Verbs come in three tenses: past, present, and future. The past is used to describe things that have already happened (e.g., earlier in the day, yesterday, last week, three years ago). The present tense is used to describe things that are happening right now, or things that are continuous. The future tense describes things that have yet to happen (e.g., later, tomorrow, next week, next year, three years from now).
Present tensesTHE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
The simple present tense in English is used to describe an action that is regular, true or normal.
We use the present tense:
1. For repeated or regular actions in the present time period.
• I take the train to the office.
• The train to Berlin leaves every hour.
2. For facts.
• The President of The USA lives in The White House.
• A dog has four legs.
3. For habits.
• I get up early every day.
• Carol brushes her teeth twice a day.
4. For things that are always / generally true.
• It rains a lot in winter.
• They speak English at work.
Verb Conjugation & Spelling
We form the present tense using the base form of the infinitive (without TO).
In general, in the third person we add 'S' in the third person.
Subject Verb The Rest of the sentence
I / you / we / they speak / learn English at home
he / she / it speaks / learns English at home
The spelling for the verb in the third person differs depending on the ending of that verb:
1. For verbs that end in -O, -CH, -SH, -SS, -X, or -Z we add -ES in the third person.
• go – goes
• catch – catches
• wash – washes
• kiss – kisses
• fix – fixes
• buzz – buzzes
2. For verbs that end in a consonant + Y, we remove the Y and add -IES.
• marry – marries
• study – studies
• carry – carries
• worry – worries
NOTE: For verbs that end in a vowel + Y, we just add -S.
• play – plays
• enjoy – enjoys
• say – says
Negative Sentences in the Simple Present Tense
To make a negative sentence in English we normally use Don't or Doesn't with all verbs EXCEPT To Be and Modal verbs (can, might, should etc.).
• Affirmative: You speak French.
Negative: You don't speak French.
You will see that we add don't between the subject and the verb. We use Don't when the subject is I, you, we or they.
• Affirmative: He speaks German.
Negative: He doesn't speak German.
When the subject is he, she or it, we add doesn't between the subject and the verb to make a negative sentence. Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in the affirmative sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the negative sentence. We will see the reason why below.
Don't = Do not Doesn't = Does not
Word Order of Negative Sentences
Subject don't/doesn't Verb The Rest of the sentence
I / you / we / they don't have / buy
eat / like etc. cereal for breakfast
he / she / it doesn't
Questions in the Simple Present Tense
To make a question in English we normally use Do or Does. It is normally put at the beginning of the question.
• Affirmative: You speak English.
Question: Do you speak English?
We use Do when the subject is I, you, we or they.
• Affirmative: He speaks French.
Question: Does he speak French?
When the subject is he, she or it, we add DOES at the beginning to make the affirmative sentence a question.
Word Order of Questions with Do and Does
Do/Does Subject Verb* The Rest of the sentence
Do I / you / we / they have / need
want etc. a new bike?
Does he / she / it
The present continuous
The present continuous tense is formed from the present tense of the verb be and the present participle (-ing form) of a verb.
Affirmative
Subject + to be + base + ing
She is talking.
Negative
Subject + to be + not + base + ing
She is not (isn't) talking
Interrogative
to be + subject + base + ing
Is she talking?
EXAMPLES: TO GO
Affirmative Negative Interrogative
I am going I am not going Am I going?
You are going You aren't going. Are you going?
He, she, it is going He, she, it isn't going Is he, she, it going?
We are going We aren't going Are we going?
You are going You aren't going Are you going?
They are going They aren't going Are they going?
1. We use the present continuous tense to talk about the present:
• for something that is happening at the moment of speaking:
I’m just leaving work. I’ll be home in an hour.
Please be quiet. The children are sleeping.
• for something which is happening before and after a given time:
At eight o’clock we are usually having breakfast.
When I get home the children are doing their homework.
• for something which we think is temporary:
Michael is at university. He’s studying history.
I’m working in London for the next two we eks.
• for something which is new and contrasts with a previous state:
These days most people are using email instead of writing letters.
