AMOUD UNIVERSITY

COURSE: GRAMMAR FOR ACADEMIC WRITING

LECTURER: MR.HAMSE ABDIRASHID

PROGRAM: ENGLISH LANGUAGE

IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (ELIP)

DATE: DECEMBER, W2, 2024

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UNIT 1: BUILDING THE FOUNDATION

1. SINGULAR AND PLURAL FORMS

2. ADJECTIVES: ORDER AND

COMPARISON
LESSON OBJECTIVES

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Differentiate between singular and plural nouns.
• Apply the rules for forming plural nouns, including regular and irregular forms.
• Use singular and plural nouns accurately in sentences.

• Adjectives (Order, Comparison, and Description):

• Identify adjectives and their functions in sentences.
• Apply the correct order of adjectives when describing nouns.
• Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives to compare nouns.

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ACTIVITY

WARM-UP QUESTIONS:

How is a singular noun different from a plural noun?

What is an adjective ?

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Definition:
TAKE A LOOK AT THESE ANSWERS

• Singular Noun: Refers to one

person, place, thing, or idea (e.g.,
book, student, city).

• Plural Noun: Refers to more than

one person, place, thing, or idea
(e.g., books, students, cities).

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Rules for Forming Plurals:

• Regular Plurals:
• Add -s to most nouns.

• Example:
• Cat → Cats
• Boy → Boys
• Pen → Pens
• Laptop → Laptops
• Frog → Frogs
• Teacher → Teachers

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Add -es:
•For nouns ending in s, x, z, sh, o, or ch, add -es.

Example:
• Box → boxes
• Brush → brushes
• Bus → busses
• Watch → Watches
• Fox → Foxes
• Church→ Churches
• Potato → Potatoes
• Box → boxes
• Box → boxes

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Change -y to -ies:
For nouns ending in a consonant + -y,
change -y to -ies.
Example:
Baby → Babies,
City → Cities.
Exception: If the noun ends in a vowel +
-y, just add -s.
Example:
Toy → Toys
Key → Key

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Add -ves for some nouns ending in -f or -fe:
• Change -f or -fe to -ves.
• Example:
• Leaf → Leaves
• Knife → Knives
• Wolf → Wolves
• Calf → Calves

Exceptions: Some nouns just add -s

(roof → roofs, chief → chiefs).

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Irregular Plurals:
• Some nouns do not follow regular rules and have unique plural
forms.

• Example:
• Man → Men,
• Child → Children,
• Mouse → Mice,
• Tooth → Teeth
• Ox → Oxen

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Some Nouns Do Not Change:

Some nouns have the same

singular and plural forms.
Example:
• Sheep → Sheep,
• Deer → Deer,
• Fish → Fish (though "fishes" can
be used when referring to
different species).

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 Practice Activities:
• Activity 1:
• Convert the following singular nouns to plural:
• book, Batch, Baby, Leaf, Woman.

• Write sentences using the singular and plural forms of each noun.
• Activity 2:
• Complete the sentences:
• There are three ________ (child) playing outside.
• The ________ (leaf) on the tree turned yellow.
• I bought two ________ (knife) for the kitchen.

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Topic 2: Adjectives: Order, Comparison, and
Description
• Definition:

Adjectives are words that describe nouns or pronouns by providing

information about qualities, quantities, size, shape, color, or other
characteristics.

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1. Order of Adjectives
Adjectives must follow a specific order in English when more than one is used:
• Opinion: How someone feels about the noun (beautiful, delicious, amazing).
• Size: The size of the noun (small, large, tiny).
• Age: How old the noun is (young, old, ancient).
• Shape: The shape of the noun (round, square, thin).
• Color: The color of the noun (blue, red, golden).
• Origin: Where the noun is from (Somali, African, French).
• Material: What the noun is made of (wooden, plastic, cotton).
• Purpose: The noun’s function (writing, sleeping, cooking).

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EXAMPLES:
1. A beautiful large old round blue Somali wooden
table.

2. A beautiful large old round golden clock.

3. A strange tiny young oval green fruit.

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 2. Comparison of Adjectives

Adjectives are used to describe and compare nouns or pronouns. The comparison
of adjectives involves three forms:

• Positive Form: Describes one noun without comparing.

• Example: The house is big.

• Comparative Form: Compares two nouns.

• Example: This house is bigger than that one.

• Superlative Form: Compares three or more nouns.

• Example: This is the biggest house in the neighborhood.

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Forming Comparative and Superlative
Adjectives
1. For Short Adjectives (one syllable):
• Comparative Form: Add -er to the end of the adjective.
• Superlative Form: Add -est to the end of the adjective.
Examples:
• Tall → taller → tallest
• Small → smaller → smallest
• Fast → faster → fastest
Sentence Examples:
• Comparative: John is taller than Ahmed.
• Superlative: John is the tallest student in the class.

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 2. For Longer Adjectives (two or more syllables):
• Comparative Form: Use more before the adjective.
• Superlative Form: Use most before the adjective.
• Examples:
• Beautiful → more beautiful → most beautiful
• Intelligent → more intelligent → most intelligent
• Comfortable → more comfortable → most comfortable
• Sentence Examples:
• Comparative: This painting is more beautiful than that one.
• Superlative: This is the most beautiful painting in the gallery.

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3. For Two-Syllable Adjectives Ending in -y:
• Change the -y to -ier for the comparative form.
• Change the -y to -iest for the superlative form.
• Examples:
• Happy → happier → happiest
• Busy → busier → busiest
• Easy → easier → easiest
• Sentence Examples:
• Comparative: She is happier now than before.
• Superlative: She is the happiest person in the group.

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 4. Irregular Adjectives:
Some adjectives do not follow the regular rules for forming comparative and superlative forms .

POSITIVE COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE

Good Better Best

Bad Worse Worst

Far Farther Farthest

Little Less Least

Many/Much More Most

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 Sentence Examples:

• This book is better than the last one.

• Of all the books, this is the best.
• This problem is worse than the first one.
• This is the worst day of my life!

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 Common Mistakes in Comparison of Adjectives

• Using Double Comparisons or Superlatives:

• Incorrect: She is more taller than him.
• Correct: She is taller than him.
• Confusing Irregular Forms:
• Incorrect: He is more good at math.
• Correct: He is better at math.
• Forgetting to Add "Than" in Comparative Sentences:
• Incorrect: This bag is heavier.
• Correct: This bag is heavier than that one.

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 Sentence Examples:

• This book is better than the last one.

• Of all the books, this is the best.
• This problem is worse than the first one.
• This is the worst day of my life!

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 1. PHRASE STRUCTURE (TREE DIAGRAM)
INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS PHRASE STRUCTURE?
A phrase structure Describes the organization of words
and phrases in a sentence represented through a tree diagram.

WHAT IS TREE DIAGRAM?

A tree diagram, in the context of phrase structure grammar,
is a graphical representation that illustrates the hierarchical
structure of a sentence. It breaks down a sentence into its
constituent parts, demonstrating how words and phrases are
organized within the syntactic structure.

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 EXAMPLES
LOOK AT THE FOLLOWING
EXAMPLES

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 Activities to Practice Comparison of Adjectives

Activity 1: Complete the Sentences

• Ali is ________ (strong) than Ahmed.

• This book is the ________ (interesting) I’ve ever read.
• My bag is ________ (heavy) than yours.

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 NES
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Launch

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BOFF

Thank
You
Jens Martensson
[email protected]