Sentence Construction

1) Simple sentence

a) It must have at least one object and one verb
Subject + Verb : To show what happened in the story

Subject Verb
He
She
It
I
You
We
They
slept (in the room)
smiles (at me)
died (yesterday)
will go (to Langkawi)
were shopping (there)
have arrived (at the jetty)
are playing (football)


b) Subject + Verb + Object : To show action done on someone/ something else.


Subject Verb Object
He
She
It
I
You
We
They

thanked
praises
is looking at
scolded
make
will read
eat
me
him
her
them
coffee
books
durians







c) Subject + was / were + ing : To show what was happening in the story (past
continuous tense)

Subject Verb (to be) + ing
I
He
She
It
was
was
was
was
reading
playing
fishing
sleeping
You

We

They


were

were

were
playing

fishing

sleeping


d) Subject + was / were + what : To describe people, things, place or time


Subject Verb (to be) Descriptive (adj)
He
She
It
I
You
We
They
was
was
was
was
were
were
were
happy
worried
hungry
surprised
angry
cold
young











2) Compound sentence

A compound sentence is a sentence with 2 simple sentences joined by a
conjunction.

The conjunctions are as follows: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.
(Tips: The first letter of each conjunction when put together forms the
word FANBOYS.)


Subject Verb Object Conjunction Subject Verb Object
You
Ali
Ali
can take
played
played

a bus
football
football
or
and
but
you
Maria
Maria
can take
went
played
a taxi
shopping
netball

3) Complex sentence

A complex sentence is a sentence or a phrase joined by one or more simple
sentences. A complex sentence always has a connector such as because, since, after,
although, or when or a relative pronoun such as that, who, or which.

Subject Verb Object Connectors Subject Verb Object
He handed in

his homework that

he

had
completed
yesterday
Teacher

returned

the homework after

she

noticed

the error

They stopped studying before Maria left them


Past Tense

Singular (verb) Plural (verb)
I
You
He
She
It

shouted
sang
lied


We
You
They


shouted
sang
lied

MODALS
A modal is a verb form that helps to give a special meaning to another verb. These added
meanings include ability, doubt and permission.
Modal adalah sejenis kata kerja yang membantu memberi maksud yang khas kepada kata
kebenaran.
Modal Verb Function (Fungsi) Example (Contoh)
may
might (past
tense)
a) to request or express
permission (meminta atau
memberi kebenaran)
May I eat out tonight?
Yes, you may.
b) to show possibility
(menunjukkan kemungkinan)
She may buy that ring.
can
could (past
tense)
a) to show ability (menunjukkan
kebolehan)
My mother says that we can
go to the movies.
b) to seek or give permission
(meminta atau memberi
kebenaran)
Can I see your picture?
c) to show possibility
(menunjukkan kemungkinan)
Playing on the road can be
dangerous.
will
would (past
tense)
a) to express request
(menunjukkan permintaan)
Would you shut the door
please?
b) to invite or to offer (menjemput
atau menawarkan)
Would you like some tea?
c) to promise (berjanji) I will help you with your
homework.
must a) to express certainty
(menunjukkan kepastian)
She must be worried. She has
been walking up and down.
b) to show necessity
(menunjukkan keperluan)
You must come for the
meeting.
shall a) to suggest (mencadang) Shall we listen to the radio?
b) to offer (menawar) I shall help you tonight.
should a) to advise (menasihat) You should respect your
elders.
b) to express probability
(menunjukkan kemungkinan)
He should have finished by
now.
ought to a) to advise (menasihat) She ought to read more books.
b) to express obligation
(menunjukkan kewajiban)
You ought to be polite to your
teachers.
need to a) to express necessity We need to get our teachers
(menunjukkan keperluan) permission before leaving the
classroom.
have to a) to express obligation
(menunjukkan kewajiban)
I have to attend todays class
because I was absent
yesterday.









Activity 1
Rewrite the following sentences using must or should.

Example
Obey all the school rules.
You should obey all the school rules.

