spelling

The dictionary is also helpful as far as your spelling is concerned.you can consult it to learn,check or recheck the spelling of a particularly troublesome word.look at a word over and over again you will learn how it looks on paper and spot spelling errors next time you encounter the word.try recalling the word at other occasions,.some may find it easier to recall a word by sounding it out in their own way rather than by picturing it. if you are one of them,you will certainly learn from reading a lot,and taking note of some typical sequences of letters.practice reading aloud and you are on your way to being a good speller.

vocabulary

The best way to build your vocabulary is to read.be a voracious reader.read everything that you can get your hands on.but do not just read without thinking;study the nuances of english language and familiarize yourself with words.develop a genuine interest in what you are reading.

1.read,read,read......
2.gain access to helpful tools like the dictionary
3.write down the words that you can't define.
4.practice
5.take note of the word in its context,that is,the way it is used in the sentence.

informal english

If the sentence sounds like everyday conversation,it is generally not formal english,it is used in casual compositions,informal articles,and everyday conversation.It uses a smaller vocabulary than formal english,and usually includes colloquial words or slang.sentences are often simpler and shorter,and tend to avoid the more formal punctuation of the semicolon and colon. 


contractions and the first person,as well as the use of the pronoun"you"are acceptable.
example

formal    english                        informal english

consume                                      eat
fashionable                                  cool
comprehend                                 understand

formal english

It is often used in conventional writing.contractions and abbreviations are avoided,and a more specialized and complex vocabulary is used.certain words are not acceptable,most notable of which are colloquial words or slang. The pronoun"you" is not used in formal english;the word"one"is used in its stead.written or spoken,must be clear to your readers or listeners.

Idiomatic expressions(idioms)

It is a group of words,whose combined meaning is not the same as the ordinary meaning of the individual words.It is used to express something that other words do not express as clearly or as cleverly.Like a figure of speech,an idiom expression gives english its color and vitality,it is frequently used in daily speech and appear in newspapers,books,television shows,and movies.it tend to be informal,allowing your reader or listener the opportunity to obtain a more colorful image of what you are saying.

example        

apple of one's eye               special favorite,beloved person or thing
an  arm and a leg                an exorbitant amount of money
couch potato                       a person who enjoys relaxing at home,especially watching television

Simile

It's the comparison of two  unlike things.It uses the words "like" or "as." 
example    

                  gabriel  is as strong as hercules," Gabriel is shown to be possesing the same characteristics as one of a character in the bible,that is ,he is fierce,strong and brave.

Cliche

   A cliche is a phrase,often metaphorical,that has been used so often that it has become commonplace.When an expression is called a cliche,it is considered to have become so dull that it no longer creates the vivid image that a wel-written figure of speech ought to evoke.
example              as white as a sheet
                           as light as a feather

Hyperbole

Is a deliberate exaggeration or overstatement used for effect,Such statements are not literally true,but people make them to sound impressive or to emphasize something.
example                   I tried a thousand times
                                His feet were as big as a barge.

Irony

Is a means of expression that suggests,humorously or angrily,the opposite meaning of what the words used normally mean.
example                      His " I'm so glad you lost my wallet,kim."(This means that she isn't glad that he   lost  her wallet.)

Oxymoron

Is a figure  of speech combining incongruous or contradictory words,usually for descriptive purposes.
example                          a little big
                                       original copy

Proverb

Its a short traditional saying that is thought to express wisdom.Many traditional proverbs are considered as cliches today.
example                           A rolling stone gathers no moss.
                                        Too many cooks spoil the broth.

Figure of Speech

A figure of speech also known as figurative speech is a word or group of words that contains images.Through the expressive use of language,such figure or speech can breathe life into an otherwise uninteresting written work. A figure of speech helps create clear and vivid images.Word are not used literally but are instead used to suggest an image or a comparison.
some commonly used figures of speech are metaphor,personification,and simile.

Metaphor

  Is a figure of speech in which a word or group of words is applied to an object or action that it does not literally stand for in order to imply a resemblance.Simple metaphors make simple comparisons,while extended metaphor treat different aspects of the things compared separately.