What sort of clothes are teenagers wearing nowadays? What sort of music are they listening to?
• to show that something is changing, growing or developing:
The climate is changing rapidly.
Your English is improving.
• for something which happens again and again:
It’s always raining in London.
They are always arguing.
George is great. He’s always laughing.
Note: We normally use always with this use.
2. We use the present continuous tense to talk about the future:
• for something which has been arranged or planned:
Mary is going to a new school next term.
What are you doing next week?
3. We can use the present continuous to talk about the past:
• When we are telling a story:
• When we are summarising the story from a book, film or play etc.
VERBS THAT ARE NOT USUALLY USED IN THE CONTINUOUS FORM
SENSES / PERCEPTION
to feel*
to hear
to see*
to smell
to taste
OPINION
to assume
to believe
to consider
to doubt
to feel (= to think)
to find (= to consider)
to suppose
to think*
MENTAL STATES
to forget
to imagine
to know
to mean
to notice
to recognise
to remember
to understand
EMOTIONS / DESIRES
to envy
to fear
to dislike
to hate
to hope
to like
to love
to mind
to prefer
to regret
to want
to wish
MEASUREMENT
to contain
to cost
to hold
to measure
to weigh
OTHERS
to look (=resemble)
to seem
to be (in most cases)
to have(when it means "to possess")*
EXCEPTIONS
Perception verbs (see, hear, feel, taste, smell) are often used with can: : I can see... These verbs may be used in the continuous form but with a different meaning
This coat feels nice and warm. (your perception of the coat's qualities)
John's feeling much better now (his health is improving)
She has three dogs and a cat. (possession)
She's having supper. (She's eating)
I can see Anthony in the garden (perception)
I'm seeing Anthony later (We are planning to meet)
Present Perfect Tense
The Present Perfect Tense is formed using the following structure:
Affirmative: Subject + Have / Has + Past Participle
Negative: Subject + Haven't / Hasn't + Past Participle
Question: Have / Has + Subject + Past Participle
Affirmative Sentences
Subject Have Past
Participle Rest of the Sentence
I have studied for the exam.
You have bought a new computer.
He has eaten my chocolate.
She has written an e-mail.
It has been cold this month.
We have won the championship.
You have tried to learn a lot.
They have forgotten my birthday.
Contractions
The contracted form of the perfect tense is quite common:
Have Contraction Examples
I have I've I've spent all my money.
You have You've You've worn that dress before.
He has He's He's slept all morning.
She has She's She's lost her purse.
It has It's It's fallen off the wall.
We have We've We've chosen you for the job.
You have You've You've begun to annoy me.
They have They've They've drunk too much.
We use contractions a lot when we are speaking.
Negative Sentences
The contraction of the perfect tense in negative form is:
Have not = Haven't
Has not = Hasn't
Subject Have Past
Participle Rest of the Sentence
I haven't studied for the exam.
You haven't bought a new computer.
He hasn't eaten my chocolate.
She hasn't written an e-mail.
It hasn't been cold this month.
We haven't won the championship.
You haven't tried to learn a lot.
They haven't forgotten my birthday.
Questions
Have Subject Past
Participle Rest of the Sentence
Have I been chosen for the team?
Have you bought a new car?
Has he eaten my sandwich?
Has she written the letter?
Has it started on time?
Have we won a trophy?
Have you kept my secret?
Have they driven there?
When do we use the Present Perfect Tense?
1. Unspecified point in the past
• I have been to Spain three times.
(At some unspecified time in the past, I went to Spain).
Compare with the simple past:
• I went to Spain three times in 2005.
(specified time in the past - the year 2005)
2. An action that occurred in the past, but has a result in the present (now)
• We can't find our luggage. Have you seen it?
(The luggage was lost in the past, do you know where it is now?)
3. Talking about general experiences (ever, never)
It usually refers to an event happening at some moment in your life.
• Has she ever tried Chilean wine before? (in her life)
• I've never eaten monkey brains before. (in my life)
4. Events that recently occurred (just)
• Do you want to go to a restaurant with me?
No, thanks. I've just eaten lunch. (I recently ate lunch.)
