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Effective written communication requires more than just vocabulary; it demands a strong command of grammar. In this section, the covered skills will guide you through the principles of clear and stylistically correct writing, including parallel structures, correct comparisons, accurate verb usage, and other important elements of written English.
Skill 20: Make Verbs Agree After Prepositional Phrases
Skill 20: Make Verbs Agree After Prepositional Phrases
Ensure the verb agrees with the subject, not the object of the preposition.
Example:
"The box of apples is on the table."
Skill 21: Make Verbs Agree After Expressions of Quantity
Skill 21: Make Verbs Agree After Expressions of Quantity
Special attention is needed for expressions like "all of," "some of," "most of," etc., as the verb agreement depends on the noun that follows "of".
Example:
"Some of the book is interesting."
"Some of the books are interesting."
Skill 22: Make Inverted Verbs Agree
Skill 22: Make Inverted Verbs Agree
Inverted sentences (where the verb comes before the subject) require careful attention to subject-verb agreement.
Example:
"There are many reasons for this."
"Here is the book you wanted."
Skill 23: Make Verbs Agree After Certain Words
Skill 23: Make Verbs Agree After Certain Words
Certain words (e.g., "each," "every," "no one") always take singular verbs.
Example:
"Each student has a book."
"Every dog needs water."
Skill 24: Use Parallel Structure with Coordinate Conjunctions
Skill 24: Use Parallel Structure with Coordinate Conjunctions
Coordinate conjunctions (and, but, or) must connect elements of the same grammatical form.
Example:
"He likes swimming, biking, and running."
Skill 25: Use Parallel Structure with Paired Conjunctions
Skill 25: Use Parallel Structure with Paired Conjunctions
Paired conjunctions (both...and, either...or, neither...nor, not only...but also) must also connect parallel elements.
Example:
" Both the cat and the dog are friendly."
Skill 26: Use Parallel Structure with Comparisons
Skill 26: Use Parallel Structure with Comparisons
Elements being compared must be in parallel form.
Example:
" Swimming is better than running."
Skill 27: Form Comparatives and Superlatives Correctly
Skill 27: Form Comparatives and Superlatives Correctly
Understand the rules for forming comparative (better, faster) and superlative (best, fastest) forms of adjectives and adverbs.
Example:
" Short adjectives: faster, fastest.
Long adjectives: more beautiful, most beautiful."
Skill 28: Use Comparatives and Superlatives Correctly
Skill 28: Use Comparatives and Superlatives Correctly
Use the correct form in context.
Recognize and use the structure "the + comparative, the + comparative" (e.g., "The sooner, the better").
Example:
"This car is faster than that one."
"This is the fastest car."
"The more you study, the more you learn."
Skill 30: After Have, Use the Past Participle
Skill 30: After Have, Use the Past Participle
Whenever you see the helping verb have in any of its forms have, has, having, had), be sure that the verb that follows it is in the past participle form.
Example:
They had walked to school.
We have seen the show.
Skill 31: After Be, Use the Present Participle or the Past Participle
Skill 31: After Be, Use the Present Participle or the Past Participle
The verb be in any of its forms Jam, is, are, was, were, be, been, being) can be followed by another verb. This verb should be in the present participle or the past participle form.
Example:
We are doing our homework
The homework was done early
Skill 32: After Will, Would, or Other Modals, Use the Base Form of the Verb
Skill 32: After Will, Would, or Other Modals, Use the Base Form of the Verb
Whenever you see a modal, such as will, would, shall, should, can, could, may, might, or must,
you should be sure that the verb that follows it is in its base form.
Example:
The boat will leave at 3:30
The doctor may arrive soon
Skill 33: Know When to Use the Past with the Present
Skill 33: Know When to Use the Past with the Present
One verb tense problem that is common in student writing is the switch from the past tense to the present tense for no particular reason. Often when a sentence has both a past tense and a present tense, the sentence is incorrect.
However, it is possible for a correct sentence to have both post and present together. If you see the post and present together, you must check the meaning to determine whether or not the sentence is correct.
Example:
He took the money when he wanted it.
He takes the money when he wants it.
I know that he took the money yesterday.
Skill 34: Use Have and Had Correctly
Skill 34: Use Have and Had Correctly
Two tenses that are often confused are the present perfect l have + past participle) and the past perfect had + past participle). These two tenses have completely different uses, and you should understand how to differentiate them.
The present perfect have + past participle) refers to the period of time from the past until the present.
The past perfect had + past participle) refers to a period of time that started in the past and ended in the past, before something else happened in the past.
Example:
Sue has lived in Los Angeles for ten years.
Sue had lived in Los Angeles for ten years when she moved to San Diego.
Skill 35: Use the Correct Tense with Time Expressions
Skill 35: Use the Correct Tense with Time Expressions
Often in written expression there is a time expression that clearly indicates what verb tense is needed in the sentence.
Example:
We moved to New York in 1980.
We had left there by 1990.
We have lived in San Francisco since 1999.
Skill 36: Use the Correct Tense with Will and Would
Skill 36: Use the Correct Tense with Will and Would
Certain combinations of verbs are very common in English. One is the combination of the simple present and will.
Another combination that is quite common is the combination of the simple past and would.
Example:
I know that they will arrive soon.
It is certain that he will graduate.
I knew that he would arrive.
It was certain that he would graduate.
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