Essential grammar

Week 5

By Peiling Hsia

Contents:

Subject Subject-Verb agreement Parallelism structural Dangling and misplaced modifiers Participial phrases How to read long sentences

Subject

Subject1. 名詞 Dogs are human’s best friends.

Food is what I need now.

2. 代名詞 They are good students.We went to the mall yesterday.

3. The + 形容詞 The rich are not always happy.

4. The + 現在分詞 (V+ing)

The living in the world should be not selfish.

5. The + 過去分詞 (P.P)

The wounded should take a good rest at home.

6. 不定詞(To + 原形動詞 )

To study hard is the only way to get high scores.To have a baby is a big responsibility.

7. 動名詞 Dancing is my hobby.Traveling alone is so much fun.

8. 介係詞片語 From this morning to tomorrow night is a long time.

9.

子句What you say makes me disappointed. When he will come is not important. That the earth is square is not true.What I need now is food.

Subject-Verb Agreement主詞動詞一致性

動詞的單數和複數隨主詞的單數或複數而定。 

基本原則：單數主詞需要單數動詞；複數主詞需要複數動詞。 

When the subject of a sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns connected by and, use a plural verb.

1. 不定代名詞 (indefinite pronouns) anyone, everyone, someone, no  one, nobody

是單數 !

Everyone has done his or her homework. Somebody has left her purse.

若干不定代名詞  (如  all, some) 為複數或單數  -- 視其所指的名詞為可數或不可數而定。

Some of the beads are _____ missing. Some of the water ____ gone.

“none” 可為單數或複數  (除非句子中有別的人事物來決定它 ) None of you claims responsibility for this incident? None of you claim responsibility for this incident? None of the students have done their homework. (their 這個字告訴你要使用複數動詞，不能使用單數動詞。 )

2. 不定代名詞 “ everyone” 和 “ everybody”，像是在談論一個人以上，所以使用複數動詞；

    而  each 後面常接複數字，經常困擾我們對動詞的選擇  - each 要用單數動詞　 

Everyone has finished his or her homework. Everybody knows Mr. Jones. Each of the students _____ responsible for doin

g his or her work in the  library.

3. together with, as well as 和 along with 等片語與  and 並不相同　 

The mayor as well as his brothers is going to prison.

The mayor and his brothers are going to jail.

(由  as well as 或  along with 所引導的片語係修飾前面的字，並未使主詞複數化  )

(而  and 則有使主詞  1+1=2 的複數化作用 )

4. neither 和  either 是單數，即使就某一方面來說它們似乎是指兩樣事物　 

Neither of the two traffic lights is working. Either suit ____ fine with me. Either ____ correct.

5. 連接詞 or 並沒有結合的作用。    在使用  or 或  nor 的場合，比較接近動詞的主詞決定了動詞的數。　 

Either my father or my brothers are going to sell the house.

Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell the house.

The boy or his friends run every day. His friends or the boy runs every day.

6. there 和 here 不是主詞　 

There are two reasons for this. There is no reason for this. Here are two apples.

(主詞跟隨在動詞之後 )

7. 有時修飾語是放在主詞和動詞之間，但這些修飾語不應混淆主詞及其動詞之間的一致性。　 

The mayor who has been convicted along with his four brothers on four counts of various crimes is finally going to jail.

8. glasses, pants, scissors, eyes, gloves, boots, sleeves 等字被視為複數    除非它們的前面有  pair of (此時  pair 這個字就變成了主詞 ) 　 

My glasses were on the bed. My pants were torn. These scissors are dull. A pair of trousers ____ in the closet.

9. 分數或數字詞如  half of, a part of, a percentage of, a majority of 或  all, any, more, most, some 有時是單數有時複數，視意思而定

　  Some of the voters ____ still angry. A large percentage of the older population ____ voting a

gainst her. Two-fifths of the troops ____ lost in the battle. Two-fifths of the vineyard ____ destroyed by fire. The woman with all the dogs _____ down my street. Two and two ____ four. Four times four divided by two ____ eight.

數學過程的總和與乘積係以單數來表示

10. 有些字以 s 做字尾 但卻是單數

The news from the front ____ bad. Measles (麻疹 ) ____ a dangerous disease for pregnant

women.

the word dollars is a special case. When talking about an amount of money, it requires a singular verb, but when referring to the dollars themselves, a plural verb is required.

