English Grammar �(The Matrix)�

Parts of Speech

Course: INGL. 3021/3022

Oral and Written English�Professor: Aníbal Muñoz

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Preview

• Definitions
• Nouns
• Pronouns
• Verbs
• Adjectives
• Adverbs
• Prepositions
• Conjunctions

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• Interjections
• Determiners
• Subordinators
• Interrogatives
• Qualifiers
• Sentence combinations
• Yes/no questions
• Information questions
• Punctuation rules
• Capitalization rules

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Grammar

• definition

The grammar of a language is a complex of systems that may be analyzed and studied on these three levels: (Noam Chomsky’s UG)

1. Phonology (set of sounds/ symbols)
2. Morphology (combinations of sounds that

carry single units of meaning)

3. Syntax (how single units of meaning are

combined to form words, phrases and

sentences.

Parts of speech (Nouns)

• Nouns
• Definition
• Proper / common
• Singular / plural (annex)
• Count / non-count /abstract (annex) (how much –how many)
• Collectible (group nouns)
• Units of measurement

(Reference: Schramper Azar, Betty,1996. Basic English Grammar)

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Definition �(proper and common nouns)

• Nouns – words used to name a person, place, thing, object, quality, idea, concept, or an action.

Ref. (American Heritage Dictionary, 2001)

• Proper Nouns- special or particular name given to common nouns to distinguish them from others of the same kind.

Example: common- woman

proper Martha

Proper and common nouns

Nouns (singular and plural)

• Rule No. 1 (Add –s to the end of noun)

cup cups

student students

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• Rule No.2 consonants before “y”

change –y to i and add –es

city -cities party- parties lady-ladies

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• Rule No.3 vowels before “y”

add –s

boy –boys key –keys day -days

Singular and plural (cont.)

• Rule No. 4 (–f and –fe endings)

change the –f or –fe to v and –es

life –lives wife –wives thief –thieves

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• Rule No. 5 (sh, ch, x, ss endings) add –es

bush –bushes

match –matches

box -boxes

kiss -kisses

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• Rule No. 6 (consonant + o) add –es (vowel +o) –s

tomato –tomatoes radio radios

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Practice Exercises�Use the plural form to fill in the blanks. (provided list)

Baby

Boy

City

Country

Lady

Party

Tray

Key

Dictionary

cowboy

• They have one girl and two ______.
• I visited many _______ last year.
• Women give birth to _______.
• She lost the _____ of the car and the house!
• _____ rides horses in Texas.
• Madrid and Paris are beautiful _______.
• We must bring ______ to the English class.
• Good evening _____ and gentleman.
• On Saturday nights, I like to go to _______.
• People carry their food on _____ at the cafeteria.

Pronunciation of plurals (s / es)

• Group A Final –s is pronounced /z/ after voiced sounds

(taxicabs, beds, dogs, balls, years, days, boys, trees, etc.)

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• Group B Final –s is pronounced /s/ after voiceless sounds

(books, cups, groups, cats, students, desks, etc.)

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• Group C Final –s, es is pronounced /ez/

after “s” sounds (classes, horses, boxes, faces)

after “z” sounds (sizes, roses, noises)

after “sh” sounds (dishes, bushes)

after “ch” sounds (matches, sandwiches)

after “ge/dge” sounds (pages, ages, bridges, edges)

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Irregular plural forms (exceptions)

• Child children
• Foot feet
• Man men
• Woman women
• Mouse mice
• Tooth teeth
• Fish fish
• _____ people

(is always plural) (no s)

Count and noncount nouns

• Count nouns

a book books

one book two books

some books

a lot of books

many books

a few books

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• Non-count nouns

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money

some money

a lot of money

much money

a little money

• Common non-count nouns

advice, furniture, love, peace, homework, luck information, food, mail, music, traffic, weather, work, bread, cheese, coffee, rice, sand, meat, milk, water, sugar, money, oil,

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liquids materials (paper)

abstracts general

food

gases

Oral Practice (count vs. non-count)

Pronouns

• Definition
• Personal pronouns (subject-object)
• Possessive adjectives
• Possessive pronouns
• Reflexive
• Indefinite
• Interrogative
• Demonstrative
• Relative
• reciprocal

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Verbs (verb tenses /conjugation)

• Definition
• Regular
• Irregular verbs
• Spelling / pronunciation
• Conjugation (annex-practice)
• Auxiliary verbs/ modals (annex)
• Infinitives
• Gerunds

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Verbs�Regular/ Irregular/ verb tenses

Regular verbs (d or ed endings)

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/d/ sound pronunciation

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/t/ sound pronunciation

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/ed/ pronunciation

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Irregular verbs

• Three forms

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• Two forms

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• One form

Verb conjugation

• Simple present tense

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Verb tenses

• Simple past

Verb tenses

• Simple future
• Another way to express the simple future

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I am going to work tomorrow.

She is going to work next week.

They are going to work on Sunday.

Present progressive

Past progressive (continuous)

Future progressive (continuous)

Adjectives

• Definition
• Articles as adjectives
• Order of adjectives in a series (color, size, origin, nationalities, shape, age, etc..)
• Past participles / gerunds used as adjectives
• Comparatives and superlatives comparisons (annex-practice)

Adverbs

• Definition
• Adverbs of frequency (annex)
• Adverbs of time
• Adverbs of location (place)
• Adverbs of mode

Prepositions�

• Definition
• IN, ON and AT (annex –time and location)
• All prepositions
• Transitional expressions (prep. Phrases-annex)

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Conjunctions

• Definition
• Correlative conjunctions
• Coordinating conjunctions
• Subordinate conjunctions
• Conjunctive adverbs
• Other subordinators (annex)

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Interjections and other words

• Definition and examples
• Onomatopoeias
• Numerals (cardinals, ordinals)
• Determiners
• Qualifiers
• Subordinators
• interrogatives

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Capitalization Rules (annex)��Punctuation Rules (annex)��Sentence Combinations��YES/NO questions��Information questions