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According to their use or function in the sentence, words are divided into eight classed called parts of
speech: (1) nouns, (2) pronouns, (3) verbs, (4) adjectives, (5) adverbs, (6) prepositions, (7)
conjunctions, and (8) interjections.
a. Nouns. A noun is a substantive that denotes any or particular person, place, or thing.
Classes of Nouns
1. A common noun names anyone of a class of person, places, or things. (child, town, book)
2. A proper noun names a particular person, lace, or thing. (Emy, Cabugao, English Basics)
3. Nouns that can be counted are called count nouns. (bag, continent, dress)
4. Nouns that cannot be counted are called mass nouns. (gravel, ice, nectar)
Counters are used with mass nouns to make them mean more than one.
(truckloads of gravel, blocks of ice, bottles of nectar)
Practice Exercise 1. Common Noun or Proper Noun? Give its opposite class.
Example: Uranus proper planet
1. academy 6. author 11. Big Dipper 16. teacher
2. Negros 7. dictionary 12. Dr. Navarro 17. English
3. fruit 8. University of Cebu 13. manager 18. movie
4. Japan 9. ocean 14. philosopher 19. professor
5. queen 10. restaurant 15. scholar 20. scientist
Quiz Pick out the nouns in the following sentences. There may be more than one noun in each sentence.
Example: Terry told his friends many secrets.
Nouns: Terry friends - secrets
1. His success made his parents happy.
2. Cows give us milk.
3. The train has just left the station.
4. Paris is the capital of France.
5. Our family spent the holiday in London.
6. Do you drink coffee with milk and sugar?
7. Lead is softer than iron.
8. Whats more important, health or wealth?
9. A swarm of rabbits ran out of the forest.
10. My brother had a toothache last week.
b. Pronouns. A pronoun is a substantive used to place a noun. The word for which a pronoun stand is
called its antecedent.
Kinds of Pronouns
1. Personal Pronouns - directly substitute for a noun.
Cases of Number of Pronouns
Pronouns Singular Plural
1st
Nominative I We
Person
Possessive my, mine our, ours
Objective me us
Nominative you you
2nd
Possessive your, yours your, yours
Person
Objective you you
Nominative he, she, it they
3rd
Possessive his, her, hers, its their, theirs
Person
Objective him, her, it them
Hisself and theirselves are correct forms and should never be used.
Practice Exercise 1. Use a personal pronoun in place of the underlined noun or nouns.
This is the picture I want you to buy. (demonstrate pronoun designates picture)
N LV
This picture reminds me of his loyalty. (demonstrative adjective tells which picture)
Adj.
Practice Exercise 2. Tell whether the italicized demonstrative pronoun is used as pronoun or adjective in
the sentence.
2.2. Indefinite pronouns - are pronouns that do not define or stand for particular persons or
things.
Practice Exercise 3. Give the correct indefinite pronoun inside the parentheses that agrees in number
with the underlined verb.
3. Reciprocal Pronouns - are indicators of some mutual relationship between two or more
persons or things. There are only two reciprocal pronouns, and they are compound indefinite
pronouns: each other, one another.
They respect each other. (between 2 persons only)
They trust one another.
A restrictive element is a word, phrase or a clause that manages to limit the meaning of the sentence
element that it modifies. When a restrictive element is not included then the entire meaning of the
sentence will change.
The non-restrictive element is a word, phrase or a clause that provides excess information about the
beginning of a sentence without restricting the meaning of that part of the sentence.
The word THAT is considered to be a restrictive element of any sentence that it may be used in.
Baby foods that contain soybeans are best.
For example, if Sam calls Allan, then Sam is the subject because he is the one calling, and Allan is the
object because he is the one being called.
Rule. Use this he or she/ him or her method to decide whether who or whom is correct:
he or she= who
him or her= whom
Examples:
Practice Exercise 4. Which is the correct relative pronoun in the parenthesis? Encircle your answer.
5. Interrogative Pronouns-are used in asking questions. They are who (nominative), whom
(objective) both referring to persons, which (referring to persons or things and tells one
object from another), and what (referring to things).
As object of a verb or preposition whom alternates with who, when a preposition
immediately precedes, the form whom to used.
Note: As object of a verb or preposition whom alternates with who, when a preposition
immediately precedes, the form whom to used.
Who Ask about someones identity Who are your best friends?
Whom Ask about the object (person) in the sentence Whom did you meet?
Whose Ask about possession Whose pen is this?
What Ask for information about something What is her favorite color?
Which Ask for information about one of a limited number of Which day do you prefer for a
things, an option or choice meeting-today or tomorrow?
Practice Exercise 5. Underline the word in each parenthesis that makes the sentence correct.
Quiz. Pick out the pronouns in the following sentences and identify its corresponding kind. There may be
more than one pronoun in each sentence. Be careful with adjectives.
Example: These socks are hers.
pronoun: hers personal pronoun
1. Juan Luna is a Filipina whom we respect.
2. This cat is beautiful, but mine is more beautiful.
3. Who gave her the money?
4. He cut himself when he was shaving.
5. Which do you prefer, an apple or an orange?
6. There is nobody here.
7. The teacher can hear them talking.
8. She explained it to me yesterday.
9. I found these tickets on the floor yesterday. Are they yours?
10. You should help yourself.
11. Each of the students answered his assignment.
II. Verbs. A verb is a word or a group of words that asserts action, state, or condition concerning a
person, place or thing.
The simplest test for a verb is to ask, Can this word or phrase be put into the past, present,
and future? If it can, it is a verb; if it cant, it isnt a verb.
Kinds of Verbs
1. Action Verbs - tell what their subject does, did, is doing, will do, or can do.
a. Intransitive verb does not need an object (I see.)
b. Transitive verb has an object (I see the point.)
An object answers the question what or whom for direct and for whom or to whom for
indirect.
Practice Exercise 1. State whether the underlined verbs in the following sentences are used transitively
or intransitively.
2. Linking Verbs - tell what their subjects is, was, or will be They link the subject to the word that
renames it (the predicate nominative) or describes it (the predicate adjective).
The most common linking verbs are the form of the verb be: am, is, are, was, were, be,
been, being. Other linking verbs include seem, appear, become and words that describe
sensory impressions, such as taste, sound, feel, smell, look.
To test whether a verb is linking verb or action verb, try to replace it with is or was or any
proper form. If the meaning is unchanged, the verb is a linking verb.
Example:
Linking Verb Test (Meaning unchanged)
Practice Exercise 2. Determine whether the italicized verbs in the following sentences are action or
linking verbs.
LV 1. Mom's chicken and dumplings taste too salty for some reason.
AV 2. Charlotte grew green and yellow peppers in her container garden.
