Summary of English Language Skills Practice
English Language Skills Practice: Master Your Exam Prep
Introduction
This material summarizes key topics in English grammar and provides practice through examples similar to the assigned test. We will focus on prepositions, the use of gerunds and infinitives, countable vs. uncountable nouns, modal verbs, relative pronouns, and academic vocabulary. Each topic is divided into a brief explanation, examples, and exercises with solutions.
Definition: A preposition is a word that connects a noun or pronoun to another part of the sentence and expresses a relationship of time, place, or other relationships.
Contents
- Prepositions
- Gerund vs. Infinitive (Verb + -ing / to-infinitive)
- Countable vs. Uncountable
- Modal Verbs
- Relative Pronouns
- Academic Vocabulary (Word Formation)
1. Prepositions
Explanation
- Prepositions express relationships: place (in, on, at), direction (to, into), time (at, on, in), purpose or relationship (for, about, of).
- Some phrases use specific prepositions (look at, care about, famous for).
Definition: A preposition is a short word typically used before a noun, pronoun, or gerund to express a relationship.
Examples
- He is famous for climbing Mount Everest. (famous for)
- Get in touch with someone. (get in touch with)
- Stick to the rules. (stick to)
Table: Common Prepositions and Usage
| Preposition | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| in | place (inside) / month, year | in the room, in July |
| on | surface / day | on the table, on Monday |
| at | specific place or time | at the airport, at 5pm |
| for | purpose / for whom | for you, for a reason |
| with | company / instrument | with friends, cut with a knife |
| about | about something | talk about the issue |
Exercise (selected answers from the text)
- get in touch with Sam — with
- stick to the rules — to
- famous for being — for
- care about the environment — about
- arrived at the airport — at
Interesting fact: In English, some phrases use a specific preposition that cannot be translated literally; e.g., "arrive at" for events and small locations, while "arrive in" is used for cities and countries.
2. Gerund vs. Infinitive (Verb + -ing / to-infinitive)
Explanation
- Some verbs are followed by a gerund (verb + -ing), while others are followed by a to-infinitive. Some verbs can be followed by both forms, but with a different meaning.
- A gerund often refers to an activity as a general concept (I enjoy swimming). An infinitive often indicates intention or possibility (I want to swim).
Definition: A gerund is a verb form ending in -ing that functions as a noun; an infinitive is the form "to + base verb," which can express purpose, intention, or possibility.
Example Pairs
- enjoy doing vs. want to do
- stop doing (to cease an activity) vs. stop to do (to pause in order to do something)
Table: Common Verbs + Form
| Verb | Followed by | Example |
|---|---|---|
| avoid | gerund | avoid smoking |
| decide | to-infinitive | decide to go |
| enjoy | gerund | enjoy playing |
| learn | both (often gerund for acquiring a skill: learned playing?) | learned to play / learnt playing (less common in British English) |
Exercises (Answers from the text)
- practicing speaking — doing (practicing speaking)
- buy a used car — to buy (advise to buy — actually "advise against buying"; in the original, "advise buying" is not correct; correctly: "advise against buying")
- sleep very well after I exercise — to sleep / sleeping? (context: "able to sleep") → to sleep
- decided to go — to go
- Would you mind helping me? — helping (gerund)
- involves working in teams — working
- learned to play the guitar — to play (learned to play)
- demanded to speak to Mrs. — to speak
- completed building their house — building (completed building)
- seemed unhappy — to be / being? (seemed to be unhappy) → to be
Note: In some answers, the choice depends on the verbs in context. For example, "help" can take the form "to help" or "help" wit
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English - Grammar and Exercises
Klíčové pojmy: Prepositions express relationships of place, time, and direction (in, on, at, to, for, with)., Certain phrasal verbs require fixed prepositions (get in touch with, stick to, famous for)., A gerund (verb+ing) often denotes an action; an infinitive (to + verb) frequently indicates purpose or possibility., Some verbs change their meaning depending on whether they are followed by a gerund or an infinitive., Countable vs. uncountable nouns: use "a piece of" for a single item of an uncountable noun., "Must have + past participle" expresses a strong deduction about the past., Who/which/that/whose/whom: the choice depends on the person/thing and whether the clause is restrictive., Academic vocabulary often requires the correct derivation of words (investigate → investigation)., Use commas for non-defining relative clauses and no commas for defining ones., Practice fills and controlled exercises reveal patterns and aid memorization.