Maxim Book 9_Sunil_2075_final for press

REVISED AND ENLARGED MA IM OF EaNndGCLIoSHmGpRoAsMitMioAnR 9Book Editor/writers D N Mukhiya Sarah Matchett Anand Arora

Published by: TU Road, Kuleshwor, Kathmandu, Nepal Phone: 4672071, 5187211, 5187226 Fax: 00977-1-4672073 e-mail: [email protected] www.readmorenp.com © Copyright: Publisher 2074 BS First Edition : 2066 BS Revised and Enlarged : 2072 BS Reprint : 2073 BS Reprint (Revised and Enlarged) : 2074 BS Reprint (Revised and Enlarged) : 2075 BS Readmore welcomes any suggestions regarding the textbook. Layout: Readmore Desktop Printed in Nepal You can exchange our textbooks from your nearest book distributor if any technical errors are found. Read to help others read! We are pleased to inform that a certain amount from each book is allocated to the Readmore Charity Fund. The fund is provided to the deserving and needy students all over Nepal. The charity always welcomes co-operation and support from all well wishers and agencies.

Preface First Edition 2066 BS of English Grammar and Composition has been designed to give students systematic guidance on grammatical concepts and various functional contexts in which they are used. The series has sound coverage of all the grammar topics, supported by grammar notes, language notes, vocabulary activities, writing composition and reading comprehension techniques for developing the four skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing) of the English language. The grammatical activities in the series represent a blend of both functional and traditional approaches of teaching English grammar. The activities based on functional grammar are meant to improve communicative competence of students by showing them how texts work in real life situations and how grammar works in the context of different text types. On the other hand, traditional approach to English grammar serves to provide students with the terminology and rules needed to talk about grammar; and help them deal with the terms and typical questions of grammar in various English language tests. The exercises are designed to help students understand grammatical concepts in functional context reinforcing the learning of English in the classroom. Many of the exercises incorporate learner-centered activities that include various learning materials and help students get ample practice in applying grammatical concepts in real-life oral and written English. We are really grateful to all the teachers and students of government and private schools who helped us in piloting the series. We feel privileged to extend our sincere thanks to the publisher who thought of publishing this series, and more importantly we are thankful to D N Mukhiya, who revised and edited the series in accordance with the English curriculum of Nepal, following a new approach to the teaching of current English usage. Any constructive suggestions for the betterment of the series will always be welcomed. Authors Revised and Enlarged Edition 2075 BS We are pleased to publish a revised and enlarged edition of Maxim of English Grammar and Composition (Revised and Enlarged). Its first edition has long been one of the best and most representative of all English Grammar books in Nepal, and has continually been enjoyed by English teachers, students and parents since its original publication in 2066 BS. This new edition selectively excludes and includes grammar topics and exercises, makes necessary corrections, and adds colourful illustrations to make the series more classroom friendly and purposeful. In this edition, we have separate books for Grade nine and ten. We acknowledge with appreciation the assistance of all the teachers and experts who have given their valuable suggestions for the revision of the series. D N Mukhiya

Contents Section A: GRAMMAR 1. Sentence...................................................... 5 2. Tag Question............................................... 25 3. Article.......................................................... 37 4. Verb Agreement........................................... 50 5. Tense............................................................ 67 6. If Sentence................................................... 91 7. Prepositions................................................. 102 8. Reported Speech.......................................... 114 9. Causative Verbs........................................... 128 10. Active and Passive .................................... 133 11. Relative Clauses........................................ 151 12. Conjunctions ............................................. 157 Grammar Type I (Reproduction)..................... 162 Grammar Type II (Contextual Passages)....... 165 Section B: READING Seen Passages ........ 169-224 Unseen Passages ....... 225-234 Section C: WRITING 19. Brochures and Leaflets.............. 289 20. Essays....................................... 292 1. Directions............................................ 235 21. Views and Attitudes.................. 299 2. Instructions ........................................ 237 22. Newspaper Articles................... 302 3. Obligations and Prohibitions.............. 238 4. Posters................................................. 240 Section D: LISTENING 5. Advertisements................................... 242 6. Messages of Condolence.................... 244 Listening ......................... 304-311 7. Messages of Congratulations.............. 246 8. Menus................................................. 248 Section E: SPEAKING 9. Recipes............................................... 250 10. Charts and Diagrams........................ 252 Speaking .................................. 312-316 11. Story Writing ................................... 254 Forms of Verbs ........................ 317-320 12. Paragraphs........................................ 260 10. Dialogues.......................................... 263 13. Letters............................................... 265 14. Postcards .......................................... 278 15. Invitation Cards................................ 280 16. Emails .............................................. 281 17. Reviews............................................ 283 18. News Reports ................................... 286

Section: A GRAMMAR Sentence Act out the conversation. Pukar : What are you doing during the winter holidays? Deepa : Nothing in particular. Pukar : I’m going on an excursion with my cousins. How about coming with us? Deepa : Oh, yes, thanks. I’d love to. Where are you going? Pukar : Kakani. What a lovely place it is! Deepa : Yes, it’s a place full of mountain scenery. You can also see rhododendrons growing on the mountain slopes. Pukar : Have you already visited Kakani? Deepa : Yes, several times before. Pukar : Oh, really? Deepa : Actually my uncle has trout fish farming there. Pukar : So, you don’t like to come with us to Kakani, do you? Deepa : Of course, I’ll join your group. It’s been long I haven’t met my uncle. Pukar : I’m glad you’ll join us. It’ll be fun. Deepa : Sure. Let’s meet tomorrow. We’ll make some plans. Pukar : Shall I come to your house? Deepa : Yes. Be there around 8 o’clock. Pukar : Okay, bye. See you tomorrow. Deepa : Bye. Discuss in groups. a. How many sentences end with a question mark? b. How many sentences end with a full stop? c. Is there any sentence that ends with an exclamation mark? d. Circle one sentence that starts with a main verb. Here are some sentences from the above conversation. Rearrange the words to make sensible sentences. a. been/It’s/long/met/I/haven’t/uncle/my. b. lovely/place/What/it/a/is! c. Kakani/you/Have/visited/already? d. make/plans/We’ll/some. e. with/You/come/like/to/us/don’t/to/Kakani. Book 9 5

GRAMMAR STUDY: Types of Sentences There are five types of sentences. Each type is used to express different functions: Form Grammar Notes 1. Assertive There are five types of sentences. Each type is Sub + (aux) + verb + …… used to express different functions: Sub + aux + not + verb + … 2. Interrogative 1. Assertive sentences state or assert something. Aux + sub + verb + …… ? WH+ aux + sub + verb +... ? Archi is a vegetarian. 3. Imperative Her father doesn’t eat meat. Verb + ………………... Her dedication to her work is admirable. Don’t + verb + ………... 2. Interrogative sentences ask questions. 4. Optative May + sub + v1 + ……….. ! What class are you in? 5. Exclamatory May I ask you a few questions? Interjections + sub + …… How much money have you got? How/what……………….! Can you play the guitar? Are you tired? 3. Imperative sentences express command, order, suggestion, warning or request. Bring a glass of water at once. Review Please give me some money. Do exercise daily. A written sentence usually Don’t tell lies. begins with a capital letter and 4. Optative sentences express wishes, blessings, curses, greetings, prayers, etc. ends with a punctuation mark. The house will be built on a hill. May you live long! Full Stop May you defeat your rivals! the postcard? May you have a good morning! How did you find May God help us! Question Mark 5. Exclamatory sentences express sudden Send him a nice gift. feelings or emotions. Full Stop What a clever boy he is! What a fantastic house you have ! What lovely weather! Exclamation Mark Ouch! My leg is paining. Bravo! You did well in the exam. Type Starting Ending Example Assertive He sings a song. They will dance. noun/pronoun... full stop (.) Binod does not sing a song. Does he sing a song? Interrogative WH/auxiliary... question mark (?) Where do you live? full stop (.) Draw a picture. Let him sing a song. Imperative verb/don't/let... exclamation mark (!) May you live long! Optative May... exclamation mark (!) What a nice picture! How nice it is! Exclamatory What/How/ Ouch! It hurts. Interjections Book 9 6

Grammar Practice: Read this funny story and do the activities that follow. An Advertisement for Marriage A man put an advertisement in the classifieds in the local paper: “Wife Wanted”. The next day he received a hundred letters from husbands. They all said the same thing: “You can have mine.” The man said, “What an idiot I am!” He thought there was some mistake in the advertisement so it gave a negative meaning to the husbands. He again inserted another advertisement in the classifieds: “Girl Wanted for Marriage”. The next day he got only one letter. It was from a primary lady teacher. He phoned her and arranged a meeting for the next day at 7:30 am. The man dressed himself in a fine suit. He also prepared some questions to ask the lady. Sharp at 7:30, the door bell rang. He eagerly opened the door and welcomed her in. The lady was a bit nervous and said, “Good, Good afternoon!” The man said, “Good morning. Please come in and have a seat.” Soon they began to talk about each other. After a few minutes’ talk, the man dared to ask the questions. “If you don’t mind, may I ask you a few questions?” the man said. The lady smiled and said, “Oh, sure. Go ahead.” The man said, “What is love and what is marriage?” The lady replied, “Love is one long sweet dream, and marriage is the alarm clock.” The man praised her, “How intelligent you are!” The lady said, “Thanks.” The man again asked, “What happens generally between the man and the woman after marriage?” The lady answered, “In the first year of marriage, the man speaks and the woman listens. In the second year, the woman speaks and the man listens. And in the third year, they both speak and the neighbours listen.” The man asked his final question, “What happens when ‘you’ and ‘I’ are gone…….?” “Only 24 letters are left,” the lady replied. Book 9 7

a Find one sentence for each of the following types of sentences. Assertive Interrogative Imperative Exclamatory b These sentences are from the story. Match them with the functions they express. ASK QUESTIONS What an idiot I am! How intelligent you are! EXPRESS SURPRISE The next day he got only one letter. It was from a primary lady teacher. STATE SOMETHING Please come in and have a seat. MAKES A REQUEST What is love and what is marriage? What happens when ‘you’ and ‘I’ are gone? Grammar Practice: These are the sentences from the story. Rearrange them to make sensible sentences. a. a local paper put an in the classifieds advertisement in the man. ....................................................................................................................... b. inserted again another he in the classifieds advertisement. ....................................................................................................................... c. next day he the a hundred husbands letters from received. ....................................................................................................................... d. primary it was from a teacher lady. ....................................................................................................................... e. He eagerly opened the door and welcomed her in. ....................................................................................................................... f. they began each to talk about soon other. ....................................................................................................................... g. marriage happens generally woman what between the man and the after ? ....................................................................................................................... Book 9 8

