Brief Summary
This YouTube video is a marathon session aimed at helping students prepare for their English language exams, particularly focusing on the BSTC exam. The instructor, Naresh Upadhyay, covers a wide range of topics including articles, tenses, sequence of tenses, conditionals, active/passive voice, direct/indirect speech, misspelt words, synonyms, antonyms, simple/compound/complex sentences, and determiners. The session includes numerous practice questions and explanations, with a focus on understanding the underlying concepts and applying them effectively.
- Covers a wide range of English grammar and vocabulary topics relevant to teaching exams.
- Provides numerous practice questions with detailed explanations.
- Offers test-taking strategies and tips for avoiding common errors.
Introduction
Naresh Upadhyay welcomes students to the Utkarsh online platform for an English language marathon session. He emphasizes the goal of covering the entire syllabus and providing valuable insights to help students succeed in their exams. The aim is to ensure students actively learn and understand the material, rather than passively attending the session.
Grammar Essentials
The instructor begins by emphasizing the importance of spelling, particularly for words like "marathon" and "grammar." He reviews the correct spelling of "grammar" (G-R-A-M-M-A-R) and then transitions into the first question, which focuses on articles.
Article Usage: The Definite Article
The first question asks which article to use before "Eiffel Tower." The correct answer is "the," as it's a unique structure. The instructor reviews the rules for using "the" with unique things, rivers, ranges, and holy books. He then poses another question: "He lives in blank England," explaining that no article is needed because "England" is a proper noun.
Article Usage: Proper Nouns and Superlative Degrees
The instructor presents a sentence with three blanks: "Blank New York is blank largest city in blank USA." The correct articles are: no article for New York (proper noun), "the" for "largest" (superlative degree), and "the" for "USA." He explains that proper nouns generally don't take articles unless specifically defined.
Article Usage: General vs. Specific Contexts
The next question involves the sentence: "It was nice to hear blank English spoken without a Spanish accent." The correct answer is zero article, as it refers to English in a general sense. The instructor explains that proper nouns, days, games, seasons, and languages generally don't take articles unless specified.
Article Usage: Zero Article with Meals
The discussion shifts to zero articles, particularly with meals. Generally, "lunch," "breakfast," and "dinner" do not take articles. However, if the meal is specified, such as "The dinner we took last night was very delicious," then the article "the" is used.
Article Usage: Primary Purpose vs. Specific Instance
The instructor addresses the use of articles with places like "school," "church," and "hospital." If someone is going to these places for their primary purpose (e.g., going to school to study), no article is used. However, if the purpose is different (e.g., "I am going to the school to see the headmaster"), then "the" is used.
Article Usage: A vs. An
The session covers the use of "a" and "an." "A" is used before consonant sounds, while "an" is used before vowel sounds. For example, "He is a lawyer and his father is an engineer." The instructor emphasizes that the sound, not just the letter, determines the article. He uses the word "year" as an example, which sounds like "yer" and therefore takes "a."
Article Usage: Quick Tips
The instructor provides quick tips for article usage, particularly for test-taking. He advises against using "a" or "an" with uncountable nouns or countable plural nouns.
Determiners: Few vs. Little
The session transitions to determiners, focusing on "few," "a few," "the few," "little," "a little," and "the little." "Few" and "little" indicate scarcity, while "a few" and "a little" indicate some quantity. "The few" and "the little" refer to a specific amount. "Few," "a few," and "the few" are used with countable plural nouns, while "little," "a little," and "the little" are used with uncountable nouns.
Determiners: Specific Determiners
The instructor discusses specific determiners and their usage. He explains that "any" is used in negative sentences, while "some" is used in positive sentences.
Conjunctions: Time vs. Condition
The session moves to conjunctions, differentiating between "until" (time) and "unless" (condition). He notes that "until" and "unless" should not be used with "not" in the same clause.
Conjunctions: Common Pairs
The instructor reviews common conjunction pairs: "whether...or," "neither...nor," "either...or," "not only...but also," and "between...and." He also advises against using "that" with a "WH" word.
Conjunctions: Additional Rules
Additional conjunction rules are covered, including "lest...should," "both...and," "hardly/scarcely...when," "no sooner...than," "although/though...yet/comma," and "seldom if ever/seldom or never."
Conjunctions: Contrasting Ideas
The use of "but" to indicate contrast is explained. For example, "Rohan lost a fortune in the stock market, but he still seems able to live quite comfortably."
Conjunctions: Agreement
The instructor reviews the use of "both...and" and then asks students to identify the tense in the sentence "Both Veena and Meena are beautiful," which is simple present.
Conjunctions: Cause and Effect
The session covers cause-and-effect conjunctions, contrasting "because of" with "therefore." For example, "She came first, therefore she got a gold medal."
Prepositions: Location and Transformation
The discussion shifts to prepositions, starting with "into" to show transformation: "Water turns into ice in the refrigerator." The instructor advises students to practice writing the word "refrigerator" to avoid spelling errors.
Prepositions: Placement and Movement
The use of "on" for placement is explained: "The sculpture hangs on the wall." The instructor contrasts "in" and "into" to show movement: "He is in the river" (no movement) versus "He jumped into the river" (movement).
Prepositions: Common Usages
The session covers common preposition usages, such as "congratulate...on," "based on/upon," and "depend on/upon." The difference between "above" and "below" is explained in terms of levels.
Prepositions: Time and Special Cases
The instructor reviews the use of "on" with days and dates. He notes that "on" is not used with "yesterday," "tomorrow," or "today," nor with "last" or "next."
Prepositions: Specific Rules
The session covers specific preposition rules, such as using "in" with "blind" when referring to one eye ("blind in one eye"). He also notes that "good" and "bad" take "at," while "strong" and "weak" take "in."
Prepositions: Location and Association
The instructor explains that "at" is used for specific locations and times: "We will meet at the airport." He also covers prepositions of association, such as "with" in "The money is safe with the bank."
Prepositions: Endowed and Pleased
The session covers the use of "with" with "endowed," "satisfied," "impressed," and "pleased." The difference between "pleased with" (a person or thing) and "pleased to" (do something) is explained.
Verb Agreement: Uncountable Nouns
The discussion shifts to verb agreement, noting that "news" is an uncountable noun and therefore takes a singular verb: "After a night's sleep, the news is as indispensable as breakfast."
Verb Agreement: Compound Subjects
The instructor explains that when two subjects are joined by phrases like "as well as," the verb agrees with the first subject: "The chairman, as well as the members, has come."
Verb Agreement: Plural Nouns
The session covers verb agreement with plural nouns: "The statistics show that in general women live longer than men."
Verb Agreement: Foreign Words
The instructor explains that foreign words like "crisis" have different singular and plural forms, affecting verb agreement.
Verb Agreement: Not Only...But Also
The session covers verb agreement with "not only...but also," where the verb agrees with the closest subject: "Not only the manager but also the employees have completed the project on time."
Sequence of Tenses: Since
The discussion shifts to the sequence of tenses, particularly with "since." If the clause after "since" is in the simple past, the main clause is in the present perfect or present perfect continuous: "The baby has been crying since his mother left him."
Sequence of Tenses: Past Continuous
The instructor explains the use of past perfect continuous: "At this time last Monday, we had been waiting at the airport for an hour."
Stative Verbs
The session covers stative verbs, which generally do not take the "-ing" form. For example, "He needs to work hard in all subjects" is correct, while "He is needing" is incorrect.
Stative Verbs: Know
The instructor emphasizes that the verb "know" is a stative verb and does not take the "-ing" form: "He has known Mrs. Gupta since she was a student" is correct.
Present Continuous
The session covers the use of the present continuous tense: "Ram is living in his village in these days."
Phrasal Verbs: Social Evils
The discussion shifts to phrasal verbs, explaining that "do away with" means to remove or eliminate: "We should do away with social evils."
Phrasal Verbs: Old Practices
The instructor explains that "cast off" means to remove or get rid of: "Organizations must cast off old-fashioned practices in order to survive."
Phrasal Verbs: Strike
The session covers the phrasal verb "called off," meaning to postpone or cancel: "The laborers called off the strike after some negotiation with the management."
Phrasal Verbs: Respect
The instructor explains that "look up to" means to respect or admire: "His younger brother looks up to him and obeys his every order."
Phrasal Verbs: Raincoat
The session covers the phrasal verb "put on," meaning to wear: "It is raining outside. Put your raincoat on."
Question Tags: Positive Sentences
The discussion shifts to question tags, explaining that positive sentences take negative tags and vice versa. The instructor reviews contracted forms like "won't" (will not) and "shan't" (shall not).
Question Tags: Negative Sentences
The session covers question tags for negative sentences and the use of "it" for "something."
Question Tags: Negative Meaning
The instructor explains that words like "few" have a negative meaning, so the question tag should be positive: "Few people help the poor, do they?"
Question Tags: Plural Subjects
The session covers question tags with plural subjects and the use of "there": "There are many employees in the content department, aren't there?"
Question Tags: Negative Statements
The instructor explains question tags with negative statements: "Hina has not passed the exam, has she?"
Sentence Types: Exclamatory
The discussion shifts to sentence types, explaining that exclamatory sentences often start with "What" and include an exclamation mark: "What a fantastic performance!"
Sentence Types: Imperative
The session covers imperative sentences, which express orders, requests, or advice: "Don't forget to call me."
Sentence Types: Negative
The instructor explains negative sentences: "They have not finished their homework yet."
Sentence Types: Compound vs. Complex
The session covers compound and complex sentences, noting that "yet," "not only...but also," "either...or," "neither...nor," and "and" are often found in compound sentences.
Sentence Types: Declarative
The instructor explains declarative sentences, which make a statement: "Winter is the coldest season of the year."
Passive Voice: General Rules
The discussion shifts to passive voice, emphasizing the rule "as the active, so the passive." The instructor notes that prepositions are important in passive constructions.
Passive Voice: Present Continuous
The session covers passive voice in the present continuous tense: "Is she reciting a poem?" becomes "Is a poem being recited by her?"
Passive Voice: To + Verb
The instructor explains how to form the passive voice with "to + verb": "Ram has to repair this car" becomes "This car has to be repaired."
Passive Voice: Past Perfect
The session covers passive voice in the past perfect tense: "She had finished her work" becomes "Her work had been finished."
Passive Voice: Simple Present
The instructor explains how to form the passive voice in the simple present tense: "They do not help their friends in difficulties" becomes "Their friends are not helped in difficulties."
Indirect Speech: Past Indefinite
The discussion shifts to indirect speech, explaining that the past indefinite tense changes to the past perfect: "She said to us, 'Did you abuse your neighbors yesterday?'" becomes "She asked us if we had abused our neighbors the previous day."
Indirect Speech: Present Tense
The instructor explains that if the reporting verb is in the present tense, there is no change in the tense of the reported speech: "Sunita says, 'I have seen the film before'" becomes "Sunita says that she has seen the film before."
Indirect Speech: WH Questions
The session covers indirect speech with "WH" questions, noting that the "WH" word is retained: "Rahul said, 'What have you been searching for all these hours?'" becomes "Rahul asked me what I had been searching for all those hours."
Indirect Speech: Future Tense
The instructor explains how to change future tense in indirect speech: "Aarti told my brother, 'I will meet you in your class'" becomes "Aarti told my brother that she would meet him in his class."
Sentence Transformation: Compound to Complex
The session covers transforming compound sentences into complex sentences, using "although" to connect ideas: "The lion was wounded but not killed" becomes "Although the lion was wounded, he was not killed."
Sentence Transformation: Complex to Simple
The instructor explains how to transform complex sentences into simple sentences, using "to" to simplify the sentence: "We need a house where we can live" becomes "We need a house to live in."
Vocabulary: Synonyms
The discussion shifts to vocabulary, starting with synonyms. The instructor explains that "confess" means "admit."
Vocabulary: Reckless
The instructor explains that "reckless" means "careless."
Vocabulary: Quintessential
The instructor explains that "quintessential" means "typical."
Vocabulary: Cultivated
The instructor explains that "cultivated" means "developed."
Vocabulary: Indigent
The instructor explains that "indigent" means "very poor."
Vocabulary: Calm
The discussion shifts to antonyms, explaining that the antonym of "calm" is "disturbed."
Vocabulary: Criticize
The instructor explains that the antonym of "criticize" is "commend."
Vocabulary: Dearth
The instructor explains that the antonym of "dearth" is "surfeit."
Vocabulary: Conspicuous
The instructor explains that the antonym of "conspicuous" is "vague."
Vocabulary: Generous
The instructor explains that the antonym of "generous" is "stingy."
Vocabulary: One Word - Belief
The discussion shifts to one-word substitutions, explaining that "that which cannot be believed" is "incredible."
Vocabulary: One Word - Required
The instructor explains that "having something more than required" is "surplus."
Vocabulary: One Word - Protocol
The instructor explains that "code of diplomatic etiquette and precedence" is "protocol."
Vocabulary: One Word - Community
The instructor explains that "group of people living together in the same locality" is "community."
Vocabulary: One Word - Mobocracy
The instructor explains that "the rule of the crowd" is "mobocracy."
Vocabulary: Misspelt - Anticipate
The discussion shifts to correctly spelled words, explaining that the correct spelling of "anticipate" is "A-N-T-I-C-I-P-A-T-E."
Vocabulary: Misspelt - Orthopedic
The instructor explains that the correct spelling of "orthopedic" is "O-R-T-H-O-P-E-D-I-C."
Vocabulary: Misspelt - Exaggeration
The session covers wrongly spelled words, explaining that the correct spelling of "exaggeration" is "E-X-A-G-G-E-R-A-T-I-O-N."
Vocabulary: Misspelt - Relieve
The instructor explains that the correct spelling of "relieve" is "R-E-L-I-E-V-E."
Vocabulary: Misspelt - Velocity
The instructor explains that the correct spelling of "velocity" is "V-E-L-O-C-I-T-Y."
Reading Comprehension: Sindbad's Voyages
The session concludes with a reading comprehension exercise. The passage discusses Sindbad's decision to settle in Baghdad after his first voyage, his subsequent boredom, and his decision to embark on a second voyage.
Reading Comprehension: First Voyage
The question "What did Sindbad decide to do after his first voyage?" is answered with "He decided to settle down at Baghdad."
Reading Comprehension: Second Voyage
The question "Why did Sindbad go on a second voyage?" is answered with "He became tired of settled life and disliked laziness."
Reading Comprehension: Island
The question "Sindbad and his friends reached an island which was" is answered with "Full of many kinds of fruit trees."
Reading Comprehension: Ship Left
The question "Which of the following statements is true?" is answered with "The ship left even before Sindbad woke up from sleep."
Conclusion
The instructor concludes the session, thanking the students for their participation and wishing them the best for their exams. He encourages them to share the class with their peers and emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and improvement.
