you need 1. . Then, you spread some butteror 2. On the bread. Next, you put some 3. Or turkey on the bread. Then, you add 4. And tomato. If you want, you can add some 5. . Finally, you cut your sandwich in half and take 6. ! Making a SandwichFirst, . Then, you . Next, you put . Then, you add .Finally, you and take a big bite!Making a SandwichExercise 8Make your own sandwich using different ingredients. IDEASmustard ketchuppickles chickenmeat onionolives tuna14 Unit 1 Nouns and ArticlesPart C PossessivesGrammar ExplanationPreviewI went to my friend s house yesterday. Westudied for over two hours in her father s office. After we finished, her brother took us for somepizza in their parents car. Their father is theowner of the restaurant.


The computer belonged to my friend. John saw our teacher s car. Who ate his French fries?Exercise 2Rewrite the sentences using apostrophes.1. Who ate John s French fries? 2. We borrowed Nick and Tom s pool cues. 3. I lost Sarah s keys. 4. John ripped his book, and I ripped my book. Exercise 3Make sentences using possessive adjectives.1. I have one sister. Yesterday, I walked my sisters dog to the park.2. I don t like my brother new girlfriend.3. My family bought a pet parrot. The parrots color is very unusual.4. My sister doesn t like the color off the parrot. Exercise 1Fix the mistake in each sentence. Practice 1Practice 216 Unit 1 Nouns and Articles1. Who has the cap? John Kelly2. Who has the keys? John Sarah3. Who has the bag? Kelly Peter4. Who has the books? Peter the studentsExercise 4Listen and choose the correct answers. The mother of the bride is collecting gifts.1. The bride s mother is collecting gifts. 2. My friend s sister speaks German. 3. The queen of England is very old. 4. The friends of my sister are very nice. 5. The eyes of that kitten are cute. Exercise 6Change the form of the sentences.1. The eyes fish are very unusual.2. The collar has a tag on it. 3. The cell phone battery has no power.4. The owner boat is smiling. Exercise 5Complete the sentences using the pictures. Track 4Part C 17Grammar in UseSunday s game of the team s goalkeeper John s ballExercise 7Fill in the blanks in the conversation.1. Tom has John s ball. TF2. Tom took John s ball on Saturday. TF3. The final is on Sunday. TF4. One team s goalkeeper is injured. TFExercise 8Read the statements about Exercise 7. Circle T for true or F for false. Tom: Hey, do you have John s ball?Nick: Yes, 1. Is at my house.


One team s goalkeeper is injured. TFExercise 8Read the statements about Exercise 7. Circle T for true or F for false. Tom: Hey, do you have John s ball?Nick: Yes, 1. Is at my house. I took it onSaturday. Tom: Great, we will need it for 2. .Nick: Oh yes---for the league final. Wehave a great chance! The other 3. Isinjured. Tom: I really want to win! The winners 4. League get one hundred dollars! 18 Unit 1 Nouns and ArticlesPart D Articles and Generic StatementsA is for singular nouns. It goes in front of consonant sounds. An is for singular nouns. It goes in front of vowel sounds. The is for singular or plural nouns and goesin front of consonant or vowel sounds. The is used for things that are alreadyknown or introduced. The is also usedwhen the noun it precedes is the only oneof its kind. ArticlesA zebra has stripes. Nick eats a sandwich. She teaches at a university. The u has a y sound. We will meet them in an hour. The h is silent. John sees an airplane. You need an umbrella. Nick eats a sandwich. The sandwich is delicious. John sees an airplane. The airplane is in the sky. The moon is in the sky. There is only one moon andone sky. Some apples are in the fridge. Most people only haveone fridge in their homes. Generic statements are sentences that provide information that is true most or all of the time. Generic statements often use the verb Be. Some generic statements use the verb Have. Other generic statements use verbs that describe a state or condition. Other state or condition verbs: look, smell, taste, sound, like, love, hate, think, believeGeneric StatementsI am a student. She is tall. They are my parents. Insects have six legs. He has blue eyes. Candy tastes sweet. Feathers feel soft. Grammar ExplanationPreviewEagles are very beautiful birds. There is an eaglein the zoo. He has a big cage. There is an ostrichnext to him. The ostrich is from Africa. Part D 191. My dad bought me a an -- new cell phone.2. It took me a an -- hour to choose it.3. It has a an -- expensive digital camera in it.4.


A cheetah cheetahs once, but it was in 6. A the zoo. Part D 21Grammar in UseExercise 7Complete the sentences with a, an, the, or --.1. Alligators have strong tails. TF2. Alligators are good pets for kids. TF3. Alligators swim well. TF4. Alligators live in many parts of the world. TFExercise 8Read the statements about Exercise 7. Circle T for true or F for false. 1. Alligators are very dangerous animals. They come fromall parts of 2. World. There are many alligators in Florida in3. US. 4. Alligators are great swimmers. 5. Strong tail helps alligators 6. Swim. Analligator can kill 7. Person. Stay away from 8. Them! 22 Unit 1 Nouns and Articles ReviewPart EA: What do you have in your pocket?B: I have an MP3 player. A: I like the color. Where did you get it?B: Thanks. I got it at an electronics store. Exercise 1Practice the conversations with a partner. Change roles for each conversation.1. The moon is far from an the Earth.2. I like Nick s Nicks new sweater.3. A white tiger is a an extremely rare animal.4. The winner of the of competition won a nice painting.5. Nick likes his computer. He got it for his Nick s birthday. Exercise 2Choose the correct answers.1.2.3.pocket an MP3 player hand a ring bag a CD playerthe color get the design buy the shape winan electronics store a jewelry store a competitionCountable1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Uncountable6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Exercise 3Complete the lists with things you have at home.a bedtapeThe first step is the hardest. ProverbExercise 4Complete the crossword. Exercise 6Write the nouns in the correct boxes.joy Italy police officer computer Justin time city hot chocolatePlaces People Things Ideas Down1.


9. 10. Exercise 3Complete the lists with things you have at home.a bedtapeThe first step is the hardest. ProverbExercise 4Complete the crossword. Exercise 6Write the nouns in the correct boxes.joy Italy police officer computer Justin time city hot chocolatePlaces People Things Ideas Down1.I will go to a after I finish high school.2.An is similar to a crocodile.3.A fixes teeth. Across4.A waiter serves food in a .5.A flies airplanes. Review 23My family goes 1. Camping every year. Wealways make 2. Big fire. Then, we cookdinner over 3. Fire. After dinner, we play4. Games and talk. It s fun. I look at5. Moon and 6. Stars. Exercise 5Complete the sentences with a, an, the, or --.4.3.5.1.2.


Participial Phrases........................................... Infinitive phrases............................................ CHAPTER FOUR: SENTENCES........................................ What is a sentence?........................................ Sentence Fragments....................................... Objects........................................................... Complements................................................. Types of sentences......................................... Simple sentences............................................ Compound sentences...................................... Complex sentences......................................... Declarative sentences..................................... Interrogative sentences................................... Exclamatory sentences..................................... Imperatives sentences..................................... Conditional sentences...................................... Direct and indirect speech................................ Question tags.................................................. CHAPTER FIVE: CAPITALIZATION AND PUNTUATION........ Capitalization................................................... Punctuation..................................................... End marks....................................................... The comma...................................................... The Semicolon and the Colon............................ The Hypen........................................................ The Apostrophe................................................ Quotation Marks............................................... www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 5 PREFACE This book has been specially prepared to meet the needs of Secondary School Students and learners of English as a second language. It embarks on enlightening them on the nature and structure of the English Grammar in a very simplified and understandable manner. English is the official language and the main medium of instruction in many countries in the world. Besides this, it is an examinable subject in many national examinations. Hence this book will certainly come handy for many people in the world. Numerous exercises have been provided after every single topic to give the students a chance to practice and test their understanding of the areas discussed. Answers to those exercises are provided at the back of this book. It is my hope that this book will simplify the English grammar for all who read it. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 6 PART ONE PARTS OF SPEECH All words may be classified into groups called parts of speech. There are 8 parts of speech namely: Nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections. We shall now discuss these parts of speech one at a time: CHAPTER ONE 1. NOUNS A noun is the part of speech that names a person, a place, a thing or an idea. You use nouns every day when you speak or write. Every day you probably use thousands of nouns. Because nouns name the objects and people and places around you, it would be very difficult to talk about anything at all without them.


You use nouns every day when you speak or write. Every day you probably use thousands of nouns. Because nouns name the objects and people and places around you, it would be very difficult to talk about anything at all without them. Many nouns name things you can see: www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 7 Persons Places Things Boy Lake Boot Student Country Shadow John Kamau Nairobi Chair Stranger Jupiter Sweater Writer Kenyatta Market Calendar Barrack Obama Sierra Leone Short story Note: Nouns can be two or more words e.g. John Kamau, Kenyatta Market and Short story. They are called compound nouns. We shall learn more about them in coming pages. Some nouns name things you cannot see such as feelings, ideas and characteristics: Feelings Ideas Characteristics Excitement Freedom Curiosity Fear Justice Cowardice Anger Fantasy Courage Happiness Faith Imagination Surprise Evil Self-confidence Exercise 1 What words in each sentence below are nouns? Example: John is a dancer John, dancer 1. The students planned a party. 2. Three boys performed songs. 3. Excitement filled the air. 4. Joyce Chepkemoi won a prize. 5. Otieno lives in a house on my street. Exercise 2 Copy the nouns below and write whether it names a person, a place, a thing, or an idea. Example: river place 1. Candle 5. Guitar 2. Wrestle 6. China 3. Joy 7. Hatred 4. Menengai Crater 8. Masanduku Arap Simiti Exercise 3 Write down each noun in the following sentences. Example: Kenya is a beautiful country Kenya, country 1. The musicians played drums and trumpets. 2. Her family lives in a village. 3. Petronilla enjoyed the trip. 4. A festival was held in Kenyatta University. 5. People in costumes filled the streets. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 8 6. Boys in Scouts uniforms were leading the parade. 7. The holiday was a great excitement. 8. A taxi brought the family to the airport. 9. Maryanne built a huge castle in the wet sand. 10. Her mother swam in the warm water. There are different kinds of nouns: 1.1. Common and proper nouns All nouns can be described as either common or proper.


