A compound noun is a type of noun comprised of two or more words indicating the name of people, animals, ideas, or things. Compound nouns work together as a single unit to name a person, thing, or place and the meaning of the full compound is usually different from the individual word. The use of compound nouns in the English language is quite common. In general, they are made up of two nouns or an adjective and a noun. Usually, the last word is the main noun and the first word is a noun, adjective, verb, or preposition.

Widely used in both written and spoken English, compound nouns are written in three forms. They are:

• Open compound nouns or spaced compound nouns
• Hyphanated compound nouns and
• Closed compound nouns.

Please note that there are no specific rules for these three forms. But Compound nouns work as a single unit in all forms.
Some of the examples of compound nouns include:

• Are you going to the post office?
• Mohor is particular about exercises before sunrise.
• Annual check-up is good for health.

Forming Compound Nouns

Any part of speech can be used to form a compound noun. However, the compound word must act as a noun to be a compound noun. In the following part, we will see some examples of specific types of compound noun formation.

Examples of compound nouns formed using Noun + Noun

A large number of compound nouns are formed using two nouns. Examples include:

• water+bottle = water bottle (Open compound noun)
• police+man = policeman (Closed compound noun)
• wall+paper = wallpaper

In a similar way, all the below mentioned compound nouns are formed using two different nouns: bedroom, fish tank, toothpaste, website, backpack, wristwatch, tablecloth, football, bathroom, dining room, handbag, shopkeeper, motorcycle, bookstore, etc.

Examples of compound nouns formed using Adjective + Noun

There are many compound nouns formed using the adjective+noun combination. Some of the examples are:

• full+moon = full moon (Open compound noun)
• soft+ware = software (Closed compound noun)
• six+pack = six-pack (Hyphanated compound noun)

Similarly, all the following words are examples of compound nouns using adjective+noun form:
mobile phone, blackberry, highway, bluebird, top hat, whiteboard, greenhouse, hardware, cellphone, small talk, blackboard, redhead, hot dog, etc.

Examples of compound nouns using other combinations of parts of speech

Even though the maximum of the compound nouns is formed using noun+noun or adjective+noun combination, there are plenty of compound noun examples that are formed using combinations of other parts of speech. The following table lists some of the examples of such compound nouns:

Combination of Parts of Speech	Compound Noun Examples
Noun + Verb	Sunset, rainfall, snowfall,  haircut, sunrise, photoshoot, train-spotting
Noun + Adjective	spoonful, town square,  cup full, lime green, truckload, wireless
Noun + Preposition (/Prepositional phrase)	hanger-on, daughter-in-law, passer-by, lady-in-waiting, son-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law
Verb + Noun	breakfast, driving license, washing machine, grindstone, runway, swimsuit, pickpocket, surfboard, swimming pool, chopstick.
Preposition + Noun	bystander, underworld, influx, afterlife, onlooker, past lives, underpants, upstairs, aftershave.
Verb + Preposition	check-in, go-between, checkout/check-out, touchdown, drawback, lookout, makeup.
Adjective + Verb	dry cleaning, wet sanding, public speaking.
Preposition + Verb	input, backbone, output, overthrow, upturn
Adjective + Adjective	golden yellow, turquoise blue.

Plural forms of compound nouns

The plural forms of compound nouns are usually obtained by adding an “-s” or “-es” to the main defining word of the compound noun. For example:

• football=footballs
• full moon=full moons
• haircut=haircuts
• check-in=check-ins
• secretary general=secretaries general
• passer-by=passers-by
• father-in-law=fathers-in-law

Let’s solve the following compound noun worksheets

Compound Nouns Worksheet 1: Underline the compound nouns in the below-mentioned sentences.

a. Have you solved your homeworks?
d. On his birthday, Kapil offered all an ice-cream.
c. Tomorrow we will see the sunrise in the sea.
d. Have you finished your breakfast?
e. Have you checked today’s newspaper?
f. Dishwasher is used to clean plates.
g. What is your plan on birthday?
h. Use that matchbox to lit the candle.
i. Sensodyne is a good toothpaste.
j. Where is your raincoat?