Grammar Practice: Write the types of the following sentences. a. Did she leave school at 4 p.m.? ...................................... b. Do accept my apologies. ...................................... c. May you have a good day! ...................................... d. We study in the same class. ...................................... e. How old is your brother? ...................................... f. Shut the door. ...................................... g. Bring me a glass of water. ...................................... h. May you go to hell! ...................................... i. Wow! It’s really good. ...................................... j. How clever she is! ...................................... k. What a nice dress it is! ...................................... l. Please give me your pen. ...................................... m. Bravo! You topped the class. ...................................... n. May God help us! ...................................... o. Hurray! We won the match. ...................................... p. Call the police. ...................................... q. Kamal drives so doggone fast. ...................................... r. What a shame! ...................................... Writing Practice: Write at least three sentences of each type. Assertive Interrogative Imperative Optative Exclamatory Book 9 9

GRAMMAR STUDY: Transformation Transforming affirmative sentences to negative and interrogative and vice versa requires auxiliary verbs in sentences. If there are no auxiliary verbs in sentences, we take the help of do-verbs (do/did/does) to transform sentences. Sentences with auxiliary verbs n Add ‘not’ after the auxiliary verb to make negative. YES They are tired. They are not tired. He will write a letter. He will not write a letter. She has gone out. She has not gone out. n Keep the auxiliary verb before the subject to make interrogative. Does the They are tired. Are they tired? He will write a letter. Will he write a letter? sentence have She has gone out. Has she gone out? an auxiliary Sentences without auxiliary verbs verb? n Add ‘do not/did not/does not’ after the subject to make negative. He runs fast. He does not run fast. He ran fast. He didn’t run fast. They run fast. They do not run fast. NO n Place ‘Do/Did/Does’ before the subject to make interrogative. He runs fast. Does he run fast? He ran fast. Did he run fast? They run fast. Do they run fast? Some words change while transforming sentences. some – any There are some computer games. There aren’t any computer games. Are there any computer games? already – yet He has already found the answer. He hasn’t found the answer yet. Has he found the answer yet? too – either He likes apples, too. He does not like apples, either. and so –and neither She wrote a letter and so did her brother. She didn’t write a letter and neither did her brother. several-any He has written several books. He has not written any books. a lot of - much/many She bought a lot of books. She didn’t buy many books. always – never They always come here. They never come here. either…or – neither…nor Either Mina or Tina will sing a song. Neither Mina nor Tina will sing a song. some (beginning) – no Somebody wrote it. Nobody wrote it. Some payments were made last year. No payments were made last year. Book 9 10

Imperative sentences are made negative as follows: Read this book. Do not read this book. Stay here. Do not stay here. Always keep your bag here. Never keep your bag here. Let him know about it. Do not let him know about it. Let’s stay here for a while. Let’s not stay here for a while. If we insert ‘did/does’ in a sentence, the form of the main verb changes to the first form (v1). If we remove ‘did/does’ from a sentence, the form of the main verb changes to the singular present form (v5) in the case of ‘does’ and to the past form (v2) in the case of ‘did’. Adding He drives me home in his car. 'does/ does not' He doesn't drive me home in his car. Does he drive me home in his car? Removing She does not study hard. Does she study hard? 'does/ does not' She studies hard. Adding He drove me home in his car. 'did/did He didn't drive me home in his car. Did he drive me home in his car? not' Removing She did not study hard. Did she study hard? 'did/did not' She studied hard. The forms of main verbs change only when we add or remove ‘did’ and ‘does’.The forms of main verbs do not change in the case of other auxiliary verbs. He has written a letter. He has not written a letter. Has he written a letter? (He has not write a letter.) He is writing a letter. He is not writing a letter. Is he writing a letter? (He is not write a letter.) (Is he write a letter?) Grammar Practice: Write the auxiliary verbs in the brackets. If there are no auxiliary verbs in the sentences, write the forms of the main verbs. a. She will call me tomorrow. (will) b. Tony broke his neck in the fall. (v2) c. Albert Einstein was a genius in physics. (……………….) d. I have found my gloves lying on the floor. (……………….) e. The dress is made of pure cotton. (……………….) f. He caught hold of my arm. (……………….) g. Toilet paper comes in rolls. (……………….) h. She started to weep uncontrollably. (……………….) i. They draw a lot of pictures. (……………….) j. He has promised to finish the work by June. (……………….) Book 9 11

k. The kids were getting tired and a little cranky. (……………….) l. They swam across the river. (……………….) m. Her chair is close to the wall. (……………….) n. Tina can run fast. (……………….) o. Mohan got a new job two months ago. (……………….) p. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowds. (……………….) q. There is a shortage of water. (……………….) r. He would squeeze the lemon in the curry. (……………….) Grammar Practice: Complete the following tables. Affirmative Negative Interrogative She swims well. She swam well. They don’t speak French. They swim well. They didn’t speak French. He doesn’t speak French. She studies nicely. She studied nicely. Do they play games? They study nicely. Did he play games? Does he play games? Did she weep at night? Does she weep at night? Do they weep at night? Affirmative Negative Interrogative She is swimming well. She can swim well. They have swum well. They aren’t speaking French. They won’t speak French. He hasn’t spoken French. Can they play games? Will he play games? Has he played games? She is studying nicely. She will study nicely. They have studied nicely. He hasn’t written this letter. She isn’t singing a song. They weren’t sleeping. Book 9 12

Grammar Practice: Read the examples and change the following sentences as indicated in the brackets. Affirmative He called a taxi for you. Affirmative statement Negative He did not call a taxi for you. Negative statement Yes/no question Did he call a taxi for you? Interrogative Yes/no question negative Did he not call a taxi for you? Interrogative negative Didn’t he call a taxi for you? NOTE: Use only the contracted forms of auxiliary verbs before the subject. If you use the full forms of auxiliary verbs, keep NOT after the subject. a. There will be someone to meet you on arrival. (negative) b. The money didn’t arrive for a month. (affirmative) c. I never asked you to do it. (affirmative) d. Is there any sense in doing that? (affirmative statement) e. It matters little whether we win or lose. (negative) f. Shut the door. (negative) g. Will you shut the door? (affirmative statement) h. Put glue on both the surfaces. (negative) i. Either Mina or Mona can solve this puzzle. (negative) j. She got me a glass of water. (negative) k. Will you get out of here or not? (affirmative statement) l. He attended the meeting. (negative) m. Does the sentence contain an auxiliary verb? (affirmative statement) n. Get out of here. (negative) o. His excellent performance surprised everyone. (interrogative ) p. Did you consult a doctor? (affirmative statement) q. My clothes were washed very well. (negative) r. They were asked to show their passports. (negative) s. There is a place to sleep. (yes/no question) t. Did you believe that story? (affirmative statement) u. We drank a whole bottle each. (yes/no question) v. The chicken was only half cooked. (yes/no question negative) w. He nodded his agreement. (yes/no question) x. She has visited all the ponds of Janakpur. (negative) y. The river drains into a lake. (yes/no question) z. Amit can play the guitar. (yes/no question negative) Book 9 13

GRAMMAR STUDY: Agreeing or Disagreeing Read and learn. so + auxiliary + subject SO It is used to agree with an affirmative sentence. I like noodles. So do I. So does he. I am happy. So do they. So does Riya. I have bought a cap. So am I. So is he. He can swim. So is she. So are they. So is Raju. So are Anu and Ali. So have I. So has he. So has she. So have they. So can I. So can he. So can they. So can Anu. Neither neither + auxiliary + subject It is used to agree with a negative sentence. Neither does he. I don’t like noodles. Neither do I. Neither does Riya. I am not happy. Neither do they. Neither is he. I have not bought a cap. Neither am I. Neither are they. He cannot swim. Neither is she. Neither are Anu and Ali. Neither is Raju. Neither has he. Neither have I. Neither have they. Neither has she. Neither can he. Neither can I. Neither can Anu. Neither can they. Parallel sentences The parallel structures are used with both affirmative and negative sentence to show contrasts with what was said before. She likes noodles but her sister doesn’t. v5 – doesn’t She liked noodles but her sister didn’t. v2 – don’t She will like noodles but her sister won’t. v1 – don’t She has eaten noodles but her sister hasn’t. has – hasn’t will – won’t can – can’t Book 9 14

Grammar Practice: Fill in the blanks with correct auxiliary verbs. a. Her uncle likes to walk around in bare feet. So………. mine. b. Angela can play table tennis. So………….Sudha. c. Biva has tidied her bedroom. So………….Neha. d. I don’t like loud music. Neither………..my friend. e. Amit and Sohan are good students. So………….Niraj. f. They should obey the instructions. So………..we. g. I will be at the party. So…………….Hem. h. Mr Yadav is very clever. So…………his children. i. You don’t like noodles. Neither……….Jeevan. j. Tea keeps you awake. So …………….coffee. k. Angela isn’t coming to the park. Neither……………Nina and Rahul. l. I’m a student. So…………you. m. Anu isn’t interested in music. Neither……..Mina. n. He didn’t say anything, and neither ………… I. o. Bhola didn’t understand the joke. Neither……..his wife. p. The students were not tired at the end of the day. Neither………the teachers. Grammar Practice: Read the examples and make correct expressions with SO and NEITHER. e.g. Her dog likes chasing cats. (mine) So does mine. She doesn’t live here any more. (Anil) Neither does Anil. a. I like reading novels. (my sister) b. Anu and Ali haven’t finished their work yet. (Deepak) c. We can’t speak Chinese. (our friends) d. You are late for school. (I) e. They never refuse to obey the school rules. (Pukar) f. Mina and Sudha go to Everest School. (Bina) g. You should work hard. (Kamal) h. I am not expecting any prize. (you) i. She won’t wait for me here long. (he) j. I did not buy any book yesterday. (Mina) k. Numa speaks English very well. (Pemba) l. Madan should not have left school so early. (Bikash) m. His father goes to work by bus. (hers) n. My uncle is a computer scientist. (Mina’s) o. He won’t go to work on Saturday. (Madan) p. They are learning the guitar at the moment. (Gita) Book 9 15

