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Verbs with prepositions and particles

Lesson-20

Most English verbs can be followed by prepositions or adverb particles. Examples are: switch off, turn down, walk down, look at, stare at, sit down etc.
  • Please sit down.
  • Can you switch off the light?
  • Why are you staring at me?
  • I saw Alan as I was driving down the street.
  • She ran into the room crying.
  • John fell off the ladder and broke his arm.
Some verbs and prepositions/particles are always used together. Examples are: look at, stare at, throw at, listen to, switch off etc. These combinations are often called phrasal verbs. Note that the meaning of a phrasal verb is sometimes very different from the meanings of the two parts taken separately.
  • The meeting has been put off. (= The meeting has been postponed.) (The meaning of put off is not the same as the meanings of put and off.)
Verbs with prepositions and particles together
A few verbs can be used with both an adverb particle and a preposition. Examples are: put up with, get on with and look out for.
  • I can’t put up with her.
Word order
When prepositions are used with verbs, they usually go before objects.
  • He fell off the ladder. (NOT He fell the ladder off.)
Adverb particles can go before or after noun objects.
  • She switched off the heating. OR She switched the heating off.
Note that particles always go after pronoun objects.
  • She switched it off. (NOT She switched off it.)

Articles with countable and uncountable nouns

Lesson-19

Countable nouns are the names of separate people or objects which we can count. Uncountable nouns are the names of materials, liquids and other things which we do not see as separate objects.
We can use the indefinite article (a/an) with singular countable nouns. A plural countable noun cannot be used with indefinite articles. Countable nouns (both singular and plural) can also be used with numbers.
  • A cat
  • Two cats
  • A boy
  • Two boys
We cannot use the indefinite article or numbers with uncountable nouns.
  • Water (NOT a water) (NOT two waters)
  • Weather (NOT a weather) (NOT two weathers)
A singular countable noun usually has an article or other determiner with it. We say, the cat, my cat or this cat, but not just cat. Plural and uncountable nouns can be used with or without an article or other determiner.
Exceptions
Many nouns which are normally uncountable are treated as countable in some cases.
  • Have you got a good shampoo? (Although shampoo is an uncountable noun, it is treated as countable to express the meaning of ‘a type of’.)
  • Three coffees, please. (= three cups of coffees)
Some nouns that are countable in other languages are uncountable in English. Examples are: information, advice, news, scenery, accommodation etc.

Gradable adjectives and adverbs

Lesson-18

Some adjectives and adverbs refer to qualities that are gradable – for example stories can be more or less interesting, jobs can be more or less difficult. Other adjectives and adverbs refer to qualities that are not gradable. Examples are: perfect, round, impossible or dead. Nothing can be more perfect or round.
Gradable adjectives and adverbs can be used with degree modifiers like too, as, so, enough, extremely, very, rather, pretty, quite, fairly, a little, a bit etc.
  • The tea is too hot.
  • She looked rather unhappy.
  • We are very glad to meet you.
A bit and a little are mostly used with adjectives and adverbs expressing negative ideas.
Note that enough goes after the adjective or adverb it modifies.
  • She is old enough to know better. (NOT She is enough old to know better.)
Indeed can be used after very + adjective/adverb. It cannot be used without very.
  • It is going to be very difficult indeed. (NOT It is going to be difficult indeed.)
Notes
Not very shows quite a low degree.
  • She isn’t very tall. (= She is quite short.)
  • I wasn’t very impressed. (= I wasn’t impressed at all.)
Note that the degree modifiers very, too, as, so, and how are not used with much before adjectives and adverbs.
  • I am very happy. (NOT I am very much happy.)
  • She is too fat. (NOT She is too much fat.)
  • I don’t care how difficult it is. (NOT I don’t care how much difficult it is.)

Past verb forms with present or future meaning

Lesson-17

A past tense form does not always have a past meaning. In some kinds of sentences we use past verb forms to talk about the present or future.

 

After if, unless, supposing etc.

 

After if, unless and words with similar meanings, we often use past verb forms to talk about the present or future.

 

    * You look as if you were frightened.

    * If I got my rise, I would buy a car.

    * If you caught the early morning flight, you could be in Singapore by supper-time.

 

After it’s time, would rather and wish

 

Past verb forms can be used with a present or future meaning after these expressions.

 

    * I wish I had more money.

    * Ten o’clock – it is time you went home.

 

In questions and requests

 

We can make questions, requests and offers sound more polite by using past tenses. Common expressions are I wondered, I thought, I hoped etc. Past progressive verb forms like I was wondering are even more polite.

 

    * I was hoping you could lend me a pound.

    * I wondered if you were free this evening.

 

Modal auxiliaries

 

The modal auxiliaries could, should, might and would usually have present reference.

 

    * Could you help me with my homework?

    * Would you mind my smoking?

Irregular verbs

Lesson-16

English has many irregular verbs. Students should make sure that they know all of them. Here is a list of the more common irregular verbs. For a complete list of irregular verbs, see a good dictionary.

Infinitive
Simple past
Past participle
Arise
Arose
Arisen
Awake
Awoke
Awoken
Bet
Bet, betted
Bet, betted
Beat
Beat
Beaten
Become
Became
Become
Begin
Began
Begun
Bend
Bent
Bent
Bind
Bound
Bound
Bite
Bit
Bitten
Bleed
Bled
Bled
Blow
Blew
Blown
Break
Broke
Broken
Bring
Brought
Brought
Build
Built
Built
Burn
Burned/burnt
Burned/burnt
Buy
Bought
Bought
Catch
Caught
Caught
Choose
Chose
Chosen
Come
Came
Come
Cost
Cost
Cost
Cut
Cut
Cut
Deal
Dealt
Dealt
Dig
Dug
Dug
Do
Did
Done
Draw
Drew
Drawn
Dream
Dreamt/dreamed
Dreamt/dreamed
Drink
Drank
Drunk
Drive
Drove
Driven
Eat
Ate
Eaten
Fall
Fell
Fallen
Feed
Fed
Fed
Fight
Fought
Fought
Find
Found
Found
Fly
Flew
Flown
Forget
Forgot
Forgotten
Forgive
Forgave
Forgiven
Freeze
Froze
Frozen
Get
Got
Got/gotten
Give
Gave
Given
Go
Went
Gone/been
Grow
Grew
Grown
Hang
Hung
Hung
Have
Had
Had
Hear
Heard
Heard
Hide
Hid
Hidden
Hit
Hit
Hit
Hold
Held
Held
Hurt
Hurt
Hurt
Keep
Kept
Kept
Know
Knew
Known
Lay
Laid
Laid
Lead
Led
Led
Lean
Leant/leaned
Leant/leaned
Learn
Learnt/learned
Learnt/learned
Mean
Meant
Meant
Read
Read
Read
Ride
Rode
Ridden
Shake
Shook
Shaken
Sink
Sank
Sunk
Speed
Sped
Sped
Steal
Stole
Stolen
Spoil
Spoilt/spoiled
Spoilt/spoiled
Swing
Swung
Swung
Teach
Taught
Taught
Throw
Threw
Thrown
Wear
Wore
Worn
Write
Wrote
Written