Grammar

Written by :
Anuj Tyagi

8
New Edition

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Written by :
Anuj Tyagi

Grammar
Preface
Grammar is the base of any language study. A sound
knowledge of grammar helps in proper reading, writing and
understanding of the nuances of the language.

‘Grammar’ is a series of eight books from Class 1 to 8. These

books have been prepared primarily to impart the best
possible knowledge to students just from the beginning to
learn English. Grammar elements in each book have been
graded appropriately for each level keeping in mind the
vocabulary level of the learners.

The books have been organised and designed to make the

study of grammar an enjoyable experience. Its aim is to teach
them the first principle of functional grammar and correct
usage, with the help of attractive illustrations and examples
having a close bearing on the daily life and environment of
a child.
Key Features of the series are as under :
• Exercises and stories based on real life situations.
• Learner-centred and activity based approach.
• Captivating photographs and illustrations enhance the
visual of the book.
It is hoped that the book, taken in continuity with other
volumes of the series will help the students to achieve the
cherished desire of the educated Indian-i.e the ability to write
and speak excellent English fluently and effortlessly.

—Author and Publisher

CONTENTS
1. The Sentence : Phrase and Clause ... 5
2. Kinds of Sentences ... 8
3. Subject-Verb Agreement ... 13
4. Nouns ... 17
5. Pronouns ... 22
6. Adjectives ... 27
7. Verbs : Non-Finite ... 31
8. Adverbs ... 36
9. Preposition and Prepositional Phrases ... 42
10. Conjunctions ... 48
11. Articles and Determiners ... 52
12. Modal Auxiliaries ... 59
13. Phrasal Verbs ... 65
14. Phrases and Clauses ... 67
15. Synthesis of Sentences ... 72
16. Tenses ... 76
17. Transformation of Sentences ... 89
18. Conditional Sentences ... 93
19. Direct and Indirect Speech ... 96
20. Active and Passive Voice ... 102
21. Word Power ... 107
22. Letter Writing ... 111
23. Notice Writing ... 114
24. Postcard and e-mail Writing ... 116
25. Message Writing ... 118
26. Paragraph Writing ... 120
27. Dialogue writing ... 122
28. Essay Writing ... 124
29. Writing Speech ... 128
30. Newspaper Report Writing ... 129
31. Comprehension of Unseen Passages ... 131
• Model Test Paper-1 ... 133
• Model Test Paper-2 ... 135
 THE SENTENCE :
PHRASE AND CLAUSE 1
THE SENTENCE
We use words to express our thoughts. However, only words are not enough to express complete
thoughts. They should stand in a proper sequence to make complete sense. Such a group of words is
called a sentence.
group of words arranged in a definite order so as to make a complete sense is called a sentence.

Read the following group of words:

1. My morning mother to the temple goes every.
2. Tomorrow we not play cricket will.
The above groups of words do not make any sense.
However, if we rewrite them as under:
1. My mother goes to the temple every morning.
2. We will not play cricket tomorrow.
Now, the groups of words make complete sense. Therefore, they are sentences.

Note : Besides having a definite order, a sentence should have some other
characteristics as well.
1. A sentence should begin with a capital letter.
2. A sentence should end with a proper punctuation mark like a full stop (.), mark of interrogation
(?) or a mark of exclamation (!).
THE PHRASE
Often, we come across some groups of words/expressions. They make sense but not complete sense:
Examples :
1. in the park 2. at random
3. joys and sorrows 4. of no use
5. at a standstill 6. at the eleventh hour, etc.
A group of words that makes sense, but not complete sense is called a Phrase.

Note : A phrase can be changed into a sentence by adding some words to it.
Examples :
1. The children were playing in the park.
2. Work done at random doesn’t give fruit.
3. Joys and sorrows are part of life.
4. This book is of no use to me.
5 Grammar-8
 5. The whole city was at a standstill due to the strike.
6. We reached the station at the eleventh hour.
Note : A sentence always has a verb in it. The verb is the heart of every sentence.
But a phrase does not have a verb.

EXERCISE
A. Make sentences using the following Phrases :
1. full of beautiful pictures _________________________________________________
2. in good faith _________________________________________________
3. covered with snow _________________________________________________
4. without much difficulty _________________________________________________
5. in peace and happiness _________________________________________________
6. in the park _________________________________________________
7. around the sun _________________________________________________
8. in the matter _________________________________________________
9. in the nick of time _________________________________________________
10. across the river _________________________________________________
THE CLAUSE

Examine the groups of words in colour in the following sentences :

1. Hercules was a man of great strength.
2. Hercules was a man who possessed great strength.
In both these sentences, the coloured words perform the same function. They describe the Noun; i.e
’man’. It is quite easy to recognize the words ‘of great strength’ as a Phrase. But how would you define
the expression in colour in sentence 2; i.e.- ‘who possessed great strength’. The expression has a Subject
‘who’ as well as a Finite Verb ‘possessed’. It is called a Clause.
A Clause is a group of words that form a part of a larger sentence and has Subject and Finite
Verb of its own.

Note : Both a Phrase and a Clause are only part of a sentence. By definition,
a Sentence is a group of words that makes complete sense. A sentence
should always contain one Finite Verb. So, this is how we can distinguish
among a Clause, a Phrase and a Sentence.
1. A Phrase : no Finite Verb
2. A Clause : one Finite Verb
3. A Sentence : at least one Finite Verb

6 Grammar-8
 Remember :

The number of Finite Verb/s in a sentence decides the number of clauses

present in it. If a Sentence has only one Finite Verb in it, it is made up of
only one Clause.
A Phrase can never stand on its own.
A Clause may or may not stand on its own. If it does, it means that it is a simple sentence. If it does
not, it must be part of a longer sentence made up of two or more clauses.
A Sentence can always stand on its own.

EXERCISE
B. Tick () the correct statements and cross () the wrong ones :
1. A sentence, phrase or clause always contains a group of words.
2. There is no difference between a phrase and a clause.
3. A sentence can have two or more clauses.
4. A simple sentence consists of only one clause.
5. The number of finite verb/s in a sentence decides the number of clauses present in it.
C. Put the following groups of words under the proper heads. Also, complete the sentences with capital
letters and proper punctuation marks :
Phrase Clause Sentence
1. they are busy ___________ ___________ ___________
2. near our house ___________ ___________ ___________
3. open the door ___________ ___________ ___________
4. the train was running late ___________ ___________ ___________
5. because he was late ___________ ___________ ___________
6. what can I do for you ___________ ___________ ___________
7. do not tease the dog ___________ ___________ ___________
8. that I cannot do it ___________ ___________ ___________
9. he does not like you ___________ ___________ ___________
10. love for music ___________ ___________ ___________

7 Grammar-8
 KINDS OF SENTENCES
2
Sentences can be classified into the following four types:
1. Assertive Sentence (Statement)
2. Interrogative Sentence
3. Imperative Sentence
4. Exclamatory Sentence
A. Assertive Sentence (Statement)
An Assertive Sentence (statement) says or states something about the subject.
Examples :
1. My friend is very intelligent.
2. Rohan does not disobey his parents.
Notes : An Assertive Sentence can be affirmative (positive) or negative. The first
sentence in the above example is affirmative while the second one is
negative.

• An Assertive Sentence ends with a Full Stop (.).

EXERCISE
A. Rearrange the following groups of words to make a positive statement as well as negative, as shown in
the example below :
Example : fisherman pond in fish was the catching the
Positive Statement : The fisherman was catching fish in the pond.
Negative Statement : The fisherman was not catching fish in the pond.
1. they waiting were me for
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
2. gone friend Delhi to has my
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
3. difficult question this is very
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

8 Grammar-8
 4. reads our in Ramesh school
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
5. tired thirsty was and the man poor
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
6. english people speak over world the all
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
7. colour scooter is my the of white
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
8. intelligent Amit is than more Kunal
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
9. teaching the history was class the in teacher
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
10. player hockey is he a good of
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

B. Interrogative Sentence
An interrogative Sentence is used to ask a question.
Examples :
1. Do you go for a morning walk every day?
2. Where do you go for a morning walk?
The answer of the question in example 1 can be given in ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. Such a question is called a
‘Yes’/’No’ type question. However, the answer of the question in example 2 cannot be given merely
by using ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. A complete statement is required to answer the question. Since, such question
begin with question words like who, when, where, what, whom, whose, etc. they are often referred to
as ‘-wh’ questions.
Note : An ‘Yes’/’No’ type question begins with an auxiliary verb (‘Do’ is an auxiliary
verb in example 1) while a ‘-wh’ question begins with a question word (‘Where’
is a question word in example 2)
• In an Interrogative Sentence, the auxiliary verb is always placed before the
subject. (Except in case of ‘who’)
• A mark of interrogation (?) is placed at the end of an interrogative Sentence.

9 Grammar-8
EXERCISE
B. Change the following sentences into interrogative – Negative Sentences as shown in the example
below :
Example : The student is intelligent.
Isn’t the student intelligent?
1. He lives in a small village.
____________________________________________________________________________
2. The sun rises in the east.
____________________________________________________________________________
3. You came late in the morning.
____________________________________________________________________________
4. The question is easy.
____________________________________________________________________________
5. She is proud of her beauty.
____________________________________________________________________________
6. They were waiting for the bus.
____________________________________________________________________________
7. The students are preparing for the examination.
____________________________________________________________________________
8. He is a great player.
____________________________________________________________________________
9. Shakespeare was the greatest dramatist.
____________________________________________________________________________
10. The journey was tiresome.
____________________________________________________________________________

C. Imperative Sentence
An Imperative Sentence expresses a command (order), request or an advice.
Examples :
1. Open your book. (Command)
2. Please open the gate. (Request)
3. Never waste your time. (Advice)
Note : An Imperative Sentence also ends with a Full Stop (.).

10 Grammar-8
EXERCISE
C. Rearrange the following groups of words to form a command, request or advice as shown in the example
below :
Examples : door the open please
Please open the door.
1. obey always parents and your teachers elders
2. what say to carefully listen I
3. a never tell lie
4. not do at the throw dog stones
5. a be neither lender a borrower nor
6. boy call the once at
7. do class make the noise in not a
8. me water please give of a glass
9. at old beggar not laugh do the
10. medicine take regularly the

D. Exclamatory Sentence
An Exclamatory Sentence expresses some emotions or strong feelings.
Examples :
1. How beautiful the rain is!
2. What a disgusting sight!

Notes : In order to make an Exclamatory Sentence more forceful, we sometimes

use a slightly different word order. (Example 1)
• In some cases, the verb is omitted. (Example 2)
• A mark of exclamation (!) is used in an Exclamatory Sentence.
• Remember In addition to the four types of sentences mentioned above,
another type of sentence is formed by combining Interrogative – Negative
Sentences.
Examples :
1. Why don’t you go to school on Sunday?
2. Didn’t you take my book yesterday?
EXERCISE
D. Rearrange the following groups of words to form an exclamatory sentence as shown in the example below :
Example : boy he what a naughty is
What a naughty boy he is!
1. interesting is book how the
11 Grammar-8
 2. wearing a was dress beautiful she what
3. pleasant a what surprise
4. fox cunning was how the
5. beautiful the is rain how
6. is what hot it day a
7. scenery is beautiful how the
8. shot a what
9. interesting how is story the
10. great what blunder a
E. Tick () the correct statements and cross () the wrong ones:
1. An Assertive Sentence can be either positive or negative.
2. An Interrogative Sentence should always start with a question word.
3. An Imperative Sentence ends with a Full Stop.
4. In some Imperative Sentences, the verb is omitted.
5. An Assertive-Negative Sentence is formed by combining Assertive Positive and Assertive
Negative Sentence together.
F. Rearrange the following groups of words/statements to form questions, as shown in the example below :
Example : you why go will there
Why will you go there?
1. he had where kept his book
2. you why wasting are your time
3. they when will house buy a
4. the is the sun star in brightest the sky
5. you the can question solve
6. knocking was the who door at
7. the beggar old begging was to door from door
8. have problem solved we the
9. how sisters many and you brothers are
10. magician the will start when his show

12 Grammar-8
 SUBJECT – VERB
AGREEMENT 3
LET'S BEGIN
A sentence is a meaningful combination of words, complete in itself. A sentence is
generally divided into two parts; Subject and Predicarte. Without any of them, any
sentence is considered as an incomplete sentence.

Read the following sentences carefully :

1. Rita is a good girl.
2. Mohan and Rahul are good boys.
In the sentence (1.) —‘Rita’ is a subject. It is a singular noun. The verb is has been used in sentence
(1.) It is a singular verb.
In sentence (2.)— Mohan and Rahul are the subjects and are plural in number. The verb are has been
used. It is a plural verb. This shows that the verb in a sentence must always agree with subject in
number (singular or plural).
If the nouns or pronouns, (subject) in a sentence is singular, the verb must be singular. If it is
plural, the verb must be plural.

Now read the sentences given here :

3. I am a student. (I Person)
4. You are a good boy. (II person)
5. He is a good boy. (III person)
In the above sentences, pronouns have been used as subjects. In sentence (1.), 'I' is first person
pronoun and is also the subject of the sentence. The verb am has been used with it.
In the sentence (2.) ,'you' is the subject. It is a pronoun of the second person and the verb are has
been used.
In sentence (3.) he is the third person subject, so is has been used as the verb.

Note : The verb in each sentence changes according to the number and person
of the subject.
Remember that –
1. In the case of personal pronouns, the third person, singular pronouns (he/she/it) always take
singular verbs in all the tenses.
Example : She lives in Delhi.

13 Grammar-8
 2. Third person pronoun ‘they’ takes a plural verb in all the tenses.
Example : They are writing essay.
3. The second person ‘you’ always takes a plural verb in all the tenses even if it refers to a single
person.
Example : You all are invited to the party.
4. The first person ‘we’ takes a plural verb in all the tenses.
Example : We are sleeping in the room.
5. I – the first person singular takes a singular verb with ‘am’ and ‘was’.

‘I’ takes a plural verb while saying I go or I have left.
Example : I am writing a letter.
6. Verb ‘be’ can be used as is, am, are, was, and were; verb ‘have’ may be used as have, has, had,
will have and shall have.
7. Collective nouns usually take a singular verb.
Example : This team of players is dedicated.
Some rules – Subject – verb Agreement : Proximity of subject and verb.
1. They should be placed as close as possible in a sentence since there is always an agreement
between the subject and the verb.
Example : She loves reading the stories.
In the above sentence, the subject is placed immediately before the verb.
In some sentences, the subject may not be placed next to the verb. When a group of words acts as
a subject, the main word is actually the subject. The verb should agree with this word and not with
anything else in the phrase.
Example : The long fairy tales that she narrated were interesting.
Here fairy tales is the subject. It is in the third person plural number. So the verb ‘were’ is taken. The
verb is in agreement with the subject.
Example : The broken chairs kept outside were repaired.
2. When a sentence begins with the word ‘there’, the noun placed after the verb is the actual subject
of the sentence.
Example : There is a parrot in the cage.
The actual subject in this sentence is a parrot.

Some Points to Remember

1. Nouns denoting food, clothing, furniture and stationery are singular and take a singular verb.
Example : The furniture is polished.
2. When ‘a lot of’ or ‘plenty of’ is used to indicate quantity, it takes a singular verb.
Example : ‘A lot of coffee has been added to the milk.
14 Grammar-8
 But when ‘a lot of’ and plenty of’ are used for number, both take plural verbs.
Example : Plenty of friends are coming for my party.
3. ‘News’ is always regarded as a singular subject and takes a singular verb.
Example : This news is correct.
4. ‘One of’ is always considered as a singular subject and takes a singular verb.
Example : One of the books is torn.
5. If there are two subjects in a sentence, the verb will be plural.
Example : Mohan and Rahul are preparing for their exams.
6. If two subjects are regarded as one, the verb will be singular.
Example : Bread and butter is ideal for breakfast.
7. If the subject and the verb are separated by a group of words, the verb must agree with the
subject.
Example : This waterfall, with gushing water, is visible from far away.
8. When the name of a country, a book or a film is denoted in a plural noun, it is used with a singular
verb.
Example : The United Kingdom has launched a new missile in space.
9. ‘People’, police, and ‘cattle’ are considered as plural. They take plural verbs.
Example : The cattle were taken to the meadows.
10. When a plural number is used for distance, weight and amounts of money as a single figure
quantity, it is considered singular and takes a singular verb.
Example : Five years is not a long time.
11. Whenever we use ‘a pair of ___________’ we use a singular verb .
Example : A pair of socks is lying there.

EXERCISE
A. Fill in the blanks with correct form of the verbs given in brackets :
1. Ram and Krishan ______________ good friends. (be)
2. Why ______________ they left ? (has)
3. You ______________ supposed to reach the station by now. (be)
4. She ______________ to play the piano from Mrs Rani. (learn)
5. A group of trekkers ______________ going up the hill. (be)
B. Read the following sentences and fill in the blanks with appropriate form of verbs given in brackets :
1. A lot of guests ______________ (be) wishing my father on his fiftieth birthday.
2. A pair of scissors ______________ (be) bought by me yesterday.

15 Grammar-8
 3. The cleanliness incharge ______________ (be) inspecting the classrooms.
4. The Lord of the Rings ______________ (be) interesting.
5. My father and mother ______________ (be) very encouraging.
C. Read the following sentences and fill in the blanks with appropriate verbs :
1. Either the pen or the pencil ______________ (be) lost.
2. Neither the flowers nor the palm leaves ______________ (be) fresh.
3. Everyone ______________ (be) expecting a good monsoon this year.
4. Nobody ______________ (be) scared of darkness in my family.
5. Neither Ritu and Shivam ______________ (be) bringing a bouquet of flowers.
6. Either the boys or the girls ______________ (be) presenting a play.
D. Fill in the blanks with correct form of verb :
1. Slow and steady ______________ the race. (win)
2. The poet and philosher ______________ dead. (be)
3. He and I ______________ great friends. (be)
4. The poet and the writer ______________ arrived. (have)
5. Neither Ramesh nor his friends ______________ present. (be)
6. Neither my mother nor I ______________ happy. (be/am)
7. Ramesh as well as you ______________ won the prize. (have)
8. The military ______________ called out. (be)

E. Use the following table to make sentenced :

1. The wife of Mr. Rai will a. a doctor in Lifeline Private Ltd.

2. Neither of the man shall b. chirping in the tree yesterday.
3. The troop of soldiers is c. leave on friday.
4. I, Shivani Sharma are d. been arranged in a bunch.
5. Keys of the room am e. prove the crime.
6. Many of birds was f. present yesterday.
7. Everyone of them were g. looking impressive today.
8. I, who was there have h. is very sick now a day
9. You has i. passed the way.

16 Grammar-8
 NOUNS
4
LET'S BEGIN
Each individual needs to be identified uniquely. In order to do so, we give
people, things, places some names. These names identify them and make it
easier to correlate them.

NOUNS
A noun is the name of a person, a place, an animal, a feeling or an idea.
Examples : Boy, girl, Mohan, Delhi, army, lion, etc.

Kinds of Nouns
1. Proper Noun
2. Common Noun
3. Material Noun
4. Abstract Noun
5. Collective Noun
1. Proper Noun : The name of a particular person, place, monument or building is called a proper
noun.
Example : (i) Raman, Tajmahal, Red Fort, Agra.

EXERCISE
A. The nouns given in the box are names of special buildings. Complete the sentences by filling in the blanks
with these names :
nursery, dairy, cinema, laboratory, mortuary, laundry, studio, bakery, orphanage
1. A ____________________ is a room in the house for the small children.
2. An ____________________ is a home for children whose parents are dead.
3. A ____________________ is a place where clothes, sheets, etc. are washed and ironed.
4. A ____________________ is a building where scientific experiments are performed.
5. A ____________________ is a building where milk is kept and butter is made.
6. A ____________________ is a place where dead bodies are kept till burial.
7. A ____________________ is a place where cookies are made.
8. A ____________________ is a building where films are shown.
9. A ____________________ is a building where movies are acted and filmed.

17 Grammar-8
 2. Common Noun : A noun which point out any person, place, thing of the same class or kind is called
a common noun.
Example : (i) Mountain, friend, park, book, woman, etc.

EXERCISE
B. Underline the correct common nouns in the given sentences :
1. I saw an elephant today.
2. There are few buses on the road today.
3. A man has lost his watch.
4. I put two big sandwiches in the lunch box.
5. There are fifteen teachers in my school.
3. Material Noun : A noun which stands for the matter or substance of
which things are made is called material noun.
Examples : Wood, iron, table, gold, cotton, etc.
(i) Bottles are made of glass.
(ii) Gold is a precious metal.

EXERCISE
C. Fill in the blanks with suitable material nouns :
1. The ring is made of ______________________________.
2. This furniture is made of ______________________________.
3. The tyre is made of fine ______________________________.
4. This pencil is made of ______________________________.
5. This house is made of __________________________ and __________________________.
6. I made a castle with ______________________________.
7. The bread is made of ______________________________.
8. This ancient pillar is made of ______________________________.
4. Abstract Noun : An abstract noun is the name of something which we can neither see nor touch.
But which we can only think and talk.
Examples : (i) Hope, honesty, courage, pity, pain, sleep, bravery.
Abstract nouns are formed :
(a) From adjectives
Goodness from good;
Bravery from brave;
Honesty from honest;
18 Grammar-8
From verbs :
(b) Odedience from obey;
Pleasure from please;
Punishment from punish.

From Common Nouns :

(c) Childhood from child;
Slavery from slave ;

Kingdom from king.

Since abstract nouns are uncountable, they have no plural form.
Hope, charity, love, kindness.

EXERCISE
D. Change the given verbs/noun into abstract nouns with suitable endings – ment, – ism, – tion :
1. Correct _____________________________________
2. Narrate _____________________________________
3. Corrupt _____________________________________
4. Arrange _____________________________________
5. Deviate _____________________________________
6. Agree _____________________________________
7. Hero _____________________________________
8. Graduate _____________________________________
9. Reduce _____________________________________
10. Entertain _____________________________________
5. Collective Noun : When a noun stands for a collection of persons or things considered as one
complete whole, it is called a collective noun.
Example : Committee, class, nation, family, crowd, team, army.
Here is a list of some interesting Collective Nouns —
(i) A barren of mules.
(ii) A nest of rabbits.
(iii) A down of hares.
(iv) A colony of bats.
(v) A muster of peacocks.
(vi) A sung of elks.
(vii) A cast of hawks.
(viii) A herd of cranes.
19 Grammar-8
 (ix) A host of sparrows.
(x) A troop of foxes.
(xi) A flight to doves.
(xii) A padding of ducks.
EXERCISE
E. Put these collective nouns in the blanks :
Swarm, mob, regiment, team, committee, crew, flock, herd, jury, fleet
1. The ___________________ of soldiers has marched away.
2. The ship has a ___________________ of a hundred sailors.
3. We saw a ___________________ of ships in the harbour.
4. A ___________________ of bees flew out of the hive.
5. A ___________________ of sheep was seen in the field.
6. A ___________________ of five was attempted.
7. The ___________________ found the prisoner guilty.
8. A ___________________ of cattle was grazing in the forest.
9. The police dispersed the ___________________.
10. Our ___________________ won the match by two goals.
GENDER
Kinds of Genders
There are four kinds of genders in English language :
Example : (i) Masculine Gender (ii) Feminine Gender
(iii) Common Gender (iv) Neuter Gender
1. Masculine Gender : Nouns are said to be in the masculine gender if they refer to males.
Example : Brother, horse, father, lion, etc.
2. Feminine Gender : Nouns are said to be in the feminine gender if they refer to females.
Example : Sister, mother, mare, cow, etc.
F. Rewrite the following sentences by changing the gender of the nouns in bold :
1. The dog barked at the girl.
2. The bridegroom thanked the priest.
3. A cock was killed by a fox.
4. This man is an emperor.
5. The lad wants to be a monk.
6. The salesman is afraid of the manager.
3. Common Gender : Nouns of the common gender may be of the masculine or feminine gender.
Example : Friend, patient, cousin, teacher, etc.
20 Grammar-8
 4. Neuter Gender : Nouns of neuter gender are neither of the masculine gender nor of the feminine
gender. They are lifeless objects.
Example : Chair, book, watch, etc.
F. underline the gender— specific nouns in the following sentences and write down whether that is a
common gender or neuter gender :
1. The parents of the employees are invited to the dinner. _____________
2. I know that she has a sibling. _____________
3. He has a diary which we write in it. _____________
4. Our landlord would increase the rent every year. _____________
5. The doctor is responsible for the safety of patients. _____________
NUMBER
In English, we say a noun may be either singular or plural in number.
1. Singular Number : A noun that denotes one person or thing is said to
be in the singular number.
Example : Boy, man, woman, book, car, lion, etc.
2. Plural Number : A noun that denotes more than one person or thing is
said to be in the plural number.
Example : Girls, boys, chairs, tables, books, etc.
G. Rewrite the following sentences with the plural form of the nouns. Also, make the suitable changes :
1. I have a sister. She is very naughty.
2. The dog is sitting on my sofa.
3. There is a pencil on my desk.
4. My mother has a new computer.
5. Susan has made a poster.
6. The actress played the guitar.
7. A thief is caught by the policeman.
8. The lion attacked the wolf, but it escaped.
H. Write the plural number of the following :
1. furniture • _______________ 5. scissors • _______________
2. information • _______________ 6. socks • _______________
3. news • _______________ 7. hair • _______________
4. trousers • _______________ 8. sheep • _______________

21 Grammar-8
 PRONOUNS
5
LET'S BEGIN
While we speak or write, it is better to avoid repeating the same word. In
order to avoid repeating the same noun, we use some other word called a
pronoun.

