Still waters run deep, এখানে 'Still' শব্দটি -

Created: 1 year ago | Updated: 1 year ago
Updated: 1 year ago

Lesson 1

Look at the sentence below:

Sumona is a brilliant student.

You can divide the above sentence in different parts, such as:

Sumona/is/a/brilliant/student.
Again these parts play different functions as:

  1. Sumona  refers to a person
  2. is states something
  3. brilliantgives more information about 'student'

Now, you understand that in Parts of Speech words are classified according to their functions. In English, there are eight parts of speech.

The lessons in this unit will discuss parts of speech. Do you remember them? Here is a beautiful poem that will help you remember the parts of speech.

          Every name is called a noun, 

          As field and fountain, street and town;

 

          In place of noun the pronoun stands

          As he and she can clap their hands;

 

          The adjective describes a thing,

          As magic wand and bridal ring;
 

          The verb means action, something done - 

          To read, to write, to jump, to run;

 

          How things are done, the adverbs tell, 

          As quickly, slowly, badly, well;

 

          The preposition shows relation, 

          As in the street, or at the station;
 

          Conjunctions join, in many ways, 

          Sentences, words, phrases and clauses;

 

          The interjection cries out, "Hark! 

          I need an exclamation mark!"
 

          [collected:http://www.happychild.org.uk/acc/tpr/mne/0011gram.htm]

Discuss the following questions in pairs:

   a) What do the bold words in the poem tell about each part of speech?
   b) What examples of different parts of speech are given in the poem?
   c) Can you think of more examples of each part of speech? What are some of them?

 

Read the sentences below and identify each type of part of speech in it:

  1. A frightened man was seeking help desperately.
  2. The sun was setting slowly in the west.
  3. A village boy came and asked the man, "Where did you find the golden chain around your neck?"

 

Now, read about each type of parts of speech:

Nouns

A noun is a word used to name something: a person/animal, a place, a thing, or an idea. For example, all of the following are nouns.

  • Rahul, Ann, Hamida, Malek
  • Japan, Venezuela, the Atlantic, London, the Bay of Bengal
  • pencil, store, music, air
  • biology, honesty, geometry

 

Pronouns

A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun. It helps us to avoid repetitions. For example: Instead of Elina talked to Elina's child, you might say Elina talked to her child. Her is the pronoun. It refers to the noun, Elina.

 

Adjectives

An adjective modifies (describes) a noun or pronoun. Usually, in English, the adjective comes before the noun.
For example: The smart student earned an 'A'.
Adjectives also come after linking verbs. For example: I feel happy.

 

Verbs

Verbs generally express an action or a state of being. There are several classifications for verbs - action verbs, linking verbs, main verbs, auxiliary verbs, transitive, intransitive and phrasal verbs.

For example :

     Action verbs show action. 

He runs. She plays. They study.

 

      Linking verbs link the subject to an adjective or a noun.

      Matin is intelligent. He is a teacher. 

      Here the linking verbs connect the adjective (intelligent) or a noun 

      (teacher) with the subject.

 

Adverbs

An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb. The teacher carefully checks the homework. (Here carefully is an adverb that modifies the verb check.)

Examples :
Tomal was extremely enthusiastic about doing his homework. (Here extremely is an adverb that modifies the adjective enthusiastic.)

Maliha ran out of the classroom very quickly. (Here very is an adverb that modifies the adverb quickly.)

 

Prepositions

Prepositions are words that connect a noun or pronoun to another word in a sentence. Some common prepositions are on, in, at, with, about, for, to, though.

 

Conjunctions

Conjunctions join together words, phrases and clauses.

Examples:  He and his brother will come. (words)

                     He came to the class and started teaching.(clauses)

                     It is easy to say but difficult to do. (phrases)

                     She is intelligent; therefore, she does not need too much help. (clauses)

 

Interjections

Interjections are words used to express emotional states. They can usually be found in narrative writing, interviews, and in spoken English. They can stand alone.

Examples :
         Oh!, Wow!, Ouch! Oops! Hey!
They can also be used in a phrase or sentence.

Examples: 

What a lovely day!
How strong the man is!

 

The same word as different parts of speech Remember that the same word can be used as different parts of speech. Its function in the sentence will help you to determine the part of speech. Look at the following sentences and notice the functions of the word 'well' in each of the sentences:

     He does not look well. (adjective) 

     The student did well in the test. (adverb) 

     Well, I don't know about that. (interjection)

 

Exercise
Identify what part of speech each word is in the following sentences:

  1. Wow! That is really nice.
  2. He seemed sorry as he apologised to us.
  3. Mother wanted an answer, but she did not get any reply from her daughter.

 

Read the song and guess why it leaves out one part of speech. Share your idea with a partner.

A NOUN's the name of anything, 

As: school or garden, toy, or swing.

 

ADJECTIVES tell the kind of noun, 

As: great, small, pretty, white, or brown.

 

VERBS tell of something being done: 

To read, write, count, sing, jump, or run. 

How things are done the ADVERBS tell,

As: slowly, quickly, badly, well. 

CONJUNCTIONS join the words together, 

As: men and women, wind or weather.

 

The PREPOSITION stands before a noun

As: in or through a door.

 

The INTERJECTION shows surprise 

As: Oh, how pretty! Ahl how wise!

 

The whole are called the PARTS of SPEECH

Which reading, writing, speaking teach.

 

 

Lesson 2: Nouns

Noun is one of the eight parts of speech. You must have read about noun in your previous classes. Do you remember what kinds of words nouns are?

 

Read the story below and underline the nouns.

Friend

Bubbly was a rabbit who lived in the forest. He had many friends. He took pride in their friendship.

One day Bubbly heard the loud barking of the wild dogs. As he was timid, he became afraid. He decided to ask for help. He quickly went to his friend, deer. He said: "Some wild dogs are chasing me. Can you drive them away with your sharp horns?" The deer said: "That is right, I can. But now I am busy. Why don't you ask the bear for help?"

Bubbly, the rabbit, ran to the bear. "My dear friend, you are very strong. Please help me. Some wild dogs are after me. Please chase them away," he requested the bear.

