LANGUAGE-1

ENGLISH
 SYLLABUS
UNIT-1 GRAMMAR AND TRANSLATION
• Construction of sentences with there, is, are, it is, etc.
• Usage of articles, tenses and prepositions etc.
• Translation of sentences, and passages from mother
tongue to English
• General errors in sentence construction
• Synonyms, Antonyms, use of appropriate words
• Idioms and Phrases
 LANGUAGE AND ITS IMPORTANCE
Language is the expression of ideas by means of
speech-sounds combined into words.
• Language is a vital part of human connection.
• Important subject in curriculum
• Has the power to build societies
• Provides job opportunities
• Connects you to other cultures
 7 Components of Language
• Vocabulary
• Grammar
• Functions
• Reading
• Listening
• Speaking
• Writing
 GRAMMAR AND ITS IMPORTANCE
English grammar is the set of rules and
regulations that govern spoken and written
language. Grammar is a code that makes
language work.
• It makes language understandable and
meaningful.
• It is a key to effective communication.
CONSTRUCTION OF SENTENCE WITH ‘THERE’

• There are five men in the room. = Five men are present

in the room.
• There is a cup on the table. = A cup is standing on the
table.
• There are a few ways to make coffee. = People know a
few ways to make coffee.
• There is a good Italian restaurant nearby. = A good
Italian restaurant is situated nearby.
• There are a lot of trees in the park. = A lot of trees
grow in the park.
Rule 1- When object is missing, then, ‘there’ can
be used.
Eg.
1. Ek Raja tha- A king was there/ There was a
king.
2. Ek kitaab hai- A book is there/ There is a
book.
3. Chaar kitaab hai- There are four books/ Four
books are there.
Rule 2- Objective part starts with a preposition.

Eg-
1. Four taps are there in my college.
2. A King is there in that forest.
3. Four books are there in my bag.
4. Fifty pen are there on that table.
 Rule 3- ‘There’ can be used as an interjection/
pronoun/ adjective/ adverb/ noun

1. There, that didn’t hurt so much, did it?

2. Wait there until I get back.h
3. There is a school.
4. Look at that dog there.
5. You can sit over there.
6. There is no alternative.
7. There, there! Everything is going to turn out all
right.
8. There seems to be some difficulty with the papers.
 There used as an interjection:

"There, there! Everything is going to turn out all

right."
•
"There! That knot should hold."
• An interjection is an abrupt remark like Oh! or Dear
me, or Eww. It is usually used to express the strong
emotions of the speaker. The sentence
'Congratulations! You won the gold medal!' shows
the use of 'congratulations' as an interjection.
 Forming contractions-
• The contraction of ‘there is’ is there's.
• E.g. There's a good song on the radio.
• There's only one chocolate left in the box.

• You cannot contract there are.

• E.g. There are nine cats on the roof.
• There are only five weeks until my birthday
 ‘THERE IS’
V/S ‘THERE ARE’
POSITIVE-
1. SINGULAR- PLURAL
2. ‘There is’ can be used with singular words
and uncountable nouns.
Eg. There is some sugar on table.
There is some milk in the fridge.
 Framing questions with there:-
• Is there a ghost in the house?
• Is there a TV in the living room?
• Is there a new car in the garage?
• Is there a cat inside the box?
• Are there museums in this town?
• Are there people in the stage?
• Are there two stranger outside the house?
• Are there any good beaches around here?
• Isn’t there a major risk?
• Aren’t there any restaurants around here?
Use of ‘there’ when anything/something
is zero.
Rule= There are+ not+ any________
.
.
.
.
.
There isn’t any…..
There aren’t any….
 What Are Articles?
• Articles are words that define a noun as
specific or unspecific. Consider the following
examples:
• Ex- After the long day, the cup of tea tasted
particularly good.
• After a long day, a cup of tea tastes
particularly good.
 The Definite Article

