6 grammar

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1. Identify the underlined adjectives. Are they in the comparative or
superlative form?
i. More ice is melting in the Antarctic and the Arctic.
ii. Further work has to be done in this field.
iii. You are a better man than I am.
iv. The farthest house in the village is of the wise old man.
v. Freedom always brings out the best and the worst qualities in people.
vi. The characters of the drama were the least interesting to me.
vii. Tito Satya is the most watched Nepali sitcom on Nepal Television.
viii. People in Nepal are less aware about the consequences of global
warming than they should be.

2. Underline the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives in
the following sentences.
i. She has more experience with writing poems than stories.
ii. Muna Madan is the most loved epic poem written by Laxmi Prasad
Devkota.
iii. Tara is a better athlete than Raju; she should compete in the
championship instead of him.
iv. We should make the game fair, and let the best contestant win.
v. Pluto used to be the furthest planet from the sun in the solar system.
vi. I cannot stand to be around rotten things; they smell the worst.
vii. Sometimes, the least expected problems cause the most difficulties.
viii. Emission of more greenhouse gases will cause environmental
conditions to get worse.

Practice exercises

Practice set A: Identifying adjectives
Identify the adjectives in the following sentences and list the nouns they modify.
1. Climbing Mt. Everest is a daring endeavour.
2. Boxing is a good way to release one’s aggression.
3. We had a bumpy ride to Gulmi last week.

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4. The aged father told his sons to take him to the doctor.
5. The majestic mountains are on full display this morning.
6. The Nepalese rupee is pegged with the Indian rupee.
7. The new building of the school was built by an English charity.
8. Radha is a big fan of Japanese food.

Practice set B: Identifying the kinds of adjectives
Identify the kind of the adjectives in pink. Are they proper, demonstrative or
predicate? Also, identify the comparative and superlative forms.
1. Naumati Baja, a Nepalese musical group, could represent Nepal in the
World Music Festival.
2. Naumati Baja is popular at weddings and traditional rituals.
3. Lately, this band has also been creating some buzz in the U.K.
4. Its music is wonderful for performing traditional dances.
5. Recently, the music videos of younger generation artists have also
featured the band.
6. These people are dancing in tune with the music of the band.
7. In the recent competition the best performance won the first prize.
8. Its music is most popular in the hilly region of Nepal.
9. Sagar liked that band’s performance better than the others.
10. Naumati Baja bands usually have repertoire that are far more varied

compared to other musical groups playing at festivals and special occasions.
Practice set C: Writing demonstratives
Fill in the blanks with demonstrative adjectives: this, that, these, those.
1. Naumati Baja originally evolved from Panche Baja, which comprises

mainly five instruments. ..................... baja is played during auspicious
occasions such as wedding.
2. A band of five people usually play ..................... musical instruments.
3. Nowadays, ..................... band is gaining popularity overseas as well.
4. ..................... cup at the far end of the table is for you.
5. Traditionally, ..................... musicians used to be from the same extended
family.

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6. ..................... dress looks lovely on you.
7. ..................... cat behind the sofa is gawking at a toy mouse.
8. ..................... shops by the corner are offering discounts on Dashain.

Practice set D: Identifying comparative and superlative forms
Find the adjectives in the following sentences and write their form.
1. A girl in search of the most beautiful flower travelled far and wide.
2. The further I go from the city; the happier I feel.
3. He asked me where he could find the purest water.
4. A Panche Baja band is a smaller musical group than a Naumati Baja band.
5. By being grateful, you can make yourself more acceptable to others.
6. The busiest bee is coming to gather honey from the flowers.
7. In the mountains, one finds oneself closer to nature.
8. What is funnier than The Three Little Pigs?

Practice set E: Using adjectives to compare
Complete the sentences using the comparative or superlative forms of the
adjectives in the brackets.
1. The fox is (clever) than most animals in a forest.
2. The (simple) way to solve a dispute is to compromise.
3. This year’s winter is the (cold) out of the last 10 years.
4. The novel gets (interesting) after the fifth chapter.
5. The broken ankle is the (bad) injury she has suffered so far.
6. A cactus can survive with the (little) amount of water.
7. Which is (bad), losing your textbook or your notebooks?
8. Rajesh Hamal is the (famous) actor in Nepal.
9. (Few) migratory birds are coming to this town nowadays.
10. A desert receives the (less) amount of rainfall.

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Practice set F: Proofreading
Read and correct the mistakes in the sentences below.
1. In the Three Little Pigs, the fox thought himself more cleverer than the pigs.
2. The fox climbed the most tallest tree to find the pigs’ house.
3. The most youngest pig asked his elder brothers to come home.
4. The three pigs were enjoying nepalese food.
5. The night was more darker than ever, and the pigs were asleep.
6. On his way to the pigs’ house, the fox met a turtle and a hare. They asked

him who was more fast—the fox, the hare or the turtle?
7. In a hurry, the fox replied that he was the faster among them.
8. A race was held, and the fox fell and broke his leg. He went home feeling

like the most lowest animal in the world.

Practice set G: Using adjectives

Write sentences using the following adjectives:

this these those beautiful smartest more agreeable
larger most popular


Italian seven Tibetan Nepalese

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9 Adverbs

Adverbs Modifying Verbs

Mother: How’s your little brother?
Did he make too much noise while
I was gone?

Boy: No, he was extremely quiet.
Every time he opened his mouth
slightly, I put the milk bottle in it!

In the last chapter, we learned about adjectives that modify nouns and pronouns.
In a similar way, an adverb is also a modifier. It modifies verbs, adjectives and
adverbs.

Adverbs are words that modify or describe verbs, adjectives and adverbs.
Examples:

Jenny entered the room slowly.
Ram crossed the bridge carefully.
In the above examples, ‘slowly’ and ‘carefully’ are adverbs. ‘Slowly’ is modifying
the verb ‘entered’ and ‘carefully’ is modifying the verb ‘crossed’.

Adverbs basically provide us with three types of information:

Information Examples

How easily, carefully, slowly

When often, later, urgently

Where there, above, below

Examples:

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The boys easily broke the sticks. (Easily tells us how the sticks were broken.)

They quarrelled later among themselves. (Later tells us when they quarrelled.)

There, in the ground, they found the treasure. (There tells us where they found
the treasure.)

Adverbs usually come before adjectives or adverbs when they are modifying
them.

Examples:

Shyam wakes up very early in the morning. (The adverb very is before the
adverb early.)

He is taking too long to finish the project. (Too is before the adjective long.)

When an adverb modifies a verb, it can be placed anywhere in a sentence.

Examples:

Alice often dreamed of a wonderland. (The adverb often is placed before the
verb dreamed.)

Often Alice dreamed of a wonderland. (The adverb often is placed at the
beginning of the sentence.)

Alice dreamed often of a wonderland. (The adverb often is placed after the
verb dreamed.)

Alice dreamed of a wonderland often. (The adverb often is placed at the end of
the sentence.)

Most adverbs are formed by adding –ly to adjectives.

late---lately love---lovely easy----easily

active---actively quick---quickly soft---softly

Some adverbs, however, do not follow this rule:
often after now later

1. Identify the adverbs and the verbs they are modifying in the
sentences below.
i. She openly admitted her fault.

ii. I often dream about flying.

iii. The baby cried loudly when the mother left the room.

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iv. The rabbit disappeared swiftly into the magician’s black hat.
v. A waiter greeted us politely when we got to the restaurant.
vi. The little girl was nervous and spoke softly.
vii. Jigme goes to bed very late at night.
viii. She opened the box easily with her fingers.

