SENTENCES, SUBJECT AND PREDICATE, PHRASES AND CLAUSES

 

PROFICIENCY IN ENGLISH – PART – 9 (A)

 

SENTENCES

 

A group of words that makes a complete sense is called a sentence.

          John helps Mary.

Who helps Mary?

Help Mary.

What a great help!

 

Kinds of Sentences

 

A sentence that makes a statement or an assertion is called Assertive or Declarative Sentence.

          He wrote his exam yesterday.

          They are admitted in the hospital.

 

A sentence that asks a question is called an interrogative sentence.

          Where did he go?

          Will he attend the meeting?

 

A sentence that expresses a command, request or an advice is called an imperative sentence.

          Come here.

          Don’t smoke.

 

A sentence that expresses a strong feeling is called an exclamatory sentence.

          What a lovely place is this!

          Alas! Our leader is no more.

 

SUBJECT AND PREDICATE

 

In a meaningful sentence, we have a subject to speak about and a predicate, something about that subject.  Usually the subject comes first.  But in imperative sentences the subject is left out.

          The Earth revolves round the Sun.

          The dancing of the peacock delights us.

          Sit down.

          Please, help me.

 

THE PHRASE AND THE CLAUSE

 

A group of words, that makes sense, but not complete sense is called a phrase.

          It was a sunset of great beauty.

          He left the house in the early morning.

 

A group of words that becomes a part of a sentence, and contains a subject and a predicate is called a clause.

          He gave her a chain of gold. (Phrase)

          He gave her a chain which is made of gold. (Clause)

          I think that you have learned everything. (Clause)

-----Thulasidharan V

 

 

         

 

 

ADJECTIVES

ADJECTIVES

 

John is a clever boy.

We can stay in that room.

They need three tickets.

          She gave some money.

 

An adjective is a word that qualifies a noun and indicates the quality, kind, quantity, number etc. of the person or thing represented by the noun.

They can be used in two ways - as attributively and as predicatively.

 

          She is a beautiful girl (an attribute to the ‘girl’)

          She looks beautiful (helping to complete the meaning)

 

KINDS OF ADJECTIVES

 

1.     Adjectives of quality:- the adjective that shows the quality, kind or condition of the noun they qualify.

          He is a good athlete (quality) (what kind?)

 

2.     Adjective of quantity:- It tells how much of a thing is meant.

          He has lost all his wealth.

          Take great care of your health.

          We have got sufficient rain this year.

          They showed much patience.

 

3.     Numeral Adjective (adjectives of number):- Tells how many persons or things are meant or in what order a person or thing stands.

          Most boys love cricket.

          You have committed several mistakes.

          Who has got the first prize?

 

The three kinds of Numeral adjectives

 

a.   Definite Numeral Adjectives:- denote the exact numbers. (both cardinals and ordinals)

 

I have given him three mangoes. (cardinal)

This is John, who has got the first prize. (ordinal)

 

b.    Indefinite Numeral Adjectives:- don’t denote an exact number

 

All students are present.

Some men are not ready to obey.

 

c.      Distribute Numeral Adjectives:- refer to each one of a number.

 

Each boy must take his turn.

Every word of it is true.

 

d.    All, some, any and no are the adjectives that can be used as both Numeral adjectives and adjectives of quantitiy.

 

I ate some rice. (Quantitative)

Some boys are clever. (Numerical)

 

4.     Demonstrative adjectives:- tell which person or thing is meant.

 

          This boy is apt; Those girls have been selected

 

5.     Interrogative Adjectives:- what, which and whose are called interrogative adjectives when they are used with nouns to ask questions.

          Whose bag is this?

          Which is the road to the beach?

          What type of man is he?

6.     Emphasizing adjectives:- own and very

 

          Mind your own business.

          This is the very thing that I expected.

 

7.     Exclamatory adjectives:- What

 

          What an idea!

          What a piece of work is man!

