Nouns name people, places, and things. Every noun can further be classified as common or proper. A proper noun has two distinctive features:
1) it will name a specific [usually a one-of-a-kind] item, and
2) it will begin with a capital letter no matter where it occurs in a sentence.
Check out the chart below:
Common Noun
writer,
teacher
beagle
cookie
city
restaurant
document
school.
Proper Noun
Herman Melville,
Mrs. Hacket,
Snoopy,
Oreo,
OrlandoOrlando,
Tito's Taco Palace,
Declaration of Independence,
University of Southern California,
Read the following sentences. Notice the difference between the common and proper nouns.
Tina offered Antonio one of her mother's homemade oatmeal cookies but only an Oreo would satisfy his sweet tooth.
Cookies = common noun; Oreo = proper noun.
Charlie had wanted an easy teacher for his composition class, but he got Mrs. Hacket, whose short temper and unreasonable demands made the semester a torture.
Teacher = common noun; Mrs. Hacket = proper noun.
Gloria wanted to try a new restaurant, so Richard took her to Tito's Taco Palace, where no one dips into the hot sauce until the drinks have arrived at the table.
Restaurant = common noun; Tito's Taco Palace = proper noun.
Definition: A noun phrase is a phrase whose headword is a noun or a pronoun accompanied by modifiers. In the respect, there are two types of modifiers Pre modifiers and Post modifiers.
1.Pre modifiers are adjective and/ or articles.
2.Post modifiers are generally adjective phrase and/ or adjective clauses.
Possible noun modifiers
A noun phrase may optionally contain noun modifiers. If these modifiers are placed before the noun they are called pre-modifiers. However, if they are placed after the noun, they are called post-modifiers. Possible noun modifiers include the following:
In English, determiners are usually placed before the noun;
2. Adjectives (the delicious food)
3. Complements, in the form of a prepositional phrase (such as: the student of physics), or a That-clause (the idea that the world is a small village)
Functions of a noun phrase
Noun phrases can function as subjects, objects:
Example:
1.That sophisticated woman is beautiful. (That sophisticated woman is a noun phrase that functions as a subject.)
2.I like the book that you bought. (The book that you bought is a noun phrase that functions as an object).
Form Of Noun Phrase
•Pre modifier+ Noun
•Pre modifier + Noun + Post modifier
1.Pro modifier +Noun
Pro modifier +Noun is referred to as an article and/ or adjective, and a noun is called ‘Headword’
Example:
-I’d like to buy a car.
-He’s an architect.
-The price is reasonable.
2.PRE MODIFIER + NOUN + POST MODIFIER
Post modifier is referred to an adjective phrase and/ or adjective clause, and again a noun is called ‘Headword’ Example:
-The student who study abroad have better opportunities.
-These residents use the water from the stream.
-The news which I have just received is very shocking.
POSITION OF NOUN PHRASE
The position of the noun phrase are not different from those of noun or noun clause.
Generally, there are seven positions.
Position of Noun phrase:
1.Subject of a Verb
2.Direct object of a Verb
3.Indirect object of a Verb
4.After (also object of a Preposition )
5.Possessive case
6.Subject Complement
7.Phrase in apposition
1-SUBJECT OF VERB
Form: Noun phrase + Verb + (Object)
Example:
-The three outstanding students will be awarded tomorrow.
-The dog in the garden are chasing the sparrows.
-Some staff didn’t receive the notification yesterday.
2-DIRECT OBJECT OF A VERB
Form: SUBJECT + VERB + NOUN PHRASE
Example:
-I bought a leather belt yesterday.
-Our center will recruit ten more staff.
-We hate a long journey.
3-INDIRECT OBJECT OF A VERB
Form: SUBJECT + VERB +DIRECT OBJECT + NOUN PHRASE
Here are the common verbs which usually take two object –indirect object (person) and direct object (here, noun phrase).
-Please bring me some cold water.
-My dad will buy me an expensive car.
-I’ll send Cheata this love letter.
4-AFTER A PRPOSITION
Form: PREPOSITION + NOUN PHRASE
Example:
-I’m very worried about our next trip.
-Are you bored with his long speech?
-He was apprehended on suspicion of attempted murder.
