Download Chapter 14 The Subject and Verb

Chapter 13: The Subject and the
Verb
Copyright © 2013
Then again, maybe I will …
Grammarly.com
When you read that this chapter covers the Subject and Verb,
perhaps you’re thinking: “I’ve studied Subjects and Verbs since sixth
grade. Why do I have to study them again now?”
Here’s the reason: Without knowing the Subject and the Verb, you’ll
fail to know what’s important in the sentence; and without knowing
what’s important in the sentence, you’ll fail to write clear sentences,
clear paragraphs, and clear essays. And, of course, you’ll make lots of
errors!
It’s unfortunate that the “grammar experts” got to name the terms
that make up sentences, because actually writing sentences is no
different than writing paragraphs or essays; they all have the same
organization and could benefit from using the same terms. For
example, the Subject and Verb of the sentence are the same as the
Topic and Main Idea of the paragraph and essay.
Building Blocks of the Sentence
1. Subjects
Action Verbs
Multiple Subjects
Linking Verbs
—
Pronouns as Subjects
Finding the Subject with Action Verbs
Multiple Verbs
Finding the Subject with Linking Verbs
Exceptions in Finding the Verb – The Three Imposters!
1. Verbs ending in “ing” without a Helping Verb
2. When “to” comes before a Verb
3. Nouns that pretend they’re Verbs
Subject-Verb Agreement
Two Exceptions to the Subject-comes-before-the-Verb Rule
Adjectives
Adverbs
Objects
Pronouns as Objects
Websites with Additional Information
Grammar Challenge 1: How did the (to be) verb come to be?
Grammar Challenge 2: The strange case of (go) and (wend)
Grammar Challenge 3: How we manage to learn a language.
The Subject
Let’s start with the Subject or Topic of the sentence:
The Subject is the person, place, thing, or idea that the
sentence is about.
To find the Subject, ask the question: Who or what is the sentence
about? For example:
 “Marcia runs.” [Who] is this sentence about? “Marcia,” so
Marcia is the Subject.*
 “The restaurant is open.” [What] is this sentence about?
“Restaurant,” so “restaurant” is the Subject.
*(To help identify the Subjects and Verbs in our examples, we’ll
be underlining the Subjects and putting the Verbs in bold type.)
Building Blocks of the Sentence
Subjects
Action Verbs
Multiple Subjects
Linking Verbs
2. Pronouns as Subjects
Finding the Subject with Action Verbs
—
Multiple Verbs
Finding the Subject with Linking Verbs
Exceptions in Finding the Verb – The Three Imposters!
1. Verbs ending in “ing” without a Helping Verb
2. When “to” comes before a Verb
3. Nouns that pretend they’re Verbs
Subject-Verb Agreement
Two Exceptions to the Subject-comes-before-the-Verb Rule
Adjectives
Adverbs
Objects
Pronouns as Objects
Websites with Additional Information
Grammar Challenge 1: How did the (to be) verb come to be?
Grammar Challenge 2: The strange case of (go) and (wend)
Grammar Challenge 3: How we manage to learn a language.
Pronouns as Subjects
To keep from repeating the same Subject over and over, people
invented Pronouns. The Pronouns that can be Subjects are:
I
You
He
She
It
They
We
Here are some example sentences where Pronouns are used in place
of Nouns for the Subject:
Subject Noun
Subject Pronoun
The athlete ran.
He ran.
Michelle discovered the buried
treasure.
She discovered the buried
treasure.
The outcome was
prearranged.
It was prearranged.
Pronouns can also have other roles in the sentence. (Click Here) to
review other kinds of Pronouns.
“So, then … Would that be ‘us the people’ or ‘we the people?’ ”
http://images.google.com/images?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4GFRC_en__205US205&q=gary+larson+cartoons&um=1
&ie=UTF-8&ei=1IWISozODZPgtgOe8bXiAg&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1
Building Blocks of the Sentence
Subjects
3. Action Verbs
Multiple Subjects
Linking Verbs
—
Pronouns as Subjects
Finding the Subject with Action Verbs
Multiple Verbs
Finding the Subject with Linking Verbs
Exceptions in Finding the Verb – The Three Imposters!
1. Verbs ending in “ing” without a Helping Verb
2. When “to” comes before a Verb
3. Nouns that pretend they’re Verbs
Subject-Verb Agreement
Two Exceptions to the Subject-comes-before-the-Verb Rule
Adjectives
Adverbs
Objects
Pronouns as Objects
Websites with Additional Information
Grammar Challenge 1: How did the (to be) verb come to be?
Grammar Challenge 2: The strange case of (go) and (wend)
Grammar Challenge 3: How we manage to learn a language.
