TRƢỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUẢNG BÌNH
KHOA NGOẠI NGỮ

GIÁO TRÌNH
(Lƣu hành nội bộ)
NGỮ PHÁP CƠ BẢN
(Dành cho sinh viên Đại học Ngôn ngữ Anh)

Tác giả: Nguyễn Thị Hồng Thắm

Năm 2014

1


MỤC LỤC
UNIT 1 SUBJECT AND VERB AGREEMENT .................................................. 4
UNIT 2 VERB PATTERNS ................................................................................. 10
UNIT 3 PASSIVE VOICE .................................................................................... 18
UNIT 4 REPORTED SPEECH............................................................................ 27
UNIT 5 CONDITIONAL SENTENCES ............................................................. 35
UNIT 6 COMPARISION...................................................................................... 43
UNIT 7 RELATIVE CLAUSE ............................................................................. 51
UNIT 8 PREPOSITIONS AND ARTICLES ...................................................... 59

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LỜI NÓI ĐẦU
Ngữ pháp cơ bản là giáo trình được biên soạn theo khung chương trình giáo
dục đại học ngành Ngôn ngữ Anh. Giáo trình được biên soạn theo hướng cung

Everyone has done his or her homework.



Somebody has left her purse.

Some indefinite pronouns — such as all, some — are singular or plural depending on
what they're referring to. (Is the thing referred to countable or not?) Be careful
choosing a verb to accompany such pronouns.


Some of the beads are missing.



Some of the water is gone.

On the other hand, there is one indefinite pronoun, none, that can be either singular or
plural; it often doesn't matter whether you use a singular or a plural verb — unless
something else in the sentence determines its number. (Writers generally think
of none as meaning not any and will choose a plural verb, as in "None of the engines
are working," but when something else makes us regard none as meaning not one, we
want a singular verb, as in "None of the food is fresh.")


None of you claims responsibility for this incident?



None of you claim responsibility for this incident?


The mayor and his brothers are going to jail.

4. The pronouns neither and either are singular and require singular verbs even though
they seem to be referring, in a sense, to two things.


Neither of the two traffic lights is working.



Which shirt do you want for Christmas? Either is fine with me.

In informal writing, neither and either sometimes take a plural verb when these
pronouns are followed by a prepositional phrase beginning with of. This is particularly
true of interrogative constructions: "Have either of you two clowns read the
assignment?" "Are either of you taking this seriously?" Burchfield calls this "a clash
between notional and actual agreement."*
5. The conjunction or does not conjoin (as and does): when nor or or is used the
subject closer to the verb determines the number of the verb. Whether the subject
comes before or after the verb doesn't matter; the proximity determines the number.


Either my father or my brothers are going to sell the house.



Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell the house.



various crimes but who also seems, like a cat, to have several political lives, is finally
going to jail.
8. Sometimes nouns take weird forms and can fool us into thinking they're plural when
they're really singular and vice-versa. Words such as glasses, pants, pliers, and scissors
are regarded as plural (and require plural verbs) unless they're preceded the phrase pair
of (in which case the word pair becomes the subject).


My glasses were on the bed.



My pants were torn.

9. Some collective nouns, such as family, couple, staff, audience, etc., may take either
a singular or a plural verb, depending on their use in the sentence.
Examples:
The staff is in a meeting.
Staff is acting as a unit.
The couple disagree about disciplining their child.
The couple refers to two people who are acting as individuals.
NOTE
Anyone who uses a plural verb with a collective noun must take care to be accurate—
and also consistent. It must not be done carelessly. The following is the sort of flawed
sentence one sees and hears a lot these days:
The staff is deciding how they want to vote.
Careful speakers and writers would avoid assigning the singular is and the
plural they to staff in the same sentence.
Consistent: The staff are deciding how they want to vote.
Rewriting such sentences is recommended whenever possible. The preceding sentence

Heat have been looking … , The Connecticut Sun are hoping that new talent … .
11. Fractional expressions such as half of, a part of, a percentage of, a majority of are
sometimes singular and sometimes plural, depending on the meaning. (The same is
true, of course, when all, any, more, most and some act as subjects.) Sums and
products of mathematical processes are expressed as singular and require singular
verbs. The expression "more than one" (oddly enough) takes a singular verb: "More
than one student has tried this."


Some of the voters are still angry.



A large percentage of the older population is voting against her.



Two-fifths of the troops were lost in the battle.



