When these words refer to LOCATION:
"on" = "on top of", "on the front surface of" or "traveling for"
Ex. 1: "The cat is on the chair."Ex. 2: "I watched the movie on TV."Ex. 3: "He is on a business trip to Mexico."
"in" = "inside of" or "attending"
Ex. 1: "The dirty dishes are in the dishwasher."Ex. 2: "Mr. Jones is in a meeting right now."
"at" = "near", "visiting", or it is used for events / entertainment (indoors or outdoors), or for locations where the purpose is more important than the building
Ex. 1: "The horses were at the trough, eating."Ex. 2: "We had dinner at my friend's house."Ex. 3: "John is at the movies right now."Ex. 4: "I saw Mary at the post office."
With locations that have a specific purpose, you use "at" when you are talking about the purpose and "inside" when you need to talk about the building itself:
Ex. 1: "The children are at school right now." (purpose, i.e., education)Ex. 2: "There was a fire inside the school today." (the building structure)
In English, there are always exceptions to the rule. But these are good, general guidelines that should help with many of your problems of usage.
By Erik 6 month(s) ago 0 comment(s) - Add a comment
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It is advisable to use IN when you are indicating a position for spaces with limitations. IN
is used to convey that something is contained or inside. For example,
- The bee is in the beehive.
- The mail in the mailbox.
- The file is in the disk.
Alternatively, ON is used to denote a position for surfaces or a position just above or
outside an area. Example,
- The book is placed on the table.
- Charlie sat on the stool.
- Jane had a tattoo on his arm.
IN is used to denote a moment enclosed in time. It is therefore used with other parts of
the day, with months, with years, with seasons. Some examples of these are,
- I like to drink coffee in the morning.
- AndreaÃs wedding is on October.
- A lot of terrorist activities happened in 2001.
- The flowers will bloom in spring.
ON is used with days and dates. Also, it may be used in special parts of the day and
special holidays. Distinctively, ON is used when you do not enclose something — time
included ñ it is with relative specificity.
- I’ll see you on Friday!
- My retirement is effective on June 23.
- The event happened on the morning of January 14.
- We look for colourful eggs on Easter Sunday.
ON is used with street names. Conversely, IN is used with names of cities, towns,
provinces, states, and countries.
- I’m on Elm street, meet me here Freddie.
- Jiu-jitsu is big in Brazil.
- There are so many celebrities in California!
There are some special considerations of using these two prepositions and it would be
best to learn them from experience.
Summary:
1. IN is used when you are referring something enclosed by limitations while using IN is
relatively specific and does not denote anything enclosed.
2. IN is used to denote a location of something inside a space while on generally,
denotes something above a surface or within proximity.
3. Whether it is used with place or time, normally, IN is general as compared to the
specific implications of ON.
T h e I n t r a n s i t i v e V e r b
Recognize an intransitive verb when you see one.
An intransitive verb has two characteristics. First, it is an action verb, expressing a doable activity like arrive, go, lie, sneeze, sit, die, etc. Second, unlike a transitive verb, it will not have adirect object receiving the action.
Here are some examples of intransitive verbs:
Huffing and puffing, we arrived at the classroom door with only seven
seconds to spare.
Arrived = intransitive verb.
James went to the campus cafe for a steaming bowl of squid eyeball stew.
Went = intransitive verb.
To escape the midday sun, the cats lie in the shade under our cars.
Lie = intransitive verb.
Around fresh ground pepper, Sheryl sneezes with violence.
Sneezes = intransitive verb.
In the evenings, Glenda sits on the front porch to admire her immaculate
lawn.
Sits = intransitive verb.
Flipped on its back, the beetle that Clara soaked with insecticide dies under
the refrigerator.
Dies = intransitive verb.
Realize that many verbs can be both transitive and intransitive.
An action verb with a direct object is transitive while an action verb with no direct object is intransitive. Some verbs, such as arrive, go, lie, sneeze, sit, and die, are always intransitive; it is impossible for a direct object to follow.
Other action verbs, however, can be transitive or intransitive, depending on what follows in the sentence. Compare these examples:
Because of blood sugar problems, Rosa always eats before leaving for
school.
Eats = intransitive verb.
If there is no leftover pizza, Rosa usually eats whole-grain cereal.
Eats = transitive verb; cereal = direct object.