2. Select the correct adverbs from the brackets to complete the
sentences.
i. They (always, long, famous) visit their grandparents during the
holidays.
ii. A samurai can (unseen, blind, skillfully) cut bamboos with his katana.
iii. (One day, Somewhere, Sometimes) I dream of visiting faraway lands.
iv. (Mature, Often, Young) samurais had to practise long hours to learn
different skills.
v. The thief entered (silently, and, thundering) through the window in
the middle of the night.
vi. A lot of people (totally, whole, some) supported her cause.
vii. He opened his birthday gifts (fast, morning, excitedly).
viii. Dharmaraj followed the orders of the king (through, obediently, did).

Adverbs Modifying Adjectives and Adverbs

Boy 1 to Boy 2: Today is April Fool’s Day!
Let’s play unusually funny tricks on
strangers.
Man: I see a very bright golden coin. I will
quickly take it before anyone else sees it.
The boys: That was extremely funny! Serves
him right for being greedy!

Adverbs are also used to modify or describe adjectives and adverbs. An adverb
intensifies the meaning of an adjective or another adverb. Often in such usages,
adverbs answer the question of how.

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Adverbs modifying adjectives:
She has extremely long hair.

In the above sentence, the adverb ‘extremely’ is modifying the adjective ‘long’.
The question ‘how long is her hair?’ is answered by the adverb ‘extremely’.

Water is very pure in this part of the world.
In the above sentence, the adverb ‘very’ is modifying the adjective ‘pure’. The
question ‘how pure is the water?’ is answered by the adverb ‘very’.

Adverbs modifying adverbs:
It is too late to undo the mistakes.

In the above sentence, the adverb ‘too’ is modifying the adverb ‘late’. The
question ‘how late?’ is answered by the adverb ‘too’.

The champion very quickly finished the race.
In the above sentence, the adverb ‘very’ is modifying the adverb ‘quickly’. The
question ‘how quickly?’ is answered by the adverb ‘very’.
Placement: When an adverb modifies or describes an adjective or another
adverb, the modifying adverb is always placed before the adjective or adverb it
modifies or describes.

Adverbs commonly used with adjectives and adverbs to describe them:
too so nearly somewhat
quite hardly extremely unusually
barely partly totally almost
just really rather very

1. Identify the adverbs and the verbs, adjectives or adverbs modified
by them in the sentences below.
i. The hare did not think too highly of the turtle.
ii. The hare always made fun of the turtle.
iii. One should exercise very early in the morning.
iv. Submit your project right away, otherwise it will be too late.
v. Your plan is extremely well thought-out.
vi. The student is clearly talented in painting.

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vii. The children are very happy to receive gifts from their grandfather.
viii. The clear sky is perfectly blue.

2. Match the adverbs in the box with the words on the list and use
each pair in a sentence.

too so nearly partly barely
very hardly rather
extremely unusually

1. quiet 2. bright
3. good 4. long
5. exceptional 6. late
7. heavy 8. hungry
9. funny 10. frequent

Comparative and Superlative Forms

Boy: I have most thoroughly
prepared for today’s exam.

Girl: How did you do that?

Boy: Well, I used books in place
of a pillow and now everything
is encrypted in my brain. I am
certain I’ll be able to write more
intelligently than before.

In the comparative form, an adverb compares two actions or things.

For adverbs made up of one syllable or short adverbs, add –er at the end to make
the comparative form.

In the superlative form, an adverb compares more than two actions or things.

For adverbs made up of one syllable or short adverbs, add –est at the end to
make the superlative form.

long longer longest

slow slower slowest

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fast faster fastest
bright brighter brightest
early earlier earliest

Sakar wakes up earlier than Sunita.

Samjana wakes up the earliest in the family.

An ant runs faster than a snail.

Out of all the big cats, the cheetah can run the fastest.

The moon shines brighter than the stars.

The sun shines brightest at noon.
For adverbs made up of two or more syllables, add the word ‘more’ before them
to make the comparative form.
For adverbs made up of two or more syllables, add the word ‘most’ before them
to make the superlative form.

recently more recently most recently

thoroughly more thoroughly most thoroughly

carefully more carefully most carefully

extremely more extremely most extremely

effectively more effectively most effectively

You need to work more thoroughly on drawing figures.
Jiwan has written about deforestation most thoroughly.
Your solution cleans more effectively than the one I got from the market.
Out of all the solutions I’ve tried, your solution cleans most effectively.

Never add ‘more’ or ‘most’ to adverbs already in the comparative and superlative
forms.

A fish swims more faster than a man. (Wrong use)
A fish swims faster than a man. (Correct use)

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Some adverbs, however, do not follow the rules of comparative and superlative
forms:

well better best

little (quantity) less least

badly worse worst

far (distance) farther farthest

far (degree) further furthest

1. Circle the adverbs in the following sentences.
i. Out of all animals, the human being thinks most intelligently.
ii. Keep your properties closer to you.
iii. A cheetah runs faster than a lion.
iv. Mr. Laxmi Prasad Devkota wrote more actively after coming out of
the mental hospital.
v. Mr. Laxmi Prasad Devkota was able to compose more fluidly epic
poems in one sitting than most other writers.
vi. She is nearly finished with the book.
vii. Look most carefully for the grenades.

2. Change the forms of the adverbs in the brackets to make meaningful
sentences.
i. His speech was ........................ (abrupt) interrupted by the phone.
ii. The ant can see ........................ (well) than you might have guessed.
iii. The explorers will be ........................ (careful) exploring the volcanoes.
iv. Did the sun set ........................ (slow) than usual today?
v. He is ........................ (sure) ready to take on the project.
vi. She and I are ........................ (close) related on my father’s side of the
family.
vii. Tara walked ........................ (graceful) than Susy did.
viii. That is the ........................ (far) I have ever jumped.

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Distinguishing between Adverbs and Adjectives

Girl: Please, give me a chance to
sing on stage!
Stage Manager: Why should I do
that?
Girl: I sing very well, sir. Every
time I sing, people throw a good
amount of fruits and vegetables
at me. It is obvious that they love
me!

It can be very difficult to distinguish whether a word is an adjective or an adverb
in a sentence. In order to determine an adverb or an adjective in a sentence, one
must look carefully at how the word is used.

The prince and princess were happy together.
Prince and princes lived happily together.
In the first sentence, ‘happy’is a predicate adjective. It is modifying the compound
subject ‘prince and princess’.
In the second sentence, ‘happily’ is an adverb. It is modifying the action verb
‘lived’.
Some confusing modifiers: ‘Bad’ and ‘good’ are adjectives whereas ‘badly’ and
‘well’ are adverbs. Sometimes, however, we use ‘well’ as an adjective with a
linking verb.
We are well.
She looks well.
Whereas in the case of adverbs, we would say:
You sang well today.
You performed badly on stage.

Some more confusing modifiers:
adjective adverb
real really
sure surely
most almost

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That plant looks real. (adjective)
An apple tastes really sweet. (adverb)
Most people mistake an adverb for an adjective. (adjective)
People mostly mistake irregular adverbs for adjectives. (adverb)

1. Circle the adverbs and adjectives in the sentences below.
i. Hercules was a legendary hero who lived courageously.
ii. They deserve the trophy as they played well.
iii. Sita was known as the real daughter of Nepal.
iv. Surely Anuradha was appreciative of him.
v. Real beauty of a person is more than skin deep.
vi. Do not perform badly on the stage next time.
vii. Do you really want to know why I left?
viii. They have lived happily together for 10 years.