Finding the Subject is not hard as long as the sentence is not
complicated. However, finding the Subject can be tricky when the
sentences become more complex as no doubt you’ve discovered in
reading some of the sentences in your college textbooks! With more
complicated sentences, it is often better to find the Verb first, and
then use the Verb to find the Subject. So let’s learn how to find the
Verb. There are two kinds of Verbs; we’ll tackle the easier kind first.
Action Verbs
As the name suggests, Action Verbs tell the action that’s going on in
the sentence. For example:
 “The athlete ran the 100 meters in world record time.”
To find the Action Verb, look for a word that expresses action.
A trick you can use to find the action going on in the sentence
is by asking a question about each word in the Sentence: “Can
you do [it] all day?” Here’s how it works with our example
sentence:
 “The athlete ran the 100 meters in world record time.”
Can you “the” all day? No.
Can you “athlete” all day? Not really.
Can you “run” all day? Yes, you can “run” all day, so “run” is
the Action Verb.
Usain Bolt runs for Olympic Gold
http://observers.france24.com/files/images/usain-bolt-m.jpg
YouTube Video: Usain Bolt smashes the world record in 100 meters:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By1JQFxfLMM
Here are some other examples:
 “Miguel likes his coffee in the morning.”
Can you “Miguel” all day? No.
Can you “like” all day? Yes, you can “like” all day, so “like” is
the Action Verb.
Miguel’s Morning Cup of Java!
http://themasterstable.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/business-men-drinking-coffee.jpg
 “Around suppertime, I finished my essay.”
Can you “around” all day? No.
Can you “suppertime” all day? No, again.
Can you “I” all day? No, no, and no!
Can you “finish” all day? Yes, you can “finish” all day, so
“finish” is the Action Verb.
You may be thinking, “I can find the Verb without going through all
those steps!” and that’s true of simple sentences, but as the
sentences become more complicated – and the sentences will
become more complex – you’ll need to use the (Can you do [it] all
day?) test, or you’ll end up making a host of errors.
Building Blocks of the Sentence
Subjects
Action Verbs
Multiple Subjects
Linking Verbs
Pronouns as Subjects
4. Finding the Subject with Action Verbs
—
Multiple Verbs
Finding the Subject with Linking Verbs
Exceptions in Finding the Verb – The Three Imposters!
1. Verbs ending in “ing” without a Helping Verb
2. When “to” comes before a Verb
3. Nouns that pretend they’re Verbs
Subject-Verb Agreement
Two Exceptions to the Subject-comes-before-the-Verb Rule
Adjectives
Adverbs
Objects
Pronouns as Objects
Websites with Additional Information
Grammar Challenge 1: How did the (to be) verb come to be?
Grammar Challenge 2: The strange case of (go) and (wend)
Grammar Challenge 3: How we manage to learn a language.
Finding the Subject by using the Action Verb
Once you have the Action Verb, finding the Subject is not too difficult.
Because the Subject almost always comes before the Verb, you can
do a little fill-in-the-blank test, using the words in the sentence,
starting right after the Verb. Here’s what we mean:
 “The athlete ran the 100 meters in world record time.”
Knowing the Verb is “ran,” we’ll do a (fill-in-the-blank test) to
find the Subject:
“The (click here to fill-in-the-blank) ran the 100 meters in
world record time.” No problem finding the Subject now!
“The (athlete) ran the 100 meters in world record time,” so
(“athlete”) is the Subject.
 “Miguel likes his coffee in the morning.”
Knowing the Verb is “likes,” the (fill-in-the-blank) test helps us
find the Subject:
“(Click here to fill-in-the-blank) likes his coffee in the
morning.” It’s not hard to see that
“(Miguel) likes his coffee in the morning,” so (“Miguel”) is the
Subject.
 “Rafael Nadal’s coach taught him how to play tennis.”
This sentence is a bit tricky: Is the Subject (“Rafael Nadal”) or
(“coach”)? Once we know that the Verb is “taught,” it’s not so
difficult to find the Subject. A (fill-in-the-blank) test tells us
that it was the: the “(coach)” who taught him how to play
tennis. Now we can tell that (“coach”) is the Subject and not
“Rafael Nadal”!
Rafael Nadal’s “Rafa’s” two handed backhand
http://digitalheadbutt.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/rafael-nadal.jpg
YouTube Video of “Rafa” playing tennis: (Click Here)
Building Blocks of the Sentence
Subjects
Action Verbs
5. Multiple Subjects
Linking Verbs
—
Pronouns as Subjects
Finding the Subject with Action Verbs
Multiple Verbs
Finding the Subject with Linking Verbs
Exceptions in Finding the Verb – The Three Imposters!
