MODULE 03

Salengke, Ph. D.
Agricultural Engineering, Hasanuddin University
Grammar Review 03
Quote of the Day
"I am enough of an artist to draw freely
upon my imagination. Imagination is
more important than knowledge.
Knowledge is limited. Imagination
encircles the world.

Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)
Subject Verb Agreement
Subject and verb in a sentence must agree in person
and number.
Prepositional phrase separating the subject and the
verb has no effect on the verb.
Expressions such as together with, along with,
accompanied by, as well as also have no effect on the
verb.
If conjunction and is used, the verb must be plural.
Examples:
The F1 cars run very fast. Shcumi s car runs the fastest.
He drinks coffee while his friends drink Gatorade.
The boys in the room are studying.
The study of languages is very interesting.
Several theories on this subject have been proposed.
The danger of forest fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra is not to be taken lightly.
The effects of the tsunami in Aceh are devastating.
The fear of rape and robbery has caused many people to flee the cities.
The professor, along with her students and friends, is going to a field trip this weekend.
Mr. Bambang Yudoyono, accompanied by his campaign team, has declared victory for
the presidential race.
Isac Newton, together with many early philosophers and scientists, has laid
foundations for the modern science.
Isac Newton and Galileo Galilei are founder of modern scientific method of deducing
laws to explain the results of experiment.
Words that are always followed by
singular verbs and pronouns
any, no, some, every (if followed by singular noun)
anybody nobody somebody everybody
anyone no one someone everyone
anything nothing something everything

each + singular noun

either and neither are followed by singular if they are not
used with or and nor
Examples:
Everybody who has not purchased a ticket
should be in this line.
Something was under the house.
If either of you takes a vacation now, we will not
be able to finish the work.
Anybody who has lost his ticket should report to
the desk.
No problem is harder to solve than this one.
Nobody works harder than I do.



none / no
none + of the + non-count noun + singular verb

none + of the + plural count noun + plural verb

no + {singular noun or non-count noun} + singular verb

no + {plural noun} + plural verb

Examples:
None of the counterfeit money has been found.
None of the sugar that they sell is produced locally.
None of the students have finished the exam yet.
None of the new buildings have been inspected.
No car is better than Ferrari.
No coffee is more delicious than Duri coffee.
No cars are better than Ferrari.

either / neither
Neither + noun + nor + plural noun + plural verb

Either + noun + or + plural noun + plural verb

Neither + noun + nor + singular noun + singular verb

Either + noun + or + singular noun + singular verb
Examples:
Neither John nor his friends are going to the library.
Either John or his friends are going to the library.
Neither John nor Bill is going to the library.
Either John or Bill is going to the library.
Neither the boys nor Carmen has seen this movie before.
John or George is driving the car to the city.
Gerunds (verb + ing) as Subject
If a sentence begins with a gerund, the verb must be
singular.
Knowing her has change his life.
Dieting is very popular in western countries.
Not studying has caused him many problems.
Washing with a special cream is recommended for scalp infections.
Being cordial is one of his greatest assets.
Jogging is good for everybodys health.
Eating healthy foods becomes his number one priority.
Writing many letters makes her happy.
Collective Nouns
Collective nouns represents a number of people or
animals as a one group of entity. These nouns are
usually singular except if the sentence indicates that
the individual members of the group are acting
separately.

congress family group committee class
organization team army club crowd
government jury majority* minority public

flock of birds flock of sheep herd of cattle
pack of dogs school of fish pride of lions

Note: the word majority is singular if it is alone. However, if it is followed by a
plural noun, it is usually plural.

Examples:
The majority believes that we are in no danger.
The majority of the students are extremely smart.
The committee has met to discuss about the proposal.
The family was elated by the news.
The crowd was wild with excitement.
Congress has initiated a new plan to combat inflation.
The organization has lost many members this year.
Out team is going to win the game.
The flock of birds is circling overhead.
The herd of cattle is breaking away.
A school of fish is being attacked by sharks.


Collective nouns indicating time, money,
and measurements used as a whole are
singular.

Examples:
Twenty-five dollars is too much to pay for the shirt.
Fifty minutes isnt enough to finish the test.
Two miles is too much to run in one day.