5. Events that have occurred up to now (yet)
• Are Carlos and Rodrigo here? No, they haven't arrived yet. (they're still not here now)
6. Events that occurred before you expected (already)
• I've already graduated from University. (I expected to graduate at a later date.)
7. Events that began in the past and haven't changed (for, since)
• Mike has worked at Woodward for 3 years.
(Mike started working at Woodward 3 years ago and he still works there now.)
• Julie has worked at Woodward since September last year.
(Julie began working at Woodward in September of last year, and that hasn't changed - she still works here now.)
Past tenses
The Past Simple Tense
Regular verbs in the past simple
• Add ed to most verbs. Ex. talk > talked , employ > employed
• If a short verb ends with a consonant-vowel-consonant, double the last letter and then add ed. Ex. stop > stopped, top > topped
However, do not double the last letter if the verb ends in w, x or y. Ex. play > played, mix > mixed.
• In longer words, if the last syllable of the verb ends with a consonant-vowel-consonant and that syllable is stressed, double the last consonant and then add ed. Ex. prefer > preferred
However, do not double the last letter if the first syllable is stressed. Ex. enter > entered
• If the verb ends in e, just add d. Ex. create > created , live > lived
• If the verb ends in a consonant + y, change the y to i and add ed. Ex. try > tried
We use the past simple to describe an action that started in the past and ended in the past. It could be something that happened twenty years ago or something that happened two minutes ago. It started. It stopped. It’s over.
1. I visited a client in London yesterday.
2. She planned the event all by herself.
The most common time expressions used for the past simple are: yesterday, a week (month, year) ago, last (month, year, weekend, Monday) night, the day before yesterday, two days (months, years) ago. The time expression appears either at the beginning or at the end of the sentence – never in the middle of the sentence.
Forming the Past Simple
Subject Verb + d, ed, ied
or irregular form (V2) Rest of Sentence
The past simple is usually formed by adding d, ed, or ied to the base form of the verb, however, in English there are many irregular verbs that take on a completely different form in the past tense. Some people call this the V2 form of the verb. The best thing to do is to try and memorize them.
Negative Sentences in the Past Simple Tense
To create a negative sentence in the past simple, use didn’t (did not) + the base form of the verb.
Note: Save the long forms (did not) for when you want to create emphasis. When speaking, put the stress on ‘not’.
1. I didn’t talk to John yesterday.
2. He didn’t steal those ideas from the company.
3. You didn’t show me the photos from the wedding.
Yes/No Questions in the Past Simple
To create a question that will be answered with a yes or no, start the question with Did, then add a subject (the person or thing that does the action) followed by the base form of the verb and only then add the rest of the sentence.
Auxiliary Verb Subject verb in base form rest of sentence
1. Did you ask Tina to go out with you?
2. Did the employees stay late again last night?
3. Did Rob finish his assignment yesterday?
Wh-Questions in the Past Simple
Wh- questions are questions that require more information in their answers. Typical wh- words are what, where, when, why, who, how, how many, how much.
To create a wh-question, start with the wh-word, then add did (or didn’t for a negative question), then the subject (a person or thing that does the action.
Wh-word auxiliary verb subject verb in base form rest of sentence
1. When did you buy that sweater?
2. Why did the computer break down?
3. How long did the train journey take?
4. Why didn’t you tell me about the accident?
Tag Questions in the Past Simple
Tag questions are those short questions that are tagged onto the end of a sentence. They are used just to make sure the person you’re talking to understood what you meant or to emphasize what you said.They’re formed either by using a positive sentence in the past simple and then adding didn’t, a pronoun (I, you, we, they, he, she, it) and a question mark.
1. John scored a goal, didn’t he?
2. Their dogs barked all night, didn’t they?
You may also add a positive tag when you’re using a negative sentence.
1. Kate didn’t take out the rubbish bin, did she?
2. The girls didn’t copy on the exam, did they?
As a rule: When the sentence is positive, the tag is negative.
When the sentence is negative, the tag is positive.