The bear replied: "I am sorry. I am suffering from hunger and weakness. I need to find some food. Please ask the monkey for help".

Poor Bubbly went to the monkey, elephant, goat and all his friends. Bubbly felt sad that nobody showed any interest to help him.

He understood that he has to think of a way out. He hid under a bush. He lay there till the wild dogs went their way.

[Adapted from http://www.kidsworldfun.com/shortstories_friends.php]

Now, compare your underlined words with a partner.

In pairs, discuss the following questions:

   a) What is a noun?
   b) What different types of nouns are there in English?
   c) What roles do nouns play in a sentence?

 

Look at some more examples of nouns

        Names of people and profession: Alam, Rosy, teacher, doctor

        Names of animals: rat, zebra, lion, tiger

        Names of places: house, Dhaka, factory, school

        Names of objects: table, camera, printer, computer 

        Names of materials: lead, nitrogen, water, ice

        Names of qualities: kindness, beauty, bravery, faithfulness

        Names of actions: rowing, cooking, driving, reading, listening 

        Names of measures: minute, second, day, month, litre

 

Read the story above again and see whether the words underlined by you are all nouns. As you read the text, try to find the different types of naming words e.g. words that name a particular person/character, words that name an idea and words that name something in general, etc.

Discuss the questions below

a) What type of noun is Bubbly in the story?

b) What type of noun is dogs, deer, bear or elephant? 

c) What type of noun is pride, hunger or weakness?

 

Read the section below to know more about different types of nouns.

Common nouns : These are the general names of people, places, things, or ideas.

Examples : writer, city, park, religion

 

Proper nouns : This type of noun has two features: i) It names a specific [usually a one-of-a-kind] item, and ii) It begins with a capital letter [no matter where it occurs in a sentence.]
Examples: Rabindranath Tagore, Paris, Dhaka, Islam

The chart below shows examples of common nouns and proper nouns :

Common NounProper Noun

writer

teacher

boy

city

mango

school
 

Humayun Ahamed-

Prof. Abdur Razzaque

Shubho

Khulna

Langra

Ideal High School

 

Abstract nouns : Look at the following list. Can you touch or see any of them? Can you count any of them?

peaceconductspeedtaste
warmthcourageexperienceevil
hospitalityleisuretimeliberty

They name something that you cannot experience with your five senses - they do not physically exist.

Concrete nouns : Concrete nouns physically exist and can be experienced by the five senses.

For example :

Can you chase them away with your sharp horns?

 

Horns is an example of a concrete noun. You can see horns of an animal and touch them with your finger and sometimes smell its breath. Look at this chart contrasting abstract and concrete nouns :

Abstract nounsConcrete nouns

love

intelligence

kindness

mercy

honesty

table

laptop

COW

plants

building

Collective nouns : These are nouns that refer to a group of things. Look at the chart below:

armycouncil 
audiencedepartmentminority
boardfacultynavy
crowdfamilysenate
classfarmsociety
committeegroupteam
companyjurytroupe
corporationmajority 

 

Exercise 1

Read the following sentences in pairs and look at the italicized word in each sentence and say whether the italicized nouns are common, proper, collective or abstract.

   1. Honesty is the best policy.
   2. Solomon was famous for his wisdom. 3. A committee of five was appointed.
   4. Jamil is a bright student.
   5. Wisdom is better than riches.
   6. I didn't believe the clown's story.
   7. A teacher must have patience.
   8. Cleanliness is next to godliness.
   9. My sister is a doctor.
   10. My family lives in that house.

 

Exercise 2

Circle the proper nouns and underline the common nouns in the following sentences:

   1. To make cakes, we need eggs, flour, sugar, and butter.
   2. Jafrin read Gulliver's Travels last week.
   3. Every Tuesday in June, my team takes part in a charity match.
   4. Spelling Bee is my favorite show on television.
   5. The Shishu Park is a place to visit with friends and parents.

 

Exercise 3

Circle the proper nouns and underline the collective nouns. (There are 10 all together.)

   1. Junaid is the captain of the school cricket team.
   2. My family is going to Kuakata on vacation.
   3. I love the month of June because schools have holidays.
   4. I want a computer for my birthday.

 

What do nouns do?

Nouns can do lots of things in sentences. Let's look at some of the jobs noun do:

  1. Subjects are nouns that tell us who or what a sentence is about.  e.g. Maya kicked the ball.
  2. Direct objects are nouns that receive the action of certain kinds of verbs (transitive active verb)  e.g. Maya kicked the ball.
  3. Indirect objects are nouns that receive the direct object.  e.g. Mary kicked Joya the ball.  e.g. Mary kicked Joya the ball.
  4. Objects of prepositions are nouns that come after prepositions in prepositional phrases.  e.g. Maya kicked the ball to Joya.

 

Exercise 4

Identify the function of the underlined nouns as indicated below:

     subject       direct        object         indirect object       object of preposition

  1. The jury selected Rima as winner.
  2. What is Jewel doing on his birthday?
  3. Bipasha is my friend.
  4. The committee elected Mahfuz its new Vice President.

 

 

Lesson 3 : Countable and Uncountable Nouns

In the previous lesson you learnt about various kinds of nouns. In this lesson you will look at two types of nouns - countable and uncountable.

Read the text and underline the nouns in it. Then discuss the following questions in pairs.

Which nouns can you count?

  • Can you find any nouns that you cannot count?
  • Which nouns take an article before them?

When I am free, I listen to the radio. There are some good radio stations that play music I like, and other stations play a lot of music I don't really like. I like to listen to both old songs and new songs. In fact, I listen to a lot of different music, from classical to modern. Some music on the radio reminds me of when I was younger. I still like those old songs.

 

Have you got any idea about countable and uncountable nouns from your discussion? Read the section below.

Nouns can be divided into two categories countable and uncountable. Countable nouns are words that represent things we can count. For example, the word song is a countable noun. Here are some more examples:

  • An old song, two new songs, etc.
  • A collection of 100 songs

Uncountable nouns are words that represent things we do not count. For example, the word music is an uncountable noun. Here are some examples:

  • a lot of music
  • the music of the 70s

 

Now, let's look at countable and uncountable nouns in more details. Countable nouns

Countable nouns are either singular or plural. They can be counted and expressed in numbers.

