Grammar

                             Grammar    

   

    

SENTENCE STRUCTURE

Every sentence must have at least a subject and a predicate. The subject is the focus of the sentence. The predicate describes the subject; it explains what the subject is or what the subject is doing. The completed idea is called a clause, and it is the building block of all sentences.

 

To construct a sentence:

✓ Always have at least one independent clause in the sentence.

✓ Join two independent clauses with a semicolon or a comma and a     

    conjunction.

✓ Do not run two or more independent clauses together without punctuation; that    

    error is  a run-on.

    Wrong: Chaucer was a narrator and he was a pilgrim in his

Canterbury Tales.

✓ Do not separate two independent clauses with just a comma; that error is called a    

    comma splice.

    Wrong: Chaucer was a narrator, he was a pilgrim in his Canterbury Tales.

✓ Do not use a conjunctive adverb (the words accordingly, besides, consequently,   

   furthermore, Hence. however, instead, moreover, nevertheless, otherwise, then,therefore,    

   thus) like a conjunction.

 Questions

 1.  ________ Sarah drives to the cabin several times a year, she is often nervous about

      finding her way.

      A. Besides

      B. Unless

      C. Nevertheless

      D. Although

  2. The ticket said the show would start at 8:00, but the curtains didn’t go up 

     _________8:30.

     A. less than

     B. until

     C. about

     D. since

 Let’s have more practice HERE

    

Choose the sentence that best combines the underlined        
   sentences.

3. I must buy my dog a new license. If I don’t, I will have to pay a
       fine.

    A. I must buy my dog a new license, and I will have to pay a fine.

    B. I must buy my dog a new license; I will have to pay a fine.

    C. Unless I buy my dog a new license, I will have to pay a fine.

    D. I will have to pay a fine since I must buy my dog a new license.

4. Elizabeth is an athletic woman. Elizabeth cannot swim or ride a bike.

   A. Elizabeth cannot swim or ride a bike, while she is an athletic woman.

   B. Elizabeth cannot swim or ride a bike and is an athletic woman.

   C. Although Elizabeth cannot swim or ride a bike, she is an athletic woman.

   D. Being an athletic woman, Elizabeth cannot swim or ride a bike.

MODIFIERS                                       

                             

A modifier describes or limits another word. For example, adjectives and adverbs

 modify subjects and/or their actions in a sentence.

Types of Modifier    

 ✓ Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns. (Hint: An adjective answers one of 

      three questions: which one, what kind, or how many?)

 

✓ Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or whole groups 

      of words. 

     (Hint: An adverb answers one of four questions: where, when, 

       how, or to what extent?)

✓ Comparatives are adjectives and adverbs used to compare two things.

 ✓ Superlatives are adjectives and adverbs used to compare more than two things

Questions

1. In many popular movies today, the heroes are ________ armed than the villains. 

    A. more heavily

    B. more heavy

    C. heavier

    D. more heavier

2. The cake I made last week tasted ________than the one I made today. 

    A. best

    B. more better

    C. better

    D. more good

  Let’s have more practice HERE

                                                              

AGREEMENT

Agreement is a very important step in constructing a coherent sentence. There are three basic agreements in a sentence:   subject-verb agreement, tense agreement, and antecedent-pronoun agreement.

Subject-Verb Agreement

✓ If the subject is singular, the verb is singular; if the subject is plural, the verb is plural  

    Mrs.Hendrickson feeds the birds every day. Or: The Hendricksons feed the birds every    

   day.

✓ Subjects joined by and are plural and receive a plural verb➞Jolie and Lara swim together    

    every Thursday.

✓ Subjects joined by or or nor adopt the singularity or plurality of the last subject; accordingly,    

    the verb matches it➞Either that cat or those dogs have been eating my snacks!

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

✓ Each, either, neither, anybody, anyone, everybody, everyone, no one, nobody, one,    

   somebody, and someone are singular pronouns and receive singular verbs.

✓ Both, few, many, and several are plural pronouns and receive plural verbs.

✓ All, any, most, none, and some can be singular or plural pronouns, depending on their use.   

   These pronouns can receive plural or singular verbs.

 

~Practice Makes Perfect!

After understanding, let’s have some practice on 
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT ,  TENSE AGREEMENT,   
ANTECEDENT-PRONOUN AGREEMENT !

  

VOCABULARY

Fill in the blanks with the words in the box.

term	instructions	specimen
acceptable	peer	mental

1. Make sure you read all the_______carefully before setting
    up the device.

2. There are special schools for students with ________disorders.

3. In most countries, schools have two______, or semesters, while
    in others there can be up to six.

4. When the space probe landed in Mars, the first thing it did was to take
    a(n) ______from the Martian soil.

5. Three days was simply not a(n)__________amount of time to complete
    such a lot of work.