PRONOUNS
A pronoun is a word that is used in place of a noun.
Example : (i) Rekha is absent because she is ill.
(ii) Sita is a dancer. She dances well.
(iii) They are young.
(iv) He is sleeping.
(v) Did you know Meena?
Kinds of Pronouns
Pronouns are of different kinds :
1. Personal Pronouns/Possessive Pronouns/Reciprocal Pronouns
2. Demonstrative Pronouns
3. Reflexive Pronouns
4. Distributive Pronouns
5. Indefinite Pronouns
6. Interrogative Pronouns
7. Emphasizing Pronouns
8. Relative Pronouns
1. Personal Pronouns : I, we, you, he, she, it are pressonal pronouns because they stand for three
persons.
(i) The person speaking
(ii) The person spoken to, and
(iii) The person spoken of
The pronouns I and we, which denote the person or speaker are said to be personal pronouns of the
first person.
The person spoken to, is said to be a personal pronoun of the second person. You is used both in
the singular and plural.
The pronouns he, she, it and they, which denote person or persons spoken of, are said to be personal
pronouns of the third person.
22 Grammar-8
 Example : (i) I am writing a letter.
(ii) Mohan and Anuj are brothers. They are always together.
(iii) Where is Reena? I have not seen her since afternoon.
(iv) Do you know Meena? Did she come to your house?
(v) We are friends.
Possessive Pronouns : Possessive pronouns indicate possession. They are mine, ours, his, hers, its,
theirs, and yours.
Example : (i) This car is mine.
(ii) Where is yours?
(iii) This school is ours.
(iv) This bat is his.
Reciprocal Pronouns : Pronouns that denote mutual action are called
reciprocal pronouns. They are each other and one another.
Example : (i) The two brothers always try to help one another.
(ii) They looked at each other before leaving.
These pronouns indicate that two or more people carry out an
action and receive its effect at the same time.
EXERCISE
A. Fill in the blanks with suitable personal or possessive pronouns :
1. This book is __________________.
2. My mother is angry with __________________.
3. They are far better people than __________________.
4. I am thinner than __________________.
5. He knows his duties as well as __________________.
2. Demonstrative Pronouns : Pronouns that are used to point out the objects to which they refer are
called demonstrative pronouns.
Example : (i) This is my pen.
(ii) These are my books.
(iii) Those are your books.
(iv) Such were his actual words.
(v) That is my house.
In the above sentences— this, these, that, those, such are used to point out the object or objects for
which they are used. This and these refer to things near at hand. That and those refer to things lying
at a distance. They are therefore called demonstrative pronouns.
EXERCISE
B. Use the correct demonstrative pronouns to complete the following sentences :
1. __________________ is my pen, but you can use it.
23 Grammar-8
 2. __________________ is a beautiful building.
3. __________________ is my pet.
4. __________________ are your notebooks.
5. __________________ are rotten fruits, don't have it.
3. Reflexive Pronouns : The pronouns myself, ourselves, yourself, yourselves, given below behave
like objects to the verbs but they refer to the same person as the subject of the verb. Such
pronouns are called reflexive pronouns.
Example : (i) I blame myself for it.
(ii) You will enjoy yourselves, boys.
(iii) He hanged himself.
(iv) The horse has hurt itself.

EXERCISE
C. Fill in the blanks with the suitable reflexive pronouns :
1. The dog washed _____________.
2. He slapped _____________.
3. Look at _____________, boys.
4. You have changed _____________.
5. I blame _____________ for my failure.
4. Distributive Pronouns : Pronouns which show that the persons or things are taken individually or
in separate groups are called distributive pronouns. They are each, one, either, neither, anything,
etc.
Example : (i) I have not seen either of the movies.
(ii) Each of the bags was checked.
(iii) Either of the two pens is empty.
(iv) Each of the girls was given a rose.

EXERCISE
D. Fill in the blanks with suitable distributive pronouns :
1. __________________ is knocking at the door.
2. They waved good bye to __________________.
3. They are always ready to help __________________.
4. __________________ is messed up here.
5. __________________ of you must work hard.
5. Indefinite Pronouns : The pronouns all, some, many, few, one, none, others, refer to persons or
things in a general way. They do not refer to any particular person or thing. Such pronouns are
called indefinite pronouns.
24 Grammar-8
 Example : (i) Few are rich.
(ii) Some are born great.
(iii) All are not happy.
(iv) One cannot believe it.
(v) Do good to others.

EXERCISE
E. Fill in the blanks with the suitable indefinite pronouns :
1. ______________ are not rich.
2. ______________ escaped unhurt.
3. ______________ are called, but ______________ are chosen.
4. ______________ cannot do just as ______________ likes.
5. ______________ of these books are quite useful.
6. Interrogative Pronouns : Words who, what, which, whom, whose, are used for asking questions.
Pronouns used for asking questions are called interrogative pronouns.
Example : (i) Who made that noise?
(ii) Where are you?
(iii) What are you doing?
(iv) Which is your pen?

EXERCISE
F. Fill in the blanks with suitable interrogative pronouns :
1. To __________________ did you give the message?
2. Of __________________ are you speaking?
3. By __________________ was this picture painted?
4. __________________ do you prefer, milk or tea?
5. __________________ are you waiting for?
6. __________________ of you has not done his lesson?
7. __________________ of these girls stood first?
8. __________________ was he dancing with?
7. Emphasizing Pronouns : A pronoun that is used for the sake of emphasis is called an emphasizing
pronoun. Their form is same as of reflexive pronouns as myself, herself, himself, etc.
Example : (i) I myself refused to go to the function.
(ii) Mohan himself completed the project.
(iii) This research will be finished in this year itself.
25 Grammar-8
EXERCISE
G. Fill in the blanks with the suitable emphasizing Pronouns :
1. I ______________ accepted to go to the Mumbai.
2. Rajat ______________ completed his homework.
3. She ______________ talks to them.
4. They laughed at ______________.
5. Enjoy ______________, girls.
8. Relative Pronouns : The pronouns who, whom, whose, which and that which join two sentences
and refer back to the noun going before them are called relative pronouns.
Example : (i) This is the man. He stole my purse.
This is the man who stole my purse.
(ii) This is the boy. His nature is good.
This is the boy whose nature is good.
(iii) This is the boy. The teacher praised him.
This is the boy whom the teacher praised.
(iv) This is the house. Jack built it.
This is the house that jack built.
(v) This is the horse. It won the race.
This is the horse which won the race.

EXERCISE
H. Fill in the blanks with suitable relative pronouns :
1. It is only camels __________________ can cross the deserts.
2. He __________________ is content, is rich.
3. Take anything __________________ you like.
4. This is the boy __________________ hit me.
5. This is the man __________________ horse won the race.
6. These are the boys __________________ all praise their Maths teacher.
7. They __________________ are humble, needn't fear any fall.
8. God helps those __________________ help themselves.

26 Grammar-8
 ADJECTIVES
6
LET'S BEGIN
Today we're going to look at the importance of adjectives in your writing.
Instead of telling us what the character is doing, eating, seeing, or touching;
show us how the character is doing, seeing, eating, or touching.

ADJECTIVES
An adjective is a word that is used to add something to the meaning of a noun.
Example : (i) Radha is an intelligent girl.
(ii) He is poor but happy.

EXERCISE
A. Complete the sentences. Choose the correct words from the help-box and put them in the blank spaces.
Use one word for each space :
bookstore, car, chemistry, dishes, electric, favourite, available, university, italian
1. This car can run on a battery. It has enough energy from the battery to go for 40 miles or 60
kilometres. It is an __________________ __________________.
2. Tonight we are going to my __________________ __________________ restaurant. I like it
because they always serve delicious vegetarian __________________ from Italy. That's good
for me because I am a vegetarian.
3. Meera works in the ________________________ ________________________. She knows
__________________ books in the store. Within two minutes, she can find the history texts,
the engineering texts and the poetry books. The __________________ texts, the reference
books, every thing a student or professor needs.

Kinds of Adjectives
1. Adjectives of Quality : The adjectives brave, cloudy, honest, big, beautiful tell us what kind a person
or thing is. Such adejctives are called adjectives of quality.
Example : (i) Mohan is a brave boy.
(ii) You are an honest man.
(iii) Neha is a beautiful girl.
(iv) Delhi is a big city.

Note : Adjectives of quality answer the question of what kind?

27 Grammar-8
EXERCISE
B. Fill in the blanks with correct form of adjectives of quality :
1. There is a ____________ house.
2. Raman is an ____________ man.
3. Shilpa has a ____________ maid.
4. Mumbai is a ____________ city.
5. Today the weather is so ____________.
2. Adjectives of Quantity : The adjectives much, little, some, any, enough, sufficient, whole, tell us
how much of a thing is intended. Such adjectives are called adjectives of quantity.
Adjectives of quantity answer the question — How much?
Example : (i) He had much money.
(ii) He ate the whole apple.
(iii) It is enough for me.
(iv) He has sufficient milk.
(v) He did not eat any bread.

EXERCISE
C. Underline suitable adjectives of quantity :
1. Sunita ate sufficent food.
2. Little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
3. She had not any cookies.
4. This is enough to eat.
5. Rama ate the whole banana.
3. Adjectives of Number : The adjectives all, many, several, five, some, first, most show that how many
persons or things there are or in what order any of them stands are called adjectives of number.
Adjectives of number answer the question – How many?
Example : (i) All men are mortal.
(ii) He had ten rupees in his pocket.
(iii) The first boy won the prize.
(iv) Most men have to work hard for their living.
(v) Some men are liars.

28 Grammar-8
EXERCISE
D. Underline the suitable adjectives of number :
1. All men are motal.
2. there are six books in my school bag.
3. He has many shirts.
4. Most students are passed in the class.
5. Some men are going to walk.
4. Demonstrative Adjectives : The adjectives this, these, those, such that point out which persons
or things are meant are called demonstrative adjectives. Demonstrative adjectives answer the
question — which ?
Example : (i) This table is mine.
(ii) I want those mangoes.
(iii) I love such men.
(iv) That car is yours.

EXERCISE
E. Fill in the blanks with the suitable demonstrative adjectives :
1. ____________ watch was so huge.
2. I want ____________ bags.
3. You love ____________ guys.
4. ____________ man is very kind.
5. I love ____________ childrens.
5. Interrogative Adjectives : The adjectives what, which and whose are used with nouns to ask
questions. Such adjectives are called interrogative adjectives.
Example : (i) Which book is yours?
(ii) Which look do you read?
(iii) Whose book is this?
(iv) Which girl is the most intelligent in the class?

EXERCISE
F. Read the sentences below and underline the interrogative adjectives in them :
1. Whose pen is this?
2. Whose house are you looking for?
3. Which road leads to the school?
29 Grammar-8
 4. Which car was involved?
5. Which book do you like the most?
6. What clothes are you looking for?
6. Possessive Adjectives : Possessive adjectives are words such as our, his, her, my and your that
indicate belonging. Other examples are its (singular) and their (plural).
Example : (i) This is not my pen.
(ii) The tiger is licking its paw.

EXERCISE
F. Underline the possessive adjectives in the sentences given below :
1. My boys are the most industrious students in their class.
2. The students thanked their teachers.
3. Monika carries her bag.
4. I love my friends.
5. My mother cooks delicious food for me.
6. You should respect your teachers.
7. We love our country.
8. Her dress is pretty.
9. His pet's name is tommy.
10. The tiger is licking its paw.
G. Read the following passage and underline various adjectives in it. Arrange these adjectives in the table
formate with proper head :
Sam and Sameer planned a day trip to the science museum. Marie was very excited to see the
aviation exhibit, as she wanted to be a NASA engineer. Together, they saw the laser light show and
several demonstrations on various topics. Once they had seen everything, they went to the gift
shop to buy two souvenirs and ate their lunch at the local cafe.

30 Grammar-8
 VERBS : NON-FINITE
7
LET'S BEGIN
A verb is a word that is used to say something about a person, place or thing.
In other words, a verb is an action word.

Verb can be finite or non–finite.

1. Finite Verb : A verb that has a subject and shows tense, person and number is called a finite verb.
Example : (i) I live in Shastri Nagar.
(ii) My sister lives in London.
2. Non-finite Verb : A verb that has no subject, and does not show person or number is called a non-
finite verb.
Example : (i) I love to go to the Fun Park.
There are three kinds of non-finite verbs :
1. Infinite Verb
2. Participle Verb
3. Gerund Verb
1. Infinite Verb : An infinite is a non-finite verb that expresses an action.
It is generally preceded by the preposition ‘to’.
Example : (i) I want to go to school.
(ii) I want to read.
(iii) He wants to improve his marks.
(iv) He wants to swim.
In the above sentences, the verb want is the finite verb; to read and to improve are the infinitives.
Infinitives are also called the to-verb because to is often used to form an infinitive.

EXERCISE
A. Rewrite the following sentences using infinitives in place of coloured words or phrases. Make necessary
changes :
1. Give me something that I can drink.
____________________________________________________________________________
2. Work is so important that it should not be neglected.
____________________________________________________________________________

31 Grammar-8
 3. He has some loan that he must pay.
____________________________________________________________________________
4. She arrived early so that she could watch us play.
____________________________________________________________________________
5. He has two kids whom he must look-after.
____________________________________________________________________________

An infinitive can be used

1. As the subject of the verb in a sentence.
Example : (i) To tell a lie is wrong.
(ii) To err is human.
2. As the object of a preposition.
Example : (i) The rain is about to start.
(ii) I am about to go now.
(iii) The concert is about to end.
In the above sentences, to start and ‘to go’ are the objects to the preposition ‘about’.
3. As the object of the verb in a sentence.
Example : (i) I want to play.
(ii) She wants to learn English.
4. As the object of the verb but it also takes an object of its own.
Example : (i) He expects to complete the work.
5. As the object of the verb and also be modified by an adverb.
Example : (i) Many of the people prefer to speak softly.
6. As the subject of the verb but it also takes object of its own.
Example : (i) To respect our elders is our duty.

EXERCISE
B. Join the following sets of sentences using infinitives :
1. He is very ill. He cannot continue work right now.
____________________________________________________________________________
2. Did you remember ? You had to pay the money.
____________________________________________________________________________
3. He is going to market. He will buy some vegetables.
____________________________________________________________________________
4. I heard of his loss. I was sorry for that.
____________________________________________________________________________

32 Grammar-8
 5. She wants to help old people. This is her greatest desire.
____________________________________________________________________________

Bare Infinitive
We often use infinitive without the word 'to'. A bare infinitive is not used with ‘to’. It consisits of only
the verb.
Look at the following uses where we do not use 'to' with the infinitive :
1. After verbs of preposition like find, watch, hear, see, observe, notice, etc.
Example : (i) I heard him sing.
(ii) I saw him go.
2. After verbs like make and let.
Example : (i) Let her do this work.
3. As a complement to some expressions. Some expressions in English are always followed by a bare
infinitive. Some of them are ‘rather’, ‘had better’, ‘had rather’, etc.
Example : (i) I would rather starve than beg.
4. With modals.
Example : (i) He may not come today.
(ii) The boy may go.
5. After the conjunction 'but'
Example : (i) My father did nothing but rest.
(ii) She wanted nothing but peace.
2. Participles : A participle is a verb that ends in ‘ing’ or ‘ed’ and is used both as a verb and an
adjective. Participles can be present participle (ing form) or past participles (ed/en form) or
perfect participles (having + past participle).
(a) Since a participle is partly a verb and partly an adjective, it has some of the force of both. It is
a verbal adjective.
Example : (i) We saw a boy, painting his wall.
(ii) Noticing his strange behaviour, we moved away.
The words in bold in the above sentences are present participle that have been used as verbs and as
adjectives connected to the noun and pronoun.
(b) Present participle forms of verbs always end in -ing. Such words represent actions that are
going on, or are incomplete.
(c) Participles are verb-adjectives and as such they should be attached to a noun or a pronoun.
Example :
Crying with pain, the young girl sat down.
(‘Crying’ is attached to the noun girl)

33 Grammar-8
However exceptions are possible.
Example : (i) Taking all complaints into consideration, this is the best way.
(ii) Generally speaking, their workers had only one main problem.

EXERCISE
C. Fill in the blanks using the present participle form of the verbs given in the help-box :
forget, scream, talk, speak, make, weep, shine, shout
1. __________________ to lock the cupboard the girl fell asleep.
2. Her mother had a __________________ diamond bracelet.
3. __________________ softly, she discussed her problem.
4. We heard a sound __________________ in the back stage.
5. __________________ loudly, the students ran to the classroom.
6. __________________ himself comfortable he sat down to work.
7. __________________ bitterly, she told the story.
8. __________________ to himself, the man started his work.
Look at the following sentences—
(i) The piercing scream was heard.
(ii) The chirping birds flew.
The participles in the above sentences have been used simply as qualifying adjectives. They are known
as participle adjectives.
(i) Perfect participles represent an action as completed sometime in the past.
Example : (i) Having completed his work, he felt relaxed.
(ii) Having gone that far, he wished to stay for few days.
3. Gerund : The Gerund is a verb that ends in ‘–ing’ and is used as a verb as nouns and verbs. It may
be the subject, the complement or the object of a sentence or the object of a preposition.
Now look at the following sentences how the –ing words are used in these sentences.
Example : (i) Wrestling is a popular game.
(Subject of the sentence)
(ii) I enjoy eating cake.
(object of the sentence)
In the above mentioned sentences, the ing words function like
nouns. However, all these words are derived from verbs.
When the –ing form of the verb is used as a noun in a sentence, we call it the Gerund.

34 Grammar-8
Uses of Gerund
1. As the subject of a verb.
Example : (i) Cutting of trees is banned.
2. As the object of a transitive verb.

Example : (i) Those boys enjoy racing.

3. As the object of a preposition.

Example : (i) She was asked a reason for coming late.

4. As the complement of a verb.

Example : (i) My favourite pastime is playing video games.

5. As an absolute phrase, independent of the main clause.

Example : (i) Playing football is his passion, he devotes a lot of time on it.

EXERCISE
D. Fill in the blanks with —ing form of the verbs given below :

put, collect, write, listen, make, plan, read, walk, run, sleep

1. __________________ pressure on children is not good.

2. __________________ improves our language.
3. __________________ for future is very important.
4. His hobby is __________________ coins.
5. __________________ to music relaxes our mind.
6. __________________ is also good for our health.
7. __________________ in the morning is good for health.
8. __________________ is a skill.
9. __________________ away from problems is not a solution.
10. __________________ fun of others is a bad habit.

35 Grammar-8
 ADVERBS
8
LET'S BEGIN
An adverb can modify a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a phrase, or
a clause. An adverb indicates manner, time, place, cause, or degree and
answers the questions such as 'how', 'when', 'how much'.

ADVERBS
An adverb is a word that adds something more to the meaning of a verb. An adverb modifies a
verb, an adjective or another adverb.
Example : (i) Rani sings sweetly.
(ii) Mohan came yesterday.
(iii) The moon shines everywhere.

EXERCISE
A. Fill in the blanks with suitable adverbs :
1. He is ___________________ late for his office.
2. This question is ___________________ difficult.
3. He visits her brother ___________________.
4. Meera left for America ___________________.
5. They are living in this city ___________________.
6. ___________________ did you manage this ?
7. She laughed ___________________.
8. I was ___________________ thin.

Kinds of Adverbs
There are many kinds of adverbs :
1. Adverbs of Time
2. Adverbs of Place
3. Adverbs of Degree
4. Adverbs of Manner
5. Adverbs of Frequency

36 Grammar-8
 6. Relative Adverbs
7. Interrogative Adverbs
1. Adverbs of Time : Adverbs of time point out the time of an action and answer the question ‘when’.
Some adverbs of time are ‘before’, ‘ago’, ‘since’, ‘yesterday’, ‘today’, ‘now‘, ‘then‘, ‘yet‘, ‘till‘, ‘already‘,
‘soon‘, ‘early‘, 'late', 'nowadays', etc.
Example : (i) He came to this school yesterday.
(ii) You are very late.
(iii) He comes here daily.
(iv) She left early.

EXERCISE
B. Fill in the blanks with the correct Adverb of time :
1. Pratibha came to this school ___________.
2. She came ___________.
3. You come to this village ___________.
4. ___________ I'm going to the market.
5. He comes here ___________.
2. Adverb of Place : Adverbs of place indicate where the action takes place and answer the question—
‘where’. Some adverbs of place are near, far, away, here, there, everywhere, nowhere, in, out,
up, down, beside, below, above, etc.
Example : (i) He lives there.
(ii) She fell down on the road.
(iii) We looked for her everywhere.
(iv) Children are away for a few days.
(v) My parents have gone out.

EXERCISE
C. Complete these sentences with any / any body / anything / any where / ever / hardly :
1. It kept raining throughout our stay at Shimla we could not go __________________.
2. I am quite interested in plays, but I __________________ watch a movie.
3. We found the Hotel almost empty. There was __________________ staying there.
4. Have you read these books __________________?
5. I did not think I would continue with my new job. There is __________________ to do.
6. Floods have badly affected rail traffic, __________________ train is on time.

37 Grammar-8
 3. Adverbs of Degree : Adverbs of degree are also called intensifiers. They answer the question—
‘how much’ ? Some adverbs of degree are enough, entirely, extremely, hardly, really, very, too,
almost, only, quite, so; etc.
Example : (i) He is quite strong.
(ii) Anuj plays the harmonium quite well.
(iii) I really do not want to eat.
(iv) She was almost angry.
(v) The cup is nearly full.

EXERCISE
D. Fill in the blanks with suitable adverbs of degree :
1. The teacher is _____________ pleased.
2. He is _____________ clever.
3. I _____________ make sure that tomorrow will be holiday.
4. I am _____________ sorry.
5. The glass was _____________ full.
4. Adverbs of Manner : Adverbs of manner tell us how the action took place or the manner in which
it took place. Some adverbs of manner are easily, badly, gladly, smartly, etc.
Example : (i) The army fought bravely in the battle.
(ii) Neha writes a letter neatly.
(iii) Peter acted wisely.
(iv) She worked the whole day honestly.
(v) He spent all her wealth foolishly.

EXERCISE
E. Fill in the blanks with the suitable adverbs of manner :
1. Have you seen John ______________?
2. He ate the chocolate cake ______________.
3. Sachin plays cricket ______________.
4. Radhika is walking ______________.
5. She worked ______________.
5. Adverbs of Frequency : Adverbs of frequency show the frequency of the action and answer the
question— how often? Some adverbs of frequency are never, always, etc.
Example : (i) I can never forget this time.
(ii) He always speaks the truth.
38 Grammar-8
 (iii) He runs on the road daily.
(iv) I had often reached the station when the train started.
(v) He always sleeps in the day.

EXERCISE
F. Fill in the blanks with the suitable adverbs of frequency :
1. You visited us _______________.
2. I met him two _______________.
3. Puneet reads the whole book _______________.
4. I had _______________ reached the station where the train started.
5. I _______________ sleeps at night.
6. Relative Adverbs : Relative adverbs like relative pronouns refer back to their antecedent. Some
relative adverbs are where, why, when, etc.
Example : (i) This is the house where I studied.
(ii) We went back to the city where he belonged.
(iii) This is the reason why I left.
(iv) Do you know the time when the Punjab Mail arrives?
(v) I remember the house where I was born.

EXERCISE
G. Fill in the blanks with the help of adverbs of relative :
1. He left for school at nine _______________ it was already late.
2. Tell me the place _______________ he was born.
3. You know _______________ he came here.
4. This is the point _______________ I left.
5. This is the college _______________ I studied.
7. Interrogative Adverbs : Interrogative adverbs are used to ask questions about time, manner and
place. Some interrogative adverbs are how, when, how many, where, since, how long, how
much, etc.
Example : (i) When will you go to Delhi?
(ii) How are you weeping?
(iii) How did you find this shop?
(iv) Where did he come?
(v) How are you today?

39 Grammar-8
EXERCISE
H. Fill in the blanks with the suitable interrogative adverbs :
1. ______________ were you sad?
2. ______________ are you running?
3. ______________ will you free?
4. ______________ coins are there?
5. ______________ will you come?

