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Grammar and Vocab
WEEK ONE
Weekly Words
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Abscond
Blandishment
Candor
Engender
Ephemeral
Foil
Licentious
Portent
Scurrilous
Vitriolic
Abscond
 Definition:
 To run away
 Sentence:
 The greedy accountant was caught at the airport before he
could abscond with the company’s profits.
Blandishment
 Definition:
 A flattering or pleasing statement or action used to persuade
someone gently to do something.
 Sentence:
 Even though the salesman produced every blandishment he
could think of from his bag of tricks, his prospect wouldn’t be
budged by his flattery.
Candor
 Definition:
 The quality of being honest and straightforward
 Sentence:
 Because the author writes with such candor about his
experiences, his readers will feel as if they are actually a part of
his life.
Engender
 Definition:
 Cause or give rise to (a feeling, situation, or condition).
 Sentence:
 By revealing the president’s secrets, the reporter hoped to
engender feelings of paranoia among the public.
Ephemeral
 Definition:
 Anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day
 Sentence:
 An ephemeral stay in the waiting room was a nice treat
compared to my usual long waits.
Foil
 Definition:
 Hinder or prevent an effort, plan, or desire.
 Sentence:
 Once again, Superman foiled the villain's plans to take over the
planet.
Licentious
 Definition:
 Lacking moral discipline
 Sentence:
 After being warned about his lewd and licentious behavior, my
nephew continued to misbehave and got suspended from
school.
Portent
 Definition:
 A sign of something about to happen
 Sentence:
 Some people believe that a cat crossing the road before us is a
portent of something unpleasant.
Scurrilous
 Definition:
 Making or spreading scandalous claims about someone with
the intention of damaging their reputation.
 Sentence:
 When the judge learned about the scurrilous accusations made
against him, he immediately called for his personal lawyer to
sue the magazine.
Vitriolic
 Definition:
 Filled with bitter criticism or malice.
 Sentence:
 What was supposed to be a civil debate turned into a debate
reaching vitriolic levels, ending with both participants
screaming obscenities.
Grammar
Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-Non Essential Clause-Verb
 Parenthetical clause:
 a clause set off by commas that can be removed without
affecting the fundamental meaning of the sentence.
 Cross it out and check subject-verb agreement
without it
 Example:
 Galaxies, far from being randomly scattered throughout the
universe, (appears/appear) to be distributed in bubbleshaped patterns.
Subject-Prepositional Phrase-Verb
 Prepositional phrase:
 Begins with a preposition (in the box, under the table, over the
hill, etc.). Prepositional phrases always end when you get to
the verb.
 Example:
 Changes in the balance of trade (seems/seem) remote from
everyday concerns, but they can drastically affect how we
spend our money.
 If you don’t see an error the first time you read a
sentence, try crossing out prepositional phrases and
checking for subject-verb agreement.
Prepositional Phrase-Verb-Subject
 Example:
 Along the Loup Canal in Nebraska (extend/extends) a series
of parks, lakes, and trails owned and operated by the Loup
power district.
 Try reading sentence beginning with the subject and
adding the verb at the end to see what sounds
correct.
Subjects connected by “and” vs “or”
 As a general rule, use a plural verb with two or more
subjects when they are connected by and.
 Example:

A car and a bike (are/is) my means of transportation.
 Two singular subjects connected by or, either/or, or
neither/nor require a singular verb.
 Examples:

My aunt or my uncle is arriving by train today.
Neither Juan nor Carmen is available.
Either Kiana or Casey is helping today with stage decorations.
Neither/Nor + Verb
 Neither (Singular Noun) Nor (Singular Noun) =
Singular Verb
 Example:


Neither the book nor the pencil is sitting on the table OR
Neither the books nor the pencils are sitting on the table.
NOT Neither the book nor the pencil are sitting on the table.
 The verb in an or, either/or, or neither/nor sentence
agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it.
 Example:

Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes on that shelf.
Neither the serving bowl nor the plates go on that shelf.
“Of” Phrases
 A subject will come before a phrase beginning with
of. Try getting rid of the description after “of” to
determine what is correct.
 Example:
 A bouquet of yellow roses (lend/lends) color and fragrance to
the room.