2. Identify the words below as adverbs or adjectives. Write a sentence
using each word.
good surely
really almost
well real
bad most
sure badly

Avoiding Double Negatives

Customer: I am never ever going to
come to this restaurant again.
Waiter: May I know the reason, sir?
Customer: Every time I come here, I
always find some hair on my plate.
Waiter: But, how can that be? None
of our chefs have any hair on their
heads. They all are bald!

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The word ‘not’ is a negative form of the adverb. It expresses the meaning of ‘no’
in a sentence. It usually appears in short form in spoken and informal writing.

cannot = can’t are not = aren’t is not = isn’t

There are several other words that express the negative in a sentence. These
negative words also have one or more than one words as their affirmative.

Negative Affirmative

none all, some, one, any

never ever, always

nowhere somewhere, anywhere, everywhere

nothing something, anything, everything

nobody somebody, anybody, everybody

no one someone, anyone, everyone

You must take care to avoid using double negatives in a sentence:
Bill Gates had not never completed his degree.

In this sentence, ‘not never’ is a double negative. The sentence is incorrect. In
order to fix double negatives, we must:
a. Delete one of the negatives in the sentence

Bill Gates had not completed his degree.
Bill Gates had never completed his degree.
b. Use a combination of negative and affirmative in the sentence
Bill Gates had not ever completed his degree.
Bill Gates had never ever completed his degree.

1. Select the correct words from the brackets to express the negative
ideas in the following sentences.

i. An illiterate person may not (ever, never) read a novel.

ii. As the king of the jungle, the lion is not afraid of (anyone, no one).

iii. Nothing (meant, did not mean) more to King Prithvi Narayan Shah
than the unification of Nepal.

iv. You are not going to find another Mt. Everest (anywhere, nowhere) in
the world.

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v. I have not eaten (anything, nothing) since this morning.
vi. There is not (any, no) animal heavier than the blue whale.
vii. She has not seen (anybody, nobody) going that way.
viii. Dishonest people cannot be trusted by (anyone, no one).

2. Use combinations of the negative and affirmative words below to

express negative ideas.

couldn’t none, any

aren’t never, always

wasn’t nowhere, anywhere

is nothing, something

can nobody, anybody

may no one, anyone

Practice exercises

Practice set A: Identifying adverbs and the words they modify
Identify the adverbs and the words (verb, adjective and adverb) they modify in
the given sentences.
1. The champion easily outpaced his opponent.
2. Serina quietly tiptoed into the room to avoid drawing attention.
3. He carefully removed the wrapping from the gift.
4. It is too soon to go to bed.
5. Her skin was unusually pale for someone so healthy.
6. It is very kind of you to help us.
7. Surprisingly, few people attended the conference last Friday.
8. She never arranges her things neatly.

Practice set B: Using adverbs
Select the correct words from the brackets to complete the sentences.
1. The water level in the river has reached an (extremely, extreme) high level.
2. (Cautiously, Cautious), the mice tied a bell on the neck of the sleeping cat.
3. Fans (keenly, keen) watched the game from beginning to end.
4. Legend states that Hercules defeated the boar (easy, easily).

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5. She (so, good) gracefully entered the hall that everyone noticed her.
6. The players played the game (very, good) well.
7. The students in this class are (exceptional, exceptionally) brilliant.
8. The disease has made him (terribly, terrible) weak.

Practice set C: Using comparative and superlative forms of adverbs
Select the correct forms of the adverbs from the brackets to complete the
sentences.
1. This maze is designed (more intelligently, most intelligently) than the last

one we solved.
2. Our opponents performed (badly, worse) than us in the competition.
3. The tourists trekked 30 kilometres (farther, far) than they did yesterday.
4. The Sherpa guides are able to climb mountains (faster, fastest) than other

people.
5. Our team (almost, most) defeated the opponent in the match.
6. Pem Dorjee had made the (fastest, faster) ascent from Everest Base Camp.
7. The little boy answered all the questions (well, better).
8. The landline is (least frequently, frequent) used at home these days.

Practice set D: Using comparative and superlative forms of adverbs
Convert the adverbs in the brackets into the comparative or superlative forms
as per the sentences.
1. Hari paints (skillfully) than Kriti.
2. Which is the (frequently) climbed mountain in Nepal?
3. Of the two artists, he performed (well).
4. Of all the attendants, she stayed the (little) number of hours.
5. He worked (persistently)on this problem for the last three years before

finding the solution.
6. I will look at your work (late) in the afternoon.
7. They walked (far) than the other groups of refugees.
8. Our neighbour’s dog barks (loud) at night compared to all other dogs in

the area.

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Practice set E: Differentiating between adjectives and adverbs
Select the correct words from the brackets to complete the sentences and identify
whether they are adverbs or adjectives.
1. Taniya opened her restaurant by (lavishly, lavish) spending on decorations.
2. She managed the restaurant (good, well).
3. She was the (proud, proudly) owner of the place.
4. She was (greatly, great) admired by all her customers.
5. Weekends were (almost, most) always busy till late night.
6. The restaurant’s menu had (delicious, deliciously) food items on offer.
7. The restaurant was (fondly, fond) called Best Bite by the customers.
8. After closing down the restaurant a few years ago, Taniya lived a (private,

privately) life.

Practice set F: Avoiding double negatives
Select the correct words from the brackets to express negative ideas.
1. No one (never, ever) remembers their first utterance.
2. We did not find (nobody, anyone) other than him to go with us.
3. I cannot believe (nothing, something) like this could happen.
4. The weather forecast did not predict (any, no) rain today.
5. Day-dreaming is not going to get us (anywhere, nowhere).
6. When the police entered the house, they did not find (anybody, nobody).
7. There is (any, no) flower as pleasing as the Rhododendron.
8. There is (anyone, no one) lazier than him.

Practice set G: Proofreading
Read and correct the mistakes in the following sentences.
1. Late, people are taking active part in cleaning the Bagmati River.
2. The river was not never this polluted in the past.
3. For Hindus, the river has great spiritually value.
4. People need to think holistic about the importance of the river.
5. We have to work hard to restore the river to its formerly glory.
6. Human activities are more to blame in the destruction of the river.
7. We can’t blame no one else for it.
8. We must take strong actions soon than you think.

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10 Prepositions

Prepositions of Place and Movement

Ninja: I am a ninja. I can walk over
walls.
Boy: Okay, but can you walk on tree
logs floating in the pond?
Ninja: Ouch, ouch, ouch!

A preposition connects a noun or a pronoun with some other words in a sentence.
It shows the relationship between the noun or pronoun and the other words.

Prepositions of place and movement
There are some chocolates on the table.
On top of the chocolates is a mouse.
There is a pen in the pencil box.
A pair of shoes is under the table.
There is a pencil box next to/by/beside the chocolates.
Our house is above/over the restaurant.
The restaurant is below our home.
A dog is walking past the restaurant.
A family is walking across the road.
A girl is riding her bicycle along the pavement.

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The bus is going from Kathmandu to Butwal.
A boy is leaning against the window of the bus.
There is a girl at the bus stop.
She is taking her book out of her bag.
A horse buggy is entering through the gate.
Two guards are standing opposite to each other.
The castle is beyond the wall.
There are some people inside the office.
A man is standing between two ladies.
A man is waiting outside the office.
A man is standing in front of the corner shop.
His son is standing behind him.
A cat is coming towards the boy.
A nymph is among the birds.
Some birds are flying around/round it.
He is coming down the mountain.
They are climbing up the mountain.
The man is taking a letter off the trolley and putting it onto the table.

