GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE 

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE:PARTS OF SPEECH

NOUNS

• TYPICAL NOUN DERIVATIONS
• Derivation is a word formation process in which there is addition of affixes to create new words.
• A noun can be derived from the following categories:
• verb
• adjective
• another noun

Deriving Nouns From Verbs

To derive a noun from a verb, add one of the following suffixes to the verb:

Verb	Suffix	Noun
Carry	Age	Carriage
Arrive	Al	Arrival
Dominate	Ance /ence	Dominance Persistence
Write	ing	Writing
Manage	Ment	Management
Separate Motivate	Tion	Separation Motivation
Divide	Sion	Division
Close	Ure	Closure
Defend	Ant	Defendant
Market	Er	Marketer
Sail	Or	Sailor
Type	ist	Typist

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

Deriving Nouns from Adjectives

To derive a noun from an adjective, add to that adjective, one of the following suffixes:

Adjective	Suffix	Noun
Active	Ion Ity	Action Activity
Lazy	ness	Laziness
Strong	th	Strength

Exercise 1

Create nouns from the words listed in the table below.

Word	Noun
Clean
Teach
Advise
Animate
Audit
Govern
Operate
Conduct
Negotiate
Play
Supervise
Determine
Supply
Drum
Publish
Observe
Build
Materialize
Capture
Move

 Exercise 2

Use the correct form of word in brackets to complete the sentence.

1. Your _______________ to this job has been recognized. (commit)
2. _______________ of this word is difficult. (pronounce)
3. What is the ________________ of this table. (measure)
4. There has been great ______________ in her language. (develop)
5. I have heard this ______________ over and over. (narrate)
6. I prefer ___________________ course to medicine. (engine)
7. They should improve their level of __________________. (concentrate)
8. This professor is a great _____________. (history)
9. I will pay for this phone in ________________. (install)
10. He can’t walk alone because of his _______________. (blind)

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

• GENDER SENSITIVE LANGUAGE
• Gender sensitive/neutral language is that which is free of stereotypes and biases.
• Avoid using gender-specific titles like poetess. Instead use “poet”.
• Avoid using expressions with generic term For example, don’t say “layman”. Use ‘lay’ in stead.
• Make sure you use parallel constructions in correspondence. For example, Mr. and Mrs. Gyle, but not, Alice and Mr. Gyle.
• The table below shows the gendered nouns and gender-neutral nouns.

Gendered Nouns

Gender-Neutral Nouns

Man Freshman Mankind Man-made The common man To man Postman/mailman Policeman Steward/stewardess chairman Congressman Dear sir Cattleman sportsman Cowboy Workman Newspaperman Businessman Foreman Salesman Craftsman Clergyman Fisherman Clansman Watchman Spokesman headman

Person/individual First-year student People/human beings/humanity Machine-made/synthetic Average person/ordinary person To operate Mail carrier/letter carrier/postal worker Police officer Flight attendant Chair/chairperson/coordinator Congress person/legislator Dear sir or madam Cattle rancher Sportsperson Cowhand Worker Journalist Business person Shift boss/ foreperson/ supervisor Salesperson Craftsperson Clergy/ clergyperson Fishes folk Clan member Security officer/security guard Spokesperson Chief/ head/leader

With Pronouns;

• Use sex-neutral third person as appropriate.
• Write both pronoun options.
• Use “she or he” or “she/he”

PRONOUNS

PRONOUN CASE

• A pronoun can be effective when we use an appropriate case (form). If this does not happen, the reader may remain puzzled or distracted.
• There are three common pronoun cases:
• Subject pronouns (subjective case)
• Object pronouns (objective case)
• Possessive pronouns (possessive case)

Subjective Case

• Used as the subject of a sentence or of a subordinate clause.
• The pronouns used in this position are:
• I
• We
• You
• He
• She
• It
• They
• Also referred to “nominative case”. Examples,
• You called me the new student.
• We are ready for the race.
• I like it.
• He runs faster.
• They never appreciate anything.

Objective Case

• Pronouns in this case function as the recipients of the actions.
• They are used as objects of verbs or prepositions.
• The pronouns in this form include:
• Me
• Us
• You
• Him
• Her
• It
• Them

Examples in sentences

• It never rains on me.
• Moraa bought him a flower.
• She showed us around the town.
• The baby has been named after you.

Possessive Case

• They show who or what owns something.
• The pronouns used in the possessive case include:
• Mine
• Ours
• Yours
• Hers
• His
• Its
• Theirs

Examples in Sentences

• The new phone is
• Of all the songs, it is yours I enjoyed the most.
• His son is coming soon.
• All efforts should be made not to confuse one pronoun case with another.

Exercise

In each sentence below, replace the underlined word(s) with an appropriate pronoun form.

• I sold my bike to Abdi.
• I sold my bike to Abdi and Yussra.
• I sold my bike to Abdi and Yussra.
• The bike’s brake was bad.
• Abdi gave the bike to Abdi and Yussra’s
• The son promised to pay his parents for the bike.
• The son’s girlfriend rode the bike into a fish pond.
• The pond belongs to me and my family, and my family and I are unhappy.
• The fish’s temper is almost as bad as my temper.
• Abdi and Yussra have offered to pay me and my family for the damage.

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS

• To demonstrate is to show, to indicate, or to point to.
• A demonstrative pronoun represents a thing or things:
• Near in distance or time, for example,
• This
• these
• Far in distance or time, for example,
• That
• Those
• Look at the examples in sentences
• This lasts longer.
• Have you seen that?
• Those were the days.
• Look at these.

Exercise

Fill the blanks with: this, that, those, these.

1. _____________ one here is my friend.
2. I hate ____________ books over there. They lack so much.
3. Could you bring me _____________ chair I left outside.
4. ___________ bananas are sweet! Could you add me more?
5. How could you buy a thing like __________? Get me the other one.

