To check subject verb agreement:

The subject and the verb must make logical sense together.
Moreover, the subject and the verb must agree in number.
Eliminate the middle men and skip the warm up prepositional
phrases, subordinate clauses
A noun in a prepositional phrase cannot be the subject of the
sentence,
The word and can unite two or more singular subjects, forming
a compound plural subject.
Unlike and, additive phrases (along with, in addition to, etc.)
do not form compound subjects. Rather, additive phrases
function as modifiers and therefore cannot change the
number of the subject.
Or, neithernor, either.or they link 2 nouns. If one is
singular, other is plural. In this, find the noun nearest to the
verb and decide singular or plural
Collective
nouns
are
singular
(family,
group,
administration, army, audience, fleet)
Indefinite
pronouns
(any/each/every/Some/no

one/body/thing) are singular

SANAM (some, any, none, all, more/most) can be singular
or plural. Usually determined by looking at the Of-part..
(preposition)
None of, any of followed by plural is singular; Not one
always singular
If subject is preceded by each/every verb is singular. If
each/every follows the subject, then verb according to the
subject
The number of singular; A number of plural
Expression that designate quantities or parts, (half of), the
subject is in the of-phrase. Eg. Half of the pie is ; half of the
slices are
Individual parts of totality (majority, minority) (majority of the
students) plural; totality singular (the majority has)
Quantity phrases in same way as SANAM (Eg. Half of the pie is,
half of the cakes are)
-ing form/subject phrases/whatever is singular

Parallelism

 Comparable sentence parts must be structurally and logically

similar
Parallel Markers
o And; both/and; or; either/or; neither/nor; not/but; not
only/ but also; rather/than; from/to
Anything can be made parallel to a similar parallel element;
but prepositions do not have to be the same
Watch
out
for
linking
verbs

is/are/was/were/am/be/been/being. They must also follow a

parallel structure

Pronouns
The number of the pronoun must match the number of its
antecedent.
The antecedent and pronoun must make sense together, i.e.,
replace antecedent with the noun and the sentence must be
logical/sensible
Singular It, Its; Plural They, them, their
That, those to indicate new copies of antecedents; the copies
must also agree in number
Do not use that or those in place of nouns unless used to
create copies. Instead use it, they, them

Modifiers
Adjectives modify nouns; Adverbs modify verbs
A noun and its modifier should touch each other
Unlike a noun modifier, a verb modifier does not have to touch
the subject.
Which That Who Whose Whom Where When relative
pronouns
Who & Whom modify people
That & Which modifies things
Whose can modify people or things
Where modify place
When event or time
Put COMMAS between NON-ESSENTIAL modifiers and their
nouns; Which and commas used
Put NO COMMAS between ESSENTIAL modifiers and their
nouns; that and no commas used

Verb Tense

 Progressive tense to emphasize ongoing nature of an action

Use simple future to indicate future actions
Present perfect action started in past, still continuing in
future
o Have/has + past participle has/have lived
Past perfect If two actions started in the past, then we use
past perfect for earlier action and simple past for later action
o Had + Past participle
Simple
o Present - They have existed in the past, exist now (in the
present) and
will probably exist in the future.
o Past The past simple tense is an action that began and
ended at one particular time in the past.
o Future The future simple tense is an action which occurs
at one particular time in the future.
Continuous tense to specify a continuous action
o Present The present continuous tense expresses an
action which began in the past, is in progress now and
will probably continue into the future
Is/are + verb + -ing
o Past The past continuous tense normally links an action
in the past with another past action
Was/were + verb + -ing
o Future The future continuous tense is an action that will
have already started by the time another action occurs
and will probably continue after.
Will + be +
verb + ing
Perfect tense
o Present The present perfect tense expresses an action
that occurs before another time, or event.
Has/have + past participle
o Past The past perfect tense links an action which was
started and finished before another past action occurred.
Had + verb in past participle
o Future The future perfect tense is a future action that
has started and finished before another future action
occurs.
Will+ have + verb in past
Perfect continuous tense action began in past and continue

o Present The present perfect continuous tense is an

event in progress, which started in the past and
continues to the present.
Has/have + been + verb + ing
o Past The past perfect continuous tense is an event that
was in progress when another past event occurred.
Had + been + verb + ing
o Future The future perfect continuous tense reflects an
event that will have happened before another future
event occurs.
Will + have + been + verb + ing

Subjunctive
If, as if, as though to indicate unlikely or unreal condition
To express desire/request/wish command subjunctive
o Bossy verb + that + subject + command subjunctive

Comparisons
When comparing 2 things, use comparative (-er), when more
than 2, use superlative (-est)
Like/Unlike/As/Than
Between used only with 2 things/people
Among used when 3 or more

Idioms
Ability to
Allow to
In order to
Capable of
Necessity of X (not for X)
With the aim of

Twice as many; Half of; Quarter of

So that
Such as
Had better (do)

Just as X, so does Y
Just as X, so too Y
Just as X, so Y

So X as to Y
So X that Y
The same to X as to Y
As,
To X is to Y

Quantity

Countable
Many
Few/fewer
Number of
Fewer than
Numerous

Uncountable
Much
Little/less
Amount of
Less than
Greater

; - used to connect two closely related statements (If period is used

and a new sentence starts, you can use a semicolon)
To separate items in a list
: - provides further explanation for what comes before it; before
colon must be a standalone sentence
Use colon to introduce a list: one thing, two thing, and three thing
Use it to pause and explain: this sentence makes a point
Use it to give example: for instance