6 grammar

51

The rule of thumb is that the last verb in a verb phrase is the main verb and the
verb/s before the last verb is helping verb/s.

A verb only becomes a helping verb when it has a (main) verb after it.
The cattle are in the field. (Here are does not have any other verb after it. So,
it is not a helping verb.)
The cattle are grazing in the field. (Here are is followed by the verb grazing.
So, it is a helping verb.)

1. Identify the verb phrases and the helping verb/s in the following
sentences.
i. UNESCO has listed the Solukhumbu National Park as a World
Heritage Site.
ii. Isha will be going to Solukhumbu this weekend.
iii. A genie might change my fortune.
iv. Does he think he can lift those boxes?
v. Did you conduct the population survey in your district?
vi. She will not compete in the karate championship this year.
vii. Jimmy has been waiting to talk to you all day.
viii. He can play the guitar as well as the flute.

2. Write at least two negative and two question sentences using the
verbs below as helping verbs.
am must have did shall would might could was

52

Action Verbs and Linking Verbs

Friend 1: A detective is a very clever
person. He can read through a
newspaper.
Friend 2: How is that possible?
Friend 1: By making holes in it.

Action verbs tell us what a subject does. The action can be physical or mental.
Physical actions

He won the lottery.
Zeet is making a kite.
Mother is cooking dinner.

Mental actions
He is thinking about a holiday in Pokhara.
Scientists are planning to explore Mars.
He is dreaming about ice cream.

An action verb is often followed by a noun that receives the action of the verb.
This noun is the object of the verb. It answers the ‘what?’ or the ‘whom?’ of the
action.

He won the lottery. (Here, the noun lottery receives or answers the what of
the action won.)
Zeet is flying a kite. (Here, the noun kite receives or answers the what of the
action flying.)
Mother is making a cake. (Here, the noun cake receives or answers the what
of the action making.)

A linking verb connects a subject to a word (noun or adjective) or a group of
words that describes the subject of a sentence.

Her father is an auditor. (Here, the verb is connects the subject father to the
word auditor, which describes it.)
The cake tastes great. (Here, the verb tastes connects the subject cake to the

53

word great, which describes it.)
Saints appear content with their lives. (Here, the verb appear connects the
subject saints to the phrase content with their lives, which describes them.)

Some common linking verbs:
grow seem stay appear become look
smell taste feel remain sound turn

Some verbs are interchangeable, which means they can be used both as linking
and action verbs, depending on the situation.

He sounded the bell for the lunch hour. (Here, the noun bell receives the action
of the verb sounded. So, it is an action verb.)
The students sounded happy to hear the lunch bell. (Here, the verb sounded
describes the subject students with the help of the word happy. So, it is a
linking verb.)
Father will look at my report card. (Here, the noun report card receives the
action of the verb will look. So, it is an action verb.)
We will look funny in those dresses. (Here, the verb will look connects the
subject we with the word funny. So, it is a linking verb.)

If confused, replace the given verb with is or are as per the subject’s number. If
the sentence still makes sense, then the verb is most probably a linking verb.
Uday looks handsome.
Let’s replace looks with is. Uday is handsome. The sentence is still meaningful, so
here the verb looks is a linking verb.
Uday looks at a bird out of the window.
Let’s replace looks with is. Uday is at a bird out of the window. The sentence does
not make any sense. So here the verb looks is not a linking verb. It is an action
verb.

1. Identify the action verbs and linking verbs in the sentences below.
i. Rabi likes the moral lessons of the Mahabharat.
ii. We find straw-thatched roofs in the countryside.
iii. Villagers have very close ties with nature.
iv. Fresh vegetable soup tastes great.

54

v. Ankur is from Dhanusa district.
vi. He looks happy to see his family after a long time.
vii. Prithvi Narayan Shah was the first king of unified Nepal.
viii. She is missing her family a lot.

2. Write two sentences each using the verbs given below. Use the
verbs in both forms – action and linking.
sound feel smell appear taste

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

Dad 1: My son has not got good
results in his last exam. How is
your son doing?
Dad 2: My son is very consistent.
He has been in the same class for
three years now!

A transitive verb expresses an action. It always has an object to receive its action.
An object is a person, thing, place or an idea that receives the action of the
transitive verb.

Priyanka is flying a kite. (Here, the object kite receives the action of the verb
is flying. So, is flying is acting as a transitive verb.)
Manu played football with his friends. (Here, the object football receives the
action of the verb played. So, played is acting as a transitive verb.)
Shristi visited Dhankuta. (Here, the object Dhankuta receives the action of
the verb visited. So, visited is acting as a transitive verb.)

An intransitive verb either expresses an action without an object to receive the
action, or tells us about the subject.

A baby crawls.
The children are reading loudly.

55

I am Julia.

Sometimes, the word or the group of words that comes after an intransitive verb
is not the object but explains the action.

Manoj ate rice. (Here, the object rice receives the action of the transitive verb
ate.)

Manoj ate greedily. (Here, the word ‘greedily’ explains the intransitive verb
ate.)

Manoj ate more than anyone. (Here, the word group ‘more than anyone’
explains the intransitive verb ate.)

Linking verbs are always intransitive verbs as they tell about the subjects.
Nepalese hog plum or lapsi tastes extremely sour even when fully ripe.
What will become of him?
The box seems heavy.

Some action verbs can be transitive or intransitive, depending on how they are
used in a sentence.

Januka read an essay on free society and ethics. (Here, the word essay receives
the action of the verb read. So, read is transitive.)

Januka read very carefully. (Here, the verb read has no object to receive its
action. So, it is intransitive.)

Bikash Malla plays football in the national football team. (Here, football receives
the action of the verb plays. So, plays is transitive.)

Bikash Malla plays well. (Here, the verb plays has no object to receive its
action. So, it is intransitive.)

1. Identify the transitive and intransitive verbs in the following
sentences.
i. Yarsagumba is a mummified larva.
ii. Thousands of villagers risk their lives in search of it.
iii. Yarsagumba grows in the Himalayan region of Nepal.
iv. Villagers look tired after the long search.
v. A kilogram of yarsagumba costs over a lakh.
vi. Sometimes, the villagers fight.

56

vii. People eat yarsagumba for medical benefits.
viii. China imports it in huge quantities.

2. Use the transitive as well as intransitive forms of the following
verbs in your own sentences.
read walk dig import taste

Practice exercises

Practice set A: Identifying linking verbs
Identify the linking verbs in the following sentences.

1. The Hindu Kush-Himalayan region is also referred to as the Third Pole.
is referred = linking

2. The region stores more snow and ice than anywhere else in the world
outside the Polar Regions.

3. The Third Pole contains the world’s highest mountains.
4. It includes all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres.
5. It is the source of 10 major rivers.
6. More than 600 languages are spoken in this region.
7. 210 million people depend on it for their livelihoods.
8. Mountain eco-systems are particularly sensitive to climate change.

Practice set B: Using verbs in different forms

Use the following verbs/verb phrases in your writing. First use them as action
verbs and then as linking verbs.

1. will be 2. is 3. grow

4. stay 5. had been 6. smell

7. remain 8. would have been 9. sound

10. taste 11. feel 12. turn

13. seem 14. talk 15. whisper

57

Practice set C: Identifying action verbs and their objects
Identify the action verbs and their objects in the following sentences. Some
sentences may not have a direct object.
1. We boarded the bus for Lumbini.
2. Our bus reached Lumbini after a journey of eight hours.
3. We photographed the Lumbini temple.
4. We visited the birth place of Gautam Buddha.
5. Others drove further to Gulmi to escape the heat.
6. Some walked to the temple to earn religious merit.
7. Our group stayed with the guide to learn more.
8. We traced our trip on a large map.
9. We selected the best resort to stay overnight.
10. We invited the guide to the resort to stay with us.

