WORLD ENGLISH INSTITUTE

Welcome to World English Institute

WEI is a correspondence school that teaches English via the Internet. WEI teachers are native English-
speaking Christian men and women who primarily live in the United States. WEI teachers volunteer their
time to teach you because they believe that the God who created all human beings credits their service to
you as service to Him.

The WEI course is conducted in English. It is written for students who have studied English for at least
three years. The vocabulary and grammar studies range from late Elementary to early Intermediate
levels. Beginners may find the course difficult. Advanced students will find it easy. More advanced
courses are available when you complete the Intermediate course.

Please read this Introductory lesson carefully and, when you are ready, take the Introductory test. Your
answers will be recorded in your private "Dashboard" on this website after you press the submit button.
One of WEI's teachers will grade your exam and return it with comments to your private "Dashboard." It
may take up to one week before you have a teacher, and this exam is graded. Subsequent lessons will
take less time to grade because your teacher will assist you through the entire course. This website is
encrypted and password-protected, so only you, your teacher, and site administrators can access your
assignments, grades, and messages.

You must score 40% or higher on the Introductory test to be accepted as a student. You may take the
Introductory test as many times as you wish until you achieve a score of 40% or higher. Your teacher will
place a grammar lesson and a reading assignment in your private "Dashboard" on this website.

Each time you complete a lesson, it will be graded by your teacher, who will determine if you are ready for
the next lesson or if you need to repeat the current lesson until you have mastered it. There are 39
lessons in WEI’s Elementary Course, 21 lessons in WEI's Intermediate Course, 27 lessons in WEI’s
Advanced Course and over 60 other supplemental lessons. You must average 60% or more on your
exams to receive a certificate for that course. You will receive a diploma when you complete the entire
WEI curriculum.

Many students want to hear, understand, and speak English as well as to read and write the English
language. If your computer, smartphone, or tablet is equipped for sound and your Internet connection has
sufficient bandwidth, you can press play on the audio player embedded in the lesson to hear the
Introductory lesson being read. If your browser supports play controls, you can right-click in the player to
adjust the playback speed. If you download the recording and play it again and again while you practice
pronouncing the words as you hear them, you can learn to speak English.

World English Institute

The Introductory Grammar Lesson

In order to understand American English, a person must learn why Americans think as they do. From the
beginning, American culture has been influenced by the Bible. Coins are stamped with the sentence, "In
God we trust." The pledge of allegiance includes the phrase, "one nation under God." To understand
American culture, a person must know something about the Bible, the Word of God. Therefore, WEI has
used stories from the Easy-to-Read Version of the Bible to illustrate points of English grammar.
 English grammar is the correct use of English words in sentences. It is the art of using the English
language to express thoughts clearly and effectively. By studying grammar, we learn to connect words so
that other people can understand what we say.

English grammar has two main divisions: (1) The Parts of Speech, and (2) The Sentence.

The Parts of Speech

All words in the English language may be divided into eight main groups or "parts of speech": nouns,
pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.

1. A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, condition, feeling or event. There are (a) common
nouns and (b) proper nouns. a. A common noun names any of a class of persons, places, things,
conditions, feelings, or events. Examples: boy, girl, city, state, country, mountain, river, love, joy, peace.
A common noun never begins with a capital letter except at the beginning of a sentence or when used
with a proper noun. Examples: Snake River, Lincoln Middle School. b. A proper noun is the official
name of a person, place, or thing. Examples: David, Mary, Dallas, Texas, Egypt, Everest, and Amazon. A
proper noun always begins with a capital letter.
2. A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. Examples: I, you, he, she, it, we, they, them, this,
that, these, those, who, which, what. Sentence: "I love you." The pronoun "I" is always capitalized.
3. An adjective is a word that describes or limits a noun or a pronoun. Examples: a, an, the, one, my, our,
your, her, his, its, their, red, big, good, evil, tall, short. Sentence: "Your mother is a good woman."
4. A verb is a word that expresses an action or state of being. Examples of action verbs are run, walk,
fly, teach, learn, eat, sleep, and work. "They walk to school." State of being verbs: be, is, am, are, feel,
appear, sound, seem. Sentence: "They are tall."
5. An adverb is a word that describes or limits a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Examples: then,
today, now, tomorrow, soon, here, there, everywhere, quickly, beautifully, carefully, well, barely, nearly,
completely. Sentence: "They walk quickly."
6. A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a word that comes before it and a noun or
pronoun that follows it. Examples: in, at, by, near, to, from, into, before, after, during, until, like. Sentence:
"John ran to school."
7. A conjunction is a word that connects words, phrases, or clauses to one another. Examples: and, but,
yet. Sentence: "The son was hungry and needed money." The conjunction "and" links the first part of the
sentence with the second part.
8. An interjection is a word or group of words used to express sudden and strong feelings. Examples: Ah!
Oh! Wow! Oh no! Sentence: "Oh! How I want to go home!" By learning the eight parts of speech and
their meanings, you have taken a big step toward mastering the English language.

