Grammar Rules SAT test

8/10/2019 Grammar Rules SAT test

1/17

AGREEMENT

BETWEENSUBJECT AND

VERB

The number of the noun ina phrase introduced by the

preposition of does notaffect the number of the

verb

A listof (many things) has

been drawn up

A plural verb follows the

construction one of thosewho because the

antecedent of who is plural

(those)

George is one of thosemenwhoalways scorehigh in

tests

Relative clauses introducedby who, that or which take

verbs agreeing with the

antecedent of the pronoun

Ulysses is one of the mostinteresting books thathave

ever been written

When the subject andpredicate nominative differ

in number, the verb agreeswith the subject, not the

complement

The theme of the novel isthe experiences of a

Hollywood writerThe verb must

agree with its

subject in number

1

2

3

4


2/17

AGREEMENT

BETWEENSUBJECT AND

VERB

Compound subjects joined by and

ordinarily take a plural verbHere comeJohn and his sister

Each of the following indefinitepronouns takes a singular verb:

anyone, everyone, no one, each,

everybody,somebody, someone,either, nothing, anything,

everything, neither

Everybodyhere knowsthe

importance of building vocabulay

Nouns of quantity, althoughplural in form, are often

understood as collective units and

therefore take singular verbs

Seven years isa long time for afamine

If the parts of the unit are

considered more important than

the unit as a collective whole, theverb must be plural: The majority

of the class areinterested in theirwork

The verb must

agree with its

subject in number

5

6

7


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CASE OF PRONOUNS

NOMINATIVE

Subject of a verb: He marches in the paradePredicate Nominative:It is they

Direct Address:You, go away!

Appositive:He who knows pain -he and heonly- knows the fullness of life

I,

he,

She,

we,

they,

who

OBJETIVE

Direct object of a verb: I admire himIndirect object of a verb:I gave him a book

Object of preposition: I gave it to him

Appositive: They nominated Joe forpresident him, all the people

me,

him,

her,

us,

them,

whom

POSSESIVE

To indicate possession, source, authorship,and similar relationship:

I have read Johnson for his ironic wit

I know whose verse that is

Garlic has its own peculiar odor

my,

his,

her,

our,

their,

whose


4/17

AGREEMENTBETWEEN PRONOUNAND ANTECEDENT

Use the nominative form

when the pronoun is

subject of a sentence orclause, no matter what

the antecedent of thepronoun is

His family disinherited

Cain because hewas not

a good brother

After a linking verb, thepronoun usually takes

the nominativecase

FORMAL: It is I. That is

he. It is they

INFORMAL: It is me.Thatis him. It is them

Use the objetive case

when the pronoun is the

direct or indirect objectof a verb or preposition

Give that rod to Ed and

me

Use the objectivecase

when the pronoun actseither as subject of or as

object of an infinite

His instructors considered

himto be promising

The investigators

suspected the embezzler

to be him

The pronoun must

agree with its

antecedent noun

or pronoun in

number, person,

and gender

1

2

3

4


5/17

AGREEMENT

BETWEENPRONOUN AND

ANTECEDENT

Pronouns take the samecase as the nouns or

pronouns to which they arelinked by coordinating orcorrelative conjuctions

Between him and methere is little to choose

Pronouns in apposition takethe same case as the nounor pronoun of which they

are appositives

He murdered both of

themhim and her

The conjuctions than and

as have no effect upon

the case of the pronoun

which follows them

You can be taller thanshe(is)

The case of therelative pronoun who

and whom isdetermined by their

use in the sentence

NOMINATIVE: We tried to

determine who shewas

OBJETIVE: Give the car to

whomever you wish

The pronoun must

agree with its

antecedent noun

or pronoun in

number, person,

and gender

5

6

7

8


6/17

REFERENCE OF PRONOUNS

The pronoun must be placed as near as possibleto its logical antecedent

WRONG

Mary blushed when she looks athersister

RIGHT

Looking at her sister, Mary blushed


7/17


Avoid placing the pronoun in a position where itmay refer to more than one antecedent