1. Follow road safety rules.
___________________________________________________________________________

2. Queue up when getting onto the bus.
___________________________________________________________________________

3. Do not play on the road.
___________________________________________________________________________

4. Use zebra crossing or overhead bridge.
___________________________________________________________________________

5. Wait until the vehicles stop before you cross at a zebra crossing.
___________________________________________________________________________

6. Do not throw things out of moving cars.
___________________________________________________________________________

7. Always use your seat belt when travelling in a car.
___________________________________________________________________________

8. Do not rush out of a bus. Wait until the bus stops.
___________________________________________________________________________

9. Do not rush across the busy road.
___________________________________________________________________________

10. Never play on the road.
___________________________________________________________________________

11. Never walk by yourself on a lonely road.
___________________________________________________________________________

12. Never take lifts from a stranger.
___________________________________________________________________________
Activity 2
Study the table below.

If we do this What will happen? What can / should we do?
1. careless Accidents may occur. Always be alert of your
surroundings.
2. obey traffic rules You will be safe. Understand and obey the rules.
3. crossing without looking
left and right
You may be knocked down by
an oncoming vehicle.
Look left and right / Wait for
the traffic light to go green.
4. use zebra crossings /
overhead bridges
safe / fewer accidents Do not run across the road.
5. walk in the direction
where you see the
oncoming traffic
able to see the oncoming traffic Could avoid accidents
6. play on the road You may be knocked down. Never play on the road / wait at
the pavement for transport
7. tell our parents where
we are going
They will not worry about us. Always let our parents know
our whereabouts.
8. walk in a group You will be able to protect one
another.
Do not walk alone.
9. run across the road You may be knocked down. Always use the zebra crossing /
overhead bridge.
10. walk alone late at night Other drivers may not see you /
You may be a target to
criminals
Avoid dark areas / Avoid
wearing dark clothing / Travel
in pairs or in groups
11. wear a lot of jewellery You may be a target to snatch
thieves.
Never wear a lot of jewellery in
public / never show your
jewellery to the public
12. talk to a stranger You may be a target to
kidnappers
Do not speak to strangers or
suspicious people
13. take a lift from a
stranger
You might be kidnapped Take a lift from someone you
know well.






Construct sentences based on the table above.
Example
a. If you walk in a group, you will be able to protect one another.
b. You should not take a lift from a stranger because you might be kidnapped. Therefore, you must
only take a lift from someone you know well.

1. ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
6. ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
7. ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
8. ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
9. ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
10. ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________












Prepositions

























Prepositions of Place
Preposition Usage Example
in (dalam)
room, building, street, town,
country (bilik, bangunan,
jalan, bandar, negara)
book, paper etc. (buku,
kertas)
car, taxi (kereta, teksi)
picture, world (gambar,
dunia)
in the kitchen, in London


in the book
in the car, in a taxi
in the picture, in the world
at (di)
next to, by an object
for table (utk meja)
for events
a place where you are to do
something routine (watch a
film, study, work)
at the door, at the station
at the table
at a concert, at the party
at the cinema, at school, at
work
on
attached
for a place with a river
being on a surface
for a certain side (left, right)
for a floor in a house
for public transport
for television, radio
hang the picture on the wall
Melanau village lies on the
Oya River.
on the table
on the left
on the first floor
on the bus, on a plane
on TV, on the radio
by, next to,
beside (di
tepi)
left or right of somebody or
something
Aini is standing by / next to /
beside the car.
Under (di
bwah)
on the ground, lower than
(or covered by) something
else
the bag is under the table
Preposition Usage Example
below
(bawah)
lower than something else
but above ground
the fish are below the
surface
over
covered by something else
meaning more than
getting to the other side
(also across)
overcoming an obstacle
put a jacket over your shirt
over 16 years of age
walk over the bridge
climb over the wall
above
higher than something else,
but not directly over it
a path above the lake
across
getting to the other side
(also over)
getting to the other side
walk across the bridge
swim across the lake
through
something with limits on
top, bottom and the sides
drive through the tunnel
to
movement to person or
building
movement to a place or
country
for bed
go to the cinema
go to Kulim / Malaysia
go to bed
into
enter a room / a building go into the kitchen / the
house
towards
movement in the direction
of something (but not
directly to it)
go 5 steps towards the
house
onto
movement to the top of
something
jump onto the table
from in the sense of where from a flower from the garden
Prepositions of Time
Preposition Usage Example
on days of the week on Monday
in months / seasons
time of day
in August / in winter
in the morning/ afternoon/
Preposition Usage Example
year
after a certain period of
time (when?)
evening
in 2006
in an hour
at (pada)
for night
for weekend
a certain point of time
(when?)
at noon/night
at the weekend
at half past nine