Comparison of Adverbs
Similar to degrees of comparison in adjectives, adverbs also have degrees of comparison–positive
comparative and superlative.
Example : (i) Shobha writes neatly. (positive)
(ii) Her sister writes more neatly than Shobha. (comparative)
(iii) Their brother writes the most neatly. (superlative)
1. We form the comparative and the superlative forms by adding –
er and –est respectively to the positive degree of most adverbs.
Example : (i) Hard — harder — hardest
2. We also form the comparatives, superlatives by adding more and most respectively to the positive
degree of many adverbs.
Example : (i) Cheerfully — more cheerfully — most cheerfully.
3. Some adverbs form the comparatives and the superlatives in an irregular way.
Example : (i) Well — better — best

EXERCISE
I. Fill in the blanks with appropriate degree of comparison :
1. He plays __________________ in the team. (better, best)
2. She walks __________________. (slow / very slowly)
3. You could have done the work __________________ than this. (good / better)
4. She paints __________________. (well / better)
5. If you work __________________ you will get success. (hard / harder)
6. She will come __________________. (latest / later)
7. They drove the car __________________ to reach there. (fast / fastest)
8. She accepted the gift __________________ ever. (cheerfully / more cheerfully)

Position of Adverbs
1. The adverbs of manner, time and place are placed after transitive verbs or after the object if the
verb is transitive.
40 Grammar-8
 Example : (i) She completed the work quickly. (manner)
(ii) Put the mug here. (place)
(iii) Drive the car carefully. (manner)
(iv) They started late. (time)
2. Adverbs of frequency and degree are placed between the subject and the verb if the sentence
contains only one verb.
Example : She always meets people in the morning. (frequency)
3. Adverbs are also placed after the first auxiliary or helping verb if the verb consists of more than
one word.
Example : Her relatives have just reached.
4. When an adverb modifies an adjective or another adverb, it usually comes before the word it
modifies.
Example : It is rather a tiring day.
Adverbs are placed after the forms of the verb be (am, is, was, were)

EXERCISE
I. Fill in the blanks with the correct adjective from the box given below :
eight, which, muddy, blind, little, this, enough, handsome, large, each
1. Rahim is poor. He hasn't _____________ money.
2. The thin beggar raised his _____________ hand.
3. Look at the _____________ sky. It is going to rain.
4. There is only a _____________ water left in the bottle.
5. There are _____________ pints in a gallon.
6. _____________ child got his share.
7. Rajesh is a _____________ man.
8. _____________ pen is lost?
9. _____________ pen is mine.
10. This is a _____________ house.

41 Grammar-8
 PREPOSITION AND
PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES 9
LET'S BEGIN
A preposition is a part of speech which is used to show the relation of one
noun or pronoun to another in a sentence and is usually placed before the
word which expresses the object of the relation.

PREPOSITION
A preposition is a word that joins nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other words in a sentence.
Example : (i) There is a cow in the field.
(ii) Put the book on the table.
(iii) Japan is famous for its electronics.
(iv) She met before class.
(v) The frog jumped into the river.
1. It usually shows the relationship of those words or phrases with other word in the sentence with
regard to space, time or reason.
2. A preposition usually comes before a noun often. However, a preposition does not come directly
before a noun as there may be determiners or adjectives between them.
3. When the object is the Relative pronoun that; or an interrogative pronoun or a Relative pronoun,
which is not given but undesstood, Prepostion comes after the word it governs; as—
Example : (i) What are you looking at?
(ii) Here is the watch that you asked for.
(iii) What are you thinking of?
(iv) Which of these chairs did you sit on?

EXERCISE
A. Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions :
1. My clothes are ____________________ the cupboard.
2. We met her ____________________ the function.
3. The monkey jumped ____________________ the river.
4. We went ____________________ meet his mother.
5. Did you hear ____________________ them?
6. The book fell ____________________ the rack.
42 Grammar-8
 7. He completed his work ____________________ one year.
8. People lost their homes ____________________ floods.
Object : The noun that comes after the preposition and before the noun or pronoun is called the object
of the preposition.
The nouns or pronouns that are used with a preposition can have more than one object.
The preposition tells us the relation of its object to other words in the sentence. In fact, the word
preposition means pre-position because it comes before a noun or a pronoun.

Kinds of Preposition
1. Simple Prepositions
2. Compound Prepositions
3. Complex Prepositions
1. Simple Prepositions : These are used with verbs that require an object to complete their meaning.
Example : (i) She jumped off the wall.
(ii) The cat is under the table.
(iii) Radha is living at Saharanpur.
(iv) He went to Allahabad by bus.
(v) I will go to market with mother.

EXERCISE
B. Fill in the blanks with simple prepositions :
1. Would you like to go _____________ the cinema tonight?
2. No, thanks. I was _____________ the cinema yesterday.
3. There is a bridge _____________ the river.
4. He went _____________ his friend's house.
5. She arrived _____________ Mumbai for the celebrations.
6. I'm going to stay _____________ home this weekend.
7. _____________ my wall, there are many picture postcards.
8. Who is the person _____________ this picture?
9. We are going _____________ holiday next week.
10. She's going to travel _____________ Europe this summer.
2. Compound Prepositions : When two or more words are combined to form one single preposition,
we have a compound preposition; such as into, across, outside, inside, beneath, behind,
below, before, after, within, etc. Sometimes compound prepositions may be formed by putting a

43 Grammar-8
 preposition before a noun, an adverb or an adjective. At other times, it may be a combination of
two prepositions.
Example : (i) He is hiding behind the door.
(ii) The boy jumped into the pool.
(iii) The cat sat under the tree.
(iv) I will read this book within a day.
(v) My father went outside from here.

EXERCISE
C. Fill in the blanks with compound prepositions :
1. He had to retire ______________ (as/because of) ill health.
2. She parked her car right ______________ (in front of/after) mine.
3. You should do something ______________ (unless/instead of) talking about it all the time.
4. They did not postpone the match ______________ (instead of/in spite of) the rain.
5. The circus clown is sitting (next to/near) her.
6. I noticed an airplane ______________ (across/above) the cloud.
7. The sheep are ______________ (outside/along) the fence.
8. I go jogging every day ______________ (thereafter/after) work.
9. Amresh went to school ______________ (without/beside) his books.
10. Deeksha sat (beyond/underneath) the tree ______________ (of/for) some rest.
3. Complex / Phrase Prepositions : When a group of words does the work of a single preposition, it is
called a complex or phrase preposition. Some are because of, due to, except for, according to,
regardless to, contrary to, prior to.

Many words prepositions or phrase prepositions are :

inspite of, in addition to, by means of, in place of, on behalf of, by way of, in front of, in accordance
with, in relation to, In line with, for the sale of, with a view to, with reference to, with regard to, in
order to, In favour of, in course of, on account of, by reason of, by virtue of, etc. are phrase prepositions.
Example : (i) In course of time he saw his mistake.
(ii) He died fighting on behalf of his country.
(iii) By reason of his presevere attitude, he estranged his best friends.
(iv) There is a big tree in front of his house.
(v) By means of rope and ladders they scaled the wall.
(vi) In course of his researches he met with many difficulties.

44 Grammar-8
 (vii) He abdicated the throne in favour of his eldest son.
(viii) He could not attend the school because of his father's serious illness.

EXERCISE
D. Complete the following sentences using suitable phrase prepositions :
1. The dog ran _________________.
2. The river flows _________________.
3. He is afraid _________________.
4. I shall do it _________________.
5. I am tired _________________.
6. I am sorry _________________.
7. I have been working hard _________________.
8. Do not cry _________________.
According to the function, prepositions may be divided into four categories.
1. Prepositions of Place.
2. Prepositions of Time.
3. Preposition of Direction / Movement.
4. Preposition of Cause and Purpose.
Three frequently used prepositions in English language are in, on, at. These three prepositions can be
used as preposition of time as well as preposition of place.
1. Prepositions of Place : Preposition of place tells us where something is. Look at the following
sentences where prepositions at, on and in have been used as prepositions of place.
• a particular address –
They lived at 5 MG Road.
• Before the name of a place.
We waited at the station.
• an enclosed place.
The books are in the cupboard.
• a large area like a city or town.
They live in Jaipur in Rajasthan.
• a surface.
The vase is on the table.

• before the names of roads.

45 Grammar-8
 This dress is bought from a showroom on the Boundary Road.
2. Prepositions of time tell us when. The prepositions at, on and in can also be used to indicate
time.
At
• a specifi point in time.
We have our class at 4 pm.
• with names of festivals.
Will you come at Holi ?
In
• a period of time – minutes, hours.
They will reach here in one hour.
Complete your work in ten minutes.
• season / month /year
In winter, it is difficult to work.
I will get my report card in June.
I graduated in 2008.
• time of day
We have snacks in the evening.
• a particular day
On
We were working on Sunday.
He will give the speech on the Independence Day.
Time can be indicated by a few other prepositions as well :
From, for, since, by, after, before, within, till, during, etc.
Example : (i) I will pay his money within a month.
(ii) During summer, it becomes very difficult to stay here.

EXERCISE
E. Fill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions of place and time :
1. Someone is waiting __________________ the gate.
2. She finished the school __________________ 2009.
3. You can expect me __________________ few days.
4. He is standing __________________ the room.
5. You can meet him __________________ one o’clock.

46 Grammar-8
 6. There is a beautiful picture __________________ the wall.
7. We all had food __________________ his departure.
8. Her slippers are __________________ the bed.
3. Prepositions of direction or movement : Preposition of movement or direction also tell us where
but usually incidate direction such as to, at, through, into, over, under, up, down, towards, etc.
Example : (i) The plane flew over that building.
(ii) We went to the Fun Park.
Movement or direction can be indicated by a few other prepositions; as— off, round, into, etc.
4. Prepositions of cause and purpose : When we use prepositions such as through, for, of, by,
with, on account of, etc in certain ways; denote cause or purpose.
Example : (i) They need money for meeting.
(ii) She could not attend the meeting on account of her illness.

EXERCISE
F. Underline the prepositions. Also name the prepositions in the following sentences and tell the word
which each governs :
1. Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard. ___________ ___________
2. The lion and the unicorn fought for the crown. ___________ ___________
3. She sat by the fire and told me a tale. ___________ ___________
4. Such a number of rocks came over her head. ___________ ___________
5. I can never return with my poor dog. ___________ ___________
6. He worked and sang from morn till night. ___________ ___________
7. They rise with the morning lark and labour till almost dark. ___________ ___________
8. "Will you walk into my parlour ?" said the spider to the fly. ___________ ___________

47 Grammar-8
 CONJUNCTIONS
10
LET'S BEGIN
Conjunctions make our writing (or speech) fluent. Text which flows, appeals
to an audience, be it readers or listeners, is more than text which is abrupt
and disjointed.

CONJUNCTIONS
Conjunction is a word that is used to join words, group of words or sentences. The most common
conjunctions are and, but, yet, or, so, for, etc.

Kinds of Conjunctions
There are three kinds of conjunctions :
1. Coordinating Conjunctions.
2. Subordinating Conjunctions.
3. Correlative Conjunctions.
1. Coordinating Conjunctions : The conjunction used to join two independent sentences or two
statements of equal importance is called a coordinating conjunction.
A coordinating conjunction usually comes between the words, phrases and clauses they join. Some
commonly used coordinating conjunctions as yet, so, nor, or, but, for, and, etc.
Example : (i) She is intelligent but lazy.
(ii) Mohan was late so he decided to cancel the trip.
Functions of coordinating Conjunctions : Coordinating conjunctions perform various functions, such
as—
a. They express opposition or contrast between two statements.
Example : (i) She is fast, but her work is perfect.
(ii) They were tired yet they worked whole day.
b. They add one statement to another.
Example : (i) He likes bread and butter.
(ii) I went to the market and bought some fruits.
c. They express a choice between two alternatives.
Example : (i) You must eat or you will fall ill.
(ii) Either she will come here or will go to pick her up.

48 Grammar-8
 d. They add statements expressing an interference.
Example : (i) She is not well so she has taken leave.

EXERCISE
A. Join and rewrite the following sentences using coordinating conjunctions :
1. He was ill. He went to the doctor.
____________________________________________________________________________
2. He is a doctor. He likes music.
____________________________________________________________________________
3. I was angry. I did not reveal my feelings.
____________________________________________________________________________
4. She likes tea. She likes coffee.
____________________________________________________________________________
5. The restaurant was expensive. The food was not good.
____________________________________________________________________________
6. She is not intelligent. She writes well.
____________________________________________________________________________
7. Our trip was cancelled. We watched the movie.
____________________________________________________________________________
2. Subordinating Conjunctions : Subordinating conjunction joins a subordinate clause to a main clause.
Some common subordinating conjunctions are if, because, since, that, till until, unless, when,
where, etc.
Example : (i) I will be happy if you will also come.
(ii) Because I was late, I was punished badly.
(ii) Subordinating conjunctions show relationship between two clauses, so either the main clause or
the subordinate clause can come first.
Example : (i) Although we were tired, we continued walking.
(ii) We continued walking although we were tired.
(iii) Some more subordinating conjunctions are after, although, as, before, how, once, though, than,
whether, wherever, and while.
(vi) Subordinate conjunctions introduce a subordinate clause in a complex sentence.
(v) A subordinate clause cannot stand on its own. It is dependent on the main clause.
Subordinating conjunctions are of the following types :
a. Subordinating Conjunctions of Time : These conjunctions indicate when an action happened.
Example : (i) She will leave after the rain stops.
(ii) He will come here when I will come back.

49 Grammar-8
 b. Subordinating Conjunctions of Place : These conjunctions tell us where an action happened.
Example : (i) You can keep your things wherever you want.
(ii) They can wait where they are standing.
c. Subordinating Conjunctions of Manner : These conjunctions tell us how an action takes place.
Example : (i) He attempted the exam as if he is very intelligent.
(ii) They did everything as they were instructed to do.
d. Subordinating Conjunctions of Result : These conjunctions tell us that one idea is the result or
consequence of another.
Example : (i) The road had so heavy traffic that we become worried.
(ii) Such was the situation, that we become worried.
e. Subordinating Conjunction of Comparison : These help us to compare two persons or things.
Example : (i) He is as clever as his friend.
(ii) She is more intelligent than her brother.
f. Subordinating Conjunctions of Purpose : These introduce the purpose or an objective of an action
expressed in the main clause.
Example : (i) They work hard day and night so that they can lead a good life.
(ii) We work hard so that we may get good marks.
g. Subordinating Conjunctions of Contrast/Concession : These conjunctions introduce conditions or
events that are different from what is expected.
Example : (i) He has not given up work though he knows no benefit is there in future.
(ii) Although I arrived on time, they left before me.
h. Subordinating Conjunctions of Condition : These conjunctions describe the conditions under which
something may or may not happen.
Example : (i) You will lose the job if you will remain absent.
(ii) You have to work hard whether it is possible or not.
i. Subordinating Conjunctions of Reason : These conjunctions introduce the cause or explanation of
an action expressed in the main clause.
Example : (i) I cannot ignore him because he is my brother.
(ii) We were forgiven by our teacher since we promised not to repeat our mistake.

EXERCISE
B. Join the following sentences using subordinating conjunctions and rewrite them :
1. The teacher came into the classroom. All the boys were dancing.
____________________________________________________________________________
2. I found this puppy. I was walking in the park.
____________________________________________________________________________
50 Grammar-8
 3. He field in the examination. He did not learnt well.
____________________________________________________________________________
4. She finished her work first. She started late.
____________________________________________________________________________
5. I had left office. Your letter arrived afterward.
____________________________________________________________________________
6. You will not get anything. You must reach early.
____________________________________________________________________________
7. It is very simple. Even a child can understand it.
____________________________________________________________________________
8. He is leaving. We are giving her farewell.
____________________________________________________________________________
3. Correlative Conjunctions : Correlative conjunctions are conjunctions that are always used in pairs
such as either or, neither nor, not only but also, both and, whether or, etc..
Example : (i) She can neither sing nor dance.
(ii) She gave the speech so fast that I could not understand anything.

Note : Correlative conjunctions join two equivalent sentences.

EXERCISE
C. Fill in the blanks with suitable compound or correlative conjunctions :
1. The flood __________ damaged the houses __________ the crops.
2. The students were __________ appreciated __________ rewarded by the principal.
3. I am angry with you __________ with them.
4. He spoke __________ well __________ I was amazed.
5. __________ my father __________ my mother are worried about me.
6. He behaves __________ he is the owner of that house.
7. She __________ bought a vase __________ a bouquet of red roses.
8. I invited her __________ her friends.

51 Grammar-8
 ARTICLES AND DETERMINERS 11
LET'S BEGIN
An article comes before a noun that signifies the type of arrangement being
made by the noun. In the English language, articles are: the, a and an.

DETERMINERS
Determiners are words that specify a noun and point at it.
Example : any, some, this, that, my, your, each, etc.

Kinds of Determiners
1. Articles
2. Demonstratives
3. Possessives
4. Distributives
5. Quantifiers
6. Interrogatives
1. Articles : The words 'a' or 'an' and 'the' are called articles. They come before nouns.
Example : (i) Raman is an intelligent boy.
(ii) You are a good boy.
(iii) The earth moves round the sun.

There are three articles a, an and the :

A or An : a or an are called indefinite articles because they usually tell about indefinite nouns.
Example : (i) A doctor, (that is any doctor), an umbrella, etc.
The : The is called definite article, because it normally points out some particular person or thing.
Example : (i) He saw the doctor, (meaning some particular doctor) standing there.

Uses of A or An
(i) The indefinite article is used before singular, countable nouns.
Example :A book, an apple, an orange, a girl.
(ii) The choice between a and an is determined by sound. Before a word beginning with a vowel
sound, an is used.
An ass, an enemy, an inkpot, an orange, an hour, an umbrella, an honest man, an heir, etc.
52 Grammar-8
(iii) Before a word begnning with a consonant sound, a is used.
Example : (i) A one rupee note, a one eyed man.
(Because one begins with the consonant sound of w)
Some native speakers use an before, words.
beginning with 'h' if the first syllable is not stressed.
Example : (i) An hotel (more common— a hotel), An historical building (more common
- a historical building).

EXERCISE
A. Use the articles correctly in the following sentences and rewrite them in the given space :

1. Mohan is an manager.
____________________________________________________________________________
2. Goat and an monkey were friends.
____________________________________________________________________________
3. He has an metal ring?
____________________________________________________________________________
4. Iron is an precious metal.
____________________________________________________________________________
5. A African and an European were the members.
____________________________________________________________________________
6. Sona is a best girl in the class.
____________________________________________________________________________
7. Ramayan is a interesting book.
____________________________________________________________________________
8. Only few people attend the meeting.
____________________________________________________________________________

Use of Definite Article — 'The' is used

1. When we talk about a particular person or thing or one already referred to (that is when it is clear
the context which one we mean)
Example : (i) The book you want is out of print.

(ii) Let us go to the park near your house.

(iii) The girl cried who lives in our neighbourhood.

53 Grammar-8
 2. When a singular noun is meant to represent a whole class.
Example : (i) The cow is a useful animal.
(ii) The horse is a noble animal.
(iii) The banyan is a kind of big tree.
(iv) The cat loves comfort.
3. The two nouns man and woman can be used in a general sense without either article.
Example : (i) Man is the only animal that has power to think.
But in present day English. A man and a woman (or men and women) are more useful.
Example : (i) A woman is more sensitive than a man.
4. Before some proper names,
Example : (i) Oceans and seas — the Pacific, the Black Sea
(ii) Rivers — The Ganga, the Yamuna, the Nile
(iii) Canals — The Suez Canal
(iv) Deserts — The Sahara
(v) Groups of islands — The West Indies
(vi) Mountain ranges — The Himalayas, the Alps
(viii) Very few names of countries which include words like Republic and Kingdom.
5. Before the names of certain books — The Vedas, the Puranas, the Iliad, the Ramayan, the Geeta
But we say — Homer's Gliad, Valmiki's Ramayan
6. Before names of things unique of their kind.
Example : (i) At last the warrior (the warlike or martial spirit) in him was throughly aroused.
7. Before a proper noun when it is qualified by an adjective or defining adjectival clause.
Example : (i) The Great Caesar : The immortal Shakespeare.
(ii) The Mr Roy, whom you met last night, is my uncle.
8. With superlatives
Example : (i) The darkest cloud has a silver lining.
(ii) This, the best book of Elementary Chemistry, is mine.
9. With ordinals —
Example : (i) He was the first man to arrive.
(ii) The ninth chapter of the book is very interesting.
10. Before musical instruments —
Example : (i) He can play the flute.

54 Grammar-8
11. Before an adjective when the noun is understood —
Example : (i) The more they get, the more they want.

Omission of the Article

'The' article is omitted —
1. Before names of substance and abstract nouns. (i.e uncountable nouns) used in a general sense.
Example : (i) Sugar is bad for your teeth.
(ii) Gold is precious metal.
(iii) Wisdom is the gift of heaven.
(iv) Honesty is the best policy.
2. Before plural countable nouns used in a general sense.
Example : (i) Where are children?

Note : Uncountable nouns take ‘the’ when used in a particular sense (especially
when qualified by an adjective or adjectival phrase or clause)
Example : (i) Would you pass me the sugar?
(ii) The wisdom of Solomon is great ?
3. Before most proper nouns (except those referred to earlier) mainly names of people (e.g— Ram,
Mohan, Shyam), names of continents, countries, cities, etc (e.g.— Europe, Pakistan, Shri Lanka,
Nagpur), Names of individual mountains (e.g.— Mount Everest), individual islands, lakes, hills, etc.
4. Before language –
Example : (i) We are studying English.
(ii) They speak Punjabi at home.
5. Before names of meals. (used in general sense)
Example : (i) What time do you have lunch?
(ii) Dinner is ready.
6. Before school, college, university, church, bed, hospital, prison; when these places are visited or
used for their primary purpose.
Example : (i) I learnt French at School.
(ii) We go to church on sundays.
(iii) He stays in bed till nine every morning.
(iv) My uncle is still in hospital.
Note : 'The' is used with these words, when we refer to them as definite place,
building or object rather than to the normal activity that goes on there.

55 Grammar-8
 Example : (i) The school is very near to my house.
(ii) The bed is broken.
7. Before names of relations like father, mother, brother, sister, aunt, uncle and also cook and nurse
Example : (i) Father has returned.
(ii) Cook has given notice.
8. Before predicatives nouns denoting a unique position; i.e.— a position that is normally led at one
time by one person only.
Example : (i) He was elected chairman of the board.
(ii) Mr. Banerji became principal of the college in 1995.
9. In certain phrases consisting of a preposition followed by its object.
Example : (i) to catch fire, to take breath, to give battle, to cast anchor, to send word, to set
sail, to set foot, to leave home, etc.
10. In certain phrases consisting of a preposition followed by its object.
Example : (i) at home, in hand, by day, by night, at sunrise, at noon, at sunset, on foot, on
desk, at dinner, at ease, underground, above ground, by land, by water, by river, by train, by
steamer, at sight, on demand, etc.
2. Demonstratives : We use words like this, that, these, those as demonstratives, they are also
determiners.
(a) This refers to singular nouns that are close by.
These is used before plural nouns that are close by.
Example : (i) This glass has to be washed.
(ii) These glasses have to be washed.
(b) That is used before singular nouns that are farther away (at a distance).
Those is used to point at plural nouns that are at a distance.
Example : (i) That painting is very beautiful.
(ii) Those paintings are very beautiful.
3. Possessives : My, our, their, your, his, her and its are possessives.
Example : (i) Their school is closed now.
(ii) Your books are dirty.
(iii) The car is big. I think its colour is too bright.
4. Distributives : Either, neither, each, and every are distributives.
Example : (i) Neither team was well prepared for the match.
(ii) Each child was in proper uniform.

56 Grammar-8
 5. Quantifiers : Any, some, much, many, several and a lot of are quantifiers.
Example : (i) Some children have come to meet you.
(ii) Do you have some money?
(iii) There is not any milk left in the Pan.
(iv) I spent the little money I earned.
(v) Many supporters were celebrating the team's victory.
6. Interrogatives : What, which, and whose are interrogatives.
Determiners which are used to ask questions are called interrogatives. They can be used before
any kind of nouns and are words like what, which, how many and how much.
Example : (i) Which book do you read?
(ii) Whose bags are lying outside?
EXERCISE
B. Fill in the blanks with suitable articles :
1. We are going to _____________________ cinema.
2. Always help _____________________ poor and needy.
3. This is _____________________ African elephant.
4. It was _____________________ interesting idea.
5. I want to become _____________________ actor.
6. She has lost _____________________ hundred rupee note.
7. I met her in _____________________ summers of 1991.
8. Ganga is _____________________ most sacred river of Hindus.
C. Insert Articles where necessary :
1. Scheme failed for want of support.
2. We started late in afternoon.
3. They never fail who die in great cause.
4. There is a nothing like staying at home for comfort.
5. It is never thankful in office to offer advice.
6. Umbrella is of no avail against thunderstorm.
D. Fill in the blanks with suitable determiners from the box :
a little, that, the, every, those, his, which, its
1. The bird is sleeping in __________________ nest peacefully.
2. It was __________________ day before yesterday when Jane called us.
3. It was so beautiful that anyone could have stayed in __________________ place forever.
57 Grammar-8
 4. The coffee is too strong. Please add __________________ milk to it.
5. __________________ decision would be taken by the board of directors from this month
onwards.
6. He told __________________ friend about the incident.
7. __________________ pen is yours?
8. __________________ books lying on the table are not required.
E. Fill in the blanks with either, neither, each and every :
1. You may buy __________________ pencil.
2. Both the singers are good, __________________ of them will finally win.
3. Hoardings have been put up on __________________ side of the road.
4. __________________ member of the team was given a prize.
5. __________________ seat was occupied.
F. Underline the determiners in following passage. Put them in suitable head in the given table :

The small village of Sonalpur in the Mysore district of karnataka contains an extraordinary temple
built around AD 1268 by the Hoysalas of karnataka. This temple captivates visitors with the beauty
and vitality of its detailed sculpture covering almost every inch of the walls, pillars and even
ceilings. The entire surface being carved plaques of stone. They are carved of many incarnations of
Gods and Goddesses. These carvings also include elephants, horsemen, warriors, musicians and some
swans. Each sculptures are unique in itself.

Article
Demonstrative
Possessive
Distributive
Quantifiers
Interrogative

58 Grammar-8
 MODAL AUXILIARIES 12
LET'S BEGIN
Modals are verbs that are used with other verbs to express possibility,
permission, obligation, ability, request, offer, command, promise, threat, etc.

