Singular and plural noun (Sentence formation)

Sentence Formation

A sentence follows Subject + Verb + Object word order.

To learn about the process of making sentences, you have to learn the noun (subject) and verb relation in detail.

Singular nouns and plural noun

Singular noun (subject)	verbs
Ram Sita He She It A baby A child This That Man Woman Only one thing or subject	V5 (does), is, has, was

Plural noun  (subject)	verbs
Ram and Sita They We You The babies The children These Those Men Women Two or more than two	V1 (do), are, have, were

   Note: The subject "I" takes v1,do, am, have, & was as verbs.

Some basic rules to use for making plural noun from singular noun

For example,

Use “s’’ to make plural if the word ends with a vowel + consonant in the following situations.

Girl                                      Girls

paper                                    Papers

If noun ends with vowel +y , use s

Boy                                      Boys

Toy                                      Toys

Say                                      Says

Ray                                      Rays

Lay                                      Lays

 

If the nouns end with sh, ch, x, z or s use ‘’es’’.

Bush                                   Bushes

Crush                                  Crushes

Bench                                  Benches

Bunch                                  Bunches

Box                                      Boxes

Sex                                      Sexes

Buzz                                    Buzzes

Quiz                                     Quizzes

 Bus                                      Buses

Loss                                     Losses

 

If noun ends with consonant +y, change y to I and add ‘’es’’

Fly                                Flies

Lady                            Ladies

Facility                        Facilities

Majority                    Majorities

Minority                    Minorities

 

If noun ends with f or fe, change f or fe to ‘’ves’’

Life                         Lives

Wife                       Wives

Knife                      Knives

Leaf                        Leaves

Loaf                       Loaves

Wolf                      Wolves

If noun ends with consonant+ o, use ‘’es’’

Potato                        Potatoes

Tomato                      Tomatoes

Hero                          Heroes

Volcano                     Volcanoes

IELTS Speaking part 2 & 3

 IELTS Speaking Part- II

Some possible questions for examination

l I would like to talk about...............

l Generally speaking........................

l Frankly speaking about...................

l It’s interesting to talk about..............

l I am going to talk about.................

l Talking about.............................

l Telling you about.....................

IELTS Speaking Examples - Cue Card 1

Sample 1

Describe a present you have given someone.

You should say:

Who you gave it to

What kind of present it was

How it compared to other presents you have given

Explain why you decided to give this particular gift.

I’m going to talk about a present that I gave to someone. The person that I gave it to was a very good friend of mine at the time. His name was Kaaliya and he came from India. I knew him because we studied together at a language school in Cambridge. Although we were from different backgrounds and cultures, we got on really well and we had the same sense of humour so we became very good friends.

 The present was a picture that had been painted of the River Cam in Cambridge. It was not so big -  maybe around 10 inches by 14 inches, but it was very beautiful.  It came in a gold plated frame and the picture had been drawn by a particularly well-known Cambridge artist. It had been signed by this person as well. It’s the first time I have given this person a present, and I guess it’s quite different from presents that I have given to other people before – I don’t recall ever giving someone a picture actually. If I’m buying for family then I’ll usually buy clothes or maybe some jewelry if it is a special occasion. Normally when I’ve bought something for friends it’s something more jokey so we can have a laugh about it, nothing that serious. The reason why I decided to give this particular gift is because we had spent a lot of time together in Cambridge and we had had some really fun times punting on the River Cam – that’s obviously why I thought this was an appropriate present.  We used to go punting at least once a week, sometimes a couple of times. On one occasion there was a group of about ten of us that went down there, and we spent the whole day sitting by the river in the sun and as usual we went on a boat trip together.  We all have a lot of photos to remind us of this great day.So my friend, Kaaliya, is the person that I gave a present to and this was because I felt it would always remind him of the fun times that we had and also of Cambridge.

You should use the following phrases to begin your speaking in speaking part -II

IELTS Speaking Examples - Cue Card 2

Describe a happy childhood event.

You should say:

When it happened

Who was involved

How you felt at the time

Explain why you remember this particular occasion.

    Thank you sir/ma’am for the question.Talking about about a happy childhood event that I remember, and that event was my 13th birthday. It was 10 years ago now because I’m 23. My birthday is on the 7th May. What happened was my parents surprised me on my birthday by telling me that they were going to take me to a theme part that is a few hours from our house. I’d never been before - it had only been open a few months and they knew that I really wanted to go. As I recall it was a Saturday that we went. They didn’t tell me until the morning when I woke up that day.My whole family was involved in the event. I have a brother and a sister so of course they came as well as my Mum and Dad, and not only that, we also picked up my grandparents on the way so they could join us. They were too old to go on the rides but it was still a great trip out for them!