• The definite article is the word the. It limits the meaning of a noun to

one particular thing. For example, your friend might ask, “Are you
going to the party this weekend?” The definite article tells you that
your friend is referring to a specific party that both of you know about.
• Ex-_____________________________
• Please give me the hammer. Please give me the red hammer; the blue
one is too small. 
• The Definite Article the is used- Before the names of certain books; as,
The Vedas, the Puranas, the Iliad, the Ramayana. But we sayHomer's
Iliad, Valmiki's Ramayana.
• Before musical instruments; as, He can play the flute.
• Before an adjective when the noun is understood; as, The poor are
always with us.
 The Indefinite Article

• The indefinite article takes two forms. It’s the

word a when it precedes a word that begins with a
consonant. It’s the word an when it precedes a word
that begins with a vowel. The indefinite
article indicates that a noun refers to a general idea
rather than a particular thing.
• Please hand me a book; any book will do.
• Please hand me an autobiography; any
autobiography will do.
 Rule 1- Article Before an Adjective

• Eliza will bring a small gift to Sophie’s party.

• I heard an interesting story yesterday.
• The honest are always rewarded. (class)
• The rich exploit the poor.
• Please give the dog a tasty cookie.
• That's an old car.
• I need to work for an hour before we go to
dinner.
 Rule 2- Indefinite Articles with Uncountable Nouns

• Please give me a water. (incorrect)

• Please give me a bottle of water. (correct)
• Please give me an ice. (incorrect)
• Please give me an ice cube. (correct)
• We need a light in this room. (correct)
• We need some light in this room. (correct)
 Rule 3- Using Articles with Pronouns

• Why are you reading the my book?

• Why are you reading the book?
• Why are you reading my book?

Articles are not used with pronouns.

 Omission of Articles
• Let’s go out for a dinner tonight.
• Let’s go out for dinner tonight.
• The creativity is a valuable quality in children.
• Creativity is a valuable quality in children.
• I studied the French in high school for four years.
• I studied French in high school for four years.
• I like to play the baseball.
• I like to play baseball.
 Rules-
• The Article is omitted-
• (1) Before names of substances and abstract nouns (i.e.
uncountable nouns) used in a general sense; as,
• Sugar is bad for your teeth.
• Gold is a precious metal.
• Wisdom is the gift of heaven.
• (2) Before most proper nouns (except those referred to
earlier), namely, names of people (e.g. Gopal, Rahim), names
of continents, countries, cities, etc. (e.g. Europe, Pakistan,
Nagpur), names of individual mountains (e.g. Mount Everest),
individual islands, lakes, hills, etc.
• (3) Before names of meals (used in a general sense); as, What
time do you have lunch? Dinner is ready.
 Rules..

• (4) In possessive pronouns and distributives followed by noun;

• This is my a book.
• Every a girl is beautiful.
• Each a boy and each a girl is going to the cinema.
• (5) In certain phrases (kind of, post of, type of, a lot of, plenty of, etc.)
followed by a noun-
• I don’t like this kind of a man.
• There is plenty of a milk in the kitchen.
• (6) When above phrases (kind of, post of, type of, a lot of, plenty of, etc.)
used in interrogative sentence then articles are placed.
• What kind of a dress do you like?
• What type of a mobile phone is it?
• Are there a plenty of pencils in the pouch?
 Rules..
• 7- Before languages; as, We are studying English.
They speak Punjabi at home.
• 8- Before names of relations, like father, mother,
aunt, uncle, and also cook and nurse, meaning 'our
cook', 'our nurse', as, Father has returned. Aunt
wants you to see her. Cook has given notice.
• 9- Before sports and academic subjects. Eg. I was
playing the cricket. (wrong) Names of sports, games
and activities are not preceded by an article: I love
swimming.
 Let’s revise
• The Ramayana is a holy book of the Hindus.
• We should help the poor.
• He will take an hour to finish this work.
• His father is an M.P.
• Gold is a precious metal. (no article is used with substance
and abstract nouns)
• The French defeated The Germans.
• Gandhiji was the greatest man of his time.
• It is the best book.
• He is suffering from malaria. (no article is used with
disease)
Tenses
 Simple Present and Present Continuous

• Simple Present- It is used to denote scientific

facts, universal truths and work done on daily
basis. Example – She writes a letter.