Simple Metaphor
 she was an apple of the eye in the company of her brothers.

extended metaphor
she was the apple,her rosy cheeks were the skin of an apple;her green eyes were the leaves.

other example of metaphor
No man is an island.
He is a leader in battle

Personification
is a figure of speech in which an animal or inanimate object is represented as having human attributes,such as human form,character,feelings ,or behavior.Ideas and abstractions can also be personified.
example

money talks.
this room has seen the successes and failures of a couple through the years.

Homonyms

It's spelled differently and have different meanings.They are to be distinguished from some words in American and British English.which are spelled differently but have the same meaning.
example


1. allowed  -   permitted
    aloud      -   in a voice that can be heard


2. ascent     -    way up
    assent     -   consent
3. feat        -  remarkable   achievement
    feet        -  part of the leg below the ankle(plural)

Antonyms

Its a words that have opposite meanings.
example   "happy" and "sad" are antonyms.
               I am happy because the visitors have left.
               I am sad because the visitors have left.
when the word "happy" in the first sentence is replaced by the word "sad" in the second sentence,the meaning of the statement changes. This is because the meaning of the word "sad" in "not happy" In  the second sentence,it is as if you said,"I am not happy because the visitors have left."This is the exact opposite of the what you said in the first sentence.


word                            Synonyms                     Antonyms


malicious                   mean,spiteful,                friendly,kind,
                                       hateful                        benevolent


radiant                       shining,beautiful,           sad,gloomy,
                                     charming                    pessimistic

Synonym

Its a different words or phrases in the same language that have a similar meaning.
example      "bigger" and "larger" are synonyms. In comparing rocks and pebbles,either one could  be  used in the sentence.      
                                 Rocks are bigger than pebbles.
                                 Rocks are larger than pebbles.
Both sentences have the same meaning because the words "big" and "large" are synonyms.("bigger"and "larger" are the comparative forms of "big" and "large.")

Confusing words

The following words have often been misused,Some are similar -sounding but spelled differently;others are confusing as to their usage.study the list of words below,their meaning,and the examples for each.

                                        any way                                   anyway

meaning                          any particular                          In any case;
                                      course,direction,                       nonetheless
                                            or manner
example                        Any way we take                    we can walk but
                                      would not lead to                     we will not get
                                          the house.                                 there anyway.

                                         all ready                                  already
meaning                       everything is ready                   previously
                                      the children are                        the children
                                      all ready to go to park.            are already in the park.

                                                   in                                     into
meaning                           refers to position                  suggests motion
example                           the thief is in the building              We saw the thief
                                                                                         going into the building.  

non-erroneous usages

There are usages in English grammar commonly considered to be erroneous,but are however correct.

Ending a sentence with a preposition

This is an artificial "rule"that ignores standard usage and was started years ago by a book writer.Although some people have since accepted it as a fact,it is not an erroneous usage because some sentences would sound awkward if you avoid ending them with a preposition.A witticism attributed to sir Winston churchill makes the point well:"This is the sort of English up with which i will not put".

Beginning a sentence with a conjunction

        while a sentence beginning with a conjunction can be made a clause in compound sentences,it can also be an effective tool to begin sentences with a conjunction in order to emphasize a point,such as in a persuasive essay.Always check whether a sentence beginning with a conjunction would serve its purpose better as a separate sentence or as a clause in a compound sentence.

Forward or forwards?

             although some books prefer"forward" and "toward" to "forwards" and "towards,"none of these forms is really incorrect.The only difference is that the forms without the final  s are considered more formal.

Is "none"singular or plural?

   Some grammarians insist that since "none" is derived from"no one,"it should always be singular ,as in "None of us is gettting a massage."However,in the earliest form of Engligh,"none" is most often treated as a plural."none of us are getting a massage" is acceptable usage.

common concerns in english(Erroneous usages)

Erroneous usages

Fused Sentences

    when two sentences or independent clauses are place together in one sentence with no separating punctuation.
example          The books for school are thick and heavy they are too expensive to lose.


to repair fused sentences,put the appropriate punctuation mark at the end of the first sentence or independent clause.

