Purpose, Audience, Genre, and SubjectVerb Agreement (Grammar #5)
-
(1) Submit second draft of cause-effect
essay on Canvas before class
Tuesday and bring TWO printouts,
printouts
(2) begin Grammar #5 (S-V agreement),
due next Thursday on Canvas, AND
(3) begin midtermmidterm-exam review handout,
handout
due next Thursday
DETERMINING PURPOSE
DETERMINING AUDIENCE
The PURPOSE is the reason for writing or
the goal you hope to achieve. For
academic writing, it is usually explanatory
(to explain), argumentative/persuasive (to
persuade), or informative (to inform).
Other purposes may be to entertain or to
evaluate, review, or recommend. A single
piece of writing may combine two or more
of these purposes.
The AUDIENCE for a college essay may
literally be only your instructor, but don’t
write for him or her. Unless otherwise
instructed, write for an audience of your
peers (or sometimes, experts in the field).
field
Also, consider your audience for the TONE
of your writing (formal, informal, casual, or
something else).
If your purpose is to analyze a period in
history, don’t tell a story about a political
leader or recount the events in history.
If you are writing for your peers, do not
assume that they know anything about
the topic, the subject, or the assignment.
DETERMINING GENRE
The GENRE is the type or format of the
writing based on the purpose and the
audience. (Think of movies: There are
kids’ movies, dramas, comedies, and
action-adventures to entertain, documentaries to inform, etc.) Most academic
writing assignments are nonfiction, but
they can be in varied formats.
Look for clues to the type of nonfiction writing
in the wording of the assignment (“analyze,”
“describe,” “explain,” “compare,” “argue,” etc.)
1
Purpose, Audience, Genre, and SubjectVerb Agreement (Grammar #5)
Subjects
The SUBJECT
• tells WHO OR WHAT is doing the action
of the sentence.
• can NEVER be in a prepositional phrase!
Verbs (Predicates)
The VERB (predicate)
• tells the ACTION of the sentence (ACTION VERB)
OR
• CONNECTS the subject to a word that renames
or describes it (LINKING VERB).
Basic Rule of S-V AGREEMENT:
s
no s
-
Every sentence must have
a subject and a verb, BUT
commands have an understood
(unstated) subject of “you.”
1.
Take out the garbage.
(You) take out the garbage.
2.
Don’t go in there!
(You) don’t go in there!
3.
Wait a minute!
(You) wait a minute!
Basic Rule: s
no s
In the present tense, if the subject is plural
(ends in s or is compound), the verb should
NOT end in s and vice-versa. (p. 227-229)
1. The lady talks too much.
2. The students talk too much.
(Also, no s
s)
3. That student talks too much.
4. Tom and Lisa talk too much.
5. People talk too much.
PRONOUNS Singular
Plural
1st-Person
I
I walk.
Wewe
walk.
Pronouns
2nd-Person
Youyou
walk. Youyou
walk.
Pronouns
3rd-Person He walks.
he
they
They
walk.
girls,
dogs,
robots,
Pronouns
she
She walks.
etc.
and Nouns
it
It walks.
Bill am going to the store.
a) are
b) is
c) were
d) No change is necessary.
girl, dog, robot, etc.
2
Purpose, Audience, Genre, and SubjectVerb Agreement (Grammar #5)
RED FLAG #1:
INTERRUPTERS are not part of the subject.
(Cross them out!) These include prepositional
phrases and things set off by commas.
Examples: together with, in addition to,
along with, and as well as
1. The carpet in our room, as well
as the rugs in the hall, is soaked.
2. My major problem, in addition to bad test
scores, is tardiness.
3. Each of the basketball players is excited about
tonight’s game.
(p. 229)
-
My trip to the mountains were fun.
a) are
b) be
c) was
d) No change is necessary.
RED FLAG #2:
The third book, like the first two, are fiction.
A compound subject (two subjects joined
by “and”) is plural.
a) were
b) be
c) is
d) No change is necessary.
(Think of the and as a plus sign: 1 subject + 1 subject = 2 subjects)
1.
Lisa and her cousin always
watch Sue’s kids on Tuesdays.
2.
She and her cousin often bake
cookies with the children. Plural verb
= no s!
(p. 229)
Dad and Billy are mowing the front yard.
RED FLAG #3:
When or or nor connects a compound
subject, the verb agrees with
whichever subject is closer to it.
a) be
b) is
c) was
d) No change is necessary.
1. Either Shawna or her brothers
always wash the dishes.
2. However, neither the brothers nor
Shawna likes to dry the dishes.
(p. 229-230)
Go with
what’s closer!
3
Purpose, Audience, Genre, and SubjectVerb Agreement (Grammar #5)
Either Dad or the boys is mowing the
back yard.
a) are
b) be
c) was
d) No change is necessary.
-
RED FLAG #3, continued:
Either or neither (without or and nor)
is singular.