Her mother swam in the warm water. There are different kinds of nouns: 1.1. Common and proper nouns All nouns can be described as either common or proper. When you talk or write about a person, a place, a thing, or an idea in general, you use a common noun. Example: Doctors work hard. They treat many patients. A proper noun is the name of a particular person, place, thing, or idea. Proper nouns always begin with capital letters. Example: Ephraim Maree is a doctor. He comes from Kirinyaga. Note: When a proper noun is made up of more than one word, only the important words in the noun will begin with a capital letter. Do not capitalize words such as the, of, or for. Example: Gulf of Mexico, State of Liberty, the Commander in Chief. Common and Proper Nouns Common nouns Proper nouns Common nouns Proper nouns street Kerugoya city Raila Odinga author South Africa ocean Wanjohi wa Kigogo-ini policeman Asia bed Moi Avenue country Indian Ocean wardrobe Lake Victoria mountain England continent Dr. Frank Njenga lake Nelson Mandela assistant Professor Saitoti Proper nouns are important to good writing. They make your writing more specific, and therefore clearer. Exercise 4 Which words are proper nouns and should be capitalised? Which words are common nouns? Example: kenya Proper: Kenya 1. July 6. Student 11. America 2. Book 7. Kendu bay 12. Business 3. Face 8. John hopkins 13. Day 4. England 9. Life 14. East africa 5. Crocodiles 10. Johannesburg 15. Calendar Exercise 5 www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 9 List the common nouns and the proper nouns in each of the following sentences. Example: Nancy welcomed the guests. Proper: Nancy common: guests 1. Lucky Dube was a famous singer. 2. This dancer has performed in London and Paris. 3. His last flight was over the Mediterranean Sea. 4. She worked as a nurse during the Second World War. 5. Her goal was to educate students all over the world. 6. It was the worst accident in the history of Europe. 7. Bill Gates is best known for founding Microsoft. 8. The Pilot was the first woman to cross that ocean alone. 9.


8. The Pilot was the first woman to cross that ocean alone. 9. She grabbed a kettle and brought them water. 10. Professor Wangari Maathai won a Nobel Peace Prize. 1.2 Singular and Plural Nouns A noun may be either singular or plural. A singular noun names one person, place, thing, or idea. Example: The farmer drove to the market in his truck. A plural noun names more than one person, place, thing or idea. Example: The farmers drove to the markets in their trucks. Rules for forming plurals The following are guidelines for forming plurals: 1. To form the plural of most singular nouns, add -s. Examples: Street streets, house houses, painter painters, shelter shelters, event- events, hospital hospitals. 2. When a singular noun ends in s, sh, ch, x, or z, add - es. Examples: dress-dresses, brush-brushes, ax-axes, coach-coaches, box boxes, benchbenches, dish-dishes, waltz waltzes. 3. When a singular noun ends in o, add -s to make it plural. Examples: Piano-pianos, solo-solos, cameo cameos, concerto concertos, patiopatios, studio-studios, radio-radios, rodeo rodeos. 4. For some nouns ending with a consonant and o, add -es. Examples: hero heroes, potato potatoes, echo-echoes, veto vetoes, tomato tomatoes. 5. When a singular noun ends with a consonant and y, change the y to i and add -es. Examples: Library libraries, activity activities, story stories, city cities, berry berries. 6. When a singular noun ends with a vowel a,e,i,o,u followed by y, just add -s. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 10 Examples: Valley valleys, essay essays, alley alleys, survey surveys, joy joys. 7. To form the plural of many nouns ending in f or fe, change the f to v and add -es or s. Examples: Wife wives, thief thieves, loaf loaves, half halves, shelf shelves, leaf leaves, scarf scarves, life lives, calf calves, elf elves. 8.


Tomato 6. The are playing in the field. Child 7. Some are hiding in the ceiling. Mouse 8. The of the buildings must be repaired. Roof 9. The music helped them imagine the strange . Story 10. Koech used creative to help young people sharpen their imagination. Activity Countable and Uncountable Nouns Countable Nouns These are nouns that take plurals and can be counted. Examples: www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 11 Egg eggs One egg, three eggs , ten eggs Potato - Potatoes Twenty potatoes Onion - Onions Two hundred onions Such nouns are known as COUNTABLE or COUNT NOUNS Uncountable Nouns These are nouns that do not take plurals and cannot be counted. Examples : salt, butter, cooking fat, milk, bread, jam We do not say: Two butters Ten milks Three breads Such nouns are known as UNCOUNTABLE or MASS NOUNS Exercise 8 Rewrite the words below in two columns, COUNTABLE and UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS Orange Coffee Furniture tea Water gold Chair team Friend music Plurals with uncountable Nouns One way to express plurals of uncountable nouns is by use of expressions of quantity. Example: a piece of information - pieces of information a loaf of bread - four loaves of bread a tin of soup - three tins of soup a piece of furniture - several pieces of furniture a litre of milk - twenty litres of milk a bottle of beer - ten bottles of beer Exercise 9 Supply an appropriate expression of quantity for the following uncountable nouns 1. A........................................... of cigarettes. 2. Two.................................... of cooking oil 3. Three.............................. of jam. 4. Ten............................of butter. 5. Six...........................of soda. 6. A........................... of toothpaste 7. Three..........................of rice. 8. Five ............................. of flour. 9. Two .............................. of chocolate. 10. Four.......................... of news. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 12 Collective Nouns These are nouns that represent a group of people or things as a single unit.


Four.......................... of news. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 12 Collective Nouns These are nouns that represent a group of people or things as a single unit. Some collective nouns can take plural forms Examples: Crowd s flock s Group s herd s Team s committee s Pair s Some collective nouns, however, cannot be used in the plural: Examples Furniture beddings Equipments informations Luggages baggages Exercise 10 When I arrived at the airport, there were ...............1.............. crowd of people blocking the entrance with their .................2.................. luggage . Near the customs sections, several...............3................. group of officials were standing, checking the ..................4.................. equipment that was being loaded onto a trolley. Most people were standing, waiting for... .............5................. information from the loundspeakers onthe departures and arrivals of aircraft. COMPOUND NOUNS A compound noun is a noun that is made up of two or more words. The words that form compound nouns may be joined together, separated or hyphenated. Examples: Joined: bookcase, blackboard, pushcart Separated: high school, rabbit hutch, radar gun Hyphenated: go-getter, mother-in-law, sergeant at-arms Compound nouns are usually a combination of two or moreword classes. The most common combinations are as follows; a some are formed by joining a noun with another noun. Most of these compound noun take their plurals in the last words. Examples: Tableroom s grassroot s prizefighter s Cubboard s policeman men rubber-stamp s Bookcase s farmhouse s sanitary towel s Cowshed s fruit machine s shoulder blade s b Some are formed by joining a verb and an adverb. Most of these compound nouns also take their plurals in the last words. Examples: www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 13 Breakfast s push-up s rundown s Takeaway s knockout s slip-up s Sit-up s meltdown s c Some compound nouns are formed by joining an adjective and a noun. Most of these also take their plurals in the last words.


Most of these compound nouns also take their plurals in the last words. Examples: www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 13 Breakfast s push-up s rundown s Takeaway s knockout s slip-up s Sit-up s meltdown s c Some compound nouns are formed by joining an adjective and a noun. Most of these also take their plurals in the last words. Examples: Hotdog s polar bear s safe guard s Blackboard s quicksand Highway s remote control s Nuclear power right angle s d Some are formed by joining a verb and a noun. Most of these also take their plurals in the last words. Examples: Driveway s playground s spend thrift s Breakdance pushchair s go-getter s Mincemeat screwdriver s Password s spare wheel s e Some ore formed by joining an adverb and a noun. Most of these also take their plural in the last words Examples: Overdraft s overcoats s backyards s Backbencher s undercoat s backbone s Backlog s underwear s oversight s f A few compound nouns are formed by joining an adverb and a verb. These ones also take their plurals in the last words. Examples: Outbreak s Backlash s Output s Outburst s Outcast s input s g A few others are formed by joining a noun and a verb. They also take their plurals in the last words Examples: Nosedive s Nightfall s h A number of compound nouns are formed by joining two nouns by use f hyphens and a short preposition in between. These compound nouns always take their plurals in the first words. Examples: Commander s - in- chief Sergeant s -at-arms Mother s -in-laws sister s -in-law Play s -within-play Exercise 11 Underline the compound nouns in the following sentences and write down their plural forms where possible. 1. John wants to be a quantity surveyor when he grows up. 2. Rainwater had washed away all the top soil. 3. The footballer was shown a red card by the referee. 4.


Boys, songs 3. Excitement, air 4. Joyce Chepkemoi, prize 5. Otieno, house, street Exercise 2 1. Candle thing 5. Guitar thing 2. Wrestler person 6. China place 3. Joy idea 7. Hatred idea 4. Menengai Crater place 8. Masanduku arap Simiti person Exercise 3 1. Musicians, drums, trumpets 2. Family, village 3. Petronilla, trip 4. Festival, Kenyatta University 5. People, costumes, streets 6. Boys, Scouts, sniforms, parade 7. Holiday, excitement 8. Taxi, family, airport 9. Maryanne, castle, sand 10. Mother, water www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 17 Exercise 4 Proper nouns Common nouns July book England face Kendu Bay crocodiles John Hopkins student Johannesburg life America business East Africa day calendar Exercise 5 1. Proper Lucky Dube Common singer 2. Proper London, Paris Common dancer 3. Proper Mediterranean sea Common flight 4. Proper Second World War Common nurse 5. Common goal, students, world 6. Proper Europe Common accident 7. Proper Bill Gates, Microsoft 8. Common pilot, woman, ocean 9. Common kettle, water 10. Proper Professor Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize Exercise 6 1. Tooth teeth 9. Cliffs 17. Moose 25. Bosses 2. Wives 10. Deer 18. Children 26. Foxes 3. Giraffes 11. Cliff 19. Echoes 27. Bunches 4. Heroes 12. Autos 20. Babies 28. Ferries 5. Radios 13. Studios 21. Skies 29. Flashes 6. Potatoes 14. Men 22. Beaches 30. Ships 7. Beliefs 15. Roofs 23. Eyes 8. Thieves 16. Rodeos 24. Volcanoes volcanos Exercise 7 1. Knives 6.