• Present Continuous– It is used to express an

action taking place at the time of speaking.
Example – she is writing a letter.
Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple present or
present progressive)

1. Look! Sara is going to the movies. (movies refers

specifically to "movies as a form of
entertainment," )
2. On her right hand, Sara is carrying her handbag.
3. The handbag is very beautiful.
4. Sara usually puts on black shoes but now she is
wearing white trainers.
5. And look, she is taking an umbrella because it is
raining.   
 Present Perfect and Present Perfect
Continuous
• Present Perfect– It is used to show an action
that started in the past and has just finished.
Example- She has written a letter.

• Present Perfect Continuous– This tense shows

the action which started in the past and is still
continuing. Example – She has been writing a
letter
 Practice Questions-
• 1.- At last! I have solved (solve) the problem.
• 2.- What have you been doing recently? (you / do) Anything
interesting?
• 3.- My brother has bought (buy) a new motorbike. It looks great.
• 4.- Have you been swimming (you / swim)? Your hair looks wet.
• 5.- Oh, There you are! I have been looking (look) for you everywhere.
• 6.- Sorry we are late. How long have you been waiting (you / wait)?
• 7.- I have known (know) Peter for a long time.
• 8.- My friends have been running (run) for two hours already.
• 9..- I have never understood (never / understand) Maths and Physics.
• 10.- The children are tired because they have been playing (play) all day.
 Simple Past and Past continuous
• Simple Past Used to indicate an action
completed in the past. It often occurs with
adverb of time. Sometimes it is used without
an adverb of time. Used for past habits. Eg. I
played football when I was a child.
• Past Continuous Tense Used to denote an
action going on at some time in the past. e.g. I
was driving a car.
 Fill in the blanks with simple past/Past continuous-

• 1.We went_to the cinema yesterday. (to go)

• 2.I was doing my homework for the whole evening yesterday. (to do)
• 3.Emily was playing the piano at 4 pm yesterday. (to play)
• 4.When John came home, his little brother was watching TV. (to watch)
• 5.They bought a new house last month. (to buy)
• 6.We visited our relatives in the USA two years ago. (to visit)
• 7.I was preparing_for the test from 10 am till 5 pm yesterday. (to prepare)
• 8.Olivia saw_Mike last week. (to see)
• 9.What was he fixing whole evening yesterday? (to fix)
• 10.At half past six yesterday, we were having_dinner. (to have)
 Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous
• Past Perfect Tense Used to describe an action completed before a
certain moment in the past, usually a long time ago. If two actions
happened in the past, past perfect is used to show the action that
took place earlier. e.g. The patient had died before the doctor came.
• I’d waited an hour for the bus. Past perfect simple emphasises the
completion of the activity (the waiting is over)

