Plurals and Articles and Tenses, Oh My!
In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man must pass through a frighteningly
dark forest. As the trees close in around them, they wonder
what wild beasts might be lurking. “Lions and tigers and
bears, oh my!” They hang on to each other and walk faster
and faster, feeling more frightened with each step. “Lions
and tigers and bears, oh my!…Lions and tigers and bears,
oh my!”
Then a lion springs!
Of course, he turns out to be the Cowardly Lion. Once they get to
know him, he becomes a staunch friend.
These pages take us through a forest in which lurk plurals and articles and
tenses, oh my! These resources and links to self-tests are designed to help you
(1) be more familiar with the patterns and rules that can tame these beasts, and
(2) continue your writing journey with some recommended resources, exercises,
and other follow-up activities.
Notes:
Page 1 of 1
Tenses and other Verb Issues
Subject-Verb Agreement
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/599/01/
Shifts in Tense
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/601/01/
Test yourself on Tenses …
 Verb Tense Shifts Exercise (Printer-Friendly):
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/grammar/g_tensecEX1.html
 Verb Tense Shift Quiz:
http://www.arts.uottawa.ca/writcent/hypergrammar/rvtense.html
Notes:
Page 2 of 2
Articles
How to use A/An/The
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/540/01/
Test yourself on Articles …
 Articles Test (Printer-Friendly):
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/esl/eslartEX1.html
 Articles Quiz (Easy):
http://a4esl.org/q/h/mc008-ld.html
 Article Quiz (Advanced):
http://a4esl.org/q/h/9901/cw-articles.html
Notes:
Page 3 of 3
Plurals and Other Noun Issues
About Count and Non-Count Nouns:
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/330/grammar/count.htm
Count and Noncount Nouns:
http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/grammar/countnon.html
Test yourself on Plurals/Nouns …
 Count and Non-Count Nouns:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/esl/eslcountEX1.html
Notes:
Finally, as you continue through the “forest” …
Learn more about common editing/expression errors in the “Top Ten Editing
Errors” handout provided during this workshop. Follow up on today’s workshop
by accessing more resources or making a one-on-one appointment at
learningcommons.sfu.ca.
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