Rodeos 24. Volcanoes volcanos Exercise 7 1. Knives 6. Children 2. Potatoes 7. Mice 3. Geese 8. Roofs www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 18 4. Shelves 9. Stories 5. Tomatoes 10. Activities Exercise 8 1. The lion s tail 2. Cliff s dog 3. My mother s hat 4. Evan s book 5. The child s pet 6. The doll s name 7. Lucy s mobile phone 8. Kimani s shoes 9. The fox s teeth 10. My friend s rabbit Exercise 9 1. Cook s aprons 6. Women s sports 2. Men s boots 7. Carpenter s nails 3. Countries flags 8. Sailors uniforms 4. Guests coats 9. Musicians instruments 5. Athlete s medals 10. Neighbours pets Exercise 10 1. The couple s wealth 2. A men s team, a women s team 3. The teams uniforms 4. The athletes shirts 5. The team-mates scores 6. Their friends cheers 7. The coaches whistles 8. The children s eyes 9. Their mothers soothing voices 10. Their neighbours house www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 19 PRONOUNS A pronoun is a part of speech that takes the place of a noun. They include such words as I, we, he, she, thy, me and us. Pronouns enable you to avoid repeating the same names nouns , when writing or speaking, which would otherwise make you sound very awkward and wordy. By using pronouns effectively, you can make your writing and speaking flow smoothly. Pronouns can be classified into 6 types. These are personal, indefinite, demonstrative, interrogative, reflexive and intensive pronouns. 2.1 Personal pronouns A personal pronoun is a word that is used in place of a noun or another pronoun. They are used to refer to nouns that name persons or things. Example: Awkward Kamau put on Kamau s gum boots. Then Kamau went to the shamba. Improved Kamau put on his gum boots.


Examples: She is a painter subject form He praised her. Object form It is her best painting. Possessive form Subject Pronouns A subject pronoun takes the place of a noun as the subject of a sentence. These pronouns are: i Singular forms I, you, he, she, it ii Plural forms we, you, they Examples: Noun Subject Pronoun The housegirl takes care of the baby She takes care of the baby The dog guards the house It guards the house Mark and Francis love swimming They love swimming Subject pronouns also appear after forms of the linking verbs be. Examples: The watchman today is he. The composers were they. Exercise 1 Underline the subject pronouns in the following sentences. Example: She ate a water melon 1. They ate fish and chips. 2. We like Italian food. 3. It is delicious. 4. The biggest eater was he. 5. You helped in the cooking. 6. The cooks were Tom and I. Exercise 2 Replace the underlined words with subject pronouns. Example: Pio and Gama are friends - They www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 21 1. The glasses were under the table. 2. Emma fed the chicken. 3. The pears were juicy. 4. Uncle Ben and Lillian visited the orphans. 5. The new waitress is Jane. 6. The fastest runners were Tecla and Kirui. 7. Lisa went to the hall. 8. The chicken was slaughtered. 9. Lucky Dube and Brenda Fasie were South African Singers. 10. Samuel Wanjiru has won many athletics medals. Object pronouns Object pronouns can replace nouns used after action verbs. These pronouns are: i Singular me, you, him, her, it ii Plural us, you them Examples: The driver drove him. Direct object The parents thanked us. Direct object The reporters asked him many questions. Indirect object In the above examples, the personal pronouns are the direct or indirect objects of the verbs before them. Object pronouns can also replace nouns after prepositions such as to, for, with, in, at or by. That is, they can be objects of prepositions. Examples: Gladys waved to them. Object of a preposition The delivery is for me.


That is, they can be objects of prepositions. Examples: Gladys waved to them. Object of a preposition The delivery is for me. Ben went with them to the theatre. Exercise 3 Choose the correct pronoun in the brackets in the following sentences. Example: Irungu photographed us, we . Us 1. Lisa asked he, him for a picture. 2. Adam sketched Lisa and I, me . 3. He gave a photo to us, we . 4. Ann and she, her saw Dave and Bob. 5. Adam drew Lisa and they, them . 6. Mark helped I, me with the packing. 7. Loise praised him, he for his good work. 8. Everyone spotted they, them easily. 9. That night Mike played the guitar for us, we . 10. We, Us drove with they, them to the mountains. Possessive pronouns A possessive pronoun shows ownership. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 22 Example: My pen is black. There are two kinds of possessive pronouns: i Those used as adjectives to modify nouns. These possessive pronouns are: Singular: My, your, his, her, its Plural: Our, your, their Examples: My shirt is yellow. Your food is on the table. His bag is green. This is her dress. Its fur is soft. These are our parents. Pay your bills. They removed their bats. The above possessive pronouns always appear before nouns to modify them. Hence, they are called modifiers. Ii Those that stand alone and replace nouns in sentences. These possessive nouns are: Singular: mine yours his, hers, its Plural: ours yours, their Examples: The yellow shirt is mine. The food on the table is yours. The green bag is his. This dress is hers. Its is the soft fur. These crops are ours. These bills are yours. Those hats are theirs. Exercise 4 Complete the following sentences by choosing the correct possessive pronoun from the brackets. Example: The lazy girl completed her, hers home work. Her. 1. My, mine journey to Mombasa was enjoyable. 2. Florence said her, hers was the best. 3. Are the pictures of Fort Jesus your, yours ? 4.


3. Are the pictures of Fort Jesus your, yours ? 4. Her, Hers were taken at Jomo Kenyatta Beach. 5. Tomorrow we will make frames for our, ours pictures. 6. My, mine class is planning a trip to Mt. Kenya. 7. Our, ours trip will be taken on video. 8. Micere is excited that the idea was her, hers . 9. Koki and Toti cannot hide their, theirs excitement. 10. My, mine dream is to climb to the highest peak of the mountain. POINTS TO NOTE 1. The pronoun I is used as a subject or after forms of the linking verb be. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 23 Examples: Subject: I travel by bus After the linking verb be: Yesterday, the prefects on duty were Victor and I 2. The pronoun me is used object after action verbs or words prepositions such as to, for, with, in, or at. Examples: Object: Rose met me at the gate. After prepositions: Rose waited for me at the gate. You are coming with me. 3. When using compound subjects and objects i.e. subjects and objects comprising of a pronoun and a noun or another pronoun , always name yourself last. Examples: Diana and I visited our grandmother yesterday. Who appointed Chege and me? Rose waited for her and me at the gate. CONTRACTIONS WITH PRONOUNS A contraction is a shortened form of two words. One or more letters are omitted and an apostrophe is used in place of the letters left out. A contraction is formed by combining pronouns and the verbs am, is, are, will, would, have, has, and had. Pronoun verb Contraction Pronoun verb Contraction I am I m I have I ve He is he s he has he s It is it s it has it s You are you re you have you ve They are they re they have they ve I will I ll I had I d You will you ll you had you d We would we d we had we d Note: 1 Some contractions look the same but are formed from different words. Examples: he is, he has he s we had, we would we d 2 Some possessive pronouns sound like contractions.


A contraction is formed by combining pronouns and the verbs am, is, are, will, would, have, has, and had. Pronoun verb Contraction Pronoun verb Contraction I am I m I have I ve He is he s he has he s It is it s it has it s You are you re you have you ve They are they re they have they ve I will I ll I had I d You will you ll you had you d We would we d we had we d Note: 1 Some contractions look the same but are formed from different words. Examples: he is, he has he s we had, we would we d 2 Some possessive pronouns sound like contractions. Because the words sound alike, they are sometimes confused. Examples: Possessive pronouns Contractions its it s your you re their they re whose who s www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 24 Incorrect: The team celebrated it s victory. Correct: The team celebrated its victory. Incorrect: Your late for the preps. Correct: You re late for the preps. Incorrect: Whose the fastest runner in the world? Correct: Who s the fastest runner in the world? Rules of using possessive pronouns and contractions correctly 1. If the word you want to use stands for two words, it is a contraction and needs an apostrophe. 2. Never use an apostrophe in a possessive pronoun. Exercise 5 Write the contractions for the following word pairs. Example: It has it s 1. You will 3. He had 5. You have 2. We would 4. I am 6. They will Exercise 6 What pronoun and verb make up each of the following contractions? Example: It s it is, it has 1. I ll 3. You d 5. They re 2. We re 4. He s 6. She d Exercise 7 Choose the correct word given in brackets in the following sentences. 1. The Kenyan government has worked hard to improve its, it s educational system. 2. Whose, Who s going to decide where the guests will sleep? 3. Their, they re learning French their school. 4. Only students whose, who s scores are excellent will join national schools. 5.


4. Only students whose, who s scores are excellent will join national schools. 5. Its, It s been estimated that about 8 million Kenyans are living with HIV AIDS. INDEFINITE PRONOUNS An indefinite pronoun is a pronoun that does not refer to a specific person or thing. In English, there are singular indefinite pronouns, plural indefinite and both singular and plural indefinite pronouns. Singular Indefinite Pronouns another anything everybody neither one www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 25 anybody each everyone nobody somebody anymore either everything no one someone. An indefinite pronoun must agree with its verbs and in number with its possessive pronoun. The above indefinite pronouns are used with singular verbs. They are also used with singular possessive pronouns. Examples: Agreement with verbs Correct: Everyone has heard of Lake Turkana. Incorrect: Everyone have heard of Lake Turkana. Correct: Nobody knows what happened to Samuel Wanjiru. Incorrect: Nobody know what happened to Samuel Wanjiru. Correct: Everything about the old man remains a mystery. Incorrect: Everything about the old man remain a mystery. Agreement in number with possessive pronouns Correct: Neither believed his her eyes. Incorrect: Neither believed their eyes. Correct: Each strained his her neck to see. Incorrect: Each strained their neck to see. Plural indefinite pronouns both many few several These indefinite pronouns use plural verbs and possessive pronouns. Examples: Plural verbs Correct: Few know about Lake Olbolsat. Incorrect: Few knows about Lake Obolsat. Correct: Both stand by what they believe. Incorrect: Both stands by what they believe. Plural possessive pronouns Correct: Several reported their findings. Incorrect: Several reported his her findings. Both singular and plural indefinite pronouns all some any none These indefinite pronouns may be singular or plural, depending on their meaning in the sentence. Examples: All of my story is true singular All of the guests are here plural None of the lake is foggy singular None of the photos are spoiled plural. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 26 EXERCISE 8 Underline the indefinite pronouns in the following sentences and then write the correct form of the verb or possessive pronoun in the brackets. 1. All the photographs of the killer is, are unclear. 2. Has, Have anybody seen my camera? 3.