• Past Perfect Continuous Tense Used to denote an action that began

before a certain point in the past and continued up to some time in
past. e.g. I had been learning English in this school for 20 days.
• I’d been waiting an hour for the bus. (Past perfect continuous
focuses on the duration of the activity).
 Practice questions
(past perfect or past perfect continuous)
• 1.Mike had visited his friends before he went abroad for two months. (visit)
• 2.Paul had been repairing his car for two days before he called the
mechanic. (repair)
• 3.Pamela had been dancing for two hours before her boyfriend
arrived. (dance)
• 4.Melany had cleaned her house by the time the guests arrived. (clean)
• 5.My brother had apologized before I felt angry with him. (apologize)
• 6.The athletes had been running around the stadium for some time before they
were stopped by their coach. (run)
• 7.The pirates had escaped before the rescue team arrived. (escape)
• 8.The sales manager had been describing the advantages of his product for
about half an hour before I agreed to buy some samples. (describe)
• 9.I had woken up before my alarm clock rang. (wake up)
• 10.The kids had made a lot of mess before their mother came back home from
work. (make)
 Simple Future and Future Continuous
• Simple Future This tense tells us about an action which has
not occurred yet and will occur after saying or in future. In
Future Tense helping verb ‘Shall’ is used with ‘I’ and ‘We’.
Helping verb ‘Will’ is used with all others. When you are to make
a commitment or warn someone or emphasize something, use
of 'will/shall' is reversed. ‘Will’ is used with ‘I’ & ‘We’ and 'shall' is
used with others. I will learn a new language. Jen will read that
book.
• Future Continuous Tense It is used to express an ongoing or
continued action in future. e.g. He will be distributing sweets in
temple tomorrow at 12 o'clock. In the example, the action will
start in future (tomorrow) and action is thought to be continued
till sometime in future.
 SIMPLE FUTURE AND FUTURE CONTINUOUS
TENSE
•

1.  The tourists will be going (go) sight-seeing in the country all next week.

• 2.  You will soon be told (tell) what to do next.

• 3.  They will be (be) here again at exactly 7 p.m. tomorrow.

• 4.  The boy will be taught (teach) how to swim when he grows up.

• 5.  You will be given (give) a prize if you come first in the examination.

• 6.  We will be sailing (sail) hrough the Red Sea when you arrive at Cairo.

• 7.  Where will you be staying (stay) this time next year?

• 8.  Your shoes will be (be) ready in fifteen minutes.

• 9.  He will be sleeping (sleep) when you come this afternoon.

• 10.  It will still be raining (rain) when we leave.

Future Perfect and Future Perfect Continuous

• Future Perfect Tense It is used to express an action which will

happen/occur in future and will be completed by a certain
time in future. We use the future perfect to say that
something will be finished by a particular time in the future.
e.g. They will have shifted the house by Sunday morning.
• Future Perfect Continuous Tense It is used to talk about
actions that will commence at a fix time in future and will
continue for some time in future. If there is no time reference,
then it is not a Future perfect continuous tense. Without
continued time reference, such sentences are Future
Continuous Tense. e.g. This time tomorrow, I will be enjoying
the cricket match in the stadium. It is also used to talk about
planned actions or actions expected to happen.
 Future Perfect and Future Perfect Continuous Exercise-

• 1: I hope it will have stopped (stop) working by 5 o’clock this

afternoon.
• 2: By next month I will have left (leave) for India.
• 3: The film will have ended (end) by the time we get there.
• 4: They will have built (build) a house by June next year.
• 5: I’m sure they will have completed (complete) the new road by
September.
• 6: In two years from now, the contract will have come (come) to an
end.
• 7: By the end of December, John will have been working (work) as a
reporter for ten years.
• 8: By the time you arrive, I will have finished (finish) writing an essay.
 Practice questions-
Go through the sentences provided below and identify the type of tenses.
1. Damon drinks coffee every morning. (simple present)
2. The boy got up late and missed the bus. (simple past)
3. My mother goes to pray in the temple. (simple present- routine)
4. The team is playing very well. (present continuous)
5. The school will be closing for winter break. (future continuous)
6. Leonard graduated from college last year. (simple past)
7. The baby has eaten all the chips. (present perfect)
8. Have you read Pride and Prejudice? (present perfect)
9. The train has just left the station. (present perfect)
10.The sick child has been sleeping for three hours. (present perfect
continuous)
11.They have known each other for a long time. (present perfect)
12.Sam was going to school. (past continuous)
 Let’s Recapitulate
• Fill in the blanks with an appropriate tense form.-
• 1. When I opened my eyes, I ………………. a strange sight.(see)
• 2. Every morning she …………….. up early and gets ready for work. (wake)
• 3. If I knew what he wanted, I ………………. Permit this. (will not)
• 4. I ………………….. anything from her in a long time. (not heard)
• 5. The headmaster ……………… to talk to you. (want)
• 6. Jane ………………. with her parents. (live)
• 7. We ..................... Greece next month. (visit)
• 8. The moon …………….. around the earth. (revolve)
• 9. She ………………… a novel. (write)
• 10. I …………………. English for twelve years. (teach)
• Answers- 1. saw (simple past)
• 2. wakes (simple past)
• 3. would not (simple past)- for imaginary situation
• 4. haven’t heard
• 5. wants (simple present)
• 6. lives (simple present)- Permanent situation
• 7. are visiting (present continuous)
• 8. revolves (facts/ general truth)
• 9. has written (present perfect)
• 10. have been teaching (present perfect continuous)
 Prepositions
A preposition is a part of speech that introduces a prepositional phrase.
For example, in the sentence
Timothy sat on the raft.
the word on is a preposition, introducing the prepositional phrase on the raft.
In English, the most used prepositions are:
of
to
in
for
with
On
A preposition indicates a relation between things mentioned in a sentence.
Preposition is a word that shows a relationship between a noun or pronoun and
some other word in the sentence.
The baseball player in the white shirt hit a homerun.
 Kinds of Prepositions:
Simple prepositions: Prepositions which consists
only one word.
e.g. in, on, at, with, against etc..,
Compound prepositions: Prepositions which
consists of two or more words.
e.g. instead of, in the middle of, by the side of
etc..,
 Types-
• There are three types in prepositions