GRAMMAR STUDY: WH Questions The structure of WH questions is as follows: WH + auxiliary verb + subject + main verb +……………+ ? Where did you buy that dress? How long will your brother be here? When do the students come here? This structure doesn’t apply in the case Why was the woman crying? of ‘Who’ and ‘What + verb’ questions. How many books has he got? Who wrote this book? Whose book is this? What made him write this book? We use WH words to ask questions. WH questions are used to find out specific information about topics. WH words Uses Examples who asking what or which person or Who opened the door? people (subject) Who will sing a song? whom asking what or which person or Whom did you see? people (object) Whom do you like to invite? whose asking about possession Whose are these keys? Whose book did you read? when asking about time When were you born? where asking in or at what place or position Where do they live? Where will you go? which asking about choice Which colour do you want? why asking for reason, asking what...for Why do you say that? Why was he weeping? what asking for information about What is your name? something What did you eat yesterday? What kind of description What kind of book do you want? what...for asking for a reason, asking why What did you do that for? why don’t making a suggestion Why don’t I help you? how asking about manner How does this work? asking about condition or quality How was your exam? how far distance How far is Lahan from Rajbiraj? how long length/duration (time or space) How long will it take? how many quantity (countable) How many cars are there? how much quantity (uncountable) How much money do you have? how old age How old are you? how often frequency How often do you come here? While changing a statement into aWH question, remove the answer from the statement. She came here yesterday. When did she come? (‘Yesterday’ is removed.) Ravi will write a poem. Who will write a poem? (‘Ravi’ is removed.) He bought six apples. How many apples did he buy? (‘Six’ is removed.) She was born in 1992. When was she born? (‘In 1992’ is removed.) Book 9 16

Grammar Practice: Read the answers and fill in the blanks with suitable WH words. a. ……….....are you talking to? Mina. b. ……….....are you waiting for? Suman. c. ……….....can’t you come to my birthday party? Because I am sick. d. ……….....are you feeling today? Not bad. e. ……….....are you lurking around outside my house? Because I'm waiting for you. f. ……….....are you so bright and cheerful today? Because I've won the match. g. ……….....is that dress? Eighty dollars. h. ……….....are you going for your holidays this year? Pokhara. i. ……….....are you going? I'm going to Pokhara. j. ……….....did you go to school? At Pulchowk. k. ……….....did you learn to cook? In my village. l. ……….....is the red car? Behind the house. m. ……….....are you in such a hurry to sell? Because I'm short of money. n. ……….....are you living now? At Baneshower. o. ……….....are you looking at? That old house. p. ……….....did it cost? Rs. 5000/- q. ……….....is that smell coming from? From the kitchen. r. ……….....have you put my shirt? In the cupboard. Grammar Practice: Read the answers and fill in the blanks with suitable WH words. a. ……….....do you want to go? Nagarkot. b. ……….....don’t you come? Because I’m busy. c. ……….....faces does a cube have? 6 faces. d. ……….....fish did you catch? A lot of. e. ……….....happened to Binod? He broke his leg in the fall. f. ……….....does the party start? Sharp at 4 pm. g. ……….....hat is this? Atul’s. h. ……….....doesn’t he speak to me any more? Because he’s angry with you. i. ……….....is your family? In Pokhara. j. ……….....of these do you like? A red one. k. ……….....do you want to go tomorrow? At the zoo. l. ……….....often do you study at the library? Once a week. m. ……….....shall we eat tonight? At a restaurant. n. ……….....sits in this seat? Mr. Adhikari. o. ……….....time does the news come on? 7 am. p. ……….....do you wear in winter? Sweaters and jackets. q. ……….....does it take you to get there? 30 minutes. r. ……….....were they made? In Japan. Book 9 17

Grammar Practice: Change the statements into WH questions. a. The bus arrived at ten o’clock. (what time) ................................................................................................................................... b. Those boys sell newspapers there. (what) ................................................................................................................................... c. Kumar does his homework at night. (when) ................................................................................................................................... d. Salina washes her hair twice a week. (how often) ................................................................................................................................... e. His father came to the party alone. (who) ................................................................................................................................... f. The park is across the street from the house. (where) ................................................................................................................................... g. Hari doesn’t go to school because he is sick. (why) ................................................................................................................................... h. I like the red hat, not the blue one. (which) ................................................................................................................................... i. Neha felt better after she took a nap. (how) ................................................................................................................................... j. Anu will come here after two weeks. (when) ................................................................................................................................... k. Kumar ran nearly two kilometres this morning. (how far) ................................................................................................................................... l. Niraj talked to him for an hour. (how long) ................................................................................................................................... Grammar Practice: Change the statements into WH questions. a. Madan learnt swimming when he was a child. (what) .................................................................................................................................. b. Those books cost sixty rupees. (how much) .................................................................................................................................. c. They travel by bus. (how) .................................................................................................................................. d. Amit meets Deepa on the corner every morning. (where) .................................................................................................................................. e. Miss Rai teaches us English. (what) .................................................................................................................................. f. Suman gets up at seven every morning. (when) .................................................................................................................................. Book 9 18

g. The party lasted all night. (how long) .................................................................................................................................. h. I paid five hundred rupees for this shirt. (how much) .................................................................................................................................. i. Mina is frying some onions in the kitchen. (what) .................................................................................................................................. j. There are sixteen classrooms in my school. (how many) .................................................................................................................................. k. They are coming to visit tomorrow. (when) .................................................................................................................................. l. Mandira is learning computer because she wants a better job. (why) .................................................................................................................................. Grammar Practice: Change the statements into WH questions. a. His father works as a cashier in a bank. (where) .............................................................................................................................. b. I don’t get up early because I like to sleep late. (why) .............................................................................................................................. c. His uncle gets home at 6 o’clock every night. (what time) .............................................................................................................................. d. Anita has dance classes every Friday. (how often) ............................................................................................................................. e. They like to visit their grandmother on weekends. (what) .............................................................................................................................. f. The park is only two kilometres far from my house. (how far) .............................................................................................................................. g. Her favourite kind of music is Jazz. (what) .............................................................................................................................. h. I didn’t bring my story book today because my brother is reading it. (why) .............................................................................................................................. i. They are eating Chinese food. (what kind) .............................................................................................................................. j. The reserve covers an area of some 1140 square kilometres. (how big) .............................................................................................................................. k. Biva speaks Chinese very well. (what) .............................................................................................................................. l. They got in an accident last week. (what happened) .............................................................................................................................. Book 9 19

Writing Practice: Fill each blank with a suitable WH question sentence. Deepak : Hi, Naresh. ...............................................? Naresh : I’m fine. ..................................................................? Deepak : My school trip was fantastic. Naresh : Oh! .....................................................? Deepak : We went to visit the zoo. Naresh : ..............................................................? Deepak : It is located at Jawalakhel. Naresh : .........................................................? Deepak : I spent four hours there. Naresh : ...........................................................................? Deepak : We left at 4 pm. Naresh : ..............................................................................? Deepak : I saw several animals and birds. Naresh : .............................................................? Deepa : It’s around 2 km from Lagankhel. Jawalakhel isn’t so far from Lagankhel. Naresh : ..............................................? Deepa : I went there with my classmates and class teachers. Naresh : ..............................................................? Deepa : There are twenty students in my class. Writing Practice: Write five WH questions. ................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................... Book 9 20

1Test Yourself Change the statements to questions using the question word in parenthesis: a. I like the red shirt, not the blue one. (which) b. It’s five o’clock. (what time) c. Kiran is going to work right now. (where) d. Arun drinks three cups of coffee each day. (how much) e. Mr. Sharma came to the party alone. (who) f. Niroj ate eggs for breakfast this morning. (what) g. A fox lives in our garden. (what) h. She felt better after she took a nap. (how) i. Binita has been reading for an hour. (how long) j. They are talking about their new boss. (who) k. Sudha talked to him for an hour. (how long) l. That is an English book. (what) m. I saw Suresh at the library yesterday. (where) n. My sister called her friend yesterday. (when) o. It is very cold in my hometown. (where) p. Sunita needs to buy a dress. (what) q. The bookcase has three shelves. (how many) r. The car is across the street from the house. (where) s. The cheque was for ten lakh rupees. (how much) t. The man with the white hat is my brother. (who) u. The mother took the children to the zoo. (where) v. They are singing popular songs. (what kind) 2Test Yourself Correct the following sentences: a. Does he puts more coal on the fire? b. She hasn’t already bought that novel. c. “Did he meet you?” “Yes, he meets me.” d. There aren’t some books on the table. e. “Has he written a poem?” “No, he doesn’t.” f. Sita doesn’t works here. g. “Do they play football?” “No, they didn’t play football.” h. Nita hasn’t written some poems. i. Did Bina eat something in the restaurant? j. Sabnam wore a blue dress but her sister doesn’t. Book 9 21

k. The negative of ‘He has bought some books.’ is: He hasn’t buy any books. l. The affirmative of ‘Did she drive a car?’ is: ‘She drives a car.’ m. The interrogative of ‘We cooked food.’ is: ‘We didn’t cooked food.’ n. He ate some apples but his brother do not eat any. o. The negative of ‘Do it now.’ is: ‘Do not it now.’ p. The negative of ‘They always sing Nepali songs.’ is: ‘They do not never sing Nepali songs’. q. The affirmative of ‘Did his brother play football yesterday?’ is: ‘His brother play football yesterday’. r. The interrogative of ‘Your friends will play basketball tomorrow.’ is: ‘Did your friends play basketball tomorrow?’. s. Anita wrote a letter and so does her sister. t. They weren’t tired and so was I. u. His father works in a bank and so did my uncle. v. “When did you write this letter?” “I write this letter two weeks ago.” 3Test Yourself Change the sentences as indicated in the brackets: a. Jane always listens to the radio in the evening. (negative) b. Someone stole my pen. (interrogative) c. She will bring a lot of chocolates. (negative) d. There wasn’t a man in the room. (affirmative) e. Mr Johnson washes his car every Saturday. (interrogative) f. Amit does not buy old books. (affirmative) g. Are girls better students than boys? (affirmative) h. Did anybody call him yesterday? (affirmative statement) i. I didn’t find the joke at all amusing. (affirmative) j. There isn’t anybody living here. (affirmative) k. Do it slowly and carefully. (negative) l. Did you go anywhere interesting? (affirmative statement) m. They didn’t invite me in the party. (affirmative) n. Turn the key in an anticlockwise direction. (negative) o. We did not find the food in the hotel very good. (affirmative) p. We make a lot of profit. (yes/no question) q. Will she be available this afternoon? (affirmative) r. You asked some questions. (yes/no question) s. There was some milk in the bottle. (yes/no question) t. He tried to read a newspaper. (negative) u. He’s not very good at arithmetic. (affirmative) v. Don’t tell anybody about it. (affirmative) Book 9 22