Note 120

1. Underline the correct prepositions to make meaningful sentences.
i. His dog is well-trained. It can jump through/into a ring.
ii. I am climbing up/across the mountain in search of the yeti.
iii. Mrs. Khanal has just gone into/onto her office.
iv. A thief was crawling along/across the bushes.
v. A cat jumped over/up the fence to catch a rat.
vi. The nearest bus stop is towards/in front of that building.
vii. Do you expect me to jump down/out of from this height?
viii. A postman is going through/into the gate to the house.

We use the preposition ‘in’ with the following:
cities (in London), towns (in York), countries (in Nepal), in a street, in the suburbs,
in the middle of, in the centre of, in a queue, in a line, in a row, in a hospital, in a
hotel, in a book, in a newspaper, in an armchair, in danger, in the sky, in the park
Idioms with ‘in’: in cash, in pen, in ink, in pencil, in writing, in one’s opinion, in
one’s writing, in a way, in the end

We use ‘in’ with ‘building’ to talk about the building itself. But we
use ‘at’ when we talk about the normal function of the building.

He is sitting in the restaurant. (inside the restaurant)
He is sitting at the restaurant. (eating or drinking something)

We use the preposition ‘at’ with the following:
house number (at 24 Kamal House), at home, at work, at school, at university,
at station, at the bus stop, at the airport, at the crossroads, at the seaside, at the
door, at the match, at the bottom of, at a hotel, at a table, at a desk, at the top of
(but: on top of)

We use the preposition ‘on’ with the following:
on the left, on the right, on a platform, on a page, on a screen, on an island, on a
beach, on a coast, on a map, on a farm, on a menu, on the first, on the second, on
the third floor, on the outskirts, on the street, on a wall, on the pavement
Idioms with ‘on’: on holiday, on business, on a journey, on a trip, on TV, on the
radio, on the phone, on the market (=open to public), on purpose, on the way

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We use the preposition ‘by’ with the following:
means of transport: by bus, by taxi, by train, by aeroplane, by boat

When there is an article (a/an/the) or a possessive adjective before the means of
transport, we do not use the preposition ‘by’ before them.

on a bus, on the train, in his car, in Ramesh’s car
Idioms with by: by mistake, by accident, by chance

2. Fill in the blanks with at, in or on and complete the sentences.
i. The ticket instructs the passengers to be ............... the airport three
hours before the flight.
ii. Samjana left for the office when you were ............... the theatre.
iii. I’ve tasted all the dishes ............... the menu.
iv. I went to visit Anup ............... home.
v. She is staying ............... the hotel. Would you mind picking her up?
vi. Nima Rumba gave me his autograph ............... the concert.
vii. Janaki works ............... the hospital in the night shift.
viii. Father will drop you ............... Srijana’s house for the sleepover.
ix. I lived ............... the UK for 10 years before coming to Nepal.
x. Satish and his family are camping ............... a farm for three days.
xi. He is waiting ............... the platform to receive his younger sister.
xii. Robinson Crusoe was stranded ............... an isolated island for many
years.
xiii. ............... the right, look for the Monkeys’ Restaurant.
xiv. Sudekcha is waiting ............... a queue ............... the dentist’s clinic.
xv. Father fell asleep ............... the bus and missed his stop yesterday.

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Prepositions of Time

Sister: What are you doing so early in
the morning?
Brother: I am training myself to detect
the scent of candies, so I can find all
the candies that our Mum and Dad
have hidden in the house!

We use ‘at’ for:
the time: at three o’clock, at 5 a.m., at 9 p.m.
holidays: at Christmas, at Easter, at Dashain, at Tihar
in certain expressions: at the moment, at dawn, at night, at midnight, at lunch-
time, at present

We use ‘in’ for:
months: in July, in December, in April
seasons: in summer, in spring, in winter, in autumn
years: in 1988, in 1945
centuries: in the 21st century
in certain expressions: in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, in an
hour, in a minute, in a week, in a month, in a year

We use ‘on’ for:
days: on Monday, on Friday, on his birthday, on New Year’s Eve
dates: on 20 July, on 15 August 1945
specific part of a certain day: on Saturday evening
adjective + day: on a hot day, on a cold day

Note:

1. We use ‘from..... to’/’until’/’till’ to show duration.
She works from 9 a.m. to/until/till 5 p.m. every day, except Saturday.
The programme will run from 7 p.m until 9 p.m.

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2. We use ‘for’ to show a period of time.
We have holidays in the summer for two weeks.
She is staying in Nepal for a year.

3. We do not use prepositions of time with
‘yesterday’, ‘tomorrow’, ‘tonight’, ‘next’, ‘this’, ‘last’, ‘every’
What did you do yesterday?
She goes to the dance club every Saturday.

1. Fill in the blanks with the correct prepositions of time.
i. The lost man was wandering around ............... night.
ii. He came to my house ............... New Year’s Eve.
iii. Hold on for a while, an ambulance will be here ............... a minute.
iv. I will see you ............... Tuesday.
v. We are excited to know that Radha is coming ............... October.
vi. We are open ............... Saturdays ............... 12 noon ............... 4 p.m.
vii. It is just a minor muscle cramp; you will be running ............... a week.
viii. Our group has been trekking ............... 10 days.

2. Underline the correct prepositions to make meaningful sentences.
i. She arrived in Dharan at/in 7 p.m.
ii. Laxmi Prasad Devkota was born at/on the day of Laxmi Puja.
iii. What are you doing at/in present?
iv. Mountaineers like to climb at/in November, when the weather is clear.
v. It has been raining for/until a whole day.
vi. Most of the trees shed their leaves at/in autumn.
vii. On/in Friday, he will be 10 years old.
viii. Your ECA competitions will start from/since 2 p.m. till/off 5 p.m. on/in
the afternoon.

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Practice exercises

Practice set A: Using prepositions of place and movement
Circle the correct prepositions of place and movement in the sentences below.
1. He hid the book between/on a box and a bag.
2. She placed some rice and curry in/on her lunch box and went across/

towards the picnic area.
3. The maid would put clean sheets at/on the beds every Tuesday afternoon.
4. A cat is sleeping at/in my grandfather’s armchair.
5. You got glasses because you spend too much time on/in the computer

playing games.
6. Let’s sit at/on the table for dinner.
7. The cat is hiding front/behind the bushes, but I can still see its tail.
8. There is a dairy at/off the corner of Pyuthan Street and Jamal.

Practice set B: Using prepositions of place and movement
Fill in the blanks with correct prepositions of place and movement to complete
the sentences.
1. A dog slipped .............................. a pile of garbage.
2. It is impossible to swim .............................. the river as the water level is

dangerously high.
3. She got injured when she was running .............................. the stairs.
4. Anjana is coming over to my house .............................. her scooter.
5. A man in black was walking .............................. me; he looked like a spy.
6. The sound of thunder scared the cat so much; it jumped ..............................

the bed and hid .............................. the blanket.
7. The recruit put his hat .............................. the table and started writing a

letter.
8. My keys fell .............................. the cupboard and the wall.

Practice set C: Using prepositions of time
Choose from the given phrases/words and combine them with the right
prepositions of time to complete the sentences below.
her 13th birthday, the morning, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m., Dashain, 6 p.m., Monday –
Sunday, 16 hours, the weekend
1. I watch cartoons .............................. every day.

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2. My favourite cartoon starts ................................................................
3. Rupa is inviting everyone ................................................................
4. Would you wake me up early..............................? I have to attend some extra

classes.
5. .............................., we touch our elders’ feet to show our gratitude and

receive good wishes.
6. What are you doing ..............................?
7. He works .............................., but gets Saturdays off.
8. He has been working .............................. as he has to submit his reports

soon.

