AEG Quiz Reviewer Flashcards
is a grammatical rule in English that ensures the verb in a sentence matches the subject in terms of number (singular or plural) and person (first, second, or third)
Subject-verb agreement
Singular subject takes singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs.
Basic Rule
If two subjects are joined by “and”, use a plural verb.
Compound Subjects Joined by “And”
If the subjects refer to a single entity, use a singular verb.
Exception
When subjects are joining by or or nor, the verb should agree with the subject closest to it.
Subjects joined by “or” or “nor”
(e.g. each, everyone, everybody, someone) take singular verbs.
Singular Indefinite Pronouns
(e.g. several, few, both, many) take plural verbs
Plural Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite Pronouns as Subjects
Singular Indefinite Pronouns
Plural Indefinite Pronouns
(e.g. team, family, group) may take a singular or plural verb, depending on whether the group is acting as a single unit or individuals.
Collective Nouns
Some nouns are plural in form but singular in meaning (e.g. news, mathematics, physics)
Subjects that appear plural but are singular
These expressions do not change the number of the subject. The verb agrees with the main subject.
With expressions like “along with”, “as well as”, and “in addition to”
Titles of works, even if plural in form, take a singular verb.
Titles of books, movies, or other works
take a singular verb when they refer to a total amount but a plural verb when they refer to individual items.
Quantifiers and amounts
In sentences starting with there or here, the verb agrees with the subject that follows it.
Inverted sentences (starting with “there” or “here”)
are words that describe the qualities or states of being of nouns: enormous, doglike, silly, yellow, fun, fast. They can also describe the quantity of nouns: many, few, millions, eleven.
Adjectives
As you may already know, adjectives are words that modify (describe) nouns
Adjectives modify nouns
Adjectives tell the reader what kind of something you’re talking about, or how much or how many of something you’re talking about.
Uses of adjectives
Adjectives come in three forms, known as degrees: absolute, comparative, and superlative.
Degrees of adjectives
describe something in its own right.
Absolute adjectives
unsurprisingly, make a comparison between two or more things.
Comparative adjectives
some use -er to form the comparative while others use the word more.
more rigid, more awful, more beautiful, more fun, more garrulous, more careful, more modern, more delicious
Simple-simpler, clever-cleverer, narrow-narrower, gentle-gentler, happy-happier, lucky-luckier, quiet-quieter
two-syllable adjectives
indicate that something has the highest degree of the quality in question.
Superlative adjectives
become superlatives by adding the suffix -est (or just -st for adjectives that already end in e)
coolest, messiest, happiest, tallest, shortest, weakest, sweetest, fastest, softest, brightest, oldest, darkest, biggest, slowest, newest
One-syllable adjectives
some two-syllable adjectives use -est to form the superlative while others use the word most.
most interesting, most beautiful, most wonderful, most handsome, most humble, most confident, most rigid, most careful, most generous, most honest, most famous, most peaceful, most useful, most difficult, most expensive, most complex, most important, most common, most awful
comparative
