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Business Writing Firefly Electric and Lighting Corp. Training and Organizational Development Human Resources Department Module 2 WORKING WITH WORDS
Transcript of Firefly Electric and Lighting Corp. Training and ...
Business Writing
Firefly Electric and Lighting Corp. Training and Organizational Development
Human Resources Department
Module 2
WORKING WITH WORDS
Module 2
Lesson 7
Subject-Verb Agreement
Grammar A. Tenses of Verbs
Simple tenses
Continuous/ Progressive tenses
Perfect tenses
B. Subject –Verb Agreement
C. Voices of Verb (Transitive Verb)
Active Voice
Passive Voice
Lesson 7
Subject –Verb Agreement
Grammar rules details of language syntax. Like spelling issues, grammar violations in a business document can reflect negatively on a professional or a company. Care should be taken that all business documents are grammatically correct.
Subject –Verb Agreement There are two grammar issues most writers
have trouble with - tenses of verb and subject-verb agreement. This part of Module 2 will deal with discussion of the rules of subject – verb agreement.
Modern English has two sets of tenses- the simple tenses and the perfect tenses. Each set has a corresponding continuous or progressive tenses.
Subject- Verb Agreement
Definition: Subject-verb agreement refers to the relationship existing between the subject and the verb in the sentence.
A singular subject requires a singular verb. A plural subject requires a plural verb.
PSubject- Verb Agreementp
Singular subjects go with singular verbs, and plural subjects go with plural verbs
General Rule in Subject- Verb Agreement
Please read Notes on Rules in Subject- Verb Agreement for more detailed rules
Subject- Verb Agreement 1. A singular subject* requires a singular verb. A singular verb in the present tense is formed by adding –s or –es to the base form Example: o Lucia bakes delicious chocolate chip cookies. o The congressman vetoes the controversial bill. *See notes for subjects classified as singular. There are eleven.
Subject- Verb Agreement 1.a: Singular subjects connected by: or, nor;
either…or; neither…nor; not only… but also – require singular verbs.
o Not only the honeybee but also the bumble bee produces honey.
o Either Maria or Frances sings beautifully.
o Neither rain nor snow slows the letter carrier.
Subject- Verb Agreement 1.b: Words plural in form but singular in
meaning (abacus, abscess, aegis, apparatus, atlas, chassis, genesis, measles,
mumps, neurosis, news, viscus ) take on singular verbs.
o In Greek mythology, the aegis of Zeus was oftentimes worn by Athena, his daughter.
o The abscess in your gum causes bad breath.
Subject- Verb Agreement 1.c: Titles of books, literary works, movies,
plays, musical compositions, paintings or other such works, that are plural in form take on singular verbs.
o The Three Musketeers was written by Alexander Dumas. (title of a book)
o The Three Stoogies stars Charlie Chaplin. (Title of a movie)
Subject- Verb Agreement 1.d: Names of groups, businesses, companies,
organizations or countries that are plural in form , take on singular verbs because they refer to only one entity.
o The Jaycees sponsors several charitable organizations. (Name of a group)
o Cojuangco and Sons owns a large mango plantation in Negros. (company)
o The Netherlands is one of the founders of European Union. (country)
Subject- Verb Agreement 1.e: A subject based on verbal noun ( gerund ,
infinitive and their phrases) is treated as singular.
o Swimming tones the muscles. (Gerund)
o Telling lies does not improve one’s character. (gerund phrase)
oTo succeed requires determination and perseverance. (infinitive)
o To manage a business organization successfully, with thousands of employees calls for a genius in management . ( infinitive phrase)
Subject- Verb Agreement
1.f: A subject consisting of a single noun clause is treated as singular.
o How the baby manages to get out of his crib remains a mystery to his parents.
o Why Felix just walked out of the meeting without any explanation still baffles us.
o What General “Bato” has done to curb the drug menace deserves our unstinting support.
Subject- Verb Agreement 2. A plural subject* requires a plural verb. 2.a: Most plural subjects are formed by adding –s or–-es to the base word. The verb form in the present tense is the base form of the verb.
oThe hunting dogs chase the fleeing deer. o Tomatoes abound during summer months.
2.b: Nouns ending in –y usually change –y to –i before adding the –es as a plural signal
oThe stories about fairies interest the little kids very much.
oBangus bellies thicken with stored fish oil.