 Place of Prepositions
 Time of Prepositions
 Direction of Prepositions
 Prepositions of Place
• Some prepositions show where something happens. They are called
prepositions of place.
• Examples:-

Sanny was sitting under a tree.

There’s a wooden floor underneath the carpet.

Some geese flew over their house.

John and Sarah were hiding inside the wardrobe.

There was a tree beside the river.

I have a friend who lives in America.

 Prepositions of Time
• Some prepositions show when something happens. They
are called prepositions of time.
• Examples:-
School starts at nine o’clock.

We’re going to the zoo on Saturday.

No, you can’t watch a video. It’s past your bedtime already.

I visited my grandparents during the summer.

You must finish the work by Friday.

I’ll do my homework before dinner.

 Prepositions of Direction
• Some prepositions show where something is going. They are called
prepositions of direction.

• Examples:-

The boys chased after each other.

The football rolled down the hill.

A man was walking his dog along the riverbank.

The freeway goes right through the city.

We were travelling towards Miami.

 TRY THIS:

• 1. A cat was sitting _______the roof of my car.

(place)
• 2. Some people were talking ___the movie. (time)
• 3. A man was coming____ us on his bike. (direction)
• 4. The party starts_____ six o’clock. (time)
• 5. She put the book ____her bag. (place)
• 6. We walked____ the street to the park. (place)
• 7. She keeps her slippers____ her bed. (place)
• 8. We always wash our hands ____meals. (time)
• 9. She ran ____the dog because she was frightened.
(direction)
Here are some of the most common prepositions:
 Aboard, about and after
• Aboard -on or onto a train, ship, aircraft or bus
• Example- The ship had just over 2,200 people aboard – a mix of
passengers and crew.
• About- on the subject of
• E.g. Let’s talk about something else.
• After- later than something; at a later time
• E.g. We will come after we make plans.
 Above v/s over
• If one thing is much higher than • You usually use over when one thing is
another thing, or there is a lot of at a higher level than another thing,
space between them, you usually use and the first thing is moving.
above. • There is no fixed space.
• There is fixed space.

E.g. We heard a noise in the apartment A plane flew over the city.
above ours.  Kite is flying over my head.
Shimla is located 2100mt. above Delhi.
 Across v/s Through
• In using “across,” the object is placed On the other hand, “through”
in a two-dimensional or open space.  expresses motion in a three-
• Across means on the other side of dimensional or closed space.
something, or from one side to the
other of something which has sides or
limits such as a city, road or river.

