Speak with Confidence
Start with These Basic English Exercises
We’re thrilled to have you here. Our guide is packed with Basic English Exercises that are designed just for you! These exercises are your stepstepping to mastering the English language. They’re simple, they’re fun, and they’re incredibly effective. So, whether you’re just starting or looking to brush up your skills, these Basic English Exercises are your best companions.
Matching words with their meanings exercise for beginner-level student
- match
- a. something used to light a fire
- b. a contest between two people or teams
- happy
- a. feeling or showing pleasure
- b. feeling or showing sadness
- walk
- a. a journey on foot
- b. a method of transportation using wheels
- book
- a. a written or printed work of fiction or nonfiction
- b. a collection of music or songs
- eat
- a. to chew and swallow food
- b. to drink liquid
- large
- a. of more than average size
- b. of less than average size
- hot
- a. having a high temperature
- b. having a low temperature
- fast
- a. moving or being able to move quickly
- b. moving or able to move slowly
- cold
- a. having a low temperature
- b. having a high temperature
- young
- a. having lived or existed for a short time
- b. having lived or existed for a long time.
Completing sentences with the correct word for beginners
- The cat is sleeping on the couch.
- I like to eat pizza on Friday nights.
- The sun is shining brightly today.
- I walk to the store every morning.
- The book is on the table.
- It is cold outside today; I need a coat.
- I am happy to see you.
- He is a fast runner.
- The dog is barking loudly.
- I am young and full of energy.
- The tree is tall and green.
- I will drink water now.
- The sky is blue and clear.
- She is kind and thoughtful.
- The flower is beautiful and fragrant.
- I need to write a letter to my friend.
- The car is red and shiny.
- I will read a book before bed.
- The bed is comfortable and warm.
- I love ice cream.
Identifying the correct word to complete a sentence for beginners
- I drink water every morning.
- a. eat
- b. drink
- c. wear
- The sun is shining today.
- a. moon
- b. sun
- c. star
- I walk to school every day.
- a. swim
- b. walk
- c. drive
- The cat is sleeping on the bed.
- a. dog
- b. cat
- c. bird
- I read a book before bed.
- a. watch
- b. read
- c. listen
- The flower is red and beautiful.
- a. leaf
- b. flower
- c. fruit
- I eat breakfast at 7am every day.
- a. sleep
- b. eat
- c. work
- The car is parked in the garage.
- a. bike
- b. car
- c. train
- I love ice cream.
- a. hate
- b. love
- c. dislike
- The sky is blue and clear.
- a. ground
- b. sky
- c. sea
Identifying parts of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc.) for beginners
- The cat sat on the windowsill.
- The: article
- cat: noun
- sat: verb
- on: preposition
- the: article
- windowsill: noun
- She walked quickly to the store.
- She: pronoun
- walked: verb
- quickly: adverb
- to: preposition
- the: article
- store: noun
- The red car is fast.
- The: article
- red: adjective
- car: noun
- is: verb
- fast: adjective
- He sang a beautiful song.
- He: pronoun
- sang: verb
- a: article
- beautiful: adjective
- song: noun
- The bright sun was shining.
- The: article
- bright: adjective
- sun: noun
- was: verb
- shining: verb
- She is a kind and gentle person.
- She: pronoun
- is: verb
- a: article
- kind: adjective
- and: conjunction
- gentle: adjective
- person: noun
- He ran faster than the other boys.
- He: pronoun
- ran: verb
- faster: adverb
- than: conjunction
- the: article
- other: adjective
- boys: noun
- The big dog barked loudly.
- The: article
- big: adjective
- dog: noun
- barked: verb
- loudly: adverb
- I am happy to see you.
- I: pronoun
- am: verb
- happy: adjective
- to: preposition
- see: verb
- you: pronoun
- The beautiful flowers were blooming in the garden.
- The: article
- beautiful: adjective
- flowers: noun
- were: verb
- blooming: verb
- in: preposition
- the: article
- garden: noun
Forming simple sentences (Subject + Verb + Object) for beginners
- The cat (subject) slept (verb) on the couch (object).
- I (subject) eat (verb) breakfast (object) every morning.
- The sun (subject) shines (verb) brightly (adverb) today (object).
- She (subject) walks (verb) to school (object) every day.
- The dog (subject) barks (verb) loudly (adverb)
- I (subject) read (verb) a book (object) before bed.
- The boy (subject) throws (verb) the ball (object) to his friend (object).
- The girl (subject) sings (verb) a song (object) beautifully (adverb).
- The car (subject) moves (verb) fast (adverb) on the road (object)
- The bird (subject) flies (verb) in the sky (object).
Identifying and correcting subject-verb agreement errors for beginners
- Incorrect: The dog barks loudly. Correct: The dog barks loudly. Explanation: Subject “dog” is in singular form so the verb “bark” should also be in singular form.
- Incorrect: The children play in the park. Correct: The children play in the park. Explanation: The subject “children” is in plural form, so the verb “play” should also be in plural form.
- Incorrect: The book is on the table. Correct: The books are on the table. Explanation: The subject “book” is in singular form, so the verb “is” should be in singular form.
- Incorrect: The pencils break easily. Correct: The pencil breaks easily. Explanation: The subject “pencil” is in singular form, so the verb “breaks” should be in singular form.
- Incorrect: The boy is playing soccer. Correct: The boys are playing soccer. Explanation: The subject “boys” is in plural form, so the verb “are” should be in plural form.
- Incorrect: She sings well. Correct: She sings well. Explanation: “good” is an adjective; it should be “well,” which is an adverb modifying the verb “sing.”.
- Incorrect: The flowers smell nice. Correct: The flowers smell nice. Explanation: The subject “flowers” is in plural form, so the verb “smell” should be in plural form.
- Incorrect: The baby cries a lot. Correct: The baby cries a lot. Explanation: The subject “baby” is in singular form, so the verb “cry” should be in singular form.
- Incorrect: The shoes wear out quickly. Correct: The shoes wear out quickly. Explanation: “wear out” is a phrasal verb, and it is correct as it is.
- Incorrect: The fish swims in the pond. Correct: The fish swim in the pond. Explanation: “swims” is incorrect; it should be “swim” as it is an intransitive verb.
Identifying sentence beginnings and ends for beginners
- The cat sat on the windowsill. (beginning: The cat; end: windowsill)
- She walked quickly to the store. (beginning: She, end: store)
- The red car is fast. (beginning: The red car; end: fast)
- He sang a beautiful song. (beginning: He; end: song)
- The bright sun was shining. (beginning: The bright sun; end: shining)
- She is a kind and gentle person. (beginning: She, end: person)
- He ran faster than the other boys. (beginning: He, end: boys)
- The big dog barked loudly. (beginning: The big dog; end: loudly)
- I am happy to see you. (beginning: I, end: you)
- The beautiful flowers were blooming in the garden. (beginning: The beautiful flowers; end: garden)
Identifying and correcting sentence fragment errors for beginners
A sentence fragment is a group of words that appears to be a sentence but is not because it does not contain a subject and a verb, or because it does not express a complete thought. To identify sentence fragments, you can look for the following signs:
- Lack of a subject or a verb: for example, “Walking in the park” (missing subject) or “The book on the table” (missing verb).
- Dependent words: for example, “Because it was raining” (dependent word “because” indicates a missing independent clause)
- A phrase or clause that is set off by a comma: for example, “The dog, who was sleeping on the couch” (missing independent clause)
To correct sentence fragments, you can do the following:
- Add a subject or a verb to make a complete sentence.
- Add an independent clause to a dependent clause to form a complete sentence.
- Connect a dependent clause or phrase to an independent clause to form a complete sentence.
- Remove any comma that separates a dependent clause or phrase from an independent clause.
Example:
Fragment: “Walking in the park” Correction: “I am walking in the park.”
Fragment: “Because it was raining.” Correction: “I didn’t go outside because it was raining.”
Fragment: “The dog, who was sleeping on the couch.” Correction: “The dog who was sleeping on the couch was barking at the mailman.”
Identifying and correcting run-on sentence errors for beginners
A run-on sentence is a sentence that is too long and contains multiple independent clauses that are not properly connected. To identify run-on sentences, you can look for the following signs:
- Lack of punctuation or conjunctions between independent clauses: for example, “I went to the store and bought some milk.”
- A comma splice: for example, “I went to the store; I bought some milk.”
To correct run-on sentences, you can do the following:
- Add a period, semicolon, or comma and a conjunction between independent clauses; for example, “I went to the store. I bought some milk” or “I went to the store; I bought some milk” or “I went to the store, and I bought some milk”
- Use a subordinating conjunction to make one clause dependent: “After I went to the store, I bought some milk.”
- Break the sentence into two separate sentences: “I went to the store. I bought some milk.”
Example:
Run-on: “I went to the store and bought some milk.” Correction: “I went to the store. I bought some milk.”
Run-on: “I went to the store; I bought some milk.” Correction: “I went to the store. I bought some milk” or “I went to the store, and I bought some milk”
Run-on: “I was tired but I stayed up late to finish my work.” Correction: “I was tired, but I stayed up late to finish my work.”