AUXILIARY VERBS
Auxiliary verbs are helping verbs. They help other verbs to form tenses, voices and moods. They
can be primary auxiliaries and modal auxiliaries. The verbs be, have, and do, are the primary
auxiliaries.
They are used to form tenses, active and passive, questions and the negatives. They change their form
according to the tense, number and person of the subject.
Example : (i) Rani is singing.
(ii) They are writing a letter.
(iii) She has worked hard whole week.
(iv) I have finished my work.
(v) Mona was reading a book.

Modal Auxiliaries
Modal Auxiliaries : Modal auxiliaries are verbs used before ordinary verbs to express different meanings
such as permission, possibility, ability, necessity, certainty, obligation, etc. Some of the modal auxiliaries
are can, could, shall, should, may, might, must, will, would, ought to, and need to.
Example : (i) He may come tonight. (possibility)
(ii) You are weak in this subject. You ought to see a teacher. (advice)
(iii) May I come in? (permission)
(iv) I need not go to the market at night. (necessity)

Use of Modal Auxiliaries

The modals are followed by the main verb and are generally not used alone.
Example : (i) Mohan can read very well.
(ii) We must reach early.

59 Grammar-8
The main verb that follows a modal must remain in its base form.
Example : (i) It might be a good decision to leave this place.
(ii) Would you like to suggest something?
Modals may be used alone, when they replace a verb group in a sentence. In such cases, the main verb
is implied in the context.
Example : (i) Radha can cook well. So can I.
(ii) Do you go to school regularly? You should.

Use of Can and Could—

• Can is used to indicate permission.
Example : (i) You can go now.
(ii) Can I say my problem?
(iii) You can take this book.

Note : Can usually suggests potential or ability.

Example : (i) He can solve this question easily.

(ii) Can you speak with me?
• Could is used to indicate ability in the past.
Example : (i) She could stitch well once upon a time.
(ii) I could have won the race if I was young.
• Could is used to ask a polite question.
Example : (i) Could you help me in my studies?
(ii) Could I come to spend sometime with you?
• Could is used as the past tense of can in indirect speech.
Example : (i) Rama said ‘I can read Spanish.’
Rama said that she could read Spanish.
(ii) Arun said ‘I can help him’.
Arun said that he could help him.

Use May and Might

• May is used to express a wish.
Example : (i) May God fulfil your every wish!
(ii) May you always enjoy!

60 Grammar-8
 • May is usually used to request/permission formally.
Example : (i) May I sit here?
(ii) May I use your pen?
• May is used to indicate possibility.
(i) They may come for lunch.
(ii) There may be some rain this afternoon.
• May suggests a weak possibility and might suggests a very weak possibility in the future.
Example : (i) The match may be played next week.
(ii) We might reach soon.
(iii) He might come to school tomorrow.

EXERCISE
A. Rewrite the following sentences using the modals given in brackets :
1. Do you think she is still singing? (could)
____________________________________________________________________________
2. You are permitted to use the ticket. (can)
____________________________________________________________________________
3. Perhaps it is Hema who leaked out the surprise. (might)
____________________________________________________________________________
4. I gave him permission to come by bike. (may)
____________________________________________________________________________
5. You are allowed to walk through this boundary. (may)
____________________________________________________________________________
6. Perhaps it is not going to work. (might)
____________________________________________________________________________

Use of Will and Would

• Will is used to talk about the future. We can use shall instead of will with I and we for future actions
although. It is much more common to use will.
Example : (i) Radha will be fourteen next Monday.
(ii) We will/shall get the pocket money next week.
(iii) I think it will hurt you.
• We use, will/would you ___________________? to make requests. Would you ___________________? is more
polite than will you ___________________?

61 Grammar-8
 Example : (i) Will/would you open the window, please?
(ii) Will/would you pass the newspaper?
• We often say, would you like ___________________? When we offer food or drink.
Example : (i) Would you like milk shake?
(ii) Would you like take tea?

Use of Shall and Should

• Shall is used mostly in the questions. Shall I _______________ ? and shall we _______________?
• We use, shall I _______________? ( do you want me to _______________ ?) to offer to do something for
someone.
Example : (i) Shall I prepare milk for you?
(ii) Shall I go to market with mother?
• We can also use, shall I _______________? When we want to know someone’s opinion or when we want
advice.
Example : (i) Which book shall I buy?
(ii) Shall I buy this car?
• We use, shall we ______________? to ask for and make suggestions.
Example : (i) Where shall we go now?
(ii) Shall we go out for a drive?
• We use ‘should’ to say what is the correct or good thing to do.
Example : (i) You should save water.
(ii) I should go out at night.
EXERCISE
B. Fill in the blanks with would or should in the following sentences :
1. Neha __________________ pay what he owes.
2. I __________________ like to go on time.
3. You __________________ be careful while going home.
4. Mona asked me what she __________________ do then ?
5. __________________ you please open the door ?
6. __________________ you mind lending me your pen ?

Use of must, ought to, need, dare

1. Must is used for strong obligation.
Example : (i) He must go there.
(ii) She must tell the truth.
62 Grammar-8
 2. Must is used for compulsion —
Example : (i) You must report the police.
(ii) You must pay attention and follow the rules.
• Must is also used to show necessity —
Example : (i) We must help the poor.
(i) India must educate girls.
• Ought to is used to show moral duty.
Example : (i) You ought to obey your elders.
(ii) You ought to complete your work in given time.
• Ought to is used for moral obligation or recommendation.
Example : (i) You ought to speak carefully to her mother.
(ii) You ought to work sincerely.
• Ought to is used for logical deduction.
Example : (i) The chairman left for the function. He ought to be here any moment.
(ii) They worked hard whole day. They ought to receive appreciation.
Need to
(i) Need is used for obligation (in question)
Example : Need I be worried about this?
Need I have to help her?

Dare
(i) Dare shows not afraid of doing something (It is used mostly in questions and
negative sentences).
Example : Dare not try to argue with me?
How dare you tried to hurt him?
Dare & Need can also be used both as a normal verb. Dare is used with do/does/did.
Example : (i) Raman dare not sleep alone at night. (Modal)
Raman does not dare to sleep alone at night. (Verb)
(ii) I need not face the problem. (Modal)
Do you need to face the problem? (Verb)

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Need not
Need not shows absence of obligation.
(i) You need not have to do this work any more.
(ii) They need not want your help.
Must not
Example : (i) We must not play on the road.
(ii) You must not go out at night.

Ought not
Example : (i) They ought not talk during assembly.

EXERCISE
C. Choose the suitable modal/verb from the brackets and fill in the blanks :
1. You do not __________________ wash the house. (need to/dare)
2. You __________________ report the teacher. (must not/must)
3. You __________________ go tomorrow. (must not/ needn't)
4. It was __________________ for me to take my fan for a repair yesterday. (must/had to)
5. You __________________ finish the work before she arrives. (must/ought to)
6. You __________________ watch T.V so much. (must not/needn't)
7. You __________________ respect your elders. (need to/ought to)
8. The chief guest left for the function. He _____________________ reach here any moment.
(need to/ought to)
D. Rewrite the following sentences using the given modals. Make suitable changes without changing the
meaning :
1. It was her duty to keep her child quite. (ought to)
2. What do you want to have tea or coffee. (would)
3. It is not necessary for him to come here everyday. (need not)
4. He should not hit my mangoes. (dare not)
5. Please open the door for air. (would)

64 Grammar-8
 PHRASAL VERBS 13
LET'S BEGIN
The combination of a verb and a preposition, a verb with an adverb and a
preposition, to form a complete unit of meaning is called a phrasal verb.

Example : (i) After vacations she wanted to get back to work immediately.
(ii) He did not turn up for the interview.
Now, take a look at the examples given here with meaning of each phrasal verb given in the table.
Phrasal Verb Structure Meaning
Look into Verb + Preposition Examine
Turn off Verb + Adverb Switch off
Give back Verb + Adverb Return
Walk out Verb + Adverb Leave
Carry on Verb + Preposition Continue

Points to Remember
1. The prepositions or the adverbs that accompany the verb in the phrasal
verbs are known as particles.
2. No suffix or prefix can be added to particles.
Example : He made up with his old friend recently.
3. When required, only the form of the verb can be changed in a phrasal verb.
Example : Break out broke out.
(Verb in present tense,) (verb in past tense.)
4. Even though the verb remains the same, the change in particle can completely change the meaning
of the phrasal verb.
Example : Ran out — nothing left; ran after — Pursued.

EXERCISE
A. Fill in the blanks with phrasal verbs :

1. Mohan _____________ a claim for car insurance after a tree fell on his car.
2. His trip was _____________ because the flight got cancelled.
3. Mother told Anu to _____________ all her scattered clothes by afternoon.
4. The manager _____________ good ideas to improve the sale of the new product.
5. Neha _____________ some pocket money to buy a gift for her mother.

65 Grammar-8
Read the list of phrasal verbs and their meanings given below. Note the way the meaning changes
with the change of preposition or adverb.
Phrasal Verb Meaning
Put away tidy up
Put off postpone
Put forward suggest
Put in claim
Put aside save
Put down write

Kinds of Phrasal Verbs

1. Inseparable phrasal verb. Example : Fuel supplies are sure to run out.
2. Separable phrasal verb.
Example : Mother told me to turn the television on.
In the first sentence, the verb and the particle that make up the phrasal verb run out are placed next
to each other. We cannot see them separately. Such phrasal verbs are called inseparable phrasal verbs.
In the second sentence, the noun phrase the television is placed between the verb turn and the particle
on. Such phrasal verbs are called separable phrasal verbs.

EXERCISE
B. Fill in the blanks with separable phrasal verbs given below and complete the sentences :
Turn off, Turn on, Put together, Clean up, Put off
1. _____________ the radio _____________.
2. The coach asked the players to _____________ their efforts _____________ and win the
trophy.
3. Father told me to _____________ the lights _____________ before I left room.
4. The manager _____________ the meeting _____________ till next week.
5. Mother and Neha planned to _____________ the kitchen.
C. Read the passage given here and underline the phrasal verbs :
The head examiner walked into the examination hall and instructed the students to carry on writing the
answers. She looked into the attendance sheet and pulled up students who were wasting time. When the time
was up, students were told to hand over the papers and leave. The examiner also walked out with bundles of
answer sheets later.

66 Grammar-8
PHRASE
PHRASES AND CLAUSES
14
Phrase is a group of words that makes complete sense only when it is a part of a sentence. A
phrase does not contain a finite verb.

Kinds of Phrases
There are three kinds of phrases :
1. Adjective Phrases.
2. Adverb Phrases.
3. Noun Phrases.
1. Adjective Phrase : When a group of words, does the work of an adjective in a sentence, we call it
an adjective phrase.
a. An adjective phrase modifies a noun and comes immediately after the noun or pronoun it
modifies.
Example : (i) The winner wore a chain made of gold.
(ii) Rahul is the candidate with maximum marks.
b. An adjective can usually replace an adjective phrase and vice-versa.
They were shocked to see their locker was empty.
Example : (i) They were shocked to see an empty locker.

EXERCISE
A. Underline the adjective phrases in the following sentences :
1.He is a person of great courage.
2.A boy in great problem came to me for help.
3.She wore a dress made of silk.
4.A stitch in time saves nine.
5.Nobody likes a person with a bad temper?
2. Adverb Phrase : When a group of words does the work of an
adverb in a sentence, we call it an adverb phrase.
Example : (i) The girl eats food very quickly. (degree)
(ii) The boy closed the door with a bang. (manner)
(iii) Mona lives in a village. (place)
(iv) We read comics for fun. (purpose)
(v) You should visit the hill station once in a year. (frequency)

67 Grammar-8
EXERCISE
B. Pick out the adverb phrases in the following sentences :
1. Make yourself at home.
____________________________________________________________________________
2. It must be done at any price.
____________________________________________________________________________
3. Come into the play ground, Mohan.
____________________________________________________________________________
4. She stood on the road at night.
____________________________________________________________________________
5. She has painted the flowers in a beautiful style.
____________________________________________________________________________
Study the following adverbs and the adverb phrases that are equivalent to them. Look at the table
below.
Adverbs Adverb phrases
Bravely In a brave manner, or with bravery
Unwisely In an unwise manner or without wisdom
Beautifully In a beautiful style
Formerly In former times, or once upon a time
Soon Before very long or at an early rate
There At that place
Away To another place
Abroad To (in) a foreign country
3. Noun Phrase : When a group of words does the work of a noun in a sentence, we call it the noun
phrase.
Example : (i) The heroine had acted in innumerable romantic movies.
a. Sometimes, a noun phrase can begin with a gerund or a participle.
Example : (i) To be a cricket player is his wish. (participle)
(ii) Reading books online is a good habit. (gerund)
b. In a sentence, a noun usually acts as the subject or the object of the verb likewise a noun
phrase too acts as the subject or the object of the verb in a sentence.
Example : (i) I like shining stars. (object)
(ii) Playing soccer is an amazing experience. (subject)
CLAUSES
You have learnt that a clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a finite verb. Some
sentences are made up of one clause. Some sentences, are made up of two or more clauses.
Study the table given below and understand the differences between a phrase, a clause and a sentence.

68 Grammar-8
 Phrase Clause Sentence
A phrase is a meaningful group A clause is a meaningful group A sentence is a meaningful group
of words. of words. of words.
It does not make complete sense It may or may not be dependent It expresses a complete thought.
by itself. on something else for complete
meaning.
It has no subject or predicate. It has a subject and a predicate. It has a subject and a predicate.
It has no finite verb. It has a finite verb. It has a finite verb.
Main Clauses and Subordinate Clauses
Look at the following sentences :
(i) I trust her because she always keeps her promise.
(ii) My brother loves chowmein, which he eats everyday.
1. In the first sentence, the subject I is followed by the verb Trust, and later the subject she is
followed by the verb keeps.
2. In the second sentence, the subject my brother is followed by the verb loves and later we have
the subject he followed by the verb eats.
Each of these sentences contain two subjects and two finite verbs. Therefore each sentence has
two clauses.
(i) I trust her + because she always keeps her promise.
(ii) My brother loves chowmein + which he eats everyday.
The first clause in each sentence makes complete sense on its own and can be used as an independent
sentence. Clause which makes complete sense on its own is known as main clause.
The second clause is neither sentence nor makes complete sense on its own. It requires the support of
the main clause that does not make complete sense on its own and requires the support of a main clause
to be completed is called dependent or subordinate clause.
Clauses that are joined by coordinating conjunctions are called coordinate clauses or coordinate main
clauses.
Example : (i) He has a bike. He prefers to travel by car.
He has a bike but he prefers to travel by car.
In the above mentioned sentences, by using coordinating conjunction ‘but’, we joined two sentences
showing contrasting ideas.
A. Adjective and Relative Clauses
Read the following sentences :
1. The new bag is in the car.
2. The new bag which I bought yesterday is in the car.
In the first sentence, the word new describes the ‘bag’ that means it is an adjective. In the second
sentence, the clause which I bought yesterday modifies the noun ‘bag’. This means it does the work
of an adjective. It is therefore an adjective clause.
69 Grammar-8
 a. An adjective clause is a subordinate clause which contains a subject and a predicate and does the
work of an adjective.
b. An adjective clause is usually placed immediately after the noun or pronoun it modifies while an
adjective often comes before the noun or pronoun.
c. To introduce an adjective clause, we use relative pronouns — which, who, whom, whose, that.
Example : (i) He is the boy who came to meet me.
(ii) She has lost the key that you gave her.

EXERCISE
C. Pick out the adjective clauses in the following sentences and point out the noun and pronoun they
qualify. Write your answer in the given spaces :
1. This is the chair that my uncle gave me.
____________________________________________________________________________
2. The man who is in the cabin is the manager.
____________________________________________________________________________
3. The car that is blue belongs to Mr Khan.
____________________________________________________________________________
4. He laughs best who laughs last.
____________________________________________________________________________
5. The rivers that flow down from the Himalayas are fed by glaciers.
____________________________________________________________________________
In the mentioned sentences, who and that are the relative pronouns used to introduce adjective clauses.
Note : Who, whom and whose are used for persons, which for things and that
can be used for both persons and things.
Relative adverbs - Where, When, Why
Example : (i) I do not know the reason why she is so worried.
(ii) The time when the train will reach has not been announced.
a. In the above mentioned sentences, when and why are relative adverbs used to introduce adjective
clauses. Such adjective clauses specify place, time and reason.
b. We sometimes omit relative pronouns or relative adverbs while introducing adjective clauses, but
these are understood.
Example : (i) Where is the dress which she purchased for me (Relative pronoun— which).
(ii) The day when you get success I will be happy. (The relative adverb when).

B. Adverb Clause
A subordinate clause that does the function of an adverb in a sentence is called an adverb clause.
Like an adverb, it may modify a verb, an adjective or an adverb in the principal clause.

70 Grammar-8
Kinds of adverb clauses—
Adverb clauses are of many kinds :
1. Adverb Clause of time 2. Adverb Clause of place
3. Adverb Clause of reason 4. Adverb Clause of comparison
5. Adverb Clause of purpose 6. Adverb Clause of result
7. Adverb Clause of contrast 8. Adverb Clause of manner
9. Adverb Clause of extent 10. Adverb Clause of condition

EXERCISE
C. Underline the adverb clauses in the following sentences and state what kind of each is. Write answer in
the given spaces :
1. You may sit wherever you want.
____________________________________________________________________________
2. She finished first though she began late.
____________________________________________________________________________
3. Take a lamp because it is dark outside.
____________________________________________________________________________
4. It seemed as if he was tired.
____________________________________________________________________________
5. Take the medicine in case you feel sick.
____________________________________________________________________________
C. Noun Clause :
A noun clause is a subordinate clause that does the work of a noun in a sentence.
Example : (i) The teacher said that the sun is hot.
(ii) Ramu asked me what I liked.
In the above sentences, the clauses act as the object or the complement of the verb.
Hence they function like noun.
A noun clause can function as the subject of a verb, the object of a verb, the object of a preposition
or the subjective complement.
Example : (i) What the boy did, was wrong. (subject)
(ii) I want to see how this works. (object)
(iii) My result depends on how well I prepare for my examination. (object of
preposition)

EXERCISE
D. Identify the noun clauses in the following sentences and state their functions :
1. That she will come is certain.
2. I can rely on what she says.
3. Tell me why you are angry.
4. Do you know why he is happy?
5. He says his grandfather is not well.
71 Grammar-8
 SYNTHESIS OF SENTENCES
15
LET'S BEGIN
Synthesis is the process by which a number of simple sentences are combined
to from a new sentence which may be simple, compound or complex.

Combining simple sentences to form one simple sentence.

(a) Two or more simple sentences can be combined to form another simple sentence.
1. By using a participle.
Example : (i) He stood up. He went away.
Standing up he went away.
(ii) He finished his work. He went to play.
Having finished his work he went to play.
2. By using a noun or a phrase in apposition.
Example : (i) This is my sister. Her name of Mona.
This is my sister Mona.
(ii) They spent two days in Rome. It is one of the most beautiful place in the world.
They spent two days in Rome one of the most beautitul place in the world.
3. By using a preposition with a noun or gerund.
Example : (i) She received the bravery award. She caught a thief.
She received the bravery award for catching the thief.
4. By using an adverb or an adverbial phrase.
Example : (i) She replied to her friend's letter. She was quick in her reply.
She replied quickly to his friend’s letter.
(ii) She deserved to succeed. She failed.
She failed undeservedly.
5. By using an infinitive.
Example : (i) She is very weak. She cannot run.
She is too weak to run.
(ii) I have some duties. I must perform them.
I have some duties to perform.

72 Grammar-8
 6. By using the Nominative Absolute construction.
Example : (i) The garden had strong fence. Animals were unable to enter it.
The garden having strong fence, animals were unable to enter it.
(ii) The police arrived. The thieves ran.
The police having arrived the thieves ran.

EXERCISE
A. Read the following sentences and combine them to form single sentence :
1. They will complete the task. We hope so.
____________________________________________________________________________
2. This is the book. I bought it yesterday.
____________________________________________________________________________
3. We entered the hall. The audience was cheering.
____________________________________________________________________________
4. The girl painted well. She was rewarded.
____________________________________________________________________________
5. Mohan is an architect. He has designed many malls.
____________________________________________________________________________
6. She is fragile. She is emotionally strong.
____________________________________________________________________________
7. The students behaved well. They were praised.
____________________________________________________________________________
8. The sea is rough. The fishermen will go out fishing.
____________________________________________________________________________
Combining Simple sentences to form a compound sentence :
Two or more simple sentences can be combined to form a single compound sentence by using coordinating
conjunctions like – but, yet, and, or, so, for, otherwise, Not only – – – – but also, therefore, as well as
nevertheless, however, either – – – – or, Neither – – – – nor.
Example : (i) He is not a fool. He is not a cheat.
He is neither a fool nor a cheat.
(ii) Sit down. Go away.
Sit down or go away.
(iii) He is an actor. He is a social worker.
He is not only an actor but also a social worker.

73 Grammar-8
Combining simple sentences to form complex sentences :
A complex sentence contains one principal clause and one or more subordinate clauses. Two or more
simple sentences can be combined to form a complex sentence by changing one of simple sentence into
the main clause and converting the others into subordinate clauses.
Synthesis of simple sentences into complex sentences can be done in the following manner–
By using a noun clause
1. A noun clause that functions as a noun in a complex sentence may be in the position of subject
or an object. The conjunction that generally used for introducing a noun clause is that.
Example : (i) Radha is a naughty girl everyone knows that.
Everyone knows that Radha is a naughty girl.
(ii) He will become an excellent player.
I believe it.
I believe that he will become an excellent player.
2. By using an adjective clause : An adjective clause does the work of an adjective in a complex
sentence. It modifies a noun in the principal clause.
Example : (i) She is the woman. She quarrels with people.
She is the woman who quarrels with people.
(ii) This is the house. My friends lived here.
This is the house where my friends lived.
3. By using an adverb clause : We can combine two simple sentences into a single sentence by changing
one of the sentences into an adverb clause. An adverb clause may be of time, place, reason,
contrast, condition, comparison or result, when we combine two sentences into a single sentence
having an adverb clause. We must use the appropriate subordinate conjunction to introduce the
adverb clause.
Example : (i) He did not get good marks.
He was not disappointed.
Although he did not get good marks, he was not disappointed. (Contrast)
(ii) The girl came first. She rejoiced.
The girl rejoiced when she came first. (time)

EXERCISE
B. Join each of the following simple sentences into one complex sentence. Write your answer in given
spaces :
1. I went to the park. I needed some refreshment.
____________________________________________________________________________

74 Grammar-8
 2. The boy fell on the road. He hurt his hand. It began to bleed.
____________________________________________________________________________
3. It is a mystery. I cannot solve it.
____________________________________________________________________________
4. I like to visit the zoo. I like animals.
____________________________________________________________________________
5. She helped her mother. She loved her very much.
____________________________________________________________________________
6. The robber was caught. He robbed banks.
____________________________________________________________________________
7. Bring me the book. It is on the first shelf.
____________________________________________________________________________
8. He paid the money to a guard. He told me this.
____________________________________________________________________________
C. Join each set of simple sentences to form a single compound sentence. Write your answer in the given
space :
1. You may go to the party. Rohan may go to the party.
____________________________________________________________________________
2. He was stubborn. He was punished.
____________________________________________________________________________
3. Sita is poor. Sita cannot study.
____________________________________________________________________________
4. I cannot see. It is very dark.
____________________________________________________________________________
5. The players were tired. The coaches were tired.
____________________________________________________________________________
6. The journey was long. The wind was cold.
____________________________________________________________________________
D Combine the following sentences into single sentence by using an adverb. The first one has been done
for you :
1. He fought against the enemy in the war. He was brave.
Ans. He fought bravely against the enemy in the war.
2. My friend got angry. This was sudden.
3. I met my friend in a shop. It was unexpected.
4. He will attend the meeting. That is certain.
5. Mohan answered the question. He was quick.

75 Grammar-8
 LET'S BEGIN
TENSES
16
The tense of the verb tells us the time of the action. It tells us whether the
action has taken place in the past, is taking place in the present or will take
place in the future.

TENSE

Tense indicates the time of an action or a state of being in the past, present or future. The
tenses of verbs indicate two important things about the action concerned : the time of the
action – present, past or future` and the kind of action – simple, repeated, continuous, completed
or incomplete.

There are four main time tenses : Present, Past, Future and Future in the past. Each time tense has four
Sub – tenses or aspects, which indicate the kind of action concerned :

Study the following chart carefully :

Present Past Future Future in the Past
Simple It plays It played It will play. [I said] It would play.
Continuous It is playing It was playing It will be playing. [I said] It would be playing
Perfect It has It had played. It will have played. [I said] It would have
played. played.
Perfect continuous It has been It had been It will have been [I said] It would have been
playing. playing. playing. playing.

PRESENT TENSE
base form (with ‘s’ or ‘es’ added for the third person) and singular nouns or pronouns.
am / is / are + Past Participle (Passives)`
1. The simple present tense is used to talk about something that happens
always, regularly, often, sometimes or never.
Example : (i) I take a bath every morning.
(ii) We never cross the road without looking both ways.
(iii) I occasionally meet Amit for a coffee in town.
(iv) The rubbish is collected once a week.