Five dollars _____ a lot of money. Dollars ______ often used instead of rubles in Russia.

practice1. More than two-thirds of all astronauts _____ (suffer)

from motion sickness while traveling in space. 2. More fluid than normal _____(end) up in the face, neck,

and chest.3. The staff of 41 people ____ (be) extremely grateful for

the supplies. 4. Exposure to radiation ____ (be) another serious hazard.5. Working under conditions like these _____ (be)

extremely demanding both physically and mentally.6. The percentage of families with only one child ____ (be)

higher than ever.7. The number of parents choosing to have only one child

_____ increasing in my parts of the world.8. Many people agree that; however, some _____ (think)

this may cause problems.

Parallelism structural 平行結構或對稱結構Parallel structure means using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance. This can happen at the word, phrase, or clause level. The usual way to join parallel structures is with the use of coordinating conjunctions such as "and" or "or." With the -ing form (gerund) of words: Ex: Mary likes hiking, swimming, and bicycling.

With infinitive phrases: Ex: Mary likes to hike, to swim, and to ride a bicycle.

Mary likes to hike, swim, and ride a bicycle.

(Note: You can use "to" before all the verbs in a sentence or only before the first one.)

當兩個或兩個以上的同等分  (主詞 ,動詞 ,受詞 ,敘語 , 形容詞 , 副詞 , 受詞補語等 ) 對等平行時 , 要求他們的詞性或結構相同 , 即 名詞對名詞  , 形容詞對形容詞 , 副詞對副詞  , 不定詞對不定詞 , 介詞片語對介詞片語 等等 .

You may either stand up or sit down.

Sam neither has long hair, nor wears jeans.

There is always a gap between what we say and what we do.

That car was a real lemon; it was fixed more often than it was driven.

Do not mix forms

(X) Mary likes hiking, swimming, and to ride a bicycle.

(O) Mary likes hiking, swimming, and riding a bicycle.

(X) The production manager was asked to write his report quickly, accurately, and in a detailed manner.

(O) The production manager was asked to write his report quickly, accurately, and thoroughly.

(X) The teacher said that he was a poor student because he waited until the last minute to study for the exam, completed his lab problems in a careless manner, and his motivation was low.

(O) The teacher said that he was a poor student because he waited until the last minute to study for the exam, completed his lab problems in a careless manner, ____________________. and lacked motivation

Parallelism - ClausesA parallel structure that begins with clauses must keep on with clauses. Changing to another pattern or changing the voice of the verb (from active to passive or vice versa) will break the parallelism.

(X) The coach told the players that they should get a lot of sleep, that they should not eat too much, and to do some warm-up exercises before the game.

(O) The coach told the players that they should get a lot of sleep, that they should not eat too much, and that they should do some warm-up exercises before the game.

(O) The coach told the players that they should get a lot of sleep,

not eat too much, and do some warm-up exercises before the game.

(X) The dictionary can be used for these purposes: to find word meanings, pronunciations, correct spellings, and looking up irregular verbs.

(O) The dictionary can be used for these purposes: to find word meanings, pronunciations, correct spellings, and irregular verbs.

“Be sure to keep all the elements in a list in the same form after a colon”

Dangling and misplaced modifiers

虛懸和錯置的修飾詞

A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly stated in the sentence. A modifier describes, clarifies, or gives more detail about a concept.

Examples: (O) Having finished the assignment, Jill turned on the TV.

"Having finished" states an action but does not name the doer of that action. In English sentences, the doer must be the subject of the main clause that follows. In this sentence, it is Jill. She seems logically to be the one doing the action ("having finished"), and this sentence therefore does not have a dangling modifier.

(X) Having finished the assignment, the TV was turned on.

"Having finished" is a participle expressing action, but the doer is not the TV set (the subject of the main clause): TV sets don't finish assignments. The doer of the action expressed in the participle has not been clearly stated.

Confused meaning

Helen is the last student.

She came into the classroom.

Helen is the last student that came into the classroom. (Helen是進到教室的最後一位學生 )

Helen who/that came into the classroom is the last student . ( 進到教室的 Helen是最後一位學生 )

  錯置的修飾詞會弄擰文句的意思      移動 participle (動詞作為形容詞，修飾名詞 ) (X) Bacteria are found in lakes and rivers producing methane.    (O) Bacteria producing methane are found in lakes and rivers .         