During cross-country practice, Damien runs over hills, through fields, across
the river, and along the highway.
Runs = intransitive verb.
In the spring, Damien will run his first marathon.
Will run = transitive verb; marathon = direct object.
Main verbs have meaning on their own (unlike helping verbs). There are thousands of main verbs, and we can classify them in several ways:
Transitive and intransitive verbs
A transitive verb takes a direct object: Somebody killed the President. An intransitive verb does not have a direct object:verbs, like speak, can be transitive or intransitive. Look at these examples:
transitive:
I saw an elephant. We are watching TV.
He speaks English.
intransitive:
He has arrived. John goes to school.
She speaks fast.
Transitive Verbs
My sister broke the window.
In the first sentence, the word that comes after the verb, window, is the object of the verb. We say that window is the object because it receives the action of the verb. All objects of verbs receive the action of the verb.
Here are some more examples of transitive verbs with their objects:
o I sold some books.o I took the bus.o I bought a radio.o I understood her question.o I wrote a letter.
When a verb has an object that receives the action of the verb, we say that the verb is transitive. Transitive verbs are more common on the TOEFL than intransitive verbs, but many students get confused about intransitive verbs.
I baked some cookies.I rode the bicycle.I moved the chair.I stitched a quilt.
Let's look at the other kind of verb now.
Intransitive Verbs
My father cried.
We can see in this sentence that there is no word after cried. In other words, there is no object for the word, so there isthe action of the word. Think about it--what could we say? My father cried something. Is there a noun that we could use after
could probably think of one or two nouns, like tears, or even, good-bye, but normally, we do not use the verb
In this case we say that this verb is intransitive because it does not have an object after it.
Here are some more examples of intransitive verbs:
o I slept.o I coughed.o The glass fell.o My cat ran.o The sun rose.
We should notice that in each case, the subject is doing the action of the verb and nothing receives the action.
The batter hit the ball.The bird sang.I walked to the park today.Is walked transitive or intransitive? Think about the rules. Since walked has words coming after it, the verb must be transitive, right? WRONG! The phrase to the park is a prepositional phrase and today is an adverb. There is no object receiving the action of the verb walked so the verb is intransitive.
I laughed.I cried.The book fell.The horse galloped.The sun set.
Linking verbs
A linking verb does not have much meaning in itself. It "links" the subject to what is said about the subject. Usually, a linking verb shows equality (=) or a change to a different state or place (>). Linking verbs are always intransitive (but not all intransitive verbs are linking verbs).
Mary is a teacher. (mary = teacher) Tara is beautiful. (tara = beautiful)
That sounds interesting. (that = interesting)
The sky became dark. (the sky > dark)
The bread has gone bad. (bread > bad)
Dynamic and stative verbs
Some verbs describe action. They are called "dynamic", and can be used with continuous tenses. Other verbs describe state (non-action, a situation). They are called "stative", and cannot normally be used with continuous tenses (though some of them can be used with continuous tenses with a change in meaning).
dynamic verbs (examples):
hit, explode, fight, run, go
stative verbs (examples):
be like, love, prefer, wish
impress, please, surprise
hear, see, sound
belong to, consist of, contain, include, need
appear, resemble, seem
Regular and irregular verbs
This is more a question of vocabulary than of grammar. The only real difference between regular and irregular verbs is that they have different endings for their past tense and past participle forms. For regular verbs, the past tense ending and past participle ending is always the same: -ed. For irregular verbs, the past tense ending and the past participle ending is variable, so it is necessary to learn them by heart.
regular verbs: base, past tense, past participle
look, looked, looked work, worked, worked
irregular verbs: base, past tense, past participle
buy, bought, bought
cut, cut, cut
do, did, done
Here are lists of regular verbs and irregular verbs.
One way to think of regular and irregular verbs is like this: all verbs are irregular and the so-called regular verbs are simply one very large group of irregular verbs.
Often the above divisions can be mixed. For example, one verb could be irregular, transitive and dynamic; another verb could be regular, transitive and stative.
