Lesson 2

Nouns

A noun is a part of speech that names a person, place, thing, idea, or animal. Nouns can be classified into different types, such as common nouns, proper nouns, concrete nouns, abstract nouns, collective nouns, and compound nouns.

• Common nouns are general words that refer to a class of people, places, things, ideas, or animals. For example, “dog” is a common noun that refers to any member of the canine species.
• Proper nouns are specific names for people, places, or things. Proper nouns are always capitalized. For example, “Sherlock Holmes” is a proper noun that refers to the famous fictional detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
• Concrete nouns refer to things that can be seen, touched, heard, smelled, or tasted. For example, “dog” is a concrete noun because it refers to a physical object.
• Abstract nouns refer to things that cannot be seen, touched, heard, smelled, or tasted. For example, “love” is an abstract noun because it refers to an emotion.
• Collective nouns refer to a group of things that are considered as a unit. For example, “flock” is a collective noun that refers to a group of birds.
• Compound nouns are made up of two or more words. For example, “doghouse” is a compound noun that refers to the house of a dog.

Nouns play an important role in English grammar. They are used as the subject of sentences, the object of verbs, and the object of prepositions. Nouns can also be used in phrases and clauses.

• Nouns:
  • Teacher
  • Student
  • Class
  • School
  • Book
  • Paper
  • Pencil
  • Crayon
  • Eraser
  • Desk
  • Chair
  • Bookbag
  • Backpack
  • Locker
  • Hallway
  • Classroom
  • Playground
  • Gym
  • Cafeteria
  • Principal
  • Vice Principal
  • Secretary
  • Librarian
  • Custodian
  • Nurse
  • Coach
  • Band Director
  • Art Teacher
  • Music Teacher
  • PE Teacher
  • Math Teacher
  • Science Teacher
  • English Teacher
  • History Teacher
  • Foreign Language Teacher

Verbs

A verb is a part of speech that describes an action, occurrence, or state of being. Verbs are used to tell what the subject of a sentence is doing, being, or experiencing.

Here are some examples of verbs:

• Action verbs describe an action that is being performed. For example, “run,” “jump,” “eat,” “sleep.”
• Occurrence verbs describe an event that is happening. For example, “happen,” “occur,” “begin,” “end.”
• State-of-being verbs describe a condition or quality that something has. For example, “be,” “is,” “am,” “were.”

Verbs can be classified into different types, such as transitive verbs, intransitive verbs, linking verbs, and auxiliary verbs.

• Transitive verbs require a direct object to complete their meaning. For example, “The cat ate the mouse.”
• Intransitive verbs do not require a direct object to complete their meaning. For example, “The cat slept.”
• Linking verbs connect the subject of a sentence to a predicate complement, which describes the subject. For example, “The cat is black.”
• Auxiliary verbs are used with other verbs to form different tenses, moods, and voices. For example, “The cat has eaten the mouse.”

Verbs play an important role in English grammar. They are used to form the main part of a sentence, the predicate. Verbs can also be used to form phrases and clauses.

• Verbs:
  • Learn
  • Read Write
  • Spell
  • Do
  • Play
  • Eat
  • Sleep
  • Talk
  • Listen
  • Follow
  • Raise
  • Answer
  • Turn
  • Stay
  • Be

Adjectives

An adjective is a word that describes a noun or pronoun. Adjectives can be used to describe the size, shape, color, age, material, origin, or number of a noun. They can also be used to describe the quality or state of a noun or pronoun.

Here are some examples of adjectives:

• Size: big, small, tall, short, wide, narrow
• Shape: round, square, rectangular, triangular, oval
• Color: red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple, black, white
• Age: new, old, young, middle-aged, elderly
• Material: wood, metal, plastic, glass, cloth, paper
• Origin: American, British, Chinese, Japanese, French, German
• Number: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten
• Quality: good, bad, happy, sad, angry, scared, excited, tired
• State: wet, dry, hot, cold, open, closed, empty, full

Adjectives can be used in a variety of ways in a sentence. They can be used to modify a noun directly, as in “the big dog.” They can also be used to form a compound adjective, as in “the doghouse.” Adjectives can also be used to create a comparison, as in “the dog is bigger than the cat.”

