ENGLISH GRAMMAR
PRACTICE
for intermediate students
G.
Alexander
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Group UK Limited 1990
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Distributed in the United States of American by
Addison Wesley
New York
First published 1990
Eleventh impression 1998
Cartoons by Larry, Ed Mclaughlin and David Simonds
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Alexander, L. G. (Louis George)
English grammar practice level)
English language. Grammar
I. Title
428.2
Library of Congress Cataloging

The complex sentence: relative pronouns and clauses
The complex sentence: 'whose'; defininglnon
-
defining clauses
The complex sentence: time, place, manner
The complex sentence: reason and contrast
The complex sentence: purpose, result and comparison
The complex sentence: present participle constructions
The complex sentence:
participle constructions
Nouns
One
-
word nouns
Compound nouns
Countable and uncountable nouns
Countable and uncountable nouns (2)
Number (singular and plural) (1)
Number (singular and plural) (2)
Gender
The genitive
Articles
The indefinite article: (1)
The indefinite article:
(2)
The definite article: 'the' (1)
The definite article: 'the' (2)
The zero article
)
The zero article (2)

Adverbs of manner
Adverbs of time
Adverbial phrases of duration
Adverbs of frequency
Adverbs of degree
Intensifiers
Focus adverbs
Viewpoint adverbs, connecting adverbs and inversion
Prepositions, adverb particles and phrasal verbs
Prepositions, adverb particles and conjunctions
Prepositions of movement and position; prepositions of time
Particular prepositions, particles: contrasts
)
Particular prepositions, particles: contrasts (2)
Particular prepositions, particles: contrasts (3)
Phrasal verbs: Type 1, verb
+
preposition (transitive)
Phrasal verbs: Type 2, verb
+
particle (transitive)
Phrasal verbs: Type 3, verb
+
particle (intransitive)
Type
4,
verb
+
particle
+

Contents
11.4
Uses of modals (etc.) to express certainty and possibility
11.5
Uses of modals to express deduction
11.6
Uses of modals for offers, requests and suggestions
11.7
Expressing wishes, etc.: wish', 'if only', 'it's (high) time'
11.8
Expressing preferences: 'would rather' and 'would sooner'
11.9
'It's advisable necessary
11.10
'It isn't advisable isn't necessary forbidden'
1
Modals to express habit: 'used to', 'will' and 'would'
11.12
'Need' and 'dare' as modals and as full verbs
11.13
'Wouldlwouldn't'; 'that
...
'there'
+
modal
The passive and the causative
General information about form
Uses of the passive
Form and use of the causative
Questions, answers, negatives

conditionals
'
Type
3
conditionals
Mixed conditionals; 'unlesslif
...
not', etc.
Direct and indirect speech
Direct speech
'Say', 'tell' and 'ask'
lndirect statements with tense changes
Indirect questions with tense changes
Uses of the to
-
infinitive in indirect speech
When we use indirect speech
The infinitive and the form
The bare infinitive and the
The bare infinitive or the form; the
Verb
(+
nounlpronoun)
+
Adjectives and nouns
+
The form
Verb
+
the form

The School, Athens
Paola Giovamma Ottolino
Liceo Linguistico, A. Manzoni,
Sue Bell School, Saffron Walden
Pat Lodge
Alan Fortune
Ealing
of Higher Education
Mary Stephens Eurocentre, Bournemouth
M. Milmo Eurocentre, Lee Green
Steve Moore
Jennifer
Ann Timson
Josephine von Waskowski
I would also like to thank:
-
Donald and Neville Grant for their detailed and stimulating commentaries and particularly
Roy Kingsbury for his comprehensive report and notes on exercise
-
types.
-
my personal assistant, Penelope Parfitt, and my wife, Julia, for reading and commenting on the
work at every stage of its development.
I am especially grateful to my publishers and their representatives for administering and monitoring the
trialling of the manuscript in various locations round the world and for exercising such care and skill to
see the work through to publication.
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To the student
Why do we learn grammar?
There is no point in learning grammar for the sake of learning grammar. Grammar is the support

