Download Irregular Verb Forms, Subject-Verb Agreement, Conjunctive Adverbs

Irregular Verb Forms, Subject-Verb Agreement, Conjunctive Adverbs
Irregular Verb Forms
An irregular verb does not conform to the rules that govern how regular verbs are
stated in past tense or as a past participle. Consider the past tense form of the regular
verb botch, which is botched; the past participle of botch is have botched.
An irregular verb does not follow the simple, linear construction of a regular verb. The
various tenses of an irregular verb are expressed through entirely different words that
do not always bear a resemblance to the present tense form. One example is the verb
fly—in its past tense form, it is written as flew, and its past participle is have flown. If
unsure about the correct spelling of an irregular verb, consult a dictionary.
Subject-Verb Agreement
In sentences, subject and verbs should be in agreement. There should be an agreement
in the singular and plural form and in subject and verb tenses. If your sentence uses a
singular subject, then the verb should also be singular.
Subject-verb agreement
An employee is giving a picnic for the first-floor sales team.
If you make the subject plural, the verb should be also made plural. To make it plural,
change it to read the following:
The employees are giving a picnic for the first-floor sales team.
Verbs have to match in tense in the same sentence. The past tense for one of the verbs
has to be kept consistent for the rest of the verbs in the sentence.
Singular and plural forms for verbs must be consistent.
The sports car has been parked outside the building all night.
Several sports cars have been parked outside the building all night.
Present and past tense usage for verbs have to be consistent.
She will bring in the data report and ring up the sales receipts tomorrow.
She brought in the data report and rang up the sales receipts.
Remember to write and edit your work with consistency. Your verb forms and tenses
should agree with your subject matter. This also applies to pronoun usage. Your
pronouns should match the subject that they are referring to and the verb form.
He is going to be late.
They are going to be late.
John is the best office manager, and he works very hard.
Sarah and John are the best people to place on a team; they work well together.
Writing to keep subject agreement with verbs and pronouns that match the antecedent
helps to avoid confusion in your writing.
Conjunctive Adverbs
An adverb functions in much the same way as an adjective. While adjectives modify or
describe nouns, adverbs do the same to verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. An adverb
may come before or after the word(s) it modifies; adverbs tell how, when, or where an
action is performed. Adverbs come in different forms: descriptive and conjunctive.
Conjunctive adverbs express relationships between two things; those relationships
include addition, contrast, comparison, result, time, and emphasis (Troyka 316).
Conjunctive adverbs that express a relationship of addition are also, furthermore,
moreover, and besides. The sentence, I am leaving; furthermore, I will not return,
contains the conjunctive adverb furthermore. Conjunctive adverbs that express a
relationship of contrast are however, still, nevertheless, conversely, nonetheless,
otherwise, and instead. The sentence, She chose to stay home instead, expresses a
contrast between staying home and another activity through usage of the conjunctive
adverb instead.
Conjunctive adverbs that express relationships of comparison are similarly and
likewise. The sentence, Like you, I similarly enjoy opera music, provides a comparison
between another person (you) and the writer of the sentence (I). Conjunctive adverbs
expressing a relationship of result are therefore, thus, consequently, accordingly, and
hence. The sentence, The boy fell off his bike; consequently, he scraped his knee,
shows a result—scraping a knee as a result of falling off a bike.
Conjunctive adverbs showing a relationship of time are next, meanwhile, finally, and
subsequently. The sentence, David finally asked Jan to marry him, shows the passage
of time—David could have asked Jan to marry him long ago, but he did not. By asking
her now, he is finally (or at last) doing so. Lastly, conjunctive adverbs that show an
emphasis are indeed and certainly. The sentence, Jan certainly didn’t expect it,
emphasizes the fact that she did not hold any expectations.
Descriptive adverbs add more information to a verb. Descriptive adverbs are words
like happily, clearly, quickly, and loudly. The sentence, The rabbit scurried away
quickly, contains the descriptive adverb quickly. Quickly tells the reader how the rabbit
ran. The sentence, The man loudly shouted at the dog, contains the descriptive adverb
loudly. It tells the reader how the man shouted—loudly.
Reference
Troyka, L. Q. (2004). Quick access reference for writers (4th ed). Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Prentice Hall.