1. Verbs ending in “ing” without a Helping Verb
2. When “to” comes before a Verb
3. Nouns that pretend they’re Verbs
Subject-Verb Agreement
Two Exceptions to the Subject-comes-before-the-Verb Rule
Adjectives
Adverbs
Objects
Pronouns as Objects
Websites with Additional Information
Grammar Challenge 1: How did the (to be) verb come to be?
Grammar Challenge 2: The strange case of (go) and (wend)
Grammar Challenge 3: How we manage to learn a language.
Multiple Subjects – Multiple Verbs
Of course, Sentences can have more than one Subject and more than
one Verb! For example:
Two Subjects:
Sabin and Jared studied for the exam.
Three Subjects:
Corey, Angelica, and Senaida ran in the
Bolder-Boulder.
Two Verbs:
I went back and retraced my steps.
Two Subjects and
Two Verbs:
Evan thought about the answer, but he
missed a key point.
The lesson here is that you cannot be satisfied when you find a
Subject and Verb in a sentence. You must test further to see if there
are additional Subjects and Verbs to found.
Helping Verbs
Helping Verbs are added to the Main Verb to express how things
happen over time. Helping Verbs are forms of three common Verbs
(be, have, and do). For example:
Be:
I am borrowing the car.
Have:
I have borrowed the car.
Do:
I did borrow the car.
Because expressing how things happen over time is complicated, the
English language uses Helping Verbs to “help” out. Here are some
examples:
Simple Present
I study the assignment.
Complex Present
I am studying the assignment.
Simple Past
I studied the assignment.
Complex Past
I have studied the assignment.
I have been studying the
assignment.
Simple Future
I will study the assignment.
Complex Future
I will be studying the
assignment.
You can also use Helping Verbs to show Condition – what you
“should” or “might” do. For example:
 You should go to the store.
 You could go to the store.
 You might go to the store.
 You may go to the store.
 You must go to the store.
Practice 1. Subject-Verb – Green (Beginning) Ski Run
http://superfunsnowboardlessons.com/wp-content/uploads/Beginner_snowboarders_2-e1290555110701.jpg
In the following sentences, underline the Subject(s) and put the
Verb(s) in bold. (If you’re not using a computer, double underline the
Verb(s).) Make sure to use the (Can you do [it] all day?) test outlined
above to find the Verbs, and the (fill-in-the-blank) test to find the
Subject, even if it takes a bit longer!
1. I have kept the butter in the fridge.
2. Alex and David returned the painting without delay.
3. In the morning, they will be repairing the road.
4. My friend wrote a best-selling novel.
5. John's mother lives and works in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland
http://kollinz.ironcube.info/kollin/amazingplaces/places/Edinburgh%20Castle,%20Edinburgh,%20Scotland.jpg
Edinburgh Castle is a castle fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of
Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock at the
center of the city. There has been a royal castle here since at least the reign of
David I in the 12th century with the city building up around it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_Castle
Building Blocks of the Sentence
Subjects
Pronouns as Subjects
Action Verbs
Finding the Subject with Action Verbs
Multiple Subjects – Multiple Verbs
6. Linking Verbs
Finding the Subject with Linking Verbs
Exceptions in Finding the Verb – The Three Imposters!
1. Verbs ending in “ing” without a Helping Verb
2. When “to” comes before a Verb
3. Nouns that pretend they’re Verbs
Subject-Verb Agreement
Two Exceptions to the Subject-comes-before-the-Verb Rule
Adjectives
Adverbs
Objects
Pronouns as Objects
Websites with Additional Information
Grammar Challenge 1: How did the (to be) verb come to be?
Grammar Challenge 2: The strange case of (go) and (wend)
Grammar Challenge 3: How we manage to learn a language.
Linking Verbs
While Action Verbs and Helping Verbs are straightforward, Linking
Verbs can at first seem tricky. That’s because Linking Verbs do not
show action; they have a totally different purpose in the sentence.
Linking Verbs connect or “link” the Subject to a word that describes or
names the Subject.
Here’s how Linking Verbs work in the sentence:
Subject
Linking
Verb
[Word that describes or names
the Subject]
The cat
is
curious.
Shari
is
a police captain.
Linking Verbs are like looking in a mirror. What you see is what you
link the Subject of the sentence to. We could say:
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/hdRsrtpiSoY/0.jpg
 The cat is [curious].
 The cat is [adorable].
 The cat is [speckled gray].
Most Linking Verbs are forms of only one Verb, a very important
verb, called the to be verb. The to be verb is important because it’s
used more than any other verb, and because when you identify a to
be verb in the sentence, you know you have the verb and not an
imposter!
Here are the basic forms of the to be verb:
Present
2
I am
You are
She is
2(We’ve
Past
It was
They were
Future
It will be
added Subject Pronouns to better show how the (to be) verbs are used in
a sentence.)
