Transcript Grammar: English II

GRAMMAR: ENGLISH II
Spring 2011
1) Subject-verb agreement
2) Noun, verb, & prepositional phrase
3) Modifiers: Dangling & Misplaced
4) Pronoun-antecedent agreement
5) Shifts in Tense & Voice
Subject-verb agreement
1/23 Grammar #1
*A singular subject takes a singular verb, while
a plural subject takes a plural verb.
Examples
 A bike and a scooter (is, are) my means of getting
around until I get a car.

The principal, along with a bunch of teachers, (is,
are) getting ready for a snow day.
RULES
1. If subjects are joined by and, they are
considered plural.
Ex. The quarterback and the coach are having
a conference.
2. If subjects are joined by or or nor, the verb should
agree with the closer subject
Ex: Either the actors or the director is at fault.
Ex: Either the director or the actors are at fault.
Indefinite pronouns - SINGULAR






Someone
Somebody
Each
Either one
Everyone
Anyone
None?  Singular or Plural?
Apparently, the SAT testing service
considers none as a singular word only.
However, according to Merriam
Webster's Dictionary of English
Usage, "Clearly none has been both
singular and plural since Old English and
still is. The notion that it is singular only is
a myth of unknown origin that appears
to have arisen in the 19th century. If in
context it seems like a singular to you,
use a singular verb; if it seems like a
plural, use a plural verb. Both are
acceptable beyond serious criticism" (p.
664).
None of us ( is / are ) going to see Transformers 3.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Three-quarters of the students (is, are) against the
detention policy.
Either the physicians in this hospital or the chief
administrator (is, are) going to have to make a decision.
Either the chief administrator in this hospital or the
physicians (is, are) going to have to make a decision.
Kara Cannon, together with her teammates, (present,
presents) a formidable opponent on the basketball
court.
Everyone selected to serve on this jury (has, have) to be
willing to give up a lot of time.
1.
Are
2.
Is
3.
Are
4.
Presents
5.
Has
Noun, verb, & prepositional phrases
2/6 Grammar #2
What is a noun?
1.
2.
What is a verb?
2.
3.
What is a preposition?
3.
1.
A word which refers to a
thing, person, or idea
word that denotes an
action, occurrence, or state
of existence
words that help describe
something's location or
other information
Preposition examples










about
above
across
after
against
along
among
around
at
before










behind
below
beneath
beside
between
by
down
during
except
for










from

in

in front of 
inside

instead of 
into

like

near

of

off

on
onto
on top of
out of
outside
over
past
since
through
to

toward
under

underneath







until
up
upon
with
within
without
N, V, or P?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Table
In
Around
Swimming
Friendship
Google
Phrase




such as leafy vegetables
in sickness and in health
on one’s personality
for a long time
Phrase –
a group of words that is missing a subject or a verb or
both; always a dependent clause.
Prepositional phrase – consists of a preposition & it’s
object

Can remove Prep phrase, sentence still makes sense
Examples
 At home
 In time for dinner
 About what we need
 Underneath the school
Error?
Where are the Prep Phrases?
7. The book on the bathroom floor is swollen from
shower steam.
8. The sweet potatoes in the vegetable bin are green
with mold.
9. The note from Beverly confessed that she had eaten
the leftover pizza.
Dangling & Misplaced Modifiers
4/3

What is a modifier?
 words
or phrases that modify something else
What’s the difference between these two sentences?
I almost failed every art class I took.
 I failed almost every art class I took.

I ate only vegetables.
 I only ate vegetables.

Children
who laugh rarely are shy.
Fix
1.
2.
3.
4.
Covered in wildflowers, Timmy was struck by the beauty
of the hill.
Hiking the trail, the birds chirped loudly.
For sale: An antique desk suitable for a lady with thick
legs and large drawers.
When purchasing a cellular phone, the wide variety of
calling plans and features overwhelms many people
Pronoun-antecedent agreement
4/9 Do Now #4
Pronoun

A substitute for a noun

Examples:
 He
/ She
 It
 Them
 They
Antecedent

The noun that the
pronoun refers to

I like SpongeBob SquarePants; it is a good show.
antecedent

pronoun
Jake naturally attracted all of the ladies; he was
known for making them go crazy.
antecedent
pronoun
antecedent
pronoun
What’s wrong here?

During early rehearsals, an actor may forget their lines.
Pronoun-Antecedent disagreement!



