Class #1

Universidad UCEM
MSc. Daniela Yglesias Cubero
 Parts of Speech
The parts of speech are the fundamental building
blocks of grammar that classify words according to
their syntactic and semantic functions within a
sentence.
 Nouns:
This part of a speech refers to words that
are used to name persons, things, animals,
places, ideas, or events.

Tom Hanks is very versatile.

Dogs can be extremely cute.
It is my birthday.
 Pronouns:
A pronoun is a part of a speech which functions as a
replacement for a noun. Some examples of pronouns
are: I, it, he, she, mine, his, hers, we, they, theirs, and
ours.

The largest slice is mine.

We are number one.
Adjectives:
This part of a speech is used to
describe a noun or a pronoun.
Adjectives can specify the quality,
the size, and the number of nouns or
pronouns.

I have two hamsters.

Wow! That doughnut is huge!
 Verbs:
This is the most important part of a speech, for without a
verb, a sentence would not exist. Simply put, this is a word
that shows an action (physical or mental) or state of being of
the subject in a sentence.

As usual, the Stormtroopers missed their shot.

They are always prepared in emergencies.
Adverbs:

Just like adjectives, adverbs are also

She came yesterday.
used to describe words, but the
Of course, I looked difference is that adverbs describe
everywhere! adjectives, verbs, or another adverb.
 Preposition:
This part of a speech basically refers to words
that specify location or a location in time.
 Conjunction:
The conjunction is a part of a speech which joins
words, phrases, or clauses together.
Examples of Conjunctions: and, yet, but, for, nor, or,
and so
 Interjection:
This part of a speech refers to words
which express emotions. Since
interjections are commonly used to
convey strong emotions, they are usually
followed by an exclamation point.

Ouch! That must have

hurt.
Hurray, we won!
Hey! I said enough!
Singular and Plural
Nouns
Spelling Rules for Plural Nouns
1. FOR MOST NOUNS, ADD -S TO THE SINGULAR NOUN.
desk/desks
toy/toys
car/cars
book/books
voice/voices
cat/cats
Spelling Rules for Plural Nouns
2. FOR NOUNS ENDING IN -S, -Z, -SH, OR -CH, ADD -ES TO
THE SINGULAR NOUN.
class/classes
quiz/quizzes
wish/wishes
watch/watches
bus/buses
mass/masses
Spelling Rules for Plural Nouns
3. FOR NOUNS ENDING IN -F, CHANGE -F TO -V AND ADD -ES.
wife/wives
leaf/leaves
scarf/scarves
knife/knives
loaf/loaves

Note: There are several exceptions to this rule: beliefs, roofs, cliffs, cuffs, chiefs.
Spelling Rules for Plural Nouns
4. FOR NOUNS ENDING IN A CONSONANT + Y, CHANGE THE -
Y TO -I AND ADD -ES.
story/stories
fry/fries
bully/bullies
pony/ponies
spy/spies
Spelling Rules for Plural Nouns
5. FOR NOUNS ENDING IN A VOWEL +Y, JUST ADD -S.
delay/delays
day/days
toy/toys
survey/surveys
play/plays
Spelling Rules for Plural Nouns
6. SOME NOUNS ENDING IN -O FORM THEIR PLURAL BY
ADDING -ES. OTHERS JUST ADD -S.
tomato/tomatoes
hero/heroes
potato/potatoes
zoo/zoos
zero/zeros
Irregular Plural Nouns
SEVERAL NOUNS HAVE IRREGULAR
PLURAL FORMS
child/children ox/oxen
woman/women louse/lice
foot/feet person/people
mouse/mice man/men
goose/geese tooth/teeth
Irregular Plural Nouns
SEVERAL NOUNS DO NOT CHANGE IN THE
PLURAL
deer/deer
fish/fish
offspring/
offspring
sheep/sheep
species/species
 Subject
pronouns
Subject pronouns take the
place of nouns. They are
placed at the beginning of
a sentence.
Subject
Pronouns
I I like
chocolate.
I am a good
student.
He is a
doctor. He

He likes
playing
soccer.
 She

She wakes
up early.
She is a
nurse.
 It
(thing-animal)

The dog barks.

It barks.
 You study
You English.
You are a
child.
 We are in
the We
classroom.
We come to
school.
 They
They play
basketball.
They are
playing cards.
SIMPLE PRESENT
 SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
The Simple Present expresses an action in the
present taking place regularly, never or several
times.

USES
It is also used for actions that take place one
after another and for actions that are set by a
timetable or schedule.
The simple present also expresses facts in the
present.
 I ride horses in the summer.
EXAMPLES:
I like chocolate.