  • I need to buy four new suitcases. - Suitcase (s) is a countable noun as adding 's' to it makes it plural.
  • I want five oranges? - Here five is used to count the number of oranges.

Countable nouns are easy to recognise. They are things that we can count. For example: 'pen'. We can count pens. We can have one, two, three or more pens. Most countable nouns become plural by adding an 's' at the end of the word.

We can use the indefinite article a/an with countable nouns:

  • a good book

When a countable noun is singular, we must use a word like a/the/my/this with it:

  • I want an orange. (not I want orange.)
  • Where is my watch? (not Where is watch?)

 

We can use some and any with countable nouns:

  • I've got some coins.
  • Have you got any pens?

We can use a few and many with countable nouns:

  • I've got a few coins.
  • I haven't got many pens.

 

Now, in the above examples you must have noticed the way plural nouns are formed. Discuss with a partner the following questions:

  1. How do we convert singular nouns into plural?
  2. Do we follow the same rules for making plurals with all nouns?
  3. What do the names 'regular nouns' and 'irregular nouns' suggest?

 

Read the sections below to check your ideas.

Formation of plural of regular nouns

Most nouns form the plural by adding -s.

SingularPlural
househouses
catcats
riverrivers
boatboats

A noun ending in s, x, ch, sh makes the plural by adding - es

SingularPlural
busbuses
wishwishes
pitchpitches
boxboxes

A noun ending in a consonant and then y, makes the plural by dropping the y and adding -ies

SingularPlural
spyspies
babybabies
citycities
daisydaisies

 

Formation of plural of irregular nouns

There are some irregular formations of plural nouns. Some of the most common ones are listed below:

SingularPlural
womanwomen
manmen
childchildren
toothteeth
footfeet
personpersons
leafleaves
mousemice
mousemice
goosegeese
halfhalves
knifeknives
wifewives
lifelives
elfelves
loafloaves
potatopotatoes

Some nouns have the same form in the singular and the plural.

SingularPlural
sheepsheep
fishfish
deerdeer
speciesspecies
aircraftaircraft

Remember, these are singular nouns.

news            The news is at 6.30 p.m.
athletics      Athletics is good for young people.
linguistics   Linguistics is the study of language.
darts            Darts is a popular game in England.
politics         Politics is played all over the world.

Some nouns have a fixed plural form and take a plural verb.

Plural noun with plural verb                Sentence

trousers                                                    My trousers are too tight.

jeans                                                         Her jeans are black.

glasses                                                     Those glasses are new.

 

Uncountable nouns

Uncountable nouns are the exact opposite of Countable Nouns. These nouns are the names of things that cannot be counted and have only a singular form. These nouns use singular verbs in a sentence.

  • The furniture was new. (Furniture is an uncountable noun and therefore, we use the singular 'was' in referring to it.)
  • Is 250gm of sugar enough? (Sugar is an uncountable noun as sugar itself cannot be counted. It can only be weighed.)
  • He is praised for his honesty. - Honesty is an uncountable noun as it has no plural and cannot be counted in physical terms either.

 

List of some Uncountable Nouns

GeneralAbstract
homeworkadvice
equipmenthelp
luggagefun
clothingrecreation
furnitureenjoyment
machineryinformation
goldknowledge
silvernews
cottonpatience
glasshappiness
jewelryprogress

 

Using Countable & Uncountable Nouns

Look at the following list and notice which words are used with countable and uncountable nouns:

Words used with countable nouns only
       aa doctor, a pen, a meal, a class, a college
    manymany cups, many books, many libraries, many flights
Words used with countable nouns only
      fewfew questions, few tables, few apples, few holidays, few countries
      a fewa few questions, a few problems, a few issues
Words used with countable nouns only
      muchmuch money, much time, much food, much water, much energy
      littlelittle trouble, little equipment, little meat, little patience
     a little bit ofa little bit of confidence, a little bit of sleep, a little bit of rain
 Words used with countable nouns only
the   countablemuch money, much time, much food, much water, much energy
uncountablethe machinery, the luggage, the grass, the knowledge
Words used with both countable & uncountable nouns
somecountablesome tables, some stores, some grapes, some
cities, some nurses
uncountablesome time, some news, some bread, some salt
anycountableany socks, any bathrooms, any ideas, any beliefs
uncountableany advice, any soap, any transportation, any gold, any homework
nocountableno magazines, no chocolates, no pilots, no rings, no markers
uncountableno trouble, no grass, no scenery, no money, no furniture
a lot ofcountablea lot of animals, a lot of coins, a lot of people, a lot of babies
uncountablea lot of help, a lot of happiness, a lot of fun
lots ofcountablelots of computers, lots of buses, lots of colleges
uncountablelots of cake, lots of ice cream, lots of energy, lots of laughter
enoughcountableenough plates, enough onions, enough restaurants
uncountableenough courage, enough wisdom, enough rice, enough time
plenty ofcountableplenty of houses, plenty of books
uncountableplenty of oil, plenty of sugar

Note : Usage of few, a few, little, a little

The expressions a little and a few mean some. 

We use a little with singular nouns.

Example :
     I havea little money.
     We use a few with plural nouns.

Example :
     Kaberi has a few friends.

Note that there are differences of meaning when you use a little / a few or little / few with nouns. Without the article, the words have a restricted or negative meaning.
                                a little means 'some'
                                little means 'hardly any'

Examples :
   I need a little money. That means - I need some money. 

   I need little money. That means - I need hardly any money.

Again read about the differences between a few and few.
                               a few = some
                               few = hardly any

Examples:
   A few friends visited me. - Some friends visited me. 

   Few friends visited me. - Hardly any friends visited me.

 

Exercise 1 :

Are these nouns countable or uncountable? Discuss in pairs and write C for countable and U for uncountable next to each noun.

  1. water __
  2. fruit __
  3. coconut __
  4. bread __
  5. DVD __
  6. meat __
  7. ball __
  8. sandwich __
  9. glasses __
  10. pen __
  11. milk __
  12. chair __
  13. patrol __
  14. table __
  15. cream __
  16. money __
  17. oil __
  18. insect __
  19. sofa __
  20. soap. __

 

Exercise 2

Use a /an/some/any with the nouns in the sentences below.