 VERBS

• TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS

Transitive Verbs

• A transitive verb has two features:
• It is an action verb that expresses a doable activity. For example, eat, jump, click, etc.
• It must have a direct object. A direct object is something or someone who receives the action of the verb.
• A n indirect object can also be there but it preceds the direct object.
• Look at the sentences below and say whether the verbs in them have direct objects.
• Joan bought him an handkerchief.
• Colman drew the picture.
• I eat bananas and mangoes.
• My wrist watch costs a lot of money.
• Did you make coffee this morning?
• My niece called me earlier yesterday.
• In the sentences that follow, the direct objects are in boldface while the indirect objects are underlined.
• We can call you Martha.
• Our parents teach us poems.
• Alice wrote June a love poem.
• Bring me a cup of tea

Intrasitive Verbs

• They can be followed by a complement.
• The complement is usually an adjective or an adverb.
• Study the sentences below.
• The athletes ran fast.
• The food tastes insipid.
• The rain rains every morning.
• In the three sentences above, the actions or states denoted by the verbs ‘ran’, ‘tastes’, and ‘rains’ are represented as remaining in the subjects ‘athletes’, ‘food’, and ‘rain’, and not as passing over to an object.
• The three verbs do not require objects to complete the sense. They are called intransitive verbs.
• An intrasitive verb is one that does not require an object to complete the sense.
• Some verbs are used both as transitive and intrasitive. For example,
• The bird flies. intransitive verb
• The boy flies his kite. Transitive verb

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

 Exercise

Say whether the verb(s) in the sentence are transitive or intransitive.

1. Junior likes phones.
2. Jenifer brushes her teeth every morning.
3. I smile whenever I play games.
4. Richard sleeps 8 hours a day.
5. My boss offered me a new job.
6. The horse runs faster.
7. She promised me she would visit.
8. The family works in the field everyday.
9. Njeri cooks me dinner.
10. The food smells good.
11. I owe you hundred shillings.
12. All the candidates passed the test.

INFINITIVES

• An infinitive is a type of verbal consisting of the word ‘to’ plus a verb. Examples are
• To fly
• To enter
• To catch
• To belong
• To become
• To draw
• To stand etc
• The verb here should be in its simplest stem form.
• An infinitive functions as a noun, an adjective or an adverb.

Examples in Sentences

• Everyone wanted to leave.
• To swim is my hobby.
• You lack the strenth to resist.
• An infinitive has the following functions in a sentence:

1. As a subject of a verb, for example,

To cry is what I hate most.

1. As an object of a verb, for example,

She wants to go.

1. As a subject complement, for example,

My dream is to fly.

1. As an adjective, for example,

He lacks the skill to swim.

Exercise

Rewrite each of the following sentences using the verb in brackets. Be careful not to change the meaning of the sentence.

1. I started reading. (read)
2. He stopped smoking. (smoke)
3. Writing is more difficult than reading. (write, read)
4. Jogging is a good exercise. (jog)
5. I like cycling. (cycle)
6. I enjoy swimming. (swim)

PHRASAL VERBS

• A phrasal verb is a verb plus a preposition or adverb, or a combination of both, and which creates a different meaning from the original verb.
• There are transitive phrasal verbs. They are those that can be followed by an object. Example

I ran into my old friend.

“my old friend” is the object of “ran into”

• There are also intransitive phrasal verbs. They cannot take an object. Example

Did he show up?

• Some transitive phrasal verbs have the object placed before the preposition. Example,
• We kept our relationship from my friends for sometime.
• Some transitive phrasal verbs are inseparable. The object is only placed after the preposition. For example,
• I always hand in my assignment in time.
• She is looking forward to mid term break.
• Some transitive phrasal verbs can take an object at both places – before and after the preposition. For example,
• The brothers put out the fire before the firemen came.
• The brothers put the fire out before the firemen came.

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

The Commonly Used Phrasal Verbs

1. Ask (somebody) out – invite on a date
2. Ask around – ask several people the same question.
3. Add up to (something) – equal
4. Back (something) up—reverse
5. Back (somebody)up – offer support
6. Blow (sth) up – explode
7. Break down – stop working/functioning (of a machine, or a vehicle)
8. Break down – to be upset
9. Break (sth) down – divide it into smaller parts
10. Break in – enter a building forcibly
11. Break in – to interrupt
12. Break into (sth) – enter forcibly (house, etc)
13. Break out – escape
14. Break out in (sth) – develop a condition (skin)
15. Break up – end a relationship
16. Break up – start laughing
17. Bring (sbdy) down – cause the person to be unhappy
18. Bring (sbdy) up – raise a child
19. Bring (sth) up – start talking about a topic
20. Bring (sth) up – vomit (one can bring the food up)
21. Call around – make phone calls to several people
22. Call (sbdy) back – return a phone call
23. Call (sth) off – cancel
24. Call on (sbdy) – ask for an opinion or an answer from someone
25. Call on (sbdy) – visit someone
26. Call (sbdy) up – phone the person
27. Calm down – after being angry, one calms down
28. Catch up – get to the same place/point as someone else
29. Check in – arrive, and register at a hotel or airport
30. Check out – leave a hotel
31. Check out(sbdy/sth) – to look at
32. Cheer up – become happier than before
33. Cheer (sbdy) up – make someone happier
34. Chip in—help
35. Clean (sth) up – to clean, or tidy something
36. Come across (sth) – unexpectedly find something
37. Come apart – separate
38. Come down with (sth) – become sick
39. Come forward – to give evidence or volunteer do something
40. Count on (sbdy/sth) – rely on
41. Cross (sth) out – draw a line through
42. Cut back on (sth) – consume less
43. Cut (sth) down – make something fall to the ground
44. Cut in – interrupt
45. Cut in – start operating(engine or an electrical device)
46. Cut (sth) off – stop providing (electricity, water, etc)
47. Cut (sth) off – remove with something sharp
48. Cut (sbdy) off – take out of a will
49. Cut (sth) out – remove part of something (usually with a razorblade, or scissors)
50. Do away with (sth) – discard
51. Do (sth) up – close, or fasten

    GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

52. Dress up – wear nice clothing
53. Drop back – move back in a position
54. Drop by/in/over – come without an appointment
55. Drop (sbdy/sth) off – take someone/something somewhere and leave them/it there.
56. Drop out – quit a class, school, college, etc
57. Eat out – eat at a restaurant
58. End up – eventually decide/do/reach
59. Fall apart – break into pieces
60. Fall down – fall on the ground
61. Fall out – separate from an interior (pocket, for example).
62. Fall out – become loose and unattached (hair, teeth, etc)
63. Figure (sth) out – find an answer, understand
64. Fill (sth) in– to write information in blanks (eg on a form, questionnaire)
65. Fill (sth) up – fill to the top
66. Find out – discover
67. Get (sth) across/over – communicate, make something to be understood
68. Get along/ on – like each other
69. Get around – have mobility
70. Get away – go on a holiday
71. Get away with (sth) – do something without being punished
72. Get back – return
73. Get (sth) back – receive something you had before
74. Get back at (sbdy) – take revenge
75. Get back into (sth) – become interested in something again
76. Get on (sth) – step onto a vehicle
77. Get over (sth) – recover from an illness, loss, or difficulty
78. Get over (sth) – overcome a problem
79. Get together – meet (for social reasons)
80. Get up – get out of bed
81. Get up – stand
82. Give (sbdy) away – reveal hidden information about someone
83. Give (sth) away – ruin a secret
84. Give (sth) away – give someone something for free
85. Give (sth) back – return a borrowed thing
86. Give in – stop fighting or arguing reluctantly
87. Give (sth) out – give something to many people (normally for free)
88. Give (sth) up – quit a habit
89. Give up – stop trying
90. Go after – follow someone
91. Go after (sth) – try to achieve something
92. Go against (sbdy) – compete, oppose someone
93. Go ahead – start, proceed
94. Go back – return to a place
95. Go out – leave home to on a certain social event
96. Go out with (sbdy) – date
97. Go over (sth) – review
98. Go over – visit somebody who is nearby
99. Grow apart – stop being friends over a period
100. Grow up – become an adult

     GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

101. Grow into (sth)– grow big enough to fit
102. Hand (sth) down– give something that has been used to someone else
103. Hand (sth) in – submit
104. Hand (sth) out – to distribute to a group of people
105. Hand (sth) over – unwillingly give something
106. Hang on – wait a short time
107. Hang out – spend time relaxing
108. Hang up – end a phone call
109. Hold (sbdy/sth) back – prevent from doing or going
110. Hold (sth) back – hide an emotion
111. Hold on – wait a short time (formal)
112. Hold onto (sbdy/sth) – hold firmly using hands or arms
113. Hold (sbdy/sth) back – rob
114. Keep on doing (sth) – continue doing
115. Keep (sth) from (sbdy) – not tell
116. Keep (sbdy/sth) out – prevent from entering
117. Keep (sth) up – continue at the same rate
118. Let (sbdy )down – disappoint, fail to help
119. Let (sbdy) in – allow to enter
120. Look after (sbdy/sth) – take care of
121. Look down on – consider inferior, think less of
122. Look for (sbdy/sth) – try to find
123. Look forward to (sth) – be excited about the future
124. Look into (sth) – investigate
125. Look out – be careful, be vigilant, or take notice
126. Look out for (sbdy/sth) – take notice
127. Look (sth) over – check, examine
128. Look (sth) up – search and find information about something
129. Look up to (sbdy) – have a lot of respect for
130. Make (sth) up – invent, lie about something
131. Make up – forgive each other
132. Make (sbdy) up – apply cosmetics to someone
133. Mix (sth) up – confuse things
134. Pass away – die
135. Pass out – faint
136. Pass (sth) out – give the same thing to several people
137. Pass (sth) up – decline (normally something good)
138. Pay (sbdy) back – return owed money
139. Pay for (sth) – be punished for doing something bad
140. Pick (sth) out – choose
141. Point (sbdy/sth) out – indicate using a finger
142. Put (sth) down – put what you are holding on a surface or floor
143. Put (sbdy) down – insult, make someone feel stupid
144. Put (sth) off – postpone
145. Put (sth) out – extinguish
146. Put (sth) together – assemble
147. Put up with (sbdy/sth) – tolerate
148. Put (sth) on – put clothing or accessories on your body
149. Run into (sbdy/sth) – unexpectedly meet
150. Run over (sbdy/sth) – drive a vehicle over a person or thing
151. Run over/ through (sth) – rehearse, review
152. Run away – escape, leave unexpectedly
153. Run out – have none left
154. Set (sth) up – arrange, organize
155. Set (sbdy) up – trick, trap
156. Shop around – compare prices
157. Show off – act as though special.
158. Sleep over – stay somewhere for the night
159. Sort (sth) out – organize, resolve a problem
160. Stick to – continue doing something, or limit yourself to a particular thing.
161. Switch (sth) off – stop the energy flow, turn off
162. Switch (sth) on – start the energy flow, turn on
163. Take after (sbdy) – resemble a family member
164. Take (sth) back – return an item

     GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

165. Take off – start to fly
166. Take (sth) off – remove something (especially clothing)
167. Take (sth) out – remove from a place or a thing
168. Take (sbdy) out – pay for someone to go somewhere with you
169. Tear (sth) up – rip into pieces
170. Think back – remember
171. Throw (sth) away – dispose of
172. Turn (sth) down – decrease the volume or strength (of heat, light, etc)
173. Turn (sth) down – refuse
174. Turn (sth) off – stop the energy flow, switch off
175. Turn (sth) on – start the energy flow, switch on
176. Turn (sth) up – increase the volume or strength (of heat, light, etc)
177. Turn up – appear suddenly
178. Try (sth) out – test
179. Use (sth) up – finish the sipply
180. Wake up – stop sleeping
181. Warm (sth/sbdy) up – increase the temperature
182. Warm up – prepare body for exercise
183. Wear off – fade away
184. Work out – exercise
185. Work out – make a calculation
186. Work out – be successful

 Examples in Sentences

1. I want to blow this balloon up
2. My wife and I broke up last month.
3. The thief broke out of the crowd without anyone noticing.
4. We are going to a far off place so you have to dress up.
5. We wanted to surprise her about the wedding but she found it out.