AV 3. We turned at the light and headed home.
LV 4. Pop grew angry when we didn't listen carefully.
AV 5. She liked to smell the flowers when she walked past the vase.
LV 6. The air smelled stale, so we opened the window.
AV 7. Christian and Louise tasted Aunt Betty's delicious peach cobbler.
AV 8. Jodi's white socks turned pink in the wash.
AV 9. Everyone looked at each other.
LV 10. She looks familiar.
3. Auxiliary Verbs- are sometimes called helping verbs, act as helpers to other verbs. They
appear in front of action verbs and linking verbs.
Although there are a variety of auxiliary verbs in the English language, the following words are a few that
often function as helping verbs. Note that these auxiliary verbs may function as action or linking verbs in
other cases.
can may must shall will has
Test: To distinguish between an auxiliary verb and a linking verb, simply look to see whether an action
verb immediately follows the to be verb.
For example: John was wearing his lucky sneakers at the baseball game.
the action verb wearing immediately follows the to be verb was, so we know that the to be verb
in this case is an auxiliary verb because it is helping out the action verb wearing.
Practice Exercise 3. Underline the verb in each sentence and indicate whether it is an action verb (AV),
a linking verb (LV) or an auxiliary verb (AUX V) by writing the appropriate letter next to the sentence.
Practice Exercise 1. Pick out the verbs in the following sentences. There may be more than one verb in
each sentence. AV(ACTION); HV(HELPING/AUX); LV(LINKING)
Example: There are thirty students in my class.
verb: are-LV
1. After the rain had stopped, the children went out to the playground.
2. My sister enjoys listening to classical music.
3. We will visit the museum tomorrow.
4. Who has finished doing the exercise?
5. The tiger was shot by the hunter.
6. The train is leaving soon.
7. Snakes are found in Sai Kung.
8. John occupies a very important position in the company.
9. I was bathing when the telephone rang.
10. That is the woman who knows my parents.
III. Modifiers.
a. Adjectives. An adjective serves as a modifier of a noun to denote the quality or condition of a
person, place, or thing named or to indicate its quantity.
Kinds of Adjectives
4. Articles Articles include the definite article the and indefinite articles a, an.
4.1. Indefinite articles (a, an) designates an object as merely one of a general class or
kind. A and AN are used only in the singular number.
A is used before words beginning with consonant and with the sound y or u. It is not
pronounced long as in cake, but unstressed as in a-lone. Thus, a boy, a girl, a man.
An is used before words beginning with a vowel or vowel sound. (an orange, an
exceptional worker). It is also used before words beginning with silent h. (an honor, an
honest boy)
4.2. Definite article (the) points out one or more particular objects as distinct from
other objects of the same kind. (The program has begun., Here is the book.)
A and AN are called indefinite articles. "Indefinite" means "not specific". Use A(AN) when you are
talking about a thing in general, NOT a specific thing.
Examples:
I need a phone. Not a specific phone, any phone
Mark wants a bicycle. Not a particular bicycle, a bicycle in general
Do you have a driver's license? In general
Use A (AN) when talking about a thing which is new, unknown, or introduced to a listener for the
first time. Also use A(AN) when you are asking about the existence of something.
Examples:
I have a car. The car is being introduced for the first time.
Tom is a teacher. This is new information to the listener.
Is there a dictionary in your backpack? Asking about the existence of the dictionary
Similarly, use A(AN) to introduce what type of thing we are talking about.
Examples:
That is an excellent book. Describing the kind of book
Do you live in a big house? Asking about the kind of house
I ate a thick, juicy steak. Describing the kind of steak
THE is called a definite article. "Definite" means "specific". Use THE when talking about something
which is already known to the listener or which has been previously mentioned, introduced, or
discussed.
Examples:
I have a cat. The cat is black.
There is a book in my backpack. The book is very heavy.
Do you know where I left the car keys? The listener knows which specific car keys you are
talking about.
Do you own a car? Is the car blue? You assume they do have a car after asking about it in
the first sentence.
Nobody lives on the Moon. The Moon is known to everyone.
IMPORTANT: You can use THE with both singular nouns and plural nouns.
Examples:
I saw the bear in Yellowstone National Park. Correct
I saw the bears in Yellowstone National Park. Correct
Many clauses and phrases make the noun known to the listener by telling the listener which person
or thing we are talking about. Let's look at an example sentence:
We use THE in this sentence because the phrase "on the table" tells the listener which book we are
referring to. We are not talking about other books, we are talking about a specific book that the
listener can see or already knows about. Learning to recognize such identifying clauses and
phrases will help you use THE correctly.
Examples:
Did you read the book which I gave you?
He didn't like the movie that you suggested.
He loved the dessert with chocolate and cherries.
The phone on my desk belongs to Ken.
Did you know the man who was talking to Leonie?
HOWEVER: Not all clauses and phrases make the noun known to the listener. Some are simply
descriptive. They add extra information, but they do not tell the listener which specific thing we are
talking about.
Examples:
He bought the house with a big backyard. This combination tells the listener which specific
house he bought.
He bought a house with a big backyard. This combination tells the listener what kind of house
he bought, but not the specific house he bought.
Practice Exercise 1. Fill in the blanks with the correct article (a, an or the)
1. My mother is ____ doctor and my father is ____ author.
Order of Adjectives
When more than one adjective comes before a noun, the adjectives are normally in a
particular order. Adjectives which describe opinions or attitudes (e.g. amazing) usually come
first, before more neutral, factual ones (e.g. red):
She was wearing an amazing red coat.
Not: red amazing coat
Determiner: The determiner tells us if the noun is singular or plural, definite or indefinite
a, an, the, my, your, four, those, some etc.
And then we have the adjectives that refer to:
1 6 9
English 12 (Writing in the Discipline) 2 nd Sem. AY:2016-2017 mfnamor
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It was made of a strange, green, metallic material.
3 8 10
Its a long, narrow, plastic brush.
4 8 9
Panettone is a round, Italian, bread-like Christmas cake.
Here are some invented examples of longer adjective phrases. A noun phrase which included all these
types would be extremely rare.
1 2 3 5 6 8
She was a beautiful, tall, thin, young, black-haired, Scottish woman.
1 2 5 8
What an amazing, little, old, Chinese cup and saucer!
When more than one adjective occurs after a verb such as be (a linking verb), the second
last adjective is normally connected to the last adjective by and:
Home was always a warm, welcoming place. Now it is sad, dark and cold.
And is less common when more than one adjective comes before the noun (e.g. a warm,
welcoming place). However, we can use and when there are two or more adjectives of the same
type, or when the adjectives refer to different parts of the same thing:
It was a blue and green cotton shirt.