since
(semenjak)

from a certain point of time
(past till now)
since 1980
for (selama)
over a certain period of
time (past till now)
for 2 years
before
(sebelum)
earlier than a certain point
of time
before 2004
to / till / until
(sehingga)
marking the beginning and
end of a period of time
from Monday to/till Friday
till / until
(sehingga)
in the sense of how long
something is going to last
He is on holiday until
Friday.
By
in the sense of at the latest
up to a certain time
I will be back by 6 oclock.
By 11 o'clock, I had read
five pages.


Other Important Prepositions
English Usage Example
from who gave it a present from Johari
of
who/what does it belong to
what does it show
a page of the book
the picture of a horse
by who made it a book by Mark Twain
English Usage Example
on
walking or riding on
horseback
entering a public transport
vehicle
on foot, on horseback
get on the bus
in entering a car / Taxi get in the car
off
leaving a public transport
vehicle
get off the train
out of leaving a car / Taxi get out of the taxi
by
rise or fall of something
travelling (other than walking
or horse-riding)
prices have risen by 10
percent
by car, by bus
at for age she learned Russian at 45



Exercise 1: Prepositions Place
Complete the exercise according to the picture.
1. _________the picture, I can see a woman.
2. The woman is sitting ______________a table.
3. She is sitting ________________a chair.
4. There is another chair _______________the woman.
5. Her feet are ________________the table
6. The woman is holding a cup ______________her hands.
7. ______________the table are a laptop, a paper, a calculator,
an appointment calendar, two pens and a muffin.
8. The woman is looking _____________her laptop.
9. The woman's bag is _______________the table.
Exercise 2: Prepositions Place
Complete the exercise according to the picture.
1. ____________the picture, there are four people.
2. A couple is sitting ______________the table.
3. They are sitting ________________chairs.
4. The drinks are ______________the table.
5. One woman is standing _____________the table.
6. ______________her is a man who is barbecuing.

Exercise 3: Prepositions Place
Complete the exercise according to the picture.
1. _____________ the picture, there are three kids.
2. The girl is standing ______________the two boys.
3. The shorter boy is _______________the right.
4. He has a gameboy _______________his hands.
5. The kids are looking ________________his gameboy.

Exercise 4: Prepositions Time
Fill in the correct prepositions.
1. Samy is playing tennis _______________Sunday.
2. My brother's birthday is __________________the 5th of November.
3. My birthday is _________________May.
4. We are going to see my parents ______________the weekend.
5. _______________ 2009, a great fire broke out in Sungai Petani.
6. I don't like walking alone in the streets _________________night.
7. What are you doing ___________________the afternoon?
8. My friend has been living in Changlun ___________________two years.
9. I have been waiting for you ________________seven o'clock.
10. I will have finished this essay ________________Friday.
Exercise 5: Prepositions Time

Choose the correct prepositions.
1. What are you doing ________________the weekend?
2. I don't know yet. Maybe I'll go to the cinema _______________Saturday.
3. That's interesting. I haven't been to the cinema _________________so many years.
4. We could go there together ______________the afternoon.
5. That would be great. But I would prefer to go there _______________the evening. I am
visiting my grandma _________________Saturday.
6. That's okay. The film starts ________________eight o'clock.
7. I can pick you up _________________half past seven. How long does the film last?
8. It lasts __________________two hours and forty-five minutes.
9. But I must hurry home _________________the film.
10. I have to be home ______________________eleven o'clock.