Practice set D: Distinguishing linking verbs and action verbs
Identify the verbs in the following sentences as action verbs or linking verbs.
1. Pokhara is the most popular holiday destination in Nepal.
2. Birds and animals look exotic in this jungle.
3. Nepal is a land of many natural wonders.
4. Its hills appear snowy all year round.
5. The Narayani River flows through the Chitwan National Park.
6. Wild animals graze in the mountains.
7. The weather in the hills and mountains is mild.
8. The mountains look beautiful.
9. Our culture and traditions are also tourist attractions.
10. Everyone gathers firewood from forests.

58

Practice set E: Identifying helping verbs and main verbs
Identify helping verbs and main verbs in the following sentences.
1. Our society has changed greatly.
2. I was living in a joint family.
3. In ancient times, people looked for answers in superstitions.
4. They have formed rituals for every action.
5. Many Nepalese are working in the Gulf countries.
6. The company has produced many different toys this year.
7. Today it has become the number one exporter of toys.
8. We have changed a lot in recent years.
9. They have called their last toy Agani.
10. For many years, the king had ruled the country.

Practice set F: Identifying transitive verbs and intransitive verbs
Identify transitive verbs and intransitive verbs in the following sentences.
1. Computer affects our lives every day.
2. Some children remember better than other.
3. They perform plays in theatres.
4. Many people benefit from innovations.
5. Ants work the whole summer gathering food for winter.
6. We do practice exercises at home.
7. They run programs for street children.
8. Handy pocket dictionaries fit easily in a pocket, or a bag.
9. My mother bought a little puppy for me.
10. The boy appears very innocent.

59

Practice set G: Using transitive and intransitive verbs
Write an appropriate verb for each of the following sentences. Then, identify the
verb as transitive or intransitive verb.
Example: She ..................... my best friend.
is - intransitive
or
knows - transitive

1. Aunt ..................... an interesting story about her village.
2. Our experiment with sugar and potato ..................... successful.
3. Bini and I ..................... green vegetables and eggs.
4. By noon, the hot sun ..................... the ice.
5. Everything ..................... fine.
6. In the river, a boat ..................... to its bank.
7. ..................... these hurdles, Janak!
8. ..................... Kathmandu the capital of Nepal?
9. Wow! What a beautiful flower it ..................... .
10. Several Asian nations ..................... elections this year.

Practice set H: Using helping verbs
Use the following verbs as helping verbs in your sentences.
am being do have must were are can does should
shall would be could had may is will been did
Example: He had read the novel already.

60

5 Subject – Verb Agreement

Simple Subject – Verb Agreement

Son: The people next door are very
miserly, aren’t they?
Mother: Why do you think so?
Son: Yesterday, they didn’t let their
new-born child have even a one rupee
coin.

A verb and its subject are in agreement, if they are the same in number. A verb
must always agree with its subject in number.

Rule 1: A singular subject agrees with a singular verb.

a) Singular noun subject and verb agreement
Chanchal flies a kite. (Here, the singular verb flies agrees with its singular
noun subject Chanchal.)
Chanchal is happy. (Here, the singular verb is agrees with its singular noun
subject Chanchal.)
Kartik has a magical pencil. (Here, the singular verb has agrees with its
singular noun subject Kartik.)
Kartik was absent yesterday. (Here, the singular verb was agrees with its
singular noun subject Kartik.)

b) Singular pronoun subject and verb agreement
She flies a kite. (Here, the singular verb flies agrees with its singular pronoun
subject she.)

61

She is happy. (Here, the singular verb is agrees with its singular pronoun
subject she.)

He has two elder sisters. (Here, the singular verb has agrees with its singular
pronoun subject he.)

It was lost in the highway. (Here, the singular verb was agrees with its
singular pronoun subject it.)

c) But, with I and You, we use plural verbs You are my friend.
I have a book about the universe. You read books.
I write letters to my mother. You have lost your keys.
I sleep by 10 p.m.

d) The singular verbs usually end in -s or -es.

Base (plural) Singular

fly flies

have has

work works

read reads

watch watches

Rule 2: A plural subject agrees with a plural verb.

a) A plural noun subject agrees with a plural verb.

Women celebrate Teej. (Here, the plural verb celebrate agrees with its plural
noun subject women.)

Elephants walk a long way in search of water and food. (Here, the plural verb
walk agrees with its plural noun subject elephants.)

b) A plural pronoun subject agrees with a plural verb.
They are at home. (Here, the plural verb are agrees with its plural pronoun
subject they.)
We eat a variety of food during Dashain. (Here, the plural verb eat agrees with
its plural pronoun subject we.)

‘You’ can be plural or singular but it always has a plural verb with it.

You are my only friend.
You have to play as a team.

62

1. Circle the verbs in the brackets that agree with the subjects.
i. I (am, are) the captain of the football team.
ii. She (travels, travel) frequently across continents.
iii. He (is, are) the hope of his family.
iv. The boxes (was, were) filled with books.
v. The Dashain holiday (starts, start) today.
vi. We (lives, live) in a joint family.
vii. A magician (performs, perform) in front of the audience.
viii. A dog (has, have) a very strong sense of smell.

2. Rewrite the sentences changing the number of verbs and subjects
around, and make sure they agree in number.
i. The girl goes to school.
ii. A tiger is a carnivorous animal.
iii. It lives in water and on land.
iv. He trains with a boxing coach.
v. Lions live in prides in jungles.
vi. We belong to the same family.
vii. They work in a government office.
viii. Nomadic people travel from one place to another in search of food
and shelter.

Problems in Finding Subjects

Friend 1: A tree can look like a
ghost at night. Be careful.
Friend 2: I am not afraid. Wait,
there are some trees. Oh no! Are
they following me?

63

A verb coming immediately after a subject always takes the number of the
subject. Sometimes, however, this simple structure is not followed. Here are
some sentence structures where a subject and its verb do not come together:

a. Prepositional phrases between the subject and the verb do not change the
number of the verb. The verb should agree with its subject in number, not
with the object of the prepositional phrase.
The road between the two cities has lots of traffic jams.

Here, the verb has is in agreement with the subject road. The verb should not
take the number of the object of the prepositional phrase, i.e. cities.

Roads in Kathmandu have a lot of traffic jams.
Here, the verb have is in agreement with the subject roads. The verb should not
take the number of object of the prepositional phrase, i.e. Kathmandu.

b. Some sentences begin with ‘here’ or ‘there’. In these sentences, ‘here’ or
‘there’ are never the subjects. The subject in these sentences comes after the
verb, i.e. in reverse order.
Here is a flower. (In the sentence, the subject flower comes after the verb is.)
There are buffaloes grazing in the grassland. (In the sentence, the subject
buffaloes comes after the verb are.)
There, on a flower, is a butterfly. (In the sentence, the subject butterfly comes
after its verb is.)

1. Circle the correct verbs to complete the following sentences.
i. There, among the trees and plants, (was, were) some carnivorous plants.
ii. A birdwatcher (finds, find) various species of birds.
iii. The Godavari Garden (is, are) a popular picnic destination for families.
iv. There, in the pond, (swims, swim) a duckling.
v. Birdwatchers (goes, go) there at weekends.
vi. There (is, are) a water lily in the pond.
vii. Children (play, plays) ball in the ground.

viii. The two dresses you bought (look, looks) very similar.

2. Use here and there in your own sentences. Write at least 10
sentences: five singular and five plural.

64

Compound Subject – Verb Agreement

Teacher: Both Sanil and Suman have
copied each other. You both wrote
about going to the Fun Park.
Sunil: Neither I nor Suman has copied.
We’d just gone to the same park
together!

A verb must agree with its subject. Some sentences have one simple subject
(as we have seen in the last two units). But some sentences have a compound
subject. A compound subject is made of two or more simple subjects. Compound
subjects are usually joined by ‘and’, ‘or’ and ‘nor’.
Rules for compound subjects and their verb agreement:

1. Subjects joined by and generally agree with plural verbs.
Water and air are essential for life.
Biraj and Bikram are brothers.
A table and a few chairs were there.
Anuradha, Santosh, Deep and Leela study in the same class.