Compound Noun Worksheet 2: Fill in the blanks using appropriate compound nouns given below:

(teapot, bookshop, policeman, watermelon, weekend, timetable, snowman, suitcase, postbox, racecar)

a. Which class in next as per your ________?
b. Can you please post this letter in the ________.
c. That________ is empty. Please fill that with tea.
d. ___________ is my favourite fruit.
e. The _________ helped us to verify the document.
f. What the plan for the ____________?
g. I am searching for that book. But it’s not there in that __________.
h. Are you interested to drive my __________?
i. ________ is made of snow.
j. My __________ is too heavy.

Compound Noun Worksheet 3: Use the hints and form a compound noun.

a. Trip taken by a newly wed couple: ____________________.
b. Machine used for cleaning dishes: ____________________.
c. Food remaining from a previous meal: ________________.
d. Women’s purse:____________________________________.
e. Opposite of software: _______________________________.
f. Room used for sleeping: _____________________________.
g. A tall structure with a powerful light: __________________.
h. Work given by teachers to do at home: _________________.

An interrogative pronoun is a pronoun that is used to ask questions and form an interrogative sentence. They can work as the subject or object of a sentence. In English grammar, there are five primary interrogative pronouns. They are: who, what, which, whom, and whose. All these interrogative pronouns replace unknown information (noun) about which the question is asked.

Examples of Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative Pronouns are extensively used to ask direct, indirect, or reported questions as explained below.

Use of Interrogative Pronouns in Direct Questions

In direct questions, Interrogative Pronouns replace the person or things about which question is asked. Usually, Interrogative Pronouns come at the beginning of the interrogative sentence and acts either as subject or object.
Interrogative Pronouns are easy to identify in a sentence as it takes the grammatical function of nouns.
Some of the examples of Interrogative Pronouns asking direct questions are:

• Who all are coming to the match?
• What is my exact job role?
• Whose is this pen?
• What are you making for lunch?
• What is your favorite game?
• Who is playing that music?
• Whom do you wish to select?
• Whose is that mobile?

Using Interrogative Pronouns in Indirect Questions

Interrogative Pronouns find their application in indirect questions as well. In such cases, Interrogative Pronouns usually appear in the middle of a sentence. They are normally used to question in a polite way. For example:

• Can you tell me what we are doing here?
• Do you know who is that guy?
• Can you tell me whom have they called?

Use of Interrogative Pronouns in Reported Questions

Interrogative Pronouns can be used as reported questions in a sentence. They do not carry the question mark and used in indirect speech form. Some of the examples include:

• She wondered which option to choose.
• Julia asked whom to contact for the discussion.
• I want to know who that guy is.

Other Interrogative Pronouns

There are seven other interrogative pronouns in English grammar. They are used in formal English. These are whoever, whatever, whichever, whomever, whosoever, whatsoever, and whomsoever.

For example,

• Whatever did you say is not important?
• Whoever would belive such a story?

List of Interrogative Pronouns

From the above discussion, it is quite clear that there are 12 Interrogative Pronouns in the English language. They are:

• who
• what
• which
• whom
• whose
• whoever
• whatever
• whichever
• whomever
• whosoever
• whatsoever, and
• whomsoever

Interrogative Pronouns vs Interrogative Adjectives

From the above list, “whose, which, and what” are also used as interrogative adjectives by modifying nouns. So, users have to be careful in differentiating between the two. One rule to understand if it is an interrogative pronoun or adjective is to find if the question word is immediate followed by a noun it modifies. For example,

• Which movie is your favorite? In this example, which is modifying the noun movie. So, in this example, which is an interrogative adjective. Some of the examples are:
• What are you reading? (interrogative pronoun)
• What book are you reading? (interrogative adjective)