“I am what I am and that’s all that I am”
Popeye the Sailor Man
http://engleza-deplacere.blogspot.com/2012/03/teach-english-through-animated-cartoons.html
Popeye the Sailor Man is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler
Segar who has appeared in comic strips and theatrical and television animated
cartoons. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip on January 17,
1929; Popeye became the strip's title in later years.
Over the years, Popeye has appeared in comic books, television cartoons, arcade
and video games, and a 1980 live-action film directed by Robert Altman that
starred comedian Robin Williams as Popeye.
In 2002, TV Guide ranked Popeye #20 on its "50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of
All Time" list.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popeye
Make sure to memorize the six basic forms of the to be verb. They
are the most important verbs in English, and it’s difficult to succeed
without them!
There are some Linking Verbs that are not a form of the to be Verb.
Consider the following examples:
Linking
Verb
Seems
Linking Verb used in a Sentence
Become
He became angry at the news.
It all seems so right.
Looks
The team looks ready.
Appears
The dog appears to be healthy.
Smells
The stew smelled delicious.
Feels
I feel great!
Linking Verbs that are not a form of the to be verb can be difficult to
spot. One trick you can use is to substitute a form of the to be verb,
and if the sentence still makes sense, the unidentified Verb is a
Linking Verb. For example:
 After the loss, the team felt depressed.
 After the loss, the team was depressed.
Since you can substitute a form of was (a form of the to be verb) for
the Verb in the sentence felt, and the sentence still makes sense, felt
in this sentence is used as a Linking Verb.
However:
Juanita felt the coarse material.
Juanita was the coarse material.
Hmmm…When you try substituting a form of the to be verb was for
the Verb in the sentence felt, the sentence does not make sense, so
in this case felt is used as an Action Verb and not a Linking Verb!
Building Blocks of the Sentence
Subjects
Action Verbs
Multiple Subjects
Linking Verbs
Pronouns as Subjects
Finding the Subject with Action Verbs
—
Multiple Verbs
7. Finding the Subject with Linking Verbs
Exceptions in Finding the Verb – The Three Imposters!
1. Verbs ending in “ing” without a Helping Verb
2. When “to” comes before a Verb
3. Nouns that pretend they’re Verbs
Subject-Verb Agreement
Two Exceptions to the Subject-comes-before-the-Verb Rule
Adjectives
Adverbs
Objects
Pronouns as Objects
Websites with Additional Information
Grammar Challenge 1: How did the (to be) verb come to be?
Grammar Challenge 2: The strange case of (go) and (wend)
Grammar Challenge 3: How we manage to learn a language.
Finding the Subject by using the Linking Verb
As we learned with Action Verbs, once you’ve identified the Linking
Verb, finding the Subject is not too difficult. Because the Subject
almost always comes before the Verb, you just do a fill-in-the-blank,
using the words in the sentence starting right after the Verb. Here
are three examples:
1. “The project was a success.”
Knowing the Linking Verb “was,” we’ll do a fill-in-the-blank to
find the Subject:
“The (click here to fill-in-the-blank) was a success.”
“The (project) was a success,” so project is the Subject.
2. “In the morning, Katrina will be at work.”
Knowing the Linking Verb “will be,” a fill-in-the-blank will
help us find the Subject:
“(click here to fill-in-the-blank) will be at work.”
“(Katrina) will be at work,” so Katrina is the Subject.
3. “In the deep woods, Mark quickly became lost.”
This one is a bit trickier. Is the Subject “woods” or “Mark”?
Once we know that the Verb is “became”, the (fill-in-theblank) test leads us right to the Subject:
“(click here to fill-in-the-blank) quickly became lost?”
“(Mark) quickly became lost,” so Mark is the Subject because
“woods” did not quickly become lost!
Grammar Challenge 1
The to be verb is the most irregular, difficult to learn, and
at the same time is the most widely used of all verbs. How
did that happen? Where our ancestors playing an
incredible April Fools’ joke on us? How did the to be verb
come to be? (Click Here) to solve the mystery.
Grammar Challenge 2
The strange case of how the popular Verb (go) stole the
past tense form from the unpopular Verb (wend), and
the amazing invention of the regular verb. (Click Here)
for the lowdown.
Practice 2.
Subject-Verb – Green (Beginning) Ski Run
http://www.chillfactore.com/DbImages/ImageLib_34_1095.jpg
In the following sentences, underline the Subject(s) and put the
Linking Verb(s) in bold. (If you’re not using a computer, double
underline the Verbs.) Make sure to use the steps outlined above, even
if it takes longer!
(Use the six forms of the to be Verb to guide your identification of
the Verb.)