WRONG

Stephen followed Tommy into acorner, where hehid

RIGHT

Stephen followed Tommy into a

corner and saw him hide there


8/17


Avoid explaining the ambiguous pronoun byplacing its antecedent in parentheses

WRONGCraven asked Nevin whether his

(Cravens) car would be safe in his(Nevins) garage


9/17


Avoid using pronouns to stand for ideas ratherthan for nouns

WRONG

Valerie brought home from school

several excellent ceramics andwatercolors. Thismade her family proud

RIGHT

The ceramics and watercolors Valeriebrought home from school made her

family extremely proud


10/17


Avoid using the pronouns it, you,and they tostand for ideas rather than nouns

WRONGThe employer intended to wish good

cheer to each of his workers. He knew itwould make a splendid impression on

them

RIGHT

The employer intended to wish good

cheer to each of his workers. He knewthat such a message would make a

splendid impression upon them


11/17


Avoid repeating the same pronoun within a

single sentence when the pronoun has different

antecedents

WRONG

The club was the scene of a nightly

brawl; nevertheless itwas patronized bymen who liked participating in it

RIGHT

The club was the scene of a nightly

brawl; nevertheless, men who liked it

participating in it patronized the club


12/17


Avoid impersonal expressions

WRONG

Theysay that the new crop of inducteesis well educated

RIGHT

Draft Officials say that the new crop ofinductees is well educated


13/17


Avoid referring to an antecedent so remote from

the pronoun that the central meaning of a

sentence is obscured

WRONGThe Aztecs for centuries held great power in Mexico.

The lakes were filled in and a great city developed.They brought with them many cultural patternshitherto unknown to the natives

RIGHT

The Aztecs for centuries held great power in

Mexico. They filled in the lakes, introducecultural patterns hitherto unknown to the

natives, and developed a great city


14/17


Avoid referring to an antecedent in a subordinateconstruction

WRONG

We bought copies of the magazine he

was selling to earn his way throughcollege. Itwas the New Yorker

RIGHT

We bought copies of the New Yorker, the

magazine he was selling to earn his way

through college


15/17

VERBS

SEQUENCE OF

TENSES

If the verb in the main clause is in

the past or past perfect tense, theverb in the noun clause is

generally (thought not invariably)in the past or perfect tense

He believed

He had believed

trisected

had trisected

If the verb in the main clause is in

the present tense, the presentperfect tense, the future tense, or

the future perfect tense, the verb

in the subordinate clause may be

in any tense at all

He believes

He has believed

He will believeHe will have believed

trisects

trisected

will trisect

has trisected

had trisected

will have trisected

To express some universal truth

(real or supposed), a past tense in

the main clause may be followed

by a present tense in thesubordinate clause

He believed

He had believed

Angles are trisectable

Angels guard us

Logical sequence of tenses -adjusting

the tense of the verb in the subordinate

clause to the tense of the verb in the

main clause- ought to be maintained

Noun clauses

that he

that he

that


16/17

VERBS

SEQUENCE OF

TENSES

If the verb in the main clause isin the past or past perfect

tense, the verb in the

subordinated clause is in thepast or past perfect tense

He was

He has been

was richhad been rich

If the verb in the main clause is in the

present, present perfect, future or

future perfect tense, the verb in the

subordinate clause may be in anytense at all

He is

He has been

He will be

He will have been

is rich

was rich

will be rich

has been rich

had been rich

will have been rich





Adverbial clauses

honest althought

he

honest althought

he


17/17

VERBS

SEQUENCE OF

TENSES

In adjective clauses, thesubordinate verb mayexpress any time that

the sense demands

Freud formulated the theory

which men ignored at first,which they attack now, and

which they will accept

ultimately





Adjective clauses

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Grammar Rules SAT test