Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET)

GRAMMAR

Ali G. Anudin English

Department Philippine Normal University

COMPETENCIES:

• Analyze the rules of grammatical usage

• Examine sentences in terms of their constituent elements

• Distinguish the different parts of speech in English – their meanings, forms, order, and functions

COMMON ERRORS IN GRAMMAR

A. VERB ERRORS

B. PRONOUN ERRORS

C. ADJECTIVE and ADVERB ERRORS

D. ERRORS in USAGE

PASTPAST PRESENTPRESENT FUTUREFUTURE

SIMPLESIMPLE -ed-ed -s-s will + Vwill + V

PROGRESSIVEPROGRESSIVEBE (past) + BE (past) +

-ing-ingBE (present) BE (present)

+ -ing+ -ingwill + be + will + be +

-ing-ing

PERFECTPERFECThad + -ed/-had + -ed/-

enenhas/have + has/have +

-ed/-en-ed/-enwill + have will + have + -ed/-en+ -ed/-en

PERFECT PERFECT PROGRESSIVEPROGRESSIVE

had + been had + been + -ing+ -ing

has/have + has/have + been + -ingbeen + -ing

will + have will + have + been + + been +

-ing-ing

1. Check if the correct VERB TENSE has been used in the sentence

When I came home, the children still didn’t finish dinner (hadn’t finished dinner)

Past Perfect Tense: an action in the past that happened before some other action in the past.

I studied when Martin called me. (was studying)

Many people are swimming when the shark was sighted. (had been swimming)

Past Perfect Progressive Tense: an action was going on when something else happened

Past Progressive Tense: an activity was in progress at some specified time in the past

Jessa is living In Manila for six years.(has lived)

She had felt ill, but she feels better now.(has been feeling)

Present Perfect Progressive Tense: shows incompleteness or indefiniteness very close to the present time.

Present Perfect Tense: an action that began in the past and is still going on.

The obedience school trained fifty dogs by the end of the year. (will have trained)

By the end of this year, the Cruz family had lived in the same house for a hundred years.(will have been living)

Future Perfect Progressive Tense: combines the ideas of completeness and duration of time in the future.

Future Perfect Tense: an action that will be completed in the future.

2. In REPORTED SPEECH, check if the rule of SEQUENCE OF TENSES has been observed

“Is Andrew at home?” Ann asked. Ann asked if Andrew was home.

Rowena said that she understood the problem now.

Rowena said, “I understand the problem now.”

3. Check if there is SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT in number

There is many reasons why I can’t help you.(are many reasons)

In sentences with Delayed Subject the subject comes after the verb.

1. INTERVENING PLURALS

* Our order for these goods (was, were) placed yesterday.

* The mislabeling of sizes, especially in such articles as hats, blouses, and stockings, (is, are) most annoying to our customers.

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

2. PLURAL COMPLEMENTS

* The most favorable period (is, are) the last three weeks of the year.

* The main advantage of the new filing cabinet (is, are) the five full-size drawers.

3. PLURAL SUBJECTS USED IN SINGULAR SENSE

* Buy now and pay later (is, are) the philosophy of many Filipinos.

* Two hundred pesos (is, are) a lot of money to pay for a necktie.

4. DELAYED SUBJECT

* Still unsold from the original lot (is, are) three generators.

* There (was, were) five packing cases in the shipment.

5. COLLECTIVE NOUNS

* The committee (was, were) unable to agree among themselves.

* The staff (has, have) no authority to act.

6. WITH AND SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS

* Mr. Royo, with his lawyer, (is, are) going to court this morning.

* Mr. Arias, together with his wife and two children, (was, were) seen boarding the train.

7. NEGATIVE EXPLANATORY PHRASE

* The players, not the coach, (was, were) standing on the field.

* Not Mr. Diaz but his subordinates (was, were) reprimanded.

8. WORDS SUCH AS EACH AND EVERY

* Every farmer, laborer, and consumer (is, are) involved.

* None of the bank’s officers (is, are) on the platform.

9. COMPOUND SUBJECTS

* You and I (am, are) going together.

* Either the debtor or his co-singers (is, are) required to be present at the meeting.

10. WORDS SUCH AS SOME AND PART

* Some of the paint (has, have) been stolen. Some of the papers (is, are) missing.

* Part of the oranges (is, are) mine. Part of the shipment (is, are) going.

11. NUMBER AS SUBJECT

* A number of well-known businessmen (was, were) involved in the transaction.

* The number of people involved (was, were) not large.

One of the most demanding sports events 1. (is, are) the triathlon, which originated in Hawaii. The race 2. (consists, consist) of three demanding forms of competition. Every man and woman who 3. (competes, compete) in the event must train very hard. Each man and each woman first 4. (swim, swims) a distance of 4.2 miles in open water. After completing that part of the race, the leader, as well as his or her followers 5. (puts, put) on shoes and shorts for a bicycle ride of 112 miles.

TRY THIS:

The number of hills 6. (seem, seems) endless to the tired competitors. When the second phase of the events 7. (has, have) been completed, the participant must then run a marathon: 26 miles and 385 yards. Last year, there 8. (was, were) a number of contestants unable to complete the race. A different set of muscles 9. (is, are) used in each event. Either fatigue or dehydration 10. (prevent, prevents) most contestants from winning.

TRY THIS AGAIN!

