GRAMMAR NOTES
1. POSITIVE & NEGATIVE STATEMENT
1) I am hungry.
2) I am not hungry.
3) I have a dog.
4) I have no dog.
5) She knows Alice.
6) She does not know
- A Positive Statement does not have the word not or
Alice.
no. (sentences 1 & 3)
- A Negative Statement has the word not or no added
to it. (sentences 2 & 3)
- Sentence 5 has an ordinary verb knows. To make it
negative, the verb to do, does and not are added to
it.
POSITIVE NEGATIVE
am am not
is is not
are are not
was was not
were were not
may may not
can cannot
will will not
has has not
have have not
eat does not
drink eat
sleep do not
drink
did not
sleep
2. A, AN, THE & OMISSION OF ARTICLES
1) an
aeroplane
2) an eagle
3) an hour
4) an honest
girl
5) a house
6) a cup
i) We use an before words that
7) a uniform
Begin with a vowel sound [a,e,i,o,u], Example 1 & 2
8) a
Begin with a silent h, Example 3 & 4
ii) We use a before
Words that begin with consonants, Example 5 & 6
Words tat begin with a vowel sound when written but not when spoken, Example 7 & 8
iii) Both a and an mean one
We use them before singular countable nouns:
I ate an ice-
cream
He kicked a
iv) We do not use a and an before uncountable nouns:
John added sugar to his
coffee
They ate porridge for
1) That is the boy who took my ruler.
2) That is the moon.
3) He bought a torch. The torch cost
v) We use the
him
To refer to RM20.
a particular person, animal or thing. [Sentences 1]
Read these sentences:
Where is the book which you borrowed
from me?
The teacher is angry with the boys.
Before a thing or person of which there is only one. [Sentences 2]
Read the sentences below:
The Sultan of Kedah is giving
a speech.
The sun moveround the
When we refer to the same thing for the second time. [Sentences 3]
Look at these sentences:
She found a purse. The purse was empty.
They saw an old man. The old man was
crying.
3) QUANTIFIERS
1) There are many flowers in the
garden.
2) There is not much water in the
jug.
3) Some pupils are absent today.
i. Quantifiers tell us the amount of nouns.
ii. These are three types of quantifiers:
Quantifiers that can only be used with countable nouns. [Sentences 1]
Read these sentences:
He has many books in his
bag.
Quantifiers that can only be used with uncountable nouns. [sentences 2]
Read these sentences:
There isnt much pepper
left.
Quantifiers that can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns. [sentences 3 &
4]
Example of quantifiers that go with...
COUNTABLE NOUNS many, more, a few, several
UNCOUNTABLE
a little, much, less
NOUNS
BOTH COUNTABLE
AND UNCOUNTABLE
NOUNS some, any, a lot of, plenty of
4) SINGULAR AND PLURAL NOUNS
1) A
feather
2) A dog
3) Caps
4) school
i. A nouns is the name of a person, an animal, a thing or a place.
ii. Nouns can be divided into singular and plural nouns.
iii. A Singular noun is a noun that stands for one. [Examples 1 & 2]
iv. A Plural noun is a noun that stands for more than one. [Example 3 & 4]
Plural nouns are formed in many ways.
a) For most singular nouns.
Add s
Boat boats Chair chairs
Day days Train trains
b) Nouns the end with o
Add s Add es
Piano pianos Tomato tomatoes
Photo photos Mosquito mosquitoes
Bamboo bamboos Zero zeroes
c) Nouns the end with y
Add s Add ies
Donkey donkeys Baby babies
Day days Fly flies
Tray trays Story stories
d) Nouns the end with f or fe
Add s Add ves
chief chiefs loaf loaves
roof roofs wife wives
safe safes knife knives
e) Some nouns that form plural irregularly.
Add en Change the vowel
child children mouse mice
ox oxen fool feet
tooth teeth
goose geese
f) The singular and plural forms are the same for some nouns.
No Change
deer deer trousers trousers
sheep sheep scissors scissors
rubbish rubbish
5. POSSESSIVE NOUNS
1. The cats tail
2. The ladies bags
3. The mens shoes
4. The top of the
table
i. Possessive Nouns show possession or belonging. [Examples: Suyins, The
boys]
ii. To change a noun into its possessive form, we can
Add s to singular nouns [sentence 1]
Look at the following:
Pak Ahmads chair
Swee Lins umbrella
The pupils exercise book
Add to plural nouns ending in s [sentence 2]
Read these:
The dogs food
The boys fishing-rods
The monkeys tails
Add s to plural nouns not ending in s [sentence 3]
Read these:
The childrens toys
The womens
handbags
Use of the for non-living things [sentence 4]
Look at the following:
The spine of the book
The wheel of the car
The strap of the watch
