- Ensure the subject and verb of any clause agree in both person and number. The person indicates whether the subject of the verb is first, second or third person. The number indicates whether the subject and verb are singular or plural. For example, "I think" is first person singular and "we think" is first person plural. "You think" is can be either second person singular or plural. "He/she/it thinks" is third person singular and "they think" is third person plural. A verb must agree in number (singular or plural) with its subject.
- 2 Determine if every pronoun agrees with its antecedent in person, gender and number. The antecedent is the word to which the pronoun refers. For example, "Walter brought his laptop computer and e-book to school." The pronoun "his" refers to the antecedent "Walter." Both the pronoun and its antecedent are singular, third person and masculine. Therefore, the pronoun agrees with its antecedent. Use a singular pronoun to refer to such antecedents as each, neither, one, anyone, for example. Use a plural pronoun to refer to everyone or people, for example.
2.levels of usage
Formal English is, for the most part, a written language. In general, it is confined to the realm of the serious: textbooks, academic or technical works, and most essays you will write at university. You would write formally in a letter of application for a job. Formal language tends to be impersonal and precise, and often uses long, carefully constructed sentences; the formal writer will avoid contractions and abbreviations, and will use a more specialized and complex vocabulary than that employed in everyday speech.
One must, however, beware of excess. Formal writing can easily become incomprehensible because it is too convoluted or wordy. In recent years the proliferation ofjargon has become altogether too general. Despite its sophistication, formal language must remain clear.
Informal English is the language spoken by most people every day. While educated speakers retain their knowledge of formal rules, they're more relaxed about grammar and less concerned with vocabulary when they're engaged in ordinary conversation. Informal writing reflects this relaxation. Sentences are shorter, and tend to avoid the more formal punctuation of the semi-colon and colon. Contractions and the first person are acceptable. Newspaper articles and columns are usually written informally, and you use informal language when you write to your friends.
While the dictionary of word usage (16Kb) is designed to help students avoid mistakes in formal writing, it has been prepared in a relatively informal style to make it more enjoyable to read (try taking it on your next holiday). Informal language is not necessarily inferior to formal; it simply serves a different purpose and is directed to a different audience. The essays of Mark Twain,the novels of Margaret Atwood and the film reviews of Pauline Kael are acclaimed works whose style is largely informal.
Popular English can be colourful and highly expressive, but it is out of place in any writing unless you are reporting speech. In everyday speech, imprecision of meaning or poverty of vocabulary can be compensated for by enthusiastic verbal expression, but you can't wave your hands around, or vary your voice for emphasis when you are writing. Many of the errors in usage covered in the dictionary which follows are a result of a lack of awareness of the difference between written and spoken English.
Here are some examples of how vocabulary changes in each level of usage:
| Formal | Informal | Popular |
|---|---|---|
| comprehend | understand | get it |
| intoxicated | drunk | wasted |
| exhausted | tired | bagged |
| dejected | sad | bummed |
A major problem with popular English is that its vocabulary is either too limited or too specialised (not all professors are up to date with the latest slang, and the slang used by one group may be scorned by another). Slang also changes rapidly. The third column in this list will look rather dated in a few years (if it isn't already), while the words in the first two columns have been around since Shakespeare.
3.verb usage
A verb is a part of speech that usually denotes action ("bring", "read"), occurrence ("to decompose" (itself), "to glitter"), or a state of being ("exist", "live", "soak", "stand"). Depending on the language, a verb may vary in form according to many factors, possibly including its tense, aspect, mood and voice. It may also agree with the person, gender, and/or number of some of its arguments (what we usually call subject, object, etc.).
Verbs can be conveyed in many ways. Lets look in particular at the word "wear"
She wears a pink dress - This sentence is made up of three main parts, she, being the noun. Wears, being an action or 'doing' word. Pink, describing the noun about to be added to the sentence and, Dress, the noun which pulls all these words together (giving them all one key point) to complete the sentence.
4.Chapter4- Pronoun Usage
Nominative case pronouns are used ONLY as subjects or predicate nominatives. Objective case pronouns are used ONLY as direct objects,indirect objects, or objects of prepositions.
Note: An appositive pronoun is nominative case when the appositive renames a subject or a predicate nominative. An appositive pronoun is objective case when it renames a direct object, an indirect object or the object of a preposition.
EXAMPLES
The Queen and I had tea together.
NOT
The Queen and me had tea together.
NOT
The Queen and me had tea together.
Subject = I
Use I because it is a nominative case pronoun.
5.subject and verb agreement We all know these meanings of "agree," but when we talk about subject-verb agreement, we're talking about something different: matching subjects and verbsaccording to number. That is, when you have a singular subject, you have to match it with a singular verb form: The boy plays. When you have a plural subject, you must have a plural verb form: The boys play.In short, simple sentences, you should have no problem with agreement. You can hear the problem: The boys plays. When it's wrong , it just sounds funny. However, there are four potential problem spots that you need to watch carefully:
- stuff in between the subject and verb
- reversed sentence order
- "-body," "-one," and "-thing" words
- "who," "which," and "that"
6.pronoun and antecedent When we talked about subject-verb agreement, we said that the subject and the verbmust agree in number. That is, you have to make sure that both are singular or both are plural. The same goes for pronouns and antecedents.
A pronoun renames (takes the place of) a noun that comes before it.
An antecedent is what we call the noun that comes before the pronoun.
Two examples should be enough:
- I get worried when the neighbors let their dog out.
- The dog goes wild, and he always messes up my front yard.
7.adjective and adverb usage
An adjective is simply a word which modifies the noun it is related to. Adjectives usually come before the modified noun. An adjective could also be a phrase or a clause instead of being a single word. John bought a blue shirt. (single word) Last night, a man in a blue coat stole my wallet. (phrase) I love the car which just crossed the street. (clause)
Adverbs are like adjectives, but they modify the verb. Ordinarily, there are three types of adverbs (see above examples).He carefully left the room. He left the room with a scared face. He left the room which was located on the seventh floor.
Most single word adverbs are made simply by adding -ly to the end of the respective adjective: Careful-ly = in a careful manner Usually = in a usual manner (often) Simply = in a simple way8.miscellaneous problems in usageThis list identifies words and constructions that sometimes require attention in writing projects. Some of the entries are pairs of words that are quite different in meaning yet similar enough in spelling to be confused. Some are nonstandard usages (e.g. alright) and informal constructions that are not acceptable in formal writing.
accept, except To accept is "To agree to something or to receive something willingly." To except is "to exclude or omit." As a preposition, except means "but" or "excluding."
advice, advise You advise someone. What you give that person is advice.
affect, effect Affect is a verb meaning either "to influence" or "to pretend." Effect as a verb means "to accomplish or to produce as a result." As a noun, effect means "result."
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