Quiz. Pick out the adjectives in the following sentences. There may be more than one adjective in each
sentence.
Examples: He is a hard-working student.
adjective: hard-working
1. These apples are sweet but expensive.
2. Whose umbrella is this?
3. There is some milk in the refrigerator.
4. Tai Mo Shan is the highest mountain in Hong Kong.
5. We have not got any mango trees in our garden.
English 12 (Writing in the Discipline) 2 nd Sem. AY:2016-2017 mfnamor
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6. Which dress does you like, the blue one or the red one?
7. Peter is fatter than Maurice.
8. It is dangerous for children to play with matches.
9. This book is very interesting. Have you read it?
10. Alan is an honest boy.
b. Adverbs. Adverb is a word that modifies, i.e., describes, limits, or qualifies a verb, an adverb or
another adverb.
Kinds of Adverbs
1. An adverb of time answers the question when. (I went to the bank this morning.)
2. An adverb of place answers the question where. (We met in the school last week.)
3. An adverb of manner tells how. (She dances gracefully.)
4. As adverb of frequency tells how often. (Teacher always arrives in school early.)
5. An adverb of degree denotes extent. (Dr. Agnir is very intelligent)
6. A relative adverb introduces an adjective clause. (The month while you were away was
hot.
Uses of Adverbs
1. Modifying a verb. (He came quickly.)
2. Modifying an adjective. (The laborers felt entirely exhausted.)
3. Modifying an adverb. (The contestant arrived too late.)
Practice Exercise 1. Pick out the adverbs in the following sentences. There may be more than one
adverb in each sentence.
Example: The soldiers fought bravely in the war.
adverb: bravely
1. The little girl smiled sweetly at me yesterday.
2. Please hang the wet clothes here.
3. The chairman seldom arrives on time.
4. You must spend your money more wisely.
5. It is raining heavily. You must drive carefully.
6. He shouted at the dog that was barking noisily.
7. Jane spoke the least throughout the meeting.
8. You must work hard if you want to pass the examination.
9. Have you ever visited Thailand?
10. The box is too heavy for him to carry.
IV. Connectives.
a. Prepositions. A preposition stands before a substantive to show the relationship between the
noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence.
Prepositions denote
1. Direction (across, around, down, from, into, off, over, out, toward, up)
My house is just across the street.
2. Place (at, behind, beside, between, in, in front of, on, under)
My daughter sat beside me.
3. Time (after, at, before, in, on)
Leolan Emy saw a carpet on the floor.
Prepositions Time
English Usage Example
on days of the week on Monday
in months / seasons in August / in winter
time of day in the morning
year in 2006
after a certain period of time (when?) in an hour
at for night at night
for weekend at the weekend
a certain point of time (when?) at half past nine
since from a certain point of time (past till now) since 1980
for over a certain period of time (past till now) for 2 years
ago a certain time in the past 2 years ago
before earlier than a certain point of time before 2004
to telling the time ten to six (5:50)
past telling the time ten past six (6:10)
to / till / until marking the beginning and end of a period of from Monday to/till
time Friday
till / until in the sense of how long something is going to He is on holiday until
last Friday.
by in the sense of at the latest I will be back by 6
up to a certain time oclock.
By 11 o'clock, I had read
five pages.
in -for the names of land-areas (towns, counties, states, countries, and continents).
a. She lives in Durham.
b. Durham is in Windham County.
c. Windham County is in Connecticut.
Toward and towards are also helpful prepositions to express movement. These are simply variant
spellings of the same word; use whichever sounds better to you.
a. We're moving toward the light.
b. This is a big step towards the project's completion.
With the words home, downtown, uptown, inside, outside, downstairs, upstairs, we use no
preposition.
a. Grandma went upstairs
b. Grandpa went home.
c. They both went outside.
a. The girl could not decide between (not among) Jose and me.
b. The property was divided among (not between) the five children.
Exercise. Pick out the prepositions in the following sentences. There may be more than one preposition in
each sentence.
Example: My father works in a factory. .
preposition: in
1. Take off your hat before you go into the room.
2. I bought this book for fifty dollars.
3. There is a bridge over the river.
4. I like walking along the riverbank.
5. She kept her jewellery in a box under the bed.
6. The lifeguard had to swim against the currents to reach the drowning child.
7. He is afraid of snakes.
8. Homework should be finished at home.
9. My parents do not work on Sundays.
10. Rose is absent from school today.
Kinds of conjunctions
1. Coordinators tie together words and word-groups which have the same grammatical
construction.
a. I study English and Mathematics. (nouns)
b. We sang and danced heartily. (verbs)
c. The book is old and soiled. (adjectives)
d. He went into the water and down into the bottom. (phrases)
e. They worked rapidly, but carefully. (adverb)
f. We can go if Father permits us and if he gives us money. (dependent clause)
The principal coordinating conjunctions are and, but, or, nor, notwithstanding, for,
however, moreover, then, therefore, yet, still, nevertheless
Also classified as coordinators are the paired conjunctions called correlatives: as_so,
both_and, either_or, neither_nor, not only_but also,now_now, rather_than,
whether_or
3. Subordinators are function words that join dependent clauses to main clause. They
make clear exactly what the relation between the two clauses is. The chief relations they
show are cause or reason, concession, condition, contrast, exception, place, purpose, or
result, and time.
a. Cause/Reason (because, since, as if, as though, as long as, whereas)
b. Concession/Condition/Contrast/Exception (although, though, even though, unless, if,
than, provided that)
c. Place (where, wherever)
d. Purpose/Result (that, so, so that, in order that)
e. Time (before, after, when, whenever, while, until, since)
V. Interjections. An interjection is a word that expresses a strong or sudden feeling. It may be a cry
or any other exclamatory sound expressing: surprise, fear, anger, pleasure, alarm, or any other
feeling or emotion.
2. To attract attention
hallo ho halloo hist hello st
4. To represent a sound
baa bowwow crack splash whiz
II. You have to read the following sentences and underline the word or words that belong to the part
of speech specified in the bracket. An example is given below.
Question: She must have reached home. (verb)
Answer: She must have reached home.
1. She went to the market and bought some 3. There is a mouse underneath the piano.
eggs. (verb) (preposition)
2. I want to go now. (adverb) 4. John is my best friend. (proper noun)
III. Many words can be more than one part of speech. The part of speech a word belongs to depends
on how the word is used in a sentence. Read each sentence, and then decide the part of speech of
the italicized word. Write only the letter of your choice on the space provided.
Example: Every four years, the public votes in the presidential election.
a. adjective
b. noun
c. verb
Explanation: The answer is b because votes describes an action. It tells what the public does
every four years. Therefore, votes is a verb.