2. Has, Have anybody seen my camera? 3. Many believes, believe a monster lives in the lake. 4. Each of the photographs make, makes people want more. 5. All of the evidence indicates, indicate that he was killed by his wife. 6. Everyone has taken his, their payment. 7. Several eyewitnesses volunteered to give his, their accounts. 8. Anyone can lose her, their eyesight. 9. Another reported his, their case to the police. 10. Somebody left her, their handbag in the lecture hall. DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS A demonstrative pronoun is used to single or point out one or more persons or things referred to in the sentence. These pronouns are this, that, these, and those. This and these point to persons or things that are near. Examples: This is a gazelle. These are the students of Kianjege West Secondary School. That and those point to persons or things that are farther away. Examples: That is the city square. Those are the lodging rooms. This and that are used with singular nouns. These and those are used with plural nouns. Exercise 9 Pick the correct demonstrate pronouns from the choices given in the brackets in the following sentences. 1. This, That is the canteen we are entering now. 2. This, That is the dispensary across the street 3. These, Those are beautiful flowers on the counter over there. 4. Are those, these chocolate bars on the far counter? 5. I think these, those are called vuvuzelas. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 27 INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS An interrogative pronoun is used to ask a question. These pronouns are who, whose, whom, which and what. Examples: Who is the mayor of this town? Whose is the red car? Which is her blouse? What did she ask you? Whom should I trust with my secret? USING WHO, WHOM, AND WHOSE Who, whom, and whose are often used to ask questions. Hence, they are interrogative pronouns. WHO is the subject form. It is used as the subject of a verb. Examples: Who taught you how to play the guitar?


WHO is the subject form. It is used as the subject of a verb. Examples: Who taught you how to play the guitar? Who is the subject of the verb taught. WHOM is the object form. It is used as the direct object of a verb or as the object of a preposition. Examples: Whom did you meet? Whom is the object of the verb did meet . For whom is this trophy? Whom is the object of the preposition for . WHOSE is the possessive form. It can be used : i To modify a noun Example: Whose is umbrella is this? Whose modifies the noun umbrella ii Alone as the subject or object of a verb Examples: Whose are those water melons? Whose is the subject of the verb are Whose did you admire? Whose is the object of the verb did admire Exercise 10 Pick the correct interrogative pronouns from the brackets in the following sentences. 1. Who, Whom owns that shop? 2. Who, Whom can we ask the way? 3. Which, What did they ask you? 4. Which, What are the objects on the table called? 5. To who, whom does the boutique belong? Exercise 11 Complete the following sentences with who, whom, or whose. 1. Knows the origin of the Luos? Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 28 2. Did you ask about it? 3. To did you give the letter? 4. Is the most attractive painting? 5. Is likely to receive the Chaguo la Teeniez award? 6. For did you buy this doll? 7. Skill in dancing is the best? 8. Is the officer-in-charge here? 9. Are you looking at? 10. Are those healthy Merino sheep? REFLEXIVE AND INTENSIVE PRONOUNS Reflexive and intensive pronouns end in -self or -selves. These are myself, yourself, herself, himself, itself, ourselves, and themselves. There is, however, one difference between reflexive and Intensive pronouns. A reflexive pronoun refers to an action performed by the subject of the sentence. The meaning of the sentence is incomplete without the reflexive pronoun.


There is, however, one difference between reflexive and Intensive pronouns. A reflexive pronoun refers to an action performed by the subject of the sentence. The meaning of the sentence is incomplete without the reflexive pronoun. Examples: Monicah bought herself a new dress. The meaning of the sentence is incomplete without the reflexive pronoun because we do not know for whom Monicah bought the dress . An Intensive pronoun is used to emphasise a noun or a pronoun. It does not add information to a sentence, and it can be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence. I myself pulled the boy out of the river. If you remove myself, the meaning of the sentence does not change Exercise 12 Identify the Reflexive and Intensive pronouns in the following sentences, labelling them accordingly. 1. I myself have never tried mountain climbing. 2. He himself was taking the cows to graze in the forest. 3. My sister Annastasia mends her clothes herself. 4. She often challenges herself by doing strenuous activities. 5. You may ask yourself about the sanity of beer drinking competition. SPECIAL PRONOUNS PROBLEMS 1. Double subjects We all know that every sentence must have a subject. Sometimes we incorrectly use a double subject a noun and a pronoun - to name the same person, place, or thing. Incorrect Correct Jane she is my cousin. Jane is my cousin. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 29 She is my cousin. Her scarf it is pretty. Her scarf is pretty. It is pretty. Jane and she should not be used as subjects together. The subject her scarf should not be used together with it. Use only a noun or a pronoun to name a subject. 2. Pronouns and their Antecedents The antecedent of a pronoun is a noun or another pronoun for which the pronoun stands. A personal pronoun, you will remember, is used in place or a noun. The noun is the word to which the pronouns refer and it is therefore its antecedent. The noun usually comes first, either in the same sentence or in the sentence before it. Examples: We met Mureithi. He is the medical doctor. He stands for Mureithi. Mureithi is the antecedent . The students had come to school with their mobile phones. Their stands for students.


Mureithi is the antecedent . The students had come to school with their mobile phones. Their stands for students. Students is the antecedent . Pronouns may be the antecedents of other pronouns. Examples: Does everybody have his booklet? Everybody, which is a singular indefinite pronoun, is the antecedent of his . All of the students have brought theirs. All, which is a plural indefinite pronoun, is the antecedent of theirs . Now, a pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number. Agree here means that the pronoun must be the same in number as its antecedent. The word number means singular or plural. If the pronoun is singular, the word that it stands for must be singular, and it must be plural if the word it stands for is plural. Examples: Correct: The scientists tested their new discovery Scientists is plural; their is plural. Incorrect: The scientists tested his new discovery. Correct: Mr. Kiama turned on his TV. Mr Kiama is singular; his is singular Correct: Nobody left her workstation Nobody is singular, her is singular NB: When the antecedent refers to both males and females, it is best to use the phrase his or her. 3. Use of we and us with nouns. Phrases such as we students and us girls are often incorrectly used. To tell which pronoun to use, drop the noun and say the sentence without it. Problem: We, Us boys study hard. Solution: We study hard We boys study hard. Problem: The DC praised us, we students. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 30 Solution: The DC praised us The DC praised us students 4. Using the pronoun Them The word them is always a pronoun. It is always used as the object of a verb or a preposition, never as a subject. Examples: Correct: The president greeted them direct object of the verb greeted Correct: She gave them a Sandwich Indirect object of the verb gave Correct: The information was useful to them object of the preposition to Incorrect: Them they arrived late. 5. Using Those Although we previously said that those is used as a demonstrative pronouns, it is sometimes used as an adjective i.e. a word that modifies a noun or a pronoun.


2. Adam sketched Lisa and me. 3. He gave a photo to us. 4. Ann and she saw Dave and Bob. 5. Adam drew Lisa and them. 6. Mark helped me with the packing. 7. Loise praised him for his good work. 8. Everyone spotted them easily. 9. That night Mike played the guitar for us. 10. We drove with them to the mountains. Exercise 4 1. My journey to Mombasa was enjoyable. 2. Florence said hers was the best. 3. Are the pictures of Fort Jesus yours? 4. Hers are about Jomo Kenyatta Beach. 5. Tomorrow we will make frames for our pictures. 6. My class is planning a trip to Mt. Kenya. 7. Our trip will be taken on video. 8. Micere is excited that the idea was hers. 9. Koki and Toti cannot hide their excitement. 10. My dream is to climb to the highest peak of the mountain. Exercise 5 1. You will You ll 2. We would we d 3. He had he d 4. I am I m 5. You have you ve 6. They will they ll Exercise 6 1. I ll I will 2. We re we are 3. You d you would, you had www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 33 4. He s he is, he has 5. They re they are 6. She d she would, she had Exercise 7 1. Its 3. They re 5 it s 2. Who s 4. Whose Exercise 8 1. All are 6. Everyone his 2. Anybody has 7. Several their 3. Many believe 8. Anyone her 4. Each makes 9. Another his 5. All indicates 10. Somebody her Exercise 9 1. This 3. Those 5. These 2. That 4. Those Exercise 10 1. Who 3. What 5. Whom 2. Whom 4. What Exercise 11 1. Who 6. Whom 2. Whom 7. Whose 3. Whom 8. Who 4. Whose 9. Who 5.


Sometimes helping verbs and main verbs are separated by words that are not verbs. Examples: I do not ride bicycle any more. Can we ever be friends again? We should definitely apologise for the mistakes. Exercise 2 Indicate H.V. under the Helping verb and M.V. under the Main verb in the following sentences. 1. The school choir is singing a new song. 2. The football season has finally begun. 3. This car just can travel very fast. 4. He had waited for this chance for years. 5. My parents will be visiting us soon. 6. Our friends have come for a visit. 7. You must buy your ticket for the game. 8. Sarah has chosen Kenyatta University for her degree course. 9. She is hitting her child with a rubber strap. 10. I will go for the game next week. VERBS TENSES The time of an action or the state of being is expressed by different forms of the verb. These forms are called the tenses of the verb. There are three main forms of a verb: the present, the past, or the future. The Present Tense A verb which is in present tense indicates what the subject of the sentence is doing right now. Example: The teacher sees the students. The verb sees tells that the teacher is seeing the students now. To show the present tense, an -s or -es is added to most verbs if the subject is singular. If the subject is plural, or I or You, the -s, or -es is not added. Example: The bird hatches in the nest. The stream flows down the hill. The boys rush for their breakfast. We talk a lot. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 38 Rules for forming the Present Tense with Singular Subjects 1. Most verbs: add s get gets play plays eat eats 2. Verbs ending in s, ch, sh, x, and z: add-es pass passes, mix mixes punch-punches, buzz buzzes push pushes 3. Verbs ending with a consonant and y: change the y to i and add -es try - tries empty empties Exercise 3 Write the correct present form of each verb in the brackets in the following sentences. 1. She carefully the map study 2. A fish in the water near me. Splash 3.