Present
I am2
You are
Past
It was
They were
Future
It will be
She is
1. Attractive fruits and vegetables are not always delicious.
2. The rind of a ripe honeydew melon is waxy.
3. The story will be around for many years.
4. These creatures are human movie stars.
5. The Saturn V rocket carried the first men to the moon.
The Saturn V rocket that carried the first men to the moon.
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/jscfeatures/images/hires/jsc2003e46903.jpg
http://0.tqn.com/d/goflorida/1/0/C/4/SaturnV.jpg
The Saturn V was a multistage liquid-fuel expendable rocket used by NASA's
Apollo and Skylab programs from 1967 until 1973. In total, NASA launched
thirteen Saturn V rockets with no loss of payload. It remains the largest and
most powerful rocket ever built.
Saturn V Rocket Dimensions
Height
363.0 feet (110.6 m) – over the
length of a football field in
height.
Circumference
Weight
Thrust at liftoff
Stages
100 feet (31.4 m)
6,699,000 pounds
(3,039,000 kg) – heavier than
83 fully loaded big rig trucks
7.5 million pounds
3
YouTube Video of Saturn V rocket takeoff with Apollo 11 crew on
board (Click Here) For the best video, visit the Smithsonian National Air
and Space Museum in Washington DC. It’s awesome!
The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC
Building Blocks of the Sentence
Subjects
Action Verbs
Multiple Subjects
Linking Verbs
—
Pronouns as Subjects
Finding the Subject with Action Verbs
Multiple Verbs
Finding the Subject with Linking Verbs
8. Exceptions in Finding the Verb – The Three Imposters!
1. Verbs ending in “ing” without a Helping Verb
2. When “to” comes before a Verb
3. Nouns that pretend they’re Verbs
Subject-Verb Agreement
Two Exceptions to the Subject-comes-before-the-Verb Rule
Adjectives
Adverbs
Objects
Pronouns as Objects
Websites with Additional Information
Grammar Challenge 1: How did the (to be) verb come to be?
Grammar Challenge 2: The strange case of (go) and (wend)
Grammar Challenge 3: How we manage to learn a language.
Three Important Exceptions in Finding the Verb – The Three
Imposters!
It’s true that just when you think English Grammar is not so hard
after all, it throws you a curve. And remember, Michael Jordan never
made it to the big leagues in baseball because he could not hit a
curve ball. There are three “curves” that stand in your way in finding
the Verb. By learning to identify these “Three Verb Imposters,” you
can avoid a lot of mistakes.
Michael Jordan, air time.
http://adamsalamon.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/jordan.jpg
YouTube: Michael Jordan’s Top 10 Dunks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8M2NgjvicA
Imposter #1. Verbs ending in “ing” without a Helping Verb
While you often have Verbs ending in “ing,” you have to be careful
because Verbs that end in “ing” can only be the Verb of the sentence
if they also have a Helping Verb! Here are some examples of Verbs
ending in “ing” with their Helping Verbs:
 Audiences in the 50s [were] watching I Love Lucy every
Monday evening from October 15, 1951 to May 6, 1957.
 At the beginning of 1957, audiences [had been] watching I
Love Lucy every Monday evening for six years.

Audiences today [will be] watching I Love Lucy on the classic
television channel.
The key point is that any “ing” Verb like “watching,” for example, in
the above sentences can only be the Verb of the Sentence if you also
have a Helping Verb. Here’s how the above sentences would read
without the Helping Verb:
 “I watching I Love Lucy on the classic television channel.”
This may be okay for your four year-old little brother, but you can
see it’s a big problem in making sense in your writing.
I Love Lucy: the most popular TV show of the 50s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Love_Lucy#Opening
YouTube Video of an episode from the I Love Lucy show: (Click Here)
The “ing” rule is especially helpful when you get a sentence like the
following:
 “Moving with the wind, the clouds made wonderful patterns in
the sky.”
In using the (Can you do [it] all day?) test to find the Verb, you
discover that you can both “move” all day and “make” all day, so
which of the two words is the Verb? Since “moving” is a verb ending
in “ing,” there must also be a Helping Verb, and since there is not a
Helping Verb, “moving” cannot be the Verb of the Sentence!
You can also prove this by putting “moving” in a sentence without a
Helping Verb and see how it sounds
“She moving to Utah.” – Doesn’t sound so good!
Notice how you can correct the problem by adding a Helping Verb:
“She is moving to Utah.”
Now that you know “moving” is not the Verb, you feel confident that
“made” is the Verb:
 “Moving with the wind, the clouds made wonderful patterns
in the sky.”