 The theme park was really amazing. There was a huge roller coaster which I remember was really scary but still excellent fun. One particular thing I remember is the ghost train. My younger sister was not allowed to go on the ride because she was too young and she was really upset and jealous of me and by brother! I think it was lucky she didn’t though. It was really realistic – there were real people in there who were actually dressed up as ghosts and they jumped out just when you weren’t expecting it – it made us jump so many times! How I felt really depended on what I was doing. Obviously I was excited the whole day, but I remember that I felt really exhilarated when I was on the rides such as the roller coaster, and scared but still excited on the ghost train. The reason that I remember it so well is that I had been so desperate to go to the theme park and I’d been talking to my friends at school for ages about how I wanted to go. So it was so great when I found out that I could. Also I remember it so well because all of our family was together. My Dad was pretty busy most of the time with his work so we didn’t always have much time to do things together when I was a younger. So for these reasons, is was a really special occasion that I’ll never forget.

 IELTS Speaking Examples - Cue Card 3

Describe an environmental problem that has occurred in your country.

You should say:

l The cause of the problem

l What effect it has had on your country

l The steps, if any, that have been taken to solve this

l Explain why you think this problem is so important to solve.

    I would like to talk about a problem with the environment in my country.One of the most serious problems at the moment is flooding. This is starting to happen every year and each year it seems to get worse. I think it may be caused by a number of factors. Firstly there has been a lot of deforestation in the north of the country, a lot of it from illegal logging. Because of this, when it rains the water has nothing to soak it up so it just runs down the mountains and into the villages and towns. Another factor may be global warming. Scientists believe that this is causing more severe weather so this may account for the increasing amount of rain that we seem to be seeing. It also means the soil is more dry so again the rain water runs off it rather than being soaked up.

 Unfortunately, there have been really serious effects on my country. As I said, the excess water runs into the villages and the towns through the rivers and the rivers then overflow causing massive flooding. This effects thousands of people who then become homeless. Several hundred usually die each year as well. It travels through the country as it starts in the north and goes down to the sea, so it can affect many towns and the capital city too. This also has repercussions for the government as they have to spend so much money managing the disaster each year. The government is trying to tackle the problem, but it is not easy. They are trying to stop so much deforestation but a lot of the damage has already been done so what can they do? They are also starting to build defences such as walls along some of the major rivers that run through the town to try to stop them overflowing. Another thing they are doing is trying to improve their response systems. In most towns there is now a government organization responsible for coordinating relief operations and making sure they are prepared in advance. I think this problem is a top priority to solve because it has such devastating impacts. As I mentioned before, it causes suffering for so many people and it is also a huge expense for the government and as we are not a rich country we cannot afford this. It means that other services suffer because of a lack of money. There are other problems that my country has but I think that is by far the worst. So, that is the serious problem in my country, and I only hope that it does not continue to get worse.

Practice 1

Describe a country you have visited.

You should talk about:

l Where is this country?

l When did you visit it?

l What are the interesting things about this country?

 

Practice 2

Describe a Film or TV program that made you laugh

You should say

l What it is called and what it is about

l Who the main characters are

l What made you laugh

l explain why you remember this film/TV program so well

 

 Practicev3

Describe an interesting animal you have seen

You should say:

 

l What animal it was

l When and Where you saw it

l And explain how you feel about this animal

 

 Practice 4

3 Describe an interesting animal you have seen

You should say:

 l What animal it was

l When and Where you saw it

l And explain how you feel about this animal

 

IELTS GT/UKVI Semi-formal letter

                          

     

Semi-formal letter

A semi-formal letter is when you write to someone you know by name and with whom you have a business or professional relationship. So someone you know, but they are not a close friend with you. For example, a teacher, trainer, neighbor, landlord, manager, work colleague etc.

The surname should be used when addressing them. The topic of the letter will be more on the formal side as it is usually focused on a problem to solve.

Common semi-formal letters are invitations, explanations, and informative letters (all the letters can also be personal).

Useful tips:

1 Semi-formal letter is sent to people that we do not know well. They are more polite than an informal letter and are written in a neutral style, not too formal nor too informal.

Structure of Semi-formal letter

Greeting

Dear Mr./Miss/Mrs. (Last name)

Paragraph 1: Short sentence for the purpose of the letter.

Paragraph 2: Discuss the first bullet point

Paragraph 3: Discuss the second bullet point

Paragraph 4: Discuss the third bullet point

Paragraph 5: Final sentence (closing statement)

Sign off

Yours sincerely/ sincerely yours,

Your full name

 

Sample 1

You are working for a company. You need to take some time off and want to ask your manager about his 

Write a letter to your manager. In your letter

·        Explain why you want to take time off

·        Give details of the amount of time you need

·        Suggest how your work could be covered while you are away.

Dear Mr Jones,

I am writing to request a few days of unpaid leave in March. It is my parents’ wedding anniversary on 22nd March and they are planning to celebrate their special day with their children and grandchildren in a cottage, which they have rented to accommodate all the family.