  1. Lisa's got a / an towel.
  2. Anna's got a / some handbag.
  3. Lucky's got an / some insect spray.
  4. Jibon hasn't got some / any sunglasses.
  5. Raqib's got a / some swimming costume.
  6. Ameer has got an / a apple.
  7. I haven't got any / some money.
  8. Have you got some / any sun cream?
  9. We need a/an torch for our camping trip.
  10. There isn't some / any litter on the beach.
  11. Can I have some / a strawberries?
  12. You can have this cereal with some / a milk.
  13. I've got any / some fruit.
  14. There isn't some / an elephant.
  15. Are there some / any plants?

 

 

Lesson 4 : Adjectives

What are adjectives? You must have read about adjectives in your previous classes. Do you remember their uses?

Let's read the story below and underline the adjectives.

 

Universal Rabindranath

Tagore is known as Bishwa Kabi (World Poet) because his literature has universal appeal and is read by many people of the world. His translation of Gitanjali (Song Offerings) won him the Nobel Prize in literature in 1913. Rabindranath dearly loved the land, rivers, people and natural beauty of his motherland. He roamed around rural Bangladesh and wrote about her glory and beauty in songs, poetry, novels and short stories. Besides Tagore was also a social reformer. He was the founder of Bishwa Bharoti. Despite all, Tagore loved to relax in the peaceful environment of East Bengal, now Bangladesh. He spent his golden days in the quietness of Kuthi Bari in Kushtia, where he translated his famous Gitanjali. Tagore also established an experimental agricultural project at his estate at Patisar in Naogaon. Bengali culture cannot be fulfilled without the colourful presence of Tagore's literature. We will be more enlightened if we apply Tagore's philosophy in our life.

     a) What parts of speech the italicized words are in the text above?
     b) What is an adjective?
     c) What different types of adjectives are there in English?
     d) What roles do adjectives play in a sentence?

 

Identify appropriate adjectives from the dialogue below :

A: Hello! What are you reading?

B: Good evening! I am reading a book by Rabindranath Tagore.

A: What's the name of the book?

B: I am reading Gitanjali which won him the Nobel Prize in literature.                                                                                      

A: Oh! That's the best poetry book I have ever read.

B: He is known as a World Poet because of the universal appeal of his works and his wonderful style of writing.

A: Tagore is also the writer of our national anthem Amar Sonar Bangla.

B: Yes, he is.

A: We need to read more of his writings. Thank you for the interesting discussion.

B: I think we need to read more books of Tagore. Thank you too.

 

Now, let's try to describe adjectives.

Adjectives are words that are used to describe nouns and pronouns and to quantify and identify them. For example :

               He was wearing a blue shirt.

Here 'blue' is an adjective as it is describing the noun 'shirt' by answering the question 'What kind of shirt?'

               There are seven rooms in the house.

Here 'seven' is also an adjective as it is mentioning the quantity/the number of the noun 'rooms', answering the question 'how many rooms?'.

There are different types of adjectives based on their relationship with a noun and what they describe about the noun. There are five categories of adjectives:

 

1. Adjectives of Quality - These adjectives are used to describe the nature of a noun. They give an idea about the nature of the noun by answering the question 'what kind', e.g. honest, kind, large, bulky, beautiful, ugly, etc.

           Dhaka is a large city with many places of historical interest.
           Shaila is a beautiful woman.

 

2. Adjectives of Quantity - These adjectives help to show the approximate amount of the noun or pronoun. These adjectives do not provide exact numbers; rather they tell us the amount of the noun, e.g. all, half, many, few, little, no, enough, great, etc.

             They have finished most of the rice.
             Many people came to visit the fair.

 

3. Adjectives of Number - These adjectives are used to show the number of nouns and their position in a phrase. There are three different types within adjectives of number; they are:

             one, two, twenty, thirty-three, etc. (also known as cardinals)
             first, second, third, seventh, etc. (also known as ordinals)

 

4. Demonstrative Adjectives - These adjectives are used to indicate a - particular noun or pronoun- this, that, these and those.

             That bag belongs to Neela.
             Try using this paintbrush in your art class.
             These flowers are lovely.

 

5. Interrogative Adjectives - These adjectives are used to ask questions about nouns or pronouns. They are - what, which and whose.

             What test did I miss?
             Which book of this author do you like?
             Whose pen is this?

 

 

Lesson 5: Verbs

What are Verbs? You must have read about Verbs in your previous classes. Do you remember their uses?

Let's read the passage below and note the verbs.

All About the Zoo

A zoo is a place where many kinds of animals and birds live together in harmony. Many years ago, animals in a zoo were kept in cages and people would view them from outside their cages. However, these days, things have significantly changed. Most zoos try to provide animals with surroundings that resemble their natural habitat. Many of the endangered species successfully bred in the zoo are later re-introduced to their natural environment to continue their survival. Many of the species are successfully protected and later introduced to the wild. A visit to the zoo will allow you the chance to see many kinds of animals and birds. Zoos help educate people of the importance of conservation. They also help scientists carry out various studies that are aimed to improve the lives of the animals by understanding them better.

Now, talk about the highlighted words with a partner. In pairs discuss the following questions :

     What test did I miss?
     Which book of this author do you like?
     Whose pen is this?

Let's read the above passage again and discuss in pairs and identify verbs from the dialogue below :

A: Hello! Good Morning! 

B: Hello! Good Morning to you too!

A: We have come here to see the zoo.

B: OK, come on, we have good arrangements for children.

A: Thank you! All students will go in a line to see the animals.

B: Please make sure that students don't disturb the animals.

A: Yes, of course, they won't.

B: Thank you, please let them know that zoo animals are not domestic animals.

A: Ok, I'm sure students will be able to know many things about the wild life by visiting the zoo. And thanks a lot for your advice.

B: They will if they remain calm and observe carefully. Thank you all for coming to visit the zoo.

 

Now, let's try to describe the verbs :

A word or phrase that describes an action, condition or experience is a verb. The words 'run', 'keep', and 'feel' are all verbs. The grammatical forms of verbs include number, person, and tense.