Now check your understanding »
Regular Verbs
English regular verbs change their form very little (unlike irregular verbs). The past tense and past participle of regular verbs end inexample:
work, worked, worked
But you should note the following points:
1. Some verbs can be both regular and irregular, for example:
learn, learned, learnedlearn, learnt, learnt
2. Some verbs change their meaning depending on whether they are regular or irregular, for example "to hang":
Regular hang, hanged, hanged to kill or die, by dropping with a rope around the neck
Irregular hang, hung, hung to fix something (for example, a picture) at the top so that the lower part is free
3. The present tense of some regular verbs is the same as the past tense of some irregular verbs:
Regular found, founded, founded
Irregular find, found, found
Regular Verbs List
Irregular verbs list
Regular Verbs List
There are thousands of regular verbs in English. This is a list of 600 of the more common regular verbs. Note that there are some spelling variations in American English (for example, "practise" becomes "practice" in American English).
Accept allow applaud attach
add
admire
admit
advise
afford
agree
alert
amuse
analyse
announce
annoy
answer
apologise
appear
appreciate
approve
argue
arrange
arrest
arrive
ask
attack
attempt
attend
attract
avoid
back
bake
balance
ban
bang
bare
bat
bathe
battle
beam
beg
behave
belong
bleach
bless
blind
blink
blot
blush
boast
boil
bolt
bomb
book
bore
borrow
bounce
bow
box
brake
branch
breathe
bruise
brush
bubble
bump
burn
bury
buzz
calculate
call
camp
care
carry
carve
cause
challenge
choke
chop
claim
clap
clean
clear
clip
close
compare
compete
complain
complete
concentrate
concern
confess
confuse
cough
count
cover
crack
crash
crawl
cross
crush
change
charge
chase
cheat
check
cheer
chew
coach
coil
collect
colour
comb
command
communicate
connect
consider
consist
contain
continue
copy
correct
cry
cure
curl
curve
cycle
dam
damage
dance
dare
decay
deceive
decide
decorate
delay
delight
deliver
depend
describe
desert
deserve
destroy
detect
develop
disagree
disappear
disapprove
disarm
discover
dislike
divide
double
doubt
drag
drain
dream
dress
drip
drop
drown
drum
dry
dust
earn
educate
embarrass
employ
empty
encourage
end
enjoy
enter
entertain
escape
examine
excite
excuse
exercise
exist
expand
expect
explain
explode
extend
face fetch flash force
fade
fail
fancy
fasten
fax
fear
fence
file
fill
film
fire
fit
fix
flap
float
flood
flow
flower
fold
follow
fool
form
found
frame
frighten
fry
gather
gaze
glow
glue
grab
grate
grease
greet
grin
grip
groan
guarantee
guard
guess
guide
hammer
hand
handle
hang
happen
harass
harm
hate
haunt
head
heal
heap
heat
help
hook
hop
hope
hover
hug
hum
hunt
hurry
identify
ignore
imagine
impress
improve
include
increase
influence
inform
inject
injure
instruct
intend
interest
interfere
interrupt
introduce
invent
invite
irritate
itch
jail
jam
jog
join
joke
judge
juggle
jump
kick
kill
kiss
kneel
knit
knock
knot
label
land
last
laugh
launch
learn
level
license
lick
lie
lighten
like
list
listen
live
load
lock
long
look
love
man
manage
march
mark
marry
match
mate
matter
measure
meddle
melt
memorise
mend
mess up
milk
mine
miss
mix
moan
moor
mourn
move
muddle
mug
multiply
murder
nail
name
need
nest
nod
note
notice
number
obey
object
observe
obtain
occur
offend
offer
open
order
overflow
owe
own
pack permit pop prevent
paddle
paint
park
part
pass
paste
pat
pause
peck
pedal
peel
peep
perform
phone
pick
pinch
pine
place
plan
plant
play
please
plug
point
poke
polish
possess
post
pour
practise
pray
preach
precede
prefer
prepare
present
preserve