Adjectives play an important role in English grammar. They are used to add detail and information to sentences. They can also be used to create a more vivid and interesting description of something.

• Adjectives:
  • Smart
  • Hardworking
  • Responsible
  • Organized
  • Creative
  • Helpful
  • Kind
  • Patient
  • Respectful
  • Safe

Adverbs

An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs can be used to describe how, when, where, why, and to what extent something happens.

Here are some examples of adverbs:

• How: quickly, slowly, carefully, quietly, loudly
• When: now, then, soon, later, yesterday, tomorrow
• Where: here, there, above, below, inside, outside
• Why: because, for, since, so, that
• To what extent: very, really, quite, somewhat, hardly

Adverbs can be used in a variety of ways in a sentence. They can be used to modify a verb directly, as in “The car drove quickly.” They can also be used to modify an adjective, as in “The car was very quickly.” Adjectives can also be used to modify another adverb, as in “The car drove very quickly.”

Adverbs play an important role in English grammar. They are used to add detail and information to sentences. They can also be used to create a more vivid and interesting description of something.

• Adverbs:
  • Carefully
  • Slowly
  • Quietly
  • Neatly
  • Quickly
  • Happily
  • Sadly
  • Madly
  • Scaredly

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Difference between “a” and “an”

A and an are indefinite articles in English. They are used to introduce a noun that is not specific. A is used before nouns that start with a consonant sound, while an is used before nouns that start with a vowel sound.

Here are some examples:

• A
  • a book
  • a cat
  • a dog
  • a house
  • a tree
• An
  • an apple
  • an elephant
  • an orange
  • an umbrella
  • an hour

It is important to note that the sound of the first letter of the noun is what matters, not the letter itself. For example, even though the word “hour” starts with the letter “h,” it is pronounced with a vowel sound, so we use “an” before it.

Here are some more examples of nouns that start with vowel sounds:

• a university
• a European
• an honor
• an umbrella
• an hour

Here are some more examples of nouns that start with consonant sounds:

• a boy
• a cat
• a dog
• a house
• a tree

A and an are an important part of English grammar. They are used to introduce nouns that are not specific. It is important to know when to use a and an in order to speak and write correctly.

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Plurals

In English grammar, plural is the form of a noun that refers to more than one thing. Most nouns form their plurals by adding -s or -es to the singular form. For example, the singular form of “cat” is “cats,” and the singular form of “dog” is “dogs.”

There are a few exceptions to this rule. Nouns that end in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, or -z usually add -es to form their plurals. For example, the singular form of “bus” is “buses,” and the singular form of “box” is “boxes.”

Nouns that end in -f or -fe usually add -s to form their plurals, but some nouns change the -f or -fe to -v before adding -es. For example, the singular form of “leaf” is “leaves,” but the singular form of “wife” is “wives.”

Nouns that end in -y usually change the -y to -ies to form their plurals. For example, the singular form of “fly” is “flies.” However, nouns that end in -y preceded by a consonant do not change the -y to -ies to form their plurals. For example, the singular form of “toy” is “toys.”

There are a few irregular nouns in English that do not follow the regular rules for forming plurals. Some of the most common irregular plurals are:

• child – children
• man – men
• woman – women
• mouse – mice
• foot – feet
• goose – geese
• tooth – teeth
• deer – deer
• fish – fish

It is important to learn the plural forms of irregular nouns in order to speak and write correctly.

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Time

Time is the continued progress of existence and events that occur in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is often referred to as a fourth dimension, along with three spatial dimensions. Time has long been an important subject of study in religion, philosophy, and science, but defining it in a manner applicable to all fields without circularity has consistently eluded scholars.

Time is measured in many different ways. The most common way is by the use of a clock, which is a device that measures the passage of time by counting regular cycles of events, such as the ticking of a pendulum or the rotation of a gear.

Time is also measured in terms of units such as seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. These units are based on the Earth’s rotation on its axis and its revolution around the sun.