2. Subjects joined by both ... and also agree with plural verbs. With both, we
can join only two subjects.
Both salt and sugar dissolve in water.
Both a turtle and a hare were in the race.
Both the boy and his dog live in the house.

3. Singular subjects joined by or, nor, either... or and neither ... nor agree with
singular verbs.
Either Himesh or Muni has a bob-cat.
Neither Champa nor Lalit is at fault.

4. Plural subjects joined by or, nor, either... or and neither ... nor agree with

65

plural verbs.
Either the girls or the boys cleaned up this room.
Neither tigers nor lions eat vegetables.
Neither cows nor buffaloes eat meat.

5. If a mix of singular and plural subjects is joined by or, nor, either... or and
neither ... nor, the verb takes the number of the subject that is closest to it.
A bear or cubs cross our path. (Here, the plural subject cubs is closer to the
plural verb cross.)
Bear cubs or a panda crosses our path. (Here, the singular subject panda is
closer to the singular verb crosses.)
Neither the labourers nor the boss accepts the responsibility. (Here, the singular
subject boss is closer to the singular verb accepts.)
Neither the boss nor the labourers accept the responsibility. (Here, the plural
subject labourers is closer to the plural verb accept.)

1. Circle the correct form of the verbs in the brackets to complete the
following sentences.
i. Bread and eggs (are served, is served) at breakfast.
ii. A boat or a ship (have, has) to sail today.
iii. An eagle and a hawk (kill, kills) prey for food.
iv. Either peas or tomatoes (have, has) lots of nutrients.
v. Cities and towns (are growing, is growing) in an unplanned manner.
vi. Neither Ravi nor Uttam (are, is) at school.
vii. Neither sauce nor pickles (taste, tastes) sour.
viii. Both Adesh and Karna (come, comes) first in their class.

2. Write 10 sentences using either...or and neither ... nor.

Practice exercises

Practice set A: Choosing correct verbs
Select the verbs from the brackets that agree with the subjects of the following
sentences.
1. I (am, are) late for the computer class.
2. Sometimes, a group of foxes (walks, walk) by our countryside home.

66

3. The monsoon (causes, cause) heavy rainfall in Nepal.
4. Eagles (hovers, hover) in the sky in search of prey.
5. A small river (joins, join) the other small rivers to make a big river.
6. These mountains (attracts, attract) many tourists to this place.
7. Suman (holds, hold) an axe to chop some firewood.
8. Stars (appear, appears) in the clear sky at night.

Practice set B: Choosing correct verbs for subjects interrupted by
prepositional phrases
Select the verbs that agree with their subjects in the following sentences.
1. The clouds in the sky (changes, change) their colour during sunset.
2. Here (is, are) the culprits of last week’s burglary.
3. A nun at 6 a.m. (sings, sing) songs in praise of the lord.
4. Our neighbours (walks, walk) to the hill every Saturday.
5. The buffalo in the middle (is, are) pregnant.
6. The water in the bottle (smells, smell) foul.
7. People from different parts of the country (migrates, migrate) to the capital.
8. Heavy rainfall in the hilly regions (causes, cause) landslides.

Practice set C: Choosing correct verbs for compound subjects
Select the verbs that agree with their compound subjects in the following sentences.
1. Plants and trees (use/uses) photosynthesis to make food.
2. Water, carbon dioxide and light (are/is) consumed in this process.
3. Both roots and stems (store/stores) the starch.
4. Both a tree and a plant (have/has) leaves.
5. Either leaves or other parts of the plant (uses/use) the sugar made during

photosynthesis.
6. Either a magnifying lens or a microscope could (helps/help) you to see the

chlorophyll.
7. Neither boys nor girls (think/thinks) too much about forest conservation.
8. Humans and animals both (depends/depend) on plants for food.

67

Practice set D: Writing sentences with correct subject - verb agreement
Make sentences using the following word or words, keeping in mind all the
rules of subject and verb agreement.

or and there here either...or neither...nor both...and

Practice set E: Proofreading
Read and correct the mistakes in the following sentences.
1. The solar system comprise the sun and the planets that orbit it.
2. The eight largest objects in the solar system am planets.
3. The four smaller planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, is composed of

rock and metal.
4. Either Jupiter or Saturn have the most mass in the planetary system.
5. Both helium and hydrogen is found in them.
6. There are at least six planets that has their own satellites.
7. Earth have one natural satellite, the moon.
8. Here are a robot that will fly to outer space.

Practice set F: Identifying subjects and making verbs agree
Select the correct form of the verbs given in brackets in the following sentences.
1. Save the Children, with branches throughout Nepal, (runs, run) many

programs for street children.
2. His desire for toys (continues, continue) to grow with age.
3. In Chitwan, there (are, is) a park called Chitwan National Park.
4. The statues at the Sahid Gate (honours, honour) the martyrs of Nepal.
5. A dog in my neighbourhood also (bear, bears) the same name.
6. Muna Madam by Laxmi Prasad Devkota (is, are) a classic.
7. Storybooks (are, is) available at the school library.
8. Mohan, in his journal, (records, record) the day-to-day happenings of his

life.
9. The chief of the village (declare, declares) each tree important.
10. Followers of Buddha and his principles (celebrate, celebrates) his birthday.

68

Practice set G: Locating subjects and making verbs agree
Locate the subject of each sentence. If the verb in the sentence is correct, write correct.
If the verb is not correct, write the correct verb.
1. There is the Bagmati River in the Kathmandu Valley.
2. There are some paddy fields along the road to my home.
3. There is lovely landscapes in the valley.
4. Here in my village are people of different ethnic backgrounds.
5. There is a new travel book about Nepal for tourists.

Practice set H: Writing the correct verb form for compound subjects
Write the correct present tense form of the verbs in the brackets of the following
sentences. Make sure the verb agrees with the subject of the sentence.
Example: Parks and other areas (be) part of the National Park.
Parks and other areas are part of the National Park.
1. A noteworthy landscape or a historic site (form) the basis of most national

parks.
2. Both Indira and Santin (enjoy) dancing.
3. Butwal and Shantipur (be) in the Lumbini Zone.
4. Animals and plants (be) part of the natural eco-system.
5. Air and water pollution, and overcrowding (pose) threats to the most cities

of Nepal.

Practice set I: Making subjects and verbs agree
Correct the verbs in the following sentences if necessary. Write whether the subject is
singular or plural.
1. My grandparents’ home lies in the bank of the Kashki River.
2. Giant trees stands tall in the forests.
3. The truck measure 26 feet in diameter, more than most trucks.
4. This huge statue stands at the gate of the castle.
5. The banyan trees are some of the long living things on earth.
6. The water of the river joins the ocean.
7. Those wood crafts feature some of the finest art of Nepal.
8. The quality of redwoods are well known.
9. A giraffe grow even taller than an elephant.
10. Even enormous trees grow from tiny seeds.

69

6 Pronouns

Personal Pronouns

Man 1: Why are you rolling on the
ground?
Man 2: I just ate a tea bag, sugar and
hot water. Now, I am rolling on the
ground to make tea inside my tummy.

A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun or a noun phrase in a sentence. The
most commonly used pronouns are called personal pronouns. A personal
pronoun refers to a person or thing.
Nima has a dog, and he plays with it.
In this sentence, the pronoun ‘he’ is used in place of the noun ‘Nima’, and the
pronoun ‘it’ is used in place of the noun ‘dog’.

In a sentence, pronouns can act as both the subject and the object of a verb.
Neha and I performed a drama. We performed it at an open theatre.
Here, the pronoun we refers to the subjects of the previous sentence, Neha and I.
The pronoun it, on the other hand, refers to the object of the previous sentence,
drama.
Preeti is looking for the Tarzan movie. She wants to watch it.
Here, the pronoun she refers to the subject of the previous sentence, Preeti.
The pronoun it, on the other hand, refers to the object of the previous sentence,
Tarzan movie.