4Test Yourself Change the sentences as indicated in the brackets: a. Either Mohan or Sunil will call you this evening. (negative) b. Has he not written any letters? (affirmative statement) c. Has our flight been announced yet? (affirmative statement) d. He has not finished his work yet. (affirmative) e. Do they want to join us? (affirmative statement) f. She didn’t do anything last week. (affirmative) g. Have they studied hard? (affirmative statement) h. Can his brother drive this car? (negative) i. Goma does some housework. (negative) j. They know my brother Rahul. (negative) k. He mopped his forehead with a handkerchief. (interrogative) l. I care about what he says. (negative) m. The DVD player comes with a year’s guarantee. (negative) n. Pukar will be playing football. (yes/no question) o. You will have to buy us some more. (negative) p. The mother held the baby gently. (yes/no question) q. The robber pulled a gun on the cashier. (negative) r. The temperature was falling. (interrogative) s. We call one another by our first names. (negative) t. They will go to Butwal tomorrow. (yes/no question) 5Test Yourself Change the sentences as indicated in the brackets: a. Do your work properly. (negative) b. We have worked together for six months. (negative) c. The telephone wires have been cut. (yes/no question) d. We need someone to generate new ideas. (negative) e. You owe me five thousand altogether. (yes/no question) f. Don’t mess up with these things. (affirmative) g. Her mother does not work for an insurance company. (affirmative) h. Are you going to visit Pokhara next week? (affirmative statement) i. Aren’t there any children here? (affirmative statement) j. His car broke down yesterday. (yes/no question) k. Did the burglar steal anything valuable? (affirmative statement) l. Do you think they are going to win the match? (affirmative statement) Book 9 23

m. Has he met you before? (affirmative statement) n. Madan didn’t have a chance to meet me. (affirmative) o. They do not enjoy fishing. (affirmative) p. Suman does not go to school by bus. (yes/no question) q. My brother doesn’t like playing video games. (yes/no question) r. He gave me a present for my birthday. (negative) s. The man was telling the truth. (yes/no question) t. The kid won’t fall off the chair. (affirmative) 6Test Yourself Rewrite the following sentences choosing the correct answers from the brackets: a. “Did anyone see you?” “No, nobody..........................me.” (see, didn’t see, saw) b. “..............................Ganesh build a new house last year?” “No, he didn’t do it last year. He built it three years ago.” (Do, Does, Did) c. “.............................................. finish the work on time?” “No, he didn’t.” (Does he, Do he, Did he) d. “Does he play the piano?” “No, he ...................................... He plays the guitar.” (do not, does not, did not) e. “.................... it?” “Yes, I did it yesterday.” (Did you, Do you do, Did you do) f. “He found something in the room.” The yes/no question of the given statement is: ...................................................? (Did he find anything in the room, Did he found anything in the room, Did he finds anything in the room) g. I sometimes go to the cinema. ...................................... go to the cinema? (Do you sometimes, Do you ever, Did you always) h. “There’s some news today.” The yes/no question of the given statement is:....................? (Is there some news today, Has there any news today, Is there any news today) i. “When did Aryan finish his work?” “He .................... it two weeks ago. (finish, finishes, finished) j. Bhupal has not gone to the cinema, .................... have I. (none, neither, so) k. David likes curry, but his brother..................... (don’t, doesn’t, didn’t) l. Anuj! Did your sister help you? No, she ..................... (didn’t, does, doesn’t) m. Hari didn’t ....................his house. (built, builds, build) n. Did you .................... the principal yesterday? (met, meets, meet) o. I want to go to Paris for my honeymoon, but she............ (don’t, doesn’t, didn’t) p. Hari doesn’t ....................to pass. (try, tries, tried) q. Pukar plays chess but he ............... carom. (don’t play, doesn’t play, is not play) r. Binod said he would do it and he ................................. (do, does, did) s. Did you complete your task? No, I.....................(haven’t, don’t, didn’t) t. Aryan said he would ring, but I ...................think he will. (don’t, doesn’t, didn’t) u. My wife needs glasses now, but her mother still .............. (don’t, doesn’t, didn’t) Book 9 24

Tag Question Read the conversation and underline the tag questions. Amar : The weather is beautiful today, isn’t it? Subin : Yeah, it sure is. I love sunny, warm weather. Amar : Me too. We’re going for a swim this afternoon, aren’t we? Subin : Yes, we are. We should reach the pool at 1 pm, shouldn’t we? Amar : Yes, we should. And then we’ll swim till 3pm. I’m so excited. Subin : So am I. Can we swim for two hours? It’ll be too long, won’t it? Amar : No, it won’t be. When we get tired, we’ll take a rest. Subin : Okay. You have already bought a swimming costume, haven’t you? Amar : Yes, I have. You also have a swimming costume, haven’t you? Subin : Yes. I have one. Then let’s meet at the pool sharp at 1 pm, shall we? Amar : Yeah. Catch you later. In the above conversations, the expressions like ‘isn’t it?’, ‘aren’t we?’, ‘shouldn’t we?’, etc are tag questions. e A tag question is a short question added to the end of an assertive or imperative sentence. e An assertive or imperative sentence is turned into a question when a tag question is added to it. Jeevan is a mechanic, isn’t he? statement tag He doesn’t like meat, does he? Note: The term ‘question tag’ is statement generally preferred by British tag grammarians, while American grammarians prefer the term Don’t make a noise, will you? ‘tag question’. imperative tag Let’s meet at the pool, shall we? imperative tag e We use tag questions to confirm or check information or ask for agreement. You want a book, don’t you? You can swim, can’t you? You don’t know the answer, do you? This weather is good, isn’t it? e We use tag questions to check whether something is true. The meeting is on Monday, isn’t it? You won’t go without me, will you? Book 9 25

Listening Practice: Read aloud the sentences with proper intonation patterns. Tag questions use two kinds of intonation (changes in the level of your voice). e If we don’t know the answer, it is a real question and we use a rising intonation with the tag question. You don’t know where the boss is, do you? Her mother was working in a bank, wasn’t she? They’re vegetarians, aren’t they? She doesn’t speak Chinese, does she? Anita is a good dancer, isn’t it? e If we know the answer and are just confirming the information we use a falling intonation with the tag question. That film was fantastic, wasn’t it? The weather is fine, isn’t it? He lives in Kathmandu, doesn’t he? They wrote a letter, didn’t they? Sony will sing a song, won’t she? He has gone out, hasn’t he? Deepa can swim, can’t she? His name is Amar, isn’t he? What is the structure of the tag question? The tag question is made up of an auxiliary verb and a pronoun. It’s almost time to go, isn’t it? comma + auxiliary + subject + question mark Remember: M The structure of the tag question is ‘comma + auxiliary verb + subject + question mark’. M Use a comma to separate the statement and the tag question. M Start the tag question with a small letter. M End the tag question with a question mark. M Use the contracted forms of negative auxiliaries (isn’t, hasn’t, wasn’t, weren’t,…). M Use the same auxiliary verb. M Use “don’t/didn’t/doesn’t” if there is no auxiliary. M The subject should agree with the auxiliary verb. M Always use single pronouns. Do not use nouns as the subject of the tag. M Use only nine pronouns (I, we, you, he, she, it, they, there, one). Book 9 26

Study these examples. Positive Sentences + Negative Tags Negative Sentences + Positive Tags It’s hot today, isn’t it? It isn’t hot today, is it? Yesterday was too hot, wasn’t it? Yesterday wasn’t too hot, was it? You wrote it, didn’t you? You didn’t write it, did you? He’s laborious, isn’t he? He isn’t laborious, is he? We win things in a lottery, don’t we? We don’t win things in a lottery, do we? She can ride a bicycle, can’t she? She can’t ride a bicycle, can she? Ü Normally a positive statement is followed by a negative tag, and a negative statement is followed by a positive tag. Ü Sentences with ‘not, never, no, none, hardly, barely, scarcely, seldom, etc’ are negative sentences. Positive statement Negative tag Answer You are Japanese, aren’t you? Yes, I am. Negative statement Positive tag (If you are Japanese) No, I’m not. (If you aren’t Japanese) Answer He’s not read this book, has he? Yes, he has. Now study these sentences again. (When he’s read this book.) No, he hasn’t. (When he’s not read this book.) She stayed here no longer, did she? It’s almost time to go, isn’t it? A negative statement has a positive tag. It’s almost time to go, isn’t it? It’s almost time to go isn’t it? We use a comma to separate the tag and the statement. He has gone out, hasn’t he? He has gone out, Hasn’t he? A tag question always starts with a small letter. She’ll help them, won’t she? She’ll help them, will not she? We use contracted forms of negative auxiliary verbs in tags. They are tired now, aren’t they? They are tired now, don’t they? We use the auxiliary verb of the statement to form tags. They work hard, don’t they? They work hard, work not they? If there is no auxiliary verb in the sentence, we use ‘don’t, didn’t, doesn’t’ to form tags. Riya will leave after lunch, won’t she? Riya will leave after lunch, won’t Riya? We use pronouns as the subject of the tag, not nouns. Book 9 27

GRAMMAR STUDY: Auxiliaries of Tag Questions We choose auxiliary verbs for tag questions on the basis of two rules: 1 If there is an auxiliary verb He’s a chemist, isn’t he? in a sentence, use the same She can dance, can’t she? auxiliary verb to form tags. He hasn’t come, has he? Mina will buy it, won’t she? They’re nervous, aren’t they? She didn’t laugh, did she? The boys were singing, weren’t they? This rule doesn’t apply in the following cases: ► ‘Am’ changes to ‘aren’t’. I’m tired, aren’t I? (…………, amn’t I?) I’m sleeping, aren’t I? ► Singular auxiliary verbs (is, was, has, does) change to plural auxiliary verbs (are, were, have, do) if the subjects are indefinite pronouns (somebody, someone, nobody, everybody, everyone, etc). Somebody has come here, haven’t they? (…………, hasn’t they?) Everybody was singing, weren’t they? Someone is there, aren’t they? He plays the flute, doesn’t he? Nobody helps me, do they? v5 (………, doesn’t they?) He played the flute, didn’t he? v2 2 If there is no auxiliary verb in a They play the flute, don’t they? sentence, use ‘don’t (v1), didn’t (v2), v1 doesn’t (v5)’ as auxiliary verbs. She goes to school, doesn’t she? v5 They go to school, don’t they? ► Be careful with some contracted v1 forms of auxiliary verbs as their full She went to school, didn’t she? v2 forms depend in context: She’s sleeping now, isn’t she? 's + v-ing (present time) = is 's She’s sleeping yesterday, wasn’t she? 's + v-ing (past time) = was She’s just slept, hasn’t she? 's + v3 (present time) = has 're They’re sleeping now, aren’t they? 're + v-ing (present time) = are They’re sleeping yesterday, weren’t they? 're + v-ing (past time) = were He’d rather sing a song, wouldn’t he? 'd + rather + v1 = would He’d sing a song, wouldn’t he? 'd + v1 = would 'd He’d better sing a song, hadn’t he? 'd + better + v1 = had He’d sung a song, hadn’t he? 'd + v3 = had Book 9 28