 

FORMATION OF ADJECTIVES

 

Adjectives are formed from nouns, verbs and also from adjectives.

Adjectives formed from nouns
Noun	Adjective
Hope Use Child Fool Trouble Awe Gold Earth Gift Dirt	Hopeful Useful                  Childish Foolish Troublesome Awesome Golden Earthen Gifted Dirty

Adjectives formed from verbs
Verb	Adjective
Talk Move Rest	Talkative Moveable Restless

 

Adjectives formed from adjectives
Adjective	Adjective
Tragic Sick Black	Tragical  Sickly Blackish

Comparison of Adjectives

 

          John’s answer is good.

          Jim’s answer is better than John’s answer.

          Mary’s answer is the best one among all these three.

 

Adjectives change their forms to show comparison. This is degrees of comparison.

As good is used without any comparison, it is said to be in the positive degree.

As better is used to compare with only two persons (or things) it is said to be in comparative degree. (Normally followed by ‘than’).

As best is used to compare with more than two, it is said to be in superlative degree (Normally proceeds by the definite article ‘the’)

 

Formation of comparative and superlative degrees

There are two ways of forming comparative and superlative degrees.

1.     By adding ‘-er’ to the positive to form comparative and ‘-est’ to the positive to form superlative.

 

2.     By using ‘more’ before the positive to form comparative and ‘most’ to the positive to form superlative.

Ways of forming degrees of comparisons 

Most of the one syllable adjectives add ‘-er’ to form comparative and ‘-est’ to form superlative.

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Bold Clever Great Young	Bolder Cleverer Greater Younger	Boldest Cleverest Greatest Youngest

With adjectives ending in ‘-e’, add ‘-r’ and ‘-st’

Fine True Wise

Finer Truer Wiser

Finest Truest Wisest

 

Adjectives ending in ‘-y’ preceded by a consonant, the ‘-y’ is changed into ‘-i’ before adding ‘-er’ and ‘-est’

Dry Easy Happy Wealthy

Drier Easier Happier Wealthier

Driest Easiest Happiest Wealthiest

 

In one syllable adjectives ending in a consonant and preceded by a short vowel, the consonants get doubled before adding ‘-er’ and ‘-est’

Big Fat Hot Thin Sad

Bigger Fatter Hotter Thinner Sadder

Biggest Fattest Hottest Thinnest Saddest

Adjectives of more than two syllables form the comparative by using ‘more’ (adverb) and superlative by using ‘most’ (adverb) in front of it.

Beautiful Courageous Difficult Learned

More beautiful More courageous More difficult More learned

Most beautiful Most courageous Most difficult Most learned

 

There are adjectives that are not formed from positive

Good/well Bad/ill Little Much Late adverbs not adjectives Fore In   up

Better Worse Less More Later, Latter   Former Inner Upper

Best Worst Least Most Latest, Last   Foremost Innermost Uppermost

The comparative adjectives that won’t be followed by ‘than’ 

Junior, Senior, Superior, Inferior 

          John is junior to Jim.

          Rosy is superior to Jim.

          John is inferior to Jim in richness.

          Jim is senior to John.         

The adjectives that can’t be compared         

Round, square, perfect, unique

 

Changing the degree of comparisons

 

Positive - John is as wise as Jim. 

Comparative – Jim is not wiser than John. 

Superlative – Chennai is one of the biggest cities in India. 

Comparative – Chennai is bigger than most other cities in India. 

Positive – Very few Indian cities are as big as Chennai. 

Positive – No one in this town is as rich as John. 

Comparative – John is richer than any other man in this town. 

Superlative – John is the richest man in this town. 

Positive – No metal is as heavy as heavy as Osmium. 

Comparative – Osmium is heavier than all other metals. 

Superlative – Osmium is the heaviest of all metals.

All explained in the video and notes at the end of the video 

Malayalam

https://youtu.be/f7U1H6D4V4Q

தமிழில்

https://youtu.be/YsH_pR7eXjk

------THULASIDHARAN V