A subject pronoun is a personal pronoun in the nominative case. A subject
pronoun always replaces a subject noun.

70

An object pronoun is a personal pronoun in the objective case. An object pronoun
always replaces an object noun.

He has watched the movie. (He is the subject pronoun.)

Aadi referred him for the job. (Him is the object pronoun.)

Used as subject (singular) 1st Person 2nd Person 3rd Person
Used as subject (plural) I you he, she, it
we you they

Used as object (singular) me you him, her, it
Used as object (plural) us you them

1. Identify the nouns referred to by the pronouns given in the
sentences below.

i. Mother told me a story about a boy. It taught me the value of
punctuality.

ii. Jigme saw Ritesh and Hitesh playing together in the park. They
laughed when they saw him in his school uniform on a Saturday.

iii. This song was sung by Nima Rumba. It is my favourite song by him.

iv. You are working on your class project. She might help you with it.

v. She is a new teacher. She is Ms. Rai.

vi. It is a great story. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

vii. You have topped the school. The school will provide you a full
scholarship.

viii. Mother asked me what the moral of the story was. It was that honesty
is always rewarded in the end.

2. Write personal pronouns in place of the underlined nouns in
the sentences below. Use the nominative and objective cases of
pronouns.

i. Lalit and I are studying in a college. Besides Lalit and I, the college has
many other students.

ii. Ankit is going on an educational tour to Lumbini. His parents are
giving Ankit some money for the tour.

iii. I borrowed a book from Shraddha. Shraddha lives in your colony.

71

Could you give the book to Shraddha?
iv. Hi, I am Ruchi. Kriti helped Suchi and Ruchi. Kriti helped Suchi and

Ruchi with our maths homework.
v. The cat and the dog are friends. Even though people expect a cat and

a dog to fight, the cat and the dog get along very well.
vi. I am submitting my project to the teacher. The project was very difficult

to do. I hope the teacher likes it and gives me good marks.
vii. Jasmine’s parents gave her that name because her parents thought

Jasmine was as beautiful as a flower.
viii. The mirror is broken. Throw the mirror away before somebody gets

hurt!

Using Subject Pronouns and Object Pronouns Correctly

Boy 1: Why did mother suggest
that we come to the zoo?
Boy 2: Mother told me that at the
zoo we can find lots of friends for
you and me.

Me am going to celebrate Teej with my friends.
Them laughed during the movie.
Grandmother sang a song for we.
Kumar is talking to she.

In the above sentences, the pronouns are used incorrectly. A lot of people
wrongly use the objective case in place of the nominative case of the pronouns
and vice versa.

Rule 1: Always use subject pronouns in place of the subject noun/s.
Football is a team sport. It is liked by thousands of people around the world.
Sagar Thapa plays for the Nepalese national football team. He is the captain of
the team.
Fans adore the footballers. They cheer for the team.

72

In these sentences, the subject pronouns (it, he and they) refer to the subjects
(football, Sagar Thapa and fans), respectively.

Rule 2: Always use object pronouns in place of the object noun/s.
You can watch the show later. You can watch it online.
Here, the objective pronoun it refers to object noun show.
He wrote Ganga a letter after a long time. He wrote her all about his trip to Palpa.
Here, the object pronoun her refers to the indirect object Ganga.
The fire-fighters came to rescue us.

Rule of thumb is to use the subject pronouns before a verb and the objective
pronouns after a verb in an affirmative sentence.
He helped him with his homework.
Here, the subject pronoun he comes before the verb helped and the object
pronoun him comes after the verb helped.
She thought about her all the time.
Here, the subject pronoun she comes before the verb thought and the object
pronoun her comes after the verb thought.

Exception to the rule: In formal writing, always use a subject pronoun after a
linking verb.
The winner of the duet is he. (Not him. If it feels odd, then rewrite it.)
He is the winner of the duet.

Rule 3: Always use a subject pronoun or pronouns in a compound subject.
Ravi and I were playing together last evening.
Here, in the compound subject Ravi and I, the subject pronoun I is used, not me.
You and Sagar are the defenders of the team.
Here, in the compound subject you and Sagar, the subject pronoun you is used.
You and I are competing in a dance competition.
Here, in the compound subject you and I, the subject pronouns you and I are
used.
He and she are working on a research project together. (Here, in the compound
subject he and she, the subject pronouns he and she are used, not him and her.)
She and he are working long hours. (Here, in the compound subject she and
he, the subject pronouns she and he are used, not her and him.)

73

Rules of order:

1. When a compound subject is made of a noun or nouns and the pronoun I,

I should come at the end.

Ravi and I Sankar, Parbati and I

2. When a compound subject is made of a noun or nouns and the pronoun

you, you should come at the beginning.

You and Sagar You, Sagar and Sakar

3. When a compound subject is made of subject pronouns you and I, I should

come at the end.

You and I

4. When a compound subject is made of subject pronouns he and she, they

can be used in any order.

He and she She and he

Rule 4: Always use an object pronoun or pronouns in a compound object.

Grandmother told Sapna and me a story.

Here, the compound object is made up of a noun Sapna and the object pronoun
me. The object pronoun me should always come at the end of the compound
object.

The invitation was addressed to him and her.

Here, the compound object is made up of two object pronouns, him and her. They can
be placed in any order.

1. Identify the pronouns in the sentences below and write their cases:
nominative or objective.
i. I am celebrating my birthday. All of you are invited to it.
ii. Mother, I hope they will bring gifts with them.
iii. Yes, they will definitely bring gifts for you.
iv. I like friends who give me gifts.
v. Rahim is not with us. He had to go to the doctor.
vi. Radha is late, as always. We will wait for her for a few minutes.
vii. Is that the birthday cake? It looks yummy.
viii. Father made the cake. He is great at baking.

74

2. Choose the correct pronouns from the brackets to complete the
following sentences.

i. (I, Me) am from Jhapa. (He, Him) is from Pokhara.

ii. Let’s go to (she, her) to see if (she, her) will help us with our project.

iii. (She, Her) has been waiting for (we, us) for the past half an hour.

iv. After this, (we, us) are going straight to (she, her).

v. The group includes Sabi, Rabi, Dabi and (I, me).

vi. Are you going with (they, them)? If yes, then (they, them) will pick you
up at 10 a.m.

vii. (He, Him) read The North Wind and the Sun. Ask (he, him) the moral
of the story.

viii. (She, her) said she wanted to thank (we, us) for our gifts.

3. Use the following pronouns in your writing. Write at least one
sentence using each pronoun.

I me we us she her

he him it you they them

Pronouns and Antecedents

Boy 1: I have written a poem. Let me
recite it for you.
Boy 2: I cannot understand it. What
language is that?
Boy 1: It’s in a language created by me.
It is called Happa-happa!

The noun or nouns that a pronoun refers to is called its antecedent.
Parijat wrote Sirish Ko Phool a long time ago. She wrote it in Nepali.
Here, she refers back to its antecedent Parijat, and it refers back to its antecedent
Sirish Ko Phool.

75

Rule 1: A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number (singular or
plural) and gender (feminine or masculine or neuter).

Sirish Ko Phool is a novel written by Parijat. Let’s read it.
Here, the pronoun it is in agreement with its antecedent Sirish Ko Phool in
number—singular; and gender—neuter.

Laxmi is new in the class. She has just moved to Itahari.
Here, the pronoun she is in agreement with its antecedent Laxmi in number—
singular; and gender—feminine.

Indu and Bindu are friends. They work in the same company.
Here, the pronoun they is in agreement with its antecedent Indu and Bindu in
number—plural; and gender—feminine.

