3 - ] Basic Grammar For Beginners - Pronouns

 3 - ] Basic Grammar For Beginners

4 . Personal Pronouns ( Subject )

I , we , you , he , she , it , they

 

Singular	Example	Plural	Example
I	I live in Cairo .	we	We live near the sea .
you	You always come late , Ali .	you	You , boys and girls come late .
he	He works in a hospital .	they	They work in hospitals .
she	She speaks English well .		They speak English well .
it it	It rains in winter .		no plural
	It is a solid chair .		They are solid chairs .

Exercise

Replace the underlined nouns with pronouns .

1 . Mr. Hassan is in his office .                                    ---------------

2 . Ali and his sister are in the park now .                 ---------------

3 . This book is new .                                                    --------------

4 . The books on the table are old .                             ---------------

5 . Mary and I like to study English .                         --------------

6 . The maid cleans the house .                                   ---------------

7 . The children are asleep now .                                --------------

8 . My mother is in the kitchen .                                 ---------------

9 . The teacher is in front of the class .                       --------------

10 . The weather is fine today .                                   ---------------

11 . Sara has a new dress .                                           --------------

12 . Nasser is in Port Said .                                         ---------------

13 . Father and I watch television .                            ---------------

14 . Nancy and Hana are sisters .                               ---------------

15 . Hany and Medhat are cousins .                           ---------------

16 . The ball is on the chair .                                       --------------

17 . The mice are in the hole .                                     --------------

18 . My brother and I go to the same school .           ---------------

19 . Mervat and Yasmeen sit at the back seat .         --------------

2 0 . My father and I play tennis together .            --------------

21 . Children love chocolate .                                   --------------

22 . Women nurses help sick people .                      ---------------

23 . Policemen work very hard .                              --------------

24 . Little Tom has a bike .                                       --------------

25 . The girl plays the piano well .                           --------------

Personal Pronouns ( Object )

 

Singular	Example	Plural	Example
I , me	Father likes me .	we  , us	They thanked us for the party .
you , you	I’ll show you the pictures , Ali .	you , you	You , boys and girls , I’ ll show you the pictures
he  , him	I helped him .	they , them	I saw them at the station .
she , her	I met her yesterday .		I met them yesterday .
it , it	I don’t understand it .		I fed them all yesterday .

Exercises

Exercise 1

Replace the underlined nouns with the correct pronoun :

1 . I like father and mother very much .                             --------------

2 . He never speaks to Sally and me .                                  --------------

3 . I sit near William and his sister .                                    --------------

4 . I see Helen in the cafeteria every day .                          ---------------

5 . Shakir sends a message to his aunt every week .          -------------- 

6 . I understand my teacher , Mr. Shawky very well .      ---------------

7 . I send many messages to my uncle .                               --------------

8 . He sends his sister many presents .                                --------------

9 . I often see these boys in the park .                                 ---------------

10 . She always speaks to her daughter in French .           --------------

11 . He gives his son much money .                                     ---------------

12 . I often go shopping with my parents .                          --------------

13 . All the boys like their teacher , Mr. Nasser .               --------------

14 . Hany sits between Hassan and Ahmad .                      --------------

15 . They often help Mary and I .                                        ---------------

16 . We always visit Hala and Hisham .                              --------------

17 . Father gives many presents to my sister and me .      --------------

18 . That is a secret between you and I .                             --------------

19 . He explained the lesson to me .                                     --------------

20 . She gives the boys many exercises .                              --------------

21 . I met Dina and Dalia in the park .                               ---------------

22 . He invited Samy and I .                                                 --------------

23 . I sit between Mervat and her brother .                        --------------

24 . I walk to school with my friend every day .                ---------------

25 . He visits his grandmother every week .                       --------------

26 . I like my teacher , Miss Shakira very much .              ---------------

27 . He helps his sister with her homework .                      --------------

28 . I often read these magazines at the weekends .           --------------

29 . She always takes her son to the zoo .                           ---------------

30 . He gave his daughter a new camera .                          ---------------

31 . I often go swimming with my friends .                        ---------------

32 . Harry lives next to Heart and Robert .                        ---------------

33 . They usually help Mona and I .                                    --------------

34 . We always visit Helen and Henry .                              ---------------

35 . She showed Tom and I her photographs as a baby .  --------------

36 . Give these books to Sarah .                                           --------------

37 . He showed the picture to me .                                       --------------

38 . I asked Ahmad and Dalia to keep quiet .                     --------------

39 . He wanted Heba to write her name in ink .                ---------------

40 . The teacher asked Rose and Lilly to go out .              ---------------

Exercise 2

Fill in the blanks with :

me   -  him  -  her  -  it  - them  - us  -  you

1 . The boys are flying kites . They are flying ------------ up the sky .

