Download English Skills with Readings, 5E Chapter 44

Chapter 44
Chapter Forty-Four
ESL Pointers
English Skills with Readings, 5E
John Langan
English Skills with Readings, 5E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Chapter 44
Articles with Count and
Noncount Nouns
• Articles are noun markers:
they signal that a noun will follow.
There are indefinite
articles
and a definite article.
English Skills with Readings, 5E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Chapter 44
Indefinite Articles
• The indefinite articles are A and AN.
• Use “a” before a word that begins
with a consonant sound.
EX.: A car; a piano; a uniform
• Use “an” before a word that begins
with a vowel sound.
EX. An effort; an office; an honor
English Skills with Readings, 5E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Chapter 44
The Definite Article
The definite article is:
THE
English Skills with Readings, 5E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Chapter 44
Articles
• An article may immediately
precede a noun:
– a smile
– the reason
• Or it may be
separated from the
noun by modifiers:
– a slight smile
– the very best reason
English Skills with Readings, 5E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Chapter 44
Count Nouns
• Count nouns name people,
places,
things, or ideas that can be
counted and made into plurals.
EXS.:
»teacher-- teachers
»restroom-- restrooms
»joke-- jokes
English Skills with Readings, 5E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Chapter 44
Noncount Nouns
Noncount nouns are things or ideas that
cannot be counted. Common noncount
nouns include:
Abstractions and Emotions: anger, bravery
Activities: baseball, jogging
Foods: bread,cheese
Gases and vapors: air, smoke, steam
Liquids: blood, tea, water
Materials that come in bulk form: cloth, dust, sand
Natural occurrences: rain, snow
English Skills with Readings, 5E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Chapter 44
Qualifiers
• The quantity of a noncount
noun can be expressed with a
word or words called a
qualifier:
•Some, a lot of, a unit of,
etc.
English Skills with Readings, 5E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Chapter 44
Using a or an with Nonspecific Singular
Count Nouns
• Use a or an with
singular nouns that are
nonspecific. A noun is
nonspecific when the
reader doesn’t know
its specific identity.
English Skills with Readings, 5E
Ex: A lefthander faces
special
challenges with
right-handed
tools.
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Chapter 44
Using the with Specific Nouns
• A noun is specific in the following cases:
When it has already
been mentioned once:
Today, our cat proudly
brought a baby
bird into the house.
Luckily the bird
was still alive.
English Skills with Readings, 5E
When its identity
is suggested by
the general context:
At Willy’s dinner last night,
the service was terrible
and the food was worse.
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Chapter 44
Omitting Articles
•
articles with nonspecific
plurals and noncount nouns,
that is, when they refer to
something in general:
Pockets didn’t exist until the end of
the 1700s.
Iris serves her children homemade
lemonade.
English Skills with Readings, 5E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Chapter 44
Using The with Proper Nouns
Do Not use the for most singular proper
nouns, including names of the following:
•People and animals
•Continents, states, cities, streets, and parks
•Most countries
•Individual bodies of water, islands, and
mountains.
English Skills with Readings, 5E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Chapter 44
Using The with Proper Nouns
Use the for the following types of
proper nouns:
•Plural proper nouns (The Turners; The
United States)
•Names of large geographic areas, deserts,
oceans, seas, and rivers (The Black Sea)
•Names with the format the__ of___ (The
Fourth of July)
English Skills with Readings, 5E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Chapter 44
Subjects and verbs
• A particular subject can be used only once in
a clause.
Don’t repeat a subject in the same clause
by following a noun with a pronoun.
Incorrect: The girl who danced
with you she is my cousin.
Correct: The girl who
danced with you is my cousin.
English Skills with Readings, 5E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Chapter 44
Including Pronoun Subjects and
Linking Verbs
• Every clause, other than a command,
must have a subject and a verb.
Incorrect: The Grand Canyon
is in Arizona. Is 217 miles long.
Incorrect: Angelita’s piano
teacher very patient.
Correct: The Grand Canyon is
in Arizona. It is 217 miles long.
Correct: Angelita’s piano
teacher is very patient.
English Skills with Readings, 5E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Chapter 44
Including There and Here at the
Beginning of clauses
• A linking verb, usually in the form of to be,
follows the words there and here when they
begin a clause. In these cases, the verb comes
before the subject.
Ex.: There
are masks in
every culture
on Earth.
Remember not to
omit there or here!
Incorrect: Are several
chickens in the Benson’s
yard.
English Skills with Readings, 5E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Chapter 44
Not Using the Progressive Tense
of Certain Verbs
• Progressive tenses express actions or
conditions still in progress at a
particular time. They are made up of forms
of be plus the -ing form of the
main verb.
Ex.: George will be taking classes this
summer.
English Skills with Readings, 5E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Chapter 44
Not Using the Progressive Tenses
of Certain Verbs
• Verbs for mental states, the senses,
possession, and inclusion are normally
not used in the progressive tenses.
Ex.:
• Incorrect: All during the movie they were
hearing whispers behind them.
• Correct: All during the movie they heard
whispers behind them.
English Skills with Readings, 5E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Chapter 44
Not Using the Progressive Tense
of Certain Verbs
English Skills with Readings, 5E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Chapter 44
Using Only Transitive Verbs for the
Passive Voice
• Only transitive verbs can have a
passive form. Intransitive verbs
cannot be used in the passive voice.
• Incorrect: If you don’t fix those brakes,
an accident may be happened.
• Correct: If you don’t fix those brakes, an
accident may happen.
English Skills with Readings, 5E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Chapter 44
Using Gerunds and Infinitives
After Verbs
• A Gerund is the -ing form of a verb
that is used as a noun, e.g., For Walter,
eating is a daylong activity.
• An infinitive is to plus the basic form
of the verb, e.g., to eat. It can
function as an adverb , adjective, or
noun.
English Skills with Readings, 5E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Chapter 44
Following The Order of Adjectives
Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns.
An adjective usually comes directly
before the word it describes or after a linking
verb.
That is an angry man.
The man is angry.
English Skills with Readings, 5E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Chapter 44
Typical Order of Adjectives in A
Series
• If there is more than one adjective for the same noun, they
follow this order:
1. Article or other noun marker (a, an, the, Lee’s, this. . .)
2. Opinion adjective (dull, handsome, unfair. . .)
3. Size (big, huge, little. . .)
4. Shape (long, short, round. . .)
5. Age (ancient, medieval, old. . .)
6. Color (blue, green, red. . .)
7. Nationality (Italian, Korean, Mexican. . .)
8. Religion (Buddhist, Catholic, Jewish…)
9. Material (cardboard, gold, marble…)
10. Noun used as an adjective (house call, tea bag. . .)
English Skills with Readings, 5E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Using the Present and Past
Participles as Adjectives
Chapter 44
• A participle used as an adjective may precede
the word it describes: That was an exciting ballgame.
• It may also follow the linking verb and describe
the subject of the sentence: The ballgame was exciting.
• Use the present participle to describe whoever
or whatever causes a feeling: An embarrassing incident
• Use the past participle to describe whoever or
whatever experiences the feeling:
The embarrassed parents
English Skills with Readings, 5E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Prepositions Used for Time and
Place
Chapter 44
Use on, in, and at to refer to time and place.
Time
On a specific day: on Monday, on January 1
In a part of a day: in the morning, in the daytime
In a month or a year: in December, in 1776
In a period of time: in an hour, in a few days
At a specific time: at 10:00 A.M., at midnight
Place
On a surface: on the desk, on the counter
In a place that is enclosed: in my room, in the office
At a specific location: at the mall, at his house
English Skills with Readings, 5E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc