If a subject consists of nouns that are connected by or by, the verb corresponds to the last noun. Collective nouns (team, couple, employees, etc.) adopt a singular verb. Oil and gas are a popular heating choice. Peanut butter combined with bread and jelly is a delicious snack. (Here, peanut butter, bread and jelly are a unit, a sandwich, so no comma is needed and we keep the singular verb.) Another trap for writers is the transition from a strict grammatical agreement to a ”fictitious agreement”, that is, the verb coincides with the term or idea that the subject is trying to convey, whether singular or plural: identify parts of the language and its functions nouns, pronouns, verbs, prepositions, adjectives and adverbs; Subjects & Objects. 3 Subject-verb-subject- the person, place, thing or idea that a sentence is about. Verb- indicates what the subject does or is. If the subject of a sentence is plural, the verb must also be plural. Teaching page The teacher listens. 10 reminders Remember that your topic will NEVER be ”there”, so pay attention to unusual wording in your sentences.

Ex. On the desk are papers. Ex. A spider hangs on the wall. Remember that nouns such as mumps, measles, news, mathematics, and economics take singular verbs. Frequent grammatical errors Students are unable to construct grammatically correct sentences, especially in subject-verb correspondence. E.g.: Ahmad eats Durians. One thing that confuses writers is a long and complicated subject. The author gets lost and forgets which noun is actually the head of the subject sentence and instead matches the verb to the nearest noun: the expression ”more than one” takes a singular verb. 5 Invitation to imitate Imitate Imitate a sentence that shows the correct subject-verb correspondence: Maxine`s mother bursts in to save her in time.

Day 2 ”None” takes a singular verb if it refers to the singular, and a plural verb if its reference point is plural. 4 Composite topics If the topics are related by ”or”, ”neither”, ”not only/but also”, etc., use the subject closest to the verb to determine whether the verb should be singular or plural ex. Neither the boys nor their sister do the laundry. Ex. Neither the girl nor her brothers do the laundry. 11 Other memories Nouns that end in ”s” but are in fact only an object take on plural verbs. Z.B. Pants, pliers and scissors Remember to carefully look for topics separated from the verb by words or phrases. Ex. John, like his two friends, works in the pizzeria. Here is a short list of 10 suggestions for subject-verb pairing.

For money, if the amount is specific, use a singular verb; If the amount is vague, use a plural verb. 4 Subject-verb correspondenceIf the subject of a sentence is singular, the verb must also be singular. Teachers are listening. Theme Verb Girls Play Girls Play Teacher Listen to Teachers Hear The Teachings Page 6 Invitation to Write Write a Sentence That Shows the Correct Subject-Verb Correspondence: Subject Verb Girls Play Girls Play Teacher Listens on Day 3 In one year, $5 million was spent to build a new factory and more than millions were spent on training future factory workers. (”$5 million” is a certain amount. Therefore, the verb is singular.) Every year, funds are made available to support medical research. (”Fund” is a vague term rather than a certain amount. Therefore, the verb is plural.) The subject-verb correspondence sounds simple, doesn`t it? A singular subject takes SingularVerb: A subject that consists of nouns connected by a plural subject and assumes a plural subject, unless the intended meaning of that subject is singular.

Connective, sentences as combined with, coupled with, accompanied, added, with, with and and, do not change the topic number. These sentences are usually delimited by commas. Relationships between ideas -1  Parallel structure: the use of a conjunction to connect words/sentences that have the same grammatical function in a sentence. A quarter of the books have disappeared. (”Books” is a plural noun) A quarter of the sand is white. (”Sand” is a singular noun) Every boy looks forward to the meeting; everyone is well prepared. Identify a | period Kindergarten Grammar Lesson: Identify a point. With a bachelor`s and master`s degree in English, Erin has been an editorial professional for 15 years and works on a variety of media, especially online. Their niche is business/marketing and online. In addition, she has experience teaching publishing for non-editors and coaching writers. . Boys climb walls like caged animals.

None of the books may be reproduced without permission. None of the peas are left on Sean`s plate. (”Peas” is the speaker and the plural) 9 Invitation to edit (1) Henrietta laid an egg with her first book. (2) We hope this is his last book. (3) Maxine`s Perils shows why chickens should never write. What changes, if any, should be made to sentence 1? Henrietta lays an egg with her first book. Henrietta lays an egg with her first book. Henriettas laid an egg with his first book. Do not make any changes. Day 5 VerbTime -Present -Past-Future English Mrs.

Canfield. Still, The Copyeditor`s Handbook lists no less than 25 cases that aren`t as clear, and Garner`s Modern American Usage devotes nearly five columns to the topic. Even the relatively small Grammar Smart devotes five pages to the topic (including the quiz). False: Twenty-five periods are a lot to digest. That`s right: twenty-five rules are listed on the notification. False: The arrival of the new autumn fashion has delighted all back-to-school buyers. That`s right: the arrival of the new autumn fashion has delighted all back-to-school buyers. (should agree with arrival) She and I run every day. Peanut butter and jelly are my favorite sandwiches. (intended meaning of the singular) More than one box is in the hallway.

More than one car participated in the race. You or I run every day. Potatoes, pasta or rice go well with grilled chicken. (last name: rice) The football team trains day and night for the Super Bowl.The Boston School Committee disagrees on what should be removed from the school`s budget. And then there`s the fact that English simply refuses to follow its own rules. If English can contradict itself, it will. 8 Invitation to compare Maxine`s mother rushes to save her in time. Maxine`s mother rushes to save her in time.

Maxine`s mothers rush to save her in time. Day 5 A set of 12 courses is all you need for dinner. 2 Excerpt from The Plot Chickens Invitation to Notice What if she hides? We hide from the hawks every day. Maxine`s mother rushes to save her in time. Kids love your book. Will you read it to them? Day 1 Excerpt from The Plot Chickens (pp.12, 16, 28). . . .

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