UNDERSTANDING ENGLISH GRAMMAR

ABOUT THE BOOK
Understanding English Grammar  is a comprehensive book that explicitly discusses all aspects of English grammar with cogent and simplified examples. The beauty of this book is that it is applicable to different  educational levels: Junior secondary, Senior Secondary and Tertiary Levels. It can also be used for personal development in the usage of English. Competence in the knowledge of grammar is very essential for effective communication, hence, the need for this book.  It will help speakers of English language to communicate more effectively. It will also assist students for JSCE, SSCE, JAMB and English general studies (GS) in the tertiary institutions. In reading this book, you will get a wholesome  understanding of the various aspects of lexis and structure. Therefore, it is for everyone who speaks or writes English or who wants to acquire English language.



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Contact:
MODESTY VENTURES 
Phone numbers: 08135121421, 08127145203.
E-mail: emekemodesty@gmail.com









TABLE OF CONTENT
Acknowledgement
Dedication
Foreword
Endorsements/recommendations

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
UNDERSTANDING ENGLISH GRAMMAR

CHAPTER 2  NOUNS AND PRONOUNS
NOUNS
CLASSIFICATIONS OF NOUNS
Proper nouns
Common nouns
Countable nouns
Uncountable nouns
Concrete nouns
Abstract nouns
Collective nouns:
PLURALITY OF NOUNS
NOUNS/NOMINALIZATION
Functions of Nouns
PRONOUNS
TYPES OF PRONOUNS
Personal pronouns
Possessive pronouns
Reflexive pronouns
Indefinite pronouns
Relative pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns
Interrogative pronouns
Reciprocal pronouns

CHAPTER 3 VERB AND ITS FORMS
VERBS
CLASSIFICATION OF VERBS
LEXICAL VERBS
AUXILIARY VERBS
Verb DO and its forms
Verb HAVE and its forms
Verb BE and its forms
Modal auxiliary verbs.
TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS
LINKING AND NON-LINKING VERBS
FINITE AND NON-FINITE VERBS
REGULAR  AND IRREGULAR VERBS

CHAPTER  4 TENSE AND ASPECT
TENSE
Main types of tense
How to represent future time
ASPECT
Simple present tense
Present continuous tense
Present perfect tense
Present perfect continuous tense
Simple past tense
Past continuous tense
Past perfect tense
Past perfect continuous tense
Simple future tense
Future continuous tense
Future perfect tense
Future perfect continuous tense

CHAPTER 5. ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS
ADJECTIVES
Predicative adjectives
Attributive adjective
TYPES OF ADJECTIVES
Adjectives of Quality
Adjectives of Quantity or Number
Distributive Adjectives.
Proper Adjectives
Demonstrative Adjectives
Interrogative Adjectives
Possessive Adjectives
COMPARISON  OF ADJECTIVES
ORDER OF ADJECTIVES
ADVERB
TYPES OF ADVERBS
IDENTIFICATION OF ADVERBS
ORDER OF ADVERBS
COMPARISON OF ADVERBS

CHAPTER 6 PREPOSITION, CONJUNCTION, INTERJECTION AND ARTICLES
PREPOSITION
TYPES OF PREPOSITIONS
FUNCTIONS OR CONCEPTIONS EXPRESSED BY PREPOSITIONS
CONJUNCTION
TYPES  OF CONJUNCTIONS
INTERJECTION
TYPES OF INTERJECTIONS
THE USE OF DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE ARTICLES
FUNTIONALITY OF WORD CLASSES

CHAPTER 7
CONCORD
Rules /types of concord

CHAPTER 8
DIRECT AND  INDIRECT SPEECH

CHAPTER 9 MORPHEMES , WORDS AND PHRASES
MORPHEMES
TYPES OF MORPHEMES
AFFIXATION
PHRASE
TYPES OF PHRASES
Noun Phrase (NP)
Prepositional Phrase (PP)
Adjective Phrase
Adverb Phrase
Gerund Phrase

CHAPTER 10 CLAUSES AND SENTENCES
CLAUSE
CLASSIFICATIONS  OF CLAUSES
Main  Clause
Subordinate Clauses
Kinds of Subordinate Clauses
Noun Clause
Adjectival Clauses
Adverbial Clauses
Types  of Adverbial Clauses
SENTENCE
CLASSIFICATIONS OF A SENTENCE
Functional Classification of Sentences
Structural Classification of Sentence