Two-fifths of the vineyard was destroyed by fire.



Forty percent of the students are in favor of changing the policy.



Forty percent of the student body is in favor of changing the policy.

considered as a unit.
Three miles is too far to walk.
Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense.
Ten dollars is a high price to pay.
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BUT
Ten dollars (i.e., dollar bills) were scattered on the floor.
III. Exercises
Exercise1: Choose the correct form of the verb that agrees with the subject.
1. Annie and her brothers (is, are) at school.
2. Either my mother or my father (is, are) coming to the meeting.
3. The dog or the cats (is, are) outside.
4. Either my shoes or your coat (is, are) always on the floor.
5. George and Tamara (doesn't, don't) want to see that movie.
6. Benito (doesn't, don't) know the answer.
7. One of my sisters (is, are) going on a trip to France.
8. The man with all the birds (live, lives) on my street.
9. The movie, including all the previews, (take, takes) about two hours to watch.
10. The players, as well as the captain, (want, wants) to win.
11. Either answer (is, are) acceptable.
12. Every one of those books (is, are) fiction.
13. Nobody (know, knows) the trouble I've seen.
14. (Is, Are) the news on at five or six?
15. Mathematics (is, are) John's favorite subject, while Civics (is, are) Andrea's
favorite subject.
16. Eight dollars (is, are) the price of a movie these days.
17. (Is, Are) the tweezers in this drawer?
18. Your pants (is, are) at the cleaner's.


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UNIT 2 VERB PATTERNS
I. The infinitive
What is the infinitive?
The infinitive of a verb is its basic form with or without the particle to:
Examples:


'do' or 'to do'



'be' or 'to be'

The infinitive without to is called bare infinitive ('do', 'be')
The infinitive with to is called full infinitive ('to do', 'to be')
The bare infinitive
1. The bare infinitive is used as the main verb after the dummy auxiliary verb do, or
most modal auxiliary verbs (such as will, can, orshould..)
Examples:
I do know him
I do like you.
I can do it .
2. Several common verbs of perception, including see, watch, hear, feel,
and sense take a direct object and a bare infinitive.
Examples:
I saw it happen

5. The verb help is followed by the bare infinitive.
Example:
He helped them do it. ("He helped them to do" it is also possible)
6. With the word why.
Example:
Why say it?
The full infinitive
The full infinitive is used as follows:
1. The full infinitive can function as a noun phrase. In this case it is used as follows.
o

as a subject.
Examples:
To err is human, to forgive is divine.

o

as an object.
Examples:
I intended to marry her.
He wanted to know the whole truth.

2. It can also be used like an adjective or adverb.
Examples:
This is the game to watch. (to watch functions as an adjective, modifying
the noun game)
This is the problem to think about. (to think about functions as an adjective
modifying the noun 'the problem')
He went to his friend's house to study. (to study functions as an adverb answering the
question why he went to his friend's house)

Claim
intend
plan
Want
Continue
learn
prefer
Wish
Decide
like
prepare
We arranged to see the bank manager and applied for a loan.
Mrs Harding asked us to call in on our way home.
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Did you remember to post the letter to your mother?
He just wants everyone to be happy.
Some of these verbs are also often followed by -ing.
5. We can use the to-infinitive in a clause with a verb that has no subject (a non-finite
clause). The to-infinitive focuses on the idea of an action or the results of an action,
rather than the action in itself:
To work in a developing country had always been her ambition.
To get there before lunch, you would have to take the seven o’clock train.
II. The gerund
The gerund looks exactly the same as a present participle, but it is useful to understand
the difference between the two. The gerund always has the same function as a noun
(although it looks like a verb).
1. The gerund as the subject of the sentence


One of life's pleasures is having breakfast in bed.

3. The gerund after prepositions
The gerund must be used when a verb comes after a preposition. This is also true of
certain expressions ending in a preposition, for example the expressions in spite
of & there's no point in.


Can you sneeze without opening your mouth?



She is good at painting.



She avoided him by walking on the opposite side of the road.



We arrived in Madrid after driving all night.



My father decided against postponing his trip to Hungary.



There's no point in waiting.


and must be followed by a gerund.


I look forward to hearing from you soon.



I look forward to it.



I am used to waiting for buses.



I am used to it.



She didn't really take to studying English.



She didn't really take to it.



When will you get around to mowing the grass?





It's no use trying to escape.