Time is important because it allows us to order events and to coordinate our activities. It is also important for planning and scheduling. Without time, we would not be able to function effectively in the world.

Here are some of the reasons why time is important:

• Time allows us to order events and to coordinate our activities.
• Time is important for planning and scheduling.
• Time is important for communication and for understanding the world around us.
• Time is important for personal growth and development.
• Time is important for relationships and for making memories.

There are two main ways to read the time: analog and digital.

Analog

Analog clocks have two hands: the hour hand and the minute hand. The hour hand is the shorter hand, and the minute hand is the longer hand.

To read an analog clock, first look at the hour hand. The hour hand points to the hour of the day. For example, if the hour hand is pointing to the 12, it is 12 o’clock.

Next, look at the minute hand. The minute hand tells you the minutes past the hour. For example, if the minute hand is pointing to the 12, it is 12 minutes past the hour.

If the minute hand is between two numbers, you can estimate the number of minutes past the hour. For example, if the minute hand is between the 12 and the 1, it is about 11 minutes past the hour.

Digital

Digital clocks display the time in numbers. The numbers are usually separated by colons. For example, 12:00 is 12 o’clock.

To read a digital clock, simply look at the numbers. The first number is the hour, and the second number is the minutes.

Here are some examples of how to read the time:

• 12:00 – 12 o’clock
• 1:00 – 1 o’clock
• 2:00 – 2 o’clock
• 3:00 – 3 o’clock
• 4:00 – 4 o’clock
• 5:00 – 5 o’clock
• 6:00 – 6 o’clock
• 7:00 – 7 o’clock
• 8:00 – 8 o’clock
• 9:00 – 9 o’clock
• 10:00 – 10 o’clock
• 11:00 – 11 o’clock

Here are some examples of how to read the time with minutes:

• 12:05 – 12 minutes past 12
• 1:10 – 10 minutes past 1
• 2:15 – 15 minutes past 2
• 3:20 – 20 minutes past 3
• 4:25 – 25 minutes past 4
• 5:30 – 30 minutes past 5
• 6:35 – 35 minutes past 6
• 7:40 – 40 minutes past 7
• 8:45 – 45 minutes past 8
• 9:50 – 50 minutes past 9
• 10:55 – 55 minutes past 10
• 11:00 – 11 minutes past 11

“Class Schedule”
Diálogo

MARGARET – How’s your new schedule? MARITZA – Great! MARGARET – What’s your first class in the morning? MARITZA –  I have math with Mr. Anderson at 8:00. MARGARET – What time do you have lunch? MARITZA – At 12:00 noon. MARGARET – Really?  Me too.  Do you have history class in the morning or the afternoon?  MARITZA – In the afternoon, at 2:15. MARGARET – Oh.  What about science? MARITZA – I have science at 9:00. MARGARET – What’s your last class? MARITZA – Art.  MARGARET – Me too!  Great!   MARITZA – Oh no.  That’s the bell.  We’re late!

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Pronunciation of letter “E”

The English letter “e” can be pronounced in a variety of ways. The most common pronunciation is as a long vowel, which sounds like the “ee” in the word “meet.” Other common pronunciations of the letter “e” include a short vowel, which sounds like the “eh” in the word “bed,” and a schwa, which sounds like the “uh” in the word “about.”

The pronunciation of the letter “e” can also be affected by the surrounding consonants. For example, the letter “e” is often pronounced as a long vowel when it is followed by a consonant that is pronounced with the lips rounded, such as the “m” in the word “met.” However, the letter “e” is often pronounced as a short vowel when it is followed by a consonant that is pronounced with the lips unrounded, such as the “n” in the word “ten.”

Here are some examples of how the letter “e” is pronounced in different words:

• Long vowel: meet, feet, heat, seat
• Short vowel: bed, end, let, men
• Schwa: about, event, even, very

It is important to note that the pronunciation of the letter “e” can vary depending on the dialect of English that is being spoken. For example, in some dialects, the letter “e” is often pronounced as a long vowel even when it is followed by a consonant that is pronounced with the lips unrounded.