改變 participle 成為別的修飾詞 (X) While purifying colonies in sample 3, five isolates died. (O) During purification of colonies in sample 3, five isolates died.         When colonies in sample 3 were purified, five isolates died. (X) Without knowing his name, it was difficult to introduce him. (O) Because Maria did not know his name, it was difficult to introduce him.

    

改變主詞（ subject ） (X) Testing 128 isolates, five biotypes were identified. (O) Testing 128 isolates, Erikson et al. identified five biotypes. (X) Having arrived late for practice, a written excuse was needed. (O) Having arrived late for practice, the team captain needed a written excuse.

Practice

1. After reading the original study, the article remains unconvincing.

2. Relieved of your responsibilities at your job, your home should be a place to relax.

3. The experiment was a failure, not having studied the lab manual carefully.

Participial Phrases

分詞片語

Participle - a word formed from a verb and

used as an adjective to modify nouns.

A participle often appears with additional

words that adds details to it.

Present participle: V - ing

Past participle: V –ed

Verbs Present participles

The custom fascinates me.

The man jogged in the park.

The fascinating custom interests me.

The jogging man ran through the park.

Verbs Past participles

The steak was burned.

The car was just cleaned.

The burned steak tasted terrible.

The cleaned car looks new.

Together, the participle and the additional

words form a “participial phrase”, such as

noisily burping, circled by the hungry sharks, waving at the TV camera…

participles + other modifiers; used to modify nouns and pronouns.

Examples:

In his movie, Arnold Schwarzenegger uses his muscles more readily than his brain.

In his movie, Arnold Schwarzenegger uses his muscles more readily than his brain, chopping off barbarians’ heads with his gigantic sword in another.

Participial phrases not only wake up your sentences but also suggest time or cause-result relationship. Participial phrases suggest such relationship less directly than clauses beginning with terms like “because”, “thus”, “therefore”, and “as a result.”

Example:

Because many actors glared directly at the camera and did not blink for long periods of time, they started to have eye problems several years later.

Using participial phrases to suggest relationships

More examples: Some Vietnam vets were disillusioned by the American

public’s negative perception of the war. Therefore, they suffered severe mental problems when they returned to civilian life.

We pulled off the interstate. Then we descended the exit ramp to the stadium, a crowd of people came out and waved to us.

Disillusioned by the American public’s negative perception of the war, some Vietnam vets suffered severe mental problems when they returned to civilian life.

We pulled off the interstate, descending the exit ramp to the stadium, a crowd of people came out and waved to us.

Verbs Present participles

The pedestrian, who was bleeding from several wounds, waited for someone to help home.

The ambulance that was summoned by a bystander came quickly.

The pedestrian, bleeding from several wounds, waited for someone to help home.

The ambulance summoned by a bystander came quickly.

Participial phrases formed from relative clauses

(by reducing subject pattern)

Perfect Form Participles: Active (having discovered) & Passive (having been discovered) emphasize the “completed” action.

Verb tense With relative clause with participial phrase

Present perfect

(active)

The secrets of the universe, which have fascinated people for centuries, are slowly being revealed.

The secrets of the universe, having fascinated people for centuries, are slowly being revealed.

Past perfect

(passive)

The film, which had been shown too often in movie theaters, did not attract a large television audience.

The film, having been shown too often in movie theaters, did not attract a large television audience.

Participial Phrases from Adverbial Clauses:(Retain)

Before

Since(time)

Before a student chooses a college, he or she should consider several factors.

Carlos hasn’t been back home since he came to the United States three years ago.

(Delete)

Because

Since

As(reason)

As (time)

Because (Since / As) Carlos came from a very conservative family, he was shocked at the American system of coed dormitories.

As he gradually got used to American customs, he became less homesick.

Coming from a very conservative family, Carlos was shocked at the American system of coed dormitories.

Gradually getting used to American customs, he became less homesick.

(Retain or Delete)

After

While

when

After he had passed the TOEFL exam, he became a freshman at the college.

While he was preparing for the TOEFL, he lived with an American family.

When he was asked about his life in the United States, he said that he was enjoying himself.

Position and Punctuation of Participial Phrases A restrictive participial phrases follows the noun it

modifies. There are twelve students receiving rewards this year.