press
pretend
prick
produce
program
promise
protect
provide
pull
pump
punch
puncture
punish
push
question queue
race
radiate
rain
raise
reach
realise
receive
recognise
record
refuse
regret
reign
reject
rejoice
relax
release
rely
remain
remove
repair
repeat
replace
reply
report
reproduce
request
rescue
rhyme
rinse
risk
rob
rock
roll
rot
rub
ruin
reduce
reflect
remember
remind
retire
return
rule
rush
sack
sail
satisfy
save
saw
scare
scatter
scold
scorch
scrape
scratch
scream
screw
scribble
scrub
seal
search
separate
serve
settle
shade
share
shave
shelter
shiver
shock
shop
shrug
sigh
sign
signal
sin
sip
ski
skip
slap
slip
slow
smash
smell
smile
smoke
snatch
sneeze
sniff
snore
snow
soak
soothe
sound
spare
spark
sparkle
spell
spill
spoil
spot
spray
sprout
squash
squeak
squeal
squeeze
stain
stamp
stare
start
stay
steer
step
stir
stitch
stop
store
strap
strengthen
stretch
strip
stroke
stuff
subtract
succeed
suck
suffer
suggest
suit
supply
support
suppose
surprise
surround
suspect
suspend
switch
talk
tame
tap
taste
tease
telephone
tempt
terrify
test
thank
thaw
tick
tickle
tie
time
tip
tire
touch
tour
tow
trace
trade
train
transport
trap
travel
treat
tremble
trick
trip
trot
trouble
trust
try
tug
tumble
turn
twist
type
undress
unfasten
unite
unlock
unpack
untidy
use
vanish visit
wail
wait
walk
wander
want
warm
warn
wash
waste
watch
water
wave
weigh
welcome
whine
whip
whirl
whisper
whistle
wink
wipe
wish
wobble
wonder
work
worry
wrap
wreck
wrestle
wriggle
x-ray
Irregular Verbs List
This is a list of some irregular verbs in English. Of course, there are many others, but these are the more common irregular verbs.
V1Base Form
V2Past Simple
V3Past Participle
Awake Awoke Awoken
Be was, were Been
Beat Beat Beaten
Become Became Become
Begin Began Begun
Bend Bent Bent
Bet Bet Bet
Bid Bid bid
Bite Bit bitten
Blow Blew blown
Break Broke broken
Bring Brought brought
broadcast Broadcast broadcast
Build Built built
Burn burned/burnt burned/burnt
Buy Bought bought
Catch Caught caught
choose Chose chosen
Come Came come
Cost Cost cost
Cut Cut cut
Dig Dug dug
Do Did done
Draw Drew drawn
dream dreamed/dreamt dreamed/dreamt
Drive Drove driven
Drink Drank drunk
Eat Ate eaten
Fall Fell fallen
Feel Felt felt
Fight Fought fought
Find Found found
Fly Flew flown
forget Forgot forgotten
forgive Forgave forgiven
freeze Froze frozen
Get Got got (sometimes gotten)
Give Gave given
Go Went gone
Grow Grew grown
Hang Hung hung
Have Had had
Hear Heard heard
Hide Hid hidden
Hit Hit hit
Hold Held held
Hurt Hurt hurt
Keep Kept kept
Know Knew known
Lay Laid laid
Lead Led led
Learn learned/learnt learned/learnt
Leave Left left
Lend Lent lent
Let Let let
Lie Lay lain
Lose Lost lost
Make Made made
Mean Meant meant
Meet Met met
Pay Paid paid
Put Put Put
Read Read read
Ride Rode ridden
Ring Rang rung
Rise Rose risen
Run Ran Run
Say Said said
See Saw seen
Sell Sold sold
Send Sent sent
Show Showed showed/shown
Shut Shut shut
Sing Sang sung
Sit Sat Sat
Sleep Slept slept
speak Spoke spoken
spend Spent spent
Stand Stood stood
Swim Swam swum
Take Took taken
Teach Taught taught
Tear Tore torn
Tell Told told
Think Thought thought
Throw Threw thrown
understand understood Understood
Wake Woke Woken
Wear Wore Worn
Win Won Won
Write Wrote Written
You may also like to see this list of common regular verbs in English .
Transitive and intransitive verbs worksheet
Verbs that are followed by objects are called transitive verbs. Verbs that are not normally followed by objects are called intransitive verbs.
Name the verbs in the following sentences and state whether they are used transitively or intransitively.