Past continuous
The past continuous describes actions or events in a time before now, which began in the past and is still going on at the time of speaking. In other words, it expresses an unfinished or incomplete action in the past.
It is used:
Often, to describe the background in a story written in the past tense, e.g. "The sun was shining and the birds were singing as the elephant came out of the jungle. The other animals were relaxing in the shade of the trees, but the elephant moved very quickly. She was looking for her baby, and she didn't notice the hunter who was watching her through his binoculars. When the shot rang out, she was running towards the river..."
to describe an unfinished action that was interrupted by another event or action, e.g. "I was having a beautiful dream when the alarm clock rang."
to express a change of mind: e.g. "I was going to spend the day at the beach but I've decided to get my homework done instead."
with 'wonder', to make a very polite request: e.g. "I was wondering if you could baby-sit for me tonight."
EXAMPLES
They were waiting for the bus when the accident happened.
Caroline was skiing when she broke her leg.
When we arrived he was having a bath.
When the fire started I was watching television.
FORMING THE PAST CONTINUOUS
The past continuous of any verb is composed of two parts : the past tense of the verb "to be" (was/were), and the base of the main verb +ing.
Subject was/were base + ing
They were watching
Affirmative
She was reading
Negative
She wasn't reading
Interrogative
Was she reading?
Interrogative negative
Wasn't she reading?
TO PLAY
Affirmative Negative Interrogative
I was playing I was not playing Was I playing?
You were playing You were not playing Were you playing?
He was playing He wasn't playing Was he playing?
We were playing We weren't playing Were we playing?
They were playing They weren't playing Were they playing?
Past perfect tense
The past perfect is a verb tense used to talk about actions that were completed before some point in the past.
We were shocked to discover that someone had graffitied “Tootles was here” on our front door. We were relieved that Tootles had used washable paint.
The past perfect tense is for talking about something that happened before something else. Imagine waking up one morning and stepping outside to grab the newspaper. On your way back in, you notice a mysterious message scrawled across your front door: Tootles was here. When you’re telling this story to your friends later, how would you describe this moment? You might say something like:
I turned back to the house and saw that some someone named Tootles had defaced my front door!
In addition to feeling indignant on your behalf, your friends will also be able to understand that Tootles graffitied the door at some point in the past before the moment this morning when you saw his handiwork, because you used the past perfect tense to describe the misdeed.
The Past Perfect Formula
The formula for the past perfect tense is had + [past participle]. It doesn’t matter if the subject is singular or plural; the formula doesn’t change.
When to Use the Past Perfect
So what’s the difference between past perfect and simple past? When you’re talking about some point in the past and want to reference an event that happened even earlier, using the past perfect allows you to convey the sequence of the events. It’s also clearer and more specific. Consider the difference between these two sentences:
We were relieved that Tootles used washable paint. We were relieved that Tootles had usedwashable paint.
It’s a subtle difference, but the first sentence doesn’t tie Tootles’s act of using washable paint to any particular moment in time; readers might interpret it as “We were relieved that Tootles was in the habit of using washable paint.” In the second sentence, the past perfect makes it clear that you’re talking about a specific instance of using washable paint.
Another time to use the past perfect is when you are expressing a condition and a result:
If I had woken up earlier this morning, I would have caught Tootles red-handed.
The past perfect is used in the part of the sentence that explains the condition (the if-clause).
Most often, the reason to write a verb in the past perfect tense is to show that it happened before other actions in the same sentence that are described by verbs in the simple past tense. Writing an entire paragraph with every verb in the past perfect tense is unusual.
When Not to Use the Past Perfect
Don’t use the past perfect when you’re not trying to convey some sequence of events. If your friends asked what you did after you discovered the graffiti, they would be confused if you said:
I had cleaned it off the door.
They’d likely be wondering what happened next because using the past perfect implies that your action of cleaning the door occurred before something else happened, but you don’t say what that something else is. The “something else” doesn’t always have to be explicitly mentioned, but context needs to make it clear. In this case there’s no context, so the past perfect doesn’t make sense.
How to Make the Past Perfect Negative
Making the past perfect negative is simple! Just insert not between had and [past participle].