Practice set D: Using prepositions of time
Fill in the blanks with the correct prepositions of time to make meaningful
sentences.
1. Your appointment is fixed ................... 2 p.m. tomorrow.
2. The guest is arriving ................... a few minutes. Be ready to welcome her.
3. It is refreshing to swim ................... a hot day.
4. She will be joining us ................... Monday morning next week.
5. Two world wars were fought ................... the 19th century.
6. Would you like to join me ................... lunchtime for a little talk?
7. ................. 6 p.m. ................. 9 p.m., we are running the evening comedy

show.
8. The show will run ................... three hours.

Practice set E: Proofreading
Read and correct the mistakes in the following sentences.
1. The principal is busy in the moment. He will see you after an hour.
2. This book was written by the author at 5 July 1788.
3. I woke up on the midnight because my dog barked.
4. We are all going to the cinema in 2 o’clock tomorrow.
5. After winning the race, I am feeling like I am in top of the world.
6. Days get shorter on December and January.
7. The deer suddenly leaped through the pond.
8. For Bhai Tika, brothers and sisters celebrate their bond.

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11 Conjunctions

Friend: How did you end up in
hospital?

Scientist: I invented some wings,
which I fitted onto my left and right
arms. They were working for a while
and I was very excited, but then
someone took me for a bird and shot
me down.

A conjunction is a word that joins words or groups of words in a sentence.

The most commonly used conjunctions are ‘and’, ‘but’ and ‘or’. They are called
coordinating conjunctions. We use ‘and’, and ‘or’ to form compound subjects.
Whereas, we use ‘and’, ‘or’, and ‘but’ to form compound predicates and
compound sentences.

Karnali and Jhapa are two districts of Nepal. (Joining compound subject)

The play was performed brilliantly by Anita and him. (Joining compound
predicate)

Juice and cold drinks are in the fridge. (Joining compound subject)

Were the audience laughing at him or his jokes? (Joining compound predicate)

Radha does not watch cartoons but Anu does. (Joining compound predicate)

We put a comma before a conjunction in a compound sentence. But we do not put
a comma before a conjunction in compound subjects and compound predicates.

The United Kingdom is in Europe, and Nepal is in Asia. (Joining compound
sentence)

I will eat an ice cream, or I will have a soft drink. (Joining compound sentence)

The thief did not take any valuables, but ate all the candy and cakes. (Joining
compound sentence)

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When to use ‘and’, ‘but’ and ‘or’:

1. And is used to introduce another idea.
The girls are dancing, and the boys are singing.

2. But is used to introduce a contrasting idea.
The girls are working on a social project, but the boys are working on a science
project.

3. Or is used to introduce a second option or choice.
Would you like to have tea or coffee?

There are also a number of correlative conjunctions. Such as ‘either...or’; ‘neither...
nor’ and ‘both...and’.

1. Either...or is used to introduce similar affirmative ideas.
Either Mr. Lama or Mrs. Adhikari will be coordinating the programme on Friday.
(Joining compound subject)

2. Neither...nor is used to introduce similar negative ideas.
Neither is the mountain coming down nor are the people willing to climb up.
(Joining compound sentence)

3. Both...and is used to introduce similar ideas.
At the end of the trek, both mountaineers and the guides celebrated their successful
climb. (Joining compound subject)

Practice exercises

Practice set A: Identifying conjunctions and compounds
Identify the conjunctions, compound subjects, compound predicates and
compound sentences in the list below.
1. Salini and Ram are working on their project.
2. They are surveying villages and recording the findings.
3. Some mountains are standing together, and others have a great deal of

distance between them.

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4. Mt. Kanchenjuna is tall, but it is not the tallest peak.
5. We are planning to climb the Himalayas or the Alps this season.
6. Mustang is at a high altitude, but Namchhe Bazar is at an even higher

altitude.
7. I have spoken to Ram, and he has agreed to give me his reports.
8. I would have said hello to her, but I didn’t recognise her then.

Practice set B: Using conjunctions in sentences
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate conjunctions to make meaningful
sentences.
1. The critic watched the film ............................ wrote about it.
2. India ............................ China are neighbours of Nepal.
3. Does water vaporise on heating, ............................ does it change into ice?
4. She loves to recite poems, ............................ she does not like to write them.
5. Water, food ............................ air are all necessary for humans to survive.
6. ............................ Pokhara ............................ Chitwan is the capital of Nepal.
7. A frog can live in water ............................ on land.
8. ............................ he ............................ she is to blame for the mistake.

Practice set C: Using conjunctions to join sentences
Combine the pairs of sentences below using the conjunctions given in the
brackets.
1. Does your school have a library? Is it well stocked? (and)
2. Visit your library at least twice a week. Randomly pick a book to read.

(and)
3. You can read a book in the library. You can borrow a book to read at home.

(either, or)
4. The school library is in the third block. It is also where the music club is.

(and)

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5. In the library, you can read a book. You can pick an audio book to listen to.
(or)

6. You can whisper softly in the library. You cannot make noise. (but)
7. Our library has many sections. Each section is devoted to a particular field.

(and)
8. I have not read a book in the library. I haven’t borrowed one from it lately.

(neither, nor)

Practice set D: Proofreading
Read and correct the mistakes in the following sentences.
1. Jamuna but Naira are friends.
2. Jamuna lives in Nepal, or Naira is from the United Kingdom.
3. They video chat with each other every week, but they also email each

other.
4. Neither Jamuna or Naira has met one another in person.
5. Both Jamuna but Naira met online, on a social network.
6. They have been friends for more than a year, and have not met each other

till now.
7. Both Naira is coming to visit Jamuna, or Jamuna is going to the USA to

visit Naira this year.
8. This week, Jamuna is planning to wish Naira on her birthday nor send her

an e-card.

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12 The Passive

The Passive and Its Uses

Mother: Keep an eye on the milk
while I bring the cups.
Boy: Ok, Mum.
Mum: Why didn’t you turn off the
gas? The milk is flowing out of the
saucepan!
Boy 1: Well, I was asked to keep an
eye on the milk, but I wasn’t told
anything about turning off the gas.

Nepal was unified by Prithvi Narayan Shah.
A kitten is missing.
I have been hearing some rumours about a strike on Sunday.

The passive voice is formed with the verb to be + the past participle of the main
verb.

Present simple
active: They provide online services.
passive: Online services are provided. (is/am/are + past participle)

Present continuous
active: They are providing online services.
passive: Online services are being provided. (is/am/are + being + past participle)

Past simple
active: They provided online services.

Note 131

Online services were provided. (was/were +past participle)

Past continuous
active: They were providing online services.
passive: Online services were being provided. (was/were + being + past participle)

Future simple
active: They will provide online services.
passive: Online services will be provided. (will be + past participle)

Passive forms of the future continuous
are not very common.

Present perfect
active: They have provided online services.
passive: Online services have been provided. (has/have been + past participle)

Past perfect
active: They had provided online services.
passive: Online services had been provided. (had been + past participle)

Future perfect
active: They will have provided online services.
passive: Online services will have been provided. (will have been + past participle)

Present infinitive
active: They need to provide online services.
passive: Online services need to be provided. ((to) be + past participle)

Perfect infinitive
active: They ought to have provided online services.
passive: Online services ought to have been provided. ((to) have been + past participle)

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-ing form
active: They like people using online services.
passive: They like online services being used. (being + past participle)

Perfect –ing form
active: Having provided online services...
passive: Online services having been provided... (having been + past participle)

Modal verbs
active: They must provide online services.
passive: Online services must be provided. (modals + be + past participle)

The passive is used:

1. When the agent (the person who carries out the action) is unknown,
unimportant or obvious from the context.

Examples:
His wristwatch was stolen in the bus. (We do not know who stole the
wristwatch.)
These shoes are made in Nepal. (Here, the manufacturer is unimportant.)
The buffaloes and cows are milked daily. (It is obvious from the context that
they are milked by the farmers or owners.)

