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Thursday, March 31, 2011

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT.



ARTICLE
  There are only three articles in English: a, an and the.
  There are two types of articles indefinite 'a' and 'an' or definite 'the'. You also need to know when not to use an article.
Indefinite articles - a and an (DETERMINERS)
  A and an are the indefinite articles. They refer to something not specifically known to the person you are communicating with.
  A and an are used before nouns that introduce something or someone you have not mentioned before:-
EXAMPLE FOR DETERMINERS
For example:
  "I saw an elephant this morning."
"I ate a banana for lunch." A and an are also used when talking about your profession:-
For example:
  "I am an English teacher."
"I am a builder."
Definite Article - the (DETERMINERS)
You use the when you know that the listener knows or can work out what particular person/thing you are talking about.
                For example:
  "The apple you ate was rotten."
"Did you lock the car?"
You should also use the when you have already mentioned the thing you are talking about.
                For example:
  "She's got two children; a girl and a boy. The girl's eight and the boy's fourteen."
We use the to talk about geographical points on the globe.
                For example:
  the North Pole, the equator .
We use the to talk about rivers, oceans and seas
                For example:
  the Nile, the Pacific, the English channel.
We also use the before certain nouns when we know there is only one of a particular thing.
                For example:
  the rain, the sun, the wind, the world, the earth, the White House etc..
However if you want to describe a particular instance of these you should use a/an.
                For example:
  "I could hear the wind." / "There's a cold wind blowing."
  "What are your plans for the future?" / "She has a promising future ahead of her."
The is also used to say that a particular person or thing being mentioned is the best, most famous, etc
NO ARTICLE
       We usually use no article to talk about things in general:-
       For example:
       Inflation is rising.
       People are worried about rising crime.
                 (People generally, so no article)
       Do not use an article when talking about sports.
       My son plays football.
       Tennis is expensive.
Do not use an article before uncountable nouns when talking about  them generally.
For example:
       Information is important to any organisation.
       Coffee is bad for you.
       Do not use an article before the names of countries except where they indicate multiple areas or contain the words (state(s), kindom, republic, union). Kingdom, state, republic and union are nouns, so they need an article.
       For example:
       No article - Italy, Mexico, Bolivia, England
       Use the - the UK (United Kingdom), the USA (United States of America), the Irish Republic





presentation by:
MAIZATUL, RASYIDAH, DIAN AND NUR HAZIRAH..


Subject-Verb Agreement
Agreement
  Present tense verbs in English should agree with the subject of the sentence
  Singular subjects use singular verbs
  Jack robs liquor stores (s on the verb)
  Plural subjects use plural verbs
  Bonnie and Clyde rob banks (no s on the verb)
  Most native speaker do this instinctively
  More complex problems require you to learn a few rules
Identify the Subject
  Ignore words that come between the subject and the verb
  Reduce sentences to their simplest form
  A good set of skis costs / cost hundreds of dollars
  A good set of skis costs / cost hundreds of dollars
  A good set of skis costs  hundreds of dollars
  My boss, as well as her staff, leave / leaves early every Friday
  My boss, as well as her staff, leave / leaves early every Friday
  My boss, as well as her staff, leaves early every Friday
Compound Subjects using “And”
  Most compound subjects joined by “and” are plural
  Bert and Ernie is / are special friends
  Bert and Ernie is / are special friends (plural verb)
  Exception: If the words joined by “and” refer to a single thing, the subject is also singular
  War and Peace is a very thick book (singular)
  My friend and co-worker is waiting to see you (singular)
Compound Subjects using “Or”
  When the subject is joined with “or” or “nor” the verb agrees with the words closest to the verb
  Neither the instructor nor the students has / have any control over the number of 8 o’clock classes
  Neither the instructor nor the students has / have any control over the number of 8 o’clock classes (plural verb)
  Either two credit cards or a membership is / are needed before you can rent movies
  Either two credit cards or a membership is / are needed before you can rent movies (singular verb)
  Note: While the above example is correct, it is usually better to place the plural word closer to the verb
  Either a membership or two credit cards are needed before you can rent movies (plural verb)
Indefinite Pronouns
  Indefinite pronouns are singular
  every, everyone, everybody, each, neither, either, none, one, no one
  Every student has / have a unique student number
  Every student has / have a unique student number
  None of us admit / admits to sending the e-mail message
  None of us admit / admits to sending the e-mail message
  Ignore prepositional phrases coming between the subject and the verb
  Each of the five departments is / are hiring new instructors
  Each of the five departments is / are hiring new instructors
Collective Nouns
  Words such as jury, committee, or herd will be singular when everyone in the group is acting together
  The jury is / are deciding the fate of the accused
  The jury is / are deciding the fate of the accused
  Collective nouns will be plural when the members of the group are not acting together
   The jury is / are undecided on the guilt of the accused
  The jury is / are undecided on the guilt of the accused
Here, There, and It
  When the sentence begins with Here or There, the subject follows the verb and controls whether the verb is plural
  Here are my reasons for quitting (plural)
  There is no need to pay me next week (singular)
  It is always singular
  It was the long hours that bothered me (singular)
  RULES – When the sentences start with “THERE” and “HERE”, the subject will be always be placed after the verb
Words Ending in S
  Words such as economics, AIDS, physics and news are singular
  Economics is fun and exciting
  The news is usually broadcast live
  Words such as scissors, eyeglasses and pants that name things with two parts are plural
  My glasses were broken when I did a face plant

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