1. Whenever the door slams, the lamp rocks back and forth.
2. The garden wall is made of rocks.
3. Every evening my grandmother rocks in her rocking chair.
4. The college's geology department has a large rock collection.
5. Parents should limit the amount of television their children watch.
6. Her credit limit is $5,000.
7. How much cloth will it take to make the curtains?
8. When I travel, I take my cloth coat instead of my leather one.
9. Feathers are so light that they seem to float.
10. Please turn on the light.
11. Pastels are light colors.
12. Open the window and let in the light.
13. Please light the candles on the birthday cake.
14. Her daughter is the light of her life.
15. The pancakes are delicious and light.
IV. Identify & Label. Label the part of speech for each word in bold.
Example: (1) Mary Lennox = (proper) noun
If you just wrote noun for the answer, that is good, too. Whenever possible, be more descriptive.
This excerpt is taken from chapter one of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
When (1) Mary Lennox (2) was (3) sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live (4) with her uncle
everybody (5) said she was the (6) most disagreeable-looking child ever seen. It was true,
too. (7) She had a little thin face (8) and a little thin body, thin light hair and a (9) sour
expression. (10) Her hair was (11) yellow, and her face was yellow (12) because she had
been born (13) in (14) India and had always been ill in one way (15) or another.
- From The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
ASSIGNMENMT
Look for a short story (Fable, Parable, Legend etc.) and identity each word of the story which part
of speech it belongs. Encode it in a short bond paper using VERDANA font style Font 12 with 1 inch
margin each sides. Be sure not to duplicate your chosen stories.
THE SENTENCE
I. Sentence defined. A sentence is a word or group of related words that expresses a complete
thought. It includes words grouped meaningfully to express a statement, question, exclamation,
request, command or suggestion.
1. The boy/plays.
2. Dogs/bark.
3. Rain/ is falling.
4. He/played.
5. The children/play ball.
II. Subject and Predicate. Every sentence, whether short or long, must have a subject and a
predicate either or both of which may be simple or compound. The subject often denotes the person,
place, or thing spoken of. The predicate asserts something about the subject.
In each of the sentences in section 1, the subject is before the slanting line; the predicate is after
it.
a. Simple subject and simple predicate. The simple subject consists of a single noun or pronoun.
The simple predicate consists of a single verb or a single verb phrase.
1. The little girl/ sings.
2. The little girl/ is singing.
b. Compound subject and compound predicate. The compound subject consists of two or more
simple subjects, usually joined by a conjunction (and, but, neither nor, either-or, and the
like). The compound predicate consists of two or more simple predicates also usually joined by
a conjunction.
c. Complete subject and complete predicate. The complete subject consists of the simple or
compound subject together with the word or words used to modify it or complete its meaning.
The complete predicate consists of the simple or compound predicate together with the word or
words used to modify it or complete its meaning.
1. The young players/ are ready for the game.
2. The Lords Prayer/contains the sum total of religion and morals.--Wellington
In each of these sentences, the complete subject is separated from the complete predicate
by slanting line. The simple subject and predicate are italized.
Exercise: Examine the following sentences, and examine the kind of subjects and predicates they have.
Be sure to divide the subject from the predicate.
SENTENCES ACCORDING TO STRUCTURE. According to structure, sentences are divided into four
kinds: (1) simple, (2) compound, (3) complex, and (4) compound-complex.
a. Joe waited for the train, but the train was late.
b. Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon, and they left on the bus
before I arrived.
Practice Exercise 2. Combine the following simple sentences to create a compound sentence.
ANSWERS
1. It rained for three days, so the streets in my neighborhood flooded.
2. I got to ball practice late for I forgot to set my alarm.
3. Kyle completed his homework and he put it in his binder.
4. Luke mowed the lawn and he earned ten dollars.
5. I stayed up late last night so I am tired today.
6. Neil doesn't like seafood, nor does he like cabbage.
7. My pencil was broken so I borrowed one from Jake.
8. I like apples, but I like pears more.
9. Eight people got into the elevator, but it was crowded, so three people got off.
10. Georgia gathered the pictures so she could arrange them in a special album for her family.
3. A complex sentence contains an independent clause (the simple sentence) and one or
more dependent or subordinate clauses.
a. Because Martha and Sabrina arrived at school before noon, I did not see them at the
canteen.
b. John realized that the plane was late while he waited at the airport.
Practice Exercise 3. Identify the independent and subordinate clauses in the following sentences and
determine whether they are complex or compound-complex.
ANSWERS
1. Jason decided to stay up late because he had a lot of homework to do. (complex)
2. If you hurry, we might get to school on time. (complex)
3. Although Monica had a cold, she went to school because she had a test. (complex)
4. While washing the car, Todd slipped on the soap and he fell. (compound-complex)
5. Dad takes the train to work even though he has a car. (complex)
6. After Mom arrived, she put the disk in the DVD player and we watched a great
movie. (compound-complex)
7. Even though his heart pounded with dread, Ben bolted up the stairs, and he checked out
the strange noise. (compound-complex)
8. Molly baked brownies since she had nothing else to do. (complex)
9. Karen made a list of what was needed, and she double-checked it so she wouldn't
forget anything. (compound-complex)
10. Frank had a good sense of humor, so he laughed a lot. (complex)
Practice Exercise 4. Read the following sentences. Check the box marked simple if it is a simple
sentence. Check the box marked compound if it is a compound sentence. Check the box marked
complex if it is a complex sentence.
1. We have to go to bed when the clock chimes ten oclock. Simple Compound Complex
2. Jennifer liked Williams friend, and she also liked his cousin. Simple Compound Complex
3. The big brown dog ran after the blue and red ball. Simple Compound Complex
4. James and Eve rode their bicycles after they ate lunch. Simple Compound Complex
5. The teacher and the principal met in the hall near the library. Simple Compound Complex
6. Many brave soldiers fought in the war, and they received medals. Simple Compound Complex
7. Before the queen rode in the parade, she gave a speech. Simple Compound Complex
8. After midnight the ghosts will come out of the haunted attic. Simple Compound Complex
9. She dropped the pan and the plate, but she held on to the spoon. Simple Compound Complex
10. The drummers played a long time, but the piano players stopped early. Simple Compound Complex
Practice Exercise 5. Identify the kind of the following sentences according to structure. Write only the
letter of your corresponding answer.
a) Simple b) Compound c) Complex d) Compound-Complex
Sentence Sentence Sentence Sentence
1. Pauline and Bruno have a big argument every summer over where they should spend their
summer vacation.
2. Pauline loves to go to the beach and spend her days sunbathing.
3. Bruno, on the other hand, likes the view that he gets from the log cabin up in the mountains, and
he enjoys hiking in the forest.