We looked for witnesses, but the neighbors had not seen Tootles in the act. If Tootles had not included his own name in the message, we would have no idea who was behind it.
How to Ask a Question
The formula for asking a question in the past perfect tense is had + [subject] + [past participle].
Had Tootles caused trouble in other neighborhoods before he struck ours?
Future tenses
1. Use of Future Tenses in English
will-future
• prediction, assumption
• spontaneous action
going to-future
• planned action in the future
• logical consequence (sth. is going to happen)
Simple Present
future action is fixed (e.g. timetable)
Present Progressive
planned action in the near future
Future Progressive
action will definitely happen (it usually happens)
Future Perfect
sth. will already have happened before a certain time in the future
There is often very little difference between the future tenses. It often depends where you live (in Britain or the USA) and when you use the sentence (in spoken or written communication).
In newsapapers we often use the will-future, when the going to-future is used in oral communication.
newspaper:
The headmaster will close the old gym.
oral:
The headmaster is going to close the old gym.
We can substitute the going to-future with the Present Progressive when using an expression of time.
She is going to see Frank at the airport at 8.30. = She is seeing Frank at the airport at 8.30.
2. Signal words
There are no unambiguous signal words for the future tenses. That's why you should analyse the actions carefully and then define the tense.
3. Formwill-futurewill + infinitive
going to-future
to be (am, are, is) + going to + infinitive
Simple Present
infinitive
3rd person singular (he, she, it) infinitive + -s
Present Progressive
to be (am, are, is) + infinitive + -ing
Future Progressive
will + be + infinitive + -ing
Future Perfect
will + have + past participle
4. Examples
Affirmative sentences
will-future
The sun will shine tomorrow.
going to-future
We are going to fly to Leeds in summer.
Simple Present
The train leaves at 6.45.
Present Progressive
I am going to a party tonight.
Future Progressive
They will be playingf ootball on Sunday afternoon.
Future Perfect
She will have written the letter by tomorrow.
Negative sentences
will-future
The sun will not shine tomorrow.
going to-future
We are not going to fly to Leeds in summer.
Simple PresentThe train does not leave at 6.45.
Present Progressive
I am not going to a party tonight.
Future Progressive
They will not be playing football on Sunday afternoon.
Future Perfect
She will not have written the letter by tomorrow.
Questionswill-future
Will the sun shine tomorrow?
going to-future
Are we going tofly to Leeds in summer?
Simple Present
Does the train leaveat 6.45?
Present Progressive
Am I going to a party tonight?
Future Progressive
Will they be playing football on Sunday afternoon.
Future PerfectWill she have written the letter by tomorrow.
Articles
Indefinite and Definite Articles
The words a, an, and the are special adjectives called articles.
Indefinite Articles—a, an
an—used before singular count nouns beginning with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or vowel sound:
• an apple, an elephant, an issue, an orange
a—used before singular count nouns beginning with consonants (other than a, e, i, o, u):
• a stamp, a desk, a TV, a cup, a book
Definite Article—the
Can be used before singular and plural, count and non-count nouns
1. Indefinite Article (a, an)
Used before singular nouns that are unspecified:
• a pencil
• an orange
Used before number collectives and some numbers:
• a dozen
• a gallon
Used before a singular noun followed by a restrictive modifier:
• a girl who was wearing a yellow hat
Used with nouns to form adverbial phrases of quantity, amount, or degree:
• I felt a bit depressed.
2. Definite Article (the)
Used to indicate a noun that is definite or has been previously specified in the context:
• Please close the door.
• I like the clothes you gave me.
Used to indicate a noun that is unique:
• Praise the Lord!
• The Columbia River is near here.
Used to designate a natural phenomenon:
• The nights get shorter in the summer.
• The wind is blowing so hard.
Used to refer to a time period:
• I was very naïve in the past.
• This song was very popular in the 1980s.
Used to indicate all the members of a family:
• I invited the Bakers for dinner.
• This medicine was invented by the Smiths.