Grammar Practice: Read the examples and fill each blank with a suitable auxiliary verb to complete the tag question. Be I’m a student, aren’t I? I’m happy, ..............................I? Verbs I’m not a student, am I? I’m not sad, .............................. I? She is a student, isn’t she? He is happy, .............................. we? She isn’t a student, is she? He is not sad, .............................. he? You’re a student, aren’t you? You are happy, .............................. you? You aren’t a student, are you? You are not sad, .............................. you? He wasn’t a student, was he? She was happy, .............................. she? He was a student, wasn’t he? She wasn’t sad, .............................. she? They weren’t students, were they? They were happy, .............................. they? They were students, weren’t they? They weren’t sad, .......................... they? Have He has played, hasn’t he? He has gone out, ..................... he? Verbs He hasn’t played, has he? He hasn’t lived here, ..................... he? They have played, haven’t they? They have slept, .......................... they? They haven’t played, have they? They haven’t cleaned, ....................... they? He had played, hadn’t he? He had gone out, ......................... he? He hadn’t played, had he? She hadn’t eaten food, ..................... she? Modal He will play, won’t he? He will read a book, ............................ he? Verbs He won’t play, will he? He won’t read a box, ............................ he? I shall play, shan’t I? I shall read a book, ............................ I? I shan’t play, shall I? She can’t read this book, .................... she? She can’t play, can she? He could read this book, ..................... he? She can play, can’t she? We should read this book, .................. we? He could play, couldn’t he? He may read this book, ...................... he? He couldn’t play, could he? He wouldn’t read this book, ................. he? They may play, mayn’t they? He mayn’t read this book, ....................he? They mayn’t play, may they? They would read this book, ............... they? He ought to play, oughtn’t he? They ought to read this book, ............ they? He oughtn’t to play, ought he? They can read this book, ............ they? She shouldn’t play, should she? Anu can read it, ............ she? She should play, shouldn’t she? Raju can’t read it, ............ he? He wouldn’t play, would he? They will come soon, ............ they? He would play, wouldn’t he? They can’t come here, ............ they? Do I play, don’t I? I read books, .................. I? Verbs I do not play, do I? I do not read books, ...................... I? He plays, doesn’t he? He reads books, ....................... he? He does not play, does he? He does not read books, ................... he? She plays, doesn’t she? She reads a book, .................... she? She does not play, does she? She didn’t read books, ....................... she? They play, don’t they? She read a book last week, ................ she? She played, didn’t she? They read books, ..................... they? She didn’t play, did she? We enjoyed a lot, ............ we? Book 9 29

GRAMMAR STUDY: Subject of Tag Question Generally there are nine pronouns that occur as the subject of the tag. They are I, we, you, he, she, it, they, there and one. Use the same pronouns as the subject of the tag. I like swimming, don’t I? We help one another, don’t we? You’re married, aren’t you? She can run fast, can’t she? He doesn’t eat meat, does he? They are quarrelsome, aren’t they? There is a boy in the hall, isn’t there? One can easily do it, can’t one? If there are two pronouns, use the single pronouns. …….and I He and I will sit here, won’t we? You and I She and I will sit here, won’t we? we They and I will sit here, won’t we? Ram and I will sit here, won’t we? You and I will sit here, won’t we? You and he will sit here, won’t you? You and……. you You and she will sit here, won’t you? You and they will sit here, won’t you? You and Anu will sit here, won’t you? He and she they He and she will sit here, won’t they? If there are nouns, use the single pronouns that replace them. singular male Binod is a mechanic, isn’t he? he Her father is a doctor, isn’t he? Mina’s uncle drives a car, doesn’t he? singular female Anu is a nurse, isn’t she? she His sister is tall, isn’t she? Kumar’s aunt lives in Kathmandu, doesn’t he? uncountable nouns it Milk is good for us, isn’t it? His hair is long, isn’t it? something/nothing/ it Something is there, isn’t it? everything...... Nothing else matters, does it? this/that it This is your book, isn’t it? That is a diary, isn’t it? plural nouns The boys are there, aren’t they? they The books are good, aren’t they? The dogs are barking, aren’t they? Book 9 30

somebody/nobody/ Somebody did it, didn’t they? everybody...... someone/none/ they Nobody helps them, do they? everyone...... Everybody likes it, don’t they? these/those they These are parrots, aren’t they? there there Those are pigeons, aren’t they? one one There was a hut, wasn’t there? There is a house, isn’t there? There are two houses, aren’t there? One can only hope, can’t one? One should read this book, shouldn’t one? One has to strive to success, hasn’t one? Grammar Practice: Fill each blank with a suitable pronoun to complete the tag question. 1. My brother is collecting stamps, isn’t ……….? 2. Mina and I often watch TV in the afternoon, don’t ……….? 3. You and Mina have cleaned your room, haven’t ……………? 4. Nima and Deepa don’t like Maths, do …………? 5. Everybody was very happy, weren’t……….. ? I 6. Samir played basketball yesterday, didn’t ………? 7. These fields belong to the villagers, don’t.............? 8. The children are going home from school, aren’t ……? we 9. Amina didn’t do her homework last Monday, did ………..? 10. Kumar could have bought a new car, couldn’t …………….? my 11. Someone helped them, didn’t..............? 12. His uncle will come tonight, won’t ……………? he 13. Everybody looked so happy, didn’t…………? 14. This dress isn’t very good, is …........……? she 15. That dog’s very noisy, isn’t.............? 16. The bank lent him the money, didn’t..................? are 17. The book is a best-seller, isn’t..............? there 18. Nobody will be there, won’t……........…? 19. One can make a difference, can’t...............? 20. Nobody’s got to leave early, have...............? they 21. The water in this pond is clean, isn’t............? 22. Nothing about me is true, is...........? it 23. The weather is really bad today, isn’t...........? 24. There’s nothing on TV tonight, isn’t............? 25. The students of Grade nine are working on the project, aren’t …….? Book 9 31

26. This was an interesting exercise, wasn’t………..? 27. There’s a farm house near the church, isn’t.......? 28. Jeevan and Kunal aren’t in Kathmandu at the moment, are…….? 29. Gopal’s father got what he wanted, didn’t ………….? 30. Riya and I frightened you, didn’t…….? 31. Cars pollute the environment, don’t ……..? 32. Nima wasn’t in the class, was………..? 33. Suman believes you, doesn’t………? 34. Sita didn’t recognize me, did …….? 35. I’m going to eat this food, aren’t ………..? 36. The car isn’t in the garage, is ……? 37. The trip is very expensive, isn’t ……? 38. That little girl can’t speak English very well, can…….? 39. Raju and Mohan don’t take Karate classes, do…………..? 40. Anu’s brother would like to get a scholarship, wouldn’t ……? GRAMMAR STUDY: Imperative Sentences When we use question tags with imperatives, we usually use ‘won’t’ for invitations and ‘can, can’t, will, would’ for orders. We generally use ‘will’ with negative imperatives. Invitations Take a seat, won’t you? polite Have some tea, won’t you? Help me, can you? quite friendly Orders Help me, can’t you? less friendly Positive Close the door, would you? Imperatives Do it now, will you? quite polite Offers and Let’s go, shall we? less polite Suggestions Let’s go to a movie, shall we? Let’s buy a camera, shall we? (Let’s = let us) Let’s help her, shall we? After let’s... and offers and suggestions we use ‘shall’ Negative Don’t forget, will you? With negative Imperatives Don’t sit here, will you? imperatives only Never do it again, will you? ‘will’ is possible. As the use of the tag with imperatives depends on context and we often cannot judge the context in a single sentence, in examinations we usually use ‘will you’ with all types of imperatives except ‘Let’s’. Do it, will you? Don’t do it, will you? Let me do it, will you? Let’s do it, shall we? Book 9 32

1Test Yourself Choose a suitable tag question for each sentence: a. Nima didn’t go,………………….? (does she, doesn’t she, did she) b. You haven’t been on holiday,………………….? (have you, are you, do you) c. We can go tomorrow,………………….? (won’t we, can we, can’t we) d. I’m early,………………? (isn’t I, aren’t I, are I) e. This shirt is too big for me, ………………….? (isn’t it, doesn’t it, does it) f. Kumar’s mother plays the piano well,………? (isn’t it, does she, doesn’t she) g. He’s been to Lumbini twice,…………………? (has he, hasn’t he, had he) h. We’d rather buy cheaper ones,…………? (hadn’t we, wouldn’t we, didn’t we) i. Suman hadn’t grown much, …………………? (has he, hasn’t he, had he) j. Mina works in a supermarket,………………? (does she, doesn’t she, did she) k. Rani didn’t eat anything last week,…………? (does she, doesn’t she, did she) l. You aren’t going to Birgunj today,……………? (have you, are you, do you) m. Reena doesn’t talk much,………………….? (does she, doesn’t she, did she) n. Nisha didn’t close the door,…………………? (does she, doesn’t she, did she) o. These old houses are going to fall soon,….? (don’t they, aren’t they, are they) p. Let’s set the table for dinner, ……………..….? (do we, will you, shall we) 2Test Yourself Fill each blank with a suitable tag question: a. It was very hot yesterday,…………………………..? b. Rosy said goodbye to everyone,…………………………..? c. The waves drove against the shore,…………………………..? d. Most people like apples,…………………………..? e. These dresses look different in the bright light of day,………………..? f. The traffic is very heavy,…………………………..? g. She has got three small puppies,…………………………..? h. Everybody will be happy,…………………………..? i. There will be a chance for us to look around the park,…………..? j. The Principal hasn’t called you yet,…………………………..? k. She’s already bought a dress for herself,…………………………..? l. These trousers are a bit tight,…………………………..? m. She’ll go home by bus,…………………………..? n. Bina’s father works for a travel agency,…………………………..? o. The rain is clearing slowly,…………………………..? p. The sun melted the snow,…………………………..? q. Let’s throw a party,…………………………..? r. A strong wind blew from the east,…………………………..? Book 9 33