1. Some ants fight fiercely.
2. The explosion sank the ship.
3. He spoke the truth.
4. He spoke loudly.
5. Boil the water.
6. The motorman stopped the train.
7. The horse kicked the boy.
8. The sun rises in the morning.
9. The watchman blew his whistle.
10. The poor widow killed herself.
11. He took shelter under a tree.
12. The birds sang sweetly.
13. The fire burns brightly.
14. Birds fly in the sky.
15. Time heals all wounds.
Answers
1. Intransitive verb – fight; no object
2. Transitive verb – sank; object – the ship
3. Transitive verb – spoke; object – the truth
4. Intransitive verb – spoke; no object
5. Transitive verb – boil; object – the water
6. Transitive verb – stopped; object – the train
7. Transitive verb – kicked; object – the boy
8. Intransitive verb – rises; no object
9. Transitive verb – blew; object – his whistle
10. Transitive verb – killed; object – herself
11. Transitive verb – took; object – shelter
12. Intransitive verb – sang; no object
13. Intransitive verb – burns; no object
14. Intransitive verb – fly; no object
15. Transitive verb – heals; object – all wounds
Teachers and parents may print these worksheets for their students. Click here for a printer-friendly version of this page.
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Preposition Exercises 1
Test your knowledge of the prepositions in / at / to / nothing - showing place and movement. Choose either in, at, to, or nothing and click on the arrow to see you have
answered correctly.
1. He lives Zielona Gora.
2. She went home.
3. Piotrek works Gorzów Wlkp.
4. He went his friend's house.
5. She arrived Manchester for the celebrations.
6. I'm going to stay home this weekend.
7. Joanna works the hospital.
8. Why don't we go the movies tonight?
9. I'm going to see Hania France this summer.
10. I arrived work early this morning.
11.She came home early.
12.We stayed the Mieszko Hotel.
13.They visited England last summer.
14.She's going to travel Finland this summer.
15. I'll be school later today.
Preposition Exercises 2
Test you knowledge of the prepositions for / while / during. Choose either for, while or during and click on the arrow to see you have answered correctly.
1. He's been working three weeks.
2. I fell asleep the film.
3. Did you see Donata your holiday?
4. We talked an hour.
5. He watched TV I cooked.
Preposition Exercises 3
Test you knowledge of the prepositions in / at / on - showing time and date. Choose either in, at or on and click on the arrow to see you have answered correctly.
1. Let's meet seven o'clock.
2. He was born July.
3. I went there 1998.
4. She'll be at work Thursday.
5. We met Christmas day.
6. They drove to Barlinek September 15th.
7. We arrived in this country September.
8. I love to go shopping Christmas time.
9. We get up early the morning.
10.Do you dream night?
11.What do you like doing weekends?
12.He's working on his homework the moment.
13. I lived in Holland the 1990s.
14. I'll see you a few weeks.
15.We like going to the cinema Fridays.
Preposition Exercises 4
1 - She wasn't short, she wasn't tall; she was average height.
2 - What are you going to buy Hania her birthday?
3 - The police are looking a tall, black man who was seen standing outside the bank just before the robbery took place.
4 - The teacher asked the class to do the exercise the bottom of page 12.
5 - As a child I was always ashamed my parents because they were uneducated.
6 - I was always very good Geography when I was at school.
7 - My uncle specializes in .
8 - We arrived Gorzów at 3.30 in the morning.
9 - I didn't see you the party on Saturday.
10 - There was a lot of coughing the performance of Moniusko's 'Fairy Tale' symphony.
11 - He saw her as the most attractive woman the world.
12 - Simon is completely useless sports.
6. our stay in London, we visited a lot of museums.
7. What did you do you were in London?
8. I think I need to study Polish a few months before I go there.
9. I came up with a great idea I was thinking about my class.
10.They drove through the countryside they were staying in France.
11.He was out of work six months before he found a new job.
12. I broke my finger I was playing squash.
13.Please, don't interrupt the teacher he is speaking.
14.Magda broke into tears the film.
15.Could you hold on a few moments?
Prepositions: In, On, and At (with specific times and places)
The prepositions in, on, and at can be used to indicate time and place. Notice how they are used in the following situations:Preposition Time Place
In Year, Month, In 1999, In December Country, State, City In Japan, In Utah, InTaipei
On Day, Date On Saturday, On May 1 Street On Main Street, On 1st Ave.
At Time At 8:00, At 7:30 Address At 815 East Main Street
In many languages, there is only one preposition for the above situations. In English there are three. Just remember that
indicates the "largest" time or place, and at usually indicates the "smallest" time or place.
Examples:A: Where's your office?
B: In Taipei, Taiwan.
A: Really? What part of Taipei?
B: It's on Chung Shan North Road.
A: I know that area. Where exactly is it?
B: It's at 105 Chung Shan North Road, next to the bookstore.
C: When is the wedding?