Run on sentences and Comma Splices

A run -on sentence contains at least two independent clauses,but the two independent clauses have not been properly connected.When two independent clauses are connected only by a comma, they form a run-on sentence called comma splice.
example                           It is getting late,I have to go home.
 To repair run-on sentences,replace the comma with the appropriate punctuation mark.
example                          a period or a semicolon.

Misplace Modifiers

There is a misplaced modifier when a modifier is in the wrong place in the sentence.A misplaced modifier gives the impression that the word (or words) it is closed to is the one being modified. Simple modifiers,such as only,just,nearly,and barely are the most frequently misplaced modifiers.
example
         the bullet nearly missed him by an inch;it hit the wall instead.(if the bullet nearly missed,it would not have missed and hit the wall instead.)


To repair misplace modifiers,you have to move the modifiers to its proper position,that is,near the word or words it modifies.
example                    the bullet missed him by nearly an inch;it hit the wall instead.

Dangling Modifiers

You have what is called a dangling modifier when a modifier improperly describes something.This often happens with beginning participial phrases.


To repair dangling modifiers,rewrite the sentence so that the modifier and the word or word being modified are placed beside each other.
example                      Applauding enthusiastically,the cheering spectators raised the posters.

Sentence Fragments

             A sentence fragment is not a sentence because it cannot stand by itself.It does not contain a single independent clause.A group of words may contain a subject and a verb buy may not express a complete thought.The number of words in a sentence fragment may mislead the writer into thinking that he has written a complete sentence.
example             Some of the students enrolled in the English class that was dissolved last semester(this sentence fragment does not say what some of the students do or are.)


To repair sentence fragments,identify the verb that will complete the thought.In the first example above,ask,"what are some of the students enrolled in the English class that was dissolved last semester doing or being ?"Then add the answer to  the sentence fragment.
example                 some of the students enrolled in the English class that was dissolved last semester are taking another class this semester.(subject are [some of he students]and predicate[are taking].This is a complete sentence.)

Double Negatives

  some people erroneously use two negative words,a double negative words,a double negative,in one sentence when only one is necessary to express that they are denying something or saying no.
example             rodolfo did not give his daughter nothing


to repair a double negative,remove one of  the negative words and ,if necessary,replace it with the appropriate word.
example           rodolfo did not give his daugther    anything(or,rodolfo gave his daughter  nothing.)

Contraction

Is a shortened form of a phrase.It is used in informal speech and is made by taking two words(one of which is a verb)and dropping a letter or letters from either or both of the words,then using an apostrophe to replace the letter dropped.Note that the rule is different in the case of will not,which also drops the letters -ill in the word will and replace them with -o.


                           Standard contractions

                           Nouns or Pronoun + be

Iam                   we are                               when is 
(I'm)                  (we're)                               (when's)
you are              they are                               how is 
(you're)              (they're)                               (how's)
he is                     who is                                 there is
(he'is)                 (who's)                                ( there is)


                                 Pronoun + will
I will (I'll)                               we will(we'll)
you will (you'll)                      they will (they'll)
she will(she'll)                       who will(who'll)


                               Noun or Pronoun + would


I would (I'd)                               we would (we'd)
you would(you'd)                        they would(they'd)
she would(she'd)                          kenneth would(Kenneth'd)


                             Verb + not


are not (aren't)                           did not(didn't)
is not(isn't)                                do not (don't)
were not (weren't)                     would not(wouldn't)



There is no contraction for am not. The proper way is to make a contraction for I am,and add the word not,as in I'm not.

Capitalization

1. to begin a sentence.
    example           This is the first day of the rest of your life.
2.to begin the names of days of a week and months of a year.
  example          Monday          Wednesday        Friday
3. to begin a particular name of a person,place or thing,and other proper nouns.
   example          Raquel                  South Korea
                           a sony camera     
4. in writing the pronoun I.

Punctuation marks

Punctuation marks 
 are used to make the meaning of writen words clear to the reader.They tell you when to pause or stop,when to read in a questioning manner,and when to read with excitement.