If you see in the notes, it means that a similar point is discussed in some other part of the
book. Follow up the reference for parallel practice or information if you want to. If you see
LEG
at the top of the notes, it means that the point is dealt with in the
English Grammar.
Follow up the reference if you want 'the whole story'.
How to work
YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORK THROUGH BOOK FROM START TO FINISH!
It is not arranged in order of increasing difficulty.
Select a chapter or part of a chapter which you want to study. Do this by referring to the Contents
pages or the Index. Usually, this will be a topic you have been dealing with in your language
course. Then:
1
Read the notes carefully (called
Study).
Notes and exercises are marked like this:
=
Elementary Intermediate (most exercises)
=
Advanced
You will sometimes find that you know some, but not all, of the points in an exercise marked
2
Do the exercises (called Write). Always leave the story till last (called Context).
3
Check your answers with your teacher.
4
If you have made mistakes, study the notes again until you have understood where you went
wrong and why.
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1

a
b
Write
2:
a
b
Rewrite the sentences that don't make sense.
Mark all the sentences in the exercise S V
to show Subject, Verb, Object.
Has set John Bailey a new high
-
jump record.
The passport examined the passport officer.
These biscuits don't like the dogs.
The shop assistant is wrapping the parcel.
Have seen the visitors the new buildings.
My father didn't wash the dishes.
The pipe is going to fix the plumber.
Will the goalkeeper catch the ball?
Has the meal enjoyed the guest?
Can't play John the game.
Arrange these words in the right order. Use a capital letter to begin each sentence.
Mark each rewritten sentence S V
P T to show:
Subject, Verb, Object, Manner
(How?),
Place
(Where?),
Time
(When?).

A sentence can take any one of four forms:
-
a statement:
The shops close at
7
tonight.
-
a question:
Do the shops close at
7
tonight?
-
a command:
Shut the shut the door.
-
an exclamation:
What a slow train this is!
2
When we write a sentence, we must begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop a
question mark
or an exclamation mark
a
Arrange these groups of words in the right order. Add
(?)
or
b
Describe each sentence as a statement, question, command or exclamation: S,
C
or E.
1

PLACE!
1
my car
I
parked in the centre of the village
2
near a bus stop an old man I saw
3
'beautiful village what a' I exclaimed
4
'live here how many people'
5
'seventeen people there are' the old man said
6
'here have you lived how long'
7
'all my life
I
have lived here'
8
'isn't it it's a quiet sort of place'
9
'here a quiet life we live
10
a cinema we don't have or a theatre
11
our school five years ago was closed
12
only one shop we have
13

is a complete sentence with a subject and verb.
We can't say
*Is tired*
because we need a subject
He
is tired.
3
The subject may be 'hidden':
Open the door.
really means
You
open the door.
Write:
Put a tick
(J)
beside real sentences.
1
Made in Germany.
2
This car was made in Germany.
3
To write a letter.
4
Standing in the rain.
5
want to write a letter.
6
Is tall.
7
Do you like?

Study:
1
We always have to use an object after some verbs:
beat, contain, enjoy, hit, need.
We call these transitive verbs. We have to say:
Arsenal beat Liverpool.
But we can't say
*Arsenal beat.
*
2
Some verbs never take an object:
ache, arrive, come, faint, go, sit down, sleep, snow.
We call these intransitive verbs. We have to say:
We arrived at
1 1.
But we can't say
'We arrived the station at
1 1.
3
Some verbs can be used transitively or intransitively:
begin, drop, hurt, open, ring, win.
We can say:
Arsenal won the match.
(transitive) or
Arsenal won.
(intransitive)
Write:
Put an object (a pronoun or a noun) after these verbs only where possible.
...............................................
1

?
..................................................
8
Did you beat
?
17
My head aches
9
Who opened
?
18
My foot hurts
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1.2
The simple sentence: verbs with and without objects
Sentences with linking verbs like 'be' and 'seem'
L
E
G
I
.9,
I
I
,
Study:
Write:
1
Verbs like
be
and

noun:
Frank is
a clever architect.
-
a pronoun:
This book is
mine.
-
an adverb of place or time:
The meeting is
here.
The meeting is
at
2.30.
-
a prepositional phrase:
Alice is
like her father.
a
Complete these sentences using a different complement for each sentence.
b
Say whether you have used a noun, an adjective, an adjective
+
noun, etc.
My neighbour is very
2
My neighbour is
3
This apple tastes
4

we to his teachers spoke
4
Tim's school report we collected
5 very good wasn't Tim's report
6
in every subject were his marks low
7
was waiting anxiously for us outside Tim
8
'my report how was' eagerly he asked
9
'very good it wasn t I said
10
'you harder must try
11
seems that boy Ogilvy very clever
12
good marks he got in all subjects'
13
'clever parents Ogilvy has' Tim said
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1
The
sentence
1.3
The simple sentence: direct and indirect objects
Subject
+
verb
+

