Summary of English Language Fundamentals: Grammar and Vocabulary

## Introduction This study material covers two key grammar areas for high school students: **word formation (nouns & verbs)** and the **past simple tense for regular verbs**, including common time phrases and question forms with Wh- words. You'll learn how to form related words, how to make and use the past simple of regular verbs, and how to ask and answer simple past questions. > **Definition:** Word formation is the process of creating new words (often nouns from verbs or vice versa) by changing endings or using different forms. The past simple is a verb tense used to talk about actions that happened and finished in the past. ## 1. Word formation: nouns and verbs Many English nouns are formed from verbs (and vice versa). Recognising patterns helps you expand vocabulary and use words correctly. ### Basic pattern table | Object | Person | Verb | | --- | --- | --- | | painting | painter | to paint | | photograph | photographer | to photograph / to take photos | | music | musician | to make / to play music | | guitar | guitarist | to play the guitar | | video game | video gamer | to play video games | ### How to form person nouns - Add **-er** or **-or** to a base verb to name someone who performs the action: paint → **painter**, photograph → **photographer**. - Some professions use a different base (make → **maker**, play → **player**). > **Tip:** If the verb ends in -e (e.g., bake), add **-r** (bake → baker). If it ends in a consonant + y (study), change y → i and add **-er** (study → studier is rare; more common: student). ### Use in real life - When describing hobbies: I am a **guitarist**. He is a **photographer**. - When describing objects and people: Look at the **painting** by the **painter**. Fun fact: Many English job titles end with -er or -or because they come from Latin or Old English patterns denoting a person who does something. ## 2. Past simple: regular verbs The past simple describes actions completed in the past. > **Definition:** The past simple for regular verbs is formed by adding **-ed** to the base verb (with spelling changes when necessary) and is used to describe completed past actions. ### Forming regular past verbs - Most verbs: add **-ed** - work → worked, cook → cooked - If verb ends in **-e**, add **-d** - like → liked, bake → baked - For short verbs with consonant-vowel-consonant ending and stress on last syllable, double final consonant and add **-ed** (stop → stopped) - If verb ends in consonant + y, change **y → i** and add **-ed** (try → tried) ### Common regular verbs (from the workbook) - join → joined - cook → cooked - want → wanted - start → started - watch → watched - practise → practised - prefer → preferred - use → used - bake → baked - ask → asked - talk → talked - travel → travelled - decide → decided ### Time expressions often used with past simple - yesterday - last night / last week / last month / last Sunday / last winter / last year - (ten days / an hour) ago - in 2014 - this morning Table: Example sentence with time phrases | Past sentence | Time phrase | | --- | --- | | I watched TV. | last night | | She practised the guitar. | yesterday | | We travelled to Rome. | in 2014 | ### Asking and answering in the past simple - Use **did** for questions and negatives with regular verbs: - Question: Did + subject + base verb? — Did you watch the film? - Negative: Subject + did not (didn't) + base verb — I didn’t watch it. - For the verb to be, use **was / were** directly in past questions and negatives: - Question: Were you at the party?; Was he tired? - Negative: I wasn’t / We weren’t > **Definition:** Wh- words are question words like what, which, where, why, who, when, whose. Combine them with did to ask about past actions. ### Wh- questions in the past simple Structure: Wh- + did + subject + base verb + ? - What did you do yesterday? - Where did they travel last summer? - When did she start the course? - Why did he decide to leave? - Who did you meet at