CHAPTER  11 ELEMENTS OF THE CLAUSE/SENTENCE STRUCTURE
SUBJECT
VERB
 OBJECT
  COMPLEMENT
ADVERBIAL

CHAPTER 12 WORD MEANINGS AND THEIR  RELATIONSHIPS
The role of context in knowing the meaning of words
WORD  RELATIONSHIPS
Synonyms
Antonyms
Hyponymy
Homograph
Homophones
Polysemy

REFERENCES
























FOREWORD  By Mr Ayo Akano, Chief  English Examiner  WAEC and NECO, Nigeria
This book is designed to help learners of all categories improve their grammar. Many speakers of English language have acquired an advanced level of inter language that is adequate for most informal uses of the language. However, their grammar has errors and holes. These errors have often become "fossilized" and it takes a special effort you unlearn these problems. The 'holes' show up when the learner is asked to perform in a context other than informal social interactional discourse; for example when a learner is asked to write in a formal or academic style.
The systematic approach that this book gives to solving all the grammatical problems that a learner may have, gives the book a worthy commendation .The exercises in it involve both inductive and deductive thinking. Each unit focuses on a specific grammatical structure, with a comprehensive analytical explanation designed to give  students the opportunity to intuit for themselves the rules that govern the structure that unit focuses on, and apply such rules successfully as they use the language.
Furthermore, the exercises activate analytical skills with a view to helping students internalize all the grammatical elements with various rules guiding their usage based on their prescriptive and descriptive prowess which had been sharpened and shaped by the in depth explanation of each  grammatical unit.
It is succinct to say then that the book is a " linguistic corpus" that is urgently needed by all the users of the language in general, and every formal student in particular.

Ayo Akano
January, 2019.









BOOK REVIEW BY Chief Mojisola  Ladipo, Former Registrar of The University of Ibadan.

INTRODUCTION
My task is to present the book of Grammar written by a young man (OBIAZIKWOR EMEKE MODESTY ) who is determined to make a name for himself in his chosen calling. It is a daunting task that is worthy of encouragement. I read English at the University of Ibadan and graduated about 37 years ago, specialising in English Language. It has never occurred to me to remotely attempt to write a book on Grammar! In fact, I would be incapacitated by sheer terror to even try! Why? Because the grammar of any language is not easy. It is like try to memorise the names of every tiny bone, nerve and organs of a body. Which is why there will always be fewer doctors than traders!
What is Grammar?
 Grammar is the system of a language. People sometimes describe grammar as the "rules" of a language; but the fact is that there are no rules for languages! has rules If we use the word "rules", we suggest that somebody created the rules first and then spoke the language, like a new game. But languages did not start like that. Languages started by people making sounds which evolved into words, phrases and sentences. No commonly-spoken language is fixed. All languages change over time. What we call "grammar" is simply a reflection of a language at a particular time. If you were to see a script written in Old English, you will not recognise it as English. By the time Chaucer appeared on the scene, the language had undergone over 300 years of change. Very few speakers or readers of English today can read Chaucer! The English we speak and write today has undergone very many changes and incorporated words and phrases from many other languages. That is the nature of a language.
Do we need to study grammar to learn a language?
The ordinary answer is "no". Very many people in the world speak their own, native language without having studied its grammar. Children start to speak before they even know the word "grammar".
So, why learn grammar?
A professor once lamented, and I quote him, ‘the thing that is depressing is teaching graduate (post-graduates) today and discovering that they don’t know simple elemental facts of grammar! …..Many of them don’t know the difference between ‘lie’ and’ lay’, let alone ‘its’ and ‘it’s’. Ad they are in graduate school!’.  If you are serious about learning a foreign language, being learned and educated, even passing your examinations or seeking admission to educational institutions, locally and abroad, applying for jobs and attending interviews, the long answer is "yes, grammar can help you to learn a language more quickly and more efficiently." It's important to think of grammar as something that can help you, like a friend. When you understand the grammar (or system) of a language, you can understand many things yourself, without having to ask a teacher or look in a book. In the words of Jefferey Gitomer, “your grammar is a reflection of your image. Good or bad, you have made an impression”. So, think of grammar as something good, something positive, something that you can use to find your way - like a signpost or a google map .
Back to our first question, what is grammar?
Grammar is ‘the whole system and structure of a language. It includes:
- The morphology, that is, the structure of words
- The syntax, that is, the arrangement of the words in phrases and sentences
- The phonology, that is, the sounds
- The semantics, that is, the meaning

