Pre-Course tasks

TASK B - Grammar Activities

Use one of the grammar reference books (or your own background knowledge) to complete the following activities.

1. Word Classes

Give three additional examples of words which fit in the following categories:

Word Class Examples
Determiner
(a general category which includes articles, quantifiers, possessive adjectives)		 the
Verb to run
Noun dog
Pronoun he
Adjective big
Adverb quickly
Preposition on
Conjunction and

2. Nouns

2.1. Give three examples of each of the following noun types:
Noun Type Example
Proper noun  
Common noun  
Collective noun  
Compound noun  
Countable noun  
Uncountable noun  
2.2. What are the three main features of an uncountable noun?
 
 
 
 
 
2.3. Give the plural forms of these nouns:
Regular (s or es) Vowel and consonant changes No change Irregular endings
dog   man   sheep   child  
boy   foot   salmon   ox  
book   mouse   aircraft   criterion  
watch   loaf   deer   medium  
bus   thief   headquarters   crisis  

3. Adjectives

Identify the comparative and superlative forms of these adjectives:

Category Base form Comparative form Superlative form
Short (one syllable) old    
Short but ending in vowel + consonant big    
Two syllable ending in y happy    
Most other two syllable afraid    
Some other two syllable common    
Long (three syllables) expensive    
Different word good    

4. Verbs

Give examples of these three types of verb:

Verb Type Examples
Main / Lexical verbs  
Primary Auxiliary verbs  
Modal Auxiliary verbs  

5. Sentence Analysis

5.1. Identify the nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions,
determiners and conjunctions in these sentences.

Marie is a doctor and she works in a big hospital.

The young man ran quickly along the crowded street.

5.2. Identify subjects, verbs, indirect objects, direct objects, adjuncts / adverbials and complements in the following sentences.

Tom gave me the book yesterday.

The old woman has been living in New York for a long time.

Mr Grimaldi is rich.