5-POSSESSIVE CASE (‘s)
Form: NOUN PHRASE + ‘S + NOUN
Example:
-My math teacher’s wife had an accident this morning.
-We need the suspect’s profile.
-The six immigrants’ country is Vietnam.
-Let’s contact these injured passengers’ relatives.
6-SUBJECT COMPLEMENT
Form: TO BE / BECOME + NOUN PHRASE
Noun phrase are placed after ‘To be’ or ‘Become’
Example:
-She is a chemistry teacher.
-He has become a famous singer since he was 10.
-How long have you been a staff here?
7-PHRASE IN APPOSITION
Form: NOUN + NOUN PHRASE
If two noun groups referring to the same person or thing are in apposition, one is placed immediately after the other with no conjunction joining them.
Generally, only two commas are needed. We use them to add more information into sentences and give more information about someone or something that have already been named or mentioned about.
Example:
-Mrs. Ney Mey, our school principle, has been demoted.
-I walk Dalis, my little puppy to the beach every evening.
-Dalis, the most generous lady, is the founder of this center.
Useful tip
To infinitive and gerund phrase can also function as the noun phrase. They have the same positions as that of the noun phrase.
-To drive at night is very hazardous. (Used as a noun phrase/subject of verb)
-I don’t want to drive at night. (used as a noun phrase/ object of verb)
-Driving at night is very hazardous. (used as a NP/ subject of verb)
-I hate driving at night. ( used as a noun phrase/ object of a verb)
Communication is the heart and soul of the human experience. The process communication mainly includes speaking , listening, and writing. Nobody actually learns grammar to learn his/ her own mother tongue. It is a natural phenomenon that we start speaking what everybody speaks around us. We gradually develop a better sense of understanding with the passage of time.
We don't study grammar of our own mother tongue to use it for daily speaking, but when we need to polish our own mother tongue, we have to study its grammar and we usually do that. When we come to learning a new language like English language, we need to study its grammar, the importance of grammar cannot be neglected and before we do that we need to understand what grammar is.
Grammar is the study of words and the ways words work together. An invisible force that guides us as we put words together into sentences. Any person who communicates using a particular language is consciously or unconsciously aware of the grammar of that language.
To speak in a clearer and more effective manner we study grammar. A person who has unconscious knowledge of grammar may be sufficient for simple language use, but the ones who wish to communicate in an artful manner and well, will seek greater depth of understanding and proficiency that the study of grammar provides
A. If a preposition (in/for/about etc.) is followed by a verb, the verb ends in ~ing. For example:
Are you interested in working for us?
I'm not very good at learning languages.
She must be fed up with studying.
What are the advantages of having a car?
This knife is only for cutting bread.
How about playing tennis tomorrow?
I bought a new bicycle instead of going away on holiday.
Carol went to work in spite of feeling ill.
You can also say 'interested in somebody (do)ing .....', fed up with you (do)ing...' etc.:
* I'm fed up with you telling me what to do.
B. Note the use of the following prepositions + ~ing:
before ~ing and after ~ing:
* Before going out, I phoned Sarah. (not 'Before to go out')
* What did you do after leaving school?
You can also say 'Before I went out ...' and '... after you left school'.
by ~ing (to say bow something happens):
* The burglars got into the house by breaking a window and climbing in.
* You can improve your English by reading more.
* She made herself ill by not eating properly.
without ~ing:
* I ran ten kilometer without stopping.
* They climbed through the window without anybody seeing them. (or ... without being seen.)
* She needs to work without people disturbing her. (or ... without being disturbed.)
* It's nice to go on holiday without having to worry about money.
C. To ~ing
To is often part of the infinitive (to do/to see etc.):
* We decided to go out.
* Would you like to play tennis?
But to is also a preposition (like in/for/about/from etc.). For example:
* We drove from London to Edinburgh.
* I prefer tea to coffee.
* Are you looking forward to the weekend?
If a preposition is followed by a verb, the verb ends in ~ing; (in doing/about going etc.- see Section A). So, when to is a preposition and it is followed by a verb, you must say to ~ing:
* I prefer driving to travelling by train. (not 'to travel')
* Are you looking forward to seeing Ann again? (not 'looking forward to see')
For be/get used to ~ing,
A. We use could in a number of ways. Sometimes could is the past of can.
* Listen. I can hear something. (now)
* I listened. I could hear something. (past)
But could is not only used in this way. We also in the future (especially to make a suggestion). For example:
* A: What shall we do this evening?
