ENGLISH GRAMMAR PART 2 by KASHMIR STUDENT
Contents:-
- ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE
- CONDITIONAL CLAUSE
- SYNONYMS
- ANTONYMS
- SPELLING ERRORS
- SENTENCE CORRECTION
- ONE WORD SUBSTITUTES
- IDIOMS
- COMPREHENSION
- EXERCISE & ANSWERS(at the end of every chapter)
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE
A verb is said to be in the “Active Voice” when its form shows that the person or thing denoted by the “Subject” does something.
A verb is said to be in the “Passive Voice” when its form shows that something is done to the person or thing denoted by the”Subject”.
Rules
The ‘Passive voice’ of a verb is formed by using the “Past Participle” form of the verb after using suitable “ Be” form verbs like “is written”, “was written”, “will be written” or “is being written”, “was being written”,” have been written “, “had been written”, “will have been written”, or “ are sent”, “were sent”,”will be sent”,”are being sent”,”were being sent”, “ have been sent”, “ had been sent” etc.
The “Object” of the verb in the ‘Active Voice’ takes the place of the “Subject” in the ‘Passive Voice’ and the “Subject” of the ‘Active Voice’occupies the position of the “Object” in the ‘Passive Voice’. If the verb has two “Objects” in the ‘Active Voice’, the sentence can be changed in two ways by using any one of the “Objects” as the “Subject” in the ‘Passive Voice’.
The word “by” (preposition) is mostly used before the “Object” in the ‘Passive Voice’. If the verb is followed by a prepositon in the ‘Active Voice’ itself, the same is used before “by”.
Personal pronouns change their forms when they change their position from that of the “Subject” to that of the “Object”. Subject : I — We — You — He — She — It — They
Object : me — us — you — him — her — it — them
The ‘Passive’ forms of the “Present /Past/ Future Perfect Continuous “ and “Future Continuous” are more avoided than used.
While transferring sentences from ‘Active’ to ‘Passive ’ or vice versa, the “form” of the sentence and “the tense” never change.
Simple method
At first locate the main verb in the given sentence. Then ask “Who?” ( Who performed the action?) You will get the “Subject”. Now read the “Subject and Verb” together and ask “What” or “Whom” to know what is or who is involved in the action and you will get the “Object”. Now, take the “Subject” and place it at the end and bring the “Object” to the first place. Change the verb into “Past Participle”. Add suitable “be” form verb to indicate the tense and degree. If there is no answer for the questions “what / whom” then the verb happens to be an ‘intransitive’ one. The ‘intransitives’cannot be changed into the ‘Passive Voice’. You need an “Object” to change the ‘Voice’.
Samarth goes to school. ( No object)
Samarth tells a story. (Object) — Active Voice
A story is told by Samarth. — Passive Voice
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CONDITIONAL CLAUSE
Zero conditional
When we talk about things that are generallyor always true, we can use:
If/When/Unless plus a present form PLUS present simple or imperative
Eg. If he gets there before me, ask him to wait.
When you fly budget airline, you have to pay for your drinks and snacks.
Unless you need more space, a small car is big enough for one person.
Note that we are not talking about a specific event but something which is generally true.
In the condition clause, we can use a variety of present forms. In the result clause, there can only be the present simple or imperative.
Eg. If you visit London, go on the London Eye.
If unemployment is rising, people tend to stay in their present jobs.
If you’ve done that, go and have a coffee.
When you go on holiday, take plenty of sun
cream.
It’ll be very hot.
When I’m concentrating, please don’t make so much noise.
When I’ve finished an article, I always ask Kate to read it through.
Notice that ‘unless’ means the same as ‘if not’.
E.g., Unless he asks you politely, refuse to do any more work on the project.
Unless prices are rising, it’s not a good
investment.
Unless you’ve been there yourself, you don’t really understand how fantastic it is.
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Synonyms
Antonyms
Spelling Errors
Sentence Correction
Correct the following sentences.
1. Have you read where there was an earthquake in Greece?
2. She shared the cake between the three girls.
3. The dog waited besides the front gate.
4. The bus ran passed the terminal.
5. I must have leaved my purse at home.
6. She is the most aggressive of the two.
7. Without it snows, we cannot ski tomorrow.
8. Aside from Alice, I have not seen a stronger player.
9. Neither John or Peter can sing well.
10. He drove fast so as he might arrive early.
Answers
1. Have you read that there was an earthquake in Greece?
2. She shared the cake among the girls. (Between is used to talk about two people of things.Among is used to talk about more than two people or things.)
3. The dog waited beside the front gate. (Besides means in addition to; beside means nearby)
4. The bus ran past the terminal.
5. I must have left my purse at home.
6. She is the more aggressive of the two. (To compare two people we normally use the comparative, not the superlative.)
7. Unless it snows, we cannot ski tomorrow.
8. Apart from Alice, I have not seen a strong player.
9. Neither John nor Peter can sing well.
10. He drove fast so that he might arrive early.
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One word Substitutes
One word can often express the idea of a phrase or clause.
Some common one-word substitutes are given below.
Accountable – liable to be called to account
Ambidextrous – of a person who can use both hands equally well
Amnesty – general pardon for political offenders
Amphibious – of animals capable of living both on land and in water
Anarchy – absence of government Animate – having life
Anonymous – that which does not bear the name of the writer
Antedate – to date before the true time Antidote – a medicine to counteract the effect of another medicine
Antonym – a word opposite in meaning to another
Aquatic – of animals which live in water
Aristocracy – government by the nobles
Atheist – one who does not believe in the existence of God
Audience – an assembly of hearers at a lecture or concert
Autobiography – the life story of a person written by himself/herself
Autocracy – an absolute government by one man
Avaricious – of a person extremely desirous of money.