Exercise

Fill in the blank with a phrasal verb beginning with the correct form of verb in brackets.

1. ___________ the blanks with appropriate words. (fill)
2. His child’s teeth started to ____________ at the age of six. (fall)
3. I would advise we _____________ this syllabus. It has lost its meaning. (do)
4. Do not ________________ me _____________ when I am listening to the music. (cut)
5. Kimutai ___________________ malaria last week. (come)
6. Akinyi is trying to ___________ her point ___________ but the other students are making noise. (get)
7. All the students have ____________ from their long December holidays. (get)
8. She ___________ free books to young children every month. (give)
9. The bad boy has finally ____________ drinking. (give)
10. They __________ their dog _________ whenever the visitors come. (hold)

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

(d)  IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS

1. 1.She was tickled pinkby the good news.

Made very happy

2. You were hands downthe best player on the team.

There was no competition

3. I’ve been feeling pretty down in the dumpslately.

Sad or depressed

4. I’m feeling sick as a dog!

Very sick

5. I’ve been feeling under the weather.

Not well

6. Rise and shine!

Wake up and be happy!

7. Close, but no cigar.

You were very close, but you did not make it.

8. I could play outside till the cows come home.

For a very long time

 Cut the ground from under feet :

When you cut the ground from under someone’s feet, you do something which weakens their position.

Chase your tail:

Spending a lot of time and energy doing a lot of things but actually achieving too little.

4.       Whole bag of tricks –

Means trying all the clever means to achieve something.

5.       Deliver the goods –

Do what is expected or promised.

6.       Fine-tooth comb –

Examining something carefully to not miss out any details.

7.       Explore all avenues

Trying out every possibility to get a result.

8.       Fast track something –

Rating something higher on your priority list to achieve the desired result.

9.         Get ducks in a row –

Getting your things well organized.

10.   Get the show on the road –

Putting up a plan or idea into action.

11.   Keep your fingers on the pulse –

Being constantly aware of the most recent developments.

12.   Mean business –

Being serious about what you announce.

13.   Think on your feet –

Adjusting quickly to changes and making fast decisions.

14.   Sail through something –

– Being successful in doing something without difficulty.

15.   Tricks of the trade :

Meaning – Clever or expert way of doing something.

16.   Not let grass grow under feet –

Meaning – Don’t delay in getting something done.

17.   Work like a charm –

Works very well or has the desired effect.

18.   Back-room boys –

People who perform important work but have no contact with the public.

19.   Dead wood –

People or things which are no longer useful or necessary.

20.   Get the axe –

Meaning – lose the job.

Example – The projects team was undergoing a major restructuring, recruitment executives were the first to get the axe.

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

21.   Plum job –

Desirable position which is well-paid and considered relatively easy .

Example – This looks like a plum job but it has its own bunch of complications.

22.   Shape up or ship out –

This expression is used to warn someone that if they do not improvetheir ways, they will have to leave their job.

23.   Golden handshake –

Meaning – Big sum of money given to a person when they leave a company or retire.

24.   Separate sheep from goats –

Examining a group of people and deciding their suitability

25.   Waiting in the wings –

Waiting for an opportunity to take action, mostly to replace someone else in their job.

Examples in Sentences

• Since the teacher is about to retire, there are five other teachers in the waiting wings to take his position.
• At his retirement, he will be offered a golden handshake.
• Teaching, to many, seems to be plum job to many young youths.

1. PARTICIPLES

• A participle is a type of verbal.
• A verbal is a verb form that looks like a verb but does not act as the verb in a sentence.
• A participle functions as an adjective to modify a noun or a pronoun.
• There are three types of participles:
• Present Participles which is the “-ing” form.
• Past Participles. Regular verbs end in “-ed”, while irregular ones end in –en, -n, -t, or various other endings.
• Perfect participle
• Used to shorten or combine clauses that have the same subject.
• One action is completed before the next one starts.

Examples in Sentences

Present Participle

• I am running.
• The lesson is boring.
• He is afraid of swimming.

Past Participle

• The door was opened.
• I have written the letter.
• He was really bored.

Perfect Participle

• She bought a pen and ran to school.
• She arrived home and ate her lunch

 ADJECTIVES

• QUANTIFIERS
• They are adjectives and adjective phrases that give approximate answers to the questions like:
• How much?
• How many?

Examples of Quantifiers

‘A few’ versus ‘A little’

• A few (for countable nouns) and a little (for uncountable nouns) describe the quantity positively.
• These words can be used in the following ways:
• I have a few pens. This means perhaps not many, but enough.
• There is a little money left. It means there is enough to live on.

Few versus Little

• They describe quantity in a negative way.
• They can be used in the following ways:
• Few students visited the site last weekend. Almost none visited the site.
• I have little money left. Almost no money

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

A great number of/a large number of/a large quantity of are also quantifiers.

Cardinal Numbers versus Ordinal Numbers

• The cardinal numbers like one, three, ten, etc refer to the quantity.
• The ordinal numbers like first, third, tenth etc refer to distribution.
• In the sentences below, we can learn how they are used.

