=================================================================

Possessives

(R2G Quiz 238)

A possessive adjective shows who possesses a noun:

my car
your car
his car
her car
its car               (not it’s)
our car
their car

A possessive pronoun acts as a pronoun without modifying a noun:

It is my car. The car is mine.
It is your car. The car is yours.
It is his car. The car is his.
It is her car. The car is hers.
It is its car. The car is its.
It is our car. The car is ours.
It is their car. The car is theirs.

When we use a plural possessive form, the apostrophe comes after the s:

            This is the student’s table                   (one student)
            This is the students’ table                   (multiple students)

When we use a name, we add ‘s:

            It is Sarah’s car. The car is Sarah’s.

What if the word ends in –s? Traditionally, we still add an apostrophe plus s:

            It is the princess’s car. The car is the princess’s.

However, it is becoming more common to omit the ‘s where the ending of the word contains an s.

Therefore, some say Jones’s and others say Jones’

Predicates

(R2G Quiz 239)

The predicate is the part of the sentence that describes what the subject does. The simple predicate refers to the verb, and the complete predicate refers to the rest of the sentence except for the subject:

            1 Bill drives a Porsche.
            2 Bill and Ben cooked spaghetti.
            3 The bus driver took a wrong turn.

1          Bill is the subject
            drives is the simple predicate
            drives a Porsche is the complete predicate

2          Bill and Ben is the subject
            cooked is the simple predicate
            cooked spaghetti is the complete predicate

3          The bus driver is the subject
            took is the simple predicate
            took a wrong turn is the complete predicate

Prefixes

(R2G Quiz 240)

Many words in English are made up of parts:

                        prefix               +          root                  +          suffix

                        pre-                              -dict-                           -able

pre- means before, -dict- means to say, -able means ‘can’

Here are some examples of prefixes, which may be attached to the beginning of a word

Prepositions

(R2G Quiz 241) 

A preposition is a part of speech. It usually shows direction or time.

Here is a list of common English prepositions:

About
Across
After
Against
Along
Among
Around
At
Between
By
Down
During
For
From
In
Inside
Into
Near
Of
Off
On
Onto
Out
Over
Since
Through
To
Toward
Under
Up

Prepositional Phrases

(R2G Quiz 242)

A Prepositional Phrase is simply a phrase that uses a preposition. (Click here for a list of prepositions.)

Here are some examples:

In the morning
In the evening
By the sea
On the moon
Before tomorrow
By Wednesday
With some friends
At the mall
Around the corner

Prepositional phrases can be used at various places within a sentence:

At the beginning:        In the morning, we took the train.    (more common in written English)
At the end:                  We took the train in the morning.

After the verb phrase:             We rode on the bus and arrived early.

Present Continuous Tense

(R2G Quizzes 243 - 247)

The Present Continuous Tense is sometimes called the Present Progressive Tense.

The Present Continuous tense describes an action happening now.

                        I am reading a book right now.

The Present Continuous describes a temporary state.

                        I am staying at the Ramada Hotel this week.
                        Currently, I am looking for a job.

We can use the Present Continuous to describe the future. It takes the same meaning as ‘going to’ or ‘planning to’

                        We are playing badminton next Thursday.
                        I am watching a movie tomorrow.

We typically use the Present Continuous Tense with the following phrases:

• Currently
• Now
• Right now
• At the moment
• Today
• This week
• Presently

The structure of the Present Continuous Tense is:

            SUBJECT       +          AM/IS/ARE    +          VERB+ING

            I am sleeping
            You are sleeping
            She is sleeping
            He is sleeping
            It is sleeping
            We are sleeping
            They are sleeping

The structure of the negative form is:

            SUBJECT       +          AM/IS/ARE    +          NOT    +          VERB+ING

            I am not sleeping
            You are not sleeping
            She is not sleeping
            He is not sleeping
            It is not sleeping
            We are not sleeping
            They are not sleeping

The structure of the question form is:

            AM/IS/ARE                +          SUBJECT                   +          VERB+ING

            Am I sleeping?
            Are you sleeping?
            Is she sleeping?
            Is he sleeping?
            Is it sleeping?
            Are we sleeping?
            Are they sleeping?

Present Perfect Tense vs Present Perfect Continuous Tense

(R2G Quizzes 248 - 254)

The Present Perfect Tense gives a link between the present and the past. It is similar to the Present Perfect Continuous Tense, except it focuses on the result of an action rather than the action itself.

We use it in the following situations:

            1 To express the meaning, ‘until now’, or from a past time until now:

            I have lived here since 1967
            We have been farmers for many centuries.

            2 To express the current result of a previous action:

            I have finished my report.
            He has finally graduated.

            3 We use the Present Perfect Tense with the following keywords:

            Ever
            Have you ever been to France?

            Never
            I have never been to France

            Before
            Have you been to France before

            Times
            I have been to France five times

            Since
            I have lived in France since I was young

            For
            I have lived in France for many years.

            Just
            I have just returned from France

            Recently
            I have recently returned from France

            Already
            I have already finished my homework

            4 We do NOT use the Present Perfect when we state a specific time:

                        Wrong:            I have been to France last week.
                        Wrong:            I have seen that movie yesterday.

            5 We use ‘been’ as the past participle of ‘go’:

                        I have been to France.                         (I have returned)
                        George has gone to France.                (He is in France now)

More notes here.

6 We use HAVE or HAS to form the Present Perfect. The structure with HAD is the Past Perfect. Click here for notes on the Past perfect

            7 The structure is as follows:

            SUBJECT       +          HAVE/HAS   +          PAST PARTICIPLE

            I have done it
            You have done it
            He has done it
            She has done it
            It has done it
            We have done it
            They have done it

The questoion form is as follows:

            HAVE/HAS   +          SUBJECT       +          PAST PARTICIPLE

            Have I done it?
            Have you done it?
            Has he done it?
            Has she done it?
            Has it done it?
            Have we done it?
            Have they done it?

The negative form is as follows:

            SUBJECT       +          HAVE/HAS   +          NOT    +          PAST PARTICIPLE

            I have not done it
            You have not done it
            He has not done it
            She has not done it
It has not done it
We have not done it
They have not done it

The passive form is as follows:

OBJECT         +          HAVE/HAS   +          BEEN +          PAST PARTICIPLE

            I have been chosen
            You have been chosen
            He has been chosen
            She has been chosen
            It has been chosen
            We have been chosen
            They have been chosen

8 The Present Perfect Continuous Tense is sometimes called the Present Perfect Progressive Tense. The structure is as follows:

SUBJECT       +          HAVE/HAS   +          BEEN +          VERB-ING

            I have been running
            You have been running
            He has been running
            She has been running
            It has been running
            We have been running
            They have been running

The meaning is similar to the Present Perfect Tense, but the emphasis is on the action:

I am so tired because I have been running.
I have been waiting for so long!