A number of / the number of
A number of + plural noun + plural verb
The number of + plural noun + singular verb

Examples:

A number of students are going to the class picnic.
The number of days in a week is seven.
A number of the applicants have already been interviewed.
The number of the applicants who have been interviewed is
quite small.
Nouns that are always plural
The following nouns are always plural. To speak of them as
singular, we must say a pair of ., the pair of ., etc.
scissors shorts pants
jeans tongs trousers
eyeglasses pliers tweezers

Examples:
The pants are in the drawer.
A pair of pants is in the drawer.
The pliers were on the table.
The pair of pliers was on the table
These scissors are dull.
This pair of scissors is dull.
There is / There are
There is
There was + singular subject or
There has been non-count noun

There are
There were + plural subject + .
There have been
Examples:
There is a storm approaching.
There have been a number of telephone calls today.
There was an accident last night.
There were too many people at the party.
There has been an increase in the importation of foreign cars.
There was water on the floor where he fell.
There has been too much noise in the class room.
There have been too many interruptions during the lecture.
There are numerous opinions about human cloning.
There are nine members of the supreme court justice.

Pronouns
Subject Pronouns : I, you, we, he, she, they, it.
Complement Pronouns: me, us, you, him, her, them, it.
Possessive Pronouns: mine, ours, yours, his, hers, theirs, its.
Possessive Adjectives: my our, your, his, her, their, its.
Reflexive Pronouns: myself, ourselves, yourself, yourselves,
himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Subject Pronouns:
Subject pronouns occur in the subject position of a
sentence of after the verb be. Subject pronouns are
also used after than, as, and that.

Examples:
I am going to the store.
You have studied here for more than three years.
It was she who called you.
You and I have studied this subject before.
We students are going to enjoy this class.
Isnt she a nice person?
She and her mom always give money to charities.
Note: we, you, and us can be followed directly by the noun it refers to.
Complement (Object) Pronouns
Complement pronouns occur in complement
position in a sentence. It can complement a verb or
a preposition.

Examples:
They called us on the phone.
The professor gave him a bad grade.
Her parents told her a story.
The policemen was looking for him. (after preposition for)
To us, it seems like a good bargain. (after preposition to)
Mary is going to the library with them. (after preposition with)
Possessive Pronouns & Possessive
Adjectives
Possessive pronouns cannot precedes a noun. They
replace the noun so the actual noun is not repeated in the
sentence.
Possessive adjectives do not replace the nouns. They
simply modify the nouns. Therefore, the noun is still
present in the sentence.

Examples:

Possessive Adjectives Possessive Pronouns
This is my book. This is mine.
Your book is the same as his book. Yours is the same as his.
Her Jaguar is green and my Lexus is white. Hers is green and mine is white.
Our books are heavy. Ours are heavy.
Did you forget your homework? Did you forget yours?
Their opinions were interesting. Theirs were interesting.
This is not her favorite. This is not hers.
Juli injured her foot while climbing. Juli injured hers while climbing.
Our food is cold. Ours is cold.

Reflexive Pronouns
These pronouns usually follow the verb and indicate
that the subject is both giving and receiving the action.

Examples:
John bought himself a new car.
I completed the project myself.
He sent the letters to himself.
She helped herself during the crisis.
We hurt ourselves skiing down the mountain.
I myself believe that the proposal is good.
He himself set out to break the long distance flying record.
She prepared the nice-course meal herself.
The students themselves decorated the room.
You yourself must do this assignment.
Verbs as Complements
Verbs that must be followed by an infinitive (to + verb).

agree forget prepare
attempt hesitate pretend
claim hope refuse
decide intend seem
demand learn strive
desire need tend
expect offer want
fail plan wish
Examples:
John expects to begin studying law next semester.
Mary learn to swim when she was very young.
The budget committee decided to postpone this meeting.
The president will attempt to reduce inflation.
The soldiers are preparing to attack the village.
Cynthia has agreed to act as a new director of finance.
The students intend to protest the new students Rule of Conduct.
He seems to forget what he has been asked to do.
Freedom fighters demanded to release their captured leader.
The government refuse to free the freedom fighters leader.
The prices of the basic goods tend to increase in recent months.


Verbs as Complements
Verbs that must be followed by a gerund (verb + ing)

admit enjoy recall
appreciate finish report
avoid mind resent
cant help miss resist
consider postpone resume
delay practice risk
deny quit suggest
Examples:
John admitted stealing the jewels.
We enjoyed seeing them again after so many years.
You shouldnt risk entering that building alone.
Michael was considering buying a new car next month.
The Coast Guard has reported seeing another ship in the Florida straits.
Would you mind not smoking in public areas.
I regret not studying before the exam.
He postponed traveling to the middle east.
She practices dancing every other day.
His doctor made him quit smoking.
Her father suggested pursuing her career in academia rather than in
industry