Number	Cardinal Number	Ordinal Number
3	Three days are enough.	We will be through by the third day.
13	Call me the thirteen girls.	The thirteenth girl will be punished.
33	There are thirty three students who sat for the exams.	The thirty-third student will have to resit the exams.

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

• PREDICATIVE AND ATTRIBUTIVE ADJECTIVES
• A predicate adjective is an adjective that follows a linking verb and the subject of the linking verb.
• A predicate adjective contrasts with an attributive adjective, which typically sits immediately before the noun it modifies.
• Study the two sentences below.
• The dress is expensive.
• The expensive dress has been bought.
• In the first sentence, adjective ‘expensive’ comes after the linking verb “is”. It is therefore predicative.
• In the second sentence, it sits before the verb . it has been used attributively.
• Look at the sentences and phrases below. The adjective in boldface has been used attributively, while the one underlined, predicatively.
• This sea is blue.
• The blue will be visited.
• The boys are happ
• The happy boys are coming.

ADVERBS

• FORMATION OF ADVERBS
• There are rules that help one form adverbs. These rules are:

1. Adverbs are formed by mostly adding –ly to an adjective. Examples

Adjective        Adverb

Cheap              cheaply

Slow                 slowly

Quick               quickly

• If the adjective ends in –y, replace the “y” with “i” and add “-ly”. For example,

Adjective          Adverb

Easy                   Easily

Lucky                 Luckily

Happy               Happily

Angry                Angrily

• If the adjective ends in –able, “-ible”, or “-le”, replace the “-e” with “-y”. examples,

Adjective            Adverb

Probable           Probably

Terrible             Terribly

Gentle                Gently

• If the adjective ends in “-c”, add “-ally”. Examples,

Adjective            Adverb

Basic                  basically

Tragic                 tragically

Economic          economically

2. Some adverbs have the same form as the adjective, for example,

Adjective            Adverb

Early                  Early

Fast                   Fast

Hard                  Hard

High                   High

Wrong              Wrong

Staright            Straight

Near                  Near

Late                   Late

Read the sentence and note whether the word has been used as an adjective or as an adverb.

• It is a fast car.
• The car was driven fast.
• It is a hard assignment.
• The assignment is hard.

3. “Well” and “good”

Well is just an adverb correspondent of the adjective “good”.

Look at the sentences below:

• She is a good pianist.
• She plays piano well.
• They are good writers.
• They write well.

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

FUNCTIONS OF ADVERBS (MODIFIERS)

• Adverbs are words which describe or modify other verbs. For example,
• The athlete ran quickly.
• The new student acts stupidily.
• He left
• Adverbs also modify other adverbs. For example,
• The student very easily wrote the answers.
• The student behaves really
• Adverbs also modify adjectives. For example,
• The very beautiful girl won his heart.
• This tea is extremely
• An adverb can also modify prepositional phrase, for example,
• The boy was punished just outside the staffroom.
• An adverb at times modifies the whole sentence, for example,

Luckily, we met the man we have always wanted to see.

 Exercise

Underline the adverbs in the sentences below and then identify how each functions in the sentence.

1. The girl hardly ever believes what she is told.
2. The very tall tree was cut this morning.
3. Certainly, the man chose the wrong way.
4. We noticed that the cow was almost in the water.
5. The new student gladly followed all the instructions given.
6. This wall was frantically painted.

PREPOSITIONS

DISTINGUISHING PREPOSITIONS FROM CONNECTORS AND ADVERB PARTICLES

The three are all used in joining ideas.

Connectors

• Connectors join separate ideas in two sentences or paragraphs.
• Connectors usually come at the start of a sentence.
• Examples are:
• Firstly, next, meanwhile, consequently, etc

Examples in Sentences

1. I like dancing. Furthermore, I enjoy
2. John was on the way to my home. Meanwhile, my son was busy preparing them dinner.

Conjunctions

• They join ideas in a single sentence.
• Examples of conjunctions are:
• Even if
• Because
• Even though, etc

Example in a Sentence

I like him because he is kind to me.

Prepositions

• They express relations between parts of a sentence.
• The following are examples of prepositions:
• Above
• Against
• Before
• At etc

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

CONJUNCTIONS

CORRELATIVE CONJUNCTIONS

• They connect two equal grammatical items.
• They must always connect two elements that are grammatically similar, meaning same structure applies.If, for instance, a noun follows “either”, then a noun will also follow “or”. Look at these examples,
• In the evening, Kilonzo will either wash the clothes or clean the house.
• Neither the boy nor the girl has visited their parents in the past one week.
• Below are some common correlative conjunctions pairs.
• As—as
• Both – and
• Either – or
• Neither – nor
• Not only – but also
• Whether – or
• When using correlative conjunctions, be careful about:
• Verb agreement;
• Pronoun agreement ; and
• Parallel structure.
• Verb Agreement

The second subject must agree with the verb that follows it when you connect two subjects  with a correlative conjunction. For example,

• Neither Kamau nor the two girls come to school late. Or
• Neither the two girls nor Kamau comes to school late.

It is incorrect to say:

• Neither Kamau nor the two girls comes to school late. Or
• Neither the two girls nor Kamau come to school late.
• Pronoun Agreement

When you connect two antecedents with a correlative conjunction, the second one must agree with the pronoun that follows it. For instance,

• Neither Kamau nor the two girls understood why their teacher punished them. Or
• Neither the two girls nor Kamau understood why his teacher punished them.
• Parallel Structure
• Maintain parallel structure when you use the correlative conjunctions. This is because the two connected elements must be balanced.
• Most often you can correct any mismatched grammatical items that prevent parallel structure by simply adding a word to create the same type of phrase or by rearranging how a sentence is worded. The two sentences below are incorrect,
• It was both a long name and difficult to pronounce.
• Valentine is a time not only for exchanging flowers, but also for spending time with the loved ones.
• When corrected they will be:
• The name was both long and difficult to pronounce. Or

It was both a long name and a difficult one to pronounce.