3Test Yourself Complete each sentence with an appropriate tag: a. Don’t drop that vase,……………….? b. Mandira arrived late, …………..? c. It appears that she is enjoying herself,………………? d. Let’s try and phone her again,………………….? e. Barking dog seldom bites, ……… ? f. Your mother is a teacher, ………………....? g. He won’t do it, ………………….? h. I’m in trouble, .........? i. The boy didn’t know the lesson,……………….? j. It won’t happen,…………………..? k. Nobody has arrived yet,……………….? l. He’s very handsome,………………? m. It’s beautiful, ……………….? n. She doesn’t cook very well,………………….? o. The girls were playing in the snow,…………………………..? p. Mina shut her finger in the car door,…………………………..? q. You’d better stop going there,…………………………..? r. Take a close look at this photograph,…………………………..? s. Oranges are full of Vitamin C,…………………………..? t. My sister’s birthday is next week,…………………………..? u. They never get up early in the morning,…………………………..? v. She was laughing the whole time in the party,…………………………..? w. Deepak always cycles to school,…………………………..? x. They’d rather go by bus,…………………………..? y. Don’t stand outside in the cold,…………………………..? z. My brother and I do not look alike,…………………………..? 4Test Yourself Complete each sentence with an appropriate tag: a. My brother finished it, ……………? b. Naresh has been ill, …………………? c. I think she deliberately did that work,……………….? d. Deepak shouldn’t do it, ………………? e. Riya’s father will come, ……………….? f. I am afraid he is seriously ill,…………………? g. Let’s go for a walk,……………….? h. I don’t suppose you are serious,……………….? Book 9 34

i. The discipline in this school is not lax,………………………..? j. You don’t know the answer of this question, ………………………..? k. Someone has let the dog in,………………………..? l. The moon goes round the earth, ………………………..? m. The punishment was harsh and unfair,………………………..? n. You haven’t got Rs. 50 to lend me, ………………………..? o. Kamal can read this book, ………………………..? p. You can go to school,………………………..? q. There weren’t any problems when you talked to Miss Rai, ……………..? r. You haven’t got a pen by any chance, ………………………..? s. Help me with these bags, ………………………..? t. Hem walked through the long grass,………………………..? u. We walked down the street,………………………..? v. Her hair hung down to her waist, ………………………..? w. This product has not been tested on animals,………………………..? x. Nobody knows, ………………………..? y. This shirt isn’t big enough for me,………………………..? z. The school bell rings at 9:30,………………………..? 5Test Yourself Complete each sentence with an appropriate tag: a. These kids need some new clothes, ……………………? b. You’d better stop now, ………………………..? c. There haven’t been any phone calls,………………………..? d. You’d like to win a fortune on the lottery, ………………………..? e. The town fell into enemy hands, ………………………..? f. That’s the shop where you used to work, .......? g. You’ve hardly touched your food,………………………..? h. Your failure is most regrettable,………………………..? i. The weather’s bad, ………………………..? j. She went to the library yesterday, ...................... ? k. You couldn’t help me with my homework, ………………………..? l. This will work, ………………………..? m. Don’t worry on my behalf,………………………..? n. Pukar should read this book, ………………………..? o. Anil won’t object, ………………………..? p. This is really boring, ………………………..? q. Mina doesn’t cook very often,……………….? r. This isn’t as bad as I thought,………………………..? Book 9 35

s. You aren’t going to cry when I leave,………………………..? t. He’d better do it,………………………..? u. You haven’t got a dog, ………………………..? v. He’ll read this book,………………………..? w. Kamal never drinks alcohol,………………………..? x. You don’t think he could be right, ………………………..? y. It won’t be hard to convince her, ………………………..? z. The bird laid three eggs,………………………..? 6Test Yourself Complete each sentence with an appropriate tag: a. Somebody is there, ………………………..? b. This button is for adjusting the volume,………………………..? c. You won’t forget to check my emails,………………………..? d. Don’t burst that balloon,………………………..? e. The buses run half-hourly,………………………..? f. The butcher weighed the piece of meat,………………………..? g. I don’t think anyone will help me,……………..? h. My brother likes chocolate very much,…………..? i. They often come home late,…………….? j. I suspect he is in love,……………….? k. She’s had too much to do lately, .......? l. They should be here soon, ......? m. I’m correct,…………..? n. He’s a very good student,………………? o. I’m not intruding, ..........................? p. His sister studies very hard,……………………? q. I’m not late, ……………...? r. It hasn’t rained, ………………………..? s. Her father is the richest person in the town,…………………….? t. Don’t stay out, ..................... ? u. I’m sure his uncles will help me, ............................. ? v. Use your energy in a positive way, ........................... ? w. He made an important call in the morning, ............................ ? x. They may not agree with you, .......................... ? y. His brother was a good guitarist, ........................... ? z. A school boy falls on the ground, ............................? Book 9 36

Article Read the text and underline the articles. My Close Friend A friend in need is a friend indeed. We all need a friend of our own age. I have a lot of friends and we have a great time together. Among them, Sudan, a classmate of mine from Pokhara, is my close friend. Sudan is tall and quite good-looking. In fact, he is the tallest boy in our class. He has got an oval face with short black hair and brown eyes. He has got a pointed chin and thin eyebrows. He looks very smart when he wears our school uniform. He has got interesting hobbies. He loves reading newspapers and magazines. He reads the Himalayan Times daily. He has subscribed a monthly magazine. Its name is Wisdom. It is one of the best magazines for students. Like reading, he is fond of playing musical instruments. He likes to play the guitar and the flute. Besides books and music, he also likes cooking. He prepares breakfast for his parents on Saturday. He is good at making an omelette, slicing bread, spreading butter on it and making tea. His favourite subject is English. He always gets an A in English. He wants to be a good English teacher in the future. He also likes to play chess. He says it is an interesting game. He is one of the most talented chess players in our school. All in all, Sudan has a pleasing personality and everybody likes him. I am proud to be his friend. Ü There are three articles in English. They are Nouns: a friend, a boy, a game, a ‘A’, ‘AN’ and ‘THE’. They come with nouns or teacher, an omelette, an elephant, etc. noun phrases. Noun phrases: a good friend, an intelligent boy, a new game, the tallest Ü ‘A’ and ‘AN’ are called the Indefinite Articles whereas ‘THE’ is called the Definite Article. boy, etc. Ü The indefinite articles ‘a/an’ mean ‘one, any, some, one item out of many similar items’. They give general meaning to nouns. I have a close friend. (It means: one close friend.) I saw an elephant yesterday. (It means: any one elephant; it doesn’t matter which one.) Give me a spoon. (It means: any one spoon.) He is a classmate of mine. (It means: I have many classmates; he is one of them). He wants to be a good English teacher. (It gives general meaning.) He always gets an A in English. (It gives general meaning.) Book 9 37

Ü The definite article ‘the’ means ‘this, that, his, her, their, the only one, the one we are speaking about’. It gives definite or specific meaning to nouns. Sudan is the tallest boy in his class. (Only one is the tallest.) The magazine that he reads is monthly. (The particular magazine) The question that you asked is difficult. (The particular question) Pass me the newspaper. (It means: this or that newspaper; both the speaker and the listener know about it.) The uniform is on the table. (It means: his or her uniform) Listening Practice: Repeat these words after your teacher. /E/ a dog, a book, a bench, a hat (before consonant sounds) a/an /En/ an apple, an egg, an owl, an insect (before vowel sounds) /TE/ a dog, a book, a bench, a hat (before consonant sounds) the /TI/ an apple, an egg, an owl, an insect (before vowel sounds) Remember ‘a’, ‘an’ and ‘the’ are usually pronounced as /E/ in connected speech. Grammar Practice: Here are expressions from the above text. Use suitable articles with them. Remember some nouns do not take any articles. Use a cross (x) for each of these nouns. ........ classmate of mine ........ Pokhara ........ tea ........ close friend ........ friend ........ butter ........ short black hair ........ brown eyes ........ A in English ........ most talented chess ........ pointed chin ........ omelette our ........ school uniform ........ thin eyebrows ........ bread ........ Himalayan Times ........ Saturday ........ best magazines ........ musical instruments ........ guitar ........ Wisdom ........ monthly magazine ........ breakfast ........ pleasing personality ........ tallest boy in our class ........ interesting game ........ English ........ good English teacher ........ oval face ........ chess have ........ great time ........ players ........ flute Now discuss the following questions in groups. • Choose any three expressions that do not take any article and the ansay why these nouns have no article. a• Choose any three expressions that come with ‘the’ and no article discuss why these nouns have ‘the’ article. • Choose any three expressions that come with ‘a/an’ and discuss why these nouns have ‘a/an’ article. Book 9 38

GRAMMAR STUDY: Definite and Indefinite ‘The’ refers to a particular member of a group. ‘A/an’ does not refer to a particular member of the group. When we say: Let’s read the poem. KTnrouwPthlaetdrgioetismRaTinigboewr It means a specific poem. There is only one circled. Truth Rainbow Let’s read a poem. It means any one poem rather than a specific poem. There are five. It could Patriotism Tiger be any one. It’s not definite. Knowledge I just met the most intelligent student of this school. There are many students, but only one particular student is the most He would like to meet a student of this school. intelligent. Here, we’re not talking about a particular student. We’re talking about any student. There are many students, and he wants to see any student. He doesn’t have a specific one in mind. Mt. Everest is the highest mountain in the world. Reshma is the tallest girl in her class. There can be the only one highest mountain. There can be only one girl who is the tallest. M Some additional phrases, clauses, repeated words and unique things make the nouns definite. The book that I bought last week is very useful for me. It makes the noun ‘book’ definite. The milk in this glass is very hot. It makes the noun ‘milk’ definite. The students of this school are very talented. It makes the noun ‘students’ definite. The girl in the blue dress is my sister. It makes the noun ‘girl’ definite. I bought a book last week. Somebody stole the book. It is repeated here. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. It is a unique thing. There is only one sun. Book 9 39