Verbs that can be followed by the infinitive or
the gerund with no change in meaning

begin love
cant stand prefer
continue regret
dread start
hate try
like
Examples:
He started to study after dinner.
He started studying after dinner.
Joan hates to ride on a rollercoaster.
Joan hates riding on a rollercoaster.
Henry continued to read his book after a short nap.
Henry continued reading his book after a short nap.
Suzy loves to eat spaghetti.
Suzy loves eating spaghetti.
I prefer to drink O.J. than Coke.
I prefer drinking O.J. than Coke.
Verbs + prepositions + V-ing
The following verbs + prepositions must be followed
by gerunds if the preposition is followed directly by a
verb.
approve of rely on
be better of succeed in
count on think about
depend on think of
give up worry about
insist on object to
keep on look forward to
put off confess to
Examples:
John gave up smoking because of his doctors advice.
Mary insisted on taking the bus instead of the plane.
Fred confessed to stealing the jewels.
We are not looking forward to going back to school.
Henry is thinking of going to France in August.
We would be better off leaving now instead of tomorrow.
The scientist has been succeed in discovering new DNA finger print.


Adjectives + prepositions
The following adjectives + prepositions must
be followed by gerunds.

accustomed to intent to
afraid of interested in
capable of successful in
fond of tired of
Examples:
Mitch is afraid of making mistakes on his exam.
We are accustomed to waking up early for pray.
The students are capable of developing new products.
He intents on going to graduate school abroad.
My daughter is fond of swimming.
We are interested in building a new business venture.
Alpha Edison had been successful in inventing a lot of devices.
The thugs is tired of harassing people in the neighborhood.

Nouns + prepositions
The following nouns + prepositions are
followed by gerund.

choice of possibility of
excuse for reason for
intention of
method for
method of
Examples:
George has no excuse for dropping out of
school.
The is a possibility of winning a lottery.
There is no reason for leaving this early.
The scientists has developed methods for
finger printing DNA.
We have the choice of leaving today or
tomorrow.
He has the intention of moving to a larger city.
Adjectives Followed by the infinitive
The following adjectives are always followed by the infinitive.

able good
anxious hard
boring pleased
common prepared
dangerous ready
difficult strange
eager usual
ease


Note: The verbs stop, remember, and forget can be followed by either
the infinitive of the gerund, but the meaning changes.
Examples:
The three years old is able to speak very well.
The three years old is capable of speaking very well.
Daniel is eager to meet with his family.
It is dangerous to drive during snow storm.
We are ready to leave anytime.
It is not difficult to get good scores in TOEFL Test.
It is uncommon to find fresh milk in this city.
I was pleased to be admitted to the graduate school.
It is good to be here.
It is easy to catch a flu in this kind of weather.
Mr. Popeye stopped smoking. Mr. Popeye stopped to smoke.

Pronouns before an infinitive
The following verbs require infinitives as a
complement. These verbs often require an
indirect object (noun or pronoun) which must
be in the complement form.
allow instruct prepare
ask invite promise
beg order remind
convince permit urge
expect persuade want
Examples:
My boss wanted me to call him as soon as I arrived.
Joe asked Daniel to come with him.
I urge you to reconsider your decision.
They were trying to persuade him to change his mind.
His doctor permitted him to start consuming sugar
again.
Their professor reminded them to turn in their
assignment.
The doctor order her to stop smoking.
You should prepare your son to take this examination.
I expect you to perform well in this class.
Noun or Pronouns before Gerund
If a verb requires a gerund as a complement, any
noun or pronoun between the verb and the gerund
must be in the possessive form.

Examples:
We understand your not being able to stay longer.
He regrets her leaving.
We are looking forward to their coming next year.
I dont approve of students coming late for class.
We object to his calling at this hour.
John resented Georges loosing the paper.
We understand his having to leave early.
His father regrets Daniels being in trouble.
We would be better of your being absent in this meeting.
The verb need
The verb need is followed by the infinitive if the
subject of the sentence performs the verb.

The verb need is followed by the gerund or the
verb be + past participle if the subject of the
sentence becomes the object of the verb.
Examples:
John needs to paint the house.
The house needs painting. OR The house needs to be painted.
We all need to learn English.
Students need to pay tuition to enroll at this university.
I need to cut the grass.
The grass needs cutting. OR The grass needs to be cut.
Somebody needs to repair the television.
The television needs repairing. OR The television needs to be repaired.
He needs to rewrite his composition.
His composition needs rewriting. OR His composition needs to be
rewritten.
The expression in need of
In need of is an expression and not a verb. Therefore
it must be preceded by the verb be and followed by
noun.

Examples:
This country is in need of new leaderships.
Jane is in need of money.
The car is in need of repair.
This room is in need of cleaning.
The plants are in need of water.