Practice 3. Subject-Verb – Blue (Intermediate) Ski Run
http://culturemob.com/wp-content/uploads/COLO_steamboat_ski.jpg
In the following sentences, underline the Subject(s) and put the
Verb(s) in bold. If you’re not using a computer, double underline the
Verbs. Remember that any verb ending in “ing” must have a Helping
Verb to be identified as the Verb in the sentence!
1. Developing the plan, he was especially careful.
2. Jayden thought about doing a Google search.
3. They listened, while running, to the music playing on their
iPods.
Running with iPods
http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/galleryfiles/10588/Start_small.jpg
Imposter #2. When “to” comes before a Verb
At times, when you’re searching for the Verb in a sentence, you’ll
find an Action or a Linking word, and you’ll think, “I’ve found the
Verb!” But be careful: if the Action or Linking word has the word “to”
in front, it cannot be the Verb of the Sentence. Here’s how it works:
 “I swim.”
You can certainly “swim” all day, so “swim” is the Verb.
 “I like to swim.”
Now you have a problem. You can both “like” all day and
“swim” all day, so which word is the Verb in the sentence?
Knowing the (“to” before the Verb) rule solves the problem.
Since “to” comes before “swim,” “swim” cannot be the Verb in
this sentence.
 “I like to swim.”
Here’s another example:
 Jerry invited the Brooklyn All in the Family Fan Club over to
watch the show.
This sentence is also tricky. You can both (“invite”) all day and
(“watch”) all day, so which word is the Verb? Again, knowing the
(“to” before the Verb) rule solves the problem. Since (“to”) comes
before (“watch”), (“watch”) cannot be the Verb in the sentence.
 Jerry invited the Brooklyn All in the Family Fan Club over to
watch the show.
The All in the Family cast: Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner, Sally Struthers
Popular TV show in the 70s
http://sharetv.org/shows/all_in_the_family
YouTube Link to All in the Family episode: (Click Here)
All in the Family was an American television situation comedy created and
produced by Norman Lear. It aired for eight seasons from January 12, 1971, to
April 8, 1979 and ranked as most watched in the U.S. for a record five
consecutive seasons. Television reviewer, Steven Shives, put it well: “All in the
Family was as good as television gets. Expertly written and acted, able to be
hilarious and sharply perceptive almost simultaneously, it retains its ability to
amuse, move and shock us nearly thirty years since it aired its final episode.”
The show also broke new ground in raising social issues, including racial and
income inequality, stereotypes, and prejudice. All in the Family revolves around
the loud opinions of know-it-all Archie Bunker, a working-class family man who
held bigoted, conservative views of the world. His viewpoints clash with nearly
everyone he comes into contact with especially his liberal son-in-law Mike
Stivic (or, as Archie delights in calling him, "Meathead"). Archie was the master
of the malapropism (unintentional use of the wrong word) and backward logic:

“I resemble that remark.”

"I got nothin' against mankind. It's people I can't stand."

"God don't make no mistakes. That's how He got to be God."

"He made us all one true religion, Edith, which he named after his son,
Christian -- or Christ, for short."

"All kids are trouble, Edith. And I don't wanna spend my reclining years
trying to raise another one."
Archie arguing with the “Meathead.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilligan%27s_Island
http://voices.yahoo.com/archie-bunker-will-teach-socratic-method-263985.html?cat=9
The third example offers proof that when “to” comes before an
Action or Linking word, it cannot be the Verb of the Sentence.
Consider the following example:
 “To run is my favorite activity.”
As with the two previous examples, since you can (“run”) all
day and since (“is”) is a Linking Verb, which word is the Verb
in the sentence? Of course, now we know that (“is”) is the
Verb because (“run”) has (“to”) in front!
Now for the proof that (“to run”) cannot be the Verb of the
Sentence. Let’s determine the Subject of the sentence by
completing our (fill-in-the-blank) test:
 “(_____) is my favorite activity?”
It isn’t quite accurate to say (“Run”) is my favorite activity;
you must say:
 “(To run) is my favorite activity.”
There you have it – the same word cannot be both the Subject
and the Verb! (“To run”) is the Subject and not the Verb!
Practice 4. Subject-Verb – Blue (Intermediate) Ski Run
http://boardsportsunlimited.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/snowboard-1073.jpg
In the following sentences, underline the Subject(s) and put the
Verb(s) in bold. (If you’re not using a computer, double underline the
Verbs.)
1. Michelle wanted to go to the 7:00 show.
2. Her plan to make her car payments was delayed by her illness.
3. To receive the document, enter the correct code.
Imposter #3. Nouns that pretend they’re Verbs
The third imposter is nouns that pretend they are verbs. Sometimes,
one word can be used in two different ways. A word is sometimes
used as a noun, and at other times the same word can be used as a
verb! Here’s an example:
 “His paintings were on display.”