It might be worth phoning the station to check the time of the train.

III. Exercises
Exercise 1: Complete the following sentences with Infinitive without to
1. Peter is very funny. He makes me ………………. (laugh) a lot.
2. Did you see that lovely old car ………………. (go) past a moment ago?
3. Do you think her parents will let her ………………. (go) for a picnic.
4. I heard them ………………. (talk) in the next room.
5. He saw them ………………. (arrive) home late.
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6. They made her ………………. (stay) there for the weekend.
Exercise 2: Complete the following sentences with Gerund
1. We spend most of my time (read) ……….. science book.
2. I didn’t like (work) ………… so I suggested (spend) ………… the day in the
garden.
3. Why do you keep (look) ………… back? Are you afraid of (be) …………
followed?
4. Does your sister mind (cook) ………… everyday?
5. Have you ever considered (go) …………to live in another country?
6. He tried to avoid (answer) ………… my questions.
7. When I’m tired, I enjoy (watch) ………… TV. It’s relaxing.
8. When I was a child, I hated (go) ………… to bed early.

4. I had my friend repair/ to repair the bike for me.
5. Our teacher made us work/ to work hard every day.
6. It was great hear/ to hear from Mai and Hanh again.
7. Jim was made do/ to do the assignment again.
8. Paul and Jean said they saw you borrow /to borrow the book yesterday.
9. It’s useful know/ to know a foreign language.
10. We decide learn/ to learn English instead of French.
Exercise 5: Choose the correct word to complete each sentence
1. Are we allowed………………. dictionaries in the exam room?
A. to use
2. The teacher asked Jim
3. We enjoy

B. using

his book to Ann.
A. to give

B. giving

A. to work

B. working

in a team

4. Reading stories in English h e l p s u s

our writing skill.


a vacation this year.
A. to take

Exercise 6:
brackets.

B. getting

a French course next semester.
A. to take

9. I wish

B. improving

B. taking

Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb in the

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1. I didn’t have enough time…………(finish) my homework yesterday.
2. As she drove past his house, she noticed him……….(run) away from home.
3. Did you remember (lock)……the car? – No, I didn’t. I’d better (go)………back and
(do)…….it now.
4. She made her son………(wash) the windows before he could go outside…..…(play)
with his friends.
5. She lets her children…………..(stay) up very late.
6. We had nothing………(do) except look at the cinema posters.

play

switch off

bring

not cry

1. Do you like……………….in a team.
2. When did you start……………….French?
3. I’ve decided……………….a temporary job at a supermarket.
4. I don’t mind……………….you if you’re tired.
5. Lam enjoys……………….for his school’s soccer team.
6. I could see she was very sad. When talking to me, she tries………………..
7. Why did your uncle stop……………….his business?
8. Don’t forget……………….your dictionary to our English class tomorrow.
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9. Remember……………….the lights before you leave the classroom.
10. Teacher to students: You are not allowed……………….this door.
More exercises: http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/infinitivegerund/exercises?02

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UNIT 3 PASSIVE VOICE
I. Forms of Passive voice
S


am / is/ are
+
p.p
was / were
+
p.p
am/ is / are/ was/ were + being + p.p
have / has / had
modal verb

+ been + p.p
+ be
+ p.p

II. Use of Passive
Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known,
however, who or what is performing the action.
Example: My bike was stolen.
In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my bike was stolen. I do not know,
however, who did it.
Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice, as the following
example shows:
Example: A mistake was made.
In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I do not blame anyone
(e.g. You have made a mistake.).
III. Passive Sentences with Two Objects
Rewriting an active sentence with two objects in passive voice means that one of the
two objects becomes the subject, the other one remains an object. Which object to
transform into a subject depends on what you want to put the focus on.
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Passive:

I

was written

a letter

by Rita.

.
As you can see in the examples, adding by Rita does not sound very elegant. That’s
why it is usually dropped.
IV. Passive voice with Gerund and Infinitive
* To –inf -> To be V3/ ed
* V-ing

-> Being V3/ ed

Ex : We dislike being cheated
I don’t want to be laughed at.
Personal and Impersonal Passive
Personal Passive simply means that the object of the active sentence becomes the
subject of the passive sentence. So every verb that needs an object (transitive verb)
can form a personal passive.
Example: They build houses. – Houses are built.
Verbs without an object (intransitive verb) normally cannot form a personal passive
sentence (as there is no object that can become the subject of the passive sentence). If
you want to use an intransitive verb in passive voice, you need an impersonal
construction – therefore this passive is called Impersonal Passive.