4. Pauline says there is nothing relaxing about chopping wood, swatting mosquitoes, and cooking
SENTENCE PATTERNS
"Sentence patterns" is just another way talk about the way a sentence is put together; the
order of the elements in the sentence; sentence construction. Some sources say there are six
English sentence patterns; some say eight. A few sources list even more. Here are the ones we feel
are the most common, and the easiest to recognize:
1. Subject + Verb (S-V) - This is the simplest kind of sentence. It consists of a subject, a verb, and
possibly some adjectives, adverbs, or prepositional phrases. There are no direct objects, indirect
objects, or complements.
Exercise. Identify the pattern of each sentence. Write your answers after each sentence.
1. The blacksmith made the hammer very 22. I'm not famous.
durable. 23. The spectators look surprised.
2. She installed Arthur as a knight. 24. The farmer described to them the fishpond.
3. Andrew no longer went to college. 25. He is Nigerian.
4. I leave her some flowers. 26. The pope made Ambrose holy.
5. The manager passed Jenny tequila. 27. Everyone thinks the full moon a very
6. The woman in the photograph smiled. impressive sight.
7. The Governor bluffs. 28. The girl behind you grinned.
8. That librarian finds the book interesting. 29. That teacher offered her a ride home.
9. We listened to Obama. 30. The mathematician crossed the Red Sea.
10. I promised her a delicious dinner. 31. During the summer our bodies are dry.
11. She is helpful. 32. That photographer teaches them
12. You can sell him a necklace. mathematics.
13. They drank water. 33. The wall collapsed.
14. We find the meatballs delicious. 34. His cousin often showed the visitors the
15. Edison admitted the crime. painting.
16. The madams smirked. 35. The girl wants Bami as a friend.
17. The President resigned. 36. The roses look amazing.
18. Johnny wanted Lenny as his wife. 37. The clouds are heavy with rain.
19. These boys slammed the door. 38. Most writers desired self-esteem.
20. One presents the moral problem. 39. The mobsters burned the building.
21. This cake tastes better. 40. The natives considered bribery taboo.
Basic Principle: Singular subjects need singular verbs; plural subjects need plural verbs.
A phrase or clause that comes between a subject and the verb does not affect subject-verb agreement.
- The captain of the guards stands at attention.
- The troopers whom the captain put in charge of the roadblock stand on either side.
1. The indefinite pronouns anyone, everyone, someone, no one, nobody are always singular and,
therefore, require singular verbs.
Everyone has done his or her homework.
Somebody has left her purse.
Some indefinite pronouns such as all, some are singular or plural depending on what they're
referring to. (Is the thing referred to countable or not?) Be careful choosing a verb to accompany such
pronouns.
Some of the beads are missing.
Some of the water is gone.
On the other hand, there is one indefinite pronoun, none, that can be either singular or plural; it often
doesn't matter whether you use a singular or a plural verb unless something else in the sentence
determines its number. (Writers generally think of none as meaning not any and will choose a plural verb,
as in "None of the engines are working," but when something else makes us regard none as meaning not
one, we want a singular verb, as in "None of the food is fresh.")
None of you claims responsibility for this incident?
None of the students have done their homework. (In this last example, the
word their precludes the use of the singular verb.
2. Some indefinite pronouns are particularly troublesome everyone and everybody (listed above, also)
certainly feel like more than one person and, therefore, students are sometimes tempted to use a
plural verb with them. They are always singular, though. Each is often followed by a prepositional
phrase ending in a plural word (Each of the cars), thus confusing the verb choice. Each, too, is always
singular and requires a singular verb.
You would always say, "Everybody is here." This means that the word is singular and nothing will change
that.
Each of the students is responsible for doing his or her work in the library.
Don't let the word "students" confuse you; the subject is each and each is always singular Each
is responsible.
Singular Plural
anyone, everyone, someone both
anybody, everybody, somebody few
anything, everything, something many
others
several
each + singular noun
every + singular noun
any of, none of, the majority of, a lot of plenty of, a/the majority of, a number of, a lot of, plenty of,
all (of), some (of) + an uncountable noun all (of), some (of ) + a plural noun
the number of
3. Phrases such as together with, as well as, and along with are not the same as and. The phrase
introduced by as well as or along with will modify the earlier word (mayor in this case), but it does
not compound the subjects (as the word and would do).
The mayor as well as his brothers is going to prison.
The mayor and his brothers are going to jail.
4. The pronouns neither and either are singular and require singular verbs even though they seem to
be referring, in a sense, to two things.
Neither of the two traffic lights is working.
Which shirt do you want for Christmas? Either is fine with me.
In informal writing, neither and either sometimes take a plural verb when these pronouns are followed by
a prepositional phrase beginning with of. This is particularly true of interrogative constructions:
"Have either of you two clowns read the assignment?" "Are either of you taking this seriously?" Burchfield
calls this "a clash between notional and actual agreement."
5. The conjunction or does not conjoin (as and does): when nor or or is used the subject closer to the
verb determines the number of the verb. Whether the subject comes before or after the verb doesn't
matter; the proximity determines the number.
Either my father or my brothers are going to sell the house.
Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell the house.
7. Verbs in the present tense for third-person, singular subjects (he, she, it and anything those words can
stand for) have s-endings. Other verbs do not add s-endings.
He loves and she loves and they love_ and . . . .
8. Sometimes modifiers will get between a subject and its verb, but these modifiers must not confuse the
agreement between the subject and its verb.
The mayor, who has been convicted along with his four brothers on four counts of various
crimes but who also seems, like a cat, to have several political lives, is finally going to jail.
9. Sometimes nouns take weird forms and can fool us into thinking they're plural when they're really
singular and vice-versa. Words such as glasses, pants, pliers, and scissors are regarded as plural (and
require plural verbs) unless they're preceded the phrase pair of (in which case the word pair becomes
the subject).
My glasses were on the bed.
My pants were torn.
10. Plural-looking Subjects that take Singular Verbs: Nouns that are plural in form but singular in meaning
agree with singular verbs. Such nouns include civics, economics, physics, mathematics, social studies,
molasses, mumps, news (and others).
The news from the front is bad.
Measles is a dangerous disease for pregnant women.
On the other hand, some words ending in -s refer to a single thing but are nonetheless plural and require
a plural verb.
My assets were wiped out in the depression.
The names of sports teams that do not end in "s" will take a plural verb: the Miami Heat have been
looking , The Connecticut Sun are hoping that new talent
11. Plural-looking Subjects that take Plural Verbs: To make things trickier for foreign learners of English,
there are also those nouns that end in s and do take plural verbs, unlike the category above. These
include belongings, clothes, congratulations, earnings, good, outskirts, particulars, premises, riches,
savings, stairs, surroundings, thanks. Police and people are also always plural.
