c



 

  

 
  
 
    
    


A recent ÷
 of news reports questioning the long term benefits of 
 ÷ 

 done little to
convince ÷ practitioners that they should follow more traditional weight loss plans.

Verb and noun agreement

In this sentence, ͞spate͟ is a singular subject, while ͞have͟ is a plural verb. The subject and the verb are
not in agreement. Therefore, to correct the sentence, we should use ͞has͟ in the place of ͞have͟.

Pronoun and the noun agreement

In the quoted sentence, noun ͞diets͟ is plural while the pronoun ͞its͟ is singular. Again these do not
match, and hence the sentence is incorrect.

Correct sentence follows

O
 ÷
  



       
    
 ÷    
 

  
       
 
     
 

O 
        
  

    
 

Note that in this sentence the series is the subject and the following sightings and UFOs are not and
hence the verb must be singular. Same thing happens with subjects like string of and spate of.

 


 
    
      
     

     
       

 
 
 
O!
"   


   O
 #



     

The tense of verb in neither nor or either or should match with the noun in ͞nor͟ or ͞or͟ portion of the
sentence. In above sentence, were would agree with mountains in the ͞nor͟ portion of the sentence.
^ 
 $   %  
  
 
 &   $  %
    '  


-hen the verb in question refers to future as contemplated in past, you should use the past tense of
will, would, as in wouldn͛t be in this sentence.

½
 

Sharad and Shishir are sons of Amar and Padma.

And is the only connecting word that results in plural compound subject. Connecting words like ͞along
with͟, ͞as well as͟, ͞together with͟, ͞besides͟ and ͞in addition to͟ do not result in compound subjects.

÷



-rong ʹDominating the New York skyline is the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building.

Right ʹ Dominating the New York skyline are the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building.

In the above sentence the subject, ͞the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building͟ is appearing
after the verb. Since the subject is a compound noun, plural verb should be used.

÷

        ½
÷

-hen clause is used as subject, it takes singular verb. E.g.

-
    

   

 is a matter of great concern.

÷

       

÷
  ÷

Infinitives and gerunds can be used as subjects. They are singular subjects.

 

is human.

(
  is dangerous.

› ÷

Adjectives and adverbs are not the only modifiers. Phrases and relative clauses can act as modifiers in
the sentence.

-   
   
  )  )   !

     
    )
 
    



Both ͞-aiting to ...eat͟ and ͞which expends ... chase͟ are modifiers which describe the cheetah. First is
a phrase, while second is relative clause. Phrase ͞beside its prey͟ modifies the verb ͞rest͟.
-rong ʹ Sifting the sands of a river bed, gold was discovered by prospectors in California in 1848.

Modifying phrase starting a sentence refers to the noun or pronoun that immediately follows it(similar
to appositive).

Right ʹ Sifting the sands of a river bed, prospectors discovered gold in California in 1848.

Right ʹ Prospectors, sifting the sands of a river bed, discovered gold in California in 1848.

Right ʹGold was discovered by prospectors, who were sifting the sands of a river bed, in California in
1848.

-rong ʹ Desiring to free his readers from superstition, the theories of Epicurus are expounded in
Lucretius͛s poem De rerum natura.

Right ʹ Desiring to free his readers from superstition, Lucretius expounded the theories of Epicurus in his
poem De rerum natura.

-rong ʹ That night they sat discussing when the cow might calve in the kitchen

The problem is that in this sentence it looks like that the phrase ͞in the kitchen͟ refers to where the cow
might have her calf. -hat the author probably meant was to say is that they discussed that night in the
kitchen.

Right ʹ That night they sat in the kitchen discussing when they cow might calve.

This sentence is correct because the phrase comes directly after the word it modifies. The verb sat.

-rong ʹ As a young man, the French novelist Gustave Flaubert travelled in Egypt, which was a
fascinating experience.

It was not that Egypt was fascinating experience but the travelling of the same which was fascinating.

Correct ʹ Travelling in Egypt as a young man was a fascinating experience for the French novelist
Gustave Flaubert.

¦ 

There should be a clear and single antecedent for a pronoun.

-rong ʹ They serve meals on many of the busses that run from Santiago to Antosagasta. (-ho are
they?)

Right ʹ Meals are served on many of the busses that run from Santiago to Antofagasta.

Note: It is quite alright to use ͞it͟ like below.

It seldom rains in the Death Valley.

O
 
 
-rong ʹ Pennsylvania Governer -iliam Keith encourages the young B enjamin Frankling to open his
own printing shop because he perceived that the quality of printing in Philadelphia was poor. (-hich
man does he refer to)

Pronouns refer to nearest reasonable antecedent, however it is better to avoid the ambiguity.

Better ʹ Because he perceived that the quality of printing in Philadelphia was poor, Pennsylvania
governor -illiam Keith encouraged the young Benjamin Franklin to open his own printing shop. (It is
clear that he refers to Kieth)

   


Poor ʹ The proslavery writer A.C.C. Thompson questioned Fredrick Douglass͛s authorship of ͞The
Narrative͟, claiming that he was too uneducated to have written such an eloquent book.

-hile it is obvious that ͞he͟ refers to Fredrick Douglass, the noun form for Fredrick Douglass is nowhere
to be seen. Instead what we do have is possessive form ͞Douglass͛s͟. Pronoun should avoid using
possessive form as antecedent.

Better ʹ the proslavery writer A.C.C. Thompson questions whether Fredrick Douglass actually wrote
͞The Narrative͟, claiming that he was too uneducated to have written such an eloquent book.



Do So or Do it

-rong - It is common for native New Yorker who has never driven a car to move to other parts of the
country and have to learn to do it.
Better ʹ It is common for native New Yorker who has never driven a car to move to other parts of the
country and have to learn to do so.

One and You ʹ Should not mix in same sentence

O 
-rong ʹ The number of people with college degrees is many times what they were last summer.

Correct ʹ The number of people with college degrees is many times what it was last summer.

͞The number͟ is always singular while ͞a number͟ is plural (A number of turkeys were gathered outside
the shed).

 
Subjective Case Objective Case
st
1 Person I,we me,us
2nd Person you you
3rd Person he,she,it,they,one him,her,it,them,one
Relative Pronoun who,that,which whom,that, which

-rong: It is me

Right: It is I

After forms of to be , use subjective pronoun

-rong: Gary is taller than me

Right: Gary is taller than I (am)

Use subjective pronouns for comparison of subjects of understood verbs.

3 

3
 

Verb: word expressing action or state of being

Verbal: -ord formed from verb but not functioning as one. These are of three kinds. Participles,
gerunds and infinitives


 : Usually ends with -  or * and is used as adjective in sentence.
Let 
 dogs lie.

It is difficult to calm a 
 child.

 : Always ends in „  . It is used in sentence as noun.

^'  can be dangerous.

(  a family is a serious task.

I was surprised at his   like such a coward.

-hile the acting in third sentence feels like a verb, notice that it is coming after possessive form his and
hence is an object of the possessive form. Note that the pronoun is his and not him here, which would
change the sentence.


The basic form of a verb, generally preceded by . It is usually used as a noun, but may be
used as an adjective.

-inston Churchill liked 

 . (Infinitive used as noun.)

The will  
is crucial. (Infinitive used as an adjective- modifies the  )

3