Get + sth + V3/ ed

We got them to paint our house
We got our house painted

VII. Exercises
Exercise 1: Change these sentences into the passive voice.
1. No one has used that door for 20 years.
2. Someone stole my watch this morning.
3. They are searching the truck.
4. My wife will write the report for me.
5. Lan had broken the glass when I came.
Exercise 2: Change these sentences into the active voice.
1. The class is taught by Mr. Brown.
2. The truck was being loaded at 6.00 p.m last Sunday.
3. Will dinner be cooked?
4. The thief has been caught by the police.
5. The book was published in 1997.
Exercise 3. Change into passive voice.
1. They built this school in 1997.
2. The students in my class are going to organize a surprise party tomorrow evening.
3. We will speak English at the conference.
4. They are painting the kitchen now.
5. Shakespeare wrote ―Romeo & Juliet ― in 1605.
6. They have translated Shakespeare’s tragedies into many languages.
7. They have just built a new primary school in my village.
8. They believed that the earth stood still.
9. Jane hasn’t cleaned the floor yet.
10. They should repaint their house soon.
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D. are being painted

4. This machine mustn’t .................................... after 5:30 p.m.
A. used

B. be used

C. being used

D. is used

5. Toothpaste ............................. at the drug store.
A. can be bought

B. can bought

C. can be buy

D. can buy

6. We can’t go along here because the road........................
A. is repairing

B. is repaired

C. is being repaired

D. repairs

7. The story I’ve just read...................Agatha Christie


C. are manufactured

D.are manufacturing

11. A lot of pesticide residue can.........................................unwashed produce
A. find

B. found
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C. be finding

D. be found

12. We..................by a loud noise during the night
A. woke up

B. are woken up

C. were woken up

D. were waking up

13. Some film stars...................difficult to work with
A. are said be

B. are said to be



17. Bicycles.......................in the driveway
A. must not leave

B. must not be leaving

C. must not be left

D. must not have left

18. Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.......................next weekend
A. is going to be performed

B. has been performed

C. will be performing

D. will have perform

19. All bottles......................................before transportation
A. frozen

B. were froze

C. were frozen

D. are froze

20. ...............................................yet?
A. Have the letters been typed


B. destroyed

C. were destroyed

D. is destroyed

24. Gold.........................in California in the 19th century
A. was discovered

B. has been discovered

C. was discover

D. they discover

25. The preparation.......................by the time the guest............................
A. had been finished- arrived

B. have finished- arrived

C. had finished-were arriving

D. have been finished- were arrived

Exercise 5. Choose the best answer.
1. They were doing the bedroom on Friday.
A) The bedroom were being done on Friday.
B) The bedroom is done on Friday
C) The bedroom was being done on Friday

A) A big surprise is going to give David
B) A big surprise is going to be given to David
C) David is going to give a big surprise
D) David is going to be given to a big surprise
8. They have painted the walls green.
A) The walls has painted green.
B) The green has been painted walls
C) The walls have been painted green
D) The walls have painted to green
9. They will finish the work next week.
A) The work will be finish next week.
B) The work will be finishing next week.
C) The work will finish next week.
D) The work will be finished next week.
10. The delegates had received the information before the recess.
A) The information had received the delegates before the recess.
B) The information had been received before the recess the delegates.
C) The information had been received before the recess by the delegates.
D) The information had received before the recess the delegates.
11. The teacher should buy the supplies for this class.
A) The supplies should buy the teacher for this class
B) The supplies should buy this class for the teacher
C) The supplies should be bought for this class by the teacher
D) The supplies should be bought for the teacher by this class
12. Somebody will call Mr. Watson tonight.
A) Mr. Watson will call somebody tonight.
B) Mr. Watson will be call tonight.
C) Mr. Watson tonight will call somebody.
D) Mr. Watson will be called tonight.
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B) The installation of a TV screen in the operating theatre arranged by the surgeons.
C) The installation of a TV screen in the operating theatre were arranged by the
surgeons.
D) The installation of a TV screen in the operating theatre was arranged by the
surgeons.
19. They first drew up emergency plans, later abandoned to build new cities.
A) Emergency plans was first drawn up and later abandoned to build new cities.
B) Emergency plans were first drawn up and later abandoned to build new cities.
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