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 2. The simple present tense is used to state facts, or say something you know about a person or
thing.
Example : (i) Ritu is a teacher.
(ii) Neha has two sisters.
(iii) The earth goes round the Sun.
(iv) The petrol tank holds 10 litres.
3. You use the simple present when you use a situation as promise, think, hope, like and so on.
Example : (i) I admit I was wrong.
(ii) I agree with you entirely.
(iii) I hate making decisions.
(iv) Mom prefers cold weather.
4. You use the simple present of verbs of sensing or being sensed.
Example : (i) I smell burning.
(ii) Your hands feel numb.
Note : The modal verb ‘can’ is also frequently used with sensing verbs.

Example : I can smell burning.

5. You use the simple present tense to talk about things that have been scheduled for the future.
Example : (i) The train departs in ten minutes.
(ii) Grandfather retires next year.
6. The simple present is often used to refer to the future in subordinate clauses when the verb in the
main clause is in the future tense or the imperative.
Example : (i) You’ll have to show your passport when you reach the counter.
(ii) If I see Raina, I’ll give her your message.
(iii) Wait here till the green light shows.
7. You can use you + the simple present to give instructions in a friendly way.
Example : You take the first left, then you go on to the traffic lights and turn right.
Similarly, you can ask the instructions in the simple present.
Example : Where do we buy our air tickets?
8. Newspaper headlines reporting very recent events often use the simple present.
Example : (i) Amitabh flies to America.
(ii) Indian team wins the World Cup.
9. Sport commentators on radio and television use the simple present tense.

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 Example : (i) Lavi passes the ball to Kiran.
(ii) Tendulkar crosses the line, closely followed by the wicket keeper.
10. In a similar way, the explanations (called captions) underneath the pictures in magazines and
newspaper usually use the simple present.
Example : (i) Children from our school demonstrate their communication skills.
(ii) Delegates from all parts of Germany arrive at the National seminar.
PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
am / is / are + present participle
am / is / are + being + past participle (Passive)
1. You use the present continuous tense to talk about activities in the present, or things that are
going on or happening now.
Example : (i) A new hall is being constructed inside a huge building.
(ii) Are you listening to me ?
Note :

(i) Notice the difference between an ongoing activity in the present,

expressed by the present continuous, and a regular or frequent activity
in the present, expressed by the simple present. Ex— Dad's listening to a
programme or He often listens to programmes on the radio.

(ii) Likewise, notice the difference between a permanent situation, expressed

by the simple present, and a temporary one, expressed by the present
continuous.

Example : (i) Joana lives in Delhi.

(ii) Joana is living with us till his apartment is ready to move into.
2. Verbs that represent gradual changes are often in the present continuous.
Example : The children are growing so fast.
3. You can indicate repeated activity in the present by using forever or always with the present
continuous; this is often an expression of frustration.
Example : (i) The males are forever dominating.
(ii) She is always praising about herself and her achievements.
4. You use the present continuous tense to talk about things that have already been arranged or
decided on for the future.
Example : (i) My cousins are coming to stay with us next week.
5. The present continuous form of ‘go’ is used with a to infinitive to express intensions and predications.
Example : (i) Are you going to play with them ?
(ii) This work is going to cause long delays.

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PRESENT PERFECT TENSE
have / has + past participle
have / has / been + past participle (Passives)
1. When you are speaking in the present tense, you often use the present perfect to refer to
happenings that are in the past but affect or explain the present situation or explain your comments
about it.
Example : (i) I'm afraid, I can't pay for the drinks — I've lost my purse.
(ii) You're much tired – have you been on holiday?
2. You use the present perfect for an ongoing situation that began in the past and still continues.
Example : (i) I've worked for ten years. (and I'm still working here)
(ii) Grandpa has worked all his adult life.

Note : Notice that using the simple past implies that the situation has changed.
Example : Grandpa worked all his adult life. (he's dead now)
3. You use the present perfect for individual, occasional or repeated events in the past, with the
implication that they could go on occurring.
Example : (i) Rahul has failed his maths test six times. (but he's trying again)
(ii) My friends have often mentioned you to me.
(iii) ‘Do I know you?’ ‘No, We’ve never met before.’
Note : Notice that using the simple past implies that events will not be repeated.
Example : Rahul failed his maths test six times. (he passed at the seventh attempt)
4. In British English, the present perfect usually accompanies already, yet and just.
Example : (i) Varnika has just called to invite us on Friday.
(ii) Have you made any holiday plans yet?
5. The present perfect is used in some cases interchangeable with the simple present after the
conjunctions— when, after, before, as soon as, until and if when referring to future or present.
Example : (i) When I've finished my work, I'll be able to take a rest.
(ii) I'll be getting up before the sun has risen.
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE
have / has + been + present participle
1. You use the present perfect continuous tense to talk about ongoing activities that began in the
past and are still continuing.
Example : (i) Malini has been living in this country since 1986.
(ii) It has been raining all day.
(iii) You’re out of breath — have you been playing?
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2. The present perfect and present perfect continuous are more or less interchangeable in some cases.
Example : (i) Malini has lived (or Malini has been living) in this country since 1986.
(ii) It’s been raining (or it's rained) all day.
But in other cases, the present perfect continuous implies that the process is incomplete, while
the present perfect means that it has been completed.
Example : (i) I’ve been reading Marfin's new comedy. [I haven’t finished it yet]
(ii) I’ve read Marfin's new comedy. [I’ve finished it)
3. When you’re talking about individual, occasional or repeated occasional the present perfect
accompanies the mention of a period.
Example : (i) I've called Krish three times this morning, and there's still no answer.
(ii) ‘Have you been watching the serial about a robbery during the last month?’
‘We’ve watched most of the episodes.’
EXERCISE
A. For each sentence, choose the best form, either present perfect or present perfect continuous :
1. I’ve been learning / learnt English for over ten years now.
2. Ouch ! I have cut / been cutting my finger with that terrible knife again.
3. Sorry to arrive looking so untidy. I’ve been running / run as I missed the bus.
4. You know your dinner is in half an hour. How many of those chocolates have you eaten / been
eating till now?
5. I’ve been cleaning / cleaned this room all morning and now I’m exhausted.
6. Hurry up Alok! You’ve only finished / been finishing two questions and we have to write the
answers to five.
7. Rohan has been calling / called all morning. He really must need to speak to you!
8. I’ve visited / been visiting Russia every year since I was six. It’s such a beautiful country.
9. Sameer has lived / been living with his uncle recently while he looks for a new apartment.
10. I’ve been finishing / finished writing my first novel at last. It should be published in the winter.
B. Fill in the blanks with simple present or present continuous forms of the verbs given in brackets:
1. The telephone bell _________________ again. It sometimes _________________ thirty times
a day. (ring)
2. I always _________________ my umbrella, in case it rains. I _________________ my umbrella
because it seems it will rain. (carry)
3. Buses usually _________________ along this road. No buses _________________ today
because the drivers are on strike. (run)
4. He usually _________________ Punjabi, but he _________________ Hindi today. (speak)
5. It hardly _________________ now. It usually _________________ in winter. (rain)
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 6. My father ______________ to his office every day. He _____________ there now. (drive)
7. They ____________ in the factory at present. They therefore ___________ over an hour. (work)
8. Ravi _________________ his homework now. He usually _________________ it at night. (do)
9. I _________________ (watch) television whenever I can, but I _________________ (not
watch) television tonight because there’s nothing worth seeing.
10. Mr Gupta _________________ too much. Every time, I see him he _________________.
(smoke)

C. Fill in the blanks with do not / does not / do / does and complete the sentences :
1. They _________________ want to lose the match.
2. Mona _________________ like to be friendly with naughty children.
3. Mother _________________ scold me when I am careless and irresponsible.
4. _________________ she like to read horror stories?
5. _________________ they plan to burst crackers during diwali?
6. They _________________ call him.
D. Fill in the blanks with present perfect continuous tense form of verbs given in brackets :
1. You _________________ (not eat) fruits for a week and it’s not good.
2. _________________ she _________________ (sleep) for too long.
3. We _________________ (wait) for the train for over an hour.
4. I _________________ (watch) T. V for an hour.
5. They _________________ (recite) a poem for fifteen minutes and are about to finish.
6. She _________________ (not swim) because of skin allergy.
PAST TENSE
In the simple past tense, the action is simply mentioned and understood to have taken place in the
past. The action started and ended sometime in the past but the time may or may not be mentioned.
Simple Past form (IInd form of the verb with all subjects)
(was / were) + past participle (Passives)
1. You use the simple past tense to talk about the things that happened in the past, whether a long
time ago, or very recently.
Example : (i) Thousands of years ago, mammoths lived on the earth.
(ii) Mr John's famous book was published in 1755.
(iii) I bought a new car last week.
(iv) The plane from London landed a few minutes ago.

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2. The simple past is the normal tense for narrating stories.
Example : (i) The lilliputians fastened Gulliver to the ground with ropes.
(ii) Harry Potter ran and ran but stayed on the same spot.
PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE
In the past continuous tense, the action was going on till a certain time in the past. This tense is
used to talk about an action at a particular time in the past.
was / were + present participle
was / were + being + past participle (Passives)
1. The past continuous is typically used for an activity that was ongoing at a certain point in the
past.
Example : (i) What were you doing when your father shouted at you?
(ii) This time last week I was basking in the Sun on the beach.
(iii) I was buying a new car last week.
(iv) The plane from London was landing a few minutes ago.
2. An activity that was interrupted by a certain happening in the simple past, is in the past continuous.
Example : (i) I was doing my rehearsal when a power cut disturbed my concentration.
(ii) We were approaching the summit when there was a flash of lightning.
3. The past continuous is used to indicate the situation that was ongoing when a certain single
action took place.
Example : (i) The bell rang just as the meal was being served.
(ii) I realized he was lying.
(iii) I turned back, but Pawan was already disappearing round the corner.
4. In some cases, such as descriptive passages in stories, only the ongoing situation is mentioned.
Example : (i) You weren't listening, were you?
(ii) A dog was barking somewhere along the street.
5. Verbs that represent a gradual change in a past context are often in the past continuous.
Example : (i) The children were growing fast.
6. Repeated activity in the past can be expressed using forever or always with the past continuous;
this is often an expression of frustration.
Example : I was forever lending him money—which I never got back.
7. People often use the past continuous instead of the simple past to avoid sounding direct and
definite.
Example : (i) Nitin and I were talking (rather than talked) about you yesterday.
(ii) I was discussing (rather than discussed) this problem very earlier with dad.
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 Note : People often make tentative offers or requests.
Example : I was wondering if you were free to have dinner with me this evening?
8. You can use the past continuous for a future activity in a past context.
Example : (i) I was catching a plane to China the next morning, so I left early.
(ii) He said he couldn't meet us – he was taking Garima for a dinner.
9. The past continuous of go + to infinitive can be used for activities that were intended but didn't
happen, or haven't yet happened (and may not happen).
Example : (i) I was going to consult a doctor about fever, but I got better, so I didn't.
PAST PERFECT TENSE
The past perfect tense is used to express something that happened before another action in the
past.
had + past participle
had / been + past participle (Passives)
1. When you are using the simple past tense to tell a story, or to recount an experience of your
own, you use the past perfect to mention something that happened before then, which affects or
explains the facts you are relating.
Example : (i) Kareem rushed to the bus stop, but the bus had already left.
(ii) We collected money for the people who had lost their parents in the disaster.
(iii) Niketan looked shocked, as if he hadn't expected to meet me.
2. The past perfect is in some cases interchangeable with the simple past after the time conjunctions
when, after, before, as soon as and until.
Example : (i) Mother started clearing the table before I had finished eating.
(ii) We saw nothing of the hills until the mist had cleared.
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE
The Past Perfect Continuous Tense is used to express something that started in the past and
continued until another time in the past.
had + been + present participle
1. When you are unfolding something or telling a story in the simple past, you use the past perfect
continuous tense to talk about events or activities that were ongoing before then.
Example : (i) Simran had been working at the bank for three years when the trouble began.
(ii) Uncle died on Monday – he had been getting gradually weaker.
Note : In some cases, the past perfect continuous is simply an informal, less
forceful sounding alternative to the past perfect.
Example : (i) Mom said she had been speaking to the principal about progress.

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EXERCISE
E. Complete the sentences using the past perfect form of the verbs given in parentheses :
1. Both _______________ (marry) for the first time by the age of 24.
2. Both _______________ (give) the same name — Shrey — to their sons .
3. Two separate families _______________ (adopt) Ritu Gupta and Kanika Sharma before the
twins were three days old.
4. Ritu _____________ (not/go) to college, and Kanik _____________ (not/attend) college either.
5. When they met, they were fascinated by their similarities. For example, they _______________
(live) near each other before the Sharmas moved away.
6. Both Titu and Kanika were allergic to cats and dogs and never _______________ (own) pets.
7. As children, both Ritu and Kanika _______________ (go) to the same summer camp.
8. Ritu _______________ (get) divorced and _______________ (remarry). Kanika _______________
(not/get) divorced and was still not married.

F. Put the verbs in brackets into the simple past or past continuous :
1. He (bite) _______________ his tongue while he (eat) _______________ puris.
2. We (watch) _______________ a video when he came.
3. Yesterday I watched the reality show. Rajan (lead) _______________ the race when he (have)
_______________ an accident with another car.
4. I spent yesterday afternoon watching TV. When Amilia (call) _______________, I (watch)
_______________ Dance India Dance.
5. I (hurt) _______________ my thumb while I (hit) _______________ the nail.
6. I (fall) _______________ off the chair while I (hang) _______________ the picture.
7. Last night, I stayed alone at home. I (read) _______________ when Urvashi (come)
_______________ in suddenly. She made me scream !
8. Last Sunday at the cinema, while we (watch) _______________ the movie, a crazy man (dance)
_______________ in front of the screen.
G. Fill in the blanks with verbs in the past continuous tense :
1. She _________________ (sing) a sweet song.
2. You _________________ (walk) down the road when I met you.
3. Radha _________________ (watch) television when somebody rang the bell.
4. _____________ you _____________ (drink) coffee when your neighbour came to see you?
5. He _________________ (solve) numericals when the bell rang for lunch break.
SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE
Although people talk about the ‘future tense’ in English, verbs do not have a genuine future tense. You
do not add anything to the base form of the verb to make a future tense instead. There are a variety of
ways of using verbs to talk about the future.
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For the 'Simple Future Tense’, you use the modal verbs shall or will with the base form of a verb. You can
use shall or will with the first person pronouns— I and we; for the second and third person, you use will.
The simple future tense is used when we plan or make a decision to do something. Nothing is
said about the time in the future.
Sub + will / shall + verb (I form) + object
Object of the active sentence + will / shall + be + past participle (Passive)
Example : (i) Ram will go to market today.
(ii) You will learn your lesson till tomorrow.
(iii) I shall go to school tomorrow.
(iv) I shall not be angry if you tell me the truth.
(v) Rehan will write a book for future.
1. The simple future is used to make predictions and forecasts –
(i) The weather will be hotter tomorrow.
(ii) Hurry up, or you will not catch that train!
2. Simple future is used to announce future happenings and events that have already been planned
or thought about.
Example : (i) I shall see you at the meeting tonight.
(ii) A representative of the firm will meet you at your office.
3. Besides using the modal verbs shall and will + base form; there are other ways of referring to
future happenings.
(a) The simple present is used for events scheduled for the future.
Example : (i) When does our train leave?
(ii) The new rule comes into operation next year.
(b) The present continuous is used slightly less formal than
the simple present, for activities organized for the future.
Example : What are you preparing for the competition?
(c) The present continuous is used to express intentions.
Example : The game is going to be interesting.
(d) For things happening in the immediate future you can use— be + about + to – infinitive.
Example : (i) Can I call you back later? I am about to leave to my home.
(ii) We are about to move house, so I shall give you our new contact number.
FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE
The future continuous tense is used to express an action at a particular moment in the future.
However, the action will not have finished.

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Sub + Will / Shall + be + Verb (Ist form) + ing + object
Note : Can't be changed into passive.
Example : (i) You will be going to field tonight.
(ii) Mohan will not be sleeping in the room.
(iii) I shall be writing a letter today.
1. The future continuous is used for long term activities in the future.
Example : My friend will be accompanying me in my problems.
2. The future continuous is used for activities that will be ongoing at a certain point in the future.
Example : Do not come at 5 O’ clock. I shall be taking swimming lessons at that time.
3. The future continuous is frequently used in a slightly informal way for future events. That are
single acts or very temporary states rather than continuous or ongoing activities.
Example : (i) We certainly will not be going back to that hotel.
(ii) The teacher will be teaching a lesson tomorrow.
FUTURE PERFECT TENSE
The future perfect tense expresses an action that will occur in the future before another action or
time in future.
Sub + will / shall + have + verb (IIIrd form) + object
Object of the active sentence + will / shall + have + been + past participle form of the verb +
by + subject of the active sentence (Passives)
Example : (i) You will have learnt your lesson till next month.
(ii) We shall have learnt our lesson till next month.
(iii) Father will have gone to the office.
1. The future perfect is used to express an action which is expected to be completed by a certain time
in future.
Example : (i) When you get this message, I shall have left for Paris.
(ii) Take the book tomorrow, I shall have read it by then.
2. The future perfect can also be used for something that has probably already happened by the
present time.
Example : Most people will have seen pictures of the disaster on television.
3. The future perfect is also used for long standing states or situations lasting through the present
into the future.
Example : It is his silver jubilee next month, he will have completed his twenty five years.

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FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE
The future perfect continuous tense is used to talk about an ongoing action before some point in the
future.
Sub + will / shall + have + been + verb (Ist form) + ing + obj
Example : (i) Ram will have been reading in this school for five years.
(ii) You will have been telling a lie since morning.
(iii) I shall have been sleeping in this house for two hours.
1. The future perfect continuous tense is used for ongoing activities lasting through the present into
the future.
Example : By the autumn, I shall have been teaching for 30 years.
2. But typically, the future perfect continuous is used for something that has probably been going on
during the time up to and including the present.
Example : (i) I am afraid. I addressed the wrongly so the courier man will have been
searching in vain for the address, not knowing it does not exist.

EXERCISE
H. Fill in the blanks with simple future or future continuous tense forms of the verbs given in brackets :
1. They _____________ (attend) a meeting between 5 pm and 7 pm today.
2. Where _____________ you _____________ (come) to have a tea with us this afternoon.
3. The boy _____________ (teach) how to swim when he grows up.
4. The tourists _____________ (go) sight-seeing in the all next week.
5. They _____________ (be) here again at exactly 8 pm tomorrow.
6. It _____________ still _____________ (rain) when we leave.
7. He __________________ (sleep) when you come afternoon.
8. This rule __________________ soon __________________ (put) into effect.
9. __________________ you __________________ (go) to market tomorrow.
10. We __________________ (give) a prize if you come first in the examination.
I. Choose the correct words from brackets and fill in the blanks with will + verbs to make meaningful
sentences :
1. Roshni __________________ to play the drum from her music teacher. (love, learn)
2. He is very excited about the match. He __________________ to go to the stadium. (want, like)
3. Mona is tired. She __________________ for an hour. (awake, sleep)
4. The pen nib is broken. She __________________ a new one. (buy, throw)
5. He __________________ not know about his office. (will / shall)
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J. Fill in the blanks with the help of future perfect or future perfect continuous form of verbs given in the
brackets :
1. The children __________________ (eat) by half past time.
2. I __________________ not __________________ (finish) the project by Monday.
3. He __________________ (write) a book by the end of the week.
4. He __________________ (write) this book for 4 months by the end of this week.
5. If it does not come tomorrow, I __________________ (be) without projector for a month.
6. The famous artist __________________ (paint) over six month by the time it is finished.
7. We __________________ (married, be) a year on June 25th.
8. By 2008 we __________________ (live) in Delhi for 14 years.
K. Rewrite the following sentences as required :
1. Rohan will go to library later. (Negative)
2. The match will be played for two hours. (Interrogative)
3. It will be raining soon. (Interrogative)
4. Vinod will be writing a poem in class. (Interrogative)
5. Karan will make a kite soon. (Negative)
L. Complete the following sentences by using verb forms in future perfect or future continuous tense,
you may use the words given in brackets :
1. The chief minister _______________ (inaugurate) the new flyover by the end of this week
(future perfect).
2. The animals _______________ (perform) in the circus for three hours by the time the show gets
over. (Future perfect continuous)
3. I _______________ (finish) this novel by the time mother returns from the market. (Future
perfect)
4. The annual sports meet _______________ (go) on for five hours by the time it gets dark.
(furute perfect continuous)
5. You _______________ (try) to success in exam. (Future Perfect)

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 TRANSFORMATION
OF SENTENCES 17
LET'S BEGIN
You have learnt that it is possible to change the form of a sentence without
entirely changing the meaning.

Example : (i) He did the work. (Affirmative)

He did not fail to do the work. (Negative)
Did you notice that the above mentioned sentences have been expressed in different ways. The basic
meaning has not changed.
TRANSFORMATION
Transformation is the process of changing the structure of a sentence without altering its meaning.

Interchange of Degree of Comparison

Adjectives and adverbs have positive, comparative and, superlative degrees. It is possible to transform
the grammatical form or structure of a sentence by interchanging the degrees of comparison of adjectives
and adverbs without altering the meaning of the sentence.

Transformation from Positive to Comparative

Look at the following sentences :
1. He is as fast as his brother. (positive)
His brother is not faster than him. (comparative)
2. I like you more than she does. (comparative)
She does not like you as much as I. (positive)

Transformation of the Comparative

Now look at the following sentences :
Example : (i) Ram is taller than most other boys. (comparative)
Very few boys are as tall as he. (positive)
He is one of the tallest boys. (superlative)
(ii) He is the best player. (superlative)
No other player is as good as he. (positive)
He is better player than any other. (comparative)
(iii) She is richer than all other women. (comparative)
No other woman is as rich as she. (positive)
She is the richest woman. (superlative)

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EXERCISE
A. Change the degree of comparison in the following sentences and rewrite them in the given spaces :
1. Very few movies are as popular as they. (Comparative)
____________________________________________________________________________
2. He is not as handsome as his friend. (Comparative)
____________________________________________________________________________
3. Honesty is the best policy. (Comparative)
____________________________________________________________________________
4. This is the easiest question. (Positive)
____________________________________________________________________________
5. She is feeling better now. (Superlative)
____________________________________________________________________________
To convert comparative degree to superlative, ‘most other’ is left out and the adjective / adverb is put
in the superlative degree. Most other is replaced by a ‘very few’ in the positive degree and ‘one of
the’ in the superlative degree.
To convert a positive degree having very few to comparative, the phrase is replaced by most other and
by one of the for the superlative degree.

Transformation of Kinds of Sentences

Affirmative sentences can be transformed into negative sentences or sentences containing a negative
clause.
1. By putting a word of opposite meaning after a negative word by the use of a double
negative.
Example : (i) He is always punctual. (Affirmative)
He is never late. (Negative)
(ii) Human beings are mortal. (Affirmative)
Human beings are not immortal. (Negative)
2. By the interchanging of degrees of comparison.
Example : (i) Anna Hajare is the most popular social worker. (Affirmative)
No other social worker is as popular as Anna Hajare. (Negative)
(ii) He is as intelligent as his sister. (Affirmative)
He is not less intelligent than his sister. (Negative)
3. By the use of No – sooner, than, but, etc.
Example : (i) As soon as the minister arrived, people rushed towards him. (Affirmative)
No sooner had the minister arrived, people rushed towards him. (Negative)
(ii) Only post graduates need apply for the job. (Affirmative)
No one but post graduates need apply for the job. (Negative)

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 4. By removing the adverb ‘too’
Example : (i) It is too heavy to carry. (Affirmative)
It is so heavy that I cannot carry it. (Negative)
(ii) I am too weak to run. (Affirmative)
I am so weak that I cannot run. (Negative)
EXERCISE
B. Transform the following sentences as directed and rewrite them in the given spaces :
1. It is very sad that you lost your purse. (Assertive)
____________________________________________________________________________
2. He is very rich. (Exclamatory)
____________________________________________________________________________
3. What a silly question ! (Assertive)
____________________________________________________________________________
4. She is very sweet. (Exclamatory)
____________________________________________________________________________
5. Who does not like freedom? (Assertive)
____________________________________________________________________________
6. Man is to err. (Negative)
____________________________________________________________________________
7. Every one likes to be appreciated. (Interrogative)
____________________________________________________________________________
8. How tired we are ! (Assertive)
____________________________________________________________________________
5. Interchange of interrogative and assertive sentences.
Questions can be asked (i) to obtain information (ii) to suggest the answer that the speaker expects.
Note : (i) The interrogative, which is suggestive of the answer, is called a rhetorical
question.

(ii) A rhetorical question is interrogative in form but a statement in meaning.