Interrogative Pronouns vs Relative Pronouns

In declarative sentences, “who, whom, which, whose, whatever, whoever, whichever” are also used as relative pronouns. In place of being associated with a question, relative pronouns clarify whom or what is sentence is talking about by providing extra information. Examples include,

• Whichever is the fastest route to reach Mumbai? (interrogative pronoun)
• Take whichever route is fastest to Mumbai. (Relative pronoun)
• The computer which belonged to Shyam is very old. (Relative pronoun)

Worksheets on Interrogative Pronouns

By now, you all are aware of the interrogative pronouns. So it’s time to solve some of the interrogative pronoun worksheets given below:

Q1. Fill in the blanks with correct interrogative pronouns.

1. (_____) had drawn that picture?
2. (_____) would you prefer to have at lunch?
3. (_____) book is that?
4. (_____) did you inform?
5. To (_____) are you talking over the phone?
6. (_____) do you feel will win the match?
7. I wonder (_____) cat spread the food over there.
8. (_____) is in a name?
9. I want to know (_____) this is.
10. Out of these, (_____) is yours?

Q2. Underline the interrogative pronoun in the below-mentioned sentences and indicate if that is a direct/indirect/or reported question.

1. Do you know what she is doing here?
2. She was wondering who will be present at the function.
3. Whom did you ask regarding Madhu?
4. Whoever would want to do such a nasty thing?
5. Which one will you choose: apple or mango?
6. He is confused regarding which is correct.
7. Whatever could I have done to make you angry?
8. Which the doctor will see first?
9. They’re all fantastic! Whichever will you choose?
10. You can choose whichever one you want.

A demonstrative pronoun is a pronoun that is used to indicate specific people or things within a sentence. These pronouns can point to items in space or time and indicate if they are singular or plural. Demonstrative pronouns replace nouns or noun phrases in a senetence and are normally used to refer to previously mentioned nouns, topics, or ideas. They are widely used in both spoken and written english.

List of Demonstrative Pronouns

In the English grammar, there are only seven demonstrative pronouns. Those are

• This (singular)
• These (plural)
• That (singular)
• Those (plural)
• Such (singular or plural)
• None (singular or plural)
• Neither (always singular)

Functions of Demonstrative Pronouns

This, that, those, and these are the most common four demonstrative pronouns frequently used in the English language. Their functions are explained below:

• This: This denotes something that is nearby to the speaker and it is singular.
• That: That is used to denote something that is far (not near) from the speaker and it is singular.
• These: These is used to point to something that is nearby to the speaker and it is plural.
• Those: Those denotes something that is far (not near) from the speaker and it is plural.

None, such, and neither are less common as demonstrative pronoun usage. Neither is always singular. However, Such and None can be used as both singular or plural.

Examples of Demonstrative Pronouns

Reviewing some of the examples will provide more clarity on the use of demonstrative pronouns and its function in language. Refer to the following sentences where the demonstrative pronoun is highlighted by making it bold:

• Pass me that book. (singular, not near)
• I am really sorry that I forgot to bring those. (plural, not near)
• These notes will help to clear your confusion. (plural, near)
• This pen belongs to Kapil. (singular, near)
• None of this answer is correct. (singular)
• None of them have the courage to highlight the fault. (plural)
• Neither of the balls are good for playing (singular)
• Such was her command over music. (singular)
• Such are the rules. (plural)

Difference between Demonstrative Pronoun and Demonstrative Adjective

Some of the demonstrative pronouns are also used as demonstrative adjective. However, their usage in sentence structure is different.

A demonstrative pronoun replaces the noun or noun phrase that has already been specified whereas a demonstrative adjective modifies the noun in the sentence and is always followed by the noun.