We learnt about auxiliary verbs in our previous classes.

Now, read the following examples and talk with your partner about the uses of different verbs. Here are some examples of auxiliary verbs expressing tense (main verbs in bold)

Examples of Auxiliary Verbs:

  • I have been sitting here since 7 o'clock.
  • Sabit was waiting for the train to arrive.
  • He will have broken the record by then.

 

Auxiliary Verbs and Verb Phrases :
An auxiliary verb (also called a helping verb) accompanies a main verb to express its tense, mood, or voice. The most common auxiliary verbs are be, do, and have. You will see these in the following forms:

Be : am, is, are, was, were, being, been
Do : does, do, did
Have : has, have, had, having

Modal auxiliary verbs are also auxiliary verbs. They are can, could, may, might, must, ought to, shall, should, will, and would. (These never change their forms.)

A verb phrase is made up of the auxiliary verb(s) and the main verb. In the examples below, the verb phrase is underlined with main verb in bold:

For example, He is reading a book. Here 'is reading' is a verb phrase where 'is'= an auxiliary verb and 'reading,= main verb

Now, let's try to find out the differences between regular and irregular Verbs.

 

Regular Verbs

Those verbs that form their past participle with 'd' or 'ed' are regular verbs. These verbs do not undergo major changes while changing forms.

1. If the verb ends with a vowel, only 'd' is added. For example :

Present tensePast tense
shareshared
scarescared

2. If the verb ends with a consonant, 'ed' is added. For example:

Present tensePast tense
wantwanted
shoutshouted
killkilled

 

Irregular Verbs

These type of verbs undergo considerable changes when changing forms.

Present tensePast tense
gowent
runran
thinkthought
seeksought

 

Transitive Verb

When a verb takes an object, it is called transitive verb. Look at the example below:

  • He has kicked the ball.
  • We shared the idea together.

Here, kick and share are transitive verbs because they have objects and without these objects e. g. the ball, the idea; 'he has kicked and we shared' are incomplete.

In fact, transitive verbs transfer their actions to the object.
Here are some examples of transitive verbs:
I want an apple.
He is carrying a suitcase.
She looked at me.

 

Intransitive verb

When a verb does not take an object, it is called intransitive verb. Intransitive verb means a verb without an object. Here are some examples of intransitive verbs:

  • She shouted loudly.
  • She was singing.
  • Dogs bark.
  • She is laughing.

Some verbs can be both transitive and intransitive depending of how they are used in sentences.

Examples :

IntransitiveTransitive
She sang.She sang a song
The bell rangHe rang the bell
We ate.We ate some fish.

Exercise

Choose the correct form of the verb in brackets and fill in the gaps.

Kuheli is a student of class eight. Her final exams (be)_ next week, so there are no classes. Like all the other students in her class she (revise) _ her lessons. But she (not study) _ very hard right now. She (sit) in the garden of her house (read) _ her notes. It is a beautiful day. Birds (sing) _ in the trees. She (not sit/usually) _ in the garden. Normally she (go)_ the garden. Normally she (go) _ to school at nine o'clock to (attend) _ classes. She (have). lunch at about one with her friends. 

 

Lesson 6: Adverbs

Read the story below and notice the words in italics that describe the actions in the story.

I nearly missed my flight!

I live at Shahbag in Dhaka. I decided to visit my son, who lives in New York in December last year. I had booked my flight to leave Dhaka on Monday morning. It was due to leave at 9 am and I was expected to report at the airport by 7 am. I was completely happy with arrangements I had made for the trip.

I work in an office and usually go there at about 9 am. I never go to office late and I almost always arrive there on time. I come back home at about 5 pm. I usually go to bed at 11 at night and get up at 5 in the morning.

The night before my flight I had to do a bit of packing. Still I expected to get up from bed at my usual time. Unfortunately, I overslept and when my wife woke me up it was 7 am. I quickly washed and dressed myself and called for a taxi. I was hoping to get to the airport by 8 am. But as we reached the Airport Road, it was crowded with cars, buses and taxis and we could only move very slowly. I was gradually becoming impatient. But there was nothing we could do. I finally reached the airport at 8.30 am.

I reached the check-in-desk and an official of the airlines hurried me through the immigration, and eventually I was able to get on board.

Discuss in pairs which of the Italisized words tell us about the 'how,' 'when' or 'where' of an action that took place in the story.

Write down the underlined words in each column to show which of them answer the how, when, why or where of an action in the story. (One is done for you in each column.)

How?When?Where?How often?
suddenlyearlybelowalways
    
    

The words above are used to answer the questions of how, when, why or where. These are adverbs. In fact, an adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb. It also refers to manner, place, time, degree or frequency.

Look at the following examples. Here adverbs are shown in bold and the verbs that they modify are in italics.

  • Rabbi speaks loudly. (How does Rabbi speak?)
  • Afterwards she talked with the journalists. (When did she talk?)
  • Dilruba lives nearby. (Where does Dilruba live?)

Look at the examples of adverbs that modify adjectives and adverbs. Adverbs modifying an adjective:

  • He is really handsome. (How handsome is he?)
  • That was extremely kind of you.

Adverbs modifying another adverb:

  • She drives incredibly slowly. (How slowly does she drive?)
  • - He drives extremely fast.

Remember that adverbs can also modify adjectives or even other adverbs. Look at the sentences below.

  • Tania is really beautiful.
  • The plan worked very well.

Note that adverbs have other functions too. Now look at the sentences below and find out what functions the adverbs have in these sentences.

  • Obviously I don't know everything.
  • He arrived immediately after the meeting.

You may have noticed two more functions of adverbs here, e.g. they can modify a whole sentence and they can modify a prepositional phrase.

Exercise 1

Find the adjective in the first sentence of each pair of sentences below and fill in the gap with an adverb. The first one is done as an example.