It is used as a device to emphasize an Idea. A rhetorical question can
have one possible answer. So an affirmative question is like a negative
statement and a negative question is like an affirmative statement.
To interchange the assertive and the interrogative sentences, the following changes are made.
1. The negative is put if it is not mentioned in the sentence or left out if it is there.
2. The verb or the auxiliary verb is placed before the subject.
3. The mark of interrogation is placed at the end of the sentence.
Example : (i) Is not she happy? (Negative interrogative)
She is happy. (Affirmative)

91 Grammar-8
 (ii) Is there any place like India? (affirmative interrogative)
There is no place like India. (Negative)
EXERCISE
C. Transform the following sentences into interrogative or assertive. Rewrite them in the given spaces :
1. Is there any problem?
____________________________________________________________________________
2. She is eligible for the post.
____________________________________________________________________________
3. Every one likes to be praised.
____________________________________________________________________________
4. No one would like to visit such a place.
____________________________________________________________________________
5. Who does not like to be rich?
____________________________________________________________________________
6. Who does not love his parents?
____________________________________________________________________________
6. Interchange of exclamatory and assertive sentences
(i) An exclamatory sentence is made into a complete complex sentence conveying the feeling expressed
by the exclamation.
(ii) To convert exclamations into statements; the following changes are made.
(a) The exclamation mark is removed.
(b) All the words such as what and how used at the beginning of the exclamatory sentence are replaced
by ‘very’.
(iii) Word like oh!, oh that!, if only,' are replaced by subject + wish followed by a full clause.
Example : (i) How beautiful the car was!
The car was very beautitul.
(ii) Oh that I was intelligent!
I wish that I were intelligent.
EXERCISE
D. Change the following sentences from assertive to exclamatory :
1. I earnestly desire to be among my friends again.
____________________________________________________________________________
2. Our soldiers fought the stormy weather very bravely.
____________________________________________________________________________
3. Yuvraj played really superb shots.
____________________________________________________________________________
4. I wish that my parents were here to support me.
____________________________________________________________________________
5. It is a matter of great sorrow that Mrs Sharma has lost his only son.
____________________________________________________________________________
92 Grammar-8
 CONDITIONAL SENTENCES
18
LET'S BEGIN
A contitional sentence is one in which one of the clauses states the condition
for the action indicated in the second clause to be performed.

Example : (i) If you are tired, go and lie down.

(ii) If we do not understand the story, we will ask the teacher to explain again.
(iii) If you practise harder, you will sing very well soon.
(iv) If I had enough money I would travel to Singapore.
All the sentences mentioned above are called conditional sentences. One of the clauses in such sentences
lays down the condition for the action indicated in the second clause.
In sentence (ii), the first clause has laid down the condition (If we do not understand the story)
and second clause (we will ask the teacher to explain again) shows the action. You will notice a similar
pattern in other examples too. A conditional sentence has two clauses.
(i) The If-clause, and
(ii) The main clause

Type 0 (Zero) Conditional —

Type 0 (Zero) contitional is used to describe general truth and scientific facts.
It is used for general truths when a situation always occurs and when something is of standard practise.
Example : (i) If there are dark clouds, it rains heavily.
(ii) If the battery has no charge, the mobile does not work.

(A) The First Conditional —

The first conditional or conditional (TYPE) TYPE I is also called probable conditional.
Sentence i, ii, and iii at the beginning of the lesson are of conditional TYPE I.
(i) In the first conditional, the if clause is in the present tense.
(ii) These sentences describe something that is likely to take place. So they are also called probable
or likely.
For TYPE I conditional, we use the pattern—
If + Simple present + will / will not (future)

93 Grammar-8
EXERCISE
A. Complete the first conditional with the verbs in brackets in the right tenses :
1. You ________________ a long of time if you use the metro. (save)
2. If the shops ________________ (close early), I ________________ (buy) the grocery tomorrow.
3. She ________________ (pursue) her course abroad, if her parents ________________.
(emigrate)
4. If they ________________ (probe) this case further, they ________________ (find) the
culprits.
5. If you ________________ (not have) a flying licence, they will not let you fly.
The Probable Conditional are used —
(i) For things likely to occur —
Example : If the weather is fine tomorrow, I shall go walking.
(ii) For giving permission to make a request, to give an advice or command and to
show ability. We can use the main clause in TYPE I conditional.
Example : If you see Neha, give her my best wishes.
If Ritu gets up early, she may go for aerobics.

B. The Second Conditional — (Type II)

The second conditional or conditional TYPE II is also called improbable or unlikely conditional. This
sentence is of contitional TYPE II.
The if clause indicates unreal situations in the second conditional. So we also call them unlikey or
improbable conditionals. The second conditional is used for actions that are unlikely to occur.
In the improbable or unlikely conditions, study the examples given below.
Example : (i) If I were to go on a holiday, I would go to London.
(ii) If she were to win the lucky draw, she would get a new car.

EXERCISE
B. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of verbs given in brackets (Type II) :
1. If the fairy granted you two wishes what ________________ for ? (you ask)
2. If she walked upright, she ________________ confident. (look)
3. I would certainly travel by Rajdhani if the tickets ________________ available. (be)
4. ________________ if kept this CD a little longer. (you mind)
5. He would be granted concession in fee, if he ________________ for it. (apply)

C. The Third Conditional — (Type III)

Read the sentence given below :
Example : (i) If he had stayed at home, he would not have got drenches in the thundershower.
This sentence is of conditional TYPE III. The if clause is in the past perfect tense.
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The third conditional is used for actions that are impossible to happen. The condition cannot be fulfilled
because the main clause refers to an event that has already occured.
If I had left home early, I would have caught the flight.
Both the above examples indicate that the action expressed in the if clause did not happen and cannot
happen now, since the time has already passed.

EXERCISE
C. Answer these questions using the conditionals as guided :
1. What would have happened if he had admitted his mistake ? (third conditional)
2. What would happen if she was not allowed to appear for the examination ? (second conditional)
3. What will happen if he likes that house ? (first conditional)
4. What will happen if he does not take a balanced diet ? (zero conditional)
5. What would have happened if he had been trained with a coach for his swimming ? (third
conditional)
D. Put a () against the correct form :
1. If I were younger, I __________.
a. studied languages b. would study languages c. would have studied languages.
2. If I were the Prime Minister, I __________.
a. will live in Delhi b. would live in Delhi c. would have lived in Delhi.
3. I would have helped you if you __________.
a. had asked me to b. would ask me to c. would have asked me to.
E. Write main clause to complete the following if clause :
1. If you had taken my advice __________________.
2. If we had washed the car __________________.
3. If your parents knew the fact __________________.
4. If she had not lost her purse __________________.
5. If the rains start falling __________________.
6. If the storm becomes stronger __________________.
7. If you had had any sense __________________.

95 Grammar-8
 DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH
19
LET'S BEGIN
What is actually spoken by a person is direct speech. When it is reported
later by someone else, it becomes indirect speech.

DIRECT SPEECH
When we report the exact words of the speaker and write them within inverted commas, it is
said to be in direct speech.
Example : Mona said, “I am coming.”
Indirect Speech : In reported or indirect speech, we do not report the exact words of speaker, but convey
the substance or meaning of a person's speech.
Example : Mohani said that she enjoyed watching the movie Roti, Kapda aur Makaan.
We make some changes when we refer to time, place, personal pronouns and possessive adjectives. The
inverted commas are not used in indirect speech.
Changes in Tenses : We change tenses when reporting in indirect speech.
1. When the reporting verb is in the simple present or simple future tense, the verb in reported
speech does not change into past tense.
Example : (i) Radha says “I am sleeping.”
Radha says that she is sleeping.
(Reporting verb is in simple present tense)
(ii) Dinesh will say, "I am not well".
Dinesh will say that he is not well.
(Reporting verb is in simple future tense)
2. When the reporting verb is in the past tense, the verb in reported speech is changed into the
corresponding past tense.
Example : (i) The boy said “I am scared of monsters.”
The boy said that he was scared of monsters.
(Reporting verb is in past tense)
The reporting verb— said is in the past tense. So the verb am changes to was (past tense) corresponding
to the tense of the reporting verb.

96 Grammar-8
 Reporting verb is in the past tense (said/ told) Verb changes in indirect speech as follows
is, am, are was / were
was / were had
had been (No change)
had had
do / does did
did had done
had done no change
will / shall would / should
must must / had to
would / should / might / could /ought do not change
Now, note the changes in tenses in reported speech—
Direct Speech Indirect Speech
1. Simple Present tense Changes to simple past tense
2. Present Continuous Changes to past continuous
3. Present Perfect Changes to past perfect
4. Present Perfect Continuous Changes to past perfect continuous
5. Simple Past Changes to past perfect
6. Past Continuous Changes to past perfect continuous
7. Past Perfect Does not change
8. Past Perfect Continuous Does not change
9. ‘Will’ Changes to would
10. ‘Shall’ Changes to should
11. ‘Can’ Changes to could
12. ‘May’ Changes to might
13. When we refer to universal truths or habitual the tense does not change
actions
Some examples are given here :
(i) Ramu said “I am writing a book.”
Ramu said that he was writing a book.
(ii) The teacher said “The Sun rises in the East.”
The teacher said that the Sun rises in the East.
(iii) Ritu said, “I have finished my work.”
Ritu said that she had finished her work.
(iv) My friend said to me, “Two and two make four.”
My friend told me that two and two make four.
(iv) Mohini said to her mother, “The ladies have been making pickle for ten years.”
Mohini told her mother that the ladies had been making pickle for ten years.
97 Grammar-8
 Important : There are three situations in which even if the reporting verb is in the past tense, we
do not change the tenses in the reported speech.
1. The reported speech expresses a universal truth or habitual fact.
Example : (i) The teacher said to us, “Water boils at 100°C.”
The teacher told us that water boils at 100°C.
2. The reported speech has two clauses, both in the past.
Example : (i) Mona said to me, “Neha was tired so she did not go out to play with friends.”
Mona told me that Neha was tired so she did not go out to play with friends.
3. Reported speech describes a situation which still exists when the speech is reported.
Example : (i) Mr Sen said, “All the flights are delayed due to heavy rains.”
Mr Sen said that all the flights are delayed due to heavy rains.
Say and Tell
We always say ‘something’, but we tell ‘somebody’.
Example : (i) Ravi said that he was writing a book.
Ravi told me that he was writing a book.
Changes in words referring to time, place or position :
Words indicating time, place and position change as follows—
Direct Speech Indirect Speech
Here there
This that
These those
Tomorrow the following day
Today that day
Yesterday the day before / the previous day
Tonight that night
Two days ago two days before
Last week the previous week
Last month the previous month
Ago before
Now then
Change in personal pronouns and possessive adjectives :
1. Pronouns in the third person and their possessive adjectives do not change in reported speech.
Example : (i) She said, “He likes Mughlai food.”
She said that he liked Mughlai food.
(ii) He said, “Her dress is dirty.”
He said that her dress was dirty.
98 Grammar-8
 2. Pronouns of the second person (you) and its corresponding possessive adjective (your) changes
into the same person as the object of the reporting verb.
Example : (i) He said to her, “You are an understanding person.”
He told her that she was an understanding person.
(ii) Rohini told him, “Your bag is new.”
Rohini told him that his bag was new.
Changing— You, Your, Yours -
These words indicate the person being addressed so they change accordingly.
Example : (i) Reena told her, “Your friend likes you.” Direct
Reena told her that her friend liked her. Indirect
(ii) Mona said to you, “Your friend likes you.” Direct
Mona told you that your friend liked you. Indirect
(iii) Sita said to me, “Your friend likes you.” Direct
Sita told me that my friend liked me. Indirect

Conversion of Interrogative Sentences into Indirect Speech

1. The reporting verb is usually changed into verbs like ‘ask’, ‘enquire,’ and ‘demand’.
2. The inverted commas and the mark of interrogation are omitted.
3. The structure of the reported speech is changed from interrogative form to assertive form.
4. When we have – ‘wh’ interrogative words like ‘who’, ‘what’ ‘whose’ ‘whom’ ‘where’ ‘when’ ‘why’
‘which’ or ‘how’ at the beginning of a question and no conjunction is used after the reporting verb.
5. We use conjunctions whether or if to introduce the reported speech if the question begins with
auxiliary verbs such as ‘are’ ‘is’ ‘am’ ‘was’ ‘were’ ‘do’, ‘does’ or ‘did’ ‘have’ ‘had’ ‘will’ ‘shall’ ‘can’ or may.
Here are a few examples to show the application of the rules mentioned above.
Example : (i) Rinki said, “Mother, where have you kept my new pair of jeans?” Direct
Rinki asked her mother where she had kept her new pair of jeans. Indirect
(ii) Mridula aksed Mona, “Did you buy the magic show tickets?” Direct
Mridula asked Mona if she had bought the magic show tickets. Indirect
(iii) Sita said to him, “Will you play today?” Direct
Sita asked him whether he would play that day. Indirect
(iv) He said to his sister, “Can you sing like a professional singer?” Direct
He asked his sister whether she could sing like Indirect
a professional singer.
Conversion of Exclamatory Sentences into Indirect Speech
1. The exclamatory sentences are changed into assertive sentences.
2. The reporting verb is changed to exclaimed with joy / sorrow / delight / surprise / anger / tear.
3. The conjunction ‘that’ is used to introduce the reported speech.
4. All exclamations and interjections are left out. Their sense is conveyed by means of adverbs or
adverbial clauses. 99 Grammar-8
 5. The sentences which are incomplete or express sudden feelings are changed into full sentences.
Here are some interjections with their meanings.
6. ‘Hurrah’ ‘Good’, ‘Splendid’ ‘Ha’ ‘Bravo’ express joy, pleasure or admiration.
7. The word ‘Alas’ expresses grief or pain.
8. ‘What’ and ‘Oh’ express surprise.
9. ‘Ugh’ expresses disgust.
10. ‘Well done’ and ‘thank goodness’ are interjection phrases. Read the sentences given below. Note
how they are rewritten in reported speech.
Example : (i) She said “Oh what a lovely dress!.” Direct
She exclaimed with admiration that it was a lovely dress. Indirect
(ii) They said “Alas! We have lost our way in the forest.” Direct
They exclaimed with regret that they had lost their way in the forest. Indirect
(iii) He said “Oh! I have met you after a long time.” Direct
He exclaimed with surprise that he had met her after a long time. Indirect

Conversion of Imperative Sentences into Indirect Speech

1. An imperative sentence may convey a command, request, suggestion, advice or instruction. So
requesting verbs like ‘order’ ‘tell’ ‘instruct’ ‘command’ are used for commands in reported verb. For
requests, we use reporting verbs like ‘request’ ‘ask’ ‘plead’ and 'beg'. For advice, we use reporting
verbs like ‘suggest’ ‘advice’ ’warn’ forbid in indirect speech.
2. The verb of the reported speech is changed into infinitive.
Example : (i) He said to her, “Go there.”
(ii) He ordered her to go there.
3. We do not use a conjunction (e.g— that) to introduce the reported speech. Here are examples for
different types of imperative sentences.
Example : (i) The chief said to helper, “Chop the vegetables quickly.”
The chief ordered the helper to chop the vegetables quickly.
(ii) The students said to librarian, “Please allow us to go to the library.”
The students requested the librarian to allow them to go to the library.
4. When imperatives ‘let’s ‘let us’ ‘let him’ are changed into indirect speech, we use reporting verbs
like ‘suggest’ ‘proposed’ ‘should’ ‘to let’ and ‘might.’
Example : (i) He said “Let’s go to the market.”
He suggested that they should go to the market.
(ii) The chairman of the water board said, “Let us adopt the method of water
harvesting and try to solve the water crisis.”
The chairman of the water board proposed to adopt the method of water
harvesting and try to solve the water crisis.
Question Tags : Sometimes a statement is made by the speaker and he / she asks for confirmation by
attaching a question tag. 100 Grammar-8
Though question tags ask the opinion of the addressed person. They take his / her agreement for
granted. While changing such questions to indirect speech, the tag is expanded to a full question and
the question mark is left out.
Example : (i) The chemisty teacher said to her students, “You have understood the
experiment, have not you ?” (direct)
The chemistry teacher asked the students if they had understood the
experiment. (indirect)
(ii) Mother said to her friend, “My daughter sang well, did not she”?
Mother asked her friend if her daughter had sung well.

EXERCISE
A. Rewrite the following sentences in reported speech :
1. The fisherman said to the customer, “The fish is fresh and will taste good.”
____________________________________________________________________________
2. The lawyer said to the judge, “Sarita will tell the real story.”
____________________________________________________________________________
3. Rama said, “I am ill.”
____________________________________________________________________________
4. Mohan said to his friend, “I have finished my work.”
____________________________________________________________________________
5. The teacher said to us, “The Earth is round.”
____________________________________________________________________________
6. Sheetal said to her Geography teacher, “Roma found the map work very confusing.”
____________________________________________________________________________
7. Mona said, “She is singing a sweet song.”
____________________________________________________________________________
B. Rewrite the following sentences in direct speech :
1. He exclaimed that it was a terrible storm.
____________________________________________________________________________
2. Veena admitted that the information is being downloaded from the internet.
____________________________________________________________________________
3. Geeta met Nirmala and said that she liked the bun cakes those she sent.
____________________________________________________________________________
4. Anu said that she had bought tickets for the lawn tennis match.
____________________________________________________________________________
5. Mohan told watchman that he had to give relevant papers for police verification.
____________________________________________________________________________
101 Grammar-8
 ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE 20
LET'S BEGIN
There are two particular forms for verbs called voices. Voices are of two kinds :

1. Active Voice
2. Passive Voice

The active and passive forms of verbs are referred to as the active voice and passive voice.
Active Voice : When the subject of a verb does the action, you say the verb is active.
Active verbs that are transitive have a subject that performs the action and an object that is at the
receiving end of the subject's action.
Example : (i) Ram writes a letter.
(ii) You are going to market.
(iii) We are playing in the field.
(iv) I have done my work.
(v) We shall write a book.
Passive Voice : When the sentence is changed so that the object of the
transitive verb becomes its subject, you say the verb is passive.
Example : (i) This song was sung by Mona.
(ii) My work has been done by me.
Note : Many sentences in the passive do not tell you who does the action.
This happens normally when it is obvious that someone in authority is
responsible for the action, or when it is not important to say who is
responsible.
Example : (i) Our classroom was painted last year.
(ii) We all were given individual projects to carry out.

How are Passives formed

1. Simple Present : For the passive of the simple present, we use is, am and are + past participle.
Example : (i) Rohan organises the competition. Active Voice
The competition is organised by Rohan. Passive Voice
(ii) Mr Vijay teaches me English. Active Voice
I am taught English by Mr Vijay. Passive Voice

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2. Present Continuous : For the passive of the present continuous, we use is, am, are + being + past
participle.
Example : (i) Geeta is producing the play this year. Active Voice
The play is being produced this year by Geeta. Passive Voice
(ii) I am writing a letter. Active Voice
A letter is being written by me. Passive Voice
3. Present Perfect : For the passive of the present perfect, we use has / have + been + past participle.
Example : (i) I have finished my work. Active Voice
My work has been finished by me. Passive Voice
(ii) Animals have destroyed the park benches. Active Voice
The park benches have been destroyed by animals. Passive Voice
4. Simple Past : For the passive of the simple past, we use - was and were + past participle.
Example : (i) The army built this bridge. Active Voice
This bridge was built by the army. Passive Voice
(ii) Mohan checked the accounts. Active Voice
The accounts were checked by Mohan. Passive Voice
5. Past Continuous : For the passive of the past continuous; we use was / were + being + past
participle.
Example : (i) Neha was training the dancers. Active Voice
The dancers were being trained by Neha. Passive Voice
(ii) The teacher was writing an essay. Active Voice
An essay was being written by the teacher. Passive Voice
6. Past Perfect : For the passive of the past perfect, you use had + been + past participle.
Example : (i) The video camera had caught his movements. Active Voice
His movements had been caught by the video camera. Passive Voice
(ii) A marked man had attacked a cashier. Active Voice
A cashier had been attacked by a marked man. Passive Voice
7. Simple Future : For the passive of the simple future, you use shall / will + be + past participle.
Example : (i) I shall do my work. Active Voice
My work will be done by me. Passive Voice
(ii) His family will miss him. Active Voice
He will be missed by his family. Passive Voice
8. Future Perfect : For the passive of the future perfect, you use shall / will + have been + past
participle.

103 Grammar-8
 Example : (i) They will have recognized you. Active Voice
You will have been recognized by them. Passive Voice
(ii) He will have read a book. Active Voice
A book will have been read by him. Passive Voice
Transformation of interrogative sentences into passive voice :
Yes / No questions — It can be transformed or changed into passive voice by replacing do / does /
did with Auxiliary verbs like is, am, are, was, were, etc. at beginning position of the sentence.

Sentence Structure
1. Active Voice
Do / does/ did + sub + verb (base form) + object + ?
Passive Voice
Is / am / are / was / were + sub + (verb III form) + by + obj + ?
Example : (i) Does the fight disturb you? Active Voice
Are you disturbed by the fight? Passive Voice
(ii) Do you know about him? Active Voice
Is he known about by you? Passive Voice
2. Active Voice
Is / am / was / were + subject + verb (ing form) + object + ?
Passive Voice
Is / am / are / was / were + sub + being + verb (III form) + by + obj + ?
Example : (i) Am I disturbing you? Active Voice
Are you being disturbed by me? Passive Voice
(ii) Is he writing a letter? Active Voice
Is a letter being written by him? Passive Voice
3. Questions starting with modal verbs like can, could, shall, should, will, would, etc change as—

Active Voice
Can / Could / Shall / Should / Will / Would + Sub + Verb (base form) + obj + ?
Passive Voice
Can / Could / Shall / Should / Will / Would + Sub + be + verb (III form) + by + obj + ?
Example : (i) Can he solve this problem? Active Voice
Can this problem be solved by him? Passive Voice
(ii) Will they purchase anything? Active Voice
Will anything be purchased by them? Passive Voice

104 Grammar-8
 Wh- Questions : Questions starting with wh-words change as—

Active Voice
Wh – Word + helping verb + sub + verb + object ?
Passive Voice
Wh – Word + is / am / are / was / were / will / shall + sub + be + verb (III form) + ?
Example : (i) Where will the bell ring? Active Voice
When will the bell be rung? Passive Voice
(ii) Where will you send him? Active Voice
Where will he be sent? Passive Voice

EXERCISE
A. Fill in the blanks with the passive form of verbs in the simple present tense :
1. The Republic Day _____________ (celebrate) enthusiastically by all Indians.
2. All the swimmers _____________ (train) by experienced coaches here.
3. The students _____________ (call) now for a magic show to be held in the hall.
4. Indian Premier League matches _____________ (play) by many teams.
5. The earthquake victims _____________ (provide) shelter and food by the government.
B. Fill in the blanks with the passive form of verbs in the present perfect tense :
1. A big well ______________ in the village. (dug)
2. The shoots of the apple tree ______________ (prune)
3. Antibiotics ______________ by the doctor. (prescribe)
4. High rise offices, complexes ______________ in this area. (construct)
5. The ground ______________ of all the protesters who had gathered there. (clear)
C. Change these sentences into the passive voice :
1. I look after him.
____________________________________________________________________________
2. The captain caught the ball easily.
____________________________________________________________________________
3. The clerk is typing the letter.
____________________________________________________________________________
4. We make curd from cow's milk.
____________________________________________________________________________
5. They will take exercises daily.
____________________________________________________________________________

105 Grammar-8
 6. Ram writes a letter.
____________________________________________________________________________
7. I have done my work.
____________________________________________________________________________
8. Those talented children decorated these rooms.
____________________________________________________________________________
D. Change these questions into the passive voice :
1. Do they make cars in India?
____________________________________________________________________________
2. Will the king inaugurate the new bridge?
____________________________________________________________________________
3. Have the police found the body?
____________________________________________________________________________
4. Are you looking into our compartment?
____________________________________________________________________________
5. What caused the accident?
____________________________________________________________________________
6. Has she drawn this beautiful picture?
____________________________________________________________________________
7. How did your host family treat you?
____________________________________________________________________________
8. When did they hijack the plane?
____________________________________________________________________________
E. Rewrite the following in the active voice :
1. Payment is accepted by cheque by us.
____________________________________________________________________________
2. By whom was she taught English?
____________________________________________________________________________
3. Has the policeman been seen by anyone?
____________________________________________________________________________
4. An honest man is trusted by all.
____________________________________________________________________________
5. Are the chairs being arranged by someone?
____________________________________________________________________________