She carefully the map study 2. A fish in the water near me. Splash 3. She her hands. Wash 4. He to the classroom. Hurry 5. Bryan and I the assignment. Discuss The Past Tense A verb which is in past tense shows what has already happened. Example: Tito liked his grandmother s story. The verb liked tells that the action in the sentence happened before now. Rules for forming the Past Tense 1. Most verbs: Add -ed play played talk talked climb climbed 2. Verbs ending with e: Add -d praise praised hope hoped wipe wiped 3. Verbs ending with a consonant and -y: bury buried the y to i and add -ed carry carried study studied 4. Verbs ending with a single vowel and stop stopped a consonant: Double the final consonant man manned www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 39 and add-ed trip tripped Exercise 4 Write the past tense forms of each of the verbs in brackets in the following sentences. 1. John his house burn into ashes. Watch 2. The baby loudly. Cry 3. The teacher at the naughty student. Yell 4. The chef a delicious cake. Bake 5. We for a present for our grandmother. Shop The Future Tense A verb which is in future tense tells what is going to happen. Examples: Evans will take his car to the garage. She will probably come with us. The verbs will take and will come tell us what is going to happen. Hence, they are in future tense. To form the future tense of a verb, use the helping verb will or shall with the main verb. Exercise 5 Write the future tense forms of the verbs in the following sentences. 1. We write in exercise books. 2. The train stopped at the station. 3. He decides what he wants to do. 4. They practise in the football field. 5. Rats multiply very fast. More Tenses The above three forms of tenses can further be divided into: 1. The simple tenses - Present simple tense - Past simple tense - Future simple tense 2.


Rats multiply very fast. More Tenses The above three forms of tenses can further be divided into: 1. The simple tenses - Present simple tense - Past simple tense - Future simple tense 2. The perfect tenses - Present perfect tense - Present perfect progressive - Past perfect tense - Future perfect www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 40 - Future perfect progressive 3. The progressive tenses - Present progressive tense - Past progressive tense - Progressive tense - Future perfect progressive tense. The simple Tenses The most common tenses of the verb are the simple tenses. You use them most often in your speaking and writing. 1. Present simple tense. Look at the following sentences. A I know Kisumu b He goes to school everyday. C The sun rises from the east. All the above sentences contain a verb in the present simple tense. This tense is used for different purposes. I To state a personal fact Example: I know Kisumu. Ii To point out a regular habit. Example: He goes to school everyday. Iii To state known a scientific fact Example: The sun rises from the east. Exercise 6 Complete the following sentences putting the verbs in brackets in the present simple tense. 1. They their new principal. Like 2. Every morning, she her teeth. Brush 3. The earth on its own axis. Rotate 4. Twice a year, he his family. Visit 5. Air when heated. Rise 2. Past Simple Tense The past simple tense is used when an action has been completed . Examples: We cleaned our classrooms yesterday. He drove the car this morning. She planned the whole incident. Exercise 7 www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 41 Write down the past simple tense of the following words and then use each of them in sentences of your own. Start breathe add roam trap obey annoy worry pity fit 3. Future Simple Tense The future simple tense places the action or condition in the future. It is formed by using the word shall or will before the present form of the main verb. Examples: We shall need help with her load. She will eat the bananas alone The dancers will entertain them. Exercise 8 Use the following words in future simple tense in sentences of your own.


Examples: We shall need help with her load. She will eat the bananas alone The dancers will entertain them. Exercise 8 Use the following words in future simple tense in sentences of your own. See develop go begin exist consume introduce hunt bring become The Perfect Tenses The perfect tenses are used to show that an action was completed or that a condition existed before a given time. The perfect tenses are formed using has, have, or had before the past participles i.e. verb forms ending in -ed. Examples: 1. Present Perfect Tense: Ceasar has just finished his homework. Kamau and Njoroge have now agreed to meet. 2. Present Perfect Continuous Tense Kibet has been working in his shamba for two hours. We have been swimming in this pool for ten minutes. 3. Past Perfect Tense We had completed the work by the time the supervisor came. Nobody knew that she had already remarried. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 42 4. Past Perfect Continuous Tense I had been trying to contact him for two hours before he finally appeared. Mrs. Masumbuko had been feeling unwell the whole week before she decided to visit a doctor. 5. Future Perfect Tense Agege will have sold his goats by two p.m. By next term, twenty students will have dropped from this school. 6. Future Perfect Continuous The players will have been playing for twenty minutes by the time the President arrives. By the end of this term, she will have been living with her aunt for five years. Exercise 9 Rewrite the following sentences changing the verb into present perfect, present perfect progressive, past perfect, past perfect progressive, future perfect and future perfect progressive tenses. Make any necessary changes to make the sentences meaningful. John comes here every year. The Progressive Verb Forms The progressive form of the verb shows continuing action. Examples: I am singing She was dancing. The progressive form is formed using various forms of the verb be plus the present participle i.e. a verb form that ends in -ing. Examples: 1. Present Progressive Tense I am reading a book about Red Indians. Her mother is preparing dinner. 2. Present Perfect Progressive He has been cleaning his car since morning. They have been exercising for a week now. 3. Past Progressive Tense She was cooking supper when I arrived. They were fighting fiercely when the police arrived. 4.


Past Progressive Tense She was cooking supper when I arrived. They were fighting fiercely when the police arrived. 4. Past Perfect Progressive Tense Sonko had been wearing an earing for years before he removed it. Onyancha had been killing children before he was finally discovered. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 43 5. Future Progressive He will be tilling the land next week. Joyce and Joan will be washing clothes all morning. 6. Future Perfect Progressive The children will have been sleeping for two hours by the time their parents arrive. John will have grown a beard by the time he is twelve. Exercise 10 Rewrite the following sentence changing the verb into present progressive, present perfect progressive, past progressive, past perfect progressive, future progressive and future perfect progressive tenses. Make any necessary changes to make the sentences meaningful. Jane plays the guitar well. SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT Present tense A verb and its subject must agree in number. To agree means that if the subject is singular, the verb must be in singular form. If the subject is plural, the verb form must be plural. Examples: The baby cries every morning - SINGULAR The babies cry every morning - PLURAL Rules for subject-verb Agreement 1. Singular subject The man drives a bus. Add -s or -es to the verb She teaches in a primary school. He studies his map. 2. Plural subject: The men drive buses. Do not add -s or -es They teach in primary schools. To the verb We study our maps. 3. For I or You I hate books. Do not add -s or -es to the verb You like dogs. I admire actors. When a sentence has a compound subject i.e. two subjects joined by and, the plural form of the verb is used. Examples: John and James work at Naivas Supermarket. The teachers and the students respect one another a lot. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 44 Subject-verb Agreement with be and have The verbs be and have change their forms in special ways in order to agree with their subjects. Various ways in which be and have change in order to agree with their subjects. Subject Be Have 1. Singular subjects: I You He, she, it Singular Noun am, was are, were is, was is, was have, had have, had has, had has, had 2.


Examples: He saw great misery all around him past He has seen great misery all round him past participle Common irregular Verbs Verb Past tense Past participles begin choose began chose had begun had chosen www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 46 go speak ride fight throw come sing steal swim make run grow write ring drink lie do eat know went spoke rode fought threw came sang stole swam made ran grew wrote rang drank lay did ate knew had gone had spoken had ridden had fought had thrown had came had sung had stolen had swum had made had run had grown had written had rung had drunk had lain had done had eaten had known For a few irregular verbs, like hit and cut, the three principal parts are spelled the same. These ones offer no problems to learners. Most problems come from irregular verbs with three different forms. For example, the irregular verbs throw and ring. Throw threw had thrown Ring rang had rung If you are not sure about a verb form, look it up in the dictionary. Exercise 13 Write the past tense and past participles of the following irregular verbs and then use each of them in sentences of your own. 1. Arise 6. Fall 2. Tear 7. Blow 3. Wear 8. Freeze 4. Lay 9. Fly 5. See 10. Write ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VERB FORMS Active Voice A verb is in active voice when the subject of the sentence performs the action. Examples: Our teacher punished us for making noise in class. Subject action www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 47 Players arrived for their first match early in the morning. Subject action In the above sentences, the subject is who performed the action. Hence, the verbs of these sentences are in active voice. Passive voice The word passive means acted upon . When the subject of the sentence receives the action or expresses the result of the action, the verb is in passive voice. Examples: We were punished by the teacher for making noise. Subject action He was helped by a passer-by. Subject action In the above sentences the subjects we and he receive the action.


Examples: We were punished by the teacher for making noise. Subject action He was helped by a passer-by. Subject action In the above sentences the subjects we and he receive the action. When we do not know who or what did the action, or when we do not want to say who or what did it, we use the passive voice. The passive form of a verb consists of some form of be plus the past participle. Examples: Active Passive Baabu explored the sea. The sea was explored by Baabu. Be past participle The captain helped him. He was helped by the captain. Be past participle Exercise 14 Write the verbs from the following sentences and then label each one Active or Passive. 1. The guest of honour presented prizes to the best students. 2. The cattle were taken home by the herders. 3. The health officer ordered the slaughter house closed. 4. Peace and order has been restored in the area by the youth wingers. 5. The workers cleared the farm. 6. The crop was harvested by the hired workers. 7. The government stressed the importance of unity among tribes. 8. The farmers were urged to redouble their efforts in food production. 9. The KIE is developing support materials for the 8-4-4 system of education. 10. A fishing pond was started by the Wildlife Club in the school. TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS Some sentences express a complete thought with only a subject and an action verb. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 48 Example: The sun shines. Subject Active verb In other sentences, a direct object must follow the action verb for the sentence to be complete. A direct object is a noun or a pronoun that receives the action of the verb. Example: The goalkeeper caught the ball. Subject action verb direct object Transitive verbs A Transitive verb is an action verb that must take a direct object for the sentence to express a complete thought. A direct object answers the question what? Or whom? Examples: The captain steered the ship. Steered what? The ship The teacher praised the students. Praised whom? The students Transitive verbs cannot be used alone without direct objects in sentences; they would not have complete meanings. Exercise 15 What are the action verbs and the direct objects in the following sentences? 1. He carried his bag with him. 2. The two friends discussed the examination paper. 3.


