English Preparation

Yes, there are many collective nouns in English that are used for groups of people. For instance, in school we use class for students, and in music, we use choir for singers.

Collective Nouns for People

• A committee of members
• A crowd of spectators
• A herd of harlots
• A gang of prisoners
• A giggle of girls
• A pack of thieves
• A panel of experts
• A mob of rioters

Also known as state-of-being verbs, these verbs cannot be used in any continuous tense, including the past continuous. This is because Stative verbs describe feelings that can't be directly observed or measured in terms of progress. Examples:

·       Incorrect: "I was knowing him."

·       Correct: "I knew him."

·       Incorrect: "He was owning a car."

·       Correct: "He owned a car."

Here are some examples:

·       I was watching a show when the power went out.

·       They were working in the office.

·       Mary was watching TV when her parents came home.

The past continuous tense adds detail to the concept of storytelling. It provides a sense of continuity to events, showing what was happening at a specific moment, or what was in progress when something else occurred.

In Indirect speech, commands and requests statement carry words like told, asked, requested, ordered followed by an infinitive.

Direct: The principal said, "Turn off the lights."

Indirect: The principal told us to turn off the lights.

Direct: Reema said, "Please help me."

Indirect: Reema requested me to help her.

In indirect speech, questions are changed to statements without any question mark. If the question starts with a WH-word, it remains as is. If it is a Yes/No question, we use if or whether.

For example:

Direct: Maya asked, "Where are you going?"

Indirect: Maya asked where I was going.

Direct: Pinto asked, "Do you like coffee?"

Indirect: Pinto asked if I liked coffee.

In Indirect Speech, pronouns change according to the perspective of the speaker and listener.

Direct: Pinky said to me, "I will help you."

Indirect: Pinky told me that she would help me.

Here, 'I' becomes 'she', and 'you' becomes 'me'.

Sentences with Direct speech reports the exact words of the speaker, as spoken by him/her, within quotation marks, while indirect sentences conveys the meaning of the message without quotation marks.

For example:

Direct: She said, "I am happy."

Indirect: She said that she was happy.

The simple past tense describes a completed action in the past, while the past continuous tense describes an action in progress at a specific time in the past. For example: I went to the gym yesterday. (simple past tense); I was reading when the it started raining. (past continuous).

The simple past tense is a fundamental part of English grammar that expresses completed actions in the past, indicating a clear beginning and end to those actions. It helps in accurate storytelling, exam performance, and effective daily communication.