1. Either of those answers
seems to be right.
2. You can have the seat by the
window or the one by the aisle;
either is OK with me.
Neither of those dollar bills works in the
soda machine.
RED FLAG #4:
Indefinite pronouns that end in -one,
-body, or -thing are always singular.
(See page 236 for a list.)
a) are working
b) have worked
c) work
d) No change is necessary.
1. Someone has to answer
the phone.
2. Everybody who worked on the
science project is a winner.
(p. 230)
(p. 230)
Singular indefinite pronouns
• someone
anyone
no one
everyone
• somebody
anybody
nobody
everybody
• something
anything
nothing
everything
• each
either
neither
another
• none*
any*
Plural indefinite pronouns
• both
few
many
several
These can be singular OR plural
• all
more/most
some
*Don’t get thrown when you see this:
The indefinite pronouns none and any are
usually regarded as singular, but some sources
say they can be plural. (Singular is never wrong.)
1. None of the boys helps his mom at
home.
OR
2. None of the Smith boys help their
mom at home.
When in doubt,
make it SINGULAR.
4
Purpose, Audience, Genre, and SubjectVerb Agreement (Grammar #5)
Everybody are going to the circus.
a) am
b) be
c) is
d) No change is necessary.
None of those girls go to church.
-
Each of the students are worried about
the test.
a) be
b) is
c) were
d) No change is necessary.
RED FLAG #4, continued:
All, more/most, and some can be singular
OR plural.
a) are going
b) be going
c) goes
(Hint: Look at the object of the
preposition that follows.)
d) No change is necessary.
1. Some of the workers on the
building have left for the day.
2. Some of the salt (no -s)
has spilled on the floor.
(p. 230)
All of the class want to pass.
a) are wanting
b) have wanted
c) wants
d) No change
is necessary.
All of the students want to pass.
a) be wanting
b) is wanting
c) wants
d) No change
is necessary.
5
Purpose, Audience, Genre, and SubjectVerb Agreement (Grammar #5)
RED FLAG #5:
-
Our class are going to take a test today.
COLLECTIVE NOUNS are generally
singular because they refer to a group
working as a single unit.
(Remember, there’s no “I” in “team.”)
1. The team always wins its
games when I do not attend.
2. The jury in the murder case has
to stay in its hotel all week.
a) am
b) is
c) were
d) No change is necessary.
(p. 230-231)
RED FLAG #6:
RED FLAG #7:
A relative pronoun (“who,” “which,” or
“that”) can be the subject of a dependent
clause, and it can be singular or plural,
depending on the antecedent.
Some nouns that end in “s” are
singular (e.g., athletics, economics,
mathematics, measles, mumps, news,
physics, politics, statistics, and
measurements or figures).
1. The man who works with me is a veteran.
1. Forensics has become popular thanks
to TV shows like CSI. (the field of forensics)
2. The men who work with me are veterans.
(p. 231)
RED FLAG #8:
2. Nearly three-quarters of the earth is
covered in water.
(pp. 231-232)
In front of the speakers sits Leslie.
Sometimes, the subject and verb
are reversed.
1. In the gutter lies a shiny silver dollar.
2. At my front door stands a salesman.
a) are sitting
b) be sitting
c) sit
d) No change is necessary.
(p. 232)
6
Purpose, Audience, Genre, and SubjectVerb Agreement (Grammar #5)
RED FLAG #8, continued:
-
Have anyone seen my keys?
In QUESTIONS, the subject comes
between the helping verb and main verb.
1.
Will you lend me your car?
2.
Can I join your book club?
3.
Does Alissa want to go with us?
RED FLAG #9:
a) Does
b) Has
c) Having
d) No change is necessary.
Here is two good books for you.
HERE and THERE are NEVER subjects.
In sentences that start with “here” or “there,” the
subject and verb are reversed.
1. There are the materials for our poster.
(The materials for our poster are there.)
2. Here is my answer.
(My answer is here.)
Grammar #5: Subject-Verb Agreement
Indicate if the subject and verb agree in the sentences below.
COMPLETE THE ENTIRE ASSIGNMENT ON CANVAS FOR YOUR GRADE!
1. The airline crew gets eight hours of rest between
shifts. A. Agree
B. Do not agree
2. Here come the man who works as a bouncer at the
dance club on Main Street.
A. Agree B. Do not
3. Henry or one of the other drivers gets to work
Thanksgiving for overtime pay. A. Agree B. Do not
4. ENC 1102, in addition to College Algebra, are
required for my degree.
A. Agree B. Do not
5. Everybody was hoping for safety with the last space
shuttle launch.
A. Agree B. Do not
a) am
b) are
c) be
d) No change is necessary.
BRING TWO PRINTOUTS OF
THE SECOND DRAFT OF YOUR
CAUSE-EFFECT ESSAY TO OUR
NEXT CLASS FOR PEER
PROOFREADING!
7