  1. Jhorna is happy. She smiles happily.
  2. The boy is loud. He shouts ……………….
  3. Her English is fluent. She speaks English .......……….
  4. Our mother was angry. She spoke to us ................
  5. My neighbour is a careless driver. He drives …………..
  6. The painter is awful. He paints ……………….
  7. Zahir is a wonderful guitar player. He plays the guitar ……………
  8. This girl is very quiet. She often keeps sitting at a corner …………….
  9. She is a quick runner. She runs....................
  10. 10.This exercise is simple. You ................. have to put one word in each space.

Notice the adverbs you have used in the above sentences. In pairs, discuss how adverbs are formed. Now read the following section to know more about how adverbs are formed.

Most of the adverbs are formed by adding ly with an adjective. For example, the word nice is an adjective and we can make the adverb nicely to talk about an action that is done in a nice manner.

As you have seen so far, adverbs frequently end in -ly; however, some adjectives also end in ly. For example: lovely, lonely, motherly, friendly, neighbourly are adjectives. For example:

                              That lovely woman lives in a friendly neighborhood.

Some adverbs have two forms, one that ends in -ly and one that doesn't. In certain cases, the two forms have different meanings.

Examples:

   He arrived late. (later than the scheduled time) 

   Lately, he couldn't seem to be on time for anything. (recently)

In pairs, try to find more adverbs having two forms with two different meanings. Make sentences with them and share with another pair.

 

Position of Adverbs
Read the sentences below and notice the position of adverbs in each sentence.

  1. Cheerfully the gold medalist greeted the crowd.
  2. The gold medallist cheerfully greeted the crowd.
  3. The gold medalist greeted the crowd cheerfully.

 

Now discuss the two questions in pairs:

  • Do all these adverbs have the same position in the above sentences?
  • What positions does the adverb cheerfully take in each sentence?

Let's read the following section to know more about positions that can be taken by adverbs in a sentence.

Adverbs can appear in various positions in a sentence. For example, you may find an adverb:

  • before the main verb: I never get up before nine o'clock.
  • between the auxiliary verb and the main verb: I have rarely written to my father without an emergency.
  • before the verb used to: I always used to see him at his summer home.

 

Exercise 2

Fill in the blanks with suitable adverbs from the box. The same adverb can be used more than once:

occasionallysometimesusuallyrarelyonce
verynevermostlyoftenalways
  1. I _ go to school at 9 o'clock.
  2. I have _ been to Germany.
  3. I have been to Kuakata just _.
  4. I _ have a cup of tea after breakfast.
  5. My friends are _ vegetarians.
  6. My grandparents live in Khulna. I visit them 
  7. I was _ happy to see him again.
  8. I _ go for a walk by the river side.
  9. I watch films _.
  10. They _ come to visit me.

 

Lesson 7 : Types of adverbs

Look at the picture. What is it about? Can you remember a cricket match in which you saw some great catches?

In small groups discuss a recent cricket match in which you have seen some great catches taken by the fielding side. Talk about those actions of catching by answering the following questions:

  1. How were the catches taken?
  2. Where in the field were the catches taken?
  3. How many times did they drop a catch?
  4. When were the catches taken?

You might have noticed that adverbs are used to describe various aspects of a particular action - the time, place, manner or frequency of the action. Thus adverbs are categorised as follows :

  1. Adverbs of manner
  2. Adverbs of place
  3. Adverbs of time
  4. Adverbs of frequency

 

Adverbs of manner

Read the following seven pieces of advice on making a happy and successful life. Notice the words ending in ly. Can you tell what kinds of words they are?

Think creatively
Live adventurously
Work diligently
Share generously
Listen patiently
Try fearlessly
Laugh heartily
Help willingly
Speak graciously
Run steadily
Love completely

                                                                                                                  [collected]

The words ending with ly are examples of adverbs. But do you know what kind of adverbs they are? They are known as adverbs of manner.

An adverb of manner tells us how something happens or is done. Most adverbs of manner end in-ly such as badly, happily, sadly, slowly, quickly. There are also some adverbs that do not end in -ly. For example: well, hard, fast, etc.
Here you have more examples to see how the adverbs of manner have been used.

  • The soldiers were badly injured in the battle.
  • They had to act fast to save the others floating in the water.
  • She is 60 but still sings very well.
  • She speaks loudly.
  • The new driver was driving slowly.

 

 

Exercise 1    

Choose a word from brackets to fill in the gaps. The first one is done as an example.

  1. They did the work beautifully. (beautiful / beautifully)
  2. She planned their trip to Italy very _ (careful / carefully)
  3. He painted the wall very _ (bad / badly)
  4. She speaks very _ (quiet / quietly)
  5. He walked _ along the road to school. (slow/slowly)
  6. He drives too _. (fast/well)
  7. She knows the road _. (good / well)
  8. He plays the guitar. _ (terrible / terribly)
  9. We will catch the train in the morning. So we have to get up _. (early / late)

 

Adverbs of place

An adverb of place tells us where something is done or happens. We use it after the verb, object or at the end of a sentence.

Adverbs of place include words such as above, below, here, outside, over there, there, under, upstairs, near, somewhere, outside, ahead, on the top, at some place.

  1. We can stop here for lunch.
  2. The hospital is over there on your right.
  3. The classroom is on the floor below.
  4. The children are playing outside.
  5. He was standing near the wall.
  6. There was a house on the top of the hill.
  7. He lives somewhere in Dhaka.
  8. She went upstairs.

 

Exercise 2

Make sentences and put the adverbs (in italics) in them correctly. The first one is done as an example.

  1. is / over there / the cinema -The cinema is over there.
  2. inside/go/let's ________________________________
  3. the kitchen/downstairs / is _____________________________
  4. playing/the kids/are / outside- ______________________________
  5. she/not/been / here / has _______________________________
  6. the bathroom/is/upstairs _________________________________
  7. were / everywhere / we /for/looking/you __________________________
  8. we / anywhere / you /find/ couldn't __________________________
  9.  ?/ there / a post office / nearby / is _____________________________
  10. must/we/walk / back home ______________________________

 

Adverbs of time

An adverb of time tells us the time when something happens. We use it at the beginning or at the end of a sentence. We use it as a form of emphasis when we place it at the beginning.

Adverbs of time include afterwards, already, always, immediately, last month, now, still, soon, then, yesterday, tomorrow, today, tonight, again and early.