Since you can (“display”) something all day and since (“were”) is a
Linking Verb, you may wonder which word is the Verb of the
Sentence? There is confusion because (“display”) can be either a
Noun or a Verb, depending on how it’s used:
Display used as Noun
The art display was impressive.
Display used as Verb
We display our science project.
There are three clues to help you determine whether a word is used
as a Noun or a Verb:
1. If the word has an Adjective in front, it’s being used as a Noun.
Examples: (the display); (a farm); (a run); (a big fire)
2. If the word has a Preposition in front, it’s being used as a Noun.
Examples: (on display); (at work); (for the show)
3. Check for the Subject. The word you’ve identified cannot be
both the Subject and the Verb. Example: (“Work is very
difficult.”) While you can (“work”) all day, if (“work”) is the
Verb in the sentence, then what is the Subject? If you suspect
that (“work”) is the Verb, and do a (fill-in-the-blank) test to
find the Subject, the sentence doesn’t make sense: “(_____)
work has been very difficult.” There’s no word before
(“work”)!
 The farm is impressive.
You can (“farm”) all day, and (“is”) is a form of the “to be” Verb, so
which word is the Verb in the sentence? Even if we think that
(“farm”) is the Verb, we’re going to have trouble finding the Subject
with our fill-in-the blank method:
 (….) is impressive.
“Farm” as an action taken by “impressive” does not make sense.
That’s because “farm” is being used as a Noun and not a Verb. “The
farm is impressive” does make sense, using the Linking Verb “was”
and the Subject “the farm.”
The people who enjoy changing Verbs into Nouns and Nouns into
Verbs should have asked Calvin and Hobbes first!
Appeared in: Grammarly.com
Grammar Challenge 3
How did we manage learn a first language? Can you
imagine how difficult it would be to learn all the words
we use and the grammar that puts the words together
into sentences that we can so quickly communicate to
others. Yet, when we were only about three years old, we
picked most of the grammar (you’re learning the rest
now!) and thousands of vocabulary words (without even
being aware of it, three-year olds learn about ten new
words every day!) How does it all happen?
Amazingly, there’s an App that! An App for learning
words, an App for grammar, and there’s another App that
seamlessly connects the words to the grammar, so we can
communicate quickly and incredibly efficiently, hardly
having to even think about it. Each App downloads for
free in our brains when we’re about three years old.
(Click Here) for the lowdown.
Practice 5.1. Subject-Verb – Green (Beginning) Ski Run
http://www.tremblant360.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/jan-9th-09-nansen2.jpg
In the following sentences, underline the Subject(s) and put the
Verb(s) in bold. (If you’re not using a computer, double underline the
Verbs.)
1. Most people are in need of friendship.
2. The cost of college tuition is on the rise.
3. It was of no use.
4. Praise is a big motivator.
5. “Tulo” completes the double play at shortstop.
“Tulo” completes a double play
http://product.images.prosportsmemorabilia.com/76-02/76-02187-F.jpg
Practice 5.2 Subject-Verb – Blue (Intermediate) Ski Run
http://www.ultimate-ski.com/vnoffice/data/0/0/13/2/117.jpg
In the following sentences, underline the Subject(s) and put the
Verb(s) in bold. (If you’re not using a computer, double underline the
Verbs.)
1. My math professor, Dr. Bostwick, ran a 2:28 in the Boston
Marathon.
2. Who scored the best time in the 1500 meter run?
3. When is it going to happen?
4. Sometimes, the correct answer is likely to be hidden among the
incorrect answers.
5. These questions matter according to a telemarketing study.
http://healthland.time.com/2011/05/20/want-to-be-heard-try-changing-the-way-you-talk/
https://www.facebook.com/grammarly
Building Blocks of the Sentence
Subjects
Pronouns as Subjects
Action Verbs
Finding the Subject with Action Verbs
Multiple Subjects —
Multiple Verbs
Linking Verbs
Finding the Subject with Linking Verbs
Exceptions in Finding the Verb – The Three Imposters!
1. Verbs ending in “ing” without a Helping Verb
2. When “to” comes before a Verb
3. Nouns that pretend they’re Verbs
9. Subject-Verb Agreement
Two Exceptions to the Subject-comes-before-the-Verb Rule
Adjectives
Adverbs
Objects
Pronouns as Objects
Websites with Additional Information
Grammar Challenge 1: How did the (to be) verb come to be?
Grammar Challenge 2: The strange case of (go) and (wend)
Grammar Challenge 3: How we manage to learn a language.
Some thoughts about Subject-Verb Agreement, (or) Can
a sentence disagree without being disagreeable?