To participate in this special occasion I would need to be away from work for four days, from Tuesday 19th to Friday 22nd. My schedule for that week is relatively light apart from two meetings with clients. Anna would be able to attend the meetings in my place, as she has dealt with both of these clients in the past. I have no other meetings or any other urgent work that needs to be completed at that time.

I would be very grateful if you could allow me to take these four days off as it is very important to my parents that I attend and I would appreciate it if you could let me know by the end of the week.

Kind regards,

Tom Watson

(177 words)

Sample 2

You recently learned that the best teacher you ever had will be retiring soon. Write a letter to your former teacher. In your letter:

• Explain how you heard about his/her retirement

• Describe what made him/her such a great teacher

• Say how your teacher affected your life

Dear Mr. Sharma,

I am writing to send you good wishes for your upcoming retirement. Recently, I ran across my high school friend, James Smith, He informed me that you are retiring on May after 40years of teaching at our school.

 I want you to know how much your teaching impacted my life. As you may remember, I used to struggle a lot in English before I took your class. To be honest, I still remember dreading in your first class. However, Your excitement in the subject made me excited as well. The way of your story telling has helped me a lot in understanding pronunciation of words in English. I know you saw me struggling while reading it, but you were always encouraging and you helped me learn from my mistakes.

By the end of that school year, I felt confident about English and , to my own surprise, I enjoyed it! I ended up studying engineering in college and got a good job as software engineer. I am consistently required to have daily meeting with US clients. I believe without your amazing classes, I would not have been able to successfully interact with clients in English without any hesitation.

Thank you for all your support and enduring impact you have had on my life.

Yours sincerely,

Suprav Bidari

Sample 3

You need to take some time off from work to go on holiday. Write a letter to your direct manager.

In your letter:

·        Ask for time off and explain why

·        Provide the dates and times for which you will be unavailable to work.

·        Describe what you will do to prepare or make up for your absence.

 Dear Mr. Henry,

I am writing this letter to inform you that I need a holiday to attend the get-together party arranged by the school that I have studied at. 

This get-together party is an important occasion for me since I am going to meet my old friends. The party will be conducted on 18th July and we also planned a trip from 19th July to 21th July. This will be a beautiful opportunity for me to connect with and enjoy good times with my old friends. In this get-together party and trip, about 65 friends of mine including my teachers will be participating. 

I need four days leave from work to attend this function considering the preparation and travelling time. At this time, I don’t have any important commitments and Fernandez agreed to look after my tasks while I am away from the work. He knows how those tasks can be done and after I return, I will work extra hours to cover up my pending tasks, if there is any.

I want to make this time more memorable and this allows me to spend some meaningful time. So, I would be thankful if you let me take time off from work.

Yours sincerely,

Sabi Kuwar

Sample 4

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You have been living in a rental apartment for the past year. Recently a new neighbour moved in and has been making a lot of noise, which disturbs you.

Write a letter to the landlord. In your letter:

·         explain the situation

·         describe why it bothers you

·         suggest a solution

Write at least 150 words.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Mr ..............., 

 

Dear Mr William,

Hope this letter finds you in good health and spirit. I am writing this letter to you in order to bring your attention to an unpleasant issue that I have been facing lately.

I just wanted to let you know that one of your tenants, who has recently moved into apartment 5-D, has been making a lot of noise. Not to mention, the noise becomes louder during the nighttime, especially, when I try to sleep. By the way, it is not only me but other tenants on the same floor who are also complaining about it. And we tried to talk to him politely about the noise issue but the loud music and loud arguments over the phone only keep growing. Anyway, I am sorry to sound like complaining too much, but the noise is bothering me severely since I can not sleep at night.

Therefore, I would highly appreciate it if you could please ask our new neighbour not to make any noise after 8.00 at night. But, if that does not work, please allow me to move to another apartment which is on a different floor.

Yours sincerely,

Rick Tyson

Sample 5

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You have been living in a rental apartment for the past year. Recently a new neighbour moved in and has been making a lot of noise, which disturbs you.

Write a letter to the landlord. In your letter:

·         explain the situation

·         describe why it bothers you

·         suggest a solution

Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Mr ...............

Dear Ms Shah,

Hope that you and your family are doing well by the grace of Almighty. I am one of your good neighbours, and I am writing this letter to inform you about a graduation party, which I am planning to hold, the next Saturday night.

I fully understand that the party might cause you some inconvenience since I have invited about 50 people to enjoy an outdoor barbeque evening, which might create some noise. Besides, the party may continue till late at night where a few of my friends might even venture to sing along with their guitars while enjoying the night. Of course, we will try to keep the noise and sound as low as we can, but in case if it does trouble you, I would like to apologize to you in advance.

But, on the other hand, instead of just sitting at your home, you could also join our party because if you do, I can certainly guarantee you that we will do everything to make sure that you enjoy our party. In fact, we would feel honoured if you join our party.

Yours sincerely,

Radha Baniya