Also you can watch this video about articles:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zJQoQLCeNoAdverbs
Adverbs describe verbs (actions). They give more detail about the action.
• My cat eats slowly.
Slowly is an adverb since it describes the way my cat eats.
How does my cat eat? Slowly.
Adverbs will generally answer the question 'How'.
Some adverbs are used to modify an adjective.
Adverbs that do this are: very, extremely, really, totally, absolutely, quite, fairly, well. These are normally placed before the adjective.
• It was very hot yesterday.
• He is totally crazy.
Types of Adverbs
There are many types of adverbs, such as:
Adverbs of Frequency - always, sometimes, never, once a week, hourly, etc.
Adverbs of Manner - carefully, slowly, loudly
Adverbs of Time - tomorrow, now, this year, next week, soon, then
Adverbs of Place/Location - here, there, above, everywhere
Adverbs of Degree - very, extremely, rather, almost, nearly, too, quite
Adverbs of Quantity - a few, a lot, much
Adverbs of Attitude - fortunately, apparently, clearly
Adverbs Word Order
Adverbs are usually placed after the verb:
• He speaks clearly.
When there is an object, the adverb is usually placed after the verb + object:
• I put the vase carefully on the table.
However, adverbs are never positioned between the verb and the object.
• I read the book quickly. - (Correct)
I read quickly the book. - (Incorrect)
Sometimes adverbs are placed at the beginning of a clause.
• Quickly, I changed my opinion.
There are exceptions these rules such as Adverbs of indefinite frequency that go before the verb. See each section we have about adverbs for more details and exceptions.
Also you can watch this video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1FlLR3m1s4Noun
A noun is a part of speech that denotes a person, animal, place, thing, or idea.
• Person – A term for a person, whether proper name, gender, title, or class, is a noun.
• Animal – A term for an animal, whether proper name, species, gender, or class is a noun.
• Place – A term for a place, whether proper name, physical location, or general locale is a noun.
• Thing – A term for a thing, whether it exists now, will exist, or existed in the past is a noun.
• Idea – A term for an idea, be it a real, workable idea or a fantasy that might never come to fruition is a noun.
Here are some noun examples to help you get started.
• Person – John started to run.
• Person – Plato was an influential Greek philosopher.
• Person – Sharon admires her grandfather.
• Animal – Elephants never forget.
• Place – The restaurant is open.
• Place – Come here.
• Place – Harvard and Yale are two famous universities.
• Thing – Throw the ball.
• Thing – Please close the door and lock it.
• Thing – The lamp sits on a table next to the sofa.
• Idea – Follow the rules.
• Idea – The theory of relativity is an important concept.
How Nouns Function
Nouns have several important functions. While it’s impossible to list them all here, we’ll go over the most important jobs nouns are tasked with.
• Nouns are subjects. Every sentence has a subject, which is a noun that tells us what that sentence is all about. John swung the baseball bat.
• Nouns are direct objects. These nouns receive action from verbs. John swung the baseball bat.
• Nouns are indirect objects. These nouns receive the direct object. Brad threw John the ball.
• Nouns are objects of prepositions. These nouns follow the prepositions in prepositional phrases. John swung the baseball bat at Greg.
• Nouns are predicate nominatives. These nouns follow linking verbs and rename the subject. John is a baseball player.
• Nouns are object complements. These nouns complete the direct object. They named their dog Max.
Types of Nouns :
Common Nouns
Common nouns are used to name a GENERAL type of person, place or thing.
Common nouns can be divided into smaller classes such as countable and uncountable nouns, concrete and abstract nouns and collective nouns.
Examples of common nouns: girl, city, animal, friend, house, food
Proper Nouns
Proper nouns are used to name a SPECIFIC person, place or thing. In English, proper nouns begin with a capital letter. Proper nouns do not normally have a determiner before them (e.g. the London, the Mary etc.) though there are some exceptions (e.g. Is she the Mary that we met at the conference?).