Rule 2: A pronoun must be clear about its antecedent.
The young entrepreneurs were showing their business ideas to the potential
investors. They found opportunities and were pleased.

Here, the pronoun they is ambiguous about its antecedent. It is not clear whether
they refers to the young entrepreneurs or the potential investors. In such cases,
it is better not to use pronouns.

The young entrepreneurs were showing their business ideas to the potential
investors. The investors found opportunities and were pleased.

1. Identify the antecedents of the pronouns underlined in the
following sentences.

i. Mrs. Shrestha is a teacher. She teaches English in a school.

ii. Mr. Limbu wrote a book. It explores the human nature in depth.

iii. Uma knows Kiran well. She is invited by him to the party.

iv. A man had 10 children. He could not feed them.

v. The street children are unfortunate. They are longing for love and
care.

vi. Rupa and I are participating in the dance competition. We will win the
first prize for sure.

76

vii. Suman and Sunita are out in a trip. You can leave a message for them.
They will come back in about two weeks’ time.

viii. The book is very thick. It must have a lot of stories in it.

2. Fill in the blanks with the correct pronouns and circle their
antecedents in the sentences.
i. Nepal is a landlocked country. .................... is located in South Asia.

ii. China and India are Nepal’s closest neighbours. .................... share borders
with ....................

iii. Sita was the incarnation of purity. Every woman wants to be like
....................

iv. Gagan, Jamuna and I are Nepalese. But .................... come from different
parts of the country.

v. Gagan lives in Butwal with his parents. He respects ....................

vi. Jamuna is studying nursing. .................... is from Chitwan. .................... has
the Chitwan National Park.

vii. Lumbini is the birthplace of Gautam Buddha. We all respect ....................

viii. My parents have just bought me a computer. .................... am so grateful to
....................

3. Use the following pronouns in your writing. Write at least one
sentence using each pronoun and circle its antecedent.

we us she her he him it they them

77

Possessive Pronouns

Woman 1: The horse there is mine. It
has the manners of a gentleman.

Woman 2: What do you mean by that?

Woman 1: Well, every time we are
jumping over a fence, it lets me jump
first.

Possessive pronouns are personal pronouns that show possession or ownership.
Possessive pronouns replace the possessive form of nouns. They answer who or
what has or owns something.

The cat is mine.

This pen is yours.

Possessive pronouns

Singular Plural

mine ours

yours yours

his, hers, its theirs

The painting is mine.

That poem of yours has been selected for recitation.

The office is ours.

That teddy bear of hers is red in colour.

The coat is his.

All the fault was theirs.

Note Do not get confused between its and it’s. It’s is the short form of it is/
has and comes with an apostrophe.

78

It’s a novel written by Parijat. = It is a novel written by Parijat.
Its characters have universal appeal.

1. Identify the possessive pronouns in the following sentences.
i. Mine is about a grasshopper and an ant.
ii. We have many good players on ours, too.
iii. This building is theirs.
iv. Hers should inspire everyone.
v. His is bigger than hers.
vi. Theirs are coming in a couple of days.
vii. Hers is very cute. But its claws are rather sharp.
viii. Is that yours or mine? Or is it his?

2. Use possessive pronouns in place of the underlined words or
phrases in the following sentences.
i. Taniya’s lunch is made by Taniya’s mother.
ii. Tarun’s room is full of Tarun’s toys.
iii. I like your flowers. Do you like my flowers?
iv. Ravi’s essay won the competition. All the essays were good but Ravi’s
was the best.
v. Ravi needs to get a haircut. Ravi’s hair is longer than my hair.
vi. Don’t throw away that umbrella! It is my umbella!
vii. Jasmine and Lily need to clean their room because Jasmine and Lily’s
room is dirty.
viii. I like her bag. The bag’s colour is beautiful.

79

Indefinite Pronouns

Waiter 1: Somebody help me, please!
Waiter 2: Why don’t you get this tray
to carry the cups?
Waiter 1: I am already having trouble
carrying the cups. Now you want me
to carry a tray too?

An indefinite pronoun refers to a person, a thing, a place or an idea that may or
may not be specified. In other words, an indefinite pronoun does not refer to a
particular person, thing, place or idea.
Anyone can come to the party.
In this sentence, anyone does not refer to a particular person.
Each of the students has to work individually.
In this sentence, each does not refer to a particular student. It refers to all the
students individually.
Indefinite pronouns can be singular and plural in number.

Singular indefinite pronouns:
Anyone, everything, no one, another, everyone, nothing, anything, everybody,
one, anybody, neither, somebody, each, nobody, someone, either, much,
something

No one is allowed to sit in these seats, except ladies.
Anyone can visit the Pasupatinath temple.
Another of your brothers lives in Gulmi.
I cannot see anything.
Anybody can enter the competition.
Each of you has to submit your holiday project.
Everything in the shop is handmade.
Everyone in your class likes outdoor adventure.

80

Nobody in the camp knew how to light a fire.
Much has been talked on this topic.
Sudesh has done nothing for the assignment.
One of the boys is coming to help us with camping.
Something is better than nothing.
Would somebody help me with the decoration?
Someone has dropped off a parcel in your name.

Plural indefinite pronouns:
both, few, many, others, several
Both of them are guilty, my lord.
I am sorry, but a few of your books were destroyed in the fire.
Many try; few find success.
Others think his novel witty and funny.
Several of the audience members were moved by the drama.

Some indefinite pronouns change their number (singular or plural), depending
on the nouns that follow them in the sentences, such as ‘all’, ‘any’, ‘most’, ‘none’
and ‘some’.
Most of the people in Nepal know the alphabet.
Here, most is plural because the noun people is plural in number.
Most of the story deals with human nature.
Here, most is singular because the noun story is singular in number.

1. Select the correct indefinite pronouns from the brackets to complete
the following sentences.
i. (Most, Everyone) likes to travel around the world.
ii. (Both, Everyone) have a funny story to share.
iii. (Some, Each) is responsible for his own deeds.
iv. (All, Everyone) enjoy reading a good novel.
v. (Both, One) of the soldiers was wounded in the battle.

81

vi. (Some, Somebody) has left a purse on the bus.
vii. (Both, Each) of the poems is eloquently written.
viii. (Each, Some) of the students were influenced by his writing.

2. Select the correct words from the brackets to complete the given
sentences.
i. Most of the ducks (are, is) able to swim in water.
ii. Few found (their, her) lost properties in the tunnel.
iii. No one (are, is) cleverer than Birbal.
iv. Many try, but none (escape, escapes) this prison.
v. Everything (change, changes) with time. Nothing (remain, remains)
unchanged.
vi. Someone has found (his, their) way out of the jungle.
vii. Some of the viewers (see, sees) only the first half of a movie, and in the
second half, (they, she) sleep.
viii. Which one (help, helps) the other?

Practice exercises

Practice set A: Using personal pronouns as subjects and objects
Read and select the correct form of personal pronouns from the brackets.
1. Grandpa: (I, me) think all young people are idiots.
2. Child: Other children and (I, me) do not agree with you.
3. Grandpa: Ok, prove (I, me) wrong!
4. Child: (We, They) see the world differently. The world looks a little different

to (we, us). (You, yours) lack imagination.
5. Grandpa: Give (I, me) an example.
6. Child: Yesterday, Salinee found your lost glasses on your nose, remember?

Isn’t (she, her) smarter than you?
7. Grandpa: Other old men and (I, me) were wrong about the young. Forgive

(they, them) and (I, me).
8. Child: There’s nothing to be sorry about. (You, they) are always our lovely

grandpa!