2 . It’s my birthday . My friends are giving ------------ presents .

3 . The pupils are writing new words . They are writing ------------- in their copybooks .

4 . The little boy is eating apples . He’s eating ------------- from the tree .

5 . She is sitting beside the boy , and looking at --------------- .

6 . The woman is taking the boy to the hospital . She is carrying ------------- in her arms .

7 . The servant is washing the floor . She is washing -------------with soup and water .

8 . The teacher is writing on the board . He’s writing on------------- .

9 . The boy is shutting the windows . He is not opening ----------------- .

10 . I am sitting in front of Ahmad . I am not sitting behind ------------------ .

11 . The teacher is talking and we are listening to ----------------- .

12 . The tea is not hot . I don’t want ------------------- .

13 . Look at the moon . Can you see -------------- .

14 . Dina and Dalia are my sisters . I like -------------------- .

15 . There is a bird in the tree . Can you see ------------------ .

16 . We are in the classroom . The teacher is speaking to ----------------- .

17 . She is my sister . I like --------------- .

18 . He is my brother . I like --------------- .

19 . These shirts are too expensive . I don’t want ---------------- .

20 . I like my father and he likes ------------------ .

21 . My teachers like ----------------and I like them , too .

22 . Thank ------------- , Adel .

23 . Give a bottle to Mathew . Give --------------- a bottle .

24 . This is my new shirt . Do you like ---------------- ?

25 . Our teacher always helps ----------------with our homework .

 

 

 

 

Pronouns ( Possessive Adjectives )

Singular	Example	Plural	Example
I , my	This is my car.	we  , our	Our car is new
you , your	Your school is very big , Ali .	you , your	You , boys and girls , your school is very big .
he  , his	I like his shirt .	they , their	Their house has a big garden.
she , her	She lost her book yesterday .		They lost their books  yesterday .
it , its	I like its color .		I like  their  colors .

Exercises

Exercise 1

Fill in the blanks with the right possessive adjectives :

1 . The boy walked to -----------------seat .

2 . We study ------------------ lessons every night .

3 . I put ------------- copybooks on the desk .

4 . She likes ---------------- English teacher .

5 . We bring ---------------copybooks with us .

6 . Mr. Sam comes to school in --------------- car .

7 . Tom studies in -------------- room .

8 . the dog chases -------------- tail .

9 . The children play with -------------- toys .

10 . We always prepare ------------------ homework every day .

11 . The cat eats -------------- dinner .

12 . I often look at ------------- watch during the lesson .

13 . The girl washes --------------- hair .

14 . Sony helps ----------------- younger sister .

15 . Good girls make ------------------ beds .

16 . Motherirs look after --------------- children .

17 . The teacher told us that we could eat ----------------------- sandwiches .

18 . What do you think I can do with ---------------- free time ?

19 . We wanted him to tell us about -------------------- journey to London .

20 . She didn’t tell --------------- mother where she was going .

21 . I asked Harry about ----------------- birthday .

22 . My aunt and her husband live in America , ------------------ e-mails to us are very short .

23 . ----------------- house is too small for them to live in .

24 . Mr. Hassan doesn’t have enough money to send ---------------- son to school .

Exercise 2

Fill in the blanks with

my - you - his - her - their

1 . Ahmad is flying --------------- kite .

2 . She is eating ---------------- sandwiches .

3 . I like --------------- cat much .

4 . Is this ----------- book , Ahmad ?

5 . She is writing  ----------------- name on the board .

6 . She doesn’t like --------------- new dress .

7 . I am a boy . ------------- name is Adel .

8 . This is Sarah’s doll . ----------------doll is big .

9 . I have a sister . -------------- name is Azza .

10 . I have only one brother . -----------------name is Mohammad .

11 . Miss Mona teaches us English . ------------- son is my friend .

12 . This is Ann’s book . It is ------------- book .

