Verbal Flashcards
When I see:
- either/or
- and
- but
- rather than
- not only/but also
I’ll think:
Parallelism
- X and Y
- not only X, but also Y
- neither X, nor Y (, but rather Z)
The two words have to have the same form and be structurally comparable. e.g. eliminating and raising (not eliminate and raising)
Which verb is accurate & why? How many verbs are in this sentence?
The team of players from the local high school (is/are) comprised entirely of first-year students and includes both boys and girls.
2 verbs. The second verb “includes” is not underlined and it is singular, so the noun team is intended to be singular. Thus “is” is the correct verb.
The team is comprised … and includes boys and girls.
What’s a trick for identifying when a word is a noun?
If you can place “a” or “the” before a word and it makes sense, then that word is a noun.
List 7 subject pronouns
I, you, he, she, it, we, they
List 8 object pronouns
me, you, him, her, it, us, you, them
List 7 possessive pronouns
mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs
List 4 reflexive prounouns
and
How are reflexive prounouns formed?
myself, ourselves, itself, themselves
Reflexive pronouns are formed by adding “-self” to the end of a possessive pronoun or adjectives and are used to reflect back on the noun.
List 4 interrogative pronouns
who, whom, whose, which
List 4 demonstrative pronouns
and
How are demonstrative pronouns used?
this, that, these, those
These pronouns are used to point out, or to demonstrate, a specific thing.
What is an indefinite pronoun? Give an example.
“Everyone” is an indefinite pronoun.
Indefinite pronouns take the place of nouns, but do not refer to specific people, places, or things.
Populate the verbs (have vs has)
All people ____
vs.
Everyone ___
All people “have”
Everyone “has”
Most indefinite pronouns are singular, including “everyone”.
Give an example of a singular indefinite pronoun
“Each”
What is the verbal timing strategy?
Complete 9 questions every 15 minutes
What is the process to review sentence correction?
- Take a first glance at the answers
- Read the sentence for meaning
- Find a starting point and differences between answers
- Eliminate all incorrect choices
When I see the word:
And
Think:
Parallelism: X and Y
X, Y, and Z
Could be: a list, a modifier, compound subject or verb, two independent clauses
What is a clause?
Give an example
A set of words that contains a subject and a working verb.
- She applied for the job.
- She is the subject
- Applied is the working verb
Together these form an independent clause.
Dependent clause vs independent clause
Dependent Clause:
- Contains a verb but cannot stand alone as a sentence.
- Adds extra information to the sentence
[Although she didn’t have much work experience], she was offered the job.
- Without an independent clause, you have a sentence fragment
What is a modifier?
Provides additional information in a sentence, beyond the core subject and verb.
- An adjective is a modifier
The large dog, which has black fur, is a Labrador.
-
which has black fur is a nonessential modifier
- If it’s removed, the core of the sentence still makes sense
Noun Modifiers: palce as close to nouns they modify
Adverbial Modifiers: more flexible
When I see:
“comma -wh” words:
I’ll think:
- What is the NOUN being referred to
- “wh” words CANNOT refer to a clause
When I see:
“comma -ing” words:
I’ll think:
- What is the CLAUSE being referred to?
- “-ing” words can refer to a noun or clause
- a “Comma -ing” modifier refers to the main subject and verb of the sentence
What are coordinating conjunctions?
FANBOYS
- For
- And
- Nor
- But
- Or
- Yet
- So
When I see:
A sub-ordinating conjunction: Although, Because, While, Though, Unless, Before, After, If
I’ll think:
- This is a modifier
- This is connected to an independent clause and cannot stand on its own
When I see:
- Like/Unlike
I’ll think:
- This is a comparison
- Unlike B, A
- Like B, A
- What is being compared? Is the comparison logical?
- “Alaska” to “The temperature in Florida”
- Shows Alaska and temperature are dissimilar
- “Alaska” to “The temperature in Florida”
When I see:
A prepositional phrase
- At
- With
- From
- In
- By
- About
- Under
- Along
- Without
- ….
I’ll think:
- A noun in a prepositional phrase cannot be the subject of the sentence
- Prepositional phrases modify or describe other parts of the sentence
When I see:
- The word “That”
I’ll think:
- Did it appear after a working verb?
- Yes: It acts as “reset” button in the sentence: a new subject-verb-object structure will follow
When I see:
- a marker for countable modifiers:
- Many
- Few
- Fewer
- a marker for uncountable modifiers
- Much
- Little
- Less
I’ll think:
- Is the noun a countable item or uncountable item?
- Hats (countable)
- Many Hats
- Patience (uncountable)
- Much patience
- Hats (countable)
- If unsure, try to count it out:
- Countable: One hat, two hats, etc.
- Uncountable: One patience, two patience, etc.
When I see:
The word “less”
I’ll think:
- Is the item countable?
- Yes: the word less cannot be used
- use “fewer”
- Yes: the word less cannot be used
When I see:
A singular or plural noun that is the subject of the sentence
I’ll think:
Check the antecendent of the prounoun
- “Its” must refer to a singular pronoun
- “Their” must refer to a plural pronoun
When I see:
- The word “Had”
I’ll think:
- Past perfect: does this describe the past of the past (double past)
When I see:
- The words “have/has”
I’ll think:
- Present Perfect: the action in the past or its effect is continuing to the present
When I see:
Key Words:
- Therefore
- Thus
- So
- Consequently
I’ll think:
- This could be the author’s conclusion.
- Is this supported by at least one premise?
When I see:
Key Words:
- Alhough
- Though
- However
- Yet
- But
I’ll think:
- This could be the author’s counterpoint or counterpremise.
- The counterpoint/counterpremise could become before these key words
When I see:
- Two potential conclusions
- Use the “Therefore” test
I’ll think:
- Becasuse “A”, Therefore “B”
When I see:
- Classify each statement in boldface as one of the following items. . .
I’ll think:
- C) Author’s Conclusion
- P) Premise (supports author’s conclusion)
- X) Something Else (countrpremise, background, information, acknowledgement of a weakness in the argument . . .)
Note:
Assumption Type Questions:
- Structure Based
- Find the Assumption
- Strengthen the Argument
- Weaken the Argument
- Evaluate the Argument
- Find the Flaw
- Evidence