82

Practice set B: Making pronouns and antecedents agree
Write a pronoun in the second sentence of each pair of sentences that agrees
with its antecedent.
1. The challenges faced by the children were difficult to solve. But ....................

faced the challenges as a team.
2. The problem had puzzled many. .................... was not an easy one.
3. Erika and I went to buy fruits for the festival. .................... bought many

seasonal fruits.
4. Anup does not remember where .................... left his shoes. .................... is

looking for ....................
5. Arati is rehearsing for her stage performance. .................... has never danced

on stage before.
6. Ankita likes swimming. .................... is a member of the swimming club.
7. The cake was as big as Ravi’s table. .................... was the biggest cake

.................... had ever seen.
8. I’m feeling too sick to go to Dikshya’s party. Can you call .................... and

let .................... know?

Practice set C: Identifying nominative and objective forms of personal
pronouns
Identify the personal pronouns in the sentences below as subjects or objects.
1. I am the only son of my parents. They love me a lot.
2. She is the daughter of Mr. Ale. He always drops her off at school.
3. Mrs. Devkota’s sons are working abroad. She misses them a lot.
4. Vishal is very annoying. I will never go on holiday with him again!
5. The kitty is bouncing over the ball. It is playing by itself.
6. We were worried about you. You should’ve called us.
7. Sara should be a singer. She has a nice voice.
8. Where are Babin’s books? I thought I gave them to you.

83

Practice set D: Using personal pronouns in compound subjects and
objects
Replace the underlined words in pink with the correct personal pronouns.
Example: Januma and Ravi = She and he
Januma and Ravi = they
1. Anjali Shrestha and Nirmal Rana are actors.
2. Anjali and Nirmal performed an act together. The act was based on the

story of a grandmother and her grandson.
3. Ganga and I saw Anjali and Nirmal after the act.
4. Ganga and I liked their performance.
5. Anjali and Nirmal thanked Ganga and me.
6. They informed Ganga and me about their next act.
7. Mrs. Shrestha and Mr. Rana were pleased with their daughter and son.
8. Mrs. Shrestha gave Anjali and Nirmal good wishes.
9. Mr. Rana took Anjali and Nirmal to dinner after the act.

Practice set E: Using possessive pronouns with nouns
Write the correct possessive pronouns in place of the words in pink.
1. Sangita: I have two siblings, Rajesh and Ramesh. They are Sangita’s

brothers.
2. Ramesh: Ramesh’s aunt gave me a pair of shoes for Dashain.
3. Sangita: Sangita, Rajesh and Ramesh’s father received an honorary medal

for his bravery.
4. Ramesh: Where are Ramesh’s shoes?
5. Sangita: Ramesh, I found Ramesh’s shoes. But where are Sangita’s shoes?
6. Ramesh: Sangita, Rajesh and Ramesh’s parents are coming with gifts.
7. Rajesh: Sangita, I looked everywhere for Sangita’s key. I found Rajesh’s

key but I couldn’t find Sangita’s key.

Practice set F: Using possessive pronouns
Replace the words in pink with the correct possessive pronoun.
1. Kabita: The red book is Kabita’s. It has many stories.

84

2. Saurab: The cars are Kabita’s and Saurab’s.
3. Kali: The new shoes under the sofa are Kritika’s.
4. Sunil: She is a friend of Anu and Tarun’s.
5. Kabir: The lost bike is Saurab’s.

Practice set G: Using indefinite pronouns

Use the following indefinite pronouns in your own sentences. Write at least
one sentence for each.
1. someone: ............................................................................................................
2. all: ........................................................................................................................
3. several: ................................................................................................................
4. some: ...................................................................................................................
5. most: ...................................................................................................................
6. many: ..................................................................................................................
7. others: .................................................................................................................
8. both: ....................................................................................................................
9. something: .........................................................................................................

Practice set H: Proofreading

Read and correct the mistakes in the following sentences.
1. Ram is going on a picnic. She is excited.
2. Manju and I are visiting their grandparents.
3. A chicken has wings, even though they cannot fly.
4. Our parents wrote letters to Sangita and I.
5. Her will get wet in the rain without an umbrella.
6. Let we know if us can be of any help to you.
7. I need to repair mine car.
8. Is the car in the garage your?

85

7 Articles

Indefinite Articles: A, An

Friend 1: Look, an astrologer. I want
to ask him a question.
Friend 1: How much I will earn in a
year?
Astrologist: Well, it all depends on
how much you will give!

‘A’ and ‘an’ are called indefinite articles. They are used with singular countable
nouns. Countable nouns are those that can be directly counted and measured.

an apple a mango a shirt

a kilo (of rice) a litre (of milk)

‘A’ goes with singular nouns that start with consonant sounds (b, g, d, h, t, s)
‘An’ goes with singular nouns that start with vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u)

‘A’ and ‘an’ is used with:
1. Singular countable nouns after the verb ‘be’ to say what someone or

something is. (be + a/an + singular countable noun)

I am a student.

It is an aeroplane.

He is a dancer.

She is an engineer.

2. The verb ‘have (got)’
We have a car. We have got a car.
She has an inkpot.
It has a tail.

86

3. With some expressions of frequency i.e. how often we do something
I go swimming once a week.
We go to school six days a week.
Twice a month, we visit the Fun Park.

‘A’ and ‘An’ are not used with:

1. Uncountable nouns, whose quantities or numbers cannot be counted
directly. We need a measurement of quantity to count them, or add words
like ‘some’ or ‘any’ in front of them.
a/one kilo of sugar, two litres of milk, three quintals of flour, a cup of tea.
Would you add some sugar in the cup of tea?
I am looking for some butter.
May I have a litre of milk, please?

2. Before an adjective that is not followed by a noun. However, if the adjective
is followed by a noun, we do use a/an. (a/an +adjective+ noun)
It is skinny. It is a skinny cat.
She is fat. She is a fat girl.

A/An or One

1. ‘A’ or ‘an’ is used to refer to an unspecified thing.
It is a cat. (any cat)
That is an apple tree. (any apple tree)
‘One’, however, is used to specify a fixed number.
She has one cat.
There is one apple tree in the garden.

2. When an adjective precedes ‘one’, use ‘a’ or ‘an’ before the adjective. So, a/
an + adjective + one.
I am searching for a book. I want an interesting one.

3. In narration, ‘one’ is used before words such as ‘day’, ‘night’, ‘time’ and
‘morning’.

87

One night, it was darker than dark.
One day, a fox was looking at some grapes.

4. Use ‘one’ or ‘one of’ when referring to one person/thing out of many, so as
to contrast it with others in the group.
One boy in the class has lost his milk teeth.
One of the novels was a science fiction story; the others were historical accounts.

5. ‘A/an’ or ‘one’ can be used interchangeably with no difference in meaning
when it comes to measuring or counting of time, distance and weight.
On your way home, buy a/one litre of milk.
Potatoes are selling for Rs 200 for a/one kilo.
Shanti ran a/one mile in the morning. It took her an/one hour.

1. Identify the underlined nouns as countable or uncountable, and
select the correct words to complete the sentences.
i. We should eat (some, a) vegetables every day.
ii. Young children should drink (one, some) glass of milk in the morning.
iii. I found (some, an) information about Araniko in (an, a) article online.
iv. (Some, one) cream is needed to make the doughnut taste better.
v. Can you lend me (some, a) jacket?

2. Fill in the blanks with a, an, some or one.
i. You must have ....................... eagle eye to see such minute errors.
ii. Mother is making ....................... sweets for the festival.
iii. Add ....................... wheat flour in the dough.
iv. ....................... summer, we walked to the top of the hill in search of
....................... treasure.
v. ................... of the five elements of ................... balanced diet is ...................
egg ................... day.

88

Definite Article: The

Fish 1: I am never going to swim in
the Bagmati River again.
Fish 2: Why?
Fish 1: Every time I swim there, I
turn black! Humans have turned it
into a dumping site.

The definite article ‘the’ is used with both countable and uncountable nouns: the
sugar, the cream, the book, the bus, etc.

‘The’ is used with:

1. Nouns that are being mentioned for a second time or are already known.
In other words, when the answers to the question of ‘who?’ or ‘which?’ is
known.
I ate an apple and a lemon for breakfast. The apple was sweet, and the lemon was
sour.

