8th Class

  COLLOCATIONS           The knowledge of Collocations is very important for proper use of English Language. If we cannot use right collocations, a grammatically correct sentence will stand out awkward. English Collocations fall into the category of Phraseology which means a particular mode of expression, especially one characteristic of a particular speaker or subject area. It is the study of set or fixed expressions, such as idioms, phrasal verbs, and other types of multi-word lexical units (often collectively referred to as phrasemes). In this type of use the component parts of the expression take on a meaning more specific than or otherwise not predictable from the sum of their meanings when used independently. We can say Collocation is the way words are habitually used together to produce more...

        ANALOGY AND CLASSIFICATION             An analogy is a comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to another thing that is quite different from it. It aims at explaining that idea or thing by comparing it to something that is familiar. Metaphors and similes are tools used to draw an analogy Therefore, analogy is more extensive and elaborate than either a simile or a metaphor.   Consider the following example:           "Structure of an atom is like a solar system. Nucleus is the sun and electrons are the planets revolving around the sun."                                                                                                       Here an atomic structure is compared to a solar system by using "like". Therefore, it is a simile. Metaphor is used to relate the nucleus to the sun and the electrons to the planets without using words "like" or "as'. Hence, more...

 ONE WORD SUBSTITUTION             ‘One Word Substitution' as the phrase indicates itself is the word that replaces group of words or a full sentence effectively without creating any kind of ambiguity in the meaning of the sentences. Like the word- Autobiography, can be used in place of the sentence 'The life story of a man written by himself. It is very important to write precisely and speak in a single word.           Generally, we speak or write in a garrulous way. But, it is seen that precise words are always understood easily by all. At times we become verbose which is not required and we are required to talk or speak precisely. This not only makes the language easily comprehensible but also makes it beautiful. The other way, we can say that these words are used to bring an effect of compression in any more...

IDIOMS AND PHRASES/PROVERBS              The term refers to a set expression or a phrase comprising two or more words. An interesting fact regarding the device is that the expression is not interpreted literally. The phrase is understood as to mean something quite different from what individual words of the phrase would imply. Alternatively, it can be said that the phrase is interpreted in a figurative sense.           We can say that idiom is a word or phrase which means different from its literal meaning. These are common phrases or terms whose meaning are not real, but can be understood by their popular use.           It is very necessary to use idioms properly; otherwise it will bring no sense. Some idioms are only used by some groups of people or at certain times. The idiom shape up or ship out, which is like saying improve your behaviour or leave if more...

       CONTEXTUAL USAGE       One of the difficulties in learning English language is the vocabulary. Although the words may seem simple enough to memorize, the contextual use of these words proves to be quiet challenging at times.           Did you ever find yourself in a conversation where you have no idea what the other person is saying? May be it's the person at the car repair place using words like 'carburetor' or 'camshaft,' and you just nod your head and wait for the price. Or maybe you're taking a test, and you're supposed to analyze a passage. But there are certain words in the passage you are unable to understand. You have no access to a dictionary. What do you do? more...

  NOUNS/ PRONOUNS/VERBS/ ADVERBS     A noun is a word that identifies:

• a person (woman, boy, doctor, neighbour)
• a thing (dog, building, tree, country)
• an idea, quality, or state (truth, danger, birth, happiness).

There are several different types of nouns, which are as follows:   COMMON NOUN           A common noun is a noun that refers to people or things in general, e.g., boy, country, bridge, city, birth, day, happiness.   PROPER NOUN           A proper noun is a name that identifies a particular person, place, or thing, e.g., Rohit, Africa, Tower Bridge, London, Monday. In written English, proper nouns begin with capital letters.   CONCRETE NOUN           A concrete noun is a noun which refers to people and to things that exist more...

    ADJECTIVES/ ARTICLES/ PREPOSITIONS/ CONJUNCTIONS   ADJECTIVES              An adjective is a word that describes a noun, giving extra information about it.              For example:              a sweet taste              a red apple              a technical problem              an Italian -woman   POSITIONS OF ADJECTIVES              Most adjectives can be used in two positions: attributive adjectives occur before the noun they describe while predicative adjectives are used after certain verbs:              a black cat                 [attributive]              The cat was black.    [predicative]   Comparative and superlative adjectives              Most adjectives have three forms: the positive (e.g. sad), the comparative (e.g. sadder and the superlative [e.g. saddest). The formation of comparative and superlative adjectives (and adverbs) is known as comparison.   Gradable and non-gradable adjectives              Most adjectives are gradable. This means that you can modify (strengthen, weaken, or otherwise change) their meanings by placing more...

    VOICES AND NARRATIONS          Depending on the way in which you word a sentence, a verb can be either active or passive.           When the verb is active, the subject of the verb is doing the action, as in these examples:           France                  beat Brazil in the final.           [subject]   [active verb]           More than 300 million people speak Spanish.           [subject]   [active verb]           Ravi                      will take the matter forward.           [subject]   [active verb]           When the verb is passive, the subject undergoes the action rather than doing it:           Brazil        was beaten by France in the final.           [subject]   [passive verb]           Spanish   is spoken by more than 300 million people worldwide.           [subject]   [passive more...

  TENSES   The concept of time can be split into:

The Present - What you are currently doing.

          I eat, I am eating

The Past - What you did some time back.

          I ate, I was eating

The Future - What you will do later.

          I will eat, I will be eating In the English language, tenses play an important role in sentence formation. The tense of a verb shows the time of an event or action. There are four types of tenses. Simple, Perfect, Continuous and Present Perfect Continuous and each of these has a present, past and future form.   PRESENT TENSES SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE In Simple Present, the action is simply mentioned and there is nothing being said about its completeness.

• I eat.
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  COMPREHENSION (PROSE & POETRY)   READING COMPREHENSION                Being an area that tests a candidate's understanding of the language, comprehension consists of questions based on given text (a passage, one or more paragraphs). Questions may even be based on certain real-life situations to test how good a candidate is at fact-finding, sifting through information, interpreting text, concluding from given information and discerning between stated and implied meanings of the given information. Understanding of vocabulary, rhetorical tools, hunting for the required information while keeping the holistic picture in mind, etc., are essential comprehension skills at play in this area.                Poetry comprehension requires deeper understanding of the poetic devices and literary expressions. You have to be acquainted with these areas practising small passages first.   TIPS FOR POETRY COMPREHENSION

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