12. Fractional expressions such as half of, a part of, a percentage of, a majority of are sometimes singular
and sometimes plural, depending on the meaning. (The same is true, of course, when all, any, more,
most and some act as subjects.) Sums and products of mathematical processes are expressed as
singular and require singular verbs. The expression "more than one" (oddly enough) takes a singular
verb: "More than one student has tried this."
Some of the voters are still angry.
13. Titles as Subjects: No matter how long it is and whether it sounds plural, a title is always singular.
Divine Comedies by James Merrill is a Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of poems.
14. Compound subjects consist of two or more subjects usually connected by or or and. Specific rules
apply to compound subjects.
- Two or more singular subjects joined by or or nor must have a singular verb.
Beth or Sally is going to represent us.
- Two or more plural subjects joined by or or nor must have a plural verb.
The class presidents or the student council members are going to represent us.
- If one or more subjects are singular and the others are plural and they are joined by or or nor, the
subject closest to the verb determines agreement.
Beth, Sally, or the twins are going to represent us.
Either the twins or Sally is going to represent us.
- A compound subject joined by and is generally plural and must have a plural verb. The conjunction
and generally acts as a plus sign. Whether the parts of a compound subject joined by and are all
singular, all plural, or a combination of singular and plural, they add up to a plural compound
subject.
Sally and Joe are going to represent us.
The boys and girls are going to represent us.
The girls and Joe are going to represent us.
15. Titles as Subjects: No matter how long it is and whether it sounds plural, a title is always singular.
Divine Comedies by James Merrill is a Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of poems.
Compound Subjects Exercise: Decide which form of the given verb is correct.
1. The door and the window (is, are) both stuck.
2. Neither Mother nor Father (has phoned, have phoned).
3. The dog or the cats (is, are) always howling.
4. Apples and bananas (has been, have been) my favorite fruits for years.
5. Mary or Louise (belongs, belong) to the backgammon club.
6. Each morning Tom or the children (buys, buy) fresh rolls at the bakery.
7. Both the man with the appliances and the plumber (has, have) arrived.
8. My son and daughter (has, have) never been so cooperative.
9. Mark and David (isnt, arent) in the office yet.
10. Two large packages and a letter (was, were) put on her desk.
11. Either the children or I (walks, walk) into town for the mail.
12. My car or Teds (is, are) always available.
13. His messiness and my incessant chattering (annoys, annoy) Mother.
14. Every cup and saucer (was, were) broken in the move.
15. Rain and snow always (falls, fall) this time of year.
16. The principal or the assistant principal (wants, want) to speak with you.
17. After dinner either Bruce or Debbie (cleans, clean) the table.
18. Sausage and peppers in tomato sauce (was, were) served with a green salad.
19. Heavy rains and high winds (has, have) hit the coast.
Subjects-Verb Agreement Exercise: Decide which form of the given verb is correct.
1. Near the top of the closet (is, are) an old electric fan.
2. After hours of discussion, the committee (has, have) been unable to reach an agreement.
3. Rich foods (is, are) one cause of oily skin.
4. Economics (was, were) my sisters major in college.
5. (Do, Does) exotic plants thrive in this climate?
6. The group of tourists (has, have) left on the bus.
7. The jury (has, have) forwarded a complaint about the heat in the deliberation room.
8. (Is, Are) some of the soup still left?
9. (Heres Here are) more volunteers for the clean-up brigade.
10. The problem at the picnic (was, were) bees.
11. There (is, are) two excellent reasons and a few silly excuses for his choice.
12. Politics (was, were) one of his major interests for a long time.
13. The entire faculty (has, have) accepted the proposal.
14. (Theres, There are) the captains of both teams.
15. Another example of the areas underdevelopment (is, are) the narrow dirt roads.
16. There (is, are) only one possibly explanation.
17. Mumps (is, are) a dangerous disease for adults.
18. The team (has, have) been squabbling with each other all morning.
19. At the top of the stairs (is, are) the two lights.
20. (Is, Are) mathematics on your program this term?
21. Here (is, are) two records I particularly like.
22. The news from the Middle East (has, have) been unsettling.
23. The assembly (has, have) voted themselves a pay increase.
24. One of the girls (was, were) hurt on the soccer field.
25. Ten feet of cement (is, are) what we want for the patio.
26. Most of the reports (was, were) of poor quality.
27. Civics (has, have) not been taught as a subject in many schools for some time now.
28. At the top of the hill (stands, stand) two majestic oaks.
29. The Brothers Karamazov (ranks, rank) as an outstanding Russian novel.
30. There (was, were) several weaknesses in that survey.
31. Now the audience (rises, rise) as one in appreciation.
32. Each of the turntables (has, have) a drawback.
33. Dirty streets (is, are) just one of our complaints.
34. The couple (disagrees, disagree) with each other about where they should spend their vacation.
35. Where (is, are) my new pliers?
36. Others in the council (joins, join) in criticism.
37. The jury (is, are) arguing over the details of the case.
38. One fifth of our income (go, goes) to taxes.
39. Bartletts Familiar Quotations (has, have) always been a fine resource for speakers.
40. In back of the house (is, are) planted beans and cucumbers.
41. Half of the new cars (has, have) significant defects.
42. The Best of the Beatles (was, were) bound to be a classic from the beginning.
43. (Theres, There are) only one person I can recommend.
44. Four inches of growth in a year (is, are) outstanding.
Subject-Verb Agreement Exercise: Decide which form of the given verb is correct.
1. My brother or my mother (wants, want) to meet the train.
2. Both sailors (was, were) attempting to grasp the lifeline.
3. Most of the roast (seems, seem) too dry.
4. Fine artists often (collaborates, collaborate) in a performance.
5. Everyone (knows, know) what to expect from her.
6. Fruits or assorted nuts (is, are) excellent to serve.
7. Many a political cause (dies, die) soon after birth.
8. Trips to Europe (has, have) become more expensive.
9. The new series of recitals (appears, appear) to be successful.
10. That couple (has, have) been living there for years.
11. The Sense of the 60s (depicts, depict) a particularly turbulent era.
12. Examples of his poor judgment (has, have) been documented.
13. At the other end of town (is, are) a fine French restaurant.
14. More of our teammates now (agrees, agree) with me.
15. The Marx Brothers films still (delights, delight) audiences.
16. Either two friends or my teacher (is, are) planning to visit Bill in the hospital.
17. Hockey and football (has, have) always been particularly aggressive sports.
18. The strings in the orchestra (is, are) outstanding.
19. Either (has, have) been acceptable to us for some time.
20. Three fifths of the population (supports, support) the new law.
Verb Tenses
Verb tenses are an attribute of verbs that tell us about time. Remember that verbs are words that show
actions or states of being.