B: We could go to the cinema.
* It's a nice day. We could go for a walk.
* When you go to New York next month, you could stay with Barbara.
* A: If you need money, why don't you ask Karen?
B: Yes, I suppose I could.
Can is also possible in these sentences ('We can go for a walk,' etc.). Could is less sure than can.
You must use could (not 'can') when you don't really mean what you say.
For example:
* I'm so angry with him. I could kill him! (not 'I can kill him')
B. We also use could to say that something is possible now or in the future:
* The phone is ringing. It could be Tim.
* I don't know when they'll be here. They could arrive at any time.
Can is not possible in these examples (not 'It can be Tim')
In these sentences could is similar to might (see Unit 29-30):
* The phone is ringing. It might be Tim.
C. Compare could (do) and could have (done):
* I'm so tired. I could sleep for a week. (now)
* I was so tired. I could have slept for a week. (past)
Most often, we use could have (done) for things which were possible but did not happen:
* Why did you stay at a hotel when to New York? You could have stayed with Barbara. (= you had opportunity to stay with her but you didn't)
* Jack fell off a ladder yesterday but he's all right. He's lucky - he could have hurt himself badly. (but ha didn't hurt himself)
* The situation was bad but it could have been worse.
D. Sometimes could means 'would be able to...':
* We could go away if we had enough money.(= we would be able to go away)
* I don't know how you work so hard. I couldn't do it.
Could have (done) = would have been able to (do):
* Why didn't Liz apply for the job? She could have got it.
* We could have gone away if we'd had enough money.
* The trip was cancelled last week. Paul couldn't have gone anyway because he was ill. (= he wouldn't have been able to go)
* You did very well to pass the exam. I'm sure I couldn't have passed it. (= I wouldn't have been able to pass it if I had taken it)
A: What time will you phone me tomorrow?
B: I'll phone you when I get home from work.
'I'll phone you when I get home from work' is a sentence with two parts:
the main part: 'I'll phone you'
and the when-part: 'when I get home from work (tomorrow)'
The time in the sentence is future ('tomorrow') but we use a present tense (get) in the when part of the sentence.
We do not use will in the when-part of the sentence:
* We'll go out when it stops raining. (not 'when it will stop')
* When you are in London again, you must come and see us. (not 'when you will be')
* (said to a child) What do you want to be when you grow up? (not 'will grow')
The same thing happens after: while before after as soon as until or till
* I'm going to read a lot of books while I'm on holiday. (not 'while I will be')
* I'm going back home on Sunday. Before I go, I'd like to visit the museum.
* Wait here until (or till) I come back. B. You can also use the present perfect (have done) after when/after/until/as soon as:
* Can I borrow that book when you've finished it?
* Don't say anything while Ian is here. Wait until he has gone.
It is often possible to use the present simple or the present perfect:
* I'll come as soon as I finish. or I'll come as soon as I've finished.
* You'll feel better after you have something to eat. or You'll feel better after you've had something to eat.
But do not use the present perfect if two things happen together. The present perfect shows that one thing will be complete before the other (so the two things do not happen together).
Compare:
* When I've phoned Kate, we can have dinner. (= First I'll phone Kate and after that we can have dinner.)
but * When I phone Kate this evening, I'll invite her to the party. (not 'when I've phoned') (In this example, the two things happen together.) C. After if, we normally use the present simple (if I do/if I see etc.) for the future:
* It's raining hard. We'll get wet if we go out. (not 'if we will go')
* Hurry up! If we don't hurry, we'll be late.
Compare when and if:
We use when for things which are sure to happen:
* I'm going shopping this afternoon. (for sure) When I go shopping, I'll buy some food.
We use if (not 'when') for things that will possibly happen:
* I might go shopping this afternoon. (it's possible) If I go shopping, I'll buy some food.
* If it is raining this evening, I won't go out. (not 'when it is raining')
* Don't worry if I'm late tonight. (not 'when I'm late')
* If they don't come soon, I'm not going to wait. (not 'when they don't come')
Kevin loves football and this evening there is a big football match on television. The match begins at 7.30 and ends at 9.15. Paul wants to see Kevin the same evening and wants to know what time to come to his house.