• Valentine is a time not only for exchanging flowers, but also for spending time with the loved ones.

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

PHRASES

ADJECTIVE PHRASES

• An adjective phrase tells us something about the noun it is modifying.
• The principal word in an adjective phrase is an adjective. Examples,
• Cheap but nice
• Unhappy with
• So hot
• The examples in sentences are,
• This dress looks cheap but nice.
• Linet is unhappy with her boss.
• This is so hot.
• At times, a word group work as an adjective. Read the sentences below:
• He is a doctor with a lot of experience.
• He is an experienced doctor.
• In the first sentence, ‘a lot of experience’ is an adjective phrase. In the second, ‘experienced’ has served the same purpose as the phrase in the first.

Exercise

Replace the underlined adjective with an equivalent adjective phrase. The first one has been done for you.

1. He has bought a metallic

He has bought a door made of metal.

1. Husband wore a golden
2. A white cow was slaughtered.
3. He lives in a stone
4. I have passed several sleepless
5. The white used the Ugandan
6. Heroic deeds are worth praises.
7. Theirs was a brave
8. It was a horrible
9. Many Kenyans talk about English
10. This teacher is a wealthy

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES

• A prepositional phrase will begin with a preposition and end with a noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause, which is the object of the preposition.
• The object of the preposition usually has one or more modifiers descrbing it.
• Below are patterns for prepositional phrases:
• Preposition+Noun, for example, at home, on time
• Preposition + Pronoun, for example, with him
• Preposition + Gerund, for example, by dancing
• Preposition + Clause, for example,

He is telling us a story about    the lion who killed my cat

Preposition Noun Clause

• Preposition + modifier + noun/pronoun/geund/clause, for example,

Under   the   big   table

_{preposition modifiers          noun}

• The sentences that follow have prepositional phrases. Underline them and identify their parts.
• I received this letter from my sister.
• Before break, the teacher asked us to collect our books.
• The pen on the floor is new.
• He drove the car along the busy, two-lane

Exercise

Complete the sentences below with appropriate prepositions. From the completed sentence, write the prepositional phrase in it.

• Do your parents live _____________ Nairobi?
• We will go out to dinner ___________ Friday night.
• The keys are _______________ the kitchen cupboard.
• He drove the car __________________ excessively worrying.
• He is stiff ____________ yesterday’s long exercise.
• Angela has been diognosed ___________ malaria.
• The plane touched down ____________ difficulty.
• A matatu transported them ___________ their hotel comfortably.
• We all laughed when Njuguna came to school ___________ his pyjamas.
• I would rather have coffee ________________ of porridge.
• He is standing here_________ his friend.
• ____________ fire, use the emergency window.
• _______________ the rains, we went out.
• ___________ the whole, they like that teacher.
• We are pleased with your perfomance _________ general.

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

CLAUSES

NOUN CLAUSES

• A dependent clause that acts as a noun is the noun clause.
• A noun clause can begin in any of the following words:
• When
• How
• What
• Where
• Whoever
• Whichever
• Whomever
• Whom
• Whether
• Whatever
• Why
• Noun clauses perform the following functions in sentences:

1. Act as subjects, for example,

• Whoever wishes the king death is a big fool.

in above, “whoever wishes the king death” is the noun clause and acts as the subject.

This clause contains “whoever” which is the subject, and a verb “wishes”.

• That he is a polygamist is known to you.

1. Act as objects of verbs. Consider the sentence below.

• The king ordered that the man should be stoned to death.

The noun clause in boldface is the object of the verb “ordered”.

• Remember to buy whoever loves you a flower.

The clause in bold is the indirect object.

• Act as objects of the prepositions, for example,
• Give the pen to whomever you like to.

It is the object of the preposition “to”.

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

Exercise 1

Underline the noun clause in each sentence.

1. That you hate him is your own problem.
2. You cannot rely on what David says.
3. It is true that his father has passed on.
4. The news that more than 100 soldiers were killed is a big lie.
5. It was unfortunate that the terrorist escaped.
6. He wondered whether the King learnt of the news.
7. I will punish whoever fails this test.
8. I can give this to whomever pleases me most.

 Exercise 2

Put the words in brackets in their correct order to fill the blank space.

1. I wonder _____________________ wait for her. (should how we long)
2. Do you know ________________ ? (be will what weather the )
3. He told me _________________ . (not would that go he)
4. I don’t know _____________ . (he gone has where)
5. Moris asked _____________ . (was my how family )

• I wonder how long we should wait for her.
• Do you know what the weather will be?
• He told me that he would not go.
• I don’t know where he has gone.
• Moris asked how my family was.

 ADJECTIVE CLAUSES

• Also referred to as adjectival or relative clause.
• An adjective clause must meet such requirements as:
• It contains a subject, and a verb.
• It begins with a relative pronoun (like who, whom, whose, that, or which) or with a relative verb (for example, when, where, or why)
• It functions as an adjective. The adjective in this case answers the questions, ‘Which one?’, ‘How many?’, or ‘What kind?’
• There are two patterns followed by an adjective clause:
• Relative pronoun/adverb + subject + verb, for example,
• Whose bag    was stolen.

_{relative          subject     verbs}

_pronoun

• Why Kim cannot stand that smell.

_{relative    subject  verbs}

_adverb

• Relative pronoun (which is the subject)+ verb, for example,
• Who jumped    over the fence.

_{relative pronoun verb}

_(subject)

• In a sentence, we can have something like,
• Juma is the boy whose bag was stolen.
• He is allergic to bad smell is one reason why Kim cannot stand that smell.