Most commonly used punctuation marks are:

Apostrophe is used:

1. to indicate the possessive case of nouns.
              Raquel's                        Mr. Graham's
2. to show a contraction or omission of letters
              It's(it is)                       haven't(have not)

3. to form the plural of letters and symbols.
              w's                                    *'s
4. to indicate the plural of a word referred to as a word,without regard to its meaning.
              There are four but's in the phrase.
5. to denote the plural or some other form of an abbreviation.
              V.I.P.'s                          O.K.'d

Comma

1. to set off an appositive,that is , an expression that explains or gives additional information about a preceding expression.
   example     The film's lead actor,Bruce Less will arrive tomorrow.
2. to separate the name of a city from the name or a province or state,or to separate the name of the province or state from the rest of the sentence.
    example             Seoul,South Korea
3. to separate the independent clauses of a compound sentence.
     example           I'am thankful for God given me you,even though for a short period of time.
4.to separate the day of the month from the year.
example               april 05,2011

5.to indicate that one or more words,easily understood, have been omitted.
   The elected candidate got 50,000 votes in Visayas;in Luzon,103,000
6. to separate an introductory word from the rest of the sentence.
   example      NO, I can't control this.
7.between a name and Inc,.Sr.,Jr.,etc.
   example          Carlo Mallari, Jr.
8. when writing figures in thousands,but not in street,room,post office box,and telephone numbers.
    example      $5,000                          1205 Horna St.
9.to set off parenthetical words or pharases.
 example The terrorism situation is,I believe,getting worse.
10. before a word or words that are common to two or more pharses but are expressed only after the last phrase.
      example The books contained many,if not all,of the ideas presented by charle sheen.
11.to set off direct quotations.
    example "There's one thing I have to tell you,"the  grandfather  said
12. to separate word and phrases in a series.
     example   Rona brought over his laptop,hardisk,camera,and battery.


Colon   is used:
1.after a word,phrase or sentence or sentence that introduces list,a series,tabulations,extracts,texts and explanations to the introductory words.
example     These requisites must be present:case study closed.
2. to idicate clock time,unless the time indicated is exactly on the hour.
     example            10:59 a.m.                       12 p.m.

3.in a footnote or bibliography,to separate the name of the city of publication from the name of the publisher.
example              raquel horna   1st book. Basic Korean Language 2007
4.in biblical references,to separate the verse and chapter.
   example       john 3:16
5. after a salutation in a business letter.
  example    Dear President qhueng:
                    To whom it may concern:

Dash 

1. to set off explanatory clauses and to indicate abrupt changes in the continuity of expression.
    example       The last time i visited a friend - it must have been one month ago-i was already missed them.
2.before or after a clause that summarizes a series of words or phrases,instead of a colon
example           Theories and case study resulting to have a high grade-these requisites must be present.
3.to give emphasis.
example     She donate the blood - my blood - to the red cross.

Ellipsis

The ellipsis is used when you are quoting and want to omit words.
example     the program  conducted  was part of the agreement...duly signed by the governments.

Exclamation Point

1. after a sentence expressing strong emotion.
              Help! Help!
2.after exclamatory words or interjections.
             Jackpot!
3. after a command,for emphasis.
              act now!

Hyphen

1.to join words combined into a single adjective.
              need-to-do               part-time
2.in writing numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine.

Parenthesis

 1.to enclose explanatory expressions that are outside the general structure of the sentence.
   example           The movie(I think its title is "Titanic")was shown in the theaters ten years age.


2.to enclose a figure when it follows an amount written out in words.
   example             Two million five hundred a year(P2,500,000,00 )
3. to enclose letters or numbers is enumerations in the text.                    
  example        they publish two kinds of literature:
                       (1) fiction and (2) non-fiction.

Period

1 at the end of declarative or imperative sentences.
   example               We went to the Namsan Park last month.
2.after initials and abbreviations.
                              Mon.    Ph.D.     U.N.

Question Mark

1. at the end of a direct question.
        example                 Will you go in my hometown next semeester?
2. to indicate that the accuracy of a fact or figure is uncertain.
        example                 The agreement was signed on November 17,(?)2008

A question mark is not used:

1. after an indirect question.
     example               Mr. de Leon asked where my classmate was.
2.  after a polite request.
     example         Will you please lend me some cash.