The following examples will clarify the above:

In the sentence, “That is one of my favorites”, the word that acts as a demonstrative pronoun. But in the sentence “That movie is among one of my favorites” the word that precedes the noun movie and functioning as a demonstrative adjective. Some other examples are:

• “Ruma wanted to try these.” (demonstrative pronoun)
• “Ruma wanted to try these recipes.” (demonstrative adjective)
• “Is this yours?” (demonstrative pronoun)
• “Is this pen yours?” (demonstrative adjective)

Demonstrative Pronouns Worksheets

Now is the time solve some demonstrative pronoun worksheets and exercises.

Q1. Choose the correct demonstrative pronouns to complete the sentence.

1. (This/These/Those/Such) is such an interesting place.
2. Are (that/this/those/such) your books?
3. (Such/Neither/This/those) of them had played the game before.
4. Can you give me one of (those/this/that/none) books?
5. Take (this/these/none/that) medicines tonight.
6. Everything is unclear. (Neither/None/Such/These) is the reality of relationships.
7. I really love (this/these/none/those) song.
8. (That/Those/These/Such) was so cool.

Q2. In each of the following sentences underline the demonstrative pronouns and state if that is singular or plural

1. That is the tallest building I ever saw.
2. These sweets are delicious.
3. How could you do this to me?
4. Have you solved those sums?
5. You must select one from these choices.
6. Who baked this cake?
7. Such is the way he follows.
8. These is none left to distribute.
9. You can easily forget those if don’t write it down.
10. Give me that red pen.

Definition of Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns refer to a person or thing in a general open way. It does not refer to any specific person, thing, or amount already named. The idea is not definite. So, indefinite pronouns are defined as the pronouns that are used in place of nouns that are not distinctly specified in the sentence. Some of the typical examples of indefinite pronouns are all, another, whatever, any, anybody, anyone, all, anything, each, many, everybody, everyone, everything, few, many, nobody, none, one, several, some, somebody, someone, etc.

Indefinite pronouns can are either be singular or plural. Also, some of the indefinite pronouns can be singular in one context and plural in another.

Types of Indefinite Pronouns

There are two main types of indefinite pronouns:
The first type of indefinite pronouns consists of compounds having a second part: -one, -body, -thing linked to any, some, no, and every. Example: Everone, Someone, No one, Somebody, Something, Nothing, etc.
The second class of indefinite pronouns is a much larger group of determiners that can be used as pronouns and which can be followed by an of construction. Examples include few, most, little, many, more, either, some, several, any, all, least, none, etc.

List of Indefinite Pronouns

There are quite a few indefinite pronouns. Some of those are listed in the table below:

People or Things	Singular Indefinite Pronouns	Plural Indefinite Pronouns	Singular or Plural
Either People of Things	One, Another, Each, Other, Either	Few, Both, Fewer, Others, Many, Several	All, More, Plenty, Any, Most, None, Neither, Some
People Only	Anyone, Everyone, Anybody, Everybody, Noone, Nobody, Someone, Somebody, Whoever, Whomever, Whosoever, Whomsoever, You	They
Things Only	Much, Little, Anything, Everything, Enough, Less, This, Whatever, Such, Whichever, Nothing, Something		Such

Indefinite Pronoun Examples and Rules

Rules and Examples of Indefinite Pronouns: Singular vs Plural

Some indefinite pronouns like everything, much, everyone, etc refer to more than one but are considered singular. The reason is that they function as a single unit similar to collective nouns. For this reason, these types of indefinite pronouns take a singular verb. For example:

• Everything was finished when we reached there.
• Everyone is asking for you.
• I hope everything is good at your end.

Plural indefinite pronouns have a plural agreement with their verbs. Examples include: Many are in agreement with their colleagues.

Note that, depending on the usage context, some pronouns can act either as singular or plural. For example:

• All are welcome to attend the party (plural)
• All is well at my end (singular)

Rules and Examples of Indefinite Pronouns: People vs Things

An indefinite pronoun can identify both people and things. Some indefinite pronouns are specifically used for people, some are specifically for things. Also, there are some indefinite pronouns that can be used for either of them. For example, the following indefinite pronouns represent people:

• Would anyone like a cup of tea? (people)
• I don’t feel anybody is attending the meeting. (people).
• I can’t believe no one came to meet me.
• Whoever would like to join the game is welcome.