The train arrives at 5 o'clock.

 base form
FORMING THE
or
SIMPLE PRESENT
base form + "s"
TENSE
 base form

I, YOU, WE, THEY

base form + "s"
 base form
HE, SHE, IT
THIRD PERSON
base form + "s"
SINGULAR

-s, -es, -ies

 EXCEPTIONS
WE GO TO THE STORE. HE
GOES TO THE BANK.
I DO MY HOUSEWORK. MY
SON DOES HIS
HOMEWORK.
I HAVE TWO SISTERS. MY
MOTHER HAS TWO
BROTHERS.
SPELLING CHANGES WITH SIMPLE PRESENT
 SPELLING CHANGES WITH SIMPLE PRESENT:
EXAMPLES
I study English on Mondays. My brother studies Spanish on Thursdays.
My baby cries every night. Sometimes I cry too.
The man presses his shirt with an iron.
I brush my hair. My husband brushes his teeth.
I wash the dishes while the dog finishes his dinner.
The teacher teaches chemistry.
My friends and I watch television.
The cook mixes the cookie dough.
The plumber fixes the sink.
NEGATIVE FORM

do not / don't verb in

base
form

does not / doesn't

NEGATIVE FORM
NEGATIVE FORM: EXAMPLES
I don't play tennis often.
I do not play tennis often.

We don't sleep late on weekdays.

We do not sleep late on weekdays.

The teacher doesn't read comic books.

The teacher does not read comic books.

My professor doesn't believe my excuse.

My professor does not believe my excuse
YES/NO QUESTIONS

Do
subject + verb (base form)

Does
YES/NO QUESTIONS
YES/NO QUESTIONS: EXAMPLES
DO YOU WORK AT THE LIBRARY?

DOES SHE THINK IT'S GOOD?

DOES HE LIVE IN CHINA?

DO YOU EAT MEAT?

DO THEY HAVE CHILDREN?

WH- QUESTIONS

Do
Question
subject + verb (base form)
word
Does
QUESTION WORDS
WH- QUESTIONS
WH- QUESTIONS:
EXAMPLES
WHEN DO YOU STUDY ENGLISH?
HOW OFTEN DOES HE EAT PIZZA?
WHERE DOES YOUR MOTHER LIVE?
WHY DO YOU THINK THAT?
WHO EATS BREAKFAST EARLY IN THE MORNING?
WHO DO YOU ADMIRE?
WHAT DOES THE GIRL HAVE IN HER BAG?
HOW MUCH DOES YOUR DOG EAT?
VERB TO BE
 VERB TO BE
We use to be in present: to talk about names, professions, nationalities,
age, feelings, marital status.

I'm Joseph. I'm 25 years old.

I'm happy. I'm single.

I'm an architect, My favorite sport is soccer.

VERB TO BE
 Verb to be
To say who we are:

I´m Steve and this is my friend Bill. We´re from

Scotland.
I'm Janet and these are my sisters.
This is Sandra and this is Patricia. Sandra and
Patricia are doctors.
 Verb to be
To talk about the weather:

It`s cold today,

It`s a beautiful day.
It`s usually hot here.
It isn`t vey warm today.
 Verb to be
To talk about the time:

It`s ten o`clock.

It`s half past four.
You`re late!
 Verb to be
To talk about places:

Milan is in the north of Italy.

.John and Mary are in New York.
 Verb to be
To talk about people`s ages:

My sister is six years old.

I am thirty four years old.
My father and my mother are fifty
years old.
QUESTIONS: VERB "BE"
Examples:
Am I late for the movie?
Is he French or Swiss?
Is she young or old?
Is it time for dinner?
Are we interested in sports?
Are you teachers?
Affirmative answers We can answer yes / no questions with the verb "be"
using a full answer or a shorter answer:

Examples

Are you Nicole?

Yes, I am Nicole.
Yes, I am. (short answer)*

Are they hungry?

Yes, they are hungry.
Yes, they are. (short answer)*

* Note: You cannot use a contraction with the short

answer:

Yes, I am. NOT: Yes, I'm.

Yes, they are. NOT: Yes, they're.
Negative answers
To form negative answers with the verb
"be" we use the form above adding "no"
and "not."

No, I am not angry.

No, he is not from London.
No, we are not students.

We can also use contractions (add an

apostrophe ' ) to show a letter is missing.
Why do we use contractions? This enables
us to speak more quickly in English.
WH- QUESTIONS WITH "BE"
EXAMPLES:
Where is she from?
Where's she from?

How are they?

Why are they so happy?

What is your name?

What's your name?

What are their nationalities?

Where are they?

How's the weather?

PRACTICE