Practice Makes Perfect English Problem Solver: With 110 Exercises - Softcover

Swick, Ed

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0071791248 ISBN 13: 9780071791243

Verlag: McGraw-Hill Education, 2013

Inhaltsangabe

Tackle head-on all the hurdles that you find hard about learning English as an ESL student Practice Makes Perfect: English Problem Solver doesn't pretend that learning English is easy. Instead of covering the entirety of the language, it hones in on those areas where you might have difficulty--areas such as definite vs. indefinite articles, little vs. few, using get, and restrictive and non-restrictive relative clauses. Features: A variety of extensive exercises for practice Practical and high-frequency vocabulary Answer key provided for reference and quick feedback Don't sweat those troublesome grammar areas any more! Practice Makes Perfect: English Problem Solver is your perfect learning tool for ironing out your troubles.

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Practice Makes Perfect English Problem Solver

By Ed Swick

McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Copyright © 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-07-179124-3

Contents

Chapter One

Definite versus indefinite articles

Some native languages other than English do not use definite and indefinite articles. Therefore, speakers of these languages often have difficulty learning and using the English definite and indefinite articles accurately. This chapter will help to alleviate this problem.

Definite articles

The definite article in English is the. It is pronounced as the (e = schwa) when it precedes words that begin with a consonant.

the book the funny story the long book the silly clown the suggested material

But when the precedes a word that begins with a vowel, the is pronounced more like thee.

thee apple thee eleven parts of the book thee interesting articles thee obvious results thee understanding

Remember that for some English words beginning with h, that letter is pronounced with an aspiration. In other English words, the h is silent. This difference will determine the pronunciation of the definite article. For example:

the hat thee heir

EXERCISE 1.1

Circle the correct pronunciation of the definite article the with each of the words or phrases provided.

1. little children the thee 2. amazing feats of strength the thee 3. evil empire the thee 4. local newspapers the thee 5. hours we work the thee 6. president the thee 7. residents of the hotel the thee 8. habits of whales the thee 9. newest automobiles the thee 10. advantage the thee 11. islands of Hawaii the thee 12. tall chimney the thee 13. honorary degree the thee 14. opinion of our readers the thee 15. liquidation sale the thee 16. heavy burden the thee 17. latest news the thee 18. unbelievable story the thee 19. yellow bird the thee 20. eventual outcome the thee

The definite article is used to modify a noun that is the specific subject of a speaker or writer. It is a person or thing that is known and being discussed. For example:

The man on the corner is my friend.

In this sentence, the man is the specific subject of the speaker. He is also known to the speaker, because he is a friend. Let's look at another example.

I know the answer to this question.

In this sentence, the answer is the specific subject of the speaker. It is the thing that is known and being discussed by the speaker. Let's look at one more example.

We keep our car in the garage.

Here, the garage is the specific location where our car is kept. It is a known place and is our subject.

EXERCISE 1.2

In the blank provided, write the phrase that is the specific and known subject of the writer of the sentence. If there is more than one, write all of them. For example:

John didn't like the blue suit and returned it. the blue suit

1. Our family needs a vacation and will travel to the state of Florida for some sunshine. ________________________________________________________________

2. The problem in a business is always the lack of customers. ________________________________________________________________

3. I want to take the children to the park. ________________________________________________________________

4. Did the tour guide find a beach for the tourists? ________________________________________________________________

5. The boys refused to play with the girls. ________________________________________________________________

6. She needs a lamp for the guest room. ________________________________________________________________

7. The newspaper was lying on the porch in the pouring rain. ________________________________________________________________

8. Let me know whether you find an article about the war. ________________________________________________________________

9. The scholarship winner wants to attend a university in the East. ________________________________________________________________

10. Who made a hole in the wall? ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

Indefinite articles

The English indefinite articles are a and an. Use a before a word that begins with a consonant and an before a word that begins with a vowel.

a long story a pleasant surprise a stranger an anteater an exciting movie an orchestral piece

A word of caution regarding vowels: The vowel u is sometimes pronounced as yoo. In such cases, it is preceded by a.

a university

EXERCISE 1.3

Write the correct indefinite article, a or an, in the blank provided.

1. ___________ apple 2. ___________ angry man 3. ___________ crazy tale 4. ___________ laughing boy 5. ___________ unique story 6. ___________ history lesson 7. ___________ casual remark 8. ___________ zookeeper 9. ___________ yawning baby 10. ___________ understandable mistake 11. ___________ insult 12. ___________ opening to the play 13. ___________ tragic end 14. ___________ universal remote 15. ___________ cell phone 16. ___________ Internet connection 17. ___________ entertaining program 18. ___________ ugly duckling 19. ___________ honorable peace 20. ___________ ordinary day

Indefinite articles modify nouns that are not the specific subject of a speaker or writer. Such nouns are considered generalities. The word any can often replace the indefinite article and make sense. This is usually the signal that the indefinite article is the preferred choice over the definite article. For example:

Do you have a book? (Do you have any book? Do you have any books in general?)

The person asking this question is not looking for a specific book but rather any book that might be available.

There is a strange man on the corner.

The man in this sentence is not known to the speaker. Thus, he is not the known subject of conversation. The speaker is probably wondering who the stranger is.

When a nonspecific noun is introduced, it is most often modified by a or an. But once it has been introduced, it becomes specific and can be modified by the. It is the known subject of the conversation. Consider the following dialogue:

Tom: There is a strange man on the corner. Do you know him?

Mary: I have never seen the man before.

Tom: I think the man might be lost.

Mary: Perhaps we should help the man.

Consider another example:

...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: McGraw-Hill Education
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2013
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0071791248
• ISBN 13: 9780071791243
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 208
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: gpsr@libri.de; gpsr@libri.de; ; Europaallee 1; Bad Hersfeld; 36244; Deutschland