D: It's in June.
C: What day?
D: It's on Saturday, the 25th.
C: What time?
D: It starts at 6:00.
Prepositions with articles and locations
When talking about locations, use at to indicate the general vicinity or area, and in to indicate inside the building, enclosed area, etc. For
example:
at the swimming pool (on site) in the swimming pool (in the pool itself i.e. in the water)
at the post office/bank (general) in the post office/bank (inside the building)
at the zoo (visitors, general area) in the zoo (animals in their cages)
at school in the classroom
Sample sentences:
I met my wife at the theater. (while watching a movie)
I spilled my drink in the theater (on the floor of the building)
She works at the library on Wednesdays.
She found a rare coin in the library (building).
Dr. Jones works at the hospital every day.
John was in the hospital for a week with a broken leg.
For school, prison, and church, the is used to indicate the building. No article indicates the general situation. Note the following:
"practice"/situation building
in school (studying, listening to teacher, etc.) in the school (building)
in jail/prison (staying there as a criminal) in the jail/prison (temporary)
in church (praying, listening to a sermon, etc.) in the church (building)
Where's Dad?
in church (attending services) in the church (fixing the windows)
at church at the church
in prison (He committed a crime.) at the prison (visiting his friend)
For Practice: See
At-On-In Used in Time and Dates (from The Internet TESL Journal) Prepositions: At, In and On (from The Internet TESL Journal)
See also:
Grammar: Prepositions and Time Words;Prepositions of Location
If you have questions or comments about this page, please contact us. Be sure to include the title of this page in the Subject line of
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In, At or OnClick the answer button to see the answer.
1. It gets very cold ___ winter.
2. Betty doesn't have a job ___ the moment.
3. The telephone and the doorbell rang ___ the same time.
4. He flew from Japan. He's probably ___ Perth now.
5. Would you like to go out to dinner ___ Friday night?
6. She was tired. She's ___ bed now.
7. Goodbye! I'll see you ___ the morning.
8. Were you ___ Tom's party last night?
9. I'll see you ___ two weeks time.
10.She was born ___ 1961.
11.The doctor will see you ___ 10:00.
12.___ the age of ten I wanted to be a firefighter.
13.My wife gave me a wonderful present ___ my birthday.
14.The coffee is ___ the shelf.
15.My pen is ___ my pencil case.
16.He's gone to work. He's probably ___ work now.
17.He lives ___ Australia.
18.___ my opinion you should buy the blue shirt.
19.___ second thought, the green shirt is nicer.
20. I'll see you ___ Monday.
21. I'll be taking my holiday ___ Christmas this year.
22.Buy some bread and milk ___ your way home.
23.What will you be doing ___ New Year's Eve?
24.___ the end of a course, students usually have a party.
25.The flowers ___ your garden are very beautiful.
26.There were many cars ___ the road today.
27.Tom and Betty always go out to dinner ___ their wedding aniversary.
28.We got up ___ dawn today.
29.Are you doing anything ___ the weekend?
30.We live ___ this address.
Copyright (C) 1997 Douglas Gilbert ([email protected]) This quiz is part of the HTML-Only Self-Study Quizzes which is part of Activities for ESL
Students, a project by The Internet TESL Journal.
aha, ahem, ahh, ahoy, alas, arg, aw
B: bam, bingo, blah, boo, bravo, brrr
C: cheers, congratulations
D: dang, drat, darn, duh
E: eek, eh, encore, eureka
F: fiddlesticks
G: gadzooks, gee, gee whiz, golly, goodbye, goodness, good grief, gosh
H: ha-ha, hallelujah, hello, hey, hmm, holy buckets, holy cow,
holy smokes, hot dog, huh?, humph, hurray
O: oh, oh dear, oh my, oh well, oops, ouch, ow
P: phew, phooey, pooh, pow
R: rats
S: shh, shoo
T: thanks, there, tut-tut
U: uh-huh, uh-oh, ugh
W: wahoo, well, whoa, whoops, wow
Y: yeah, yes, yikes, yippee, yo, yuck
after How till ( or 'til)