In a similar manner the following indefinite pronouns represent things:

• Do you like to add something? (things)
• The less is known, the better.
• Ram felt Rahim has had enough.
• I will just have whatever you are having.

Again, the following examples of indefinite pronouns can be used to refer to either people or things:

• One was short and as compared to the other. (One may be people or things).
• Take both if you wish to.
• I feel either will do for now.
• All are accounted for.

Cardinal and ordinal numbers can also be used as indefinite pronouns. For example,

• I was woken at five every morning by those birds.
• Julie, the third of our daughters, is the brightest.

Note that there are no significant differences in meaning between indefinite pronouns ending in -body and those ending in -one. However, somebody, anybody, nobody is used more frequently in informal contexts. When used as subjects, these indefinite pronouns usually take a singular, not a plural verb. Example: “Is nobody interested?” However, when pronouns are used to refer to these words, plural forms are generally used. Example: “Someone has lost their ticket.”

Indefinite Pronoun Worksheets

It’s time to solve the following indefinite pronoun worksheets and exercises.

Q1. Fill in the blanks with indefinite pronouns to form a meaningful sentence?

1. I saw ………….. at the airport who is not well known to me.
2. It’s raining heavily and ……………. is inside the room.
3. Can you recall …………………that we learnt yesterday.
4. There is ………………….in the fridge. So, go to the nearby market to buy………….
5. It’s 1.00 am in my watch and I couldn’t find ……….. to talk to in the road.
6. ………….. is staring at me and It’s so embarrassing.
7. I don’t know …………… about it.
8. It’s too dark outside and I can’t see ………….

Q2. Choose the correct indefinite pronouns to complete the sentence.

1. (Everybody/Somebody/Anybody) needs friends.
2. Swarnali knows (anything/something/everything) about painting.
3. Uttam always goes (everywhere/somewhere/anywhere) with his car.
4. There is (somebody/anybody/nobody) at the classroom as the school is closed.
5. It seems there is (anybody/nobody/everybody) inside the house but (somebody/nobody/everybody) responded.
6. I couldn’t eat (something/anything/everything) in the restaurant as the food was too salty.
7. It’s too hot and Sumita wants to eat (everything/something/anything) cold.
8. Have you seen my spectacle (anywhere/nowhere/everywhere)?

Gerunds in English grammar are words generated from verbs by adding “ing” in the end and works as a noun in a sentence. A gerund can work as a subject, object, or predicate in a sentence. So, Basically,

Gerund (Noun)= (Verb) + (Suffix-ing)

For example, In the sentence “Reading is my passion”, the word “Reading” is a gerund that is formed by adding ing with the verb Read. The term Reading in the above sentence is working as a subject noun.

Note that, All verbs with ing at the end are not gerunds, To be a gerund it must have to be used as a noun. For example, in the sentence, “He is reading a book”, the word reading is a verb, not a gerund. So, a gerund is a noun consisting of a verb and a suffix -ing. It is also referred to as a verbal noun or -ing noun.

Note that, sometimes a gerund takes additional information like an object, adverb, or prepositional phrase and the entire group of words acts as a noun. This is known as a gerund phrase.

Features of a Gerund

• A gerund is a noun generated from a verb.
• As gerunds do not have the grammatical function of a verb, they are always non-finite.
• A gerund can function as a subject, adjective complement, or object in a sentence.
• Gerunds can stand alone or form a gerund phrase.
• Gerunds can be modified by an adverb (adverbs can’t modify nouns. However, in case of gerunds/gerund phrases, the verb is functioning as a noun. So the gerund itself can still be modified by an adverb in the same way as a normal verb. Example: “Studying too hastily will result in a poor grade.”)