Bring
me
that book.
3
Other verbs combine with FOR:
buy, choose, cook, cut, do, fetch, find, get, make, order:
Please order a meal
for me.
Please order
me
a meal.
4
We can put
it
and
them
after the verb:
Give
it
to me. Buy
them
for me. Do
it
for me.
With
give
and
buy,
we can say:
Give me

I'd like a copy of that book. (order) Please
Verb
+
object
+
'to'
+
noun or pronoun: 'Explain it to me'
L
E
G
Study:
1
There are some verbs like
explain
which do not behave in exactly the same way as
give.
For example, we can say:
Give
the book
to me,
or
Explain
the situation
to me.
Give me
the book.
(but not
'Explain me the situation.
2

You must declare (the camera)
2
Aren't you going to introduce friend)?
3
You can say you like)
4
Who suggested (this
5
He confessed (his police)
6
have never admitted
7
Can you describe man)?
8
Please don't mention
I'm going to report headmaster)
............................................................................
10
don't want you to repeat (what I told
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1.3
The simple sentence: direct and indirect objects
The two meanings of 'for'
L
E
G
Study:
1
We can use
for

2
Let me cook the dinner for you this evening.
-
Thanks!
3 I've made this cake for you. Do you like it?
4
1'11 post this letter for you, shall I?
5
I've bought this especially for you.
6
I've got some change. Let me pay the bill for you.
7
As you're busy, let me book a room for you.
8
I've saved some of this pudding for you.
9
can't choose a tie myself. Please choose one for me.
10
My father has bought a wonderful present for me.
1.30 Context
.
Write:
Put a tick
(J)
where you think can change the word order.
A CURE FOR HYSTERIA
When I was a girl, my parents sent me to a very strict school. They had to
buy an expensive uniform
for me
and

College!
7
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1 The sentence
1.4
The compound sentence
The form of
a
compound sentence
L
E
G
Study:
1
When we join two or more simple sentences we make a
compound sentence:
Tom phoned. He left a message. Tom phoned
and
left a message.
2
The name we give to 'joining words' is
conjunctions.
These are the conjunctions we use to make compound sentences:
and, and then, but, for, nor, or, so, yet;
either
...
or; neither
...
nor not only
...

reason
(for): We rarely stay in hotels,
for
we can't afford it.
4
We do not usually put a comma in front of
and,
but we often use one in front of other
conjunctions:
He washed the car
and
polished it.
(no comma before
and)
Compare:
He washed the car,
but
didn't polish it. but)
I
-
5
We keep to the basic word order in a compound sentence
[>
subject
verb object conjunction
subject verb complement
Jimmy fell off his bike,
but
(he) was
unhurt,

1
I took the shoes back to
2
Your mother phoned this morning. She didn't leave a message. (but)
3
can leave now. I can stay for another hour.
(I
can either
...
or)
............................................................................................................................................................
4
Jim built his own house. He designed it himself. (Jim not only
...
but
...
as well)
............................................................................................................................................................
5
don't know what happened to him.
I
don't care. (I neither
...
nor)
............................................................................................................................................................
6
My new assistant can type very well. He hasn't much experience with computers. (but)
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1.4
The compound sentence

For a moment the top of the mountain was visible. A cloud covered it. (and then)
............................................................................................................................................................
10
Jane was a successful career woman. Her mother wanted her to be a housewife. (yet)
1.48
Context
Put a circle round the correct words in brackets.
(NOT SO) MERRY
-
GO
-
ROUND!
The
We're the lights were going out. The last two people on
dodgem cars paid
left. The big wheel stopped the merry
-
go
-
round stopped
only). The stalls closed down the stall
-
owners went home. At
2
a.m. four
nightwatchmen walked round the
there was no one to be seen. fed up walking
round,' one of them said,
what can we do?' 'We can play cards sit
and talk.' They were bored,

