Midterm PreparationContent: Identification of POS; Identifying & Correcting

Run-Ons and Fragments; Use of Subordinate Word Groups as Nouns, Adjectives, Adverbs; Identifying simple subjects, subject complements, direct/indirect objects, and object complements; Subject Verb Agreement; Possessives; Apostrophes

Points: 40q/2pt per item; 20q/1pt per itemPreparation: Review Exercises will be distributed

Thursday. Optional Review Session: Friday (Time TBD)

Review Common Linking Verbs

appear remain am

become seem is

feel smell was

get stay were

grow sound are

Look taste

prove turn

Remember to Check for Activity

She looked unhappy.

She looked out the window.

He appeared unsure.

He appeared onstage.

The cassoulet tasted odd.

The judges tasted the cassoulet.

Subject Verb Agreement

In the present tense, verbs agree with their subjects in number (singular or plural) and in person (first, second, third): I dance, you dance, he dances, we dance, they dance. Most of the time, native speakers can naturally recognize the correct form of the verb. There are, however, as we saw in the homework, some tricky scenarios.

Subject Verb Agreement: mini reviewFirst person singular: I

Second person singular: you

Third person singular: he, she, it

(includes all singular nouns: lotus, mortar, opus)

First person plural: we

Second person plural: you (all)

Third person plural: they

(includes all plural nouns: temples, Sheikhs, labyrinths)

For Terminological Facility

Subject Pronouns Object Pronouns

I Me

You You

He, She, It Him, Her, It

We Us

You (all) You (all)

They Them

Subject Verb AgreementPrepositional phrases cannot contain a sentence’s subject.

First, cross out all prepositional phrases and isolate subordinate word groups. Then check for participles acting as adjectives. See what’s left and determine the bare bones.

The wild flowers from the field sitting on the dresser fill the room with color and the smell of spring.

Despite its being closed, the box of wildflowers on top of the dresser that my mother gave me fills the room with the scent of spring.

Behind the boxes under the bed in the second guest room my most treasured journals lie hidden.

Extra credit: what is “hidden” doing in this sentence?

Unbreakable RuleThe object of a preposition cannot be

the subject of a sentence.Review your prepositions. The object of a

preposition may be a noun, a pronoun, a gerund or even a subordinate clause.

Even under the watchful eyes of her older brother’s friends, she ate a spoonful of pepper without sneezing.

The student with some family turmoil submitted his paper without completely finishing it.

We had no concept of what was about to befall us.

The poaching of elephants for their tusks has been the subject of legal debate.

*as well as, along with, together with, in addition to, and accompanied by* do not make a singular subject plural.

As elegant as can be, the aerialist along with an elephant strides into the ring.

(Note: this follows the preposition rule)

Plural Subjects

My dog and my cat (they) sleep together.

Flea and tick medicine is necessary.

Fleas and ticks infest untreated animals.

Special cases: when the two parts of the subject refer to a single unit, treat the subject as singular.

The old ball and chain is at it again.

Liver and onions makes me nauseous.

Proximity Matters

With subjects joined by “or” or “nor”(and “either…or” or “neither…nor”), make

the verb agree with the subject closest to the verb. Simple!

Neither the girl nor her parents are willing to compromise.

Neither the bullies nor the girl is willing to negotiate. (Hacker says put the plural subject second to avoid awkwardness.)

The DooziesIndefinite Pronouns are pronouns that do not

refer to specific persons or things.

The following are always singular:

Anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, somebody, someone, something.

They appear to have plural meaning, but you can imagine that they are emphasizing single bodies or things among a group.

Every(single)one is proud to be on this team.

Each(one)of the essays is stellar in its own right.

The Doozies

The indefinite pronouns both, few, many, others, and several are always plural.

Others are noticing the strange cracks in the wall.

Several of us have become concerned.Both have decided to settle peaceably.

The Doozies

And then we have all, any, more, most, some, and none.

All the sautéed rattlesnake was devoured.

(The singular subject all requires the singular verb was.)

All the seats were occupied. (The plural subject all requires the plural verb were.)

All of the pizza is gone!

Imagine a stack of empty pizza boxes piled to the ceiling.

All of the pizzas have been devoured!

Now imagine one empty box with nothing but crumbs and some remnants of cheese sticking to the cardboard.

All of the pizza has been devoured!