Behead – cut off the head
Brittle – hard but liable to be easily broken
Bureaucracy – government by officials.
Cannibal – of a man or animal that feeds on its own species
Carnivorous – of animals feeding on flesh
Catalogue – a list of names, books etc. Centenarian – a person who is above hundred years
Colleagues – persons working in the staff of the same institution
Contemporary – belonging to the same period of time
Convalescent – recovering from illness
Cosmopolitan – a citizen of the world
Credulous – of a person who easily believes whatever is told to him/her.
Democracy – government by the people’s representatives
Edible – that can be eaten
Effeminate – of a man showing feminine attributes
Equestrian – a person who rides on horse-back
Extempore – something said or done without preparation
Fastidious – of a person who cannot be pleased easily
Fatal – anything that leads to death
Fatalist – a person who believes in fate
Foregone – something that has been determined before hand
Fratricide – the murder or murderer of one’s brother
Germicide – a medicine that kills germs
Gratis – without payment
Gregarious – of animals living in flocks
Herbivorous – of animals feeding on grass and plants
Honorary – a post held without receiving salary
Idolatry – worship of idols
Illegal – against the law Illegible – impossible to read
lliterate – a person who cannot read or write
Imperceptible – that which cannot be noticed
Impracticable – that which cannot be put into practice
Impregnable – incapable of being seized by attack
Improbable – that which is unlikely to happen
Inanimate – without life
Inaudible – of sound that cannot be heard
Incorrigible – something that cannot be corrected
Incredible – that which cannot be believed Incurable – that which cannot be cured
Indefatigable – incapable of getting tired
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Idioms
Not worth the candle
Worthless.
No-brainer
Problem that is especially easy to solve, if not outright obvious.
Off the hook
Someone have avoided punishment or criticism for something they have done. Off the mark
is inaccurate or incorrect.
On cloud nine
be extremely happy.
On the fiddle
Engaged in corruption.
Paddle your own canoe
Act independently and decide your own fate.
Paper tiger
person who appears to have power but is in reality ineffectual.
Pass the buck
Pass responsibility on to someone else. Put your best foot forward
Embark on a journey or task with purpose and gusto.
Quick buck
make some money easily
Rags to riches
Someone who starts life very poor and becomes rich.
Red tape
Bureaucratic rules and paperwork.
Rise and shine
Get out of bed.
Scot free
escape pursuers or avoid payment.
Shot in the arm stimulus.
Sour grapes
Acting meanly after a disappointment. Strike a deal (or bargain)
agree terms on a transaction.
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Comprehension
Reading comprehension is a test that assesses your understanding and retention of any written passage. The test involves reading a passage and answering questions based on the passage.
A quick reading is essential for optimal scores in comprehension passages because these are timed tests. The questions are usually in the same order as the contents in the passage. At least one question will test you on voculary - asking for a synonym, antonym or meaning of a word or phrase highlighted in the passage.
Scan the passage as to understand the gist of the material. Read the questions. Read the passage again, this time a little slowly, so as to locate the relevant answers. If you are required to give the meaning of any word or phrase, you should express the meaning as clearly as possible.
All answers should be based ONLY on what is implied in the passage; there is no room for drawing one’s own conclusion outside of the passage.
Passage–1
A Jeweller, when peeped through his shop into the lane, saw a well dressed woman getting off her car. Along with her pet she moved forward and rang the bell. Curiously, the shopkeeper let her in. After an hour or so the curiosity subsided. The woman with atmost care looked at the trays containing diamond, at the counter in front of her nodded her head and asked for something else. In the end she asked for the tray-5 to be shown once again. The jeweller was very happy from within because the said tray contained the most valuable diamonds. When he brought the tray, the woman moved forward and dashed with the jeweller, resulting in all the diamond scattered hitherthither. The woman cut a sorry figure and jeweller looked at her timidly. She helped him picking the diamonds. In the mean while, she took out a piece of biscuit out of her purse and fed her dog. When jeweller could pick the piece of diamond he felt something to stop his heart beat. A 5 carate diamond was seen no where. Excitedly he looked around the entire floor but all in vein. Then he suspiciously looked at the woman and called the police. At the request of the jeweller the police searched the woman but could find nothing. The jeweller realized that the clever woman has cheated on him.
1. Why did the jeweller show curiosity while letting the woman in ?
(A) because she was well dressed
(B) because she rang the bell
(C) because she had a pet also
(D) because she was beautiful
2. In the above passage Tray-5 is important, because—
(A) It contained shining diamonds
(B) Whatever it contained, all scattered on the floor
(C) The female cut the sorry figure and the jeweller got desperate
(D) This tray was loving to the jeweller
3. What is the meaning of ‘counter’ in the passage ?
(A) An article on which you count
(B) To be used during playing cards
(C) An opposition
(D) A flat surface, on which articles are kept to sell
4. Police was called—
(A) The woman made the diamonds in tray-5 to fall down
(B) She was feeding her dog with biscuit and she did not like any of the diamonds
(C) A 5 carate diamond got disappeared (D) She did not purchase anything from the tray Then he looked at the woman with suspecion.
5. What does the underline phrase mean— (A) He looked at the woman as if she was not a woman
(B) He angrily looked at the woman, because she made the tray to fall down
(C) He looked in such a way as if the woman had cheated on him
(D) He looked at her suspiciously and the police arrested her
Answers to Passage-1
1.A 2.A 3.D 4.C 5.C
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