SIMPLE TENSES
There are three basic times when verbs can take place: past, present, and future. These are the
easy ones to remember. In fact, they are called simple tenses.
1. Simple present tense verbs show actions that happen regularly or that are permanently happening.
We play football in the backyard.
My niece skips down the road.
2. Simple past tense verbs are verbs that show actions that took place in the past.
We played football in the backyard.
My niece skipped down the road
3. Simple future tense verbs are verbs that show actions that have not taken place yet, but that will
take place in the future.
We will play football in the backyard.
My niece will skip down the road.
PROGRESSIVE/CONTINUOUS FORMS
Both simple and perfect verb tenses can also be made into progressive verb forms. Sometimes
they are also called continuous. That just means that they show an action that is in progress or that is
continuing. To form this type of verb, you add one of the forms of the verb be with the present participle
of the verb. (The present participle ends in -ing.)
We are playing. (Present progressive)
We were playing. (Past progressive)
We will be playing. (Future progressive)
We have been playing. (Present perfect progressive)
We had been playing. (Past perfect progressive)
We will have been playing. (Future perfect progressive)
PERFECT TENSES
English verbs also have three perfect verb tenses: present perfect tense, past perfect tense, and
future perfect tense. At any rate, all of these perfect tenses are formed with the helping verbs have, has,
had, will and shall and the past participles of the verb.
1. Present perfect tense verbs show actions that were finished recently or ones that were completed
at an indefinite time in the past. This use has or have.
We have played football.
My niece has skipped down the road.
2. Past perfect tense verbs show actions that came directly before another action in the past. These
use had.
We had played football.
My niece had skipped down the road before I came.
3. Future perfect tense verbs show actions that will happen before other future actions happens.
These use will have and shall have.
By tomorrow, we will have played football.
By noon, my niece will have skipped down the road.
VERB
SIMPLE PROGRESSIVE/CONTINUOUS PERFECT
TENSES
FACTS/ HABITS/ ROUTINES NOW/ TEMPORARY ACTIVITIES EXPERIENCES/ PAST ACTION WITH
PRESENT RESULTS
SUBJECT + INFINITIVE (+S) SUBJECT + BE + _____ING SUBJECT + HAVE + PARTICIPLE
PRESENT
I live she live they live I am living she is living I have lived she has lived
I dont live he doesnt live I am not living he is not living I have not lived he has not lived
Do you live? Does she live? Are you living? Is she living? Have you lived? Has she lived?
PAST ACTION AT A GIVEN TIME THINGS HAPPENING AT A GIVEN TIME PAST ACTION IN RELATION TO THE PAST
FUTURE ACTIONS THINGS HAPPENING AT A FUTURE GIVEN WHAT WILL HAVE HAPPENED IN THE
TIME FUTURE
SUBJECT + WILL + INFINITIVE SUBJECT + WILL BE + INFINITIVE SUBJECT + WILL HAVE + PARTICIPLE
FUTURE
I will live she will live I will be living she will be living I will have lived she will have lived
I will not live he will not live I will not be living he will not be living I will not have lived he will not have lived
Will you live? Will she live? Will you be living? Will she be living? Will you have lived? Will she have lived?
THE SENTENCE UNITY, COHERENCE AND EMPHASIS
UNITY IN SENTENCE
Unity demands that related ideas in the sentence/s should be joined and unrelated ideas should be
separated. It has also to do with the choice of materials with a view to completion. Thus, a sentence has
unity when it expresses a single complete thought containing only those details necessary to enrich that
thought.
The following sentences violate this principle of unity:
1. Choppy sentences. These are two or more related sentences which must be joined to form one
and unified thought or idea. By structure, it will appear, thus:
Here, the sentences are divided or shopped. If the ideas in the three sentences are related and
they could be joined into one sentence, then unity is achieved. Again, by structure, the correction
will appear:
One Sentence
(Joining sentence 1, 2, 3)
Example:
Choppy : My friend was reading a book.
Sentence 1
Better : I like Maria as a friend because she is intelligent, honest and industrious.
or
I like Maria as a friend because of her intelligence, honesty, and industry.
2. Run-on sentences. These are two or more sentences which must be separated by the correct use
of conjunctions or punctuation marks.
Example:
Run-on : Cause of traffic accidents are many ways of prevention are numerous,
too.
Better : Causes of traffic accidents are many: ways of prevention are numerous,
too.
3. Cat and Dog sentences. These are two or more sentences with completely unrelated idea/s that
they should be separated or the related idea/s should be used to what is asserted.
Example:
Notice how the original sentences of 32 words can be reduced to 20 words without impairing the idea/s
you want to convey.
6. Loose sentences. These are sentences where the major elements or ideas of the sentences are
placed at the beginning and the major elements or ideas placed at the end.
A loose sentence is not grammatically wrong but quality-wise it is structurally erroneous and
can be corrected by using a periodic sentence. The purpose is to achieve an effect of suspense or
surprise.
The minor elements of the sentence are phrases and dependent clauses while the major
elements include independent clauses.
Example:
Loose : The police investigation discovered that the jewels were missing
after they noticed a light in an upstair window and went into the house to
investigate.
Periodic : After they noticed a light in an upstair window and went into the house to
investigate, the discovered that jewels were missing.
7. Straggling sentences. These are sentences that contain several ideas piled one after another.
The following suggestions are the best ways to correct and improve straggling sentences.
Example:
Stragglin :Letty knew that she would have a lovely time in the party tonight, and she
g wanted to go for she knew there would be dancing and Letty loved to dance
but she could not go because he mother refused to allow her to do so.
The sentence above can be broken into three main ideas:
1. Letty loved to dance.
2. Letty wanted to go to the party.
3. But her mother refused to allow her.
Joining these three ideas, you came up with the sentences:
Because she loved to dance, Letty wanted to go to the party but her mother did not
allow her.
Practice Exercises:
b. The river was deep. It was wide. There was a bridge over it.
c. Last week we attended a seminar. The seminar was an interesting one. It was given by
Jose P. Aquino. Mr. Aquino is a U.S. based scholar.
d. The students sat down. The professor entered the room. She spoke. She said they
would have a test.
e. The Accounting problems were difficult. I tried very hard. I was able to solve them.
e. The San Miguel Corporation contributed a P50,000 donation as its gift to the Red Cross.
COHERANCE IN SENTENCE
Coherence demands that related ideas in the sentences are made clear and show logical
relationship to each other.
The following sentences violate coherence:
1. Shift in pronoun preference.
Wrong : The management of the shipping company decided to add two luxury
liners to their fleet.