Examples of proper nouns: John, London, Pluto, Monday, France
Compound Nouns
Compound nouns are two or more words that create a noun. Compound nouns are sometimes one word (haircut), words joined by a hyphen (son-in-law) or as separate words (bus stop). The main stress is normally on the first part of the compound word (sunglasses, swimming pool)
Examples of compound nouns: toothbrush, rainfall, sailboat, mother-in-law, well-being, alarm clock, credit card
Countable Nouns
Countable nouns are nouns that CAN be counted. They have a singular and a plural form and can be used with a number. Sometimes countable nouns are called count nouns.
Examples of countable nouns: car, desk, cup, house, bike, eye, butterfly
Uncountable Nouns
Uncountable nouns are nouns that CANNOT be counted. These are sometimes called Mass Nouns. Uncountable nouns often refer to:
• substances: paper, wood, plastic
• liquids: milk, oil , juice
• gases: air, oxygen
• abstract ideas: happiness, time, information
Examples of uncountable nouns: water, coffee, cheese, sand, furniture, skin, wool, gold, fur
Collective Nouns
Collective nouns are words that refer to a set or group of people, animals or things.
Examples of collective nouns: staff, team, crew, herd, flock, bunch
Concrete Nouns
Concrete nouns are nouns which refer to people and things that exist physically and that at least one of the senses can detect (can be seen, felt, heard, smelled/smelt, or tasted).
Examples of concrete nouns: dog, tree, apple, moon, coin, sock, ball, water
Abstract Nouns
Abstract nouns are nouns that have no physical existence and are not concrete. They refer to ideas, emotions or concepts so you CANNOT see, touch, hear, smell or taste something that is an abstract noun. Many abstract nouns are uncountable.
Examples of abstract nouns: love, time, happiness, bravery, creativity, justice, freedom, speed
Gerunds
A gerund, sometimes called a verbal noun, is a noun formed from a verb. Since all gerunds end in -ing, they are sometimes confused as being a verb (present participle).
Example: Running is good for you.
Here running looks like a verb because of its -ing ending but it is a noun (gerund) because we are talking about the concept of running, we are talking about a thing.
Examples of gerunds: reading, writing, dancing, thinking, flying
Nouns can be plural or singular
Most singular nouns form the plural by adding -s.
Singular Plural
boat boats
house houses
cat cats
river rivers
A singular noun ending in s, x, z, ch, sh makes the plural by adding-es.
Singular Plural
bus buses
wish wishes
pitch pitches
box boxes
A singular noun ending in a consonant and then y makes the plural by dropping the y and adding-ies.
Singular Plural
penny pennies
spy spies
baby babies
city cities
daisy daisies
IRREGULAR NOUNS
There are some irregular noun plurals. The most common ones are listed below.
Singular Plural
woman women
man men
child children
tooth teeth
foot feet
person people
leaf leaves
mouse mice
goose geese
half halves
knife knives
wife wives
life lives
elf elves
loaf loaves
potato potatoes
tomato tomatoes
cactus cacti
focus foci
fungus fungi
nucleus nuclei
syllabus syllabi/syllabuses
analysis analyses
diagnosis diagnoses
oasis oases
thesis theses
crisis crises
phenomenon phenomena
criterion criteria
datum data
Some nouns have the same form in the singular and the plural.
Singular Plural
sheep sheep
fish fish
deer deer
species species
aircraft aircraft
IRREGULAR VERB/NOUN AGREEMENT
Some nouns have a plural form but take a singular verb.
Plural nouns used with a singular verb Sentence
news The news is at 6.30 p.m.
athletics Athletics is good for young people.
linguistics Linguistics is the study of language.
darts Darts is a popular game in England.
billiards Billiards is played all over the world.
Some nouns have a fixed plural form and take a plural verb. They are not used in the singular, or they have a different meaning in the singular. Nouns like this include: trousers, jeans, glasses, savings, thanks, steps, stairs, customs, congratulations, tropics, wages, spectacles, outskirts, goods, wits
Plural noun with plural verb Sentence
trousers My trousers are too tight.
jeans Her jeans are black.
glasses Those glasses are his.
There are some useful videos about noun:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPAOaF-YF_8www.youtube.com/watch?v=tquecIG-Pws