PAUL: Is it all right if I come at about 8.30?
KEVIN: No, I'll be watching the football then.
PAUL: Well, what about 9.30?
KEVIN: Fine. The match will have finished by then.
B. 'I will be doing something' (future continuous) = I will be in the middle of doing something.
The football match begins at 7.30 and ends at 9.15. So during this time, for example at 8.30, Kevin will be watching the match. Another example:
* I'm going on holiday on Saturday. This time next week I'll be lying on a beach or
swimming in the sea.
Comparewill be (do)ing and will (do):
* Don't phone me between 7 and 8. We'll be having dinner then.
* Let's wait for Mary to arrive and then we'll have dinner.
Compare will be ~ing with other continuous forms:
* At 10 o'clock yesterday, Sally was in her office. She was working. (past)
It's 10 o'clock now. She is in her office. She is working. (present)
At 10 o'clock tomorrow, she will be in her office. She will be working.
C. We also use will be doing in a different way: to talk about complete actions in the future:
* A: If you see Sally, can you ask her to phone me?
B: Sure. I'll be seeing her this evening, so I'll tell her then.
* What time will your friends be arriving tomorrow?
In these examples will be ~ing is similar to the present continuous for the future.
You can use Will you be ~ing ...? to ask about somebody's plans, especially if you want something or want them to do something. For example:
* A: Will you be passing the post office when you're out?
B: Probably. Why?
A: I need some stamps. Could you get me some?
* A: Will you be using your bicycle this evening?
B: No. Do you want to borrow it?
D. We use will have (done) (future perfect) to say that something will already be complete.
Kevin's football match ends at 9.15. So after this time, for example at 9.30, the match will have finished.
Some more examples:
* Sally always leaves for work at 8.30 in the morning, so she won't be at home at 9
o'clock. She'll have gone to work.
* We're late. The film will already have started by the time we get to the cinema.
Compare will have (done) with other perfect forms:
* Ted and Amy have been married for 24 years. (present perfect)
Next year they will have been married for 25 years.
When their first child was born, they had been married for three years. (past perfect)
A. We use must and have to to say that it is necessary to do something.
Sometimes it doesn't matter which you use:
* Oh, it's later than I thought. I must go. or
I have to go.
But there is a difference between must and have to and sometimes this is important:
Must is personal. We use must when we give our personal feelings.
'You must do something' = 'I (the speaker) say it is necessary':
* She's a really nice person. You must meet her. (= I say this is necessary)
* I haven't phoned Ann for ages. I must phone her tonight.
Compare:
* I must get up early tomorrow. There are a lot of things I want to do.
Have to is impersonal. We use have to for facts, not for our personal feelings.
'You have to do something' because of a rule or the situation:
* You can't turn right here. You have to turn left. (because of the traffic system)
* My eyesight isn't very good. I have to wear glasses for reading.
* George can't come out with us this evening. He has to work.
* I have to get up early tomorrow. I'm going away and my train leaves at 7.30.
If you are not sure which to use, it is usually safer to use have to.
B. you can use must to talk about the present or future, but not the past:
* We must go now.
* We must go tomorrow. (but not 'We must go yesterday')
You can use have to in all forms.
For example:
* I had to go to hospital. (past)
* Have you ever had to go to hospital? (present perfect)
* I might have to go to hospital. (infinitive after might)
In questions and negative sentences with have to, we normally use do/does/did:
* What do I have to do to get a driving licence? (not 'What have I to do?')
* Why did you have to go to hospital?
* Karen doesn't have to work on Saturdays.
C. Mustn't and don't have to are completely different:
You mustn't do something = it is necessary that you do not do it (so, don't do it):
* You must keep it a secret. You mustn't tell anyone. (= don't tell anyone)
* I promised I would be on time. I mustn't be late. (= I must be on time)
You don't have to do something = you don't need to do it (but you can if you want):
* You can tell me if you want but you don't have to tell me. (= you don't need to tell me)
* I'm not working tomorrow, so I don't have to get up early.
D. You can use 'have got to' instead of 'have to'. So you can say:
* I've got to work tomorrow. or have to work tomorrow.
* When has Ann got to go? or When does Ann have to go?
