Unit 1

Basic English Sentence Patterns

Exercise 1
Rearrange the words in correct order to make complete sentences.
e.g. the fat cat / a mouse / is chasing. The fat cat is chasing a mouse.
1. that thin girl / is drinking / milk now. That thin girl is drinking milk now.
2. the robbers yesterday / the police / caught. The police caught the robber yesterday.
3. our teacher / like /we. We like our teacher.
4. my mother / my baby sister / is looking after. My mother is looking after my baby sister.
5. has just written / a letter / the tall man. That tall man has just written a letter.
6. the students / have solved / some Mathematics problems.
 The students have solved some Mathematics problems.
7. her aunt tomorrow / will visit / Mary. Mary will visit her aunt tomorrow.
8. newspapers every day / my boss / reads. My boss reads newspapers every day.
9. enjoyed / the movie / the audience. The audience enjoyed the movie.
10. the cook / some chocolate cakes / has made. The cook has made some chocolates.
Exercise 2
Rearrange the words in correct order to make complete sentences.
e.g. my sister / a birthday cake yesterday / me / baked My sister baked me a birthday cake
yesterday.
1. the short man / has bought / some crayons from the stationery shop / his son
 The short man has bought his son some crayons from the stationery shop
2. the policeman / has just shown / the driver / his driving license
 The driver has just shown the policeman his driving license.
3. the patient / gave / some medicine / the nurse
 The nurse gave the patient some medicine.
4. brought / me / a bouquet of flowers last week / my uncle
 My uncle brought me a bouquet of flowers last week.
5. the shopkeeper / the customer / is paying / two hundred dollars
 The customer is paying the shopkeeper two hundred dollars.
6. he / his brother / the secret / has never told
 He had never told his brother the secret.
7. a postcard from Japan / sent / her / her best friend
 Her best friend set her a postcard from Japan.
8. did not lend / his new model car / the child / his classmate
 The child did not lend his classmate his new model car.
9. her mother / cooked / her / some congee
 Her mother cooked her some congee.
10. has ever given / any help / the blind woman / no one in the street
 No one in the street has never given the blind women any help.
Exercise 3
Rewrite each of the following sentences by placing the word in brackets before the indirect
object.
e.g. My brother showed me his new wallet. (to) My brother showed his new wallet to me.
1. The postman took her a letter yesterday. (to)
  The postman took a letter to her yesterday.
2. The dog owner gives his dog a bone every day. (to)
 The dog owner gives a bone to his dog every day.
3. The students sent their teacher a present. (to)
 The students sent a present to their teacher.
4. The gardener handed me some flowers. (to)
 The gardener handed some flowers to me.
5. My mother has already taken my father a cup of coffee.(to)
 My mother has already taken a cup of coffee to my father.
6. She found me a seat in the concert last Sunday. (for)
 She found a seat for me in the concert last Sunday.
7. Betty has painted her best friend a beautiful picture. (for)
 Betty has painted a beautiful picture for her best friend.
8. We bought our uncle a pair of gloves on his birthday. (for)
 We bought a pair of gloves for our uncle on his birthday.
9. The tailor made the princess a new dress. (for)
 The tailor made a new dress for the princess.
10. Judy has baked me some chocolate cookies. (for)
 Judy has baked some chocolate cookies for me.
Unit 2 Parts of Speech
Exercise 1
Pick out the nouns in the following sentences. There may be more than one noun in each
sentence.
e.g. Terry told his friends many secrets. Nouns: Terry, friends, secrets
1. His success made his parents happy.
2. Cows give us milk.
3. The train has just left the station.
4. Paris is the capital of France.
5. Our family spent the holiday in London.
6. Do you drink coffee with milk and sugar?
7. Lead is softer than iron.
8. What’s more important, health or wealth?
9. A swarm of rabbits ran out of the forest.
10. My brother had a toothache last week.