The Book: Understanding English Grammar
Understanding English Grammar explicitly discusses all aspects of English grammar as indicated above with cogent and simplified examples. The beauty of this book is that it is applicable to different educational levels: Junior secondary, Senior Secondary and Tertiary Levels. It is a useful textbook for those preparing for the JSCE, SSCE and the UTME as it covers the syllabi for these examinations. In my opinion, undergraduates of Nigerian Universities will benefit from it as a reference book for the General Studies programme, especially the English component of the GES.
The book puts a structure on the language called English just as the body enhances the clothes we wear. Without the body, nobody will be able to appreciate
Having said that, it is a highly technical book that may require the assistance of a teacher at the beginning. Once the student gets a hang of the technicalities, however, the problems which beset a lot of non- native speakers of English, especially the tenses will be conquered once and for all. It can also be used for personal development and self-study.
The book is divided into 12 Chapters, each covering different but related aspects of the grammar of English. At the end of each chapter are review questions which enable the user to evaluate his/her understanding of what has been read.
Chapter One generally introduces the book and defines Grammar and its constituents.
Chapter Two deals with the commonest part of a language, i.e Nouns and Pronouns, the different types of Nouns and pronouns and their functions.
Chapter Three takes on the ‘action’ part of grammar, that is Verbs and explains their classifications. The Chapter introduces the reader to tenses which often go with the action words and are perhaps the most difficult part of English, even among the native speakers! It is interesting that tenses have not always been so rigid as we have them now. The educated class who speak what is referred to as ‘Queen’s English’ were those who followed the rules of tenses and it is not unusual to hear native speakers speak what is known as ‘cockney’ which has no respect for tenses. Just like what is known as pidgin English which has emerged as a ‘language in its own right!
Chapter Four elaborates on all the different types of Tenses, ranging from Present, Past, Future, through Perfect Continuous to Future Perfect. To be honest with you, by the time I got through this chapter, my head was reeling with confusion! The take away point is that there as many classifications of tenses as there are actions taken at different times in a day, a month or a year! The way we therefore express our actions have grammatical implications and could affect the meaning or perception of our audience, even the consequences!
Chapter Five introduces us to adjectives and adverbs without which we would not be able to adequately describe our nouns, pronouns and verbs. Who does not want to know that she is not only a girl but a beautiful one at that? It also deals with the comparable degrees of our descriptions. Oh, yes, I am pleased when I am told that I am bigger than Fr. Paul!
It is often not enough just to describe a person or an action. Sometimes, they need modification to enrich the information being given. This where adverbs come in. Madam Elizabeth is not only elegant, she speaks fluently. The chapter sheds a lot of light on comparison of adverbs. Thus everybody knows that I am tall, but Fr. Is taller and our author here, Mr Modesty is the tallest. Alleluia!
Chapter Six exposes the reader to those group of words that show the relationship between two nouns or pronouns, called Prepositions, Conjunctions, Interjections and Articles. For example, on, in, at, of etc, etc. The chapter also describes their functions and how to use them. Many Nigerians no longer remember to use articles such as ‘the’, ‘a’ and ‘an’. alongside the appropriate nouns.
Chapter Seven informs us that a verb and the subject or other grammatical elements in a clause must be in agreement or Concord if the speaker or writer is to avoid being accused of breeching the peace.
Can you imagine the uproar in this audience if I was to announce that Mrs Buhari and Madame Jonathan ‘has’ come again o! By the time I got to Pluralia Tantums, I thought we were about to sing ‘Tatum ego sacramentum’ or some pupils were about to break into tantrums! Thank God, the author quickly calmed my fears by explaining that they are just nouns that are in plural forms even tough they denote one or singular items; e.g., Measles, News, Series, etc.
Chapter Eight explains the concept of Direct and Indirect Speech and, especially the use of the inverted commas. This is something that I have a problem with and varies, depending on whether you are writing for the American audience or the real owners of English. I never know whether the full stop comes after the inverted commas or before. I’ve googled it several times and consulted several experts and I’m still confused. Maybe Mr Modesty will help me out after this presentation.
Chapter Nine brings us to Morphemes, Words, Phrases and such things as Affixations and I must confess that even though I read English Language in the University, I cannot remember what they mean or how they are relevant to speaking or writing plain English. It would be really annoying if anyone was to be fixated on me.  However, for examination and research purposes, I think we should just commit all the definitions to memory. In other words, cram them and pass and get on with your life. Afterall, the new fad is to verbalise Nouns. So, we ‘gym’, ’google’ and ‘on’ our generators. No wonder, my Security man never understands me when I ask him to turn on the generator!
Chapter Ten deals with Clauses and Sentences. Language would be totally unintelligible without them. Some clauses, we are told, are independent while others are totally dependent, like husband and wife? Are there still wives that are dependent on their husbands? I enjoyed this chapter tremendously because it gives real meaning and colour to how we communicate, which is the essence of any language.
Chapter Eleven explains the elements of the sentence and the clause. This chapter actually links a number of terms and concepts that we had encountered in earlier chapters such as the relationship between Nouns and objects, between verbs and adverbs and between clauses and phrases. It actually breaks the Sentence down into its component parts and makes it easier for the writer or speaker of English to string his or her words together to form a coherent whole. In fact, if you do not read or master any other chapter, this one is a must.
Chapter Twelve is titled Word Meanings and Relationships. If words have no meanings, they cannot be classified as Language. The relationship between words and those other influencers such as Similes, Antonyms, Homonyms, Synonyms, Polysemy and Metaphors enrich the language and make an artist of the user. One becomes economical with words and the expressions, those few in words, convey a deeper, more vivid meaning to one’s expressions. Chapter Twelve ends with review questions which every student of English should attempt as they would enable such a student to assess his or her ‘technical’ command of the English Language.
Mastering all the technicalities of a language will be fruitless, however, without those nuances that enhance a deeper meaning. I agree entirely with the author that a good dictionary is an essential tool for the mastery of the English language. However, even the dictionary has its limitation. Reading widely is the key to mastery.
One important aspect of the language that I suggest for future editions is a Chapter on Punctuation. This issue is of great concern now to teachers and recruiters because our graduates have lost the art of punctuation. Punctuations give meaning to sentences and the wrong punctuation can change the whole meaning. It has been known to ‘kill’ people and break relationships. For example, ‘Let’s eat grandma’ does not convey the same intention as “let’s eat, Grandma’.
Mastering the English Language
In concluding these brief remarks, I want to align myself with a writer, Daniel Tammet who said, ‘If when we are taught English, we are just taught the rules of grammar, it would take all our love of language away from us. What makes us love a subject like English is when we learn all the fantastic stories. Feeding the imagination is what makes a language come alive’. In other words, read novels, stories, journals, magazines, poems and commentaries. Read, read and read and you begin to appreciate the nuances of the language, the idioms, proverbs, similes and metaphors. Your language comes alive and become a true expert, able to bend and manoeuvre the language to suit all situations.
I commend this book, Understanding English Grammar to all.
Thank you.