2. When the action itself is more important than the agent of the action. Such
as in news headlines, newspaper articles, formal notices, instructions,
advertisements and processes.

Examples:
Spitting is not allowed. (Public notice)
Three teenagers were rescued from a cave. (News report)
Chowmein can be made in half an hour. (process)

3. When we want to make the statement sound more polite.
My new toy was broken. (more polite than saying, “You broke my new toy.”)

1. Identify the tenses in the passive sentences given below.

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i. The broken toys were glued together by my grandpa.
ii. Designers’ clothes are sold here.
iii. Your appointment will be booked in the next week.
iv. As per our records, the parcel had been dispatched yesterday at 2 p.m.
v. During the festival, a lot of things ought to have been sold at discounts.
vi. This report must be submitted by Friday.
vii. The last date for the submission of the proposal has ended.
viii. My hunger needs to be satisfied right away.

2. Fill in the blanks with the correct passive form of the verbs in the
brackets.
i. Who looks after your infant during the office hours?
My infant .................................. (look after) by my mother-in-law during
the office hours.
ii. That smells yummy! What did you put in it?
Actually, it .................................. (make) of yak meat and herbs.
iii. Have you dispatched the parcel?
The parcel .................................. (dispatch), right now.
iv. What can you buy at the shop?
All kinds of electronics can .................................. (buy) there.
v. Are you visiting your grandparents at the weekend?
No, we .................................. (visit) by them this time.
vi. Where is your car?
I damaged it. It .................................. (repair) at the moment.
vii. Has the lost kitty been found?
Not yet. It is .................................. still .................................. (search) for.
viii. Is an eco-garden opening in this town?
Yes, it .................................. (build) by the local people.

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From Active to Passive

Father: I was an excellent student
when I was young. I always ranked
in the top 10 of the class.
Son: But Grandmother told me your
class had only 10 students altogether.

When changing a sentence from the active to the passive voice, you should
follow these rules:

1. The object in the active sentence becomes the subject in the passive sentence.

2. The active verb remains in the same tense, but changes into a passive form.

3. The subject of the active sentence becomes the agent of the passive sentence.
It is introduced either with the preposition by or omitted.

4. Only the transitive verbs (verbs followed by an object) are changed into
the passive form.

Example:

Active Subject Verb Object
Passive We milk the cow.
Subject Verb Agent
The cow is milked by us.

5. We use by + agent of the action. We use with + instrument/ingredients/
material that the agent used

Example:

The pickle is made by my aunt.

It is made with mustard oil, chilly and hot spices.

6. If the agent is referred to by words such as ‘someone’, ‘people’, ‘they’, ‘he’,
‘she’ and ‘somebody’, the agent is omitted.

Example:
active: People eat momo as a quick snack.

passive: The momo is eaten as a quick snack.

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7. Object pronouns (me, you, him, her) are changed into subject pronouns (I,
you, he, she)

Example:

active: Dolphins saved him.

passive: He was saved by dolphins.

8. When there are two object-taking verbs such as bring, sell, send, teach,
promise, throw, write, hand, tell, show, buy and award, we can make two
different passive sentences.

Active: Mother told her a story.

Personal passive: She was told a story by her mother.

Impersonal passive: A story was told to her by her mother.

We usually prefer the personal passive rather than the impersonal passive.

9. When a preposition comes after a verb in the active sentence, we place the
preposition in the passive sentence as well.

Active: Grandmother looks after the little boy.

Passive: The little boy is looked after by the grandmother.

10. When we want to find out who or what did something, then the passive
question form is as follows:
Who/What....by?

Example:
Who was the invitation delivered by?

What was the flood caused by?

1. Fill in the blanks using with or by.
i. The bomb was detected ................... the police.
ii. The essay is written ................... the help of references.
iii. The essay was written ................... Namita.
iv. The dinner is made ................... the chef.
v. The cake was made ................... him ................... sugar, chocolate, eggs
and flour.

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2. Change the following sentences into the passive voice.
i. Somebody is knocking on the door.
ii. He eats junk food very often.
iii. Do they teach French at this university?
iv. I do not like someone pointing at me.
v. He aimed at the enemy with his rifle.
vi. Manoj has made a cake.
vii. Is Anil cleaning the bike?
viii. Who built the Dharahara?

Practice exercises

Practice set A: Identifying the tenses
Write the tenses of the passive sentences given below.
1. The thief is being questioned by the police.
2. The pancakes were made by him with flour, sugar, milk and eggs.
3. Were the dogs seen by the neighbours last night?
4. The parcel might not be delivered by the postman this week.
5. Had the windows been closed by Hari?
6. Who were the pancakes eaten by?
7. Was yoga taught at your school?
8. All kinds of food can be bought at the store.

Practice set B: Using prepositions
Fill in the blanks using with or by.
1. She was chased ............................ a dog in the morning.
2. The lunch was eaten ............................ Chandra.
3. The stew was being eaten ............................ a spoon.

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4. The opponent was shot ............................ a pistol.
5. The bomb was dropped ............................ the U.S.A.
6. The gardener is digging ............................ a shovel.
7. What was the fight caused ............................?
8. The flood was caused ............................ three days of continuous rain.

Practice set C: Changing from the active to the passive
Change the following sentences to the passive voice.
1. Who made all these sweets?
2. The kids took good care of their dog.
3. Leonardo Da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa.
4. The gardener spent five hours trimming the garden.
5. Indu is showing them the wedding photos.
6. Aman does not like Rita.
7. The children were playing word games.
8. Siksha will sing a song on stage on Saturday.

Practice set D: Using the passive
Fill in blanks with the correct words to make passive answers to the following
questions. Use the hints in the brackets.
1. Did you receive my letter?
No, it ............................................. (deliver) yet.
2. What will the winner of the lottery get?
Over a million rupees ............................................. (receive) the winner.
3. What did Hari eat at lunch?
Three samosas ............................................. (eat) Hari at lunch.
4. Who is cleaning the bike?
The bike is ............................................. (clean) Anil.

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5. Where did you lose the purse?
The purse ............................................. (lose) on the bus.
6. Who changed the flat tyre?
The flat tyre ............................................. (change) the driver.
7. How long did she take to finish the book?
The book ............................................. (finish) in a day.
8. Have they caught the spy?
No luck. No suspects ............................................. (find) so far.

Practice set E: Proofreading
Read and correct the mistakes in the following sentences.
1. Muna Madan is an epic poem that was write by L.P. Devkota.
2. Social issues of Nepalese society reflected in it.
3. A movie been made about it.
4. Who the film direct by?
5. The movie directed by Gyanendra Dauja.
6. The new fiscal budget will introduce by the government.
7. A better life being look for.
8. The bird was catch by the cat.

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13 Capitalisation

Sentences, Quotation and Salutation

Father: Waiter, could you pack our
leftovers in a bag for our cat?
Waiter: Sure, sir. Just give me a
minute.
Son: Father, we don’t have a cat at
home!