Correct : The management of the shipping company decided to add two luxury
liners to its fleet.
Use its instead of their because the antecedent of the pronoun its is management which is a collective
noun given a singular meaning.
Ambiguous : If fresh milk does not agree with your baby, boil it.
(Which will you boilthe baby or the Fresh milk?)
Better : If your baby does not agree with fresh milk, boil it. or
Boil the fresh milk of it does not agree with your baby.
Wrong : The bird was shot by the boy with the features of an eagle.
(Who has the feature of an eaglethe bird of the boy?)
Better : The boy shot the bird with the features of an eagle.
Wrong : Orange and crimson, the painter captured the magnificence of the
sunset on his canvass. (Does the orange and crimson refer to the
painter or the sunset?
Better : The painter captured the magnificence of the sunset on his canvass.
4. Dangling modifiers. These refer to verbal phrases (infinitive and participle) which modify the wrong
word or the word modified is elliptical.
5. Wrong subordination. This occurs when the subordinate or clause functioning as an adjective or
adverb modifies the wrong word in the sentence.
b. He took out his handkerchief, blew his nose and put it back in his pocket.
2. Dangling modifiers
a. Mother carried on a large dish, entered the room with roasted chicken.
c. The President has his picture in the newspaper shaking hands with farmers in his
expensive suit.
e. The Campus Administrator was welcomed by the employees after returning from her
vacation.
EMPHASIS IN SENTENCES
Emphasis demands that related words or ideas should be made prominent or should stand-out. The
use of emphasis produces a certain style of writinglike the use of parallel construction, balanced
sentences and figurative speechall aimed to give ornament to written diction.
2. By parallelism
a. A series of infinitives:
O live is to grow, to love, to dare, to build, to hope, to singeven to suffer and later die
only to live again.
b. A series of adverbs:
If you wish to pass your course, you should study attentively, persistently and intensely.
c. A series of adjectives:
A person may be rich, but if he is rude, and proud and wicked, he is worthless and a curse to
his family.
3. By balanced sentence
a. What is obvious is not always known and what is known is not always present.
b. Winter is on my head but Spring is in my heart.
c. Learn to live and live to learn.
4. By orderly arrangement of ideas, usually from the least important to the most important.
a. No other arms, no other lips no other love.
b. I love you, I love my parents and most of all I love God.
5. By epigrammatic expressions
a. Taxes are lifeblood of the nation
b. Scandal is gossip made tedious by morality.
Practice exercise
1. Re-write or recast the sentences below for faulty parallelism.
Generally speaking, a paragraph is a set of related sentences that expresses or develops a topic. A
paragraph is usually part of an extended piece of writing although in some situations, you may need
only one paragraph to fulfill your purpose (Abelos, et al., 2006)
Paragraph length
Most paragraphs are between 100 and 300 words long and between 7 and 15 sentences,
depending on the length of the sentence. The paragraph length will also depend on the complexity of the
main idea.
A computer-encoded page with one-inch margin, double spaced, using Times New Roman 12-point
font will contain an average of 250 words. A paragraph will take up between 1/3 to of the page at a
minimum and up to 1 and 1/3 page at a maximum. Take note that different font sizes will create different
paragraphs at different lengths.
TOPIC SENTENCE
The topic sentence is the most important sentence of a paragraph. It states the main idea and
introduces the reader to the topic.
The topic sentence states the main idea of the paragraphs, summarizing the paragraphs contents.
It is usually the first sentence of a paragraph, summarizes the content of the paragraph, telling the
readers what to expect. For example, a reader would know exactly what the paragraph is all about if the
topic sentence were Writing a journal offers a beginning writer several benefits. The topic sentence states
the topic of the paragraph (writing a journal) and states the main idea about the topic (several benefits to
a beginning writer).
2.__________a_____________. North Americans send cards for many occasions. They send cards to
family and friends on birthdays and holidays. They also send thank-you cards; get well cards, graduation
cards, and congratulation cards. It is very common to buy cards in stores and send them through the
mail, but turning on the computer and sending cards over the Internet is also popular.
a) Sending cards is very popular in North America.
b) Birthday cards are the most popular kind of card.
c) It is important to send thank-you cards.
Miami is the perfect place to take a vacation. It is always sunny and warm. The beaches are
gorgeous, with soft white sand and beautiful water. There are many fine restaurants in the Miami area,
and most of the hotels offer terrific entertainment nightly. Its no wonder that Miami is my first choice for
a vacation destination.
Paul has many hobbies. .He has collected stamps and coins ever since he was a child. He is very proud
of his valuable collections. Paul also enjoys painting and drawing. Recently he has become interested in
gardening. Out of all his hobbies, Pauls favorite one is reading. He usually reads at least one book every
week. Paul keeps busy with all of his hobbies.
SUPPORTING SENTENCES
The supporting sentences develop the main idea in the topic sentence. They add details to the
topic. Details are given through facts, examples, specific events or explanations.
Example: Read the following paragraphs and underline the supporting sentences.
Use of the internet has grown very quickly. In 1983, there were 562 computers connected to the Internet.
By the turn of the century, there were 72.3 million computers in 247 countries on-line. Experts say that
the Internet is now growing at a rate of approximately 40 percent a year. As time goes on, the Internet is
becoming more and more popular.
IRRELEVANT SENTENCES
Every supporting sentence in a paragraph must relate to the main idea stated in the topic
sentence. A sentence that does not support the main idea does not belong in the paragraph, thus such a
sentence should be omitted. When a sentence does not belong in a paragraph, it is called an irrelevant
sentence.
The students in the class come from many different party of the world. Some are from European
countries, such as France, Spain, and Italy. Others are from Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia
and Israel. Still other students were born in Asian countries, including Japan and Korea. Korean food is
delicious. The largest number of students is from Latin American countries like Mexico, Venezuela and
Peru. The class is an interesting mix of people from many different countries.
CONCLUDING SENTENCES
Some paragraphs end with a concluding sentence. This sentence states the main idea of the
paragraph again using different words. It summarizes the main points of the paragraph, or makes a final
comment on the topic. Concluding sentences are not always necessary. In fact, short paragraphs that are
part of longer pieces of writing often do not have concluding sentences.
There are many reasons why I like wearing a uniform to school. First of all, it saves time. I dont have to
spend time picking out my clothes every morning. Wearing a uniform also saves money. Its cheaper to
purchase a new uniform than to go out and buy lots of school clothes. In addition, I dont have the
pressure of keeping up with the latest styles. Most importantly, wearing a school uniform gives me a
sense that I belong. I really think that it adds to the feeling of school spirit and community . I am happy
that we have to wear a uniform to school.