Quotation Mark

1. to enclose the exact words of a speaker or writer.
   example                "will you take charge?")the lady asked.
2.to enclosed an unusual word or phrase.

3.to enclose the titles of essays,stories,films,etc.
    example       Steven Spielberg directed "Jurassic Park".

Semicolon

1. to separate two long clause that are punctuated by commas.
2. where two sentences are closely connected in meaning.
     example       the sky is dark and the breeze is cool looks like it's going to rain today.

Complements

Some sentences express a complete thought even though they contain just a subject and a verb,for example,nhorine wept.However,other sentences need other words in order for their meaning to be clear, for example,    The clothes cost.
These sentences,although they contain a subject and a verb,require complements in order to complete their meaning.

Kinds of Complements

1. Direct Object 
is a noun,pronoun,or group of words that acts as a noun and functions as a receiver of the action in a sentence.It answers the question whom? or what? after the verb.
example            The OFW bought shares of stock.
2. Indirect Object 
is a noun or pronoun that appears with a direct object and to or for whom or what the action of the verb is performed.It answers the to whom? or for whom? or to what? or for what? after the verb and direct object.
example          The woman will teach my brother the rules of the game.
3. Objective complement
  is an adjective or noun that appears with a direct object and describes or renames it.It is the answer you get when you say the verb and direct object and ask the question what?
example             The people elected the son of a former president
4.Subject complement 
 is a noun,pronoun,or adjective that follows a linking verb and tells something about the subject.

 Two kinds of subject complements.
1.Predicate nominative 
is a noun or pronoun that appears with a linking verb and renames,identifies, or explains the subject.
example               Gale's dream date is he.
2. Predicate adjective 
 follows a linking verb and describes the subject of the sentence.
   example             My husband seems tired and impatient.

Clauses

A clause is a group of words containing a subject and a verb.

Kinds of Clause

1. Independent clause

          An independent cluase contain a subject and a verb.It can stand by itself as a complete sentence.
example
                           The korean's visited philippines

2. Dependent clause

        An dependent clause contains a subject and a verbs It cannot,however,stand by itself as a complete sentence . It is only a part of a sentence.
example
                             Because the restroom was out of order

Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Clauses

1.A restrictive clause
       It is one that adds information necessary to identify the subject or restrict it to a special case.
example
                              Many people watch the movie he wrote.

2.Nonrestrictive clause

       It is not essential to the meaning of the sentence and can be removed without changing the essential meaning of the sentence. It is set apart from the rest of the sentence by a comma.
example
            Meridith  is in love with  a man named john ,who has eyes as blue as the sky.

Relative Clauses

  1.   A relative clause
           is a dependent clause introduced by a relative pronoun. In can either be restrictive or nonrestrictive.

2.  Elliptical Clauses

      An elliptical clause is a clause that is missing either the subject or the verb or a relative pronoun.The missing parts are understood from the context.
example          Though old,her clothes still look new.

Adjective and Adverb Clauses

1.  An adjective clause

is a dependent clause that modifies a noun or a pronoun.
example
                        Aiza asked me to look for the magazines that she borrowed from gezille.

2.An adverb clause

         is a dependent clause that modifies a verb,an adjective,or an    adverb.
example
                          raquel was hungry because she did not eat breakfast.

Pharse

A phrase is a group of words used  as a singles part of speech.It does not contailn both a subject and a predicate.


Kinds of Phrases


1.  A prepositional phrase -
 consists of a pre-prosition and its object,which may be a noun or a pronoun.It functions as an adjective or an adverb.
example
                 After the performance,Graham rusell left the concert building in a hurry.
2. An Infinitive phrase -
consists of the word to and the form of a verb.It functions as a noun,an adjective,or an adverb.
example
  To find time for a vacation is very difficult for the hardworking businessman.