Subject- Verb Agreement 2.c: Singular subjects* connected by “and” require a
plural verb.1 o Jessa and Marnie join the Milo 20K run
singular singular
competition. o China and the Philippines claim territorial singular singular
sovereignty over the South China Sea. * See notes for subjects classified as plural.
There are twelve. 1 See notes for exceptions to Rule 2.c . There are
six.
Subject- Verb Agreement • 2.d: Words derived from foreign languages such as Greek or Latin may retain their plural forms. o The criteria (criterion-singular) for this contest are posted in the Intranet. oThose heavenly phenomena (phenomenon-singular) baffle the scientists.
Take Note: agendum –singular ; an item in the agenda agenda – singular or plural – a list of items to be taken up in a meeting agendas – plural – several lists
Subject- Verb Agreement 2.e: Some nouns take only plural verbs.
(clothes, credentials, earnings, fireworks, headquarters, scissors, trousers2 )
o Nena’s clothes are badly sewn.
o The magnificent fireworks have awed the onlookers.
o James’s trousers are loose.
2 When “a pair of” is affixed to trousers, the verb to be used is singular.
Subject- Verb Agreement 2.f: Names of sports teams will require plural
verbs even if the names don’t end in “s”.
o Miami Heat prevail over Utah Jazz. (Basketball)
o Juventus reach finals in European Champion League.
Subject- Verb Agreement
3. A common cause of errors are the intervening words or phrases. Intervening words or phrases. These are grammatical structures found between the subject and the verb. They don’t in any way affect the agreement between the subject and the verb. The most common of intervening words/ phrases are prepositional phrases.
Subject- Verb Agreement
3.a: Prepositional phrase
o The work of the masons requires a
thorough knowledge of structural rocks.
o The old love letters, from her long-
lost love, are kept inside an antique
jewelry box.
Subject- Verb Agreement
o One of the athletes sprains his knees
during the scrimmage.
The subject of this sentence is “One” The word “athletes” could be mistaken for subject of the sentence. Its actual function is as an object of the preposition “of” and objects of the preposition can’t be used as a subject of the sentence.
Subject- Verb Agreement
3.b: Adverb – usually adverb of frequency, the adverb is found before the verb it modifies.
o Mother always bakes a cake for our
birthday.
o Channel 5 sometimes shows anime
early in the afternoon.
o Father oftentimes brings us novelties
from his trips abroad.
Subject- Verb Agreement 3. c: Appositive – a word or a phrase that
follows directly a word it modifies.
o The focal point of the garden show,
the giant cabbage roses, has attracted a
lot of visitors.
The appositive “roses” is plural. The plural appositive does not affect the relationship between point, a singular subject and has attracted, a singular verb.
Subject- Verb Agreement 3.d: Present Participial phrase
oThe players, following the coach’s order, practice until 7 o’clock on Fridays.
o The old man, selling colorful balloons usually stays in front of the elementary school.
Subject- Verb Agreement 3.e: Infinitive phrase
o The general’s order, to penetrate
the enemies’ line, was immediately
carried out.
o Melanie’s ambition, to become a
world-class ballet dancer, is fully
supported by her mother.
Subject- Verb Agreement
3.f: Past Participial Phrase o The antique statue of the Blessed Virgin,
taken by thieves three weeks ago ,was
mysteriously returned to its niche a week later.
o The civic-minded employees, led by their
manager, have joined the campaign for the
greening of the countryside.
Subject- Verb Agreement 3.g: Adjective clause is a clause that is usually introduced by a relative pronoun sed to modify a noun or noun substitute.
o The girls ,whom Sally Villaluz is coaching
for the National Games, swim fifty laps
everyday.
o Melissa, whom the basketball varsity team
has chosen for its muse, excels in many co-
curricular activities
Subject- Verb Agreement 4. Some sentences have helping or auxiliary
verbs placed ahead of the subject. These are called inverted sentences.
Classes of Inverted Sentences
4. a: Sentences introduced by here or there.
o Here comes the bride
o Here come the bride and her entourage
Subject- Verb Agreement 4.b: Sentences introduced by Interrogative
pronouns( what, which, whom, who, how, why, when, where)
o Why is that girl crying?
Normal order of the sentence: That girl is crying. Why?
o Which blouse have you chosen?
Normal order of the sentence: You have chosen which blouse.
Subject- Verb Agreement 4.c: Sentences introduced by linking verb “to be”
o Is Anne happy in her new job? o Are the vegetables still fresh?