Exercise 6: since and for
1. I have been waiting 4 oclock.
2. Sue has only been waiting .. 20 minutes.
3. Ali and Samy have been learning English six years.
4. Chun and Jim have been learning French .. 1998.
5. Joe and Josephine have been playing this morning.
6. I havent been on holiday .. last July.
7. Mary has been saving her money many years.
8. I havent eaten anything breakfast.
9. You have been watching TV hours.
10. We have been living here 2 months.
Exercise 7: Prepositions A picture
Complete the exercise with the correct prepositions.
1. Look _________________this painting.
2. ________________the painting, you can see a little girl.
3. So, it is a painting _________________a girl.
4. A famous painter painted it. So it is a painting
_________________a famous painter.
5. My grandma once owned the painting, but she gave it to me on
my birthday. So it is a picture _________________my grandma.
Exercise 8: Prepositions McDonalds
Complete the exercise with the correct prepositions.
The first McDonalds restaurant was opened ..(1) Dick and Mac
McDonald (2).. the 15
th
..(3). May 1940. The best selling products
..(4).. their restaurant were hamburgers. So the McDonald brothers thought ..(5).. a
way to produce hamburgers more quickly. This was introduced ..(6).. 1948 and
became known as the Speedee Service System. The first franchised McDonalds restaurant
was opened ..(7).. 1953, and today you can find McDonalds restaurants ..(8)..
more than 100 countries.
1. A under B for C by
2. A since B on C of
3. A of B for C on
4. A by B in C for
5. A on B of C over
6. A in B on C between
7. A at B till C in
8. A above B in C at
Adapted from /www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/prepositions


To- infinitive

The infinitive is the base form of a verb. Examples are: write, run, break, read, walk etc.
The infinitive may be preceded by the marker to. It is then called the to-infinitive.
Examples of to-infinitives are given below:
I want to go.
Birds love to sing.
To err is human.
He refused to go.


Recognizing an infinitive when you see one.
To sneeze, to smash, to cry, to scream, to jump, to go, to read, to eat, to walkall of these are
infinitives. An infinitive will almost always begin with to followed by the simple form of the verb,
like this:
to + base form of a verb = infinitive
Important Note: Because an infinitive is not a verb, you cannot add s, es, ed, or ing to the
verb.
Examples:
1. To sleep is the only thing Farid wants after his examination.
2. She likes to sing.
3. The best thing to do now is to rest.
4. It is time to go.
5. Yesterday, he planned to travel to Kuala Lumpur.

Exercise 1:

Fill in the correct infinitive forms to the given verb forms.

2


verb form
infinitive
58
0
0 0

1
discusses
229
0
0 0

2
whispered
105
0
0 0

3
jumps
201
0
0 0

4
cooking
28
0
0 0

5
changing
174
0
0 0

6
sent
97
0
0 0

7
buys
172
0
0 0

8
saw
127
0
0 0

9
misses
86
0
0 0

10
carries




Exercise 2:

Fill in the blanks.

A ship was sailing through dangerous waters. It had (1).
(move) its way slowly and carefully through rocks surrounding the sea. Suddenly, a terrified
voice broke the silence, crying. Help! Help! A passenger had fallen into the sea while leaning
too far out from the railings of the deck. The other passengers crowded round. Some ran off
(2) .. (inform) the captain.
Within seconds, the captain and his crew arrived at the scene. They threw a lifebuoy
into the water (3) (help) save the passenger. The lifebuoy drifted towards
him. He reached out and tried (4) (grab) it.
By that time, a rescue team from the crew had reached him. After several tries (5)
(haul) him up, they succeeded. Everyone on board cheered.