On the whole, Subject-Verb Agreement is not difficult, and people
get it without a second thought. That’s because all regular verbs, and
almost all irregular verbs (except to be and to have) fit the same
basic pattern. Using the pronouns I, you, we, and they as Subjects,
the Verb fits or “agrees” with those subjects without change. Take
the Verb walk as an example:
I walk
You walk
We walk
They walk
It’s the same with irregular Verbs. Take the irregular Verb run, for
example:
I run
You run
We run
They run
The only change is with the third person pronoun he, she, and it. You
just add an (s) at the end of the Verb:
She walks
He runs
It’s just a bit different with the irregular Verbs to be and to have:
To Be
I am
You are
It is
We are
They are
To Have
I have
You have
It has
We have
They have
In most cases, your ear will guide you to an agreeable fit with
Subject and Verb, but as with everything in English, there are
exceptions.
Exception 1: When the Subject comes after the Verb
The Subject almost always comes before the Verb, but there are
times when the Verb comes first, and that can cause problems with
Subject-Verb agreement. Subject-Verb reversal almost always
happens in a small number of cases with the to be Linking Verb.
Here are some examples:
 There is/are three insurance plans to choose from.
 Attached is/are my resume and application.
 On my list of favorite songs is/are “Somebody That I Used To
Know” and “Lonely Boy.”
In both the above sentences, the to be Linking Verb allows the
writer to put the Subject after the Verb, and since there happens to
be two Subjects, she needs to use the plural form of the Verb: are.
Exception 2: When there is a Phrase between the Subject
and Verb.
Phrases mean that there are several words that work as a team to
give extra information in a sentence. Phrases do not have a Subject
or a Verb. Here are some examples:
“ing” Verb Phrase
Several accidents have been
reported involving drunk drivers.
“ed” Verb Phrase
The time had come to stop the train.
“To + a Verb” Phrase
Encouraged by his father, Carlos
took the job.
Prepositional Phrases
The college is located (at the corner)
(of Miller and Pike).
The only time Phrases complicate Subject-Verb Agreement come
when they are inserted between the Subject and Verb. Here are
some examples:
 My goal in taking 18 credits is/are to finish college on time.
Since the Subject, my goal, is singular, use the singular Verb is.
The Phrase, in taking 18 credits, gives more information about
the Subject and does not change the Verb.
 The box of bats and balls is/are in storage until spring.
Since the Subject, the box, is singular, use the singular Verb is.
The Phrase, of bats and balls, gives more information about
the Subject and does not change the Verb.
Exception 3: Tricky Pronouns
Some pronouns seem to be plural, but are actually singular. These
pronouns include everybody, everyone, everything, nobody, no one,
anybody, neither, either, and each. As strange as it sounds, all these
Pronouns must be paired with a singular Verb. Here are some
examples:





Everybody likes ice cream.
Everyone in the class also takes the history section.
Nobody on the team feels good about the score.
Each of you needs to complete the assignments.
Either is okay with me.
A trick you can use is to substitute the word one as part of the
Pronoun, then since one is singular, you use the singular Verb:





Everybody [one] likes ice cream.
Everyone [one] in the class also takes the history section.
Nobody [one]on the team feels good about the score.
Each [one] of you needs to complete the assignments.
Either [one] is okay with me.
The exception is the Pronoun none, which, years ago, was singular,
meaning not one, but is used today as if it were plural.
 None of the students dislike the class.
 None dislike the class.
Exception 4: Tricky Subjects
Some Subjects seem to be plural, but are actually singular. These
Subjects include group, team, jury, class, and audience. They use a
singular Verb because the entire group is acting as one.
 The team practices twice a week.
The team is acting as one, so you need a singular Verb.
 The Avalanche has the number one selection in the
draft.
The Avalanche is acting as one hockey team, so you need a
singular Verb.
 The jury sides with the defendant.
The jury is acting as one, so you need a singular Verb.
If you want to use these words as plural, try adding a plural word
to the Subject, like members, to emphasize that you’re not writing
about the group as a whole but individual members in the group.
Here’s an example:
 The team members start their workouts this week.
 The Avalanche players like their new uniforms.
Now we are talking about members or players, so you can use a
plural Verb.
Building Blocks of the Sentence
Subjects
Pronouns as Subjects
Action Verbs
Finding the Subject with Action Verbs
Multiple Subjects —
Multiple Verbs
Linking Verbs
Finding the Subject with Linking Verbs
Exceptions in Finding the Verb – The Three Imposters!
1. Verbs ending in “ing” without a Helping Verb
2. When “to” comes before a Verb
3. Nouns that pretend they’re Verbs
Subject-Verb Agreement
10. Two Exceptions to the Subject-comes-before-the-Verb Rule
Adjectives
Adverbs
Objects
Pronouