PISMP Sem.

1
1/Week 1

Handout 1

English Language Proficiency

NOUN a word or group of words that represent a person, a thing, an activity, a

quality or an idea. Nouns can be used as a subject or object of a verb.
NOUNS

Concrete Nouns
- refer to things that
you can touch, feel or
see eg. Proton Saga,
pencil, building

Common
building, pencil

Proper
Taman Tasik,
Petronas Twin
Towers

Abstract Nouns
- refer to the name of a quality eg.
sweetness or bitterness, to a state of
being eg. health, wealth, to
activities eg. laughter, arrival.
They are concepts, qualities or
ideas that affect your senses.
Collective
a bunch of flowers,
an army of soldiers

Countable Noun - items that can be counted

Eg. cows, persons, cakes, books
- plural form
- they can have the article a or an in front of them
Uncountable Noun items that cannot be counted but measured instead
Eg. some sand, a grain of sand, a bucketful of sand
*Exceptions to Uncountable Noun they take a specific meaning
Eg. A glass (countable) is made from glass (uncountable).
Dont throw stones (countable) at that wall made of stone (uncountable).
*Exception to Abstract Noun ideas, opinions, truths can be counted and be
regarded as countable noun.
Compound Noun made up of two or more words and the entire set is
considered as an item
Eg.
football
noun
+
noun
pickpocket
verb
+
noun
walking stick
gerund
+
noun
blackbird
adjective
+
noun
overseas
adverb
+
noun
busybody
adjective
+
noun
Plural Nouns
a) Regular Plurals : suffix -s, -es or ies (girls, boxes, babies)
b) Irregular Plurals : vowel changes or -en is added (men, mice, oxen)

PISMP Sem. 1
1/Week 1

Handout 1

English Language Proficiency

PRONOUNS a word that is used in place of a noun or a noun phrase: Instead

of saying the man came, you can use a pronoun and say he came.
Types of Pronoun
a) Personal Pronoun to replace the names of people, animals, objects and
places
Singular
First Person
Second Person
Third Person

I
you
he/she/it

Plural
we
you
they

Singular
me
you
him/her/it

Plural
us
you
them

b) Possessive Pronoun to show ownership eg. my, your, his, her, our, their,
its
c) Interrogative Pronoun used to ask questions eg. who, whom, what,
which, whose
d) Demonstrative Pronoun words that tell us whether the item that we are
talking about is near us or not so near us. Eg. this, that (singular) these,
those (plural)
e) Relative Pronoun they take the place of a noun or a pronoun and they
link sentences and clauses eg. who, whom, which, what, that, whose
f) Reflexive Pronoun to show us the subject and the object in a sentence
are the same person
Number
Singular
Plural

Subject
I, you, he, she, it
you, we, they

Object
myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself
yourselves, ourselves, themselves

PISMP Sem. 1
1/Week 1

Handout 1

English Language Proficiency

ADJECTIVE a word which describes the thing for which a noun stands
Eg. She wore a black hat.
Types of Adjectives
1. Qualitative (Descriptive) Adjectives to tell more about the quality of a noun
Eg. They are renovating the old house.
2. Quantitative Adjectives to tell the amount or number of things
Eg. She found many books in the cupboard.
3. Demonstrative Adjectives to point out which person or thing is meant
Eg. That man is my neighbour.
4. Possessive Adjectives to show possession
Eg. That book is mine.
5. Interrogative Adjectives to ask questions
Eg. Whose pen is this?
6. Distributive Adjectives to show whether the nouns are taken singly or as a
group
Eg. Each student is required to make a report of the trip.
7. Compound Adjectives they are made up of two or more words
Eg. The studio is soundproof so you may use it for your band practice.
Comparison of Adjectives
Positive to compare equal things or persons
Comparative to compare two unequal things or persons
Superlative to compare three or more unequal things or persons
Positive
high
beautiful
good
bad
many/much
little

Comparative
higher
more beautiful
better
worse
more
less

Order of Adjectives
Value
Size
Age /
Shape
Temperature
beautiful big
new
round
famous little
old
square

Superlative
highest
most beautiful
best
worst
most
least

Colour
red
blue

Origin

Material Noun

local
plastic
bag
Malaysian wooded table