• The papers were spread across the • Our car passed through the tunnel.

table. • Light cannot pass through a metal
• There is a shop across the road. sheet.
 Along v/s Alongside
As a preposition, along means ‘in a line As a preposition, alongside means ‘close
next to something long and thin’, e.g. a beside’, ‘next to’ or ‘together with’.
road, a path. (kinaare k sath mein)
(sath mein)

There were lots of shops along the main The trees alongside the fence have all
street. been damaged by the wind. (near)
I saw three different boats along the bank Put your bike alongside mine. (next to)
of the river.
 Amid, Around, Atop
• Amid- in the middle of or surrounded by
• On the floor, amid mounds of books, were two small envelopes.
• The new perfume was launched amid a fanfare of publicity.
Around- in a position or direction surrounding, or in a direction going
along the edge of or from one part to another (of)
• We sat around the table.
• He put his arm around her.
• Atop- on, to, or at the top
• She sat atop a two-metre wall.
Among- Amongst and among mean Amongst-
the same thing, but among is more
common, particularly in American
English. Both words are
prepositions that mean “into,
surrounded by; in the midst of.
Used with consonant sounds. Used with vowel sounds.

E.g. he is standing among four girls. He is standing amongst us.

He is a thief among them. There was a traitor amongst us.

 Aside v/s Astride
Aside- Astride-
on or to one side with one leg on each side of something

Stand aside, please, She sat proudly astride her

and let these people pass. new motorbike.

He pulled the curtain aside.

I gave her a plate of food but

she pushed it aside.
 At, In and On
AT IN ON

For a specified point. For an enclosed space. For a surface (Touch

 At indicates a more mein ho)
specific time and
location than on.
Zero Duration Duration 24 hrs fixed.

E.g. Someone is knocking E.g. There is a hole in the E.g. A notice is pasted on
at the door. door. the door.
at the dinner table in the evening
at 9 o’clock in the Christmas holiday
at Christmas in the summer
at noon in 2014
at night in August
in 3 hours
 Solve- (in, on and at)
• I will complete my work _______ 2 days.
• I will complete my work _______ 9:00pm.
• I will complete my work ______Monday.
 Barring, before and behind
• Barring- except for; unless there is/are
• E.g. No one, barring the magician himself, knows
how the trick is done.
• Before- earlier than somebody/something; earlier
than the time that,
in front of somebody/something (in an order)
• E.g You should always wash your hands before meals.
• Before leaving he said goodbye to each of them.
• Behind- in, at or to the back of somebody/something
• The sun went behind a cloud.
Below Beneath Under Underneath
at or to a lower in, at or to a lower in or to a position under; below
position or level position than that is below
than somebody/somethin something (more formal)
somebody/somethin g; under (prefix)
g (more formal) (mental state)
(same position) (touch ho)
(less than)

• The temperature • Jaime hid the lett • The coin rolled • The tunnel goes 

fell below er beneath a pile under the sofa. right underneath
freezing during  of papers. • He is under a lot the city.
the night. • I wore a t-shirt of pressure after • They found a 
• Read the beneath the he lost his job. bomb underneath
instructions given jacket. the car.
below.
Beside Besides
at the side of, or next to "Besides" is also a preposition that means
somebody/something "in addition to" or "apart from." It's can also
Beside" is a preposition that means serve as an adverb that means
"close to" or "next to." "furthermore" or "another thing."

Come and sit beside me. I have one more dress besides this.
My college is beside the metro I am doing one more course besides this.
station.
 Between, beyond, but and by
Between- in the space in the middle of two
things, people, places, etc.
E.g. I was sitting between Gagan and Charu.
Beyond- on or to the other side of, further than;
later than
Does the railway track continue beyond
Guwahati?
But- except
I’ve told no one but you about this.
By- beside; very near
Come and sit by me.
 Circa, concerning and considering
• Circa- (used with dates) about; approximately
• The vase was made circa 600 AD.
• Concerning- about something; involving someone or
something
•  He asked several questions concerning the future of the
company.
• All cases concerning children are dealt with in juvenile
court.
• Considering- used to show that you are thinking about a
particular fact, and are influenced by it
• She's very active, considering her age.
 Despite, down and during
• Despite- Both despite and in spite of are
prepositions that show contrast.
• The shower head worked fine despite how it
looks.
• Down- to or at a lower level or place; from the
top towards the bottom of something
• Can you get that book down from the top shelf?
• During- within the period of time mentioned
• During the summer holidays we went swimming
every day.
 Failing, Following, For and From
• Failing- if something is not possible
• Ask Manav to go with you, or failing that, try Anu.