  1. He went for a walk yesterday.
  2. He got a new job a few months ago.
  3. Last week, we went to our village home.
  4. I will buy a computer tomorrow.
  5. Do it now.
  6. She is still waiting for her brother.
  7. He got up early in the morning.

 

Exercise 3

Fill in the blanks with the suitable time adverb. Do not use WHEN or IN

  1. Titanic is the most beautiful film I have …………………………….. seen.
  2. People of Bangladesh are ……………………………… in favour of democracy.
  3. The wedding was celebrated in a community hall and …………………………… a party.
  4. It's only fifty years ……………………………. the computer was invented.
  5. People ………………………. believed that women were inferior to men.
  6. Many painters ……………………….. go to Paris to get inspiration.

 

Adverbs of frequency

Read the following conversation between friends about watching movies. Notice the words in italics. What do these words tell us about their frequency of going to the cinema?

Rajib : Hi Subrata, I saw you the other day in front of Star Cinema. Do you often go to the cinema?

Subrata : Not really. I don't go to the cinema quite often. But I always watch movies at home.

Sumona : I also don't go to the cinema regularly. But sometimes I watch good films on television.

Rajib : But don't you think that cinema halls are ideal places for watching films? You can never have the atmosphere of a cinema hall at your home.

Subrata : I agree with you. Cinema halls are always better. But we can't go to cinema halls every week. We actually go to the cinema once in a month.

Sumona : You are lucky Subrata. I hardly ever go to the cinema. I actually go there very rarely.

An adverb of frequency tells us how often something is done or happens. Words used as adverbs of frequency include again, almost, always, ever, frequently, generally, hardly ever, nearly, nearly always, never, occasionally, often, rarely, seldom, sometimes, twice, usually, daily, sometimes, often, monthly, yearly and weekly.

Look at some more examples of adverb of frequency.

  1. While overseas, he frequently phoned home.
  2. We only write to each other very occasionally.
  3. Sometimes he goes to the cinema to see a film.
  4. He phoned me twice on the same day.
  5. He goes to school daily.
  6. She is never late for class.
  7. They always come in time.
  8. Barking dogs seldom bite.
  9. The employees are usually paid monthly.

 

Exercise 4

Complete the following sentences using appropriate adverbs. Choose your answers from the options given in the brackets.

  1. He was driving ………………….. . and crashed into the car in front. (carefully / carelessly)
  2.  …………………………………… . the tiger appeared from nowhere. (suddenly / slowly)
  3. The rain poured …………………………………… . and we took shelter under a tree. (heavily / lightly)
  4. The teacher told a funny story and the children laughed ………………………… . (loudly / softly)
  5. The dancers performed …………………………  and we all clapped. (gracefully / clumsily)
  6. Why are you shouting …………………………… . (loudly/quietly)?
  7. She has a sweet voice. She sings …………………………. . (beautifully/ badly)
  8. Don't take a decision ……………………………. think it over for sometime. (hastily / slowly)
  9. The soldiers fought so …………………………… that the enemy troops fled.  (slowly / fast)

 

 

Lesson 8: Prepositions

What are prepositions? You must have read about prepositions in your previous classes. Do you remember their uses? Now, let's read the passage below and note the prepositions.

We and Our Environment

Our environment comes from water, air, animals, wastes, plants, and other things that surround us. The environment is a combination of many things. All the things in the environment relate with each other to give us what we need for survival. The environment is important and we should all aim to protect it by avoiding bad practices such as pollution, cutting down of trees and any other human activities that cause the degradation of the environment. Being aware of surroundings helps us take the right steps to protect it. As living things we interact with the environment and not just live in it. Natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, etc. affect the environment. The environment needs to be protected by all means and the right measures need to be taken to lessen the damage that natural disasters cause.

 

Read the following dialogue and notice the highlighted words. In pairs discuss which preposition is expressed by each of the highlighted words.

A : Good morning! How are you today?

B : Good Morning! I am fine. How are you?

A : I am excellent today as I saw the sun rising in the morning.

B : Oh! I couldn't rise early but I felt sorry to see open dustbin at the corner of the road while I was coming over here.

A : That's really bad; open dustbins spread diseases in the air and when we inhale the air we feel sick.

B : Besides vehicles on the road cause environmental pollution.

A : The brick fields in the villages also cause pollution by emitting smoke.

B : What can we do about this environmental pollution?

A : We should be friendly with our environment.

B : Yes, we have to be careful to protect it. Thank you!

Now, let's read the following examples of prepositions to learn about various uses of prepositions in our daily conversations.

 

Prepositions of place

1. in, at, and on are the most common propositions of place. Words we use to say where something or someone is or where an action takes place :

     I was in the kitchen when you phoned.
     I'll be at home from seven this evening.
     The keys are on the kitchen table.

2. Here are some more examples of prepositions of place.

     I was outside the building.
     I could see people inside it.

     Your keys are under the table.
     There were clouds above us.

             A man in a suit was sitting next to/beside me and a girl was sitting opposite me.

     There is a tree in front of the house.
     The drummer was behind other musicians.

 

Look at the following examples:

1. We use in with streets, cities, districts and countries:

          She lives in Eskaton/in Dhaka/ in Bangladesh.

 We use in the with regions (the north, etc.): 

          They live in the south of Spain.

 We use at with addresses:

          I live at 20, New Eskaton.

2. We use in the with rooms:

          My mom is in the kitchen now.
We use in a/an /the/my, etc. with other enclosed places:
          She gave me the Letter in an envelop.
          My dresses are in the cupboard.

We use on the with surfaces:

          There was dust on the floor.

          The books are on the table. 

  We use on the second floor, etc. to talk about part of a building: 

          My flat is on the third floor.

3. We use at home, at work, at school, at university to talk about being in the place where we live, work, or study:

     I was at work/at home yesterday.
     Sabit is at school and he will be taking his exams soon.

But we say in hospital, in prison to talk about a patient or a prisoner in those places:

     Fatema is very ill and she is in hospital.

4. We use at the to describe being in or using a building:

     Some friends met me at the airport.
     You can buy this at the super market.

 

Exercise A

Now let's read the following story where an office worker describes her working place. Complete her description by putting in the correct prepositions.