2. The two friends discussed the examination paper. 3. We took a trip to Nakuru last month. 4. The water splashed me. 5. He gave interesting facts about whales. 6. We searched the house for rats. 7. They cheered the team noisily. 8. My brother bought a camera. 9. Njoroge admires Papa Shirandula. 10. We viewed the shouting star at midnight. Intransitive verbs An Intransitive verb is an action verb that does not require a direct object for the sentence to have complete meaning. Examples: The ship sailed. Subject action verb The child smiled. Subject action verb They do not answer the questions what? Or whom? Sometimes they answer the questions how? Or how often? Examples: The ship sailed smoothly. How did it sail? Smoothly The child smiled repeatedly. How often did the child smile? Repeatedly www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 49 Both transitive and intransitive verbs Some verbs can be used both transitively and intransitively. Examples: We cheered our team noisily. Transitive We cheered noisily. Intransitive He broke the window pane. Transitive The glass broke. Intransitive NB: Only transitive verbs can be changed from active to passive voice. Examples: Active Passive He kicked the ball The ball was kicked by him She bought a new dress A new dress was bought by her. She wailed loudly ?? They danced well ?? Exercise 16 Indicate at the end of each of the following sentences whether the underlined verb is Transitive or Intransitive. 1. Some whales sing songs. 2. We gave our books to the gatekeeper. 3. She cried bitterly. 4. He made a sketch of the giraffe. 5. John danced to the music. 6. The bird flew in the air. 7. They located the lost ship. 8. She pleaded with him mercifully. 9. The children heard the sound from the cave. 10. It rained heavily. TROUBLESOME PAIRS OF VERBS Some pairs of verbs confuse learners of English because their meanings are related but not the same. Others confuse them because they sound similar, but their meanings are different. Others are similar in appearance but different in meanings.


Seems - Linking verb 2. Watched Action verb 3. Cheered Action verb 4. Seems Linking verb 5. Is Linking verb 6. Aimed Action verb 7. Blew Action verb 8. Was Linking verb 9. Is Linking verb 10. Seems Linking verb Exercise 2 Helping verb Main verb 1. Is singing 2. Has begun 3. Can travel www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 51 4. Had waited 5. Will be visiting 6. Have come 7. Must buy 8. Has chosen 9. Is hitting 10 will go Exercise 3 1. Studies 2. Splashes 3. Washes 4. Hurries 5. Discuss Exercise 4 1. Watched 2. Cried 3. Yelled 4. Baked 5. Shopped Exercise 5 1. Will write 2. Will stop 3. Will decide 4. Shall practice 5. Will multiply Exercise 6 1. Like 2. Brushes 3. Rotates 4. Visits 5. Rises Exercise 7 1. Started 6. Breathed 2. Added 7. Roamed 3. Trapped 8. Obeyed 4. Annoyed 9. Worried 5. Pitied 10. Fitted www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 52 Exercise 8 1. Will shall see 6. Will shall develop 2. Will shall go 7. Will shall begin 3. Will shall exist 8. Will shall consume 4. Will shall introduce 9. Will shall hunt 5. Will shall bring 10. Will shall become Exercise 9 1. John has come here every year. -. Present perfect 2. John has been coming here every year. -. Present perfect progressive 3. John had come here every year. Past perfect 4. John had been coming here every year. Past perfect progressive 5. John will have come here every year. Future perfect 6. John will have been coming here every year. Future perfect progressive. Exercise 10 1. Jane is playing the guitar. Present progressive 2.


Transitive 5. Intransitive 10. Intransitive Exercise 17 www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 54 1. Teach 6. Raises 2. Lies 7. Raises 3. Lie 8. Taught 4. Sits 9. Raises 5. Taught 10. Laid ADJECTIVES An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or a pronoun. To describe or modify means to provide additional information about nouns or pronouns. To modify further means to change something slightly. Writers and speakers modify an idea or image by choosing certain describing words, which are called adjectives. Hence, these adjectives are also called modifiers. Adjectives are like word cameras. They are words that describe colours, sizes and shapes. Adjectives help you capture how the world around you looks and feels. Adjectives tell: 1. What kind? Examples: www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 55 The powerful gorilla knocked down the hunter. The old man walked slowly. 2. How many? Examples: Three zebras were resting. He has few friends. 3. Which one s ? Examples: This painting is attractive. These farmers are clearing the field. There are 4 main kinds of adjectives, namely:- 1. Descriptive adjectives 2. Definite and indefinite adjectives 3. Demonstrative adjectives 4. Interrogative adjectives 5. Articles and possessive adjectives Descriptive adjectives Descriptive adjectives tell us the size, shape, age, colour, weight, height, make, nature and origin of the nouns they are describing. Examples of descriptive Adjectives: SizeShapeAgeColourWeightHeightMakeNatureOrigin big huge small tiny thin fat wide shallow slender oval circular triangular rectangular round square twisted pointed old young aged red green white blue brown black maroon purple pink heavy light tall short wooden plastic metal stony glass mud warm cold shy famous peaceful brave powerful gentle kind Kenya American Tanzania Italian South African Ugandan Korean Descriptive adjective are of two types. 1 Common descriptive adjectives these are adjectives that give general features of somebody or something. They are the adjectives of size, shape, age, colour, weight, height, make and nature. Refer to the examples in the diagram above. 2 Proper adjectives These ones are formed from proper nouns. They are always capitalized.


Refer to the examples in the diagram above. 2 Proper adjectives These ones are formed from proper nouns. They are always capitalized. They always appear last in a string of adjectives modifying the same noun, just before the noun itself. Examples of proper adjectives: The Japanese ambassador A Mexican carpet An Italian chef Note that when a proper adjective comprises of two words, both are capitalized. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 56 Examples: A South African farmer A North American cowboy Exercise 1 Find the adjectives in the following sentences and indicate what types they are. 1. Alaska is the largest state in the USA. 2. The Alaskan Senator is Lord John Mc Dougal. 3. Mt. Kenya is the tallest mountain in Kenya. 4. Alaska has a tiny population of one and a half million people. 5. Northern Province has small, scattered towns. 6. A trip to Northern Kenya will take you across vast wilderness. 7. American tourists are fond of wild animals. 8. There is a huge lake in the Rift Valley Province. 9. I sent a letter to my Australian pen pal. 10. I have a beautiful Egyptian robe. Demonstrative Adjectives A demonstrative adjective tells which one or which ones. They are used before nouns and other adjectives. There are 4 demonstrative adjectives in English: This, that, these and those. This and these are used to refer to nouns close to the speaker or writer. That and those refer to nouns farther away. This and that are used before singular nouns while these and those are used before plural nouns. Examples: This picture is very beautiful. Singular noun That one is not as beautiful. Singular noun These drawings are very old. Plural noun Those ones were painted in Uganda. Plural noun. Exercise 2 Choose the word in brackets that correctly completes each of the following sentences. 1. My bus left the station before that, those matatus. 2. Those, These chairs behind me were occupied. 3. My seat has a better view than this, that one over there. 4. Those, That man should fasten his seat belt. 5. This, That car is old, but that one is new. 6. These, Those clouds are far away. 7. This, That window next to me has a broken pane. 8. That, This chair near me is broken. 9.


Possessive Pronouns The words my, her, its, our and their are possessive pronouns, but they can also be used as adjectives. These modifiers tell which one, which ones or whose? Examples: My brother likes Sean Paul, but his sister does not. Of his songs, ever blazing is his favourite. Our school produces heroes, its fame is widespread. Exercise 5 Write the adjectives from the following sentences and the nouns they modify. 1. In her lifetime, Brenda Fasie composed many songs. 2. Her early songs entertained her fans all over the world. 3. Our first performance was successful. 4. Her coughing grew worse with time. 5. They agreed that it was their best goal in ten years. Position of adjectives in sentences 1. Most adjectives appear immediately before the nouns they are modifying e.g. Descriptive: The beautiful house belongs to my uncle. Demonstrative: That house belongs to my uncle. Numerals: Two houses were burned down. Articles: The house on fire belongs to her sister. Possessive pronouns: Their house was burned down. 2. Predicate Adjectives Some adjectives appear after the nouns that they are modifying. These adjectives are always used after linking verbs that separate them from the words they modify. An adjective that follows a linking verb and that modifies the subject is called a predicate adjective. Examples: Joyce seemed lonely. Her brother was upset. He became concerned. Exercise 6 Identify the predicate adjectives in the following sentences. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 60 1. Her early songs were often quiet and serious. 2. One of her songs, Vulindlela, is very popular. 3. The dark city below the sky seems calm and peaceful. 4. Her performance in K.C.S.E. was brilliant. 5. The West African singer Kofi Olominde is extraordinary. COMPARING WITH ADJECTIVES We have seen that adjectives describe nouns. One way in which they describe nouns is by comparing people, places or things. To compare two people, places or things, we use the comparative form of an adjective. To compare more than two, we use the superlative form of the adjective. Examples: ONE PERSON: Kimenju is tall. TWO PERSONS: Kimenju is taller than James. THREE OR MORE: Kimenju is the tallest of all.