GRAMMAR STUDY: ‘A’ or ‘AN’ with Consonant and Vowel Sounds The correct choice of ‘a’ or ‘an’ depends on the initial sound of a word, not on the initial letter of the word that they precede. MThe vowel letters ‘a’ and ‘i’ often give vowel ™ Use ‘a’ before singular nouns sounds, but ‘e’, ‘o’ and ‘u’ give both vowel and that begin with consonant sounds consonant sounds. (a cow, a dress, a baby, a man, a an apricot, an orbit, an actor, an axe yak, a net, a pet). an aggressive man, an apple seller ™ Use ‘an’ before singular nouns an idea, an inventor, an inkpot that begin with vowel sounds. an interesting game, an Indian businessman (an apple, an owl, an ox, an umbrella, an egg, an inkpot). an egg (an European) an owl (an one-eyed man) an umbrella (an uniform) Vowel letters pronounced as vowel Vowel letters pronounced as consonant sounds sounds an entrance, an exam, an excellent movie a European, a Euro coin, a ewe an orange, an ox, an owl, an octopus a one-legged man, a one-way ticket an umbrella, an urn, an ugly creature a university teacher, a uniform, a used napkin, a unicorn M ‘A’ or ‘AN’ is used only with singular nouns, not with plural nouns. ‘A’ or ‘AN’ is used only with countable nouns, not with uncountable nouns. a book (a books) a hen (a water) a doll a man an orange (an oranges) an apple (an ice) an egg an axe M Singular countable nouns that start with the ‘h’ letter come with ‘a’ when it is pronounced, but they come with ‘an’ when it is silent. h is silent: an hour, an honest person, an honourable teacher, an heir, an heiress h is pronounced: a horse, a hunter, a hammer, a hat, a house, a half yearly meeting M Abbreviations that start with A, E, F, H, I, L, M, N, O, R, S and X give vowel sounds and come with ‘an’, and that start with B, C, D, G, J, K, P, Q,T, U, V, W, Y and Z give consonant sounds and come with ‘a’. an SOS message a UFO an MA a BA an SDO a VIP an MLA a WHO officer an NTC staff a BBC reporter an RSS article a TOEFL score M If the noun is preceded by an adjective or adverb, the choice between ‘a’ or ‘an’ depends on the initial sound of the noun phrase. a boy an intelligent boy a very intelligent boy an egg a broken egg a half-boiled egg a problem an unusual problem a very big problem a European an old European a brave European Book 9 40

GRAMMAR STUDY: Uses of ‘A’ or ‘AN’ ‘A’ and ‘AN’ are used in the following context: Rules Examples in the sense of one I have a brother and a sister. She bought a book last week. They live in a big building. before phrases of jobs My father is a car mechanic. She is a doctor and her brother is a famous actor. Is his father a singer? time and measurements We have English classes 4 times a week. They go on holiday twice a year. Our car can do 220 kilometres an hour. Tomatoes are Rs. 50/- a kilo in Kathmandu. to mean ‘each’ or ‘every’ They come here once a week. She earns six thousand a month. I brush my teeth twice a day. before phrases of nationality Michael Jackson is an American. Imran is a Muslim. and religion David is a Christian. half/quite We need half a pound of sugar. This is quite a good story. when a singular countable noun A dog is barking in the garden. I saw an old man in the street. is mentioned for the first time There is a big elephant. Long ago there lived a king. a singular countable noun which A book is something you read. is used as an example of a class A dog is a faithful animal. of things A school is a place where children learn good things. certain numerical expressions a dozen, a hundred, a meter, a kilo a few people, a little sugar, a few books, a little milk, a few dresses, a lot of money in exclamations before singular, What a pity! What a sunny day! What an interesting story! countable nouns What a clever man he is! with units of uncountable nouns a piece of wood a piece of bread a piece of cake a piece of chalk a cup of tea a glass of milk a drop of dew a bar of soap a bar of chocolate a grain of rice a lump of sugar a bottle of oil a tube of toothpaste a pinch of salt with some phrases have a drink, have a look, have a rest, have a pity have a say , have a bath, have a cold, have a pain take a rest, take a look, in a low voice, in a whisper in a hurry, in a fix, on a diet, make a complaint in an accident, in an instant, as a result, as a rule at a loss, on an average, in a bad temper make a profit, make a loss, light a fire give an answer, a short time ago, take an interest in a headache, in an accident, have a holiday at a glance, get a high fever Book 9 41

Grammar Practice: Fill in the blanks with‘a’or‘an’where necessary. …….operator …….architect …….eye specialist a …….umpire …….elevator …….stamps …….icicle …….ambulance …….extra eraser …….potatoes …….sugar …….ugly creature …….eagle …….orchid …….very good doctor …….inspector …….honest inspector …….hour …….uniform …….ewe …….useful car …….old umbrella …….intelligent man …….oil …….green leaf …….octopus …….hours b They study in ……big classroom. Anu saw…….rabbit in class. Here is…….umbrella for you. Mr Rai is …….. honest person. Subin has..….. cat and …… dog. Mahesh is ……… young boy. David is …….European. Do you like……oranges? Mina earns six thousand ……. month. Gold is………..precious metal. Sony spoke to me in …….low voice. …….dogs are pet animals. Her sister is…….BBC reporter. Deepa is………SEE candidate. His brother is ……..MA. It was all over in …….instant. I read a story about ……. unicorn. His father is ……….. honourable man. c Kunal returned home after ……..hour. It took ……. hour to reach the bus stop. Do you want to see ………… movie today? I bought …...umbrella to go out in the rain. Sunita borrowed ……. eraser from Renu. Is this……apple? No, it’s………..pear. There is…….. orange coat on the bed. ……..boatman rows his boat with……..oar. Would you like …….milk in your tea? These fish will quickly die in ……salt water. Whoever made this cake is ……. real artist. He jammed the door open with ……. piece of wood. The snake sheds its skin once ……. year. The villagers lit …….fire to keep off wild animals. His grandfather visited this place…….year ago. That is ….. very large box. We need……small one. …….. apple ………..day keeps the doctor away. Is that …….fresh apple, or is it ……….. old apple? They once owned ………..house in Kathmandu. If you’ve done with that newspaper, can I have …….look at it? Book 9 42

GRAMMAR STUDY: Uses of ‘THE’ Always use ‘the’ with the names of the following nouns. e Religious books: the Bible, the Geeta, the Ramayan, the Vedas, the Quran,... e Newspapers: the Kantipur, the New York Times, the Rising Nepal, the Gorkhapatra,... e Famous ships: the Marry Celeste, the Titanic, the Dei Gratia, the Queen Marry,... e Deserts and canals: the Sahara, the Thar, the Gobi, the Panama Canal, the Gandak,... e Gulfs, and peninsulas: the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the Gulf of Guinea,... e Oceans and islands: the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Isle of Man,... e Plural names of countries: the Netherlands, the Philippines, the United States, the West Indies,... e Nationality adjectives: the English, the Scottish, the French, the American,... e Plural names of families: the Gurungs, the Ranas, the Yadavs, the Smiths,... e Historic events: The Martyrs Day, the Independence Day,... e Famous hotels: the Yak and Yeti, the Soaltee, the Annapurna, the Everest,... e Museums and libraries: the National Museum, the American Library, the Science Museum,... e Historical buildings: the Pashupati Nath Temple, the Kasthamandap, the Eiffel Tower, e Historical monuments: the Statue of Liberty, the Little Mermaid,... e Theatres and clubs: the Jay Nepal, the Kumari, the Rotary Club, the Lion’s Club,... e Geographical areas: the Middle East, the West,... e Celestial bodies: the sun, the moon, the sky, the universe,... e Points on the globe: the Equator, the North Pole,... e Parts in the house: the kitchen, the bedroom, the dining room, the toilet,... e Inventions: Who invented the radio and the telephone? e Directions: the east, the west, the north,... e Daybreaks: in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening e Physical positions: the top, the bottom, the left,... e Ordinal numbers: the first, the second, the third, the fifth,... e Periods of ten years: the thirties, the sixties, the twenties,... e Superlatives: the highest mountain, the largest animal, the most excellent idea,... e Parallel comparatives: The more you practice, the more you learn. e Repeated nouns: I bought a book. Somebody stole the book. e Rivers and seas: the Karnali, the Ganges, the Nile, the Rhine, the Thames, The Amazon,... the Caribbean Sea, the Dead sea, the Mediterranean, the Black Sea,... e Mountain ranges: the Himalayas, the Alps, the Rockies, the Andes,... (The names of single mountains do not take any articles- Mount Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro,... ) e Adjectives representing social groups: the blind, the deaf, the rich, the poor, the elderly, the young, the sick, the old, the unemployed, the homeless,... Book 9 43

GRAMMAR STUDY: No Article Ü We do not use articles with the following nouns and phrases: days and months I was born on Monday in June. Do you come here on Saturday? languages He speaks English and Nepali. Can you speak French? academic subjects Is Science your favourite subject? He is good at Mathematics. games and sports Do you play cricket or basketball? streets and lakes Where is Fewa Lake located? colours Pink is my favourite colour. illness He died of pneumonia. headlines Tallest Man Became Father by +vehicles Shall we walk or go by bus? next/last + time He came here last month. possessive/apostrophe + nouns This is Riya’s best dress. Ü These expressions generally do not take any article: all morning all night all day all day and night at dinner at first sight//glance by air at home at sunset at night at school at work by chance by coincidence by means of by mistake by post by sea by surprise in class in danger in memory of in place of in public in conclusion in fact in pencil in ink in time in town make friends with in court on strike on duty on fire by accident on foot on holiday on top of per hour Ü The following table shows when we use the indefinite article ‘a/an’ and when we don’t. No Article A/AN plural countable nouns with general meaning singular countable nouns with general meaning Dogs are domestic animals. A dog is a domestic animal. I like boiled eggs. I like a boiled egg. names of games names of games + players He plays football. He is a football player. She plays tennis. She is a tennis player. academic subjects academic subjects + teacher/ lecturer/professor He is good at English. He is an English teacher. Her favourite subject is Geography. She is a Geography professor. names of meals adjectives + names of meals He takes breakfast at home. I had a light dinner in the morning. She cooks dinner herself. I never eat a big dinner. musical instruments in terms of playing, learning musical instruments as objects and gifts and teaching I have a guitar and she has a violin. He can play the guitar but he can’t play the flute. He gave me a harmonium. Book 9 44