We can join two or more simple sentences to make
complex sentences:
The alarm was raised. The fire was discovered.
The alarm was raised
as soon as
the fire was discovered.
The alarm was raised
when
the fire was discovered.
The alarm was raised
after
the fire was discovered.
2
We can use many different kinds of 'joining words' (or
conjunctions)
to make complex
sentences:
after, as soon as, when, since, that, if, so that, whether,
etc.
1.5
-
1
3
In a complex sentence there is one 'main' idea and one or more 'subordinate' ideas.
We can take the main idea (or
clause)
out of the sentence so that it stands on its own:
The alarm was raised
is a
main clause:

What?:
He told me about
his success.
(told me about what?): his success
is a 'noun phrase'.
He told me
that he had succeeded.
what?): that he had succeeded
is a noun clause.
2
We introduce noun clause statements with
that
after:
-
some adjectives:
It's obvious
that he's going to be late.
It'sapitythathe'sgoingtobelate.
-
some verbs:
I know
that he's going to be late.
3
We often use noun clauses after 'reporting verbs' like
say, tell (me), think,
We
can often omit
that.
Instead of:
1

We can introduce a question as a noun clause after
if
or
whether.
We use 'reporting
verbs' like
ask, tell me, want to know
Tell me if
he has signed the contract.
(Tell me what?): if he has signed the contract.
Ask him
whether he has signed it.
(Ask him what?): whether he has signed it.
Question-word questions
When did you sign the contract?
is a question
-
word question.
We can introduce this as a noun clause after
Tell me, I want to know,
etc. The word order
changes back to subject
+
verb and we don't use a question mark
Tell me
when you signed the contract.
(Not
'Tell me when did you sign')
Study:
Write:

Context
Write:
Underline nine noun'clauses in this text.
YOU DON'T KNOW YOUR OWN STRENGTH!
I
suppose you know you can turn into superwoman or
superman in an emergency. Mrs Pam
reported
that her baby nearly slipped under the wheels of a car.
Mrs
weighs only 50 kilos, but she said she lifted
the car to save her baby. Dr Murray Watson, a zoologist,
wrote that he jumped nearly three metres into the air to
grab the lowest branch of a tree when hyenas chased
him in Kenya. Perhaps you wonder if you can perform
such feats. The chances are that you can. Doctors say
that we can find great reserves ot strength when we
afraid. It's well
-
known that adrenalin can turn us into
superwomen or supermen!
She lifted the
car!
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1
The sentence
1.6
The complex sentence: relative pronouns and clauses
Relative pronouns and clauses
L

...
They are the women live here.
(Not
*They are the men who they
...
2
We use
which
or
that
(in place of noun subjects and
it)
to to animals and things:
That's the cat lives next door. Those are the live next door.
a photo shows my car. Here some photos show my car.
Write:
Join these sentences using
who
or
which.
(All of them will also join with
that.)
1
He's the accountant. He does my accounts.
2
She's the nurse. She looked after me.
3
They're the postcards. They arrived yesterday.
4
They're the secretaries. They work in our office.

He's the the woman I met. They're the the women I met.
2
We use
which
or
that
(in place of noun objects or
it)
to refer to animals and things:
That's the cat I photographed. Those are the cats I photographed.
That's the photo
I took. Those are the photos I took.
However, we usually omit
which
and
that.
We say:
That's the cat I photographed. Those are the cats I photographed.
That's the photo I took. Those are the photos I took.
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1.6
The complex sentence: relative pronouns and clauses
Write:
Join these sentences with
which
or nothing. (All of them will join with
that.)
He's the accountant. You recommended him to me.
She's the nurse. I saw her at the hospital.
They're the postcards. I sent them from Spain.

to.
This is the
pan which
I boiled the milk
in.
3
However, we usually prefer to omit the relative and say:
He is the
person I wrote to.
This is the
pan I boiled the milk in.
Join each pair of sentences in three different ways.
1
He's the man. I sent the money to him.
4
He's the boy. I bought this toy for him.
a
a
c
c
2
She's the gave the flowers to her.
5
That's the building. I passed by it.
b
b
C
C
3
That's the chair. I sat on it.