In the second sentence, ‘the’ was used with the apple and the lemon as they were
mentioned for the second time in the conversation.

2. Nouns that are unique.
the sun, the moon, the sky, the earth

3. Names of rivers (the Bagmati), mountain ranges (the Himalayan range),
group of islands or states (the Bahamas, the U.S.A), seas (the Black Sea),
oceans (the Indian Pacific Ocean), deserts (the Sahara), etc.

4. Names of musical instruments (the guitar, the piano, the flute) and the
names of dances (the Lakhey dance, the Sorathi dance).

5. Names of hotels (the Soaltee Hotel), theatres/cinemas (the Gopi-Krishna
Hall), ships (the Elizabeth II), organisations (the UN), newspapers (The
Kathmandu Post), museums (the National Museum).

6. Names of families (the Thapa family, the Upadhyays) and nationalities
(the Nepalese, the Indians).

89

7. Titles without the actual names of the persons (the king, the queen, the
Mahakabi).

8. The words ‘morning’, ‘afternoon’ and ‘evening’.
I go to school in the morning.
We play together in the evening.

9. Historical events/periods (the Malla Period, the Second World War, the Ice
Age).

10. The words ‘last’, ‘first’ and ‘only’, when these are used as adjectives.
He is the last person to come.
She is the first girl of the class.

11. Adjectives/adverbs in the superlative form.

the best book for children the most intelligent species

12. Adjectives without nouns, referring to a group (the rich, the poor, the
unemployed).

13. Interchangeably with ‘a’ and ‘an’ when a singular noun refers to a group of
people, things, animals.

A tiger or the tiger is a wild animal. (A/The tiger refers to all tigers as a group.)

‘The’ is not used with:

1. Uncountable and plural nouns when not specific, i.e. when we cannot
answer the questions ‘who?’ or ‘which’?

Babies sleep most of the time. (Who? The babies is not specific. Babies in
general)

2. Proper nouns
This is Prashant Karki. (Not: This is the Prashant Karki.)

3. Names of countries (Nepal, not the Nepal), cities (Chitwan, not the
Chitwan), streets (Satdobato, not the Satdobato), parks (Kathmandu
Fun Valley, not the Kathmandu Fun Valley), mountains (Everest, not the
Everest), railway stations (Janakpur Station, not the Janakpur Station),

90

bridges (Tower Bridge, not the Tower Bridge), individual islands (Rhode
Island, not the Rhode Island), lakes (Phewa lake, not the Phewa lake) and
continents (Asia, not the Asia).

4. Names of sports, games, activities, days, months, celebrations, colours,
drinks, meals and languages (not when it is followed by the word
‘language’).
I can speak Sanskrit. The Sanskrit language is one of the oldest languages in the
world.

5. Possessive adjectives or possessive cases.
That is my book.

6. Titles with the name of the person.
King Prithvi Narayan Shah Not: the King Prithvi Narayan Shah

7. Means of transport.
We travelled by bus. (Not: by the bus)

1. Select the correct articles from the brackets to complete the
following sentences.
i. (A, The) King united the nation with great effort.
ii. At night, I saw many stars in (an, the) sky.
iii. We are running (a, an) project to clean (a, the) Bagmati River. (A, The)
project aims to increase awareness among people about the river’s
importance.
iv. (A, The) mountain range can include over (a, the) hundred mountains.
v. She plays (an, the) piano and he does (a, the) Lakhey dance.
vi. The land for the hospital was donated by (a, the) wealthy man from
the city.
vii. (An, The) Chief of Administration is on holiday.
viii. There is (an, the) apple tree in (a, the) garden.

2. Delete the where unnecessary.
i. The Mount Everest is in the Nepal.
ii. We went to Pokhara by the aeroplane.

91

iii. Sita was the daughter of the King Janak.
iv. I am watching the football tonight.
v. My the dog has been missing for days now.
vi. I learned the Sanskrit after two years of study.
vii. The Prashant Karki is my friend.
viii. The kitties like to play with the woollen ball.

Practice exercises

Practice set A: Identifying countable and uncountable nouns
Read the following sentences and write C for countable nouns and U for
uncountable nouns where they occur.
1. I have one rupee in my pocket.
2. He is listening to a song written by Mr. Dahal.
3. The television consumes a great deal of electricity.
4. The information in your report needs to be tested for its accuracy.
5. The view of Machchapuchhre from here is beautiful.
6. We have a table and two chairs in the room.
7. His job involves customer service.
8. Add some milk to my tea, please.

Practice set B: Using articles
Fill in the blanks with a, an or the.
1. ............. open window
2. ............. unusual creature
3. ............. sky
4. ............. fat rhino
5. ............. Bagmati River
6. ............. apricot
7. ............. United States of America
8. ............. Eskimo

92

9. ............. Italians
10. ............. creature
11. ............. youth
12. ............. tall man
13. ............. king of Nepal
14. ............. old woman
15. ............. Second World War
16. ............. most wonderful gift

Practice set C: Using articles correctly
Select the correct words or word groups in the following sentences.
1. Learning (English language/The English language) helps one to

communicate on an international level.
2. Most countries are using (English/the English) as their second language.
3. (All boys/The boys) should stand in (a row/an row).
4. Mr. Lama helped (a English/an English) tourist to climb Mt. Everest.
5. My father is (a pilot/an pilot) at Yeti Airlines.
6. We go to the drama club twice (a week/the week).
7. (An individual/Some individual) can dream of touching the sky.
8. Manoj drives (expensive car/an expensive car).

Practice set D: Selecting correct words
Select the correct options to make meaningful sentences.
1. We mixed (a flour/some flour) and (a sugar/some sugar) to make sweets.
2. Dashain is celebrated once (a year/the year).
3. Tirtha is collecting (some stamps/the stamps) for the project.
4. The building they built is (the big/big).
5. (A day/One day), Deepa found herself lost in the jungle.
6. (One of/A of) the men has stolen the statue.
7. The light of (the sun/one sun) is reflected on (the moon/some moon) at

(night/a night).

93

8. (Mount Everest/The Mount Everest) is in the Himalayan range.
9. Kathmandu is the capital of (Nepal/the Nepal).
10. Prapti is going to (her uncle’s/the uncle’s) house.

Practice set E: Proofreading
Read and correct the mistakes in the following sentences.
A lion saw its shadow reflected in a water of a well. A lion thought it was another
lion. So, the lion jumped in to attack the other lion and drowned. This is the
extract from a of the fables liked by children.
Every child thought differently about the moral of this fable. A child said that
the story showed us that we should know our identity. Other children thought
a moral of the story was not to jump in some well or anything that is a circular
in shape.
A night, a boy read the fable and told his father, “Whatever they mean or don’t
mean, reading the fables is fun!”

Practice set F: Gap-filling
Fill in the blanks with correct articles. If articles are not required, fill in the blanks
with a dash.
1. A: Have you ever been to Chitwan?
B: Yes, I have and I also have toured ........... Chitwan National Park.
2. A: Were you there at Dashrath Rangsala at yesterday’s ........... football
match?
B: No, but I saw it on ........... TV. What ........... interesting game!
3. A: What’s ........... name of ........... museum you recently visited?
B: ........... National Art Gallery Museum. It’s ........... old building but it has
........... collection of arts that covers ancient, medieval and modern work.
4. A: I read that ........... minister is going to open ........... new library.
B: Yes, next Monday. We should go!

94

5. A: Did you do a lot of sightseeing when you were in ........... Pokhara?
B: Of course. We saw ........... Machapuchhure and ........... Gurkha Museum

in the British camp and we visited ........... extraordinary tea-house.
6. A: This is my friend ........... Indira.
B: It’s ........... pleasure to meet you.
7. A: What do you know about ........... Pashupatinath?
B: It’s ........... ancient temple in ........... Kathmandu.
8 A: What ........... language course are you taking this term?
B: ........... Japanese but I find it’s ........... very difficult language to learn.

