English and Verbal Ability
Parts of Speech; Noun; Pronoun; Verb and Tenses
C-CAT
Parts of Speech
There are 8 Parts of Speech in English:
| Part of Speech | Definition | Example Words |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | Name of person, place, thing, idea | Ram, Delhi, book, happiness |
| Pronoun | Replaces a noun | he, she, they, it, we |
| Verb | Action or state of being | run, eat, is, was, think |
| Adjective | Describes a noun | beautiful, tall, three, red |
| Adverb | Modifies verb/adjective/adverb | quickly, very, well |
| Preposition | Shows relation between nouns | in, on, at, by, with |
| Conjunction | Joins words/clauses | and, but or, because |
| Interjection | Expresses sudden emotion | Oh!, Wow!, Alas! |
Noun
2.1 Types of Nouns
| Type | Definition | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Proper Noun | Specific name of person/place/thing | India, Ravi, Monday |
| Common Noun | General name of a class | country, man, day |
| Collective Noun | Group of same things | flock, herd, army, committee |
| Abstract Noun | Quality, feeling, idea | honesty, love, kindness |
| Material Noun | Substance/material from which things are made | gold, water, wood |
| Countable Noun | Can be counted | books, pens, apples |
| Uncountable Noun | Cannot be counted | milk, rice, air, water |
2.2 Collective Nouns — Important List
| Group | Collective Noun |
|---|---|
| Bees | Swarm |
| Cattle | Herd |
| Stars | Galaxy/Constellation |
| Flowers | Bouquet |
| Birds | Flock |
| Lions | Pride |
| Fish | Shoal/School |
| Wolves | Pack |
| Ants | Colony |
| Ships | Fleet |
| Soldiers | Army/Battalion |
| Sailors | Crew |
| Students | Class |
| Directors | Board |
| Judges | Bench |
| Musicians | Orchestra/Band |
| Thieves | Gang |
| Grapes | Bunch/Cluster |
| Arrows | Quiver |
| Keys | Bunch |
2.3 Number — Singular and Plural
Regular Plurals
- Add -s: book → books, cat → cats
- Add -es (after s, sh, ch, x, z): box → boxes, church → churches
Irregular Plurals
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| Man | Men |
| Woman | Women |
| Child | Children |
| Tooth | Teeth |
| Foot | Feet |
| Mouse | Mice |
| Goose | Geese |
| Ox | Oxen |
| Deer | Deer (unchanged) |
| Sheep | Sheep (unchanged) |
| Fish | Fish/Fishes |
| Criterion | Criteria |
| Datum | Data |
| Medium | Media |
| Phenomenon | Phenomena |
| Analysis | Analyses |
| Crisis | Crises |
| Basis | Bases |
| Cactus | Cacti |
| Alumnus | Alumni |
Pronoun
3.1 Types of Pronouns
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Personal | I, we, you, he, she, it, they |
| Possessive | mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs |
| Reflexive | myself, yourself, himself, herself, ourselves |
| Demonstrative | this, that, these, those |
| Interrogative | who, whom, which, what, whose |
| Relative | who, whom, which, that |
| Indefinite | each, every, either, neither, someone, anyone |
| Reciprocal | each other, one another |
3.2 Case of Pronouns
| Case | Pronouns | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Subjective | I, we, you, he, she, it, they | Subject of verb |
| Objective | me, us, you, him, her, it, them | Object of verb/preposition |
| Possessive | my, our, your, his, her, its, their | Modifying noun |
Common error: "Between you and I" → Wrong! Should be "Between you and me" (objective case after preposition)
Verb and Tenses
4.1 Types of Verbs
| Type | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Main Verb | Expresses the action | write, eat, run |
| Auxiliary Verb | Helps main verb | is, was, have, will |
| Transitive | Takes an object | She reads a book |
| Intransitive | No object needed | He sleeps |
| Linking Verb | Connects subject to complement | He is happy |
4.2 Tense Chart
Present Tenses
| Tense | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | V1 / V1+s | He plays cricket |
| Present Continuous | am/is/are + V-ing | She is playing now |
| Present Perfect | has/have + V3 | They have eaten |
| Present Perfect Continuous | has/have + been + V-ing | He has been playing for 2 hours |
Past Tenses
| Tense | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Past | V2 | She played yesterday |
| Past Continuous | was/were + V-ing | He was sleeping |
| Past Perfect | had + V3 | They had gone before I arrived |
| Past Perfect Continuous | had + been + V-ing | She had been waiting since morning |
Future Tenses
| Tense | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Future | will/shall + V1 | He will play tomorrow |
| Future Continuous | will + be + V-ing | They will be watching |
| Future Perfect | will + have + V3 | She will have finished by then |
| Future Perfect Continuous | will + have + been + V-ing | He will have been teaching for 10 years |
4.3 V1, V2, V3, V4 Forms
| Base (V1) | Past (V2) | Past Participle (V3) | Present Participle (V4) |
|---|---|---|---|
| go | went | gone | going |
| come | came | come | coming |
| see | saw | seen | seeing |
| take | took | taken | taking |
| give | gave | given | giving |
| write | wrote | written | writing |
| speak | spoke | spoken | speaking |
| eat | ate | eaten | eating |
| run | ran | run | running |
| know | knew | known | knowing |
| buy | bought | bought | buying |
| teach | taught | taught | teaching |
| choose | chose | chosen | choosing |
| break | broke | broken | breaking |
| drive | drove | driven | driving |
| fly | flew | flown | flying |
| grow | grew | grown | growing |
| throw | threw | thrown | throwing |
| catch | caught | caught | catching |
| bring | brought | brought | bringing |
| think | thought | thought | thinking |
| fight | fought | fought | fighting |
| seek | sought | sought | seeking |
| keep | kept | kept | keeping |
| sleep | slept | slept | sleeping |
| feel | felt | felt | feeling |
| deal | dealt | dealt | dealing |
| leave | left | left | leaving |
| lose | lost | lost | losing |
| read | read | read | reading |
| meet | met | met | meeting |
| sit | sat | sat | sitting |
| shoot | shot | shot | shooting |
| hit | hit | hit | hitting |
| put | put | put | putting |
| cut | cut | cut | cutting |
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