although If Unless
as inasmuch Until
as if in order that When
as long as Lest Whenever
as much as now that Where
as soon as provided (that) Wherever
as though Since While
because so that
before than
even if that
even though Though
1. Music soothe me.
2. Billy bake brownies every Halloween.
3. Peggy and Grace is arguing again.
4. Elsie never takes the bus to work.
5. The people who own that house has no insurance.
6. One of these mechanics have a set of jumper cables.
7. Felix and his brother is mending the wings of butterflies.
8. Both of my essays is brilliant.
9. The pulses emitted by a neutron star recurs at precise intervals.
10. One of my uncles dances at the Rainbow Cafe.
11. Phil and Jeremy has gone to the concert.
12. Both of my daughters are professional dancers.
13. Every one of the workers receive the same benefits.
14. There is two gerbils in my bathroom.
15. This box of toys belong in the attic.
16. Music soothes me.
17. Billy bakes brownies every Halloween.
18. Peggy and Grace are arguing again.
19. Correct
20. The people who own that house have no insurance.
21. One of these mechanics has a set of jumper cables.
22. Felix and his brother are mending the wings of butterflies.
23. Both of my essays are brilliant.
24. The pulses emitted by a neutron star recur at precise intervals.
25. Correct
26. Phil and Jeremy have gone to the concert.
27. Correct
28. Every one of the workers receives the same benefits.
29. There are two gerbils in my bathroom.
30. This box of toys belongs in the attic.
By adding "ss" to the noun for a male (sometimes with other slight changes):
MALE, FEMALE
actor, actress
Baron, Baroness
Count, Countess
Duke, Duchess
Emperor, Empress
giant, giantess
heir, heiress
host, hostess
lion, lioness
manager, manageress
master, mistress
murderer, murderess
priest, priestess
Prince, Princess
poet, poetess
shepherd, shepherdess
steward, stewardess
tiger, tigress
waiter, waitress
2. By use of different words:
MALE, FEMALE
bachelor, spinster
boy, girl
brother, sister
bull, cow
cock, hen
dog, bitch
drake, hen (duck)
father, mother
dog, vixen (fox)
friar, nun
gander, goose
gentleman, lady
stallion, mare
husband, wife
King, Queen
lad, lass
lord, lady
man, woman
monk, nun
nephew, niece
sir, madam
son, daughter
uncle, aunt
3. By prefixing or suffixing a word:
MALE, FEMALE
boy-friend, girl-friend
grandfather, grandmother
great grandfather, great grandmother
grandson, granddaughter
great grandson
great granddaughter
father-in-law, mother-in-law
brother-in-law, sister-in-law
son-in-law, daughter-in-law
landlord, landlady
manservant, maidservant
step-father, step-mother
step-son, step-daughter
Godfather, Godmother
Godson, Goddaughter
ANIMALS
MALE, FEMALE
he, she
tom, tib (cat)
tom, tib (elephant)
bull, cow
boar, sow
buck, roe
ram, ewe
BIRDS
cock, hen
peacock, peahen
4. Foreign feminines:
MALE, FEMALE
fiancé, fiancée
hero, heroine
5. The only cases in which the noun for a male is formed from the noun for a female are:
MALE, FEMALE
bridegroom, bride
widower, widow
MASCULINE FAMININEactorauthorbachelorboyBoy Scoutbravebridegroombrotherconductorcountczardaddaddydukeemperorfatherfather-in-lawfiancegentlemangiantgodgovernorgrandfatherheadmasterheir
ActressauthoressspinstergirlGirl GuideSquawbridesistercomductresscountessczarinamummummyduchessempressmothermother-in-lawfianceeladygiantessgoddessmatrongrandmotherheadmistressheiress
herohosthunterhusbandkingladlandlordlordmanmanagermanservantmastermayormilkmanmillionairemonitormonkMr.murdererNegronephewpapapoetpostmanpostmasterpriestprinceprophetproprietorprotectorshepherdsirsonson-in-lawstep-fatherstep-sonstewardsultantailorunclewaiterwashermanwidowerwizard
heroinehostesshuntresswifequeenlasslandladyladywomanmanageressmaidservantmistressmayoressmilkmaidmillionairessmonitressnunMrs.murderessNegressniecemamapoetesspostwomanpostmistressprietessprincessprophetessproprietressprotectressshepherdessmadamdaughterdaughter-in-lawstep-motherstep-daughterstewardesssultanatailoressauntwaitresswasherwomanwidowwitch
