The Importance of English Syntax

Syntax is the grammatical tool that deals with how sentences are put together and the relationship between words.  It is a very methodical and logical sequence, ensuring that sentences are put together using subject, verb and object in which the words in the sentence all have agreement, so that the correct forms of words are used.

Without syntax to structure the language, it would simply be a string of words that makes no sense.

Take a look at the correct syntax below. 

“The girl likes to read novels”.  

This follows the syntax of subject, verb, object and agreement.  

Without syntax, we could simply write, 

“Novels like to eat the girl”.  

These are the same words, but they have a totally different meaning.  In fact, we have a clue that something in that sentence is not right. The correct writing of that concept would be ‘Novels like to read the girl."  

“Novels like” is not a correct syntax, so it highlights that something is wrong.  Moreover, there can be no agreement in this sentence, because sweets are actually an inanimate object, they cannot ‘perform’ a verb.

Even if you don’t think that you understand syntax and its rules, simply reading 

“Sweets loves to eat the boy” should trigger some alarm bells that all is not well and that there is something wrong. So people can understand syntax even if they don’t think they do.

What about you?

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Personal Adjectives: Adjectives Used to Describe People

Personal adjectives are the adjectives we use to describe a person and their character or personality. Everybody is an individual whose different personalities. One of us may be kind and like to help other people, while another one may be lazy and prefer to sleep rather than work.

Personal adjectives answer the question: "What is she like?"

Look at these example sentences using the personality adjective "well-behaved":

Andriani is well-behaved. Andriani seems well-behaved.

Andriani has a well-behaved character.

She is a well-behaved person. I like well-behaved women.

I wish you were as well-behaved as John. If you were more well-behaved I might marry you.

List of Personal Adjectives

Read through the following list to find the right personal adjective or adjective phrase to describe the person you are thinking of:

Positive Personal Adjectives

A-E Personal Adjectives	A-P Personal Adjectives	P-Z Personal Adjectives
adaptable adorable agreeable alert alluring ambitious amused boundless brave bright calm capable charming cheerful coherent comfortable confident cooperative courageous credible cultured dashing dazzling debonair decisive decorous delightful detailed determined diligent discreet dynamic eager efficient elated eminent enchanting encouraging endurable energetic entertaining enthusiastic excellent excited exclusive	exuberant fabulous fair faithful fantastic fearless fine frank friendly funny generous gentle glorious good happy harmonious helpful hilarious honorable impartial industrious instinctive jolly joyous kind kind-hearted knowledgeable level likeable lively lovely loving lucky mature modern nice obedient painstaking peaceful perfect placid plausible pleasant pleasant plucky	productive protective proud punctual quiet receptive reflective relieved resolute responsible rhetorical righteous romantic sedate seemly selective self-assured sensitive shrewd silly sincere skilful smiling splendid steadfast stimulating successful succinct talented thoughtful thrifty tough trustworthy unbiased unusual upbeat vigorous vivacious warm willing wise witty wonderful zany zealous

Negative Personal Adjectives

A-F Personal Adjectives	F-R Personal Adjectives	R-Z Personal Adjecitves
abrasive abrupt abusive afraid aloof ambiguous angry annoyed anxious arrogant ashamed awful bad belligerent bewildered boorish bored boring callous careless clumsy combative confused cowardly crazy creepy cruel cynical dangerous deceitful defeated defective defiant demonic depressed deranged disagreeable disillusioned disturbed domineering draconian embarrassed envious erratic evasive evil faded fanatical	fierce filthy finicky flashy flippant foolish forgetful frantic fretful frightened furtive greedy grieving grouchy gruesome grumpy guarded gullible helpless hesitant homeless horrible hungry hurt ignorant ill irresolute jealous jittery lacking lazy lonely malicious materialistic mean mysterious naive nasty naughty nervous noisy obnoxious outrageous panicky pathetic possessive quarrelsome repulsive	ruthless sad scary secretive selfish silly slow sneaky snobbish sore spendthrift squeamish stingy strange sulky tacky tense terrible testy thick-skinned thoughtless threatening tight timid tired tiresome troubled truculent typical undesirable unsuitable unsure upset uptight vague vengeful venomous volatile voracious vulgar wary wasteful weak weary wicked worried worthless wretched

Exercise

Choose the right one from the brackets!

1. Don't worry about her. She will be on time. She is very (nice, rude, punctual). 
2. Catherine is  (nice, double-faced, dependable) and cannot be trusted. She has two faces designed for use. 
3. The girl is (mean, double-faced dependable). She always keeps her promises and I can rely on her. 
4. Santy is very (mean, dependable, punctual). She never pays for her share of things. 
5. John isn't polite and he often offends people. I don't like him because he is (nice, punctual, rude). 
6. This number is associated with bad luck in my country.The people who live there are (cruel, rude, superstitious). 
7. My girlfriend is only concerned with fulfilling her own needs. She is (double-faced, selfish, superstitious). 
8. My friend is a really (nice, cruel, selfish)  person. He is so friendly and kind. 
9. He killed this dog in cold blood. I don't like such  (cruel, dependable, active) people. 
10. My son is  (cruel, active, nice) because he likes doing sports. 

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Smple Present Tenses and Their Usage

The present tenses in English are used:

• to talk about the present
• to talk about the future
• to talk about the past when we are telling a story in spoken English or when we are summarizing a book, film, play etc.

There are four present tense forms in English:

Present simple                     : I Study

Present continuous              : I am studying

Present perfect                     : I have studied

Present perfect continuous  : I have been studying

We use these forms:

To talk about something happens at the present:

He attends to Semarang State University. He has attended there for two years now.

He is attending at Semarang State University. He has been attending there for three months now.

Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia.

All of those things are now happening, aren't they?

To talk about the future:

The next train leaves this evening at 7.30 a.m.

She’ll call you when she gets home.

Linda is visiting her parents in Semarang this afternoon.

I’ll accompany you as soon as I have finished my home assignment.

You will be relaxed out after you have been taking a rest all night.

We can use the present tenses to talk about the past...

Exercise:

What times are these present tense verbs referring to: past, present, or future?

1. I have to go. The flight to Singapore leaves at 2.30 p.m

a. past

b. present

c. future

2. Are we going out this evening?

a. past

b. present

c. future

3. So, I say to him, "What's your game, dear?"

a. past

b. present

c. future

4. He's having a problem with the motorcycle again.

a. past

b. present

c. future

5. Lintang plays ex-boxer standing up to the corrupt boss.

a. past

b. present

c. future

6. I am having a party at the weekend. Would you join?

a. past

b. present

c. future

7. I'd like to see her face when she gets the office.

a. past

b. present

c. future

8. Andrean handles the character with his customary skills

a. present

b. past

c. future

9. When I have finished the job, we can play around

a. past

b. present

c. future

10. You look so sad. Anything makes you upset?. 

a. past

b. present

c. future

What are your answers?

. 

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