Vicky and Alicia swam ( her / their ) best times on Friday.
Some of the sugar fell out of ( its / their ) bag.
Everyone had (his or her / their ) own Snickers bar.
Pronouns and antecedents must agree in number!
Singular







Each
Either/neit
her
One
No one
Nobody
Nothing
Anyone








Anybody
Anything
Someone
Somebody
Something
Everyone
Everybody
Everything
Plural





Several
Few
Both
Many
Others
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Washington team was opportunistic; (it, they) took
advantage of every break.
A person needs to see (his or her, their) dentist twice a
year.
The committee members put (its, their) signatures on the
document.
Each of these companies had (its, their) books audited.
If a person wants to succeed in corporate life, (he or she,
you) has/have to know the rules of the game.
ANSWERS
1.
It
2.
His or Her
3.
Their
4.
Its
5.
He or she
Shifts in Tense & Voice
4/10
What’s wrong with these sentences?


Sarah was ostracized by the rest of the cheerleaders.
They believe that her behavior was an embarrassment
to the entire team.
Sarah was ostracized by the rest of the cheerleaders.
They believe that her behavior was an embarrassment
to the entire team.
Tense shift!
Verb Shift


Just don’t do it!
Read it aloud and check to make
sure it works
Problem?


When they stopped to ask for directions, the gas station
attendant's advice was so confusing that you could
never find the restaurant where the reception was being
held.
When they stopped to ask for directions, the gas station
attendant's advice was so confusing that you could
never find the restaurant where the reception was being
held.
Voice Shift!
1.
When the children turned on the TV, a buzzing sound
was heard.
Active voice
Passive voice
When the children turned on the TV, they heard a buzzing
sound.
Active voice
Active voice
Fix it
1. Frequently, a person exercises to relieve stress. As a
result, people sometimes become psychologically
dependent on excessive exercising.
Suggestion: Frequently, people exercise to relieve stress and,
as a result, sometimes become psychologically dependent on
excessive exercising.
2. Off campus students should use the bus system
because you get frustrated trying to park every day.
Fix it
By the time Paul arrived at the house it is too late. The
door was open, the light was on and his wife has disappeared.
People are still walking home from work and the sidewalk in
front of his house pulsed with a slow but steady stream of
neighbors who stared at him as they passed. In the twilight the
streetlamp’s glow casts dim and surreal highlights on the odd
assortment of objects in his yard, the treadmill and the ten
potted plants arranged in alphabetical order on the front
walk. Looking back furtively over his shoulder as he folds the
treadmill and secured its dangling electrical cord, Paul gives
the impression of some agitation as he pushed the machine
through the door and into the foyer of his home. One of the
pots is an inch and a half out of alignment. Sighing, he nudged
it into place and picked up a leaf that fell when the pot
moved.
ANSWERS!
By the time Paul arrived at the house it was too late. The
door was open, the light was on and his wife had disappeared.
People were still walking home from work and the sidewalk in
front of his house pulsed with a slow but steady stream of
neighbors who stared at him as they passed. In the twilight the
streetlamp’s glow cast dim and surreal highlights on the odd
assortment of objects in his yard, the treadmill and the ten
potted plants arranged in alphabetical order on the front walk.
Looking back furtively over his shoulder as he folded the
treadmill and secured its dangling electrical cord, Paul gave the
impression of some agitation as he pushed the machine through
the door and into the foyer of his home. One of the pots was an
inch and a half out of alignment. Sighing, he nudged it into
place and picked up a leaf that had fallen when the pot
moved.
Grammar Review
3/14 & 15 Do Now #11
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Modifiers: Dangling & Misplaced
Noun, verb, & prepositional phrase
Pronoun-antecedent agreement
Subject-verb agreement
Shifts in Tense & Voice
Grammar mistakes #1
1.
2.
The two main goals of my life are to be generous
and to have no regrets. I hoped I could follow
them forever.
If someone wants to play games, you must follow
the rules.
Shifts in tense & voice
Grammar mistakes #2
1.
2.
Having finished writing the essay, Facebook was
immediately opened to brag.
She handed out brownies to children wrapped in
Tupperware.
Modifiers: Dangling & Misplaced
Grammar mistakes #3
1.
2.
Through the skies, (soars/soar) the fighter jets.
Everyone in the group (shouts/shout) when they see
meteors in the sky.
Subject-verb agreement
Grammar mistakes #4
1.
2.
One of the students must give (their, his) oral
report tomorrow.
When someone has been drinking, (he or she, they)
may drive poorly.
Pronoun-antecedent agreement
Noun, verb, prepositional phrases
Noun phrase?
1.
The penguin is the most feared animal in the bird
kingdom.
Prepositional phrase?
1.
She wanted to go to the movies.
Verb phrase?
1.
Chocolate should be served at room temperature.
Word
Definition
beatific
aesthetic
convolution
blessedly happy
relating to beauty and taste; artistic
illumine
oblivion
to light up
the state of being forgotten
pedant
someone who focuses unduly on the rules
quarry
hunted animals or others
a coiled shape or part