CREATURES
MASCULINE FAMININEbilly-goatboarbuck (deer, hare)buck-rabbitbullbull-elephantbull-sealbullockbull-whalecob (swan)cockcockerelcock-pigeoncolt (young horse)dogdrakedronefoxganderhawkhe-bearhe-goathe-wolfjack-assleopardlionpeacockram (sheep)stagstalliontigertom-catturkey-cock
nanny-goatsowdoedoe-rabbitcowcow-elephantcow-sealheifercow-whalepenhenpullethen-pigeonfillybitchduckbeevixengoosebowessshe-bearshe-goatshe-wolfjenny-ass, she-assleopardesslionesspeahenewehindmaretigresstabby-catturkey-hen
By adding –s
Singular Plural Singular Plural
ant ants lock locks
bicycle bicycles magazine magazines
cow cows nose noses
daughter daughters orange oranges
egg eggs picture pictures
flower flowers rose roses
grape grapes spoonful spoonfuls
house houses toy toys
jug jugs vase vases
king kings well wells
By adding -es to nouns ending in –ch, -s, -sh, -ss, and –x
Singular Plural Singular Plural
beach beaches dish dishes
inch inches thrush thrushes
match matches boss bosses
watch watches dress dresses
bus buses glass glasses
octopus octopuses kiss kisses
syllabus syllabuses box boxes
virus viruses fox foxes
brush brushes six sixes
bush bushes tax taxes
By adding –s to nouns ending in –o
Singular Plural Singular Plural
dynamo dynamos studio studios
photo photos tattoo tattoos
piano pianos torso torsos
radio radios trio trios
solo solos zero zeros
By adding -–es to nouns ending in –o
Singular Plural Singular Plural
Buffalo buffaloes potato potatoes
Echo echoes tomato tomatoes
Hero heroes tornado tornadoes
mosquito mosquitoes veto vetoes
Negro negroes
By adding –s or –es to nouns ending in -o
Singular Plural Singular Plural
Banjo banjos/banjoes memento mementos/mementoes
Archipelago archipelagos/es peccadillo peccadillos/es
Cargo cargos/cargoes lasso lassos/lassoes
Mango mango/mangoes indigo Indigos/indigoes
Motto mottos/mottoes volcano volcanos/volcanoes
By changing –y into –ies if a noun ends in a consonant before the -y
Singular Plural Singular Plural
Beauty beauties fairy fairies
cherry cherries family families
curry curries nappy nappies
diary diaries spy spies
duty duties theory theories
By adding –s if there is a vowel before the -y
Singular Plural Singular Plural
chimney chimneys kidney kidneys
donkey donkeys monkey monkeys
guy guys toy toys
jersey jerseys trolley trolleys
key keys valley valleys
By changing –f or –fe into –ves
Singular Plural Singular Plural
calf calves life lives
elf elves loaf loaves
half halves sheaf sheaves
knife knives thief thieves
leaf leaves wife wives
By adding –s to nouns ending in –f or –fe
Singular Plural Singular Plural
chef chef handcuff handcuffs
chief chiefs reef reefs
cliff cliffs roof roofs
giraffe Giraffes safe safes
gulf Gulfs sheriff sheriffs
By adding –s or changing –f into –ves
Singular Plural
dwarf dwarf/dwarves
handkerchief Handkerchiefs/ves
hoof hoof/hooves
scarf scarfs/scarves
turf turfs/turves
wharf wharfs/wharves
By changing the vowels
Singular Plural Singular Plural
axis Axes goose geese
cactus Cacti louse lice
crisis Crises mouse mice
emporium emporia/emporiums oasis oases
fungus fungus/funguses tooth teeth
By adding –en or –ren
Singular Plural Singular Plural
ox Oxen child children
By changing the vowels
Singular Plural Singular Plural
Axis Axes goose geese
Cactus Cacti louse lice
Crisis Crises mouse mice*
Emporium emporia/emporiums oasis oases
Fungus fungi/funguses tooth teeth
* For computer mouse, the plural is mice or mouses.
The plural and singular forms of some nouns are the same
Advice Advice knowledge knowledge
Aircraft Aircraft music music
Baggage Baggage news News
Cattle Cattle offspring Offspring
Cod Cod scenery Scenery
Deer Deer series Series
Fish fish** sheep Sheep
Furniture Furniture species Species
Information information
** More than one fish of the same species. Fishes are the plural of more than one species of fish.