ANSWER KEYS FOR PREPOSITION EXERCISES:
Exercise 1
1. In 2. at 3. on 4. opposite /in front of
5. under 6. In 7. On 8. At
9. under

Exercise 2
1. In 2. at 3. on 4. On
5. in front of 6. Behind

Exercise 3
1. In 2. between 3. on 4. In 5.
at

Exercise 4
1. on 2. on 3. In 4. at 5.
In
6. at 7. in 8. for 9. since 10.
by

Exercise 5
1. at 2. on 3. for 4. in 5.
in,on
6. at 7. at 8. for 9. after 10.
by

Exercise 6
1. since 2. for 3. for 4. since 5.
since
6. since 7. for 8. since 9. for 10.
for

Exercise 7
1. at 2. In 3. of 4. by 5.
from

Exercise 8
1. C 2. B 3. A 4. B 5.
B
6. A 7. C 8. B


ANSWER KEYS FOR TO-INFINITIVES EXERCISES
Exercise 1
1. to discuss 2. to whisper 3. to jump
4. to cook 5. to change 6. to send
7. to buy 8. to see 9. to miss
10. to carry

Exercise 2
1. to move 2. to inform 3. to help 4. to grab 5. to haul




Sentence connectors
Sentence connectors Meaning Examples
To show similarity
- Similarly
- Likewise

Begitu juga

My two uncles have opened a business in
Kuala Lumpur. Similarly, I will open one
after my studies.
She was late and I, likewise was delayed.

To show contrast
- On the other hand
- In contrast
- However
- Nevertheless
- Despite that / this
- Instead
- Although


- Berbeza
dengan
- Walau
bagaimanap
un
- Namun
Ali worked hard. On the other hand/ in
contrast / however, Halim hardly did any
work at all.

Mr and Mrs Kana are old, nevertheless
they are still very active.

Ahmad did not answer. Instead, he looked
out of the taxi window.

Although Kim Long sprained his ankle, he
came to school.

To show result
- As a consequence
- For this reason
- Therefore

- Akibatnya
- Atas sebab
ini

He passed his examination. Therefore /
Thus / Hence / Accordingly /
Consequently, he had some good news to
tell his parents.
- As a result
- Consequently
- Hence
- Thus
- Because of this
- Oleh itu


He lacks motivation to practise music.
Therefore, he can't become a good
musician.

Living in a big city offers good job
opportunities. Also, it provides good
educational
opportunities.
To show addition / listing
- Moreover
- Besides
- Also
- In addition
- Furthermore
- First / first of all /
firstly/ to begin
with
- Secondly
- Thirdly

- Tambahan
pula
- Lagi pun
- Tambahan
pula
- Pertama
- Sebagai
permulaann
ya
- Kedua
- Ketiga

Ali plays football. Moreover/ Besides/
Also, he plays tennis.

Mei Mei writes short stories. In addition,
she writes articles for a newspaper.

To complete his homework, Jack went
through various history books.
Furthermore, he took notes from several
encyclopedias.

I prefer to buy fruit and vegetables in the
open market because they are quite cheap
there. Besides, they are much fresher than
those sold at the greengrocers.

Owning a car has some advantages.
Firstly, it gives you comfort. Secondly, it
saves you a lot of time. Thirdly, it gives you
great freedom of movement.
To show time
- Afterwards
- First .then
- At first
- In the meantime
- Meanwhile

- Selepas itu
- Mula-mula
kemudian
- Pada
mulanya,
- Dalam pada
itu
I read the morning papers for a while.
Afterwards, I took a shower.

First pick up the receiver and then insert a
coin into the coin-box.

At first, I had great difficulty with grammar.
Later, however , I was able to overcome the
difficulty by studying hard.

The party is on Tuesday, but in the
meantime I have to shop and prepare the
food.

They'll be here soon. Meanwhile, let's have
coffee.

To show example
- For example
- For instance

- Sebagai
contoh

There are many uses of water, for
example, drinking, cooking, irrigation and
running industrial plants.


To explain
- In other words

- Dengan
perkataan
lain

The brochure dealt with travelling in
Morocco. That is/In other words/Namely,
it
discussed transportation, currency, and
language.

To show negative
condition
- or else
- Otherwise

- atau
tidak
Kalau tidak

You should stop teasing the poor little boy,
or else, Ill tell your mother of your act.

You must study hard. Otherwise, youll fail.
To summarize
- In summary
- In brief
- In short
- In conclusion
- To sum up

Secara ringkasnya


Kesimpulannya


In summary/In brief/In short/In
conclusion/To sum up, there are a lot of
advantages of having a healthy food fair in
the school.