Name:
Course date (if chosen):
TASK A

Think of one situation where you learned or acquired a new skill (e.g. driving a car, learning to cook, learning to read).

What were the factors which influenced the successful acquisition of this skill?
(e.g. necessity, motivation, obligation, peer pressure, curiosity, trial and error, early success, observation of others, participation, repetition, reading, following instructions, self teaching, being formally instructed, encouragement etc.)

Write a 500 word article describing your experience.

TASK B

Use one of the grammar reference books (or your own background knowledge) to complete the following activities.

1. Word Classes

Give three additional examples of words which fit in the following categories:

Word Class / Examples
Determiner
(a general category which includes articles, quantifiers, possessive adjectives) / the
Verb / to run
Noun / dog
Pronoun / he
Adjective / big
Adverb / quickly
Preposition / on
Conjunction / and
2. Nouns:

2.1. Give three examples of each of the following noun types:

Noun Type / Example
Proper noun
Common noun
Collective noun
Compound noun
Countable noun
Uncountable noun

2.2. What are the three main features of an uncountable noun?

2.3. Give the plural forms of these nouns:

Regular (s or es) / Vowel and consonant changes / No change / Irregular endings
dog / man / sheep / child
boy / foot / salmon / ox
book / mouse / aircraft / criterion
watch / loaf / deer / medium
bus / thief / headquarters / crisis
3. Adjectives

Identify the comparative and superlative forms of these adjectives:

Category / Base form / Comparative form / Superlative form
Short (one syllable) / old
Short but ending in vowel + consonant / big
Two syllable ending in “y” / happy
Most other two syllable / afraid
Some other two syllable / common
Long (three syllables) / expensive
Different word / good
4. Verbs

Give examples of these three types of verb:

Verb Type / Examples
Main / Lexical verbs
Primary Auxiliary verbs
Modal Auxiliary verbs
5. Sentence Analysis

5.1. Identify the nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions,
determiners and conjunctions in these sentences.

Marie is a doctor and she works in a big hospital.
The young man ran quickly along the crowded street.

5.2. Identify subjects, verbs, indirect objects, direct objects, adjuncts / adverbials and complements in the following sentences.

Tom gave me the book yesterday.

The old woman has been living in New York for a long time.

Mr Grimaldi is rich.

Via Lingua Pre-Course Task/1