Punctuating an Adjective Clause

• Before you decide to use a comma, you have to decide whether the clause is essential or nonessential.
• Essential ones require commas while the others do not.
• The first example has an nonessential clause, while the second, a n essential clause.
• Transline Galaxy, which people don’t like, is often fast.
• The new boy who everyone likes is my favourite student.

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

Exercise

Combine the pair of sentences to make one sentence using an adjective clause. The first one has been done for you.

• I met Akinyi in town. Akinyi is a thief.

I met Akinyi, who is a thief, in town.

• The man was sick. He looked very pale.
• He was sitting in the emergency room. It was very crowded.
• A nurse was nearby. The man called to her.
• The nurse called the doctor. The doctor came quickly.
• The doctor asked him to lie down. The doctor looked very worried.
• The doctor gave the man an injection. The injection made him go to sleep.

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

CONDITIONAL CLAUSES

• They are used to express that the action in the main clause can only take place if a certain condition is fulfilled.
• There are various subordinating conjunctions used in joining the clauses. Some of them are:
• If
• Unless
• Only
• Until

“If” Clauses

• It consists of two parts.
• The first part is the condition. It is the half with the word “if”.
• The other part is the action to occur if the condition is fulfilled. This half is the main clause.
• Consider:

What will happen when you see the president?

If I see the president I will be very happy.

The action that will occur when this person sees the president is being happy.

Examples in Sentences

• You will have to walk if you miss the 6 am bus.
• If you find the door open, kindly close it.
• If the Israelites had not broken the covenant, the covenant wouldn’t have been renewed.
• If I have a problem, he always help.

Unless Clauses

• Basically, it means the same thing as,”if ….not.”
• Example in a sentence.

You will fail unless you work hard. Or

Unless you work hard, you will fail.

The first sentence means, “you will fail if you don’t work hard.”

The second means, “If you work hard, you will not fail.” Or “if you work hard, you will pass.”

More Examples

• I will arrive at 9 unless I wake up late.
• Unless I am very busy, I will write you a letter.
• You will remain unhappy unless you stop seeing her.

 Exercise

Use the correct form of words in brackets to complete the sentences below.

1. She _______________ (forgive) unless you tell her the truth.
2. We _____________ (pass) the exams if we don’t work harder.
3. _______________(if/unless) she ____________ (take) a painkiller, she _________ (feel) much better soon.
4. _________ (if/unless) they __________ (be) here next week, they _________ (try) to go to Warda’s party.
5. _____________ (you/go) to the party __________ (if/unless) she __________ (send) you an invitation card?

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

 DIRECT AND  INDIRECT SPEECHES

• We often have to give information about what people say or think.
• To give such information, one has to use direct (quoted) speech, or indirect (reported) speech.

Direct/Quoted Speech

• This is the saying of exactly what someone has said.
• What a person says is within quotation (“….”)
• What is said is word for word. For example,
• “I will take you out tomorrow,” Timothy said.
• He complained, “your phone is always off.”

Indirect/Reported Speech

• There is no use of quotation to enclose what the person said.
• What is said doesn’t have to be word for word.
• The verb usually changes when reporting. This is because we normally report something said in the past.
• The past tense is used as what was originally spoken was done in the past

Direct Speech                                                                    Indirect Speech

She said, “It is going to rain.”                                         She said it was going to rain.

The singer said, “I have been singing since 2010.”    The singer said he had been singing since 2010.

The teacher said, “I will teach tomorrow.”                 The teacher said he would teach the next day.

• Expressions of Time if Reported on a Different Day

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
This (evening/afternoon/month etc) Today These (days/months etc) Now (a day/a month etc) after Last weekend Here Next (week/year etc) Tomorrow Day after tomorrow Yesterday The day before yesterday	That That day Those Then (a day/a week/ etc)Before The weekend before or the previous weekend There the following the next day/ the following day in two days time the day before/ the previous day two days before

ANSWERS TO SOME GRAMMAR EXERCISES

PARTS OF SPEECH

NOUNS

• TYPICAL NOUN DERIVATIONS

Exercise 1

Word	Noun
Clean	Cleaner
Teach	Teacher
Advise	Advisor
Animate	Animator
Audit	Auditor
Govern	Governor/ governance /government
Operate	Operator/operation
Conduct	Conductor
Negotiate	Negotiator/ negotiation
Play	Player/play/playwright
Supervise	Supervisor
Determine	Determination
Supply	Supplier
Drum	Drummer
Publish	Publisher
Observe	Observant/observation
Build	Builder/building
Materialize	Materialism
Capture	Captive
Move	Movement

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

Exercise 2

1. Commitment
2. Pronunciation
3. Measurement
4. Development
5. Narrative
6. Engineering
7. Concentration
8. Historian
9. Installment
10. Blindness

• GENDER SENSITIVE LANGUAGE

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

PRONOUNS

• PRONOUN CASE

1. I sold my bike to Abdi. him
2. I sold my bike to Abdi and Yussra. us
3. I sold my bike to Abdi and Yussra. it
4. The bike’s brake was bad. its
5. Abdi gave the bike to Abdi and Yussra’s their
6. The son promised to pay his parents for the bike. he
7. The son’s girlfriend rode the bike into a fish pond. his
8. The pond belongs to me and my family, and my family and I are unhappy. Us, we
9. The fish’s temper is almost as bad as my temper. Its, mine
10. Abdi and Yussra have offered to pay me and my family for the damage. They, us

(b)DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS

1. This
2. Those
3. That
4. These
5. That

VERBS

• TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS

1. Junior likes Transitive
2. Jenifer brushes her teeth every morning. Transitive
3. I smile whenever I play games.

Smile: intransitive

Play:Transitive

1. Richard sleeps 8 hours a day. Intransitive
2. My boss offered me a new job. Transitive
3. The horse runs Intransitive
4. She promised me she would visit. Transitive
5. The family works in the field everyday. Intransitive
6. Njeri cooks me dinner. Transitive
7. The food smells Intransitive
8. I owe you hundred shillings. Transitive
9. All the candidates passed the test. Transitive

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

PHRASAL VERBS

• Fill in
• Fall out
• Do away with
• Cut, in
• Came down with
• Get, across/over
• Gotten back
• Gives out
• Given up
• Hold, back

INFINITIVES

• I started reading.

