LCH1005

English for Academic Studies

(Business) I

Review of Grammar Topics

Lecture 9
 Overview
1. Subject‐Verb Agreement
2. Verb Tense System
3. Consistent Verb Tense Usage
4. Comparative Forms
5. Parallel Structure
6. Connectors
7. Sentence Fragments
8. Verb Forms: Gerunds and Infinitives
Subject-Verb Agreement
A verb must agree in number with its subject.
 Prepositional
Prepositional Phrases
Phrases

TIPS:
•When locating subjects, ignore prepositional
phrases.
•The subject of a verb will not be the object of a
preposition.
•Some of the most common prepositions:
of, to, in, from, for, with, at, and by
•Less easily recognized prepositions: except,
but, like, and between
6-5
 Prepositional
Prepositional Phrases
Phrases (concluded)
(concluded)

What are the subjects of the following

sentences?

One of the companies is hiring new employees.

E-mail messages from the president are important.
Everyone except Stephanie and Todd is working.

6-6
 There and Here
There and Here

In sentences beginning with there or here,

look for the true subject after the verb.

There are several new products. (Invert the

sentence: Several new products are
there.)
Here is a list of potential customers. (Invert: A
list of potential customers is here.)

6-7
 There and Here
There and Here (concluded)
(concluded)

What are the subjects of the following sentences?

There are several valid arguments.

Here is a list of possible agenda items.

6-8
Inverted
Inverted Sentences
Sentences

Look for the subject after the verb in

inverted sentences and in questions.

Across the street is a recycling center. (Invert:

A recycling center is across the street.)
Is one of the technicians going to call? (Invert:
One of the technicians is going to call.)

6-9
Inverted
Inverted Sentences
Sentences (concluded)
(concluded)

What are the subjects of the following

sentences?

Down the block is a new gift shop.

Is one of the graduates going to apply?

6-10
Collective
Collective Nouns
Nouns

Collective nouns such as faculty, committee,

or council may be singular or plural
depending on their mode of operation.
When a collective noun operates as a single unit,
its verb should be singular.

The council is meeting Thursday.

Next week the faculty is voting.

6-11
Collective
Collective Nouns
Nouns (concluded)
(concluded)

When the elements of a collective noun

operate separately, the verb is plural.

The faculty were concerned about their room

assignments.
(Better to say, The members of the faculty
were concerned about their room
assignments.)

6-12
 Or and Nor
Or and Nor

When two or more subjects are joined by or or

nor, the verb should agree with the closer
subject (the one following or or nor).

Neither the house nor its outbuildings are insured.

Neither the outbuildings nor the house is insured.
Either Kim or you are responsible for supplies.
Either you or Kim is responsible for supplies.

6-13
Indefinite
Indefinite Pronouns
Pronouns

Some indefinite pronouns are always

singular, some are always plural, and some
may be singular or plural depending upon
the words to which they refer.

6-14
Indefinite
Indefinite Pronouns
Pronouns (continued)
(continued)

Always Singular or
Always Singular
Plural Plural
anyone, anybody both all
anything, each few more
either, every many most
everyone, everybody several some
everything, neither any
nobody, nothing none
someone, somebody
something
6-15
Indefinite
Indefinite Pronouns
Pronouns (concluded)
(concluded)

Each of the policies is separate. (Always singular)

Few of the companies are interested. (Always
plural)
Some of the pie is missing.
(Some refers to pie,
which is singular.)
Some of the jelly beans are
missing. (Some refers to
jelly beans, which is plural.)

6-16
Phrases
Phrases and
and Clauses
Clauses

Use a singular verb when the subject of a

sentence is a phrase or a clause.

Learning to operate all the pieces of office

equipment is a big task.

Relying too much on others is detrimental.

6-17
Try Your Skill
Which option is correct?

1. The total cost of supplies __________

much higher than we anticipated.
a. is b. are

2. Here ___________ your itinerary and your

tickets for your trip.
a. is b. are

3. A list of all customer e-mail addresses

__________ available on my computer.
a. is b. are
Try Your Skill
Which option is correct?

4. Each of the witnesses _________ scheduled to

testify today.
a. is b. are

5. Our CEO and our CFO _________ to release

the financial figures this week.
a. plans b. plan

6. Most of the research for the report _________

completed.
a. is b. are
Try Your Skill
Which option is correct?

7. Every car, truck, and van _________ to be

inspected.
a. has b. have

8. Relying too much on others _________

detrimental.
a. is b. are

9. Either the book title or its chapter titles

_________ to be revised.
a. has b. have
Verb Tense System
The Simple Present vs. The Present
Progressive (Continuous)

The present tense is often used in narratives and other

kinds of writing to indicate that the action takes place
habitually or is generally true.

The present progressive is used to describe a single

action that is in progress at a specific moment—usually
the moment of speaking or writing.
 The Simple Present vs. The Present
Progressive
The Simple Present Tense

1. The simple present tense is used to describe

repeated, habitual, or characteristic actions.