'Whose'
+
noun in relative clauses
L
E
G
Whose
does not change when it refers to masculine, feminine, singular or plural:
He's
the the
woman whose car
was stolen.
(Not
*whose his car was stolen*)
They're
the
people whose cars
were stolen.
(Not
'whose their cars were stolen*)
2
We sometimes use
whose
in place of
its
to refer to things and animals:
That's the
house whose windows
were broken.
(=

I'm the witness. My evidence led to his arrest.
6 She's the woman. The film was made in her house.
1.78 Defining and non
-
defining clauses
L
E
G
1.26,
Study:
1
When we write relative clauses with
who, which
or
whose,
we have to decide whether to use
commas 'round the clauses' or not.
2
In sentences like:
I've never met
anyone who
can type as fast as you can.
The magazine
which arrived
this morning is five days late.
the relative clauses tell us which person or thing we mean. They give us essential information
which we cannot omit. We call them
defining clauses
because they 'define' the person or thing
they refer to. We never use commas in such sentences.

The complex sentence: 'whose'; clauses
Write:
Add commas to the following sentences where necessary.
My
is on a business trip to Rome all this me this postcard.
The person who told you that story didn't know what he was talking about.
Will the driver whose vehicle has the registration number
please move it?
The author Barbara
whose latest novel has already sold over a million copies will be
giving a lecture at the public library tomorrow.
The person you got that information from is my cousin.
The play
Cowards
which opens at the Globe soon had a successful season on Broadway.
Cowards
is the name of the play which ran for over two years.
The thing that pleases me most is that
never have to ask for your help again.
The manager whom I complained to about the service has refunded part of our bill.
Sally West whose work for the deaf made her famous has been killed in a car accident.
We found it impossible to cross the river that had flooded after the storm.
I have just learned that the engine part which I need is no longer made.
Sentences with two meanings
L
E
G
Study:
My
wife, who is in Paris, will be retu

unreliable. There is a handkerchief
-
sized garden is overgrown with
weeds. The neighbours
are generally unfriendly are not likely to
welcome you. This property
is definitely not recommended is
ridiculously overpriced at •’85,000.'
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1
The sentence
1.8
The complex sentence: time, place, manner
Adverbial clauses of time, place and manner
L
E
G
Study:
Introduction to adverbial clauses of time, place and manner
Suppose you want to write a paragraph like this:
When we visited London, we went to the Tower. We saw the spot where so many famous
people had lost their heads! We felt as if we had travelled back in time to another world!
If we want to speak or write like this, we have to master
adverbial clauses of time
(answering
When?),
place
(answering
Where?)
and

4
The building had almost burnt down. The fire brigade arrived. (by the time)
............................................................................................................................................................
5
We realized that something had gone wrong. We saw him run towards us. (as soon as)
Adverbial clauses of time (future reference)
L
E
G
When the time clause refers to the future, we normally use the simple present after:
after,
as soon as, before, by the time, directly, immediately, the moment, till,
when:
The Owens will move to a new flat when their baby is born.
(Not
be born*)
I won't know if I have ot into university.
I
will get my exam results. (until)
give him your message. He will phone. (as soon as)
............................................................................................................................................................
We should visit the Duty Free Shop. Our flight will be called. (before)
be dead. They will find a cure for the common cold. (by the time)
............................................................................................................................................................
You'll get a surprise. You will open the door. (the moment)
............................................................................................................................................................
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1.8
The complex sentence: time, place, manner
Adverbial clauses of place

think you should write the report in the way
5
You never
do
the way
Context
Write:
Put in the conjunctions
as, as soon as, as if, before, that, the way (that), when, which.
C
A
U
G
H
T
B
Y
T
H
E
HEEL
!
Mr
was just shutting his shoe shop at the end of the day
a man in a well
-
cut suit walked in and asked for an
expensive pair of shoes. There was something about
the
man walked that made Mr

Adverbial clauses of reason
answer the question Why? We often give reasons by using
words' (or
conjunctions)
because, as, seeing (that), and since.
2
We often begin sentences with as and since.
[Compare
As (Since)
it's a public holiday, you won't find many shops open.
3
We often use because in the second half of a sentence:
Jim's trying to find a place of his own
because
he wants to feel independent.
Join these sentences
the conjunctions to say why. More than one order is possible.
Service in this hotel ought to improve. There's
The Air Traffic Controllers are on strike. We have cancelled our holiday. (as)
Could you sell your old computer to me? You have no
for it. (seeing (that))
............................
She's never in when
I
phone. have to write to her. (since)
............................................................................................................................................................
I've had to have the document translated.
I
can't read Russian. (since)
............................................................................................................................................................

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