Exercise 2
Pick out the pronouns in the following sentences. There may be more than one pronoun in each
sentence.
e.g. These socks are hers. pronoun: hers
1. The yellow car over there belongs to him.
2. This cat is beautiful, but mine is more beautiful.
3. Who gave her the money?
4. He cut himself when he was shaving.
5. Which do you prefer, an apple or an orange?
6. There is nobody here.
7. The teacher can hear them talking.
8. She explained it to me yesterday.
9. I found these tickets on the floor yesterday. Are they yours?
10. You should help yourself.
Exercise 3
Pick out the adjectives in the following sentences. There may be more than one adjective in each
sentence.
e.g. He is a hard-working student. adjective: hard-working
1. These apples are sweet but expensive.
2. Whose umbrella is this?
3. There is some milk in the refrigerator.
4. Tai Mo Shan is the highest mountain in Hong Kong.
5. We have not got any mango trees in our garden.
6. Which dress do you like, the blue one or the red one?
7. Peter is fatter than Maurice.
8. It is dangerous for children to play with matches.
9. This book is very interesting. Have you read it?
10. Alan is an honest boy.
Exercise 4
Pick out the verbs in the following sentences. There may be more than one verb in each sentence.
e.g. There are thirty students in my class. verb: are
1. After the rain had stopped, the children went out to the playground.
2. My sister enjoys listening to classical music.
3. We will visit the museum tomorrow.
4. Who has finished doing the exercise?
5. The tiger was shot by the hunter.
6. The train is leaving soon.
7. Snakes are found in Sai Kung.
8. John occupies a very important position in the company.
9. I was bathing when the telephone rang.
10. That is the woman who knows my parents.
Exercise 5
Pick out the adverbs in the following sentences. There may be more than one adverb in each
sentence.
e.g. The soldiers fought bravely in the war. adverb: bravely
1. The little girl smiled sweetly at me yesterday.
2. Please hang the wet clothes here.
3. The chairman seldom arrives on time.
4. You must spend your money more wisely.
5. It is raining heavily. You must drive carefully.
6. He shouted at the dog that was barking noisily.
7. Jane spoke the least throughout the meeting.
8. You must work hard if you want to pass the examination.
9. Have you ever visited Thailand?
10. The box is too heavy for him to carry.
Exercise 6
Pick out the prepositions in the following sentences. There may be more than one preposition in
each sentence.
e.g. My father works in a factory. . preposition: in
1. Take off your hat before you go into the room.
2. I bought this book for fifty dollars.
3. There is a bridge over the river.
4. I like walking along the riverbank.
5. She kept her jewellery in a box under the bed.
6. The lifeguard had to swim against the currents to reach the drowning child.
7. He is afraid of snakes.
8. Homework should be finished at home.
9. My parents do not work on Sundays.
10. Rose is absent from school today.
Exercise 7
Pick out the conjunctions in the following sentences.
e.g. A fish can swim but a bird cannot. . conjunction: but

1. Although he was late, he managed to catch the bus.

2. My father had locked the door before he went to bed last night.
3. I am dark but my sister is fair.
4. We must hurry or we will be late.
5. Do not move until the general gives the order.
6. Since she was not there, I talked to her husband.
7. They were disqualified because they cheated during the game.
8. We can’t carry on for it is raining heavily.
9. My brother had a serious stomachache, so he returned home.
10. Though she was suffering much pain, she did not complain.
Exercise 8
Pick out the exclamations in the following sentences.
e.g. Hush! Don’t make any noise. exclamation: Hush
1. Oh! I am sorry to hear that.
2. Ah! This is my dream car.
3. Hush! Be quiet. The baby is asleep.
4. How wonderful! It can fly.
5. Alas! The dog is dead.
6. Ha! Ha! I have won the first prize.
7. Good heavens! A storm is coming.
8. Dear me! What a fool he is.
9. Well done! Please play it once more.
10. Hurrah! Our team won the game.