13 . Are these ------------ pencils , Farid ?

14 . Don’t forget to write ------------- name on the envelope , Tom .

15 . Ahmad doesn’t like ------------ new shoes .

16 . She doesn’t do ------------------ homework every day .

17 . The children are flying ----------------kites in the park .

18 . Father has ----------------hair cut once a month .

19 . Wash --------------hands . They’re dirty .

Exercise 3 .

Finish the sentences :

my -  his - her - your

1 . Is this Sandy’s cup ?                       No , -------------- cup is empty .

2 . Is this Nasser’s spoon ?                   No , ------------- spoon is clean .

3 . Is this Ahmad’s glass ?                   No , -------------- glass is white .

4 . Are these my pens ?                        No , ------------- pens are red .

5 . Is this Dina’s dress ?                       No , ------------- dress is green .

6 . Is this Dalia’s blouse ?                    No , -------------- blouse is red .

7 . Is this my glass ?                             No , -------------- glass is full .

8 . Is this your shirt ?                           No , -------------- shirt is yellow .

9 . Is this Henry’s car ?                       No , -------------- car is new .

10 . Is this Diana’s knife ?                   No , ------------- knife is long .

11 . Is this your sister’s doll ?              No , ------------- doll is big .

12 . Are these my shoes ?                     No , ------------- shoes are black .

13 . Is this Ford’s pen ?                       No , -------------- pen is blue .

14 . Is this my jacket ?                         No , -------------  jacket is smaller .

15 . Are these your socks ?                  No , -------------- socks are white ?

Possessive Pronouns

 

Singular	Example	Plural	Example
I , mine	This car is mine .	we  , ours	These seats are ours .
you , yours	This new car is yours  , Ali .	you , yours	You , boys and girls , the big house is yours .
he  , his	The blue shirt is his .	they , theirs	The house with a big garden is theirs .
she , hers	The lost book is hers .

 

Exercise 1

Change the underlined words to possessive pronouns .

1 . This book is her book .                                        ---------------

2 . These pencils are my pencils  .                            --------------

3 . This office is his office .                                       ---------------

4 . These magazines are our magazines .                ---------------

5 . These photos are Mohammad’s photos .           ---------------

6 . These rulers are their rulers .                             --------------

7 . I think that his notebook is your notebook  .    ---------------

8 . This newspaper is my newspaper  .                    --------------

9 . This copybook is her copybook  .                       ---------------

10 . That hat and coat are his hat and coat .          ---------------

11 - This umbrella is my umbrella .                        --------------

12 . These seats are our seats .                                 ---------------

13 . That pair of shoes is my pair of shoes .            --------------

14 . This classroom is our classroom  .                    --------------

15 . These books on the table are Mary’s books .  ---------------

16 . That pen on the desk is my pen  .                     ---------------

17 . This bar of chocolate is my bar of chocolate . --------------

18 . This bedroom is my brother’s bedroom  .       --------------

19 . Those toys are the children’s toys .                  --------------

20 . Is this pencil your own pencil  ?                       ---------------

Exercise 2

Add ( mine , yours , his , hers , ours or theirs ) :

1 . Gamal lost his pen ; perhaps you can lend him …………

2 . I met a friend of ………… yesterday .

3 . You can take your book and give me -…………….

4 . She wonders if you have seen a book of ………….lying about somewhere .

5 . We have taken our share; has she taken …………..?

6. She can throw the clothes away if they are really ………………

7 . Is your school as big as ………….. ?

8 . You can’t take that money if it isn’t ……………..

9 . Everyone loves his country , I love ……….. and you love ………….

10 . Everyone has his report . Sandy had received …………. , Tony has received ……….. , but I haven’t received ………… yet .

Exercise 3

Choose the right pronoun from those in brackets :

1 . This is her book . It’s --------------                             [ hers - his - ours ]

2 . These are my pencils . They’re ------------                [ mine - hers - yours ]

3 . This is his office  . It’s --------------                            [ yours - mine - his ]

4 . These are our magazines . They’re --------------      [ theirs - ours - hers ]

5 . These are Sally’s photos . They’re --------------       [ his - hers - mine ]

6 . These are their rulers . They’re -----------------        [ his - hers - theirs ]

7 . I think that this is your notebook . It’s ----------     [  hers - mine - yours ]

8 . This is my newspaper  . It’s ---------------                 [ yours - mine - his ]

9 . This is her copybook . It’s -----------------                 [ ours - his - hers ]

10 . These are his hat and coat . They’re -------------   [ hers - theirs - his ]

11 . This is my umbrella . It’s ------------                       [ mine - yours - theirs ]

12 . These are our seats . They’re ---------------             [ yours - ours - his ]

13 . This is my pair of shoes . It’s ---------------             [ hers - mine - yours ]

14 . This is our classroom . It’s --------------                  [ yours - his - ours ]

15 . These are Mary’s books  . They’re ------------       [ his - mine - hers ]

16 . That is my pen . It’s -------------                              [ theirs - mine - hers ]

17 . This is my bar of chocolate . It’s ------------           [ mine - his - hers ]

18 . This is my brother’s bedroom . It’s ------------      [ hers - mine - his ]

19 . Those are the children’s toys . They’re ----------   [ yours - his - theirs ]

20 . Is this your own pencil ? Is it ------------- ?             [ ours - theirs - yours ]

General Exercise

Choose the right word(s) in brackets :

1 . I am flying my kite . [ It / He / She ] is in the sky now .

2 . Mother is making a cake and I am helping [ it / her / him ] .

3 . This is ab old man . I am helping [ him / it / her ] to cross the road .

4 . Mrs. Sally is talking but we are not listening to [ him / her / it ] .

5 . Where are my books ? I can’t see [ him / it / them ] .

6 , The pens are on the desk . I can see [ them / it / her ] .

7. Ahmad is a bad boy . Don’t play with [ her / him / it ] .

8 . This book is heavy . I can not carry [ it / him / her ] .

9 . Suzan is my sister . I go to school with [ him / her / them ] .

10 . We are masking noise . Mother is angry with [ me / him us ] .

11 . I have a white dog . I like [ him / her / it ] very much .

12 . We are hungry . Give [ him / us / it ] some sandwiches , please !

13 . I saw this film , I saw [ him / it / her ] yesterday .

14 . There are a lot of stars in the sky . Can you see [ it / them / her ] ?

15 . This is my new shirt . Do you like [ it / them / her ] ?

16 . I have two sisters . I like [ him / her / them ] .

17 . Aida teaches English . We all like [ him / her / it ] .

18 . This is my sister . [ His / Her / Their ] name is Dalia .

19 . This is my brother . [ His / Her / Their ] name is Tom .

20 . These are my friends . [ His / Her / Their ] names are Tom and Ali .

21 .  Excuse me . May I have [ you / your / they ] ball , please ?

22 . Which one is [ he / their / she ] ball ? The red one .

23 . This is not [ our / we / they ] house .

24 . We have a cat [ Their / Its / His ] tail is long .

5 . Reflexive Pronouns

 

Pronoun	Reflexive	Pronoun	Reflexive
I	myself	we	ourselves
you	yourself	you [ plural ]	yourselves
he	himself	she	herself
it	itself	they	themselves

1.We use a reflexive pronoun after the verb when the subject and the object are the same person .

2 . We don’t usually use [ myself ] with the verbs : wash - shave - dress .

We use reflexive pronouns with the verbs wash , dress when we talk about small children and animals :

My little son is three years old , but he can dress himself .

Look at the cat ! It’s washing itself again .

3 . These verbs are often reflexive : behave - burn - cut - enjoy - help - introduce - kill - look at - teach .

Behave yourself , when you visit your neighbor .

He burnt himself with hot coffee .

She cut herself yesterday during cooking .

We enjoyed ourselves on the beach .

Help yourself ! Have a cup of tea !

Can you introduce yourself .

She looked at herself on the mirror .

Teach yourself how to make this delicious recipe .

They where about to kill themselves , when they climbed the mountain .

4 . We also use [ myself ] for emphasis .

I can do it myself .

Myself here means without any other person . In this case the reflexiove pronoun usually comes at the end of the sentence .

We can do it ourselves .

Exercise 1

Add a suitable reflexive pronoun in the following :

1 . I like sitting by ---------------

2 . The kitten can now feed ----------------

3 . She is staying in the flat by --------------------

4 . He hurt ----------------while he was climbing the tree .

5 . We taught ----------------- to swim .

6 . Be careful or you will hurt ------------------

7 . The party was great . We enjoyed ------------------- very much .