We start a sentence with a capital letter. A direct quotation, salutation and closing
of a letter also start with capital letters.

Rule 1: Capitalise the first word of every sentence.

The capital of Nepal is Kathmandu.

Wild animals live in forests.

Rule 2: Capitalise the first word of a direct quotation that is a complete sentence.
A direct quotation gives the exact words of a speaker.

Divya said, “About a year ago this land was all forest.”

“In the beginning, everything was chaos,” Kavya said.

Rule 3: If a directly quoted sentence is in two parts, interrupted by some
explanatory words or phrase (like ‘he said’), put a comma after the
words or phrase and do not capitalise the second part of the quoted
sentence.

“Most Nepalese,” Radha said, “live in villages and rural areas.”

“Prakriti,” said Saurab, “is also joining us tomorrow.”

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However, if the second part of a quotation is a new sentence, put a full stop
after the interrupting words and capitalise the second part.

“I have trekked to the Everest Base Camp,” Nick said. “I did it last year.”

Rule 4: Do not capitalise indirect quotation. An indirect quotation does not
give the exact words of a speaker and usually starts with ‘that’ in a
sentence. No quotation marks are used.

Pratiba says that she is working on her social project work.

The government representative said that the relief materials had already been
dispatched.

Rule 5: Capitalise the first word in the salutation and closing of a letter.
Capitalise the title and the name of the addressed person.

Salutation Closing of a letter

Dear Mrs. Malik, Yours sincerely,

Dear Sangita, Truly yours,

To whom it may concern, With love,

1. Capitalise where necessary. Tick the sentences that are already
correct.

i. they were jogging in the morning.

ii. Rekha said, “this winter, I am going to Dharan.”

iii. “this weekend,” Rajiv said, “we are cleaning our house.”

iv. “Dharan is one of the most beautiful cities of Nepal,” she said.

v. Sunil said that the temperature goes as high as 40 degree celcius in the
Terai in summer.

vi. “does the short supply of electricity create havoc there?” asked
Prakriti.

vii. Janaki said that people grow trees and plants in their compounds.

viii. “i am not surprised,” said Nikhi, “they give them cool shade and fresh
air.”

ix. “that,” said Radha, “is a good step towards fighting global warming.”

x. Scientists say that we must do our best to raise awareness about
climate change.

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2. Edit the letter by capitalising where necessary.
dear samir,
i am currently enjoying my first outdoor camping experience. i am so
thrilled by the vastness of the forest. my father and I are collecting different
kinds of plants for my school project. there are some beautiful flowers and
leaves here.
i hope that by the time I am back home, I will have a lot to show you.
your good friend,
Shraddha

Names and Titles of People

Girl: What are you doing, Manish?
Boy: You see, my uncle, Mr. Manvir
Ale, Ph.D., has advised me to think
deep before I do anything. I am hoping
that diving into this pond will help me
think deeper.

A proper noun names a particular person, place, animal or thing and is
capitalised. On the other hand, a common noun is the general name of person,
place, animal or thing and is not capitalised.

Rule 1: Capitalise the names of people and the initials that stand for their
names.

Amrit Bahadur Thapa A. B. Thapa

Prakriti Manandhar P. Manandhar

Rule 2: Capitalise a title or its abbreviation when it comes before a person’s
name. Also capitalise when it is used in a direct address.

General Amar Singh Thapa Gen. A. S. Thapa

Doctor Sharma Dr. Sharma

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We do not, however, capitalise a title that stands for a person’s name or follows it.

Example: Hari Rana is the doctor in a hospital.

Rule 3: Capitalise the names and abbreviations of academic degrees that follow
a person’s name. Also capitalise Jr. and Sr.

Tarun Napit, Ph. D. Laxmi Sigdel, M.D. Amrit Sunwar, Jr.

Rule 4: Capitalise the words that denote a family relationship when used as
titles or in place of a person’s name.

In November, Aunt Gloria and Father were planning a Christmas party.

We do not, however, capitalise words that denote a family relationship when
they follow a possessive noun or pronoun.

Example: Janaki’s brother is coming home this Friday.

Rule 5: Always capitalise the pronoun I.

Ruben and I are visiting the zoo.

1. Capitalise where necessary. xi. president yadav
xii. sir james smith
i. ms. Jojo lapa xiii. mr. ravisanker patak, sr.
ii. dr. chanda d. tamang xiv. queen sundari
iii. general thapa xv. madame sunita dahal
iv. aunt tara xvi. lord richard nesbett
v. ravi banjara jr. xvii. biparit b. pratap, jr
vi. dinesh raimajhi, ph.d. xviii. professor timilsena
vii. uncle lama xix. mr. and mrs. thapa
viii. jitendar yadav, m.d.
ix. magistrate jwala chaudhari xx. doctor bista

x. s.p. sapkota

2. In each sentence, capitalise names and titles wherever necessary.
i. during his regime, king subod looked for a flying man.
ii. this flying man, jamura jet, lived in a cave on top of a mountain.
iii. the king sent one of his ministers, sakar, to fetch him.
iv. the minister, being afraid, sent his nephew dhiraj in his place to the mountain.
v. but the young boy was replaced by his father adhiraj mansingh, who
didn’t want his son in danger.

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vi. before anyone could reach the mountain, an explorer called chandra
karki made it to the cave.

vii. so the mountain was renamed after him: chandramani parbat.
viii. as for the flying man jamura jet, he didn’t actually exist.
ix. king subod was checked by dr. bista for any mental problems.
x. the whole matter was observed by queen subadra very anxiously.

Names of Places

Traveller: Where does the Ring Road
go?
Local: I always see the Ring Road in
the same place. I don’t think it goes
anywhere.

We capitalise the specific names of places as they are proper nouns. However,
we do not capitalise the articles and prepositions that are parts of geographical
names.
Rule 1: Capitalise the names of states, districts, cities, zones, countries and

continents.
Bagmati zone Nawalparasi Nepal Europe Dharan Ilam
Rule 2: Capitalise the names of bodies of water (lakes, rivers, seas and oceans)

and other geographical features.
Bagmati River Indian Ocean Rara Lake Sahara Desert Atlantic Ocean
Rule 3: Capitalise the names of the units of a country.
Mid-western Development Region
Central Development Region
Eastern Development Region
Rule 4: Capitalise the points of the compass when they refer to a specific portion

of the country.
the Eastern Region the Northwest Region the South

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We do not, however, capitalise the compass points when they are referring to a
distinctive direction.

Mustang is in the north of Nepal.

We also do not capitalise adjectives formed from words that show direction.

northerly wind eastern Nepal

Rule 5: Capitalise street, road and highway names.

Mahendra Highway Ring Road Satdobato

Rule 6: Capitalise the names of buildings, bridges and monuments.

Dharahara Narayanhiti Palace Sahid Gate Rato Pool

1. Capitalise the names of places where necessary.

i. new york vii. eastern itahari

ii. upper mustang viii. durga tower

iii. africa ix. kathmandu valley

iv. singapore x. the united kingdom

v. brooklyn bridge xi. southern nepal

vi. middle east xii. the northeast

2. Use capital letters where necessary.
i. Australia is a continent as well as a country.
ii. Nowadays, many mountaineers trek to the mustang valley.
iii. Nepal lies in the north of india.
iv. The tourist city of pokhara is also known as the ‘lake city’.
v. A lot of people are concerned about the pollution in the bagmati river.
vi. Kings in ancient times built many ponds like rani pokhari.
vii. north america is mostly known as the united states of america and
south america as latin america.
viii. The northerly winds make this area very cold in the winter.
ix. oxford street has been famous since the time of Queen Elizabeth.
x. Ncell has its office in krishna tower.