A nonrestrictive phrase may precede or follow the noun it modifies.

Teresa, hurrying to catch a bus, stumbled and fell. Hurrying to catch a bus, Teresa stumbled and fell.

Sometimes, we can move participial phrases from one position to another in a sentence – before the main clause, after it, in the middle of it.

1. Keeping one eye on his professor, Ross quickly scanned the comic hidden behind his bulky biology textbook.

2. Ross, keeping on eye on his professor, quickly scanned the comic hidden behined his bulky biology textbook.

3. Ross quickly scanned the comic hidden behind his bulky biology textbook, keeping one eye on his professor.

If the participial phrase describes something that happened before the main action of the sentence, the participial phrase will precede that main action.

Introduced twenty years ago as labor-saving devices, computerized cash registers are now installed in about 85 percent of all china stores.

If the participial phrase describes something that happened after the main action of the sentence, the participial phrase will follow that main action.

John opened the brightly wrapped package, discovering

a small wooden box.

Using present participial phrases – two actions are occurring simultaneously, whether the phrases come before or after the main clause.

Carrying the cumbersome bass drum in front of me, I jostled my way through the stubborn crowd to the bandstand.

I jostled my way through the stubborn crowd to the bandstand, carrying the cumbersome bass drum in front of me.

Practice – making participles Peter Mark Johnson, who conducts ocean tours off the

coast of Baja California, claims that animals in the wild like people. He noted that grey whales observe his tour boat from afar, then approach. They touch the craft with their snouts and refuse to leave until the startled tourists pet them. The tour guide thinks all this means that nature is not necessarily hostile.

Practice:1. They slept in barns and churches. They were assisted by brave and dedicated abolitionists.

2. He decided to help fugitives. He made his house into a station on the Underground Railroad.

3. Cold travelers still stay in the basement. Cold travelers are warmed by the working fireplace.

4. They have kept the basement in good condition. They have kept is as a tribute to the Underground Railroad.

(不管是現在式或過去式 ,動作若是主動  -Ving. 動作若是被動 ,- V p.p)

How to read long sentences

Tips of reading long sentences

1. verb

2. Subject

3. Object

4. Clause

5. Participial phrase

6. Connector / conjunction7. Tense / time8. Place 9. phrase10. author’s attitude (modal verbs / adverbs)

11. Pronoun12. Examples13. Transitional words

"A survey of new stories in 1996 reveals that the anti-science tag has been attached to many other groups as well, from authorities who advocated the elimination of the last remaining stocks of smallpox virus to Republicans who advocated decreased funding for basic research."

1. A survey reveals that.2. The anti-science tag has been attached to many other groups.3. They are from authorities to republicans.4. Authorities advocated the elimination of the last remaining

stocks.5. Republicans advocated decreased funding.

Although most astronauts do not spend more than a few months in space, many experience physiological problems when they return to Earth. Some of these ailments are short-lived; others may be long lasting. More than two-thirds of all astronauts suffer from motion sickness while traveling in space.

In the gravity-free environment, the body cannot distinguish up from down. The body’s internal balance system sends confusing signals to the brain, which can result in nausea lasting as long as a few days. A body that is deprived of gravity also experiences changes in the distribution of bodily fluids. More fluid than normal ends up in the face, neck, and chest, resulting in a puffy face, bulging neck veins, and a slightly enlarged.

Throughout the duration of a mission, astronauts’ bodies experience some potentially dangerous disorders. One of the most common is loss of muscle mass and bone density. Another effect of the weightless environment is that astronauts tend not to use the muscles they rely on in a gravity environment, so the muscles gradually atrophy. This, combined with the shift of fluid to the upper body and the resulting loss of essential minerals such as calcium, causes bones to weaken.

In addition to physiological difficulties, astronauts who travel for extended periods may also suffer from psychological stress. Long periods away from family and friends can leave space travelers feeling lonely and depressed.

Web links:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ (普渡大學寫作中心 ) http://www.chineseowl.idv.tw/html/c_new.htm (The Chinese online writing lab – 柯泰德  Ted Knoy) http://blog.udn.com/trjason (廖柏森 英語與翻譯教學  ) http://www.cybertranslator.idv.tw/grammar/grammar.htm (文法寫作指南 )