Examples: ONE PERSON: Kimenju is tall. TWO PERSONS: Kimenju is taller than James. THREE OR MORE: Kimenju is the tallest of all. The comparative The comparative form of the adjective is used to compare one thing, person or place with another one. It is formed in two ways. 1. For short adjectives, add -er. Examples: great er greater sweet er sweeter big er bigger light er lighter. 2. For longer adjectives, the comparative is formed by using the word more before them. Examples: More handsome more remarkable More attractive more hardworking Most adjectives ending in -ful and -ous also form the comparative using more. Examples: More successful more curious more ferocious More beautiful more generous more prosperous The superlative The superlative form of the adjective is used to compare a person, a place or a thing with more than one other of its kind. Examples: Elephants are the largest animals in the jungle. However, they are the most emotional animals. The superlative form of an adjective is formed in two ways. 1. By adding -est to the short adjective Examples: great est greatest sweet est sweetest big est biggest light est light www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 61 2. For longer adjectives, use most before them. Examples: most mysterious most awkward most successful most attractive The ending -er in the comparative becomes -est in the superlative while more becomes most. Adjective comparative superlative strong stronger strongest quick quicker quickest adventurous more adventurous most adventurous co-operative more co-operative most co-operative Summary of rules comparing with adjectives: Rule Examples 1. For most short adjectives: Add -er or -est to the adjective bright dark smart bright darker smarter brightest darkest smartest 2. For adjectives ending with e: Drop the e and add -er or -est safe nice wide safer nicer wider safest nicest widest 3. For adjectives ending with a consonant and y: Change the y to i and add -er or -est busy crazy happy busier crazier happier busiest craziest happiest 4. For single-syllable adjectives ending with a single vowel and a consonant: Double the last consonant and add -er or -est flat slim fat flatter slimmer fatter flattest slimmest fattest 5.


For adjectives ending with e: Drop the e and add -er or -est safe nice wide safer nicer wider safest nicest widest 3. For adjectives ending with a consonant and y: Change the y to i and add -er or -est busy crazy happy busier crazier happier busiest craziest happiest 4. For single-syllable adjectives ending with a single vowel and a consonant: Double the last consonant and add -er or -est flat slim fat flatter slimmer fatter flattest slimmest fattest 5. For most adjectives with two or more syllables: Use more or most careful generous more careful more generous most careful most generous Points to note about Adjectives: 1. A comparative is used to compare two persons, or things or two groups of persons or things. Examples: A rat is smaller than a mouse. Buffaloes are larger than domestic cows 2. A superlative is used to compare a thing or a person to more than one other of its kind. Examples: Lions are the bravest of all animals. Elephants are the largest of all herbivores. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 62 3. You must use the word other when comparing something with everything else of its kind. Examples: Leopards are more ferocious than any other cat. 4. Do not use both -er and more or -est and most. Incorrect: Men die more earlier than women. Correct: Men die earlier than women. Incorrect: My father is the most oldest of the three brothers. Correct: My father is the oldest of the three brothers. Exercise 7 Write the adjectives in brackets in the following sentences correctly. 1. My next sculpture will be even beautiful . 2. That was the cartoon I have ever watched funny . 3. English is my subject of all enjoyable . 4. Job is the person in his family. Energetic 5. She is the of the three nurses. Helpful 6. That story sounds than fiction. Strange 7. He is than a cat. Curious 8. Her school grades are than mine. High 9. You are than Maria. Creative 10. My next test will be than this one.


Twenty 6. What 2. Few, our 7. Whose 3. All 8. Which 4. Much 9. What 5. Numerous, this 10. Which Exercise 4 www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 65 1. A 6. The 2. A 7. An 3. The 8. The 4. The 9. The 5. An 10. A Exercise 5 1. Many songs 2. Her, early songs, her fans 3. Our, first performance 4. Her coughing 5. Their, best goal, ten years Exercise 6 1. Quiet, serious 2. Popular 3. Calm, peaceful 4. Brilliant 5. Extraordinary Exercise 7 1. More beautiful 6. Stranger 2. Funniest 7. More curious 3. Most enjoyable 8. Higher 4. Most energetic 9. More creative 5. Most helpful 10. Simpler Exercise 8 1. Best 6. Farther 2. Bad 7. Less or lesser 3. Best 8. Good 4. Worse 9. Better 5. Least 10. Most Exercise 9 1. Those 6. These 2. These 7. Those 3. This 8. This 4. Those 9. That 5. Those 10. This www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 66 ADVERBS An adverb is a word that describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Adverb tell how, when, or where, or to what extent an action happens. Examples: HOW: The man walked quickly. WHEN: It will rain soon. WHERE: We shall meet here at 2 p.m. TO WHAT EXTENT: He is extremely rude. Other examples: HOW WHEN WHERE TO WHAT EXTENT happily sometimes underground fully secretly later here extremely together tomorrow there quite carefully now inside very sorrowfully finally far rarely painfully again upstairs fast often downstairs hard once somewhere slowly first forward www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 67 hurriedly next behind quietly then above Adverbs used to describe verbs Adverbs that describe verbs tell how, when, where and to what extent an action happened. Examples: HOW: John waited patiently for his turn.


TO WHAT EXTENT: He is extremely rude. Other examples: HOW WHEN WHERE TO WHAT EXTENT happily sometimes underground fully secretly later here extremely together tomorrow there quite carefully now inside very sorrowfully finally far rarely painfully again upstairs fast often downstairs hard once somewhere slowly first forward www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 67 hurriedly next behind quietly then above Adverbs used to describe verbs Adverbs that describe verbs tell how, when, where and to what extent an action happened. Examples: HOW: John waited patiently for his turn. WHEN: He is now walking into the office. WHERE: He will eat his lunch there. TO WHAT EXTENT: He is very pleased with himself. Adverbs make the meaning of the verb clearer. Example: He will eat his lunch. Without adverb He will eat his lunch there. The adverb makes it clear where the action of eating will take place. Exercise 1 Write the adverbs in the following sentences and then indicate whether the adverb tells how, when, where, or to what extent. 1. The tourist travelled far. 2. They cheerfully greeted their grandmother. 3. Tina hurried downstairs when she heard the knock. 4. He worked carefully and skilfully. 5. She was extremely agitated. 6. The scientist looked curiously at the creature. 7. Soon the bell was rung. 8. The hall was fully occupied. 9. They hugged their grandmother adorably. 10. He brought the cake down. Adverbs used to describe adjectives Adverbs that tell to what extent can be used to describe adjectives. Examples: The cave was very dark. Adv adj The tea was extremely hot. Adv adj Other adverbs used with adjectives just nearly somewhat most These adverbs make the adjectives they are describing more understandable and precise. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 68 Example: The tomb was dark. Without adverb The tomb was fully dark. The adverb fully describes the extent of the darkness . Exercise 2 Identify the adverb in each of the following sentences and then indicate the adjective it describes. 1. He is a highly successful businessman. 2. The extremely cold weather made me shiver. 3. They are quite difficult to deal with. 4. The house is barely visible from here. 5. He is a very old man by now. 6. She is mysteriously secretive about her activities. 7. Jackline is horribly mean with her money. 8.


Sometimes the verbs in the sentences above are used as action verbs. In this case, they are followed by adverbs, not adjectives. They modify the verbs and tell how, when, where, or to what extent. Examples: www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 71 The singer looked up. V adv We tasted the chocolate eagerly. V adv The principal appeared suddenly. V adv 5. Good and well Good and well have similar meanings, but differ in their use in a sentence. Example: Incorrect: He narrates the story good. Correct: He narrates the story well. Good is always an adjective and modifies nouns or pronouns. It is never used to modify a verb. Example: He is a good narrator. Adjective modifying the noun narrator Well can be used as either an adjective or an adverb. Examples: I feel well. As an adjective He drives well. As an adverb Exercise 4 Choose the correct form of the words in brackets in the following sentences. 1. Luos tell you quick, quickly that they are not Bantus. 2. Over the months, the snow gradual, gradually melted. 3. Rice tastes especially good, well with avocado. 4. The popularity of video games has grown. Rapid, rapidly 5. The name of the town may sound strange, strangely to some people. 6. These puppies look a little odd, oddly . 7. The idea of breaking the door does not sound reasonable, reasonably . 8. Visitors eat Nyama Choma very rapid, rapidly . 9. If Nyama Choma has been prepared good, well , it tastes even better than chicken. 10. Since fish is high in proten and low in fat, it is bound to keep you good, well . COMPARING WITH ADVERBS We have seen that we can use adjectives to compare people, things or places. Adverbs can also be used to compare actions. And like adjectives, we use the comparative form of an adverb to compare two actions and the superlative form of an adverb to compare more than two actions. Examples: ONE ACTION: Maree swims fast. TWO ACTIONS: Maree swims faster than Ciku. THREE OR MORE: Maree swims fastest of all. Just like adjectives, adverbs have special forms or spelling for making comparisons.


TWO ACTIONS: Maree swims faster than Ciku. THREE OR MORE: Maree swims fastest of all. Just like adjectives, adverbs have special forms or spelling for making comparisons. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 72 The comparative form The comparative form of the adverb is used to compare one action with another. It is formed in two ways: 1. For short adverbs, add -er. Examples: The bird flew higher than the helicopter. The president arrived sooner than we expected. 2. For most adverbs ending in -ly, use more to make the comparative. Examples: She visited him more frequently than Martin. The tractor towed the lorry more powerfully than the bull-cart. The superlative form The superlative form is used to compare one action with two or more others of the same kind. Examples: Of the three athletes, Kipruto runs the fastest. The lion roars the loudest of all the big cats. Adverbs that form the comparative with -er form their superlative with -est. Those that use more to form comparative use most to form superlative. Examples: Adverbs Comparative Superlative long longer longest fast faster fastest softly more softly most softly politely more politely most polite Points to Remember 1. Use the comparative to compare two actions and the superlative to compare more than two. Examples: Comparative: He sat nearer to the window than him Superlatives: He sat nearest to the window than all the others. 2. Do not leave out the word other when comparing one action with every other action of the same kind. Examples: Incorrect: The lion roared louder than any lion. Correct: The lion roared louder than any other lion. 3. Do not use both -er and more or -est and most. Incorrect: The dancer moved more faster than before. Correct: The dancer moved faster than before. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 73 Summary of rules for comparing with Adverbs 1.For most adverbs Add -er or -est to the adverb hard late deep harder later deeper hardest latest deepest 2.For most adverbs comprising of two or more syllables: Use more or most with the adverb skilfully firmly rudely more skilfully more firmly most rudely most skilfully most firmly most rudely Exercise 5 Write each of the following sentences using the correct form of the adverb. 1.