106 Grammar-8
A. CONFUSED WORDS
WORD POWER 21
There are many words in English language which are confusing. Let us understand their
meaning so that we use them correctly and effectively.
altar : (place of worship) The priest knelt at the altar to pray.
alter : (to change) The ending of the film was altered.
adapt : (to adjust, to suit) Any animal, when entering a new territory, must adapt to survive.
adopt : (to take up) To win the finals, John must adopt a different strategy.
affect : (to produce in effect, to pretend) The layoffs will affect everyone. The traffic violators
affected ignorance of new traffic guidelines.
effect : (result, impression) The effects of global warming are clearly visible in the changing
climatic conditions.
cast : (to throw) The hunter cast net to catch rare birds in the forest.
cost : (to be obtainable at a certain price) The luxury car is going to cost a lot.
cast (starcast) : The cast of the movie is very talented and have acted very well.
caste : (social caste in Hindu society) We should cross the barriers of caste and care for all.
childish : [(like a child (silly)] Reena is childish and reacts in an immature way when her friends do
not listen to her.
childlike : [(like a child (innocent)] The stranger helped the lost lady because she was childlike and
needed help.
award : (a prize, a certificate given to a person for doing something very well) He was given the
award for the best speaker.
reward : (something given in return for a favour or any work well done) He was rewarded handsomely
for his brave act.
canvas : (a piece of coarse cloth meant for painting) I painted a village scene on canvas.
canvass : (to request people for votes) The politicians canvass even in remote areas before elections.
conscious : (aware about something happening) The old man was conscious that the stranger was
trying to cheat him.
conscience : (sense to judge right or wrong) My conscience told me that I should tell the truth to mother
about having lost my watch.
desirous : (having a desire) Mr Mehta is desirous of buying a farm house in the outskirts of Delhi.
desirable : (something worth wishing for) The workshop on leadership training is desirable among
the young executives as it helps them improve their performance.
destiny : (fate, what we believe will certainly happen to us) It was destiny that drew Amitabh
Bachchan to the acting profession.
destination : (the place where one wants to reach) We reached our destination, Nainital, by evening.
yolk : (the yellow part of an egg) My brother does not like to eat egg yolk but relished the egg
white.
yoke : (a wooden frame put round the neck of an animal so that it can pull a cart.) The bull yoke
was new and had beads attached to it.
107 Grammar-8
EXERCISE
A. Make the sentences with the following words to clearly imply their meanings :
1. Purpose ______________________________. Propose ______________________________
2. Pour _________________________________. Pore _________________________________
3. Loan _________________________________. Lone ________________________________.
4. Lesson ________________________________. Lessen ______________________________.
5. Differ _________________________________. Defer _______________________________.
6. Access _________________________________. Excess ______________________________.
B. Pick the incorrect word and rewrite the sentences with the correct word :
1. Kishu is a populous cricketer of the team.
2. The chief guest carried herself in a gracious manner.
3. The tailor could not altar the design of the dress.
4. My mother did not use yoke while preparing vanilla cake.
5. The fisherman caste a big net to catch the shark.
B. SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS
Synonyms are the words which are similar to each other in meaning.
ANTONYMS
Antonyms are the words which are opposite to each other in meaning.
Example Synonyms
:
Awkward — clumsy, rough Barbarous — uncivilized, savage
Example : Antonyms
Able — Unable Consent — Object, disagree
Word Synonyms Antonyms
Absolve pardon, forgive compel, accuse
Acrimony harshness, bitterness courtesy, benevolence
Alien foreigner, outsider native, resident
Affront provoke, irreverence conciliate, mollify
Adversity misfortune, calamity prosperity, fortune
Bustle haste, flurry slowness, quiet
Brittle delicate, fragile tough, enduring
Bleak dismal, gloomy bright, pleasant
Benevolence humanity, generosity malevolence, inhumanity
Barbarous uncivilized, savage cultured, humane
Baffle frustrate, perplex compose, facilitate
Consolidate solidify, strengthen separate, weaken
Consequence effect, outcome origin, start
Consent agree, permit object, disagree
Concede yield, permit deny, reject
Comprise include, contain reject, lack
Compassion kindness, sympathy cruelty, barbarity
108 Grammar-8
Capable competent, able incompetent, inept
Captivity imprisonment, confinement freedom, liberty
Captivate charm, fascinate disillusion, offend
Cavity depth, depression elevation, projection
Cease terminate, desist begin, originate
Deprive despoil, divest restore, renew
Demolish ruin, devastate repair, construct
Delicious platable, tasteful distasteful, unsavoury
Evident obvious, apparent obscure, concealed
Elevate dignify, heighten deprecate, denounce
Fluctuate deflect, vacilate stabilise, resolve
Ferocious cruel, fierce gentle, sympathetic
Subsequent consequent, following preceding, previous
Stain blemish, tarnish honour, purify
Scanty scarce, insufficient lavish, multitude
Sarcastic ironical, derisive courteous, gracious
Shrewd cunning, crafty simple, imbecile
Tyro beginner, learner proficient, veteran
Trivial trifling, insignificant significant, important
Trenchant assertive, forceful feeble, ambiguous
Transient temporal, transitory lasting, enduring
Tranquil peaceful, composed violent, furious
Timid diffident, coward bold, intrepid
Temperate cool, moderate boisterous, violent
Utterly completely, entirely deficiently, incompletely
Usurp seize, wrest restore, compensate
Uncouth awkward, ungraceful elegant, graceful
Umbrage resentment, bitterness sympathy, goodwill
Vulgar inelegant, offensive elegant, civil
Vouch confirm, consent repudiate, prohibit
Volatile light, changing heavy, ponderous
Vicious corrupt, obnoxious noble, virtuous
Venerable esteemed, honoured unworthy, immature
Waive relinquish, remove impose, clamp
Wary cautious, circumspect heedless, negligent
Wane decline, dwindle ameliorate, rise
Wilt wither, perish revive, bloom
Wield use, empoly forgo, avoid
Wan pale, faded bright, healthy
Wicked civious, immoral virtuous, noble

109 Grammar-8
EXERCISE
A. Match the following words with their synonyms :
Column A Column B

1. Misery a. earnest
2. Wish b. continuous
3. Serious c. still
4. Start d. miserable
5. Yield e. surrender
6. Incessant f. appetizing
7. Palatable g. begin
8. Real h. actual
9. Stationary i. sorrow
10. Wretched j. desire
B. Give the synonyms of words mentioned below :

1. High ______________ 2. clever ______________ 3. zeal ______________

4. gaiety ______________ 5. pride ______________ 6. verve ______________
7. wrong ______________ 8. stop ______________ 9. ugly ______________
C. Give the antonyms of the following words :

1. satisfy ______________ 2. approach ______________ 3. fall ______________

4. alive ______________ 5. pure ______________ 6. rage ______________
7. logical ______________ 8. acute ______________
D. Match the words given below with their Antonyms :
Column A Column B
1. Banish a. careless
2. Allow b. hygienic
3. Arid c. damp
4. Observant d. forbid
5. Yielding e. aloof
6. Flattery f. accept
7. Friendly g. rebellious
8. Infectious h. criticism

110 Grammar-8
 LETTER WRITING 22
LET'S BEGIN
In English, there are a number of conventions that should be used when
writing a formal or business letter. Furthermore, you should try to write as
simply and as clearly as possible, and not to make the letter longer than
necessary. Remember not to use informal language like contractions.

As you have already learnt, letters are mainly of two types :

A. Informal or Personal Letters and
B. Formal or Official Letters
You may be required to write both types of letters from time to time.
SPECIMEN OF INFORMAL LETTER
You are Ashish Verma/Anita Sharma, staying in a school hostel. Write a letter to your father giving
reasons for your poor performance in the half-yearly examination and assuring him of a better result
in the coming examination.
St. John’s Inter College
M.G. Road
Saharanpur
December 17, 20xx
Dear Father
You must be very disappointed on receiving my progress report of the half-yearly examination
as I have not faired well in it. I have secured less than seventy per cent marks in English and
Mathematics; I know you will be much displeased.
Papa, I must confess that I was busy with the forthcoming Inter College Debate Competition
and could not pay proper attention to my studies. I was sure that I would make good of the time
lost, but just before the examination, I had an attack of malaria and remained on bed for nearly
a week. As such, I could not do even my last minute preparations.
Papa, I have realized my mistakes and feel really sorry. I assure you that I would devote my
whole attention to my studies and would definitely get better marks in the annual examination.
Yours affectionately
Ashish Verma/Anita Sharma

111 Grammar-8
SPECIMEN OF FORMAL LETTER
1. You are Amit Gupta/Anusha Goel. Write an application to the Principal of your college requesting
him/her to issue you your leaving certificates.
The principal
St. Michel Public School
Mohali
Chandigarh.
August 27, 20xx
Sir/Madam
I beg to inform you that my father is in the army. He has recently been transferred to Chennai.
We are shifting to his new place of posting by the end of this month.
Kindly issue me my school leaving certificate so that I may be able to get admission in a school
there.
Yours obediently
Amit Gupta/Anusha Goel
Class VIII C
Roll no. 21
2. You are Sunil Garg/Anjana Kalra living in Model Town, Karnal. Write a letter to the editor of a
newspaper regarding frequent break-down of power supply in your locality.
36/5, Model Town
New Delhi
June 3, 20xx
The Editor
The Times of India
New Delhi
Sir
May I, through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, draw the attention of the Delhi
Electricity Department towards frequent break-down of electricity supply in our area.
During the last month, electricity failed at least six times, each failure was lasting for many
hours. You can well imagine the hardships faced by people as a result-sweating, shortage of
water and long periods of blackout.
Our repeated requests to the local officials of DESU have been of no avail. Either they are unable
to rectify the fault, or they are not working and making lame excuses.
We hope, the management of DESU will take notice of our sufferings and make necessary
arrangements to set things right to ensure regular and uninterrupted electricity supply in our
area.
Yours truly
Sunil Garg/Anjana Kalra
112 Grammar-8
 3. You are Manish Sharma/Seema Chauhan living in Kanpur. Write a letter to a book seller in Delhi
ordering some books you like to purchase.
16, M.L. Kapoor Street
Panki
Kanpur
7 July, 20xx

Mehra Brothers
Book Sellers
Dargah Road
New Dehli-110006
Dear Sir
I shall be obliged if you kindly arrange to send me one copy of each of the following books by
VPP as early as possible.
Name of Book Author
1. The Merchant of Venice William Shakespeare
2. Gulliver’s Travels Jonathan Swift
3. Alice in Wonderland Lewis Carroll
4. Treasure Island Robert Louis Stevenson
5. Around the World in Eighty Days Jules Verne

My address is given above.

Yours faithfully,
Manish Sharma/Seema Chauhan
EXERCISE
1. Write a letter to your father requesting you to allow him to join an educational tour being
organized by your school.
2. Write a letter to the S.D.O., Telephones, Complaining against Frequent break-down of your
telephone.
3. Write an application to the Principal of your college requesting him/her to issue you a character
certificate.
4. Write a letter to the Post Master complaining against irregular delivery of mail.
5. Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper complaining against the rapid increase in the prices
of daily articles.

113 Grammar-8
 NOTICE WRITING
23
LET'S BEGIN
A notice is a short announcement which is circulated in the written form to
give some important information to a large group of people.

Purpose of writing a notice

1. A cultural event
2. A sports event
3. A meeting or conference
4. Any death, birth, visit by some one in future inspection, excursion.
5. Any project for a social cause to be undertaken and so on.
Some important points to write in a notice :
1. A notice is written within a box.
2. It is usually written in the third person. However for some notices, the first person ‘We’-or the
second person ‘You’ may be used.
3. It must be short, precise and relevant to the topic. It usually has a word limit of 50 words.
4. The name and address of the issuing authority is placed at the top followed by the word ‘NOTICE’,
the date and heading.
5. The name and designation of the signatory authority should be placed on the lower left hand
corner of the notice.
6. The tone of the notice should be objective, impartial and formal.
The above points should always be remembered while writing a notice.
1. You are the secretary of the ‘Reader’s Club, Kolkata. Your club will be publishing a monthly magazine.
Draft a notice asking the members to contribute their articles, stories, poems, cartoons and so on for
the magazine. Give all the important details.
READER'S CLUB, KOLKATA
NOTICE
15th May, 20- - - - - - -
Monthly Magazine
The club is plannning to publish a monthly magazine which will feature many articles,
stories, poems, interviews and photographs. Members, who are interested, can
submit their work to the undersigned latest by 30th May, 20- - - - - - -.
Uma Devi
Secretary

114 Grammar-8
2. You are the Cultural Secretary of your school. The school is organising a painting exhibition. Draft a
notice inviting names from the students for participating in the exhibition.

S. S. I. CONVENT, NEW DELHI

NOTICE
21st May, 20- - - - - -
PAINTING EXHIBITION
The school is organising a painting exhibition on 5th June, 20- - - - - from 11 am to 1
pm for classes VI to VIII for ‘Global Warming’. Interested candidates are requested
to submit their names to the respective class teacher by 25th May, 20- - - - -
Mohan Rana
Cultural Secretary

EXERCISE
Write notices based on the following situations :
1. You are the counsellor at Motinagar. Draft a notice, appealing to the people of the area, to
minimize the vast use of water since the surrounding areas have been affected due to acute
water shortage.
2. You are the head boy / girl of your school. Your school is going to launch a programme to
teach street kids in the school premise every Sunday from 10 am to 11 : 30 am. Draft a notice
inviting names of students from different classes who are willing to volunteer as teachers for
the programme.
3. You are the secretary of Residents' welfare Association of Deep Housing Society in New Delhi.
To mark Diwali Celebrations, an entertainment programme including music, dance, and quiz
would be organised. Draft a notice inviting names of children, who would be interested in
participating in these events.
4. The Youth Club, Delhi is planning to collect relief fund for the victims of Tsunami in Andaman
and Nicobar Islands. Draft a notice as secretary of the club requesting members to contribute
a certain sum of money for the cause.

115 Grammar-8
 POSTCARD AND E-MAIL WRITING
24
POSTCARDS
Postcards are used for sending short messages by post.

Features
1. Postcards are a very economical medium for brief and to the point communication.
2. They can be written in both formal and informal style.
Example : (i) Anamika writes a postcard to her friend Sania informing of her safe arrival in
New Delhi after her visit to Kolkata.
Date on which
Dear Riya 12 January,20____ it is being
Salutation written.

I reached Delhi safely yesterday evening. The journey

was a little tiring since the train was four hours late.
My parents came to receive me at the station. Though
Content :
• Reason of it has been only a few days since we have parted, I am
writting
• What left
already missing you. Why don't you visit us during your
behind Puja vacation next month?
• Location
• How to send

Brief Closing Hope to hear from you soon.

Subscription
Yours Affectionately
Ms Riya Sharma
Name & Address
Signatory
(Sender's Name) Swati 8, Park Street of the addressee
(Receiver's
Delhi, (NCR) Address)

PIN

116 Grammar-8
E–mail : Electronic mail or e-mail Step-1 Enter the
Step-2 Enter the subject.
is the way of sending and receiving address of the receiver.

messages anywhere in the world

using internet. It is one of the
fastest modes of communication.
With the help of internet, an e-mail
takes only few minutes to reach its
destination.

Features
• An e-mail is one of the fastest
and the simplest mode of
communication.
• It does not matter whether
your message consists of a
Step-3 Type your message. Step-4 Click Send.
few lines of text or thousands
of lines.
• Same message can be sent to any number of people at no extra cost.
• It can be written for both formal and informal purposes.
• It is cost-effective and can reach any part of the world within a few seconds or few minutes.

EXERCISE
A. Read the following and write postcards :
1. You have spent your summer vacation with your friend in Mussoorie. Write a postcard thanking
him or her for the warm hospitality that his / her family had shown towards you.
2. You are visiting your friend in Shimla for your summer vacation. Write a postcard informing her
about the date and time of your departure, the name of the train and the expected time of your
arrival at Shimla.
3. Your hostel mate Raghav has fractured his leg and has returned home in Kolkata. Write a
postcard asking about his condition and wish him a speedy recovery.
4. Your sister is getting married next month. Write a postcard to your friend who stays in Mumbai,
inviting her with family, to the wedding.
B. Read the following and write e-mails :
1. Write an e-mail to your friend asking him to forward you the holiday homework and also the
relevant information on the project assigned.
2. Write an e-mail in about 120 words, to your elder brother telling him about the Sports Day
being organised in your school.
3. You are Rahul/Ruhani. Write an e-mail to Mrs SK Narayan, District Education Officer, Hauz Khas,
requesting to inaugurate the book fair being organised in your school.

117 Grammar-8
 MESSAGE WRITING 25
LET'S BEGIN
A message is a short piece of information received by persons other than those for whom
they are meant. Messages may be received orally or in a written form which is to be
passed on to the individuals they are meant for. Remember the following points while
writing a message :

1. Write the name of the person for whom the message is intended.
2. Write the date and time of receipt of the message at the top.
3. Write the name of the person writing the message at the bottom.
4. Include only the relevant information neglecting the undesired details.
5. Do not write anything of your own accord.
6. Write the message in reported speech.
7. Follow the word limit.
SOLVED EXAMPLES
1. Read the following telephone conversation between Manashi and Babita. Write the message for
Ankita who is not present at home.
Manashi : Hello! May I talk to Ankita?
Babita : she is not at home at the moment. May I know who is speaking?
Manashi : I’m Manashi, her friend.
Babita : I’m Babita, her younger sister. Didi has gone to music class. You can give your
message to me.
Manashi : Ankita wanted to have my Physics notes. The notes are ready. Please ask her to
collect the notes from my house.
Manashi : Thank you. Bye.
Babita : Bye.
MESSAGE
8 July
2.00 p.m.
Didi,
Manashi rang up to inform that the notes on Physics are ready. She wants you to collect them
from her house.
Babita

118 Grammar-8
 2. You are Rajni/Rajat. Kundan, a friend of your brother Aman had rung up. You picked up the phone
and had the following conversation.
Kundan : Is it 2xxxxxxx?
You : Yes, please.
Kundan : Is Aman at home?
You : Sorry! He has gone to play. May I know who is on the line?
Kundan : I’m Kundan, his friend.
You : I’m his sister/brother. Any message for him?
Kundan : Today, we had a programme to visit the museum. Please tell him to come to my
house in the afternoon.
You : Okay, I shall definitely tell him. Anything else?
Kundan : No, thank you.
You : Thanks and bye.
MESSAGE
17 December
9.00 a.m.
Aman
There was a call from Kundan, your friend. He reminded you of your programme
of visiting the museum. He wants you to reach his house in the afternoon.
Rajni/Rajat

EXERCISE
• Read the following telephonic conversation between Mr Gupta and Rohan, a friend of his nephew,
Vikash.
Rohan : Is it 2xxxxxx?
Mr Gupta : yes, please. May I know who is on the line?
Rohan : I am Rohan, a friend of Vikash.
Mr Gupta : Vikash is not at home. He has gone to see his grandparents. I’m his uncle at this
end.
Rohan : Oh! Uncle, when he comes back, please tell him to ring me up. I have an urgent
matter to discuss with him.
Mr Gupta : I shall do so. Anything else?
Rohan : No, thanks uncle and bye.
Mr Gupta : Bye dear.
Since Mr Gupta is about to go out to attend a meeting and will be late, he decides to leave a message
for Vikash. Write the message on his behalf in not more than 50 words.
119 Grammar-8
 PARAGRAPH WRITING 26
PARAGRAPH
A paragraph is a short composition. It consists of a number of sentences linked together
all relating to one topic.
A paragraph must have—
1. Unity
2. Coherence
3. Right Emphasis
4. Variety
To write a paragraph, one must keep the following points in mind :
1. It is short though there are no specific rules about its length.
2. It deals with one topic or idea. It is a good idea to state the topic sentence or idea in a
single simple sentence.
3. There should be a variety in construction. Avoid unnecessary repetition of words and ensure
that all sentences of different types and length.
4. The sentences are in logical order. The most important ones are the first and the last. The
first sentence is usually the topic sentence. This should be able to arouse the interest of the
reader. The last sentence should sum up the idea which was developed.
5. The sentences that follow the first ones should generally develop the idea in some kind of
a logical sequence. These form the main body of the paragraph.
Given below are short paragraphs :
A. MY FAVOURITE FESTIVAL
My favourite festival is Diwali. One can see lights all around, fire crackers zooming in the sky, happy
children in new clothes, eating delicious sweets, what fun we have for four days beginning with 'Chhoti
Diwali and ending with 'Bhai Duj'. The preparations for Diwali start much in advance. For days together,
mothers make sweets, clean and decorate the house. Presents and sweets are exchanged with relatives
and friends on Diwali day. Families visit each other in their new clothes. Shops are loaded with sweets.
‘Laxmi Puja’ is peformed in the evening. Diwali is really a festival of joy.
B. THE CAT
There is some truth in the common saying that while dogs become attached to persons, cats are
generally attached to places. A dog will follow his master anywhere, but a cat keeps to the house it is
used to and even when the house changes, the cat will remain there so long as it is kindly treated by

120 Grammar-8
the new owners. A cat does not seem to be capable of the personal devotion often shown by a dog. It
thinks most of its own comfort and its love is only cupboard love.
C. MORNING WALK
Morning walk is not only enjoyable but also extremely good for health. The atmosphere in the morning
is indeed very pleasant. As we move out, we enjoy the morning breeze and feel refreshed and active.
Even in large cities, there are stretches of open spaces and parks and we could choose any to experience
the joy of walking. But if we happen to be in meadows, gardens and lakes, hilly terrains woven with
groves and valleys, fountains, waterfalls, streams and rivulets, there is the music of the early birds and
mellow glow the tasks ahead of us. The fresh air that we breathe in at this hour purifies our nerves
besides giving us the peace and calm which are so very essential for a satisfying day's work. The day
goes well and we don't get fatigued by the labour in store for us. There are numerous benefits of a
morning walk and all that we are required to do is to become an early riser to welcome the rising sun
a little outside our homes.

EXERCISE
• Write short paragraph on the following subjects :
1. A Rainy Day 2. Cricket Match
3. Anger 4. A Picnic
5. A Flood 6. Your Hobby
7. The Crow 8. Rivers
9. Holidays 10. Your Best Friend

121 Grammar-8
 DIALOGUE WRITING

LET'S BEGIN
27
A Dialogue literally means “talk between two people”. Dialogue-writing is a useful form
of composition, especially for the Indian student who is trying to gain a command of
spoken English. Under proper guidance, it should introduce him to the colloquial way of
talking English, and train him to express thoughts in easy and natural constructions. The
spoken English of the Indian school-boy is too often rather stilted and bookish, owing to
the fact that he has not got much chance of talking with English people: and anything
that will help him to acquire natural fluency and ease in speaking in English.

To write a dialogue successfully, calls for a little dramatic power; for the writer has not only to see both
sides of a question, but has also to put himself, so to speak, inside two imaginary persons so as to make
them express their opposite opinions naturally and in keeping with their characters. He has in turn to
be each one, and see the point of view of each on the question.
A written dialogue should be so composed that it appears to be spontaneous or prompt. The reader of
it should not feel that it is premeditated, stilted and dull.
At the same time, careful preparation is necessary for writing a dialogue, though this must not appear.
The writer must have the art to conceal his art. It is always advisable to make a plan or outline of the
dialogue before beginning to write : otherwise the dialogue may be rambling and pointless.
METHOD OF PROCEDURE
1. Carefully think over the subject given, and jot down briefly the arguments or opinions about it
which might reasonably be expressed by the imaginary persons who are supposed to be talking.
2. Arrange these ideas in some logical order, so that one will arise naturally from another in the
course of the conversation. (It is well to write down these points in the form of an outline, or
numbered heads, as a guide to follow in writing the dialogue.)
3. Try to imagine what would be the way in which each character in the dialogue would express his
views. To do this, you must have in your mind a clear idea of the imaginary person taking part in
the conversation, so as to make them speak in character.
4. Keep in mind that your dialogue, when completed, should read like a real, spontaneous conversation.
So try to make your imaginary characters talk in an easy, familiar and natural manner. Avoid stilted
and bookish phrases. Try to remember how real people talk in friendly conversation, and reproduce
that conversational style as well as you can.
SPECIAL HINTS
1. (a) Don't let any of your characters monopolize the conversation, as if you were giving a public
lecture. Give all a chance, and keep the ball rolling. Let the conversation be brisk and rapid.

122 Grammar-8
 (b) In real conversation, one person sometimes interrupts the other, or breaks in on what he is
saying. A sparing use of such interruptions in written dialogue is quite permissible, and adds
to its naturalness.
Example : (i) “I am perfectly certain he would never do such thing. Why, only the other day
he told me-”
(ii) “I don't care what he told you ! I know for a fact he did it.”
In real conversation, a speaker often answers a question by asking another ; or sometimes, seeing what
is coming, he answers a question before it is asked. You may enliven your dialogue by making your
characters, do the same now and then.”
Example : (i) “What will you do if he does not answer your letter?”
“Well, what would you do?”
(ii) “I heard something about you the other day, John.”
“I know ! You are going to ask me why I was absent from office last Monday.
Well, I will tell you–etc.
(d) In real conversation, people often use exclamations, surprise (e.g., “My word !” “Good heavens
!” “You don't say so !” “Well” etc.); irritation (e.g. “Bother !” “O dear !” “Can find it !”);
pleasure (“How nice !” “Splendid !”)– and so on. Such interjections may be introduced from
time to time, sparingly; but the use of them should not be overdone.
2. The dialogue should begin in an interesting way, so that the reader's attention may be arrested
from the very first. And the conversation should lead up to some definite conclusion. It should not
end abruptly and in the air, so to speak. Special attention should be paid to the opening sentences
and the conclusion.
3. The fact that language should be as far as possible colloquial does not, of course, mean that it may
be ungrammatical. However free-and-easy the style in which the persons in the dialogue are made
to talk, they must talk good English. They must not, for example, be made to use such expressions
as, “He asked my brother and/to tea,”or “ Can I give you an advice?”
4. Keeping these points in view, write your dialogue in as natural, interesting and realistic manner
as possible. The whole conversation should be brief, and the questions and replies as concise and
pointed as possible.

EXERCISE
Write short dialogues :
1. Between two friends about dreams.
2. Between a miser and a spendthrift.
3. Between two friends discussing their hobbies.
4. Between wife and husband about their jobs.

123 Grammar-8
 ESSAY WRITING 28
LET'S BEGIN
An essay is a piece of writing on a given topic. Generally it is composed with a number
of paragraphs designed and developed sequentially on the given topic. The order of
arranging the thoughts in well-connected paragraphs keeping in mind the principles of unity,
coherence and proportion is of utmost importance. Writing an essay is not easy. It needs a
lot of preparation, practice and skill to write a good essay.