Chief Mojisola Ladipo, mni
15 February 2019






ABOUT THE AUTHOR
OBIAZIKWOR EMEKE MODESTY hails from Idumuesah, Agbor,  Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta state. He has a Bachelor's degree in English and Literature University of Benin and a Master’s degree (In V) in English University of Ibadan. He is a renown English teacher who has been teaching English for over a decade at the primary, secondary  and tertiary levels. He is also a seasoned speaker and the chief writer in www.emekemodesty.com


WHAT MOTIVATED ME TO WRITE THE BOOK
I have always love English language from secondary school days. This made me to study English even to the masters level. In my years of teaching and learning English, I noticed that the knowledge of English grammar always affects other aspects of English. Many books have been written on English grammar. I found out that only few are applicable to secondary schools and tertiary institutions. Therefore I needed to write a book that is detailed on the major aspects of English grammar. Hence the essence of this book. Understanding English Grammar is not just written for those in school setting but for everyone who speaks English. Many times you may have what to say or write but you do not know how to put it together. Here lies the relevant of this book that will equip you. 


TO PURCHASE OR TO BECOME A DISTRIBUTOR OF THIS BOOK
Contact:
MODESTY VENTURES 
Phone numbers: 08135121421, 08127145203.
E-mail: emekemodesty@gmail.com