 Adverbs of frequency—such as always, usually, often,

sometimes, and never—sometimes help by signaling
the need for the simple present.

p. 215
 The Simple Present vs. The Present
Progressive
The Simple Present Tense

2. Some verbs—sometimes called stative verbs—are

generally used in the simple present form.

 These verbs describe states of being, not actions, and

relate sensory perceptions, conditions, judgments,
conclusions, or emotional states.

p. 215
 The Simple Present vs. The Present
Progressive
The Simple Present Tense

3. A few verbs are used in the simple present tense even

though they describe future actions.

 Not many verbs are in this group, which includes

begin, leave, depart, and arrive. They can also be used
in the present progressive to convey future actions.

p. 215
 The Simple Present vs. The Present
Progressive
The Simple Progressive Tense

Notice the following uses of the present progressive

(am, are, is + verb +ing):

1. The present progressive is used to describe a single

action that is in progress at a specific moment—usually
the moment of speaking or writing.

p. 216
 The Simple Present vs. The Present
Progressive
The Simple Progressive Tense
2. The present progressive may also be used to describe
an action in progress over a long period of time, even
though the action may not be taking place at the
moment of speaking or writing.

 However, this action is perceived as temporary.

p. 216
 The Simple Present vs. The Present
Progressive
The Simple Progressive Tense

3. The present progressive can be used to express a

future action, especially when that action is in the
near future.

 Usually, we use an adverb of time to clarify that the

present progressive is indicating future time.

p. 216
The Simple Present vs. The Present Progressive
The Simple Past, the Past Progressive (Continuous),
and the Past Perfect

The Simple Past Tense

The simple past tense indicates that an action occurred

or a situation existed at a known moment in the past or
during a period of time in the past.
The Simple Past, the Past Progressive (Continuous),
and the Past Perfect
The Past Progressive Tense
The past progressive tense (was, were + verb + ing)
indicates that an action began and continued over a
period of time in the past. It is also used to describe an
action that is going on at a particular time in the past.

The past progressive is often used in adverb clauses of

time with while and as to indicate an action that occurs
at the same time as the action in the independent
clause
The Simple Past vs. The Past Progressive
The Simple Past, the Past Progressive (Continuous),
and the Past Perfect
The Past Perfect Tense

The past perfect tense (had + past participle) indicates

that one past event occurred before another past event.
The past perfect is used to describe the event that
occurred first.

She did not give us the exam that she had planned for that day.
The Simple Past, the Past Progressive (Continuous),
and the Past Perfect
The Past Perfect Tense

When the amount of time leading up to the first event is

given, the past perfect is necessary.
I had known her for three years when she left.

The past perfect is often used with the expressions no

sooner . . . than and hardly . . . when.
I had no sooner begun to work than the telephone rang.
The Simple Past, the Past Progressive (Continuous),
and the Past Perfect
The Past Perfect Tense
The Simple Past, the Past Progressive,
and the Past Perfect
Would + verb and used to + verb

Sometimes, it is necessary to express actions that are

repeated in the past; we can call them habitual actions—
actions that occur again and again in the past.
For such a habitual past action, you can use the
expression would + a verb.

p. 221
The Present Perfect vs. The Simple
Past
The Present Perfect Tense
The present perfect tense (has/have + past participle)
indicates a state or action that started in the past and
continues to the present moment. It indicates that that
state or action is relevant to the present time.

Since my arrival here six months ago, I have been pleasantly

surprised.

p. 222
The Present Perfect vs. The Simple
Past
The Present Perfect Tense

The present perfect tense is also used to indicate an

action that has been completed at some indefinite time
in the past—usually in the recent past.

The present perfect tense is used to indicate that an

action that occurred in the past has the capability of
happening again.
I have had three cups of coffee today. (I may have another
one.)

pp. 222-223
Try Your Skill
Which option is correct?

1. At first I didn’t like my job, but ________ to enjoy it

now.
A. I’ m beginning B. I begin

2. How ___________________ now? Better than before?

A. do you feel B. are you feeling

3. Matt _________ while we were having dinner.

A. was phoning B. phoned

4. Everything is going well. We ________ any problems so

far.
A. don’t have B. haven’t had
Try Your Skill
Which option is correct?

5. Where’s the book I gave you? What _________ with it?

A. have you done B. have you been doing

6. ‘__________ each other for a long time?’ ‘Yes, since we

were at school.’
A. Do you know B. Have you known

7. The man sitting next to me on the plane was very

nervous. He ________ before.
A. hadn’t flown B. didn’t fly

8. I ________ tennis a lot, but I don’t play very often now.

A. used to play B. am used to play
Consistent Verb Tense Usage
Consistent Verb Tense Usage
- Good writers are careful to use the same verb tense
throughout an essay.
- While it is true that an essay may have, for example,
some information about the past and some
information about the present, most of the
information will be about one time, most likely
either past or present.
- Do NOT change verb tenses without a specific
reason for doing so.
 Consistent Verb Tense Usage
Explanation Examples
When describing an event in the past In our experiment, we placed three live fresh-
tense, maintain the past tense water plants (each approximately 20 centimeters
throughout your explanation. in length) into a quart jar that was filled with
fresh water at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. We left the
top two centimeters of the jar with air. We then
carefully added a medium goldfish.