3. A participial phrase -
consists of a participle and any accompanying modifier.It functions as an    adjective.
example
                              The item  found in the garage proved to be an antique collection.
4. A gerund phrase -
consists of a gerund and any accompanying modifier. It functions as a noun.
example
                               Jogging around every morning  the school oval helped me lose weight.
5. An appositive phrase -
consists of a noun or pronoun and any accompanying modifier. It adds information to the noun or pronoun beside which it stand. 
example
                             The doctor went to see the patient, a little boy infected with dengue.

subject-verb agreement

In order that a subject and its verb agree,the basics principle to remember is this: a singular subject needs a singular verb, and plural subjects need plural verbs.The pronouns I and You are exceptions;they take the plural form of the verb.

singular                                      Plural

I,you  he,she,it,                         we,you,they
gabriel,gabrielle                        the kids
believe  believes                        believe
come     comes                           come

Subject-verb agreement is generally taken into account only if in the present,present perfect,present progressive, or present perfect progressive tense. The verb is made singular by adding -s or -es. The rule is different when it comes to nouns,which form plural by adding -s or es.


The verbs to be and to have may also indicate whether a verb is singular or plural. They are constructed in a different manner.


Present Tense   Singular                 Plural
                         I     you    he,          we,you,
                                         she,it       they
           to be     am    are     is           are
           to have have  have  has        have

Past Tense             singular                    plural
                          I      you     he,              we,you,
                                           she,it            they
to be                  was    were    was         were
to have               had    had      had          had


These words are considered singular and take the  singular form of the verb: anybody,anyone,each,either everybody,everyone,much,neither,no one,nobody,none,one somebody,someone.
 example
                       everybody needs someone to love.

When the correlative conjunctions neither ....nor and either....or are used,the subject closer to the verb determines the form of the verb to be used.
example
                            Neither gabriel nor the boys are attending kenneth's birthday party.


These words are considered plural and take the plural form of the verb: both,few,many,several.
example
                           Many are called,but few are chosen.

A prepositional phrase that comes between a subject and its verb does not affect the subject-verb agreement.
                           The box of roses was bought in the nearby flower shop.
Glasses,pants,pliers,and scissors are considered plural unless the phrase pair of precedes them,in which case the word pair becomes the subject.
example
                            The pair of t-shirts is in the overnight bag.
Some words ending in -s are considered singular.
Some words ending in -s refer to only one thing but call for a plural verb.

                           My earnings have not increased since I started working in this company.

sentences

SENTENCES

A sentences is a group of words that expresses a complete thought. All sentences must have a subject and a predicate.

The subject is the person,place,thing, or idea doing or being something .The predicate completed the thought of the sentences. It is usually the verb that tells what the person,place,thing or idea is doing or being.

example The children(subject)play (predicate).

Classification of Sentences

1. A declarative sentence

states an idea. It ends with a period.

example:   We saw it when we visited my sister in the united states.

2.  An interrogative sentence 

 asks a direct question. It ends with a question mark. In an interrogative statement, the predicate or part of the predicate usually comes before the subject.

example:  Do you know where gabrielle keeps the keys?

3.  An imperative sentence

ask, requests, or commamds someone to do something.It ends with either a perion or an exclamation point. In an imperative sentence,the subject is usually left out; it is understood to be you.   

example:  come with me.

               run!

               Stella,please turn off the lights.

4. An exclamatory sentence 

conveys a strong emotion. It ends with an exclamation point.

example:  That is wonderful!

                 He is the thief!

Kinds of sentence

1. A simple sentence 

contains a single independent clause. It may contain a compound subject or a compound predicate or both.It may also contain complements and modifiers,but it does not contain any dependent clause.   

example: The cat(one subject)jumps(one predicate).

2. A compound sentence

contains two or more independent clauses. The claused may be put together by a coordinating conjunction. They may also be formed with semicolon.

example:

The  south korean football team won their game last night; it was their first win since the season began.

3.  A complex sentence  

contains one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.

example:

The man who wrote this story is a sensitive person.(is the independent cluase )and who wrote this story( is the dependent clause).

4.  A coumpound-complex sentence

contains two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses.

Appositive and Verbals

An appositive 

      it is a noun,pronoun or phrase placed after the another noun or pronoun to identify,rename, or explain the preceding word.it can be a short or long combination of words.