• Following- after; as a result of

• Following the riots many students have been arrested.

• For- intended to be given to:

• There's a phone message for you.
• I'd better buy something for the new baby.

• From- showing the place, direction or time that somebody/something starts

or started
• The wind is coming from the north.
• She sent me a postcard from Bermuda.
 In, Into and Inside
In Into Inside

toward the inside of “Into” implies motion “Inside” means the

[something]. Example: towards the inside.  opposite of outside. It
“Come in!” Preposition: moving toward specifically means on the
Preposition: located in a point within [something]. interior of a place with both
[something]. Example: Example: “Let’s go into the an interior and an exterior.
“We’re all in the car.” building.” If you enter the door of the
cafe, you will be inside the
cafe.

In and inside are the same The word into implies – It’s inside the box. (I don’t
in many cases. You can say: movement or see it, because it’s ‘deep in
We are in the house. transformation: the box’ or the box is
= We are inside the house. She jumped into the closed)
swimming pool. – It’s in the box. (maybe I
We went into the house. see it, maybe the box is not
closed).
 Plus and Minus
• Plus- In mathematics one will often say "This
plus that" or "This times that". This means
"This added too that" and "This multiplied by
that".
• Minus- made less by subtracting.
• Ten minus three is seven.
 Near, Nearby
Near (pass) Nearby (aaas- pass)

when near is a preposition, it doesn’t Use “nearby” before a noun (as an

simply mean close, it means close to, as adjective) or after a noun (as an adverb) to
shown in this example: say that something is close: “The beach is
I left the box near the door. nearby.” And: “We can meet at a nearby
[near means close to (the door)] beach.“

near can mean close in time (=soon), as Is there any hotel nearby?

well as close in distance, She lives nearby.
but nearby cannot, as shown below:
Summer is drawing near. [near=close in
time]
May is nearby.  [nearby cannot mean close
in time]
 Upon and Onto
Upon Onto (jahan point pta ho)

'Upon' indicates 'position at a higher onto' indicates 'movement to a higher

level'; position‘

upon refers to being “above of use onto when you're trying to express

something” expressions like, “on top of” or “over
The preposition UPON introduces a something”.
location that is at a higher location than He climbed onto the roof.
ssomething else. Ex: The cat slept UPON Let’s step onto the dance floor.
the table.
The tiger jumped upon the baby elephant. The tiger jumped onto the head of the
baby elephant.
 Toward and Towards
Toward Towards

Toward is the preferred spelling in the In other English-speaking countries, such

United States and Canada. as the United Kingdom and
Australia, towards is the more common
spelling.