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Proper Nouns and Adjectives

Julie: Mother, am I Chinese?

Mother: No, my dear. Why do you ask?

Julie: Well, Father was saying the other
day that everything these days is made
in China!

Besides the names of people and places, there are other proper nouns, too. They
are also always capitalised. And proper adjectives are formed from proper
nouns and are always capitalised.

Rule 1: Capitalise the important words in the names of businesses, institutions,
organisations, political parties and clubs.

Association of Commerce and Trade

Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nepal

Nepal Telecom

Five Crown Sport Bar

Rule 2: Capitalise the names of brands but not the nouns following them.

U.F.O. fashion store Reebok shoes Lays potato chips

Rule 3: Capitalise the names of important documents, periods of time and
historical events.

Golden Age Battle of Thermopylae Constitution of Nepal

Rule 4: Capitalise the names of days, months and holidays.

Friday July New Year’s Day

We do not, however, capitalise the names of the seasons.

autumn spring

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Rule 5: Capitalise the first letter of all the words in the titles of literary works,
magazines, newspapers, songs, films and television series. Capitalise all
other words except articles, coordinating conjunctions and prepositions
of fewer than five letters.

Nari magazine Time magazine Romeo and Juliet

Homeless in My Heart Julie of the Wolf

Rule 6: Capitalise the names of ethnic groups, nationalities and languages.

Japanese language Gurung Tharu Chinese American

Rule 7: Capitalise all proper adjectives, including those formed from names of
ethnic groups and nationalities.

Indian woodcraft Asian art Victorian era

Malla period Bhaktapur yogurt

1. Capitalise where necessary. ii. january
i. kantipur engineering college iv. native tharu song
iii. world war II vi. bhaktapur yogurt
v. oliver twist viii. chinese
vii. italian x. lalitpur tribune
ix. “we are the world” (song title) xii. intel corporation
xi. ethnic Nepalese stories xiv. declaration of independence
xiii. nari magazine

2. Capitalise where necessary to make correct sentences.
i. nepal is a south asian country rich in tradition and culture.
ii. Ethnic people and cultures are an integral part of nepal’s identity.
iii. before Prithvi Narayan Shah united the kingdom, it was divided into
many small states.
iv. Have you read “sirish ko phool” by Parijat?
v. Nepali festivals are generally very colourful
vi. Dashain is celebrated in Nepal in the month of october.
vii. The mustang valley is in the northern part of nepal.
viii. The names of valleys and villages in higher altitudes of northern nepal
are mostly of tibetan origin.

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Practice exercises

Practice set A: Capitalising sentences and quotations
Correct any capitalisation errors in the given sentences. Write correct if there is
no error.
1. as a conservationist Prakriti Dangol has been working to protect birds at

the Chitwan National Park for a long time.
2. after a decade of working there she started her own campaign.
3. the campaign helped her reach a greater number of people with her

message.
4. Prakriti thought, “the campaign can help to change people’s perspectives

about conservation.”
5. slowly her campaign made some changes in people’s thinking.
6. Prakriti said, “20 years ago, people weren’t aware of global warming.”
7. “now people are environmentally conscious,” Prakriti said. “they are

making individual efforts.”
8. Prakriti believes that People are now conscious of the issue.
9. “i think positive change is coming,” she said.

Practice set B: Capitalising titles and names of people and places
Capitalise where necessary.
1. king ashoka built the ashoka pillar in lumbini.
2. The late laxmi prasad devkota is highly regarded by the younger generation.
3. Mrs. Napit visited the national museum in chhauni.
4. My aunt trekked across mustang valley last year.
5. She was accompanied by her friend joseph, a mountaineer.
6. Nepal has some of the highest mountains in the world, but does not have

any seas or oceans.
7. One day, king gandari called general pratap to his court.
8. phewa lake is one of the main attractions of pokhara city.

Practice set C: Capitalising proper nouns
Correct any errors in capitalisation.
1. Indra started his day by distributing the pokhara times newspaper to the

subscribers.
2. As always, he was bullied by Bruno, a bulldog who lives in kumaripati.

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3. Sagar, the editor of the newspaper, thought of making a story out of it.
4. Indra had no clue what sagar was thinking.
5. “How can i be both the storyteller and the main character in the story?”

indra wondered.

Practice set D: Capitalising proper nouns and proper adjectives
Correct any errors of capitalisation in the following sentences.
1. lalitpur is located in the central development region.
2. Like many others, tripti malla from jhapa is living in the kathmandu valley.
3. The first settlers in the valley were probably the newars.
4. Nepali is the national language of nepal.
5. In the valley, however, majority of newars still speak the newari language.
6. The bagmati river separates Kathmandu from lalitpur.
7. japanese, tibetan and many other tourists visit the swayambhunath.
8. The capital of Nepal is kathmandu.

Practice set E: Proofreading
Read and correct the mistakes in the following sentences.
1. mother is at the office and will come home only after 6 p.m.
2. “we need to plant more trees,” said Anusha. “trees help in reducing the

effects of greenhouse gases.”
3. dear bhanu, we are doing fine.
4. These students are reading about arniko.
5. Our uncle has done a degree in literature.
6. Janakpur is famous for the janaki temple.
7. In Japan, i visited many japanese tea houses.
8. During the ice age, most of the land was covered in snow.

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14 Punctuation

Using End Marks

Doraemon: Nobito, let’s do some
homework.
Nobito: No!
Doraemon: Why don’t you want to do
your homework?
Nobito: My fingers are hurt, I can’t
hold a pencil.

There are three ends marks to end a sentence. They are as follows: full stop (.),
question mark (?) and exclamation mark (!).
The full stop is used to end declarative and imperative sentences. The question
mark is used with an interrogative sentence. The exclamation mark is used with
exclamatory sentences.
Rule 1: Use a full stop at the end of a declarative sentence. A declarative sentence

makes a statement.

Subham studies in grade six.

Kumar cannot climb a tree.

Father is supporting me in the game.

She has not come back from the morning walk.

Rule 2: Use a full stop at the end of an imperative sentence. An imperative
sentence gives a command or makes a request.

Open the punctuation chapter and read it. (command)
Read after your teacher. (command)
Please, be quiet. (request)
I beg you to help the poor. (request)

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Rule 3: Use a question mark at the end of an interrogative sentence. An
interrogative sentence asks a question.

When did Hari leave the office?

What is Shristi doing in the kitchen?

Have you read the story book?

Does he have an extra pen?

Rule 4: Use an exclamation mark at the end of an exclamatory sentence. An
exclamatory sentence expresses a strong feeling.

What an improvement in the weather!

The water is very cold!

How fast you can eat!

Look, there’s a snake!

Rule 5: Use an exclamation mark at the end of an interjection. An interjection is
a word or a group of words that expresses strong emotion.

Wow! My goodness!

Hurray! Ouch!

1. Use the correct end marks in the following sentences.
i. The Dharahara was built by Bhimsen Thapa
ii. Such a tall tower
iii. Don’t forget the important role of Bhimsen Thapa in history
iv. Did Bhimsen Thapa build the Dharahara
v. What an exciting experience it was
vi. Please tell me the name of the tower you visited
vii. On that day, Bhuwan K.C. also visited the tower
viii. The brothers didn’t believe that there was another tower taller than the
Dharahara
ix. How wrong they were
x. Why did they decide to visit the Dharahara
xi. Describe the view of the Kathmandu valley from the tower
xii. How does the Kathmandu valley look from the tower