8 . If you want more to eat , help ------------------ .

9 . Don’t get angry . Control ---------------------------

10 . I can repair the car -------------------------

11 . She cleans the rooms ----------------------

12 . He fell of the stairs but he didn’t hurt --------------------

13 . He lives in a small flat by -------------------

14 . Be careful ! That plate is very hot . Don’t burn --------------------

15 . The man shot ------------------

16 . The animal saw ------------------ in the water .

17 . I don’t understand how you control ---------------- so well .

18 . I cut ---------------- when I was peeling the orange .

19 . For ----------------she chose a green dress .

20 . He hated ---------------------- for saying such things .

Exercise 2

Choose the correct answer from those between brackets :

1 . We couldn’t understand the lecture [ itself - ourselves - myself ] .

2 . He and she can listen to it [ themselves -herself - himself ] .

3 . You can’t drive the car [ yourself - itself - himself ] .

4 . We wanted to see [ yourselves - ourselves - themselves ] in the picture .

5 . He gave [ himself - myself - itself ] a watch for his birthday .

6 .The players weakened [ ourselves - yourselves - themselves ] y practicing so hard .

7 . Are you interested in writing letters [ ourselves - yourselves - themselves ] ?

8 . I don’t care for it [ itself - myself - herself ] but you might like it .

9 . What can I do with [ myself - yourself - herself ] for the rest of the day ?

10 . The doctor wanted to examine the patient [ himself - themselves - myself ] .

11 . I can tell you the secret [ itself - myself - ourselves ] .

12 . Would you and your brother help [ yourself - himself - yourselves ] .

2 - ] Basic Grammar For Beginners - Nouns

2 - ] Basic Grammar For Beginners

3- Nouns ( Singular And Plural )

1 . Most nouns form their plural by adding (s) to the singular .

Examples

1 - book  - books 2- door - doors 3 . bag - bags 4 . egg - eggs 5. school - schools

2 . Nouns ending in ( ch , o , s , sh , ss , x , z ) add( es ) to form plural .

Examples

1 . watch - watches  / research - researches

2 . potato - potatoes / mango -  mangoes / tomato - tomatoes

3 . bus - buses

4 . brush - brushes /  bush - bushes

5 . box - boxes / fox - foxes /

6. fez - fezes

7 . kiss - kisses / cross - crosses / class - classes

3 . A few nouns have special forms in the plural

man - men / woman - women / child - children / foot - feet / tooth - teeth / mouse - mice / goose - geese / deer - deer / fish - fish / sheep - sheep

4 . Nouns ending in (y) , after a consonant , change the (y) to (ies)

city - cities / lady - ladies / country - countries / story - stories

5. If the (y) is preceded by a vowel , then only (s) is added .

boy - boys / toy - toys / key - keys

6 . Nouns ending in (f) or (fe) change them to (ves)

leaf - leaves / wife - wives / knife - knives / thief - thieves /wolf - wolves

7 . With nouns ending with (f) following two vowels , just add (s)

chief - chiefs / roof - roofs / hoof - hoofs

Exercises

Exercise 1

1 .In the blank at the right , write the plural form :

1 . bag ------------ 2 . fox -------------- 3 . student --------------- 4 . match ------------- 5 . class -----

6 . tail ------------- 7 . cousin -------------- 8 . dress ------------- 9 . wish -------------- 10 . hat -------

11 . teacher -------------- 12 . map ---------- 13 . dish ------------14 . bus ------------- 15 . knife ----

16 . hero -----------17 . street ----------- 18 . copy ------------ 19 . table -------------20 . piano ------

21 . half ---------- 22 . letter -----------    23 . negro ---------- 24 . echo -------------

Exercise 2

2 . Change the underlined words to plural , change the verbs .