4.d: Sentences introduced by auxiliary verb or helping verb “to be”
o Is Jason starring in this movie?
o Are your parents attending the meeting?
Subject- Verb Agreement 4.e: Sentences introduced by auxiliary verb
“to do” or “to have”
o Does your belly jiggle when you laugh?
o Do honey bees sting?
o Has Lilian known the code to this safe?
o Have you heard the latest news?
Subject- Verb Agreement 4.f: Sentences introduced by prepositional
phrase.
o Behind the clouds lies a vast blue sky.
o Along the tracks of your digestive system teem millions of aerobic and non-aerobic microorganisms.
o Beside the plaza, stands the imposing cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul.
Subject- Verb Agreement 4. g: Sentences introduced by present
participle.
o Protesting loudly against unjust accusations is the primary suspect of the murder case.
o Lining along Rizal Avenue are the people eager to catch a glimpse of
their favorite actors and actresses.
Subject- Verb Agreement
4. h: Sentences introduced by past participle
o Hidden among the fallen brown leaves is a solitary, mottled quail egg.
o Taken in captivity are the ISIS fanatics responsible for the bombing and suicide attacks in Paris suburbs.
Subject- Verb Agreement 5. Personal and demonstrative pronouns have different plural forms from their singular forms. I (singular) – We (plural) nominative case me (singular) – us (plural) objective case He, she, It ( singular)- they (plural) Him,her,it (singular) - them (plural) This (singular)- these (plural) That(singular)- those (plural)
Subject- Verb Agreement o We are reviewing our notes in English.
o They prefer to sit in the back row.
o The mangoes are sweet. These come from Guimaras.
o Did you see the big snails? Those are a delicacy in France.
*See notes for subjects classified as plural. There are twelve.
Subject -Verb Agreement
.
Subject- Verb Agreement If the underlined verb agrees with the subject, write C as your answer. If it doesn’t, write the correct verb that will agree with the subject. 1) The children watches a horror movie. 2) The zipper of this pair of pants needs to be repaired. 3) Real Madrid battles Juventus today. 4) Cheese and butter are the main ingredients for these cookies.
Subject- Verb Agreement 5. Please choose another pair of shorts. These is already sold. 6. The spokesman for the players call for a forum. 7. The barangay chairman, preceding his subordinates, conduct a house- to- house campaign for cleanliness. 8. How happy are you today? 9. That abscess in your leg requires medical treatment
Subject- Verb Agreement
10.Here is the documents needed to support your claim for sickness benefit.
11.The magnificent fireworks attracts many spectators.
12.Has your classmates finished their assignment?
13.The rice in the fertilized fields are growing faster than those in the unfertilized fields.
Subject-Verb Agreement
If you got a score of 6 or less in the practice exercise, please review the notes on Subject-Verb Agreement before taking the quiz.
Please look over the uploaded “Notes on Subject-Verb Agreement” notes in Quia and check whether there are other facts you need to include in your Cheat Sheet.
Subject- Verb Agreement
If the underlined verb agrees with the subject, write C as your answer. If it doesn’t, write the correct verb that will agree with the subject. 1) The children watches a horror movie. watch 2) The zipper of this pair of pants needs to be repaired. C 3) Real Madrid battles Juventus today. battle 4) Cheese and butter are the main ingredients for these cookies. C
Subject- Verb Agreement 5. Please choose another pair of shorts. These is already sold. are sold 6. The spokesman for the players call for a forum. calls 7. The baranggay chairman, preceding his subordinates, conduct a house- to- house campaign for cleanliness. conducts 8. How happy are you today? C 9. That abscess in your leg requires medical treatment C
Subject- Verb Agreement
10.Here is the documents needed to support your claim for sickness benefit. are
11.The magnificent fireworks attracts many spectators. attract
12.Has your classmates finished their assignment? have finished
13.The rice in the fertilized fields are growing faster than those in the unfertilized fields.
is growing
Module 2, Lesson 7: Subject-Verb Agreement Quiz
1. Please proceed to www. Quia.com/web
2. On the space provided, enter your log in name and your password.
3. Under “Quiz”, please select, Module 2 Lesson 7, Quiz 1
4. Follow the instructions in the quiz.
5. Follow these same steps when you go to succeeding quizzes after every lesson.
Pictures3
Subject- Verb Agreement
End of Module 2, Lesson 7