Ü The following table tell you when we use the definite article and when we don’t. ‘The’ is not used: ‘The’ is used: With names of countries in the singular, names of countries in the plural and regions continents, states, cities, and streets: the United States of America, the Netherlands, the Middle Nepal, America, Britain, Africa, Europe, East, the Arctic Circle Kathmandu, New Road, Oxford Street summits of mountains mountain ranges Mount Everest, Mount Whitney, Mount McKinley the Himalayas, the Rocky Mountains, the Alps names of planets before ‘Earth’ when it is not capitalized: Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Saturn, Neptune We must learn to take better care of the earth. When ‘Earth’ is used as the name of a planet, use The earth is round. a capital letter and do not use ‘the’. names of persons on the singular family names in the plural Anita and Mona live in Kathmandu. The Yadavs migrated to Kathmandu in 2001. Mr. Yadav is an engineer. The Smiths went on holiday last week. months, days of the week (indefinite) months, days of the week (definite) The weekend is over on Monday morning. I always remember the Monday when I had an accident. July and August are the most popular months for The August of 2001 was hot and dry. holidays. when the name of a college or university comes when the word ‘college, university, or school’ comes before before the word college or university. the name. Boston University, Tribhuvan University The University of Massachusetts names of languages with the word language. I can speak English and Chinese. The Chinese language, The English language general words (indefinite) general words (definite) Life is too short. I’ve read a book on the life of Bill Clinton. I like flowers. I like the flowers in your garden. Milk is good for you. The milk in this pot is very hot. Tea is my favourite drink. The tea in my cup is too hot to drink. Hindi was his native language. The Hindi he speaks is often heard in the countryside. Intelligence is difficult to quantify. The intelligence of animals is variable but undeniable. names of seasons (indefinite) seasons of the year (definite) Summer is hot and winter is cold. The summer of 2001 was very hot. Read some more examples: We sat in the sun, eating ice cream. The sky was blue and the sun was shining. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. The sun’s rays reflected off the lake. We had a late breakfast and decided to miss lunch. It took me over an hour to prepare my presentation. It was an unusual way to spend the weekend but we enjoyed it. It was just a half-hour’s walk from town. He is a history teacher in SB Int’l Academy. He bought a pen. Someone stole the pen. A thief broke into his house. His dog barked at the thief. We saw a good film last night. It was the film you recommended. The woman dressed in black is Riya’s mother. Book 9 45

1Test Yourself Fill in the blanks with ‘a’, ‘an’ or ‘the’ where necessary: a. Rosy wants to buy ……. new dress. b. …….school on the corner is very good. c. This is ……first time for me. d. His uncle is..........accountant. e. We decided to go on …….picnic. f. There had been ……… heavy fall of snow. g. He’d rather work for ……… smaller company. h. Both children are ……… animal lovers. i. Is this……..English book? j. …….ink in my pen is red. k. Kathmandu is …….capital of Nepal. l. Do you want to take …….English class? m. They like to play …….volleyball. n. Tina got………A in Science. o. I don’t like………rude people. p. You should see ……… doctor about that cough. q. Today we remember ……… brave who died last war. r. He’s terrified of being bitten by ……… snake. s. ……… single piece of grass is called ……… blade of grass. t. As ……… child he didn’t eat……… vegetables. u. She has ……… black and white kitten. v. The hills were white with ……… snow. w. Adults pay ……… admission charge but children get in free. x. Can you do me ……… small favour? y. Ants, beetles, butterflies, and flies are ……… insects. 2Test Yourself Fill in the blanks with ‘a’, ‘an’ or ‘the’ where necessary: a. Madan gave me ……… small gift for my birthday. b. The house had ……… exceptionally large garden. c. I’d love ……… house with ……… garden. d. He has ……… eight-bedroom house e. His father is ……… university lecturer. f. Suman grew up in ……… large family. g. My husband’s family speaks………Hindi. h. There’s ………button on your shirt. i. I love living in this………city. j. Paris is ……… beautiful city. k. ………food that you cooked was very good! Book 9 46

l. Let’s play………volleyball. m. What would you like for………breakfast? n. This is ………best Chinese restaurant in the valley. o. Kobe Bryant is ………basketball player. p. ………Nile is the longest river in the world. q. Anu has………uncle in Dharan. r. Many wedding rings are made of ……… silver. s. They can speak………French. t. Please give me …….cake that is on the counter. u. Mandira is ………intelligent girl. v. That is ……. good way to learn English. w. There’s ……… awful smell in here. x. When I phoned her, she was not at ………home. y. Mr. Singh has been ………MP for three years. 3Test Yourself Fill in the blanks with ‘a’, ‘an’ or ‘the’ where necessary: a. We have some bread for………breakfast. b. Australia is……… world’s flattest continent. c. Numa goes to ……...very good school. d. Suman bought ……. box full of chocolates. e. He was not wearing ……. uniform. f. I can’t see ....... sun today. g. Every living thing needs ………water. h. ………smog is a problem in big cities. i. He needs………new table in his room. j. They finished………unit. k. ………summer of 1996 was hot and dry. l. Wow! You’ve got lots of ……… dresses. m. This is……… ultra-violet ray. n. I need …….bottle of water. o. I keep sneezing. I think I have…….cold. p. Spain is one of …….largest European countries. q. I moved to …….USA when I was 15 years old. r. He is …….most famous actor I know. s. …….tea in my cup is too hot to drink. t. …….Chinese is a difficult language to learn. u. His uncle was ……… student at ……… University of London. v. I like to play …….basketball. w. She is …….prettiest girl in the school. x. …….dress she is wearing is blue. y. His father is …….salesman. He sells computer equipment. Book 9 47

4Test Yourself Fill in the blanks with ‘a’, ‘an’ or ‘the’ where necessary: a. …….Seoul is the capital of South Korea. b. I am …….only person here who speaks Maithili. c. I have been playing …….tennis for three years. d. …….Panama Canal was built by the United States from 1904 to 1914. e. I drank …….glass of milk. f. Did you get …….birthday card that I sent you? g. He is …….very good friend of mine. h. …….meal that we ate yesterday was wonderful. i. She has …….very nice dog. j. Mars takes longer to revolve on its axis than ……. earth. k. My cousin is …….police officer. l. Don’t panic! Your friend’s …….injury is minor. m. Yesterday I saw …….one-eyed man. n. I need to buy …….new dress. o. Have you been to………Alps before? p. Mother made me ……. sandwich for lunch. q. ……. bus that I take every day stops right here. r. The children found …….egg in the nest. s. There is not ……. zebra in the zoo. t. His family used to live in …….United States. u. Which is ……. longest river in Nepal? v. Who is……..old man standing at the gate? w. Sony is learning to play …….violin at her school. x. There are three girls and ……. woman in the room. y. …….vegetable soup my mother made was very tasty. 5Test Yourself Fill in the blanks with ‘a’, ‘an’ or ‘the’ where necessary: a. I borrowed ……… pencil from your pile of pencils and pens. b. One of the students said, “……… professor is late today.” c. I bought……… umbrella to go out in the rain. d. Please give me……… bag that is on that table. e. Pandas and……… tigers are both endangered animals. f. ………New Road is ………busy shopping street. g. Since we are early today, let’s have ………drink first. h. Our life would be difficult without ……… oxygen. Book 9 48

i. Do you read ………Kathmandu Post everyday? j. She needed ……. emergency Caesarean to give birth to her baby. k. I know he is ……… best student in our class. l. William Shakespeare is England’s ……… greatest dramatist. m. Suman is ………obvious candidate for the quiz contest. n. I don’t like………toothpaste I bought last week. It tastes of onions! o. He doesn’t believe in God, he is ……… atheist. p. There was………strange woman in the cafeteria at lunch today. q. Please open………window. It’s very hot in here. r. There was ………urgent phone call for me. s. She is learning to play……… violin at her school. t. Remo is ………carbon copy of his father. u. You should clean your teeth twice a day with………toothpaste. v. There is………new English book on the desk. w. The speed of this car was 160 miles………hour. x. Would you like………orange? No, thanks. I’m not hungry. y. I like this hotel because its……… rooms are very comfortable. 6Test Yourself Fill in the blanks with ‘a’, ‘an’ or ‘the’ where necessary: a. I saw ..... flower while I was on ....... walk this morning. ..... flower was red. In fact, ..... flower was so beautiful, I bent down to smell it. I saw ..... bee on the flower. ..... bee was busy, flying back and forth. Anyway, ..... flower had no odor to it. I reached out to touch the flower, and I discovered that the flower was plastic. Perhaps that is why ..... bee was so busy; the bee was trying to find pollen, but there was none. I enjoyed the walk this morning. b. I started reading ..... book by Loren Weybright this morning. ..... book features ..... boy named Jimmy, who moves to ....... village to live with his relatives. ....... book by Weybright was excellent. Each page would contain ..... sentence that stirred up memories of when I lived in my village. In the book, ........... boy (Jimmy) has ....... grandmother and ........ grandfather. c. I saw a cow in the field. ..... cow was brown and white. ..... cow was with its mother and it looked very happy. I like ..... cows. Do you like ..... cows? d. There is ...... Chinese boy living in our neighbourhood. ..... boy’s name is Chang, and he is ..... very good student. ..... boy (Chang) ate ..... apple after lunch today. ..... apple was delicious. Then he had ..... pear, ..... mango, and ..... glass of milk. Chang, ..... boy who is living with us, is really nice. He is learning how to write poetry. He wrote ..... poem this morning about ..... red flower. Book 9 49

Verb Agreement Read the text and underline the main verbs and circle the auxiliary verbs. Ashoka Pillar One of the interesting sights in Lumbini is the Ashoka Pillar. The pillar is near the Maya Devi Temple, which enshrines the traditional site of the Buddha’s birth. It is believed that the pillar was established by the great king Ashoka in about 245 BC. The pillar is protected by a small fence, which is often covered with prayer flags and banners. The flags and banners look very colourful. The pillar is the oldest inscription found in Nepal. It commemorates and symbolizes Ashoka’s visit to Lumbini. Like the Ashoka Pillar, there are many beautiful places that make Lumbini a famous Buddhist pilgrimage site in the world. More than 400,000 Buddhists and non Buddhists visit Lumbini every year. Now list down the auxiliary verbs and main verbs. Auxiliary singular verbs plural singular Main verbs plural Add the following words to the above list. cook go was sing knocks gives drive studies has were walk have are is study comes drives walks cooks come knock sings does do Book 9 50