                Example:  Our television,a black-and-white models that was manufactured in 1973 still functions well

A noneessential appositvie is always separated from the rest of the sentence with a comma. It may be place in the beginning,middle, or end of the sentence.

          Example: 

1.  A beautiful girl from mexico,won the miss universe beauty pageant and becaome  a   popular film    actress.

2. Maria, a beautiful girl from mexico,wont the miss universe beauty pagean and became a popular film actress.

3.  Many men are attracted to maria, a beautiful girl from mexico who won the miss universe beauty pageant and became a popular film actress.

 Verbals

 it is a verb form that is used as another part of speech. they are sometimes called unfinished or incomplete verbs. Verbals are frequently accompanied by other related words in what is called a verbal phrase. 

Kinds of verbals

1. A participle is verb form that acts as an adjective. There are two kinds of participles: present participles and past participles.

    Present participles end in -ing and describe a present condition.

      ex. the rising sun is a beautiful backdrop for the painting

  Past participles may end in -ed,-t or -en (or a different spelling in case of irregular verbs)and describe something that has already happened.

                      ex. the frozen meat was soaked in water.

2. A gerund is a verb form that acts as a noun. It ends in -ing. a gerund  may function as subject ,direct object, or object of a preposition.

   ex. Knowing the answer can work to one's advantage.(as subjetct)

                             The boy hates speaking.(as direct object)

              my sons are all afraid of flying.(as object of a preposition)

3. An Infinitive contains the word to and the root word of a verb . It functions as a noun,adjectives, or adverb.

                         ex. To dream is a waste of time act now (as noun)

                                The person to call is the doctor.(as adjectives)

                                Jogging is easy to do(as adverb)

Watch out for split infinitives. An infinitives is "split when a word (often an adverb) or phrase sneaks between the to of the infinitive and the root of the verb 

                      example to boldly go .it is better to say,

         "gabriel expected his mother not to call" that to say                  "gabriel expected his mother to not call." 

Some experts do not see anything wrong with split infinitives. the rules,however, is that, if it sounds awkward, do not use it.

          

8 part of speech

The eight basic parts of speech are simple.

They are 

1.  verbs
2.  nouns
3.  pronouns
4.  adjectives
5.  adverbs
6.  prepositions
7.  conjunctions
8.  interjections.


All English words fit into one of these grammatical categories. Many English words function
as more than one part of speech.
 Take the word fly for example. When you fly in a plane, it is a verb; when you swat a fly,
 it is a noun; and when you wear fly shades,
it is a slang adjective. English can be confusing because words can mean more than one thing,
 but if you know your eight parts of speech, you will avoid confusion.

1. Verbs are words used to express action, condition, or a state of being. They are used in speech to move the meanings of sentences along.
An action verb expresses an action. Words such as throw, create, and draw express physical action. Mental actions can be expressed by words such as believe, desire,
 and visualize. Verbs such as be and feel are used to show states of being. Helping verbs, or auxiliary verbs, are used to help the main verb express action or create verb phrases.
Some examples of auxiliary verbs are would, might and am.

2. Nouns are words that name a person, place, thing or idea. A few examples of nouns are person, place, thing and idea.
Proper nouns name specific things such as Jeff, California, and English. To change a noun from singular form to plural form an s or es must be added to the end of the word.
 Two examples are thing/things and dish/dishes. Some nouns have irregular plural forms and are a little harder to spell sometimes.
A couple of these nouns are man/men, and reality/realities. To show ownership, one must add an apostrophe s to the end of a singular
noun, or just an apostrophe to a plural noun. Examples of the possessive form are Jeff’s possession and fools’ wisdom.

 3. Pronouns are words used in place of nouns to shorten a repeated noun that has already been mentioned.
The noun that the pronoun replaces is called the antecedent of the pronoun. My girlfriend goes shopping a lot. She spends a bunch of money on garbage.
In these last two sentences, she is the pronoun, and girlfriend is the antecedent.
There are many forms of pronouns, such as personal, possessive, reflexive, intensive, indefinite, demonstrative, interrogative, relative and reciprocal.