Practice set G: Using articles
Complete the letter with correct articles.
Dear Nicole,

Hi. How are you? My family and I just came back from Nepal and we had such
........... fantastic time! Nepal is ........... extraordinary country rich in culture and
tradition. We stayed at ........... traditional Nepalese hotel in ........... Kathmandu
valley. This gave us the chance to experience Nepalese customs and taste ...........
local cuisine. Luckily, our hotel was only ........... 15-minute walk from ........... city
centre.

Kathmandu is ........... city that also has modern architecture. First, we went to
........... Dharahara from where we had ........... wonderful view of the city. Next,
we went to ........... National Museum which has ........... enormous collection of
Nepalese art.

On the last day, we went shopping. Shopping is ........... extremely popular activity
in Kathmandu and not just for ........... travellers. Well, that’s all my news. Write
back soon and fill me in with your tour of France.
Jim

95

8 Adjectives

Proper Adjectives and Demonstrative Adjectives

Waiter: This dish is made by our
Japanese chef. Please taste this fine
delicacy from Japan.
Customer: I’ve never had Japanese food
before. This is my first time!
Waiter: Well, I hope you enjoy it. Our
Japanese chef has been working hard
on the sushi.
Customer: Is he an impatient man?
Waiter: Why do you ask?
Customer: Well, why else couldn’t he have waited for the fish to cook?

An adjective is a word that modifies or describes a noun or a pronoun. It usually
answers questions like ‘what kind?’, ‘how many?’ and ‘which one?’ about a
noun or a pronoun.
Which one? Mother bought a yellow shirt at the market.
How many? Mother bought five aubergines at the market.
What kind? Mother bought some medium-sized aubergines at the market.
In the first sentence, ‘yellow’ tells us which shirt was bought.
In the second sentence, ‘five’ describes the number of aubergines.
In the third sentence, ‘medium-sized’ describes the kind of aubergines.

Usually, adjectives come before the noun that they describe or modify. Sometimes,
however, adjectives also come after the noun they describe or modify. These are
called predicate adjectives.
The rock is heavy.

96

Here, heavy modifies the rock but comes after the rock.
Nepal, beautiful and green, is in Asia.
Here, beautiful and green are modifying Nepal but come after it.

Sometimes, a proper noun can act as an adjective. When a proper noun is used
as an adjective it is called proper adjective. A proper adjective always starts with
a capital letter.

A proper adjective is a proper noun that is used for modifying another noun.

Usually, there is no change in the form of proper nouns when they are used as

proper adjectives.

Proper nouns Proper adjectives

Apples from Mustang Mustang apples

A poem by Devkota A Devkota poem

Cuisine from Nepal Nepalese cuisine

‘This’, ‘that’, ‘these’ and ‘those’ are called demonstrative adjectives, because they
point to a thing or more than one things.

Demonstrative adjectives

Singular Plural

Near This These
Far
That Those

This apple looks ripe.
These apples are from Mustang.
That puppy looks lost.
Those puppies are playing with their mother.

Demonstratives change depending upon how they are used. When a
demonstrative is used with a noun, it is called a demonstrative adjective. If a
demonstrative is used alone, it is called a demonstrative pronoun.

That is tasty. These are lovely.

97

1. Identify the adjectives and the nouns they modify in the sentences
below. Also, indicate the types of adjectives used: general
adjectives, proper adjectives, demonstrative adjectives or predicate
adjectives.
i. We have a yellow kite with us.
ii. Those boys are practising Bhailo for Tihar.
iii. A peacock’s plumage is beautiful.
iv. Jogging is healthy for people of all ages.
v. These people are representatives of different countries.
vi. The prince has to find a different way to climb the castle.
vii. The school’s drama club will be staging a Shakespeare play this weekend.
viii. That tree has juicy fruits hanging on its branches.

2. Underline the demonstratives in the following sentences.
i. This book I am reading is about a girl.
ii. This girl had a funny dream one day. She dreamed about a family of bears.
iii. Those bears lived in a tree house and were preparing some food inside.
iv. That food smelled delicious, and the girl’s mouth was watering.
v. These are Rita’s clothes.
vi. Those tomatoes are too ripe!
vii. This handkerchief belongs to my grandfather.
viii. Those boys must be taught a lesson.

3. Change the following phrases into proper adjectives.
i. Food of Nepal
ii. Citizens of Italy
iii. Novels of Parijat
iv. A car from Japan
v. A drama by Shakespeare
vi. Dumplings from China
vii. A painting by Da Vinci
viii. Fireworks from India

98

Comparative and Superlative Forms

Patient: I want to have a slimmer body.
Physician: You will have the slimmest body in
town if you start playing a sport. How about
golf?
Patient: No golf! I want something easy. How
about sleeping on a couch and dreaming of
running five miles a day?

Adjectives are also used for comparing two or more things or people.
The comparative form of an adjective compares two things or people.
Most short adjectives or adjectives that are made up of one syllable are changed
into the comparative form by adding –er at the end. Most adjectives made up of
two or more syllables are changed into the comparative form by adding ‘more’
in front.

He is taller than me.
The sky is getting darker.
He is more active than Ram.
Hitesh is more intelligent than Ekraj.

The superlative form of an adjective compares more than two things or people.
Most short adjectives or adjectives that are made up of one syllable are changed
into the superlative form by adding –est at the end. Most adjectives made up of
two or more syllables are changed into the superlative form by adding ‘most’ in
front.
The superlative form of an adjective always uses ‘the’ before it.

The slowest turtle won the race, beating the fastest hare.
The wisest man has nothing to prove and everything to give.
Ankit bought the most expensive car.
The most brilliant team won the quiz championship.

99

Positive Comparative Superlative

thin thinner thinnest

fast faster fastest

small smaller smallest

active more active most active

expensive more expensive most expensive

intelligent more intelligent most intelligent

Do not use ‘more’ or ‘most’ with adjectives that are already in the comparative
form.

He is more wiser. (wrong use)
He is wiser. (correct use)
He is most wisest. (wrong use)
He is the wisest. (correct use)

1. Rewrite the sentences using the comparative or superlative form
of the adjectives in the brackets.

i. He is (slow) than Ankur but steady.

ii. In our family, my sister is the (intelligent) and my grandfather is the
(wise).

iii. Cities are (developed) than villages, but villages are (green) and
(healthy) than cities.

iv. The giraffe is (tall) animal in the world.

v. My brother is (young) than me but I am (short) than him.

vi. Machchapuchhre is (high) than some mountains in the Himalayan
range.

vii. The water is (pure) in these parts of the country.

viii. Kathmandu is (polluted) city in Nepal.

2. Write sentences using the comparative and superlative forms of
adjectives. Write at least five for each form.

100

Using Special Adjectives for Comparison

Friend 1: My grandmother has the least
trouble with her teeth, compared to all
the members of my family.

Friend 2: I wish my teeth gave me less
trouble. Does she use a special toothpaste?

Friend 1: No. She just doesn’t have any
teeth left to trouble her!

Some adjectives do not follow any of the general spelling rules when they are
changed into the comparative and superlative forms. These adjectives are called
irregular adjectives.

There is little to complain about these days.

Add less than a spoon of sugar to the tea.

This machine uses the least amount of energy to complete the task.

‘Less’ and ‘the least’ are the comparative and superlative forms of the irregular
adjective ‘little’. (little less least)

Some more irregular adjectives:

Adjective Comparative Superlative
best
good better worst
furthest
bad worse most
most
far further

much more

many more

Do not use ‘more’ or ‘most’ with irregular adjectives already in the comparative
form.

The machine is more better. (wrong use)
The machine is better. (correct use)
The machine is the most best. (wrong use)
The machine is the best. (correct use)