Baseball is one of the professional sports that 1. (is, are) popular in the U.S. Many foreigners for whom the game of baseball is new 2. (is, are) confused when they see a game televised. There 3. (is, are) nine players on each team. Each player, along with his teammates, 4. (has, have) a specific position on the field. The infield which 5. (enclose, encloses) the bases, is called the “diamond.”

The scores made in the game 6. (occurs, occur) when a player or players on the batting team travel around first, second, and third bases and return successfully to home plate. A player who 7. (fail, fails) to hit three balls thrown by the opposing pitcher in the strike zone is called “out” on strikes. Players on the batting team 8. (is, are) also called out” for failure to reach a base successfully. Balls batted high in the air and caught by an opposing player also 9. (result, results) in an “out.”

Batters on a team 10. (is, are) allowed three “outs before their opponents are allowed to bat. After each of the teams 11. (has, have) had a turn at bat, they have completed the segment of the game called an “inning.” There 12. (is are) normally nine innings in a game. If the score is tied at the end of nine innings, the game continues until one or the other of the teams 13. (lead, leads) at the end of an inning. Avid fans of the game 14. (memorize, memorizes) the statistics on their favorite players. The batting records of players 15. (inspires, inspire) young players.

5. Check for three things in the sentence verb and ending in TAG ENDINGS: a) same PERSON? b) same TENSE? c) POSITIVE and NEGATIVE combination?

She’s been there before, isn’t she?(hasn’t she)

If there is a contraction in the sentence verb, make sure you know what the contraction stands for.

Exceptions:

* I’m right, aren’t I?

* We ought to go, shouldn’t we?

* Let’s see, shall we?

NominativeNominative ObjectiveObjective PossessivePossessive

SingularSingular

11stst Person Person II MeMe My/MineMy/Mine

22ndnd Person Person YouYou Your/YoursYour/Yours

33rdrd Person Person He/She/ItHe/She/It Him/Her/ItHim/Her/It His His Her/Hers/ ItsHer/Hers/ Its

PluralPlural

11stst Person Person WeWe UsUs Our/OursOur/Ours

22ndnd Person Person YouYou Your/YoursYour/Yours

33rdrd Person Person TheyThey ThemThem Their/TheirsTheir/Theirs

CASES OF PRONOUNS

1. Check if the PRONOUN is the SUBJECT or the OBJECT of a verb or preposition

All of us – Didi, Becky, and me – were late. (I)

The Subjective Case is used for subjects and subject complements. The Objective Case is used for direct and indirect objects, objects of prepositions and for both subjects and objects of infinitives. The Possessive Case is generally used before a gerund.

I don’t know who Noel meant. (whom)

The boss approves of ours going on outings together. (our)

2. Check if the PRONOUN and its VERB agree in number

Alpheus is absent, but a few of the class is here.(are)Everyone on the project have to come to the meeting. (has)

Singular Indefinite Pronouns: all, another, any, anyone, anything, everybody, everyone, everything, nobody, one, each.

Plural Indefinite Pronouns: few, many, several, both, others

3. Check if POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS agree in person and number

If anyone calls, take their name. (his)

4. Check if the VERB TO BE is followed by a SUBJECT PRONOUN.

It must have been her at the door. (she)

5. Check for PARALLELISM in IMPERSONAL PRONOUNS

One should take your duties seriously. (one’s/his or her

You should take your duties seriously)

In forms using Impersonal Pronouns, use either One… one’s/his or her or You… your.

1. Which sentence does not observe a consistent point of view?

A. I am usually patient and tolerant with obnoxious people but a person has his limits.

B. Once one has agreed to do a job, he should make every effort to really do it.

C. One never knows what one may do in a moment of excitement.

D. He didn’t want to argue with people, but he could not ignore unfair criticism.

2. Which is the BEST way to write the underlined portion of this sentence: Many people do not take responsibility for his own actions.

A. her C. our

B. their D. your

3. Which is a poorly constructed sentence?

A. Who is responsible to whom?

B. The debate was between Maria and I.

C. We teachers are accountable for our decisions in the classroom.

D. A group of us teachers will fly to the convention.

4. Which is a poorly constructed sentence?

A. Neither Bert nor Rico had brought his tools.

B. Imelda or her assistants will give their permission.

C. If you give us your instructions for the activity, we shall follow it to the letter.

D. We cannot accept the article for credit because to do so would set a very bad precedent

ORDER OF ADJECTIVESDeterminer: Articles, Demonstratives, Possessives,

Indefinite Adjectives, Numeral

Observation

Physical Description: Size, Shape, Age, Color

Origin

Material

Qualifier

Head Noun

Determiner Observation Physical Description Head Noun

(Numeral) (Age)

four lovely old trees

Determiner Physical Description Material Qualifier Head Noun

(possessive) (Shape) (Color)

her short black silk business suit

Determiner Physical Description Origin Head Noun(Indefinite Adj) (Size) (Shape)

several little round Chinese beads

As a rule, avoid long strings of adjectives Two or, at the most, three adjectives modifying one noun phrase seem to be the limit in English.

When three adjectives of the same category are used in series with ‘and’, use commas between the items in the series. Determiner Observation Head Noun

a messy, dirty, and depressing room

But never use the comma between the last adjective and the noun it modifies.

foodsome

Americaninexpensive

delicious

oldtablebig

diningour

Englishoak

Mexicancomfortable

thatchairlittle

rocking

severalframesnarrowblack picture

some delicious, inexpensive American food

that comfortable little Mexican rocking chair

our big old English oak dining table

several narrow black picture frames