Examples of Gerunds

Example of Gerunds as the subjects in a sentence:

Similar to a normal noun, a gerund or gerund phrase can be used as a subject of a sentence. For example:

• Reading is my favourite pastime. (gerund only)
• Eating green vegetables in good for health. (gerund+object)
• Studying too hastily can result in a poor grade. (gerund + adverb(s))
• Listening romantic songs proves to be dangerous among youngsters. (gerund + adjective + noun)
• Working from home saves the travelling time and costs associated. (gerund + prepositional phrase)

Gerund Examples as a subject complement:

Gerunds in a sentence can be used as subject complements where the gerund acts as a kind modifier giving additional information about the subject. Some of the examples include:

• My favorite thing about being in Mumbai is eating Vadapao. (eating complements thing)
• My main responsibility as a construction professional is operating the crane. (operating complements the noun responsibility)
• The best thing in life is spending time doing what we love.

Examples of Gerunds as objects of prepositions:

Gerunds can be used as the objects of prepositions for describing an action that modifies another action. This creates adverbial prepositional phrases which can be at the beginning, middle, or end of the sentence. For
example:

• After sneezing, I always get the hiccups.
• I’m planning to improve my health by running five kilometers daily.
• Mohor started going crazy from so much waiting in the long queue.
• She’s not against marrying him, she just isn’t ready yet.

Gerund examples as object of verbs/phrasal verbs:

Gerunds can sometimes function as the objects of verbs and phrasal verbs. For example:

• I really love playing for the team.
• I enjoy eating outside though my wife prefers cooking at home.
• They couldn’t help feeling sorry for Alice.
• Tanushri is looking forward to meeting Firan.
• When will Uttam give up drinking liquor?
• Sumita is counting on getting tickets for the newly released movie.

Examples of Gerunds to form compound nouns:

A gerund can be combined with regular nouns to form compound nouns. Some examples include:

• Jack’s new running shoes were stolen from the shoe-rack.
• Rahul’s hoping Sweta will give him a helping hand to finish the work.
• The working conditions of this city are very poor

Gerund examples as object complement:

Gerunds can also act as object complements for certain factitive verbs. For example:

• I can’t believe the boss caught Krishna napping.
• We came across Shyam lying in the pool.
• Priya saw the baby walking by herself.

Examples of Gerunds after prepositions:

When a verb comes after a preposition, using a gerund is the normal philosophy. Some examples are:

• Manasi is good at painting.
• There is no point in waiting for Ismat.
• In spite of missing the bus, they reached on time.

Gerund examples after some expressions

The gerund is required after some of the expressions like “can’t help”, “can’t stand”, “to be worth”, “it’s no use”, etc. Examples include:

• It’s no use trying to escape the long queue.
• It is worth mentioning his name in the list.
• Mohor couldn’t help falling in love with Firan.

Gerunds Worksheets and Exercises

I Hope, by now you have learned and understood the above examples of gerunds. Now is the time to solve the following Gerund worksheets.

Q1. Read the following sentences and underline the gerunds.

1. Walking is a good exercise.
2. When do you give up smoking?
3. Excessive swimming can cause cramps in legs.
4. Anoop enjoys jogging eight kilometers daily.
5. Coding is Aharsi’s favourite activity.
6. You can easily recommend listening to that song.
7. Thank you for bearing with me.
8. Walking long distances is not a problem for Manasi.

Q2. Use the given verbs and fill in the the spaces provided with correct gerund form.

Verbs: (Call/Cook/Jump/Work/Skate/Solve/Go/Be)

1. Swarnali is capable of ( ) the problem herself.
2. Ismat is proud of ( ).
3. Firan is fond of ( ) for his site.
4. Don’t be afraid of ( ) from so lower levels.
5. Uttam likes the idea of ( ) outside during the pandemic period.
6. Rubel is responsible for ( ) for Sumita.
7. Ram objected to ( ) Rahim.
8. Ravleen said sorry for ( ) late.