We talking about facts that are always The sun is the center of the solar system. The
true, use present tense in your earth and other planets revolve around the sun.
explanation. Most of the plants have at least one moon that
circles the planet, and these moons vary
tremendously in size, just as the planets do.

In writing such as a report, it is possible According to this report, the police now believe
to have different verb tenses that two men stole the truck and the money in it.
reflecting different times.
p. 103
Comparative Forms
Comparative Forms (-er, more / less; as … as, the same … as)
Try Your Skill
Write the correct comparative form of the word in parentheses.

1. The rock flew is (high) ___higher___________ than the roof.

2. I think that she’s (intelligent) _more intelligent___ than her

sister.

3. This book is (boring) _more boring______________ than the last

one.

4. Advertising pressures women to be (thin) ___thinner________.

5. I’ve always been (patient) ___more patient___________ than my

sister.
Parallel Structure
Good writers use parallel structure in their
writing. Parts of a sentence that have the
same function should have the same form.

Using parallel structure makes your writing

much easier for the reader to understand.
Parallel Structure
Using and (coordinating conjunction)

The weather is hot, dry, and very windy. [In the same
form]

p. 132
Parallel Structure
Items in a list or series

The number of days in December is greater than the

number of days in February.

p. 132
Parallel Structure
Items in a list or series

The rainfall in July is greater than April.

The rainfall in July is higher than the rainfall in April.

[OK]
The rainfall in July is higher than that in April. [Better]

that = pronoun
of the rainfall

p. 132
Try Your Skill
Spot the error in each sentence.

1. According to the report, universities in London spend more money

per student than Leicester.

2. Many teenagers like watching YouTube and to play online games.

3. According to the most recent data, the population of China is larger

than India.
Connectors
Connectors That Show Cause

Connectors That Show Effect

p. 97
Try Your Skill

1. Some marketers use surprising stimuli in magazine advertisements

_____________ they want to grab the readers’ attention.

2. Hearing problems can be caused by loud noises.

_____________, we should avoid listening to very loud music.

3. MTR services were stopped ______________ the typhoon.

4. I followed by teacher’s advice to study harder; ____________ ,

my grades improved a lot.
Sentence Fragments
Sentence Fragments

What is a Complete Sentence?

Subject + Verb
Complete thought

What is a Sentence Fragment?

Subject + missing Verb
Missing Subject + Verb
Not a Complete Thought

p. 103
 Grammar for Writing
Sentence Fragments
Explanation Examples
A sentence must have a subject  Because I read and studied the
and a verb and be able to stand textbook often.
by itself in meaning.  I scored 97 on the quiz because I
read and studied the textbook
often.
It is possible to begin a sentence  Because I studied for the final
with because, although, if, exam a great deal.
when, or while, but the sentence  Because I studied a great deal,
needs a second part with another my score on the final exam was
subject-verb combination. 99.
 My score on the final exam was 99
because I studied a great deal.
Try Your Skill

FRAGMENT 
Because we have all come to depend on e-mail.
That’s why we must find a solution.

REMEDY 
Because we have all come to depend on e-mail,
we must find a solution
Verb Forms: Gerunds and Infinitives
Gerunds and Infinitives as Subjects

Jogging is good for your circulation.

To find a jogging partner can be difficult.
Gerunds and Infinitives as Subjects

To find a jogging partner can be difficult.

It can be difficult to find a jogging partner.

Gerunds and Infinitives as Subjects

Jogging is good for your circulation.

The boy’s stealing the basketballs is a serious offense.
Gerunds and Infinitives as Objects
There are three groups of verbs that occur with
gerunds and infinitives.
Gerunds and Infinitives as Objects
Here are more detailed explanations of these three
groups of verbs.
Gerunds and Infinitives as Objects
Here are more detailed explanations of these three
groups of verbs.
Gerunds and Infinitives as Objects
Gerunds and Infinitives as Objects
NOTE: The verbs REMEMBER and STOP
I remember charging my laptop last night.
I remembered to charge my laptop last night.

The gerund and infinitive have different meanings. Do you get

the two meanings?
Gerunds and Infinitives as Objects
Gerunds as Objects of Prepositions

I am looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday.

I did not plan on spending so much money on my vacation.
Gerunds as Objects of Prepositions

Examples

+ gerunds

p. 231
Try Your Skill
1. Try to do it without _making___ (make) too much noise.
2. We regret __to inform____(inform) you that the cinema is
closed.
3. I prefer __listening____(listen) to music to watching
television.
4. He didn't mean __to break____(break) it.
5. They made her _sign___(sign) a new contract.
6. Sara always avoids _asking___(ask) her parents for money.