Definite Article

• You use the when you know that the listener knows or can work out what particular person/thing you are talking about.
• We use the to talk about geographical points on the globe.
• We use the to talk about rivers, oceans and seas
• We also use the before certain nouns when we know there is only one of a particular thing.

Plural Forms of English Nouns

• When a word ends in -ch, -s, -sh, -ss or -x the plural is formed by adding -es
  • eg.: benches, gases, dishes, crosses, taxes
  
  
• When a word ends in -y preceded by a consonant the plural form is -ies
  • eg.: parties, bodies, policies
  
  
• When a word ends in -o the more common plural ending is -oes
  • eg.: tomatoes, potatoes, zeroes, heroes
  
  
• When a word ends in -f the plural is formed either by adding -s
  • eg.: beliefs, cuffs, whiffs
  • or by changing the -f to -v and adding -es, eg.: wives, thieves, loves.
  • Some words may take both forms, eg.: scarf, wharf
  In the cases where both endings can be used, the -ves ending is usually the more formal one. The -s ending is more "casual" and is a bit more of a "slang" form.

Comparative Adjectives

• When we compare two things or people we look at what makes them different from each other.
• Comparative adjectives are used to show what quality one thing has more or less than the other. They normally come before any other adjectives.

Gerunds and Infinitives

Gerunds and infinitives are forms of verbs that act like nouns. They can follow adjectives and other verbs. Gerunds can also follow

A gerund (often known as an -ing word) is a noun formed from a verb by adding -ing. Not all words formed with -ing are gerunds.

An infinitive is to + the verb.

When a verb follows a verb it either takes the gerund or infinitive form.

Some verbs can take either the gerund or the infinitive with no loss of meaning.

For example:

• With the verb start - "It started to rain." or "It started raining." Both sentences have the same meaning.

Sometimes the use of the gerund or infinitive changes the meaning of the sentence.

For example:

• With the verb remember - "I remembered to do my homework". or "I remembered doing my homework."

In the first sentence (I remembered to do my homework), the person speaking remembered they had some homework first and then carried out the action and did it. In the second sentence (I remembered doing my homework.), the person speaking carried out the action (their homework) first and then remembered doing it.

Other verbs only take one or the other, unfortunately there is no rule as to which form the verb takes. The same is true when the verb follows an adjective.

When a verb is used after a preposition the verb takes the -ing form.

For example:-

• You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.