Where I work

I work _ Dhaka, which is a capital city of Bangladesh. It is _ the south of Dhaka. The place where I work is _ the centre of the city. To be exact, it is _ 1/New Baily Road. My office is _ the 5th floor of a big ancient building. When I am _ work, I usually stay _ my office doing my work _ my desk.

 

Exercise B

Now, let's read the following description of a party to complete the passage by putting in the correct prepositions from the box below :

in front,      under,      inside,     behind,      near,      above,      outside,      opposite,

The house I live in

I live in the New Market area _ Teachers' Training College. _ of it there is a government degree college. I live in a flat. There is a lot open space _ the building. _ the building, there is a prayer room. There is a shopping mall _ our building. Near the flat there is a commercial bank and a medicine store. You can see a big tree just _ our building and a tea stall _ it. We can see the sky _ our flat at night full of stars.

Now, we will learn different uses of prepositions. Read the following examples with your partner and try to find out the differences.

Prepositions of movement

1. Look at the sentences about movement:

        He walked out of the house. 

        He got into his car.

        He drove across the road.

 

        He drove under a bridge. 

        He drove through a tunnel. 

        He drove along the motorway.

 

        He drove up a hill.

        He drove down the hill. 

        He drove around the corner

 

        He drove onto a ferry.

        He drove off the ferry. 

        He drove towards the city.

 

2. We use these phrases to talk about transport and travelling:

     by car/train/plane/boat/bus/taxi

     I'll be at home from seven this evening.
     The keys are on the kitchen table.

      on foot
      We went to the nearby market on foot.
      in the /my, etc. car
      We went to the station in our car.
      on my, etc. bike
      He goes to work on his bike.

      on the train/plane/bus/boat
      She travelled to Chittagong on the train.
      in a taxi
      She went there in a taxi.

 

Exercise C

Read the following passage silently. A school boy is describing her journey from home every morning. Complete her description by putting in the correct prepositions. You may need to use the same preposition more than once.

My Journey to School

I live in a village named Chowkibari _ Pabna district. It is _ the river Isamoti. My school is about three kilometres _ my home. I have to cross the river _ boat and walk all the way _ school. Most of my friends also go to school on foot _ me. Our school stands _ the highway to Pabna. Our school building is two storied. I enter the school _ the main gate. Our class is on the first floor. _ the holidays, we do not go _ school and we either play _ the village field or swim _ the river.

More examples of prepositions
In, with, by, without

1. Some example sentences with in, by, with and without.

  • She goes to school in a uniform.
  • A man with a beard came into the room.
  • By studying hard, you can pass in the exams without failing.

We use in with clothes to describe what somebody is wearing:

  • She went out in a saree.
  • He went to the school in his new uniform.

We use with to talk about of a person's body or parts of an animal's body:

  • She is a little girl with long hair and black eyes.
  • He went to the school in his new uniform.

We use with to talk about of a person's body or parts of an animal's body:

  • She is a little girl with long hair and black eyes.
  • A giraffe is an animal with a very long neck.

We use with to talk about part of an object or one thing that is included in something:

       My father has got a suitcase with wheels.
       The room is full of shelves with books in them.
       We use with to talk about using something in order to do an action: 

       I cleaned my teeth with my new toothbrush.
       I cleaned the floor with a piece of cloth.

1. We use by + .… ing to talk about how people do things, and actions that produce particular results:

   You can change the temperature by turning this switch on.

2. We use without + …. ing to talk about not doing something. We often use without + ing to say that we are surprised that an action does not happen but we expect it to happen:

She left the house without closing the door. (= and she didn't close the door)

 

Exercise D

A teacher is giving instructions to a class about a trip to a museum the next day. Complete what the teacher says, using the correct prepositions.

  1. Come _ your own lunch boxes.
  2. I want you to get into the bus _ making lot of noise.
  3. We are going to see things in the museum _ a guide.
  4. There will be a quiz _ 20 questions on them.
  5. You will answer the questions _ finding the information in the museum.
  6. _ answering all the questions correctly, you may win a prize.

 

Exercise E

1. My brother has a very interesting job.
   My brother is a person _

2. When he goes to work, he wears a uniform.
    He goes to work _

3. He works for a company. It has about 50 employees.
    He works for a company _

4. He has an office. It has a view of the city.
    He has an office _

5. Sometimes he works all day and he doesn't stop for lunch.
    Sometimes he works all day _

6. My brother's job has a good salary.
    My brother has a job _

 

Prepositions of Time: at, in, on

We use :

  • at for a precise time
  • in for months, years, centuries and long periods
  • on for days and dates
atinon
(precise time)(months, years, centuries and long periods)(days and dates)
at 3 o'clockin Mayon Sunday
at 10.30 amin summeron Tuesdays
at noonin the morningon 6 March
at dinner timein 1990on 25 December, 2010
at bed timein the eveningon Eid Day
at sunrisein the next centuryon Independence Day
at nightin the Ice Ageon my birthday
at the momentin the past/futureon New Year's Eve

Look at these examples :

  • I have a meeting at 9 am.
  • The shop closes at midnight.
  • Jane went home at lunchtime.
  • In England, it often snows in December.
  • There would be a lot of progress in the next century.
  • Do you work on Mondays?
  • Her birthday is on 20 November.
  • Where will you be on New Year's Day?

Notice the use of the preposition of time at in the following expressions:

ExpressionExample
at nightThe stars shine at night.
at the weekendI don't usually work at the weekend.
at Christmas/EasterI stay with my family at Christmas.
at the same timeWe finished the test at the same time.
at presentHe's not home at present.

Notice the use of the prepositions of time in and on in the following expressions :

inon
in the morningon Tuesday morning
in the morningson Saturday morning(s)
in the afternoon (s)on Sunday afternoon(s)
in the evening (s)on Monday evening(s)

When we say last, next, every, this we do not use at, in, on.

  • Father went to London last June. (not in last June)
  • He's coming back next Tuesday. (not on next Tuesday)
  • We go to our village every Eid. (not at every Eid)
  • We'll call you this evening. (not in this evening)
Content added || updated By
Promotion