Odd 2. Gradually 7. Reasonable 3. Good 8. Rapidly 4. Rapidly 9. Well 5. Strange 10. Well www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 75 Exercise 5 1. More often 6. More swiftly 2. More slowly 7. Most accurately 3. Quickly 8. The longest 4. More skilfully 9. Gracefully 5. The fastest 10. The most sweetly www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 76 PREPOSITIONS A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between other words in a sentence. Examples: The cat lay under the table. The preposition under connects the verb lay with table. Under points out the relationship between lay and table. Hence a preposition is a word that links another word or word group to the rest of the sentence. The noun or pronoun after the preposition is called the object of the preposition. The table is the object of the preposition under in the above sentence. The preposition under relates the verb lay to the noun table. More examples: She gave it to me. The preposition to relates the pronoun me with the action gave . I liked the bike with the metal handles. The preposition with relates the noun handles with the noun bike. Common prepositions about before except on toward above behind for onto under aboard below from out underneath across beneath in outside until after beside inside over up against between into past upon along beyond like since with among by near through within around down of throughout without at during off to From the above list of prepositions, you will note that some of them tell where, others indicate time, others show special relationships like reference or separation. Changing one preposition with another in a sentence changes the meaning of the sentence. Example: The cat lay under the table. The cat lay on the table. Lying under the table means below the surface of the table but on means above the surface. Exercise 1 www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 77 Write the preposition in each of the following sentences and say what relationship it indicates. 1. Sometimes they lie on the ground. 2. They have grown maize for food. 3. The children played with the dolls. 4. A man found some treasure in the cave. 5. They make clothes from cotton. Exercise 2 Use the most appropriate preposition to complete the sentences below.


5. They make clothes from cotton. Exercise 2 Use the most appropriate preposition to complete the sentences below. 1. Driving had been my dream years. 2. 1990, I bought a second-hand car. 3. That year, I learned how to drive. 4. I rolled the car the road more than two kilometres. 5. I was really thrilled the experience. Preposition Phrases A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition, its object and any words that modify the object. Examples: The school children waited for the green light. In this sentence, the preposition is for, its object is light, and the modifier, or adjective, is green. The entire preposition phrase modifies the verb waited. Sometimes two or more nouns or pronouns are used as objects in a prepositional phrase. Example: He needs a worker with diligence and a good character. The preposition with has two objects: diligence and character. Exercise 3 Identify the prepositional phrase in each of the following sentences. Underline the preposition once and its objects twice. 1. Donkeys help people in many ways. 2. They bring happiness to the people around them. 3. In large cities, they help to carry water. 4. On farms, they carry heavy loads. 5. How could you travel across a river? 6. You might swim to the other side. 7. You might cross at a shallow place. 8. You can cross by boat. 9. Bridges are a better solution to the problem. 10. Most bridges are built over water. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 78 Types of prepositional phrases Prepositional phrases can either be: i Adjective prepositional phrases - these prepositional phrases, just like adjectives, modify nouns and pronouns. Example: A scout leader wears a uniform with many badges. In this sentence, with many badges is an adjective prepositional phrase modifying the noun uniform. Ii Adverb prepositional phrases these ones, just like adverbs, modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs. Examples: Scouts rain for many hours. The adverb prepositional phrase for many hours modifies the verb train. They are active in all public functions. The adverb prepositional phrase in all public functions modifies the adjective active. The scout leader commands forcefully with a loud voice.


They are active in all public functions. The adverb prepositional phrase in all public functions modifies the adjective active. The scout leader commands forcefully with a loud voice. The adverb prepositional phrase with a loud voice modifies the adverb forcefully. We have seen that the object of a preposition is the noun or pronoun that follows the preposition. When the object of the preposition is a pronoun, we use an object pronoun like me, you, him, her, it, us, and them. And not a subject pronoun like I, he, she, we, and they . Examples: Correct: I gave a present to her. Incorrect: I gave a present to she. Correct: I gave a present to Jane and her. Incorrect: I gave a present to Jane and she. Exercise 4 Choose the pronoun in brackets that correctly completes each of the following sentences. 1. The dog chased after Travis and her, she . 2. Cleaning the house was a tasking job for Evans and I, me . 3. We planned a family picture of our parents and us, we . 4. The victory belonged to he, him . 5. Michael and Bernard stood behind Mom and she, her . 6. The crowd around we, us started cheering. 7. My little sister ran behind Sammy and I, me . 8. The toys belong to Karen and him, he . 9. Johnny sat between James and me, I . 10. I went to the cat race with Jim and she, her . Sometimes one prepositional phrase immediately follows another. Examples: The thief entered the house through the door on the right. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 79 through the door modifies the verb entered and tells where. On the left modifies the noun door and tells which one. A prepositional phrase can be at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a sentence. Examples: BEGINNING: At dusk we closed the shop. MIDDLE: The chief of the area was helpful. END: The path went through the village. Preposition or Adverb? Sometimes the same word can be used as either a preposition or an adverb. How can you tell the difference between the two? Examples: PREPOSITION: He has a box inside the house. ADVERB: They ran inside.


Her 9. Me 5. Us 10. Her Exercise 5 1. Outside preposition 6. Up adverb 2. Inside adverb 7. Down adverb 3. In preposition 8. Outside adverb 4. Over preposition 9. By adverb 5. Above preposition 10. Out adverb www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 83 Exercise 6 1. Have 4. Anybody 7. Anybody 10. Ever 2. Anyone 5. Anywhere 8. Anyone 3. Ever 6. Had 9. Has www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 84 CONJUNCTIONS A conjunction is a word that connects words or groups of words. Like prepositions, conjunctions show a relationship between the words they connect. But, unlike prepositions, conjunctions do not have objects. There are 3 main categories of conjunctions; 1 Coordinating conjunctions 2 Subordinating conjunctions 3 Correlative conjunctions Coordinating Conjunctions Coordinating conjunctions connect related words, groups of words, or sentences. There are three coordinating conjunctions: and, but and or. And is used to join words, groups of words, or sentences together. But shows contrast while or shows choice. Examples: The bull and the cart are inseparable. Connects two subjects . The cart carries the farmer and his tools. Connects two direct objects . The food was hard and tasteless. Connects two predicate adjectives . Each night, the dancers danced in a circle or in several other patterns. Connects two prepositional phrases . Some people died in the fracas, but most managed to escape, alive. Connects two sentences . Exercise 1 Complete each of the following sentences using the most appropriate coordinating conjunction 1. Bats and insects fly, only birds have feathers. 2. Eagles build nests on cliffs in tall trees. 3. Parrots live in wild places in zoos. 4. Swallows sparrows often build nests in buildings. 5. Hummingbirds are tiny very brave. 6. Many birds fly south in winter, others do not. 7. Their feathers keep them warm dry. 8.


7. Their feathers keep them warm dry. 8. A bird can fly forward backward. 9. Many birds shed old feathers grow new ones. 10. Their legs are weak their wings are strong. Subordinating conjunctions Subordinating conjunctions connect two or more clauses to form complex sentences. Refer to Part Two of this handbook . Subordinating conjunctions introduce subordinate clauses. They include because, since, if, as, whether, and for. Www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 85 Examples: If I go home, my dog will follow me. The subordinating conjunction if connects the subordinate clause I go home with the main clause my dog will follow me. The stayed inside the church because it was raining. He was always rude since he was a child. The rain fell as they entered the building. The pastor asked the congregation whether they were happy. The man rejoiced for he had won a prize. Exercise 2 Join the following pairs of sentences using the most appropriate subordinating conjunctions. 1. They arrived late. It was raining heavily. 2. John worked hard. He wanted to buy a house. 3. I won t carry the umbrella. You need it. 4. I drove the car madly. I was later for the meeting. 5. He will come. The meeting ends. Correlative conjunctions Correlative conjunctions are conjunctions that are used in pairs to connect sentence parts. These include either .. or, neither .. nor, not only . But also, whether . Or and both and. Examples: Both boys and girls attended the conference. People brought not only food but also clothes for the victims of the floods. The students ride either on bicycles or motorbikes. The sailor had to decide whether to sail on or head back when the weather changed. Neither John nor James was moved by the shocking news. Exercise 3 Join the following pairs of sentences using the correlative conjunctions in brackets. 1. The vehicles stopped for repairs. The vehicles stopped for fuel. Either ..or 2. The drivers knew they had to travel more than fifty kilometres. If they did not travel more than fifty kilometres, they would have to endure harsh storms. Either .or . 3. Many people build their own homes. Many people grow their own food. Not only but also 4. Men wanted to buy the pictures.


Many people grow their own food. Not only but also 4. Men wanted to buy the pictures. Women also wanted to buy the pictures. Both . And 5. Maize is an important part of a Kenyan s diet. Meat is important too. Both and ANSWERS ON CONJUNCTIONS Exercise 1 www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 86 1. But 6. But 2. Or 7. And 3. Or 8. Or 4. And 9. And 5. But 10. But Exercise 2 1. They arrived late because it was raining heavily. 2. John worked hard as he wanted to buy a house. 3. I won t carry the umbrella for you need it. 4. I drove the car madly since I was late for the meeting. 5. He will come before the meeting ends. Exercise 3 1. The vehicles either stopped for repairs or for fuel. 2. The drivers knew they had either to travel more than fifty kilometres or endure harsh storms. 3. Many people not only build their own homes but also grow their own food. 4. Both men and women wanted to buy the pictures. 5. Both maize and meat are important parts of a Kenyan s diet. INTERJECTIONS www.arena.co.ke 0713779527 87 An interjection is either a single word or short groups of words that is used to express a feeling or emotion. Interjections can express such feelings as urgency, surprise, relief, joy, or pain. An interjection that expresses strong emotion is often followed by an exclamation mark. An interjection that expresses mild emotion is usually followed by a comma. Examples: Let s go! We can t sleep before we find the missing boy urgency . Phew! I was afraid we would never find him. Relief Oh, you have grown so big. Surprise Well, I have never been so happy. Joy Exercise 1 Identify the interjection in the following sentences and indicate what feeling or emotion it expresses. 1. Say, have you heard about Nameless and Jua Kali, the famous Kenyan musicians. 2. Wow! Seeing the calf being born was exciting. 3. All right! I yelled to him. This is not right thing to do. 4. Boy! Some people felt wonderful being in the air balloon, but I felt nervous. 5.