A VISIT TO THE RAILWAY STATION

Last Sunday, I went to the station with my father to receive my aunt. We hired a taxi and reached the
station. There were people all around. There was a long queue before the ticket counters. My father
bought two platform tickets and we went in. What a commotion was there on the platform! People
were shouting; engines were whistling; vendors were busy selling eatables; and trains were arriving and
departing. The platform was crowded with hundreds of passengers anxiously waiting for the train. My
father went to the enquiry counter and on return, told me that the train was running on right time.
The station building was huge. There were various offices; the station master’s office, the ticket-office,
the parcel office, the railway mail service office and many more. There was a big waiting hall for the
passengers. It was fitted with benches and electric fans. There were benches at different places on
the platform also. There were many tea-stalls, a book stall and a refreshment room. There was a long
over-stalls and tea-stalls. I saw passengers on every platform waiting for their trains. Porters were busy
carrying luggage, some on their heads and some on wheeling luggage-barrows.
Soon we heard on the public announcement system that our train was about to reach on platform no.
5. We walked to the over-bridge along with some other passengers, crossed it and reached there. Soon
the whistle of the incoming train alerted us and we began to wait for the arrival of the train.
THE ANNUAL FUNCTION OF YOUR SCHOOL
Like every year, the annual function of our school was organized on 14 October this year. For two days,
various competitions on sports, debates, one-act plays and recitations were held. Students of all the
classes took part in them. I also took part in some sports. Then it was time for the prize distribution.
The function was held under a big pandal erected in the school compound as the school hall was not big
enough to accommodate all the students, guests and the visitors. The whole compound was beautifully
decorated with flags, flowers, balloons and photographs. A large platform was put up on one corner of
the compound and on this were some chairs and the tables on which the prizes were kept. The District
Magistrate had been invited to preside over the function and to give away the prizes. There were chairs
on the ground also for the visiting guests and guardians while we sat on the ground.

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By 3.00 p.m, the compound was almost full with the visitors and students. The District Magistrate
arrived exactly at 3.30 p.m he was received at the gate by the Principal and the Chairman of the school.
He was garlanded by some students. When he reached the platform, we all stood up and cheered while
a group of girls sang the National Anthem.
After the District Magistrate and other dignitaries had taken their seats, the Principal read out the
annual report of the school. It was rather dull and nobody cared much for it, but the District Magistrate
seemed to be interested in it for he listened to it with rapt attention.
After the Principal finished reading his report, he requested the District Magistrate to give away the
prizes. The school Co-coordinator now came forward. He called the names of the prize-winner who
walked up to the platform one by one and received their prizes.
Once the prize giving ceremony was over, the District Magistrate made a short speech. He praised the
school for its achievements in sports and studies during the year. He also congratulated the Principal
and the staff for the brilliant results the school had shown in the All India Higher Secondary Examination
and for the various shields the school had won in sports.
After the District Magistrate had sat down, the Chairman thanked him for his presiding over the function
and called for three cheers which we gave whole-heartedly.
Then the District Magistrate left and the Principal declared a holiday in honour of his visit to our school.
A VILLAGE FARMER

India is an agricultural country. India lives in villages. The villagers depend on agriculture. They are
either farmers or workers on the agricultural fields. Our industries and urban business also depend on
agriculture. Thus, an Indian farmer truly represents India. He can be called the son of the soil. It id only
his sweat and labour on which our progress and prosperity depend. He lives in a small house.
A village farmer is a simple man. He is not highly educated. He knows little of reading and writing. He
has no radio. He does not read newspapers. He lives in his own world, as his world is his village. He
does not know about science and human progress. He is God fearing and religious minded.
A village farmer is a hard-worker. He goes to his fields every morning. He gets up early in the morning.
He sows the seeds, ploughs the fields, and reaps the harvest. He has to look after the fodder of his
cattle. At noon he takes rest. He sleeps under the shade of trees. His wife too works very hard. She does
all the work of the house. She also helps her husband in his field.
But despite his great work, his income is very little. His dress is very simple. He puts on dhoti and
khaddar kurta. Sometimes he remains without shoes. He also takes simple food.
During the day he is busy. In the evening he goes to his chopal, enjoys hukka and talks and folk songs.
At night he takes rest. When there is off season, he goes to faird : fairs and festivals are his only source
of enjoyment.
He has to face many difficulties. Often he does not get the just of his crops produced. He faces many
difficulties in procuring loans, money and seeds.

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Moreover he is not treated well by the people of the city.
His importance in our life : Without the farmer, we would not have food, clothes and many other things.
We should pay regard to him. We should be thankful to him and support his progress.
India cannot prosper until Indian farmer is poor and miserable. He is the very soul of the country. He is
as important as a soldier, a doctor or an engineer. That is why our former Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur
Shastri gave us the slogan : "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan". But it should not remain only a slogan. The Indian
farmer should be given his due regard and status. Every effort should be made to make him happy, rich
and comfortable. His labour and sweat should not go unrewarded.
CORRUPTION IN INDIA
During the last two decades, India has seen a steep upward trend in the graph of existing corruption.
Corruption in India has wings not wheels. As nation grows, the corrupt also grows to invent new
methods of cheating the government and public. The corrupt practices have now become our lifestyle to
such an extent that we do not seem to feel that there is anything wrong in what all we are doing, and
that things should not be as they are. We, on the contrary are inclined to justify all wrong, saying that
without doing wrong we cannot exist or be functional. Corruption is the basic problem for our country
that affects each and every section. It affects the devlopment of India by reducing reform infrastructure
and provides low quality services to the individuals.
The causes of corruption are many and complex. Following are some of the causes of corruption.
• Emergence of political elite, who believe in interest-oriented programmes rather than
nation oriented programmes and policies.
• Artificial scarcity created by the people with bad intentions wrecks the fabric of the economy.
• Corruption is caused aas well as increased because of the change in the value system and ethical
qualities of men who administer.
• Tolerance of people towards corruption, complete lack of intense public outcry against
corruption and the absence of strong public forum to oppose corruption allows corruption to reign
over people.
• Vast size of population coupled with widespread illiteracy and the poor economic infrastructure
lead to endemic corruption in public life.
• Election time is a time when corruption is at its peak. Big industrialists fund politicians to meet
high cost of election and ultimately seek personal favour. Bribery to politicians buys influence,
people and bribery by politicians buys votes. In order to get elected, politicains bribe poor
illiterate people, who are slogging for two times meal.
Is it possible to control corruption in our society? Corruption is a cancer, which every Indain must strive
to cure. Many new leaders when come into power declare their determination to eradicate corruption.
But soon they forget it, and indulge in it.

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There are many myths about corruption, which have to be exploded if we really want to combat it. Some
of these myths are : Corruption is a way of life and nothing can be done about it. Only people from
underdeveloped or developing countries are prone to corruption. We will have to guard against all these
crude fallacies while planning measures to fight corruption.
We have to conduct surveys at national level in households and business organizations to identify the
corruption level in India. We can easily know the opinion of the people about the corruption. We shall
also come to know in which fields organizations face problems and how to create awareness in the
people about the Corruption act.
An independent investingating agency totally from interference of any sort should be formed. There
should be an effort to bring all the investigating agencies of the land such as the CVC, the Lok Pal, the
CBI, the ED, etc. under the control of its umbrella.
Corruption is a global problem that all the countries of the world have to confront. Solutions, however,
can only be home grown. We have tolerated corruption for so long. The time has now come to root it
out from our country.

EXERCISE
• Write essays on following topics :
1. Natural disasters (It should contain some disasters like earthquake, flood, cyclone, tsunami and
volcano.)
2. Means of Communication (Include some old means and modern means of communication and
also give a short description about their inventors.)
3. Advantages and Disadvantages of Mobile Phones (Start with the advantages of mobile phones.
Mention the disadvantages in case of youth.)
4. Harmful Effects of Illiteracy in India (It must start with the importance of education and
compare your country with literate countries.)
5. An Interesting Book (Mention your favourite book.)

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 WRITING SPEECH
29
LET'S BEGIN
You may often be asked to deliver a speech on some occasion. It will establish
you as a good speaker. Before delivering a speech, you have to work over the
topic.

Remember the following points before making a speech:

1. Think over the topic and draft the speech.
2. Add suitable examples to make your speech inspiring and lively.
3. Address the audience in a suitable manner.
4. End your speech in an authentic tone.
Example:
You have been asked to deliver a speech on ‘Forgiveness is the best Way of Revenge’ in the morning
assembly of your school. Use your ideas and write a brief speech.
Good Morning Everybody,
This morning, I wish to speak on the importance of ‘Forgiveness’ in life. ‘Forgiveness is the Best Way of
Revenge’ is a famous saying which conveys a moral message to all of us. It is believed that most people
take revenge for injuries received from another person. They believe in the principle, ‘A tooth for a tooth
and an eye for an eye’. But the spirit of revenge is biased and dangerous. It can never bring peace of
mind. It destroys sense and reason, love and compassion. It brings down a man to the level of a brute.
But to forgive the wrong-doer for the harm done by him is the noblest form of revenge. Forgiveness is
one of the qualities of God and forgiveness in return for injuries received is true heroism. It raises a man
far above his enemies. It makes an enemy ashamed of his deeds and converts him into a true friend by
winning his heart.
Thanks.

EXERCISE
1. Write a short speech on ‘Money is a Good Servant but a Bad Master’ to be delivered at the
school assembly.
2. Write a short speech on ‘Importance of Trees’ to be delivered on the ‘World Environment Day’.
3. Write a short speech on ‘Health is Wealth’ to be delivered at the school assembly.

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 NEWSPAPER
REPORT WRITING 30
NEWSPAPER REPORT
A newspaper report is a factual account of an event or happening written in a formal manner. It
may also give information regarding an issue that affects many people.
Reports are written about events, matches, accidents, any natural calamity (flood, earthquake) and
are published in newspapers. Reports of important events like inauguration of a community centre or
annual day are written for newspapers and school magazines respectively.
Features – A newspaper report must essentially have the following features—
• It must contain all the relevant details.
• The report should not reflect a biased approach.
• It may include views of the people concerned.
• It should start with a suitable headline.
• It should be base on facts.
• The first sentence should be an expansion of the headline with few details.
• The name of the place and date should be clearly mentioned.
• The report should be concise and should not carry unnecessary details.
• It should be formal in style.
• A proper conclusion is important.
• The name of the reporter/writer should clearly be mentioned after the heading.
Read the newspaper report given below. You will notice that it is based on the above guidelines.
BIKERS SNATCH A BAG FROM SPANISH MAN

New Delhi: October 29, 20 ________ : A Spanish national was robbed of his belongings by bike - borne
men while he was travelling in a rickshaw.
Bonchart Smith, who hails from Barcelona, was travelling with his friend Mukesh Jha, from Cannaught
Place to Paharganj when the incident took place at 8.30 pm on Monday, a senior police officer said.
This is the third such incident in the last 7 days where a foreigner has been targeted. Smith said,
two bike-borne youths came from behind and snatched his bag. He claimed to have lost his passport,
mobile and 1,000 Euros. He said. “I could not see their faces because they were wearing helmets.”
The police have registered an FIR and are investigating the case but no arrests have been made so far.

The above report covers all the facts in a precise manner and the facts are stated clearly. It is written
in the third person (pronouns. 'I', 'we', 'you' should be completely avoided). It is written in reported
speech.

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The reporter should not impose his / her views or draw any conclusion in his own. Reports are generally
written in the past tense. They should preferable be written in the passive voice. Here is another
newspaper report. Read it carefully and note the details.
Example.
Imagine you are Sudhir Jha, a newspaper reporter, and you attended the launch of a new car T 100
by Maruti in the low-price range with high fuel efficiency. Write a report and state the facts. Select a
suitable headline and you may use the clues given below.
Maruti launched T 100 – Chairman Mr Ajay Sood unveiled the new model – in the price range of 1.5 lakhs – fuel efficient
car – mileage 30 kms per litre – petrol and diesel versions available – designed elegantly – four seater – with modern
fittings – customers responded well and heavy bookings were made – the chairman announced 10% discount for the first
50 buyers – the car was praised for its sleek look and fuel efficiency – will soon be seen on Indian roads.

LAUNCH OF NEW FUEL - EFFICIENT CAR

Gurgaon : October 30, 20....... : Maruti T 100, a new fuel efficient car in the price range of 1.5 lakhs
was launched here by the Chairman Mr Ajay Sood. The new model is available in both petrol and
diesel versions. The new four-seater is expected to give a mileage of 30 kms per litre and is elegantly
designed with modern fittings. The customers responded well with heavy bookings.
An announcement of 10% discount for the first 50 buyers was made by the chairman. The car was
praised for its sleek good looks and fuel efficiency.
The new model will soon be seen on the Indian roads.

EXERCISE
A. Imagine you are a reporter. Write a newspaper report about the inauguration of the Public Library at
Rohini, Delhi for the benefit of all the citizens living in that area. Select an appropriate headline and you
may use the clues given here.
Public Library inaugurated by the Education Minister Mr Satish Patel – boon for book lovers - centrally located
in the main market – collection of 6,000 books – novels, collections of stories, comics, epics, scriptures,
encyclopaedia – spacious hall, well – furnished with good lighting and seating arrangement – will be open all
through the week – two qualified librarians – no membership fees – people gathered in large numbers – few
books were issued – will attract more people to take up reading as a good pastime – a positive step taken
in the direction.
B. Imagine you are a newspaper reporter and you attended the launch of a new health fruit drink,
mainly meant for children of all age groups, at Sidharth Hotel in Mumbai. Write a report and select
an appropriate heading. You may use the clues given here. Imagine that the product was launched by
Sachin Tendulkar.
New fruit drink called ‘Health Sip’ — launched by ‘Nutrition Drinks’ company — at Sidharth Hotel, Mumbai —
children attended in large numbers — Sachin Tendulkar attended the launch — it contains pure fruit juice
without added colours, sugar or preservatives —available in two flavours — orange and apple — free cans
were distributed to all — T-shirts with ‘Health Sip’ printed on them were distributed—will soon be available
at all leading stores.
130 Grammar-8
 COMPREHENSION OF
UNSEEN PASSAGES 31
WHAT IS COMPREHENSION ?

Comprehension means power of understanding and grasping. A comprehension experience

consists of a passage upon which questions are set to test the student's ability to understand
the contents of the given passage and to bring out the information and meaning from it.
How do attempt the questions?
1. Read the given passage slowly and carefully more than once, to grasp the details of the
passage.
2. Study the questions thoroughly and give answers precisely.
3. Write answers in complete sentences and in your own words.
4. Give the answer in the same tense, in which the question is set.
5. Never add your own thought, view or opinion in answering any of the questions.
6. If you are asked to give synonyms or antonyms, the meaning of the word should be chosen in the
context of the passage.
7. The title of the passage should be derived from the theme of the passage. The title should never
be in the form of a sentence.
A. Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow :
Ashoka was at first disposed to follow the example of his father and grandfather and complete the
conquest of the Indian peninsula. He invaded Kalinga in 255 BC. He was successful in his military
operations and alone among conquerors, he was so disgusted with the cruelty and horror of war that the
conquests should be the conquests of religion. His reign of twenty-eight years was one of the brightest
interludes in the troubled history of mankind.
He organised digging of wells in India and planting of trees for shade. He founded hospitals and public
gardens for the growing of medicinal herbs. He created a ministry for the care of the aborigines and
the subject races of India. He made provision for the education of women. He made vast benefactions
to the Buddhists teaching orders and tried to stimulate them to better and more energetic criticism of
their own accumulated literature, for corruption and superstition had accumulated very speedily upon
the pure and simple teaching for great Indian master.
Questions :
1. Why did Ashoka give up war?
2. What measures did Ashoka take up for the welfare of the people?
3. What had gone wrong with the teaching of Buddhism?
4. What did Ashoka do to reform it?

131 Grammar-8
B. Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow :
Primitive man was probably more concerned with fire as a source of warmth and as a means of cooking
food than as a source of light. Before, he discovered less laborious ways of making fire, he had to
preserve it and whenever he went on a journey, he carried a fire brand with him. He discovered that
the fire brand from which the torch may very well have developed, could be used for illumination, was
probably incidental to the primary purpose of preserving a flame.
Lamps, too, probably developed by accident. Early man may have had his first conception of lamp while
watching a twig or fibre burning in the molten fat dropped from a roasting carcass. All he had to do was
to fashion a vessel to contain fat and float a lighted reed in it. Such lamps, which were made of hollow
stones or sea shells, have persisted in identical form up to quite recent times.
Questions :
1. What were the uses of fire for primitive man?
2. From where did the early man get his first conception of a lamp?
3. How did early man develop lamp?
4. What were the vessels made of?
5. How did he preserve fire?

C. Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow :
Throughout the century, palanquin had a large part in Anglo-Indian life. It was the regular mode
of conveyance from house to office, and on all small journeys of business or pleasure, and on long
expeditions across country. With the growth of roads, carriages of various sorts were used for afternoon
airings, but the palanquin remained the essential means of transport within the settlements. Everyone
down to the writer, who just arrived from England possessed a palanquin if he could.
The original palanquin was the dooly which was an ordinary string bed stead, five feet by two, covered
with a light bamboo frame and draped with red curtains. From this, the ornate palanquin of Calcutta
(Kolkata) and Madras (Chennai) was developed. First the shape was changed to that of hexagon. Then
the sides were raised, more ornament was added and the canopy was arched. Cushions were added inside,
and curtains could completely close the palanquin if desired. The occupant reclined at full length, and
was often supplied with a specially designed hookah, at which he could puff as he was borne along to
business.
In Kolkata, Oriyas were usually employed as bearers, but their monopoly was later broken by men form
Patna and Dacca, the usual umber in a set was seven, one cooking for the rest, one being the sirdar
or head bearer. The actual carrying was, therefore, done by five men. The palanquin bearers were very
independent and on occasion went on strike.
Question :
1. What was the importance of palanquin in the past?
2. What was the original form of palanquin in the past?
3. Who broke the monopoly of Oriya palanquin bearers in Kolkata?
4. What shape was given to palanquin of Kolkata and Chennai later on?
5. How many bearers were needed to carry palanquin?
132 Grammar-8
MODEL TEST PAPER-1
Base on Chapters - 1 to 16
A. Tick () the correct statements and cross () the wrong ones:
1. A sentence, phrase or clause always contains a group of words.
2. There is no difference between a phrase and a clause.
3. An Assertive Sentence can be either positive or negative.
4. An Interrogative Sentence can be either positive or negative.
B. Fill in the blanks with correct form of the verbs given in brackets :
1. Ram and Krishan ______________ good friends. (be)
2. Why ______________ they left ? (do)
3. You ______________ supposed to reach the station by now. (be)
4. She ______________ to play the piano from Mrs Rani. (learn)
C. Rewrite the following sentences with the plural form of the nouns. Also, make the suitable changes :
1. I have a sister. She is very naughty. 2. The dog is sitting on my sofa.
3. There is a pencil on my desk. 4. My mother has bought a new saree.
D. Fill in the blanks with suitable relative pronouns :
1. It is only camels __________________ can cross the deserts.
2. He __________________ is content, is rich.
3. Take anything __________________ you like.
4. This is the boy __________________ hit me.
E. Underline the suitable adjective of number :
1. All men are motal. 2. there are six books in my schools bag.
3. He has many shirts. 4. Most students are passed in the class.
F. Join the following sets of sentences using infinitives :
1. He is very ill. He cannot continue work right now.
2. Did you remember ? You had to pay the money.
3. He is going to market. He will buy some vegetables.
4. I heard of his loss. I was sorry for that.
G. Fill in the blanks with the suitable adverbs of manner :
1. Have you seen John ______________?
2. He ate the chocolate cake ______________.
3. Sachin plays cricket ______________.
4. Radhika is walking ______________.

133 Grammar-8
H. Fill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions of place and time :
1. Someone is waiting __________________ the gate.
2. She finished the school __________________ 2009.
3. You can expect me __________________ few days.
4. He is standing __________________ the room.
I. Join and rewrite the following sentences using coordinating conjunctions :
1. He was ill. He went to the doctor. 2. He is a doctor. He likes music.
3. I was angry. I did not reveal my feelings. 4. She likes tea. She likes coffee.
J. Insert Articles where necessary :
1. Elephant is strong animal. 2. Taj Mahal is in Agra.
3. They never fail who die in great cause. 4. It is never thankful in office to offer advice.
K. Fill in the blanks with would or should in the following sentences :
1. Neha __________________ pay what he owes.
2. I __________________ like to go on time.
3. You __________________ be careful while going home.
4. Mona asked me what she __________________ do then ?
L. Fill in the blanks with phrasal verbs :
1. Mohan _____________ a claim for car insurance after a tree fell on his car.
2. His trip was _____________ because the flight got cancelled.
3. Mother told Anu to _____________ all her scattered clothes by afternoon.
4. The manager _____________ good ideas to improve the sales of the new product.
M. Read the following sentences and combine them to form single sentence :
1. They will complete the task. We hope so.
2. This is the book. I bought it yesterday.
3. We entered the hall. The audience was cheering.
4. The girl painted well. She was rewarded.
N. Fill in the blanks with do not / does not / do / does and complete the sentences :
1. They _________________ want to lose the match.
2. Mona _________________ like to be friendly with naughty children.
3. Mother _________________ scold me when I am careless and irresponsible.
4. _________________ she like to read horror stories?
O. Transform the following sentences into interrogative or assertive. Rewrite them in the given spaces :
1. Is there any problem? 2. She is eligible for the post.
______________________ ______________________
3. Every one likes to be praised. 4. No one would like to visit such a place.
134 Grammar-8
MODEL TEST PAPER-2
Base on Chapters - 17 to 31
A. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of verbs given in brackets (Type II) :
1. If the fairy granted you two wishes what ________________ for ?
2. If she walked upright, she ________________ confident.
3. I would certainly travel by Rajdhani if the tickets ________________ available.
4. ________________ if kept this CD a little longer.
B. Rewrite the following sentences in reported speech :
1. Veena said, “The information is being downloaded from the internet.”
2. The plumber said to lady, “I will replace the tap next week.”
3. Geeta met Nirmala and said, “I liked the bun cakes that you sent.”
4. Anu said, “I have bought tickets for the lawn tennis match.”
C. Change these questions into the passive voice :
1. Do they make cars in India? 2. Will the king inaugurate the new bridge?
3. Have the police found the body? 4. Are you looking into our compartment?
D. Give the synonyms of words mentioned below :
1. High ______________ 2. clever ______________
3. zeal ______________ 4. gaiety ______________
E. Give the antonyms of the following words :
1. satisfy ______________ 2. approach ______________
3. fall ______________ 4. alive ______________
F. Make the sentences with the following words to clearly imply their meanings :
1. Purpose _______________________. Propose _______________________.
2. Pour _______________________. Pore _______________________.
3. Loan _______________________. Lone _______________________.
4. Lesson _______________________. Lessen _______________________.
G. Write notices based on the following situations:
1. You are the counsellor at Motinagar. Draft a notice, appealing to the people of the area, to minimize
the vast use of water since the surrounding areas have been affected due to acute water shortage.
2. You are the head boy / girl of your school. Your school is going to launch a programme to teach street
kids in the school premise every Sunday from 10 am to 11 : 30 am. Draft a notice inviting names of
students from different classes who are willing to volunteer as teachers for the programme.
H. Write short dialogues :
1. Between two friends about dreams. 2. Between a miser and a spendthrift.
3. Between two friends discussing their hobbies. 4. Between wife and husband about their jobs.
135 Grammar-8
I. Write essays on following topics :
1. Natural disasters (It should contain some disasters like earthquake, flood, cyclone, tsunami and volcano.)
2. Means of Communication (Include some old means and modern means of communication and also give
a short description about their inventors.)
J. Imagine you are a newspaper reporter and you attended the launch of a new health fruit drink,
mainly meant for children of all age groups, at Sidharth Hotel in Mumbai. Write a report and select
an appropriate heading. You may use the clues given here. Imagine that the product was launched by
Sachin Tendulkar.
New fruit drink called ‘Health Sip’ — launched by ‘Nutrition Drinks’ company — at Sidharth Hotel, Mumbai —
children attended in large numbers — Sachin Tendulkar attended the launch — it contains pure fruit juice
without added colours, sugar or preservatives —available in two flavours — orange and apple — free cans
were distributed to all — T-shirts with ‘Health Sip’ printed on them were distributed—will soon be available
at all leading stores.
K. Read the following and write postcards :
1. You have spent your summer vacation with your friend in Mussoorie. Write a postcard thanking him or
her for the warm hospitality that his / her family had shown towards you.
2. You are visiting your friend in Shimla for your summer vacation. Write a postcard informing her about the
date and time of your departure, the name of the train and the expected time of your arrival at Shimla.
L. Read the following and write e-mails :
1. Write an e-mail to your friend asking him to forward you the holiday homework and also the relevant
information on the project assigned.
2. Write an e-mail in about 120 words, to your elder brother telling him about the Sports Day being
organised in your school.
M. Write short paragraph on the following subjects :
1. A Rainy Day 2. Cricket Match
3. Anger 4. A Picnic
N. Underline the adjective phrases in the following sentences :
1. He is a person of great courage. 2. A boy in great problem came to me for help.
3. She wore a dress made of silk. 4. A stitch in time saves nine.
O. Identify the noun clauses in the following sentences and state their functions :
1. That she will come is certain. 2. I can rely on what she says.
3. Tell me why you are angry. 4. Do you know why he is happy?
P. Underline the adverb clauses in the following sentences and state what kind of each is. Write answer in
the given spaces :
1. You may sit wherever you want. __________________
2. She finished first though she began late. __________________
3. Take a lamp because it is dark outside. __________________
4. It seemed as if he was tired. __________________
136 Grammar-8