The boy ran toward the puppy. (American Some snow is expected towards the end

English) of the week. (British English)
 Prepositions-
• Preposition Rule – 1 – Preposition must have an object – a
preposition is not a preposition unless it goes with a related noun
or a pronoun that is the object of the preposition. A preposition is
always with an object  – without an object, it is an adverb that
never has an object. Lets us understand with examples – 
• He is in the kitchen. (preposition ‘in’ has object the kitchen)
• You may come in. (adverb ‘in’ has no object; it qualifies come)
• There was a car before me. (preposition ‘before’ has object ‘me’)
• Ram has never seen it before. (adverb ‘before’ has no object; it
qualifies seen)
• We will catch up after the gym. (preposition ‘after’ has object
‘gym’)
• They called soon after. (adverb ‘after’ has no object; it qualifies
‘called’)
Rule 2-
• As the name says ‘Pre-Position’ – it comes before
something. Generally, but not always, a preposition goes
before a noun or a pronoun. Understand with examples –
• I put the things in the box. (‘in’ is placed before the noun
‘’box’)
• You do not end a sentence with a preposition is one of
the undying myths of English Grammar because even
when a preposition is not placed before its object, it is
closely related to its object. For example – 
• Whom did you talk to? (Preposition ‘to’ related to the
pronoun ‘Whom’)
Rule 3-
• The Pronoun following the Preposition should be an
object form. The noun or pronoun following a
preposition forms a prepositional object. If a
pronoun is following a preposition, it should be in
the objective form ( me, her, them) and not the
subjective form like (I, she, they, etc.). See the
examples below-
• The gift was from them. (preposition ‘from’ followed
by the objective pronoun ‘them’)
• The secret is between him and her. (preposition
‘between’ followed by the objective pronoun ‘him’)
Rule 4-
• Do not confuse preposition ‘to’ with infinitive ‘to’. ‘To’ is an
infinitive participle (to sing, to dance, etc.) as well as a
preposition too like (to me, to Moscow, etc.). Understand the
difference between the two with the help of examples –
• ‘To’ as a preposition-
• I am used to swimming.
• I look forward to seeing you. (not ‘see you’)
• ‘To’ as an infinitive participle –
• I used to live in Australia.
• They love to dance.
Rule 5-
• Some words that look like verbs follow the preposition ‘to’. A Verb
cannot be an object of a preposition. This rule of preposition may
seem confusing, so let us understand with examples – 
• I like to swim.
• These goggles are for swimming.
• In these examples, “swim” and “swimming” are not acting as verbs.
• In the first example, to swim is part of the infinitive that occurs when a
verb is used as a noun, adverb or an adjective. Here, to swim is a thing
that the person likes doing, not an action that is being performed. 
• In the second example, swimming is a gerund which is a noun though
it is formed out of a verb. Here, swimming is a thing to which goggles
are related. No one in this sentence is performing the act of
swimming.
Rule 6-
• Do not confuse preposition ‘In’ and ‘Into’. This
rule of preposition says, use “into” to express
motion toward something and reserve the
preposition “in” when you want to indicate a
location. See the example for clarity –
• I swam in the pool. (Indicating location)
• Look in the almirah. (Indicating location)
• The cat jumped into the well. (Expressing motion)
• He drove into the city. (Expressing motion)
 Practice questions for CES-1
• I will have finished this work by the end of this month.
• A. future perfect
• B. present perfect
• C. simple past
• D. simple present
• I studied French at the college.
A. simple past
B. past perfect
C. present continuous
D. present perfect
• It has been raining heavily.
A. simple past
B. simple present
C. present perfect continuous
D. past perfect continuous
Are you playing tennis?
A. simple present
B. simple past
C. present continuous
D. past continuous
They ……. (live) in Shri Nagar for five years.
A are living
B. were living
C. has been living
D have been living
 If you ……. (study) hard, you will secure a first division.
A. studied
B. study
C have studies
D. Will study
Articles-
____ reindeer is a native of Norway. (the)
Honest men speak ___ truth. (thE)
Do you see ____ blue sky? (the)
Aladdin had ____ wonderful lamp. (a)
He returned after ___ hour. (an)
___ sun shines brightly. (the)
___ lion is ____ king of beasts. (the, the king)
You are ____ fool to say that. (a)
French is ____ easy language. (an)
Mumbai is ___ very dear place to live in (a)
 Prepositions Practice-
1. Life is not a bed —- roses.
A. with
B. of
C. for
D. off
2. My grandfather will come here —– a week.
A. with
B. before
C. at
D. within
3. The work was completed —– sunset.
A. for
B. in
C. at
D. about
4. Can you write —– this pen.
A. by
B. in
C. with
D. on
5. We are pleased —– your visit.
A. with
B. at
C. by
D. on