1 . The book is on the table .                    ------------------------------------------------

2 . The man speaks English well .            ------------------------------------------------          

3 . The boy  plays in the park .                -------------------------------------------------

4 . The child plays in the park .                 -------------------------------------------------

5 . The mouse runs into the hole .           ------------------------------------------------- 

6. The cat runs after the mouse .             --------------------------------------------------

7 . The girl goes to school on the bus .     --------------------------------------------------     

8 . The bus always arrives on time .        ---------------------------------------------------

9 . The lesson begins at eight o’clock .    ---------------------------------------------------

10 . The dish is on the table .                   ----------------------------------------------------

11 . The woman is busy .                          ----------------------------------------------------

12 . The dress is pretty .                           ----------------------------------------------------

13 . The watch runs well .                        ----------------------------------------------------

14 . The baby is in bed .                           ----------------------------------------------------

15 . A carrot is a vegetable .                    ----------------------------------------------------

16 . An onion makes good soup .             ----------------------------------------------------

17 . An egg costs a pound .                      -----------------------------------------------------

Exercise 3

3 . Change the underlined words to singular , change the verbs :

1 .  The boys are carrying their bags .    --------------------------------------------------------------     

2 . The girls are playing with their dolls .  -----------------------------------------------------------

3 . The children were sleeping in their beds .  --------------------------------------------------------

4 . Elephants are big animals .        --------------------------------------------------------------

5 . Tables are made of wood .      ------------------------------------------------------------ 

6 . Men work in factories .           ------------------------------------------------------------

7 . Women carry babies .             -----------------------------------------------------------

8 . Children love chocolate .        ------------------------------------------------------------

9 . Babies drink milk .                  ------------------------------------------------------------

10 . Horses are faster than dogs .  ----------------------------------------------------------

11 . Ships are slower than airplanes .   ---------------------------------------------------------

12 . The birds are flying over the trees .  -------------------------------------------------------

13 . The hunters have shot lions .             --------------------------------------------------------

14 . The Teachers are explaining the lessons .   --------------------------------------------------- 

1 - ] Basic Grammar For Beginners - Parts of Speech / Sentences & Phrases

1 - ] Basic Grammar For Beginners

 

Table  of Contents   

1 . Parts of Speech

2 . Sentences & Phrases

3 . Nouns ( Singular & Plural )

4 . Personal Pronouns

5 . Reflexive Pronouns

6 . Adjectives

7 . Adverbs

8 .Indefinite & Definite Articles

9 . Some & Any

10. A few , a little , much , many and a lot of

11 . The Present Simple Tense

12 . The Simple Past Tense

13 . The Present Continuous Tense

14 . The Past Continuous Tense

15 . The Present Perfect Tense                                                                                                       

16 . The Past Perfect Tense

17 . The Simple Future Tense

18 . General Exercises on Tenses

19 . Active and Passive

20 . Conditional If

21 . Direct & Indirect Speech

22 . Too ………to

23 . Enough ……… to

24 . Asking Questions

25 . Prepositions

26 . Joining words

27 . Punctuation

28 . General Exercises

1 . Parts Of Speech

Any speech consists of words used to give meanings . They are mainly  nouns , pronouns verbs , adjectives , adverbs , and prepositions . They will be discussed separately .

Examples

Dogs like meat .    

Dogs noun ( subject ) , like verb , meat  noun ( object )

We live in a big city .

We  ( pronoun ) , live ( verb ) , in ( preposition ) , a ( indefinite article ) , big ( adjective ) , city  ( noun )

2 . Sentences & Phrases

Phrase

A word or words that does not or do not give meaning .

Examples

Ahmad and I are………..

Playing football…………

Because of his intelligence ……..

Being brave …….

Having finished ……..

The above phases do not give meanings , but when complete to give meaning they are called sentences .

Ahmad and I go to school .

Playing football is an interesting sport .

Because of his intelligence , he gets awards.

Being brave , he does not hesitate to face danger .

Having finished his work , he went home .

A sentence is what gives a complete meaning .

Kinds of Sentences

1 . Simple sentence .

It is a subject and a verb .

Examples  

Trees grow .

We come to school .

The brave man saved the little boy .

Each of  the above sentences has one verb ( the underlined word ) .

A simple sentence has just one verb .

2 . Compound sentence .

They visited the museum and they went fishing .

Though they are poor , they are happy ,

If you study hard , you will succeed .

Each of the above sentences is two simple sentences joined by a joining word .

They visited the museum . They went fishing.

They are poor . They are happy .

You study hard . You will succeed .

A compound sentence is two sentences joined by a joining word .

3 - Complicated sentence

The little boys who like swimming and have the ability to swim long distances  go to the beach and enjoy themselves there .

The committee had investigated the subject , and found a solution for the problem before  they travelled to the capital .  

We are interested in summer camping , so we go camping every year near the lake and  celebrate this occasion .

In each of the above sentence , we have more than two verbs .

The sentence that has more than two verbs joined to give certain meaning or meanings is called complicated sentence

1 - ] SAT - Writing a 25-Minute Essay

1 - ] SAT - Writing a 25-Minute Essay 

Writing a 25-Minute Essay .

Testing Tactics

1 . Familiarize Yourself with the Most Common Types of Essay Questions .

In past years , ETS has used three types of essay questions on the SAT II Writing Test ; it is likely to use a similar formula for the new SAT writing prompts .

1 . The first type of essay question asks you to respond to a statement. A good example of this type of prompt is :

Genius is one percent inspiration , and ninety-nine percent perspiration . - Thomas Alva Edison

Assignment : The statement above inspires that effort is of greater importance than creativity in achieving success . Write an essay supporting , disputing , or qualifying the statement . You may use examples from history , literature , popular culture , current events , or personal experience to support your position .

2 . The second type of prompt asks you to choose between contrasting statements . For example :

1. Education is a kind of continuing dialogue , and a dialogue assumes …. different points of view . - Robert M . Hutchins

2 . What does education often do ? It makes a straight-cut ditch of a tree , meandering brook . - Henry David Thoreau

Assignment : Consider the statements above . Choose the one that best represents your beliefs , and write an essay explaining your choice . You may use examples from history ,literature ,popular culture , current events ,or personal experience to support your position .

3. The third type of prompt asks you to complete a statement .

A great workof fiction can allow us to see truths that may be hidden from us in real life . A good example of the ability of fiction to teach important truths is -------------------- .

Assignment : Complete the sentence above with a fictional work from literature , film , or television and write an essay demonstrating how that story taught an important truth .

           Though the three question types may appear different on the surface , they have much in common . Each question demands that you take a position and provide evidence (examples) to support that position . The third question type is in some ways the simplest , because it dictates your thesis . You are not asked to agree or disagree with the statement . Instead , the prompt takes your agreement for granted and requires you to focus your energies on supporting the statement with a well-chosen example .The first type of question provides you with more latitude , allowing you to agree or disagree with the statement , in whole or in part . The second question type appears more complicated than the first , but it is really no different . Rather than choosing to agree or disagree with a single statement , you choose between two statements that disagree , selecting the one that best represents our beliefs .

            If you can handle responding to statement , you can handle the other question types as well . If you get a contrasting statements topic , once you have chosen the statement with which you basically agree , your essay will be  a response to statement essay in which you indicate your agreement with that statement . If you are assigned a complete a statement essay , your essay essentially will also be a response to statement essay in which you support the statement .

What sorts of topics should you choose ?

ETS tends to use topics that are relevant to young adults about to enter college . Common topic areas include education , success , challenges , risk taking , individuality , and self-knowledge . ETS appears to avoid topics that might be emotionally charged ( such as family relationships ) or relevant to a limited audience ( such as sports ) . With this information in mind and a quotation book in hand , you should be able to come up with dozens ( perhaps even hundreds ) of practice topics .

1 . Success is somebody’s else’s failure . --Ursula K . Le Guin

Assignment : The statement above argues that success and failure trade off , that there can be no “win-win” situation . Write an essay supporting , disputing , or qualifying the statement . You may use examples from history , literature , popular culture , current events , or personal experience to support your position .

2 . The greater the effort , the greater the glory . -- Pierre Corneille

Assignment : The statement above argues that the difficulty of a task determines its importance . Write an essay supporting , disputing , or qualifying the statement . You may use examples from history , literature , popular culture , current events , or personal experience to support your position .

3. Treating your adversary with respect is giving him an advantage to which he is not entitled . - Samuel Johnson

Assignment :The statement above indicates that respecting one’s opponents is not strategic.  Write an essay supporting , disputing , or qualifying the statement . You may use examples from history , literature , popular culture , current events , or personal experience to support your position .

4 . In crisis cleverness born . Chinese Proverb

Assignment : The statement above implies crises can benefit us by fostering creativity . Write an essay supporting , disputing , or qualifying the statement . You may use examples from history , literature , popular culture , current events , or personal experience to support your position .

5 . Those who doubt themselves most generally err least . -- Samuel Richardson

Assignment :The statement above argues that self-confidence causes carelessness and error. Write an essay supporting , disputing , or qualifying the statement . You may use examples from history , literature , popular culture , current events , or personal experience to support your position .

6. If you rest , you rust . -- Helen Hayes

Assignment : The statement above argues that those who fail to strive regress . Write an essay supporting , disputing , or qualifying the statement . You may use examples from history , literature , popular culture , current events , or personal experience to support your position .

7 . Learning starts with failure ; the first failure is the beginning of education . -- John Hersey

Assignment : The statement above implies that failure is educational . Write an essay supporting , disputing , or qualifying the statement . You may use examples from history , literature , popular culture , current events , or personal experience to support your position .

8 . Progress is not an illusion , it happens , but it is slow and invariably disappointing . -- George Orwell

Assignment : The statement above argues that rapid progress is not possible .Write an essay supporting , disputing , or qualifying the statement . You may use examples from history , literature , popular culture , current events , or personal experience to support your position .

9 . We can succeed only by concert , it is not “Can any of us imagine better ?” but “Can we all do better ?” -- Abraham Lincoln

Assignment : The statement above argues that we can achieve success only through collective effort , rather than as individuals . Write an essay supporting , disputing , or qualifying the statement . You may use examples from history , literature , popular culture , current events , or personal experience to support your position .

10 . Patience and tenacity of purpose are more than twice their weight of cleverness . -- Thomas Henry Huxley 

Assignment : The statement above implies that consistent effort is of greater importance than creativity in achieving success .Write an essay supporting , disputing , or qualifying the statement . You may use examples from history , literature , popular culture , current events , or personal experience to support your position .

11 . How can one learn to know oneself ? Never by introspection , rather by action . Try to do your duty , and you will know right away what you are like . -- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Assignment : The statement above implies that we cannot know who are and what we are capable of without testing ourselves . Write an essay supporting , disputing , or qualifying the statement . You may use examples from history , literature , popular culture , current events , or personal experience to support your position .

12 .Progress may feel more like loss than gain . -- Mason Cooley

Assignment : The statement above implies that our comfort with what we know makes it difficult to accept change , even when it is a change for the better . Write an essay supporting , disputing , or qualifying the statement . You may use examples from history , literature , popular culture , current events , or personal experience to support your position .

13 . No bird soars too high , if he soars with his own wings . -- William Blake

Assignment :The statement above implies that we risk failure when we attempt to surpass the limits of our own abilities . Write an essay supporting , disputing , or qualifying the statement . You may use examples from history , literature , popular culture , current events , or personal experience to support your position .

14 . A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light , but rather because its opponents die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it . -- Max Planck

Assignment : The statement above implies that most people cannot accept new and unfamiliar ideas . Write an essay supporting , disputing , or qualifying the statement . You may use examples from history , literature , popular culture , current events , or personal experience to support your position .

15 . The harder the conflict , the more glorious the triumph . What we obtain too cheap we esteem too lightly . -- Thomas Paine 

Assignment : The statement above argues that we most value that which is difficult to attain . Write an essay supporting , disputing , or qualifying the statement . You may use examples from history , literature , popular culture , current events , or personal experience to support your position .

Scoring

Two readers will grade your essay in about two minutes , reading very quickly to judge it as a whole . (The College Board calls this process holistic scoring . )  Each reader will assign your essay a score of 1 to 6 , with 6 the highest possible score . If both readers give your essay a 4 , your combined score will be 8 . If one reader gives your essay a 3 and the other assigns it a 4 , your sombined score will be 7 . If the two readers seriously disagree about your score - for example , if one reader considers your essay a 3 and the other judges it a 5 - a third reader will look over your essay and determine your score .

Scoring Level 6

Essays on this level demonstrates a clear command of writing and thinking skills , despite the occasional , infrequent minor error . Characteristics of essays on this level include :

1 . intelligent , convincing development of a position on the issue

2 . selection of relevant examples and other evidence to support its position

3 . smooth , well-orchestrated progression from idea to idea

4 . use of varied sentence types and appropriate vocabulary

5. freedom from most technical flaws ( mistakes in grammar , usage , diction )

These essays are insightful .

Note : Length is important . Top-scoring SAT II essays published by ETS have averaged about 400 to 500 words . These essays were written in only 20 minutes . For your 25-minute essay to earn a top score of 5 or 6 , it should be at least 400 words long .