The Sentence

Now let us look briefly at the second major division of English grammar, The Sentence. A sentence is a
group of words joined together to express a complete thought. Every sentence is made up of two main
parts: (1) the subject, and (2) the predicate. 1. The subject is the part of the sentence that tells who or
what the sentence is about. For example, "God is love." In this sentence, "God" is the subject. He is the
person being discussed.

2. The predicate is the part of the sentence that tells what the subject is or does. The predicate always
includes a verb. In the sentence above, "is love" is the predicate. That is what is said about God.

Types of Sentences
 Sentences are divided into four classes according to the way they express a thought: (1) declarative,
(2) interrogative, (3) imperative, and (4) exclamatory.

1. A declarative sentence makes a statement about something and ends with a period (.). Example: "A
man had two sons."
2. An interrogative sentence asks a question and ends with a question mark (?). Example: "What does all
this mean?"
3. An imperative sentence makes a request or gives a command and ends with a period or an exclamation
point (!). Examples: "Hurry!" "Bring our best calf and kill it so that we can celebrate." In imperative
sentences, "you" is understood: (You) bring our best calf."
4. An exclamatory sentence says something with force and emotion and ends with an exclamation point
(!). Example: "My son was dead, but now he is alive again!"

Your Assignment

Now, read the story of the son who left home. This is the world's most famous short story. It is found in
the fifteenth chapter of the gospel of Luke, verses eleven through thirty-two (Luke 15:11-32). It is quoted
from the Easy-to-Read Version of the Bible. After you read the story, please answer the questions on the
Answer Sheet.

Story of the Son Who Left Home

A man had two sons. The younger son said to his father, "Give me my part of all the things we own." So,
the father divided his wealth with his two sons.

The younger son gathered up all that he had and left. He traveled far away to another country. There, he
foolishly wasted his money. He spent everything that he had. Soon after that, the land became very dry,
and there was no rain. There was not enough food to eat anywhere in the country. The son was hungry
and needed money. So he went and got a job with one of the people of that country. The man sent the
son into the field to feed pigs. The son was so hungry that he wanted to eat the food that the pigs were
eating. But no person gave him anything.

The boy realized that he had been very foolish. He thought, "All of my father's servants have plenty of
food. But I am here, almost dead, because I have nothing to eat. I will leave and go to my father. I will say
to him, "Father, I have sinned against God and have done wrong to you. I am not good enough to be
called your son. But let me be like one of your servants."

While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. The father felt sorry for his son. So the
father ran to him. He hugged and kissed his son. The son said, 'Father, I have sinned against God and
have done wrong to you. I am not good enough to be called your son."

"But the father said to his servants, 'Hurry! Bring the best clothes and dress him. Also, put a ring on his
finger and good shoes on his feet. Bring the fat calf. We will kill it and have plenty to eat. Then, we can
have a party. My son was dead, but now he is alive again! He was lost, but now he is found!" So they
began to have a party.

The older son was in the field. He came closer to the house. He heard the sound of music and dancing.
So the older son called to one of the servant boys and asked, 'What does all this mean?' The servant
said, "Your brother has come back. Your father killed the fat calf to eat. Your father is happy because
your brother came home safely."
The older son was angry and would not enter the party. So his father went out to ask him to come in. The
son said to his father, "I have served you like a slave for many years. I have always obeyed your
commands. But you never even killed a goat for me. You never gave a party for me and my friends. But
your other son has wasted all your money on prostitutes. Then, he comes home, and you kill the fat calf
for him!"

But the father said to him, "Son, you are always with me. All that I have is yours, too. We must be happy
and have a party because your brother was dead, and now he is alive. He was lost, but now he is found."'

Application

This famous story teaches us some important lessons about God and about ourselves.

1. People seek happiness in the wrong places. The younger son thought happiness was getting away
from his father's control and being free to have fun. In the end, he was miserable because he was looking
for happiness in the wrong places. People in today's world are making the same mistake. They are
seeking happiness in money, drugs, alcohol, sex, thrills, education, power, fame, and beauty. But selfish
living does not lead to joy. It leads to suffering and shame.

2. God loves us and does not want us to be ruined by evil. The younger son represents any person who
turns away from God to seek fame, fortune, and pleasure. The father in the story represents God. When
the younger son returned home, the father ran to meet him, hugged him, and kissed him tenderly. That
means that God loves us. When we turn away from evil and come to God, he forgives us, welcomes us,
and restores our dignity and honor.

Comment

In this Introductory Lesson, we have learned something about English, about ourselves, and about God.
We sincerely hope you have enjoyed the study.