4.Adjectives are very useful words. They add information to sentences by telling us more about nouns and pronouns, usually by describing,
identifying, or quantifying those words. Adjectives usually come before the words they modify, but sometimes follow linking verbs.
Here are two examples. She is a nice woman. That woman is nice. Quantifying adjectives come in the form of articles and numbers such as an, and twenty-one.
   

5. An adverb is defined as a word that gives more information about a verb, adjective or other adverbs.

In the sentence: She runs slow, slow describes how sue performs the adjective, runs. In the sentence She runs very slow,
 very describes the adverb slow, and tells how slow she runs. Most, but not all adverbs end in ly, but not all words that end in ly are adverbs.
 Ugly is an adjective. Supply can be a noun. Quickly and not are both adverbs.

6. A preposition is a word, which shows relationships between other words in the sentence. Relationships between words can be in the form of time or space.
She went to the mall again. To is a preposition that shows direction or space. She will find more clothes than you could imagine in thirty minutes.
 In is the preposition that shows time. A preposition always goes with a noun or pronoun, which is called the object of the preposition.

The preposition is almost always before the noun or pronoun and that is why it is called a preposition.
The preposition and the object of the preposition together are called a prepositional phrase.
In the sentence She went to the mall, to the mall is the prepositional phrase.

7. A conjunction is a word that connects words, or groups of words, to tell something about the relationship between these words.

 In the sentence she and I are friends, and connects two pronouns, she and I. Coordinating conjunctions are conjunctions,
which connect two equal parts of a sentence. The most common ones are and, or, but, and so. She is small but strong.
But is used as a coordinating conjunction. Subordinating conjunctions connect two parts of a sentence that are not equal.
Some subordinating conjunctions are whether, though and because. Correlative conjunctions are pairs of conjunctions that work together.
 Both she and I live in San Diego. Both/and, neither/nor, whether/or are all common correlative conjunctions. 

Conjunctive adverbs are adverbs that show a transition between ideas within a sentence.
They normally show comparison, contrast, or cause-effect relationships.
She was sick; however, she still could muster up enough energy to go to the mall.

 8.An interjection is a word, or a short phrase used to express emotion or surprise.
Interjections are often sentence fragments, or stand by themselves.
Interjections are also often used as commands, or as part of a protest.
Interjections are very important, and that’s why they are mentioned last, but not least, in the eight parts of speech.

Thesaurus?

Is like a dictionary except that it groups words within constellations of meaning. Sometimes you need the exact word to express an idea. and the word you have in mind just doesn't sound right. it contains a list of words and their synonyms and antonyms.
Avoid using an unfamiliar word just because it sounds impressive.though.Words even if they have almost the same meanings.have their fine distinctions,too.
Be familiar with the dictionary and thesaurus.it will make your learning easier and faster.

Trivia...Did you that 

             There is no synonym for the word"thesaurus."

Of all the world's languages, English is arguably the richest in vocabulary, The Oxford English Dictionary lists about 500,000 words, and there are half a million technical and scientific terms still uncatalogued.

Some reference grammar tools you can use

These tools will assist in your learning process. They will be useful to you while you are learning the fundamentals and even when you have mastered them.here it is

The dictionary
        In dictionary there are some of the words thay you have read unfamiliar to you?To find out the   meaning of those words, you have to consult a dictionary. it is a reference book that contains a list of words and their meanings. they are arranged alphabetically.knowing them will help improve your skills not only in writing but in speaking as well. example..

1.      It should  be one of the most often used books in your home.
2.       Put it in a place where you do your reading so that you can find it immediately.
3.      If you read in your bedroom and the dictionary is on a shelf in the living room,you may delay     looking up a word because the dictionary is not around.it would just be too tempting to say,
"I'll look it up later."
4.       It should be large enough to contain much more than just spellings. To serve your purpose better,its contents should be like the example of a dictionary .
5. It should contain extensive definitions,usages and if possible,information about word origins.It would also be a good idea to have a small dictionary to carry around so that you can check for a word's meaning wherever you are.