I started to read.

• He stopped smoking.

He stopped to smoke.

• Writing is more difficult than reading.

To write is more difficult than to read.

• Jogging is a good exercise.

To jog is a good exercise.

• I like cycling.

I like to cycle.

• I enjoy swimming.

I enjoy to swim.

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

• PHRASAL VERBS
• Idiomatic Expressions
• PARTICIPLES

1. The students worked around the clock. They completed the project.

              Working around the clock, the students completed the project.

1. The student was frustrated by lack of progress. The student dropped out of school.

Frustrated by the lack of progress, the student dropped out of school.

The student frustrated by lack of progress dropped out of school.

1. The dog was wounded. The dog stumbled through the muddy field.

The wounded dog stumbled through the muddy field.

Wounded, the dog stumbled through the muddy field.

1. The man threw out the television. The television was broken.

The man threw out the broken television.

1. Martha was listening to loud music. Martha could not hear her parent calling.

Listening to the loud music, Martha could not hear her parent calling.

1. The man was sitting in the library. He was reading a newspaper.

Sitting in the library, the man was reading a newspaper.

1. She walked home. She met an old friend.

Walking home, she met an old friend.

1. The dog wagged its tail. It bit the thief.

Wagging its tail, the dog bit the thief.

1. The technician was working in the lab. He cut his finger.

Working in the lab, the technician cut his finger.

1. Njoroge was relaxing on his chair. Njoroge fell asleep.

Relaxing on his chair, Njoroge fell asleep.

1. The man was disappointed. He stomped his foot and left angrily.

Disappointed, the man stomped his foot and left angrily.

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

FUNCTIONS OF ADVERBS (MODIFIERS)

1. The girl hardly ever believes what she is told.

It modifies the adverb ‘ever’.

1. The very tall tree was cut this morning.

It modifies adjective ‘tall’.

1. Certainly, the man chose the wrong way.

It modifies the sentence, ‘The man chose the wrong way.’

1. We noticed that the cow was almost in the water.

It modifies prepositional phrase ‘in the water’.

1. The new student gladly followed all the instructions given.

It modifies the verb ‘followed’.

1. This wall was frantically painted.

It modifies the verb ‘painted’.

PHRASES

ADJECTIVE PHRASES

1. He has bought a metallic

He has bought a door made of metal.

1. Her husband wore a golden

Her husband wore a ring made of gold.

1. A white cow was slaughtered.

A cow with white skin was slaughtered.

1. He lives in a stone

He lives in a house built of stone.

1. I have passed several sleepless

I have passed several nights without sleep.

1. The white used the Ugandan

The white used the railway running through Uganda.

1. Heroic deeds are worth praises.

Deeds of heroism are worth praises.

1. Theirs was a brave

Theirs was an act of bravery.

1. It was a horrible

It was a movie full of horror.

1. Many Kenyans talk about English

Many Kenyans talk about the league of England.

1. This teacher is a wealthy

This teacher is a person of great wealth. 

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES

1. In , in Nairobi
2. On, on Friday night
3. In, in the kitchen cupboard
4. Without, without excessively worrying
5. From, from yesterday’s long exercise
6. With, with malaria
7. Without, without difficulty
8. To, to their hotel comfortably
9. In his pyjamas
10. Instead of, instead of porridge
11. on behalf, on behalf of his friend
12. in case of, in case of fire
13. in spite of, in spite of the rains
14. on, on the whole
15. in, in general

CLAUSES

NOUN CLAUSES

Exercise 1

• That you hate him is your own problem.
• You cannot rely on what David says.
• It is true that his father has passed on.
• The news that more than 100 soldiers were killed is a big lie.
• It was unfortunate that the terrorist escaped.
• He wondered whether the King learnt of the news.
• I will punish whoever fails this test.
• I can give this to whoever pleases me most.

Exercise 2

1. I wonder how long we should wait for her.
2. Do you know what the weather will be?
3. He told me that he would not go.
4. I don’t know where he has gone.
5. Moris asked how my family was.

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

ADJECTIVE CLAUSES

• I met Akinyi in town. Akinyi is a thief.

I met Akinyi, who is a thief, in town.

• The man was sick. He looked very pale.

The man who was sick looked very pale.

• He was sitting in the emergency room. It was very crowded.

The emergency room, where the he was sitting, was very crowded.

• A nurse was nearby. The man called to her.

The man called the nurse who was nearby.

• The nurse called the doctor. The doctor came quickly.

The doctor, who was called by the nurse, came quickly.

• The doctor asked him to lie down. The doctor looked very worried.

The doctor, who looked very worried, asked him to lie down.

• The doctor gave the man an injection. The injection made him go to sleep.

The doctor gave the man an injection, which made him go to sleep.

CONDITIONAL CLAUSES

1. She will not forgive you unless you tell her the truth.
2. We will not pass the exams if we don’t work harder.
3. If she takes a painkiller, she will feel much better soon.

Unless she takes a painkiller, she will not feel much better soon.

4. If they will be here next week, they will try to go to Warda’s party.

Unless they will be here next week, they will not try to go to Warda’s party.

5. Will you go to the party if she sends you an invitation card?

GRAMMAR  FOR FORM THREE

ALL ENGLISH NOTES FORM 1-4 WITH TOPICAL QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

PRIMARY NOTES, SCHEMES OF WORK AND EXAMINATIONS