The Exception to the Unbreakable Rule With words that indicate portions—percent, fraction, part, majority, some, all, none, remainder, and so forth —look at the object of the preposition, (i.e. the noun in the ‘of phrase’) to determine whether to use a singular or plural verb. If the object of the preposition is singular, use a singular verb. If the object of the preposition is plural, use a plural verb.

One third of the city’s inhabitants are unemployed.

One third of the city is unemployed.

None is and None are.

None is a special case. It can follow the aforementioned portion rule, but it can also be determined based upon what you want to emphasize.

None of the eligible bachelors is willing to give up his independence.

None of the eligible bachelors are willing to give up their independence.

Practice Economics (depends/depend) heavily on mathematics. The light at the end of the tunnel (are/is) the headlight of an approaching

train. News of a layoff (causes/cause) many people to get worried. Millions of Americans watched the high-speed chase and most (was/were)

mesmerized by the event. Some people believe that TV rots your brain; others, in contrast,

(believes/believe) that TV can teach us important social lessons. Both of those cities (were/was) on my vacation route. The commuters wait at the bus stop. A few (sleep/sleeps) standing up. One of our satellites (is/are) lost in space. The supply of beta-endorphins in the brain (is/are) increased during

exercise.Too many onions in a stew often (causes/cause) an upset stomach.

Possessives and Gerunds

Can you identify a problem in any of the following sentences?

1. I appreciate you taking the time to read our year-end report.

2. The revised plan would result in the family paying for services that previously would have been covered by the public insurance program.

3. All child safety seats must be properly installed to reduce the risk of a child being injured.

1. I appreciate your taking the time to read our year-end report.

2. The revised plan would result in the family’s paying for services that previously would have been covered by the public insurance program.

3. All child safety seats must be properly installed to reduce the risk of a child’s being injured.

Does it Matter?

• Whitaker did not like the woman standing in front of him at the parade.

• Whitaker did not like the woman’s standing in front of him at the parade.

Student Led HW Review

2. Williams, who was named most valuable player twice in his career, was listed as the eighth-best baseball player of all time by the Sporting News in 1999.

4. Williams surprised many people with his 1966 Hall of Fame induction speech, which called for recognition of Negro League players and their inclusion in the Hall of Fame.

14.1

1. As I bent down to crawl into the bunker I noticed that the sky was glowing…

2. The Market Inn, located on North Wharf, doesn’t look very impressive from the outside, but the food is excellent.

4. Eryn and Maeve, who have known each other since kindergarten, have decided to start a business renovating homes…

5. The first football cared set, released by the Goudey Gum Company in 1933, featured only three players: Red Grange, Bronko Nagurski, amd Knute Rockne.

14.2

All revisions for 14-1, 2, 3, and 4 are available in the back of the book.

Shades of Infinitives and Other Gray Areas

Things are not always as they seem. Direct objects, for example, are nouns, but nouns are not always simple and obvious single words (cat, thumb, girl, school). Remember, certain verbals (e.g. infinitives and gerunds) and subordinate word groups can function as nouns. This means that such phrases and clauses can function as direct objects, subject complements, and object complements. Let’s take a look. Remember, identifying aspects of grammar is a question of function before form. Appearances may be deceiving; thus when examining sentence components we must ask, what function is it serving? What work is it doing?

Direct Objects

Do you want to rest?

Children like to run and play.

She tried to read a good book.

Would you prefer to go to a movie today or to eat out tomorrow?

He seemed to have all his ducks in a row.

One contestant appears to lack self-confidence.

Subject Complement/Predicate Nominative

Their goal will be to survive.

Her job was to hire the best people available.

To strive is to succeed.

Some Object Complements may designate action but they are not functioning as verbs:

She made them stay after school.

He heard someone come in the back door.

We watched the red sun sink below the horizon.

Main Verbs

Main verbs express the action of the subject. Remember, clauses have subjects and verbs too, and phrases may have one or the other (but not both). You must be careful to identify the subject of the independent clause.

The dog slept deeply after he devoured the turkey. The stuffed and satisfied dog nonchalantly snored despite having been smacked with a newspaper by his disgruntled owner for his bad behavior.

Midterm PreparationContent: Identification of POS; Identifying &

Correcting Run-Ons and Fragments; Use of Subordinate Word Groups as Nouns, Adjectives, Adverbs; Identifying simple subjects, subject complements, direct/indirect objects, and object complements; Subject Verb Agreement; Possessives; Apostrophes

Points: 40q/2pt per item; 20q/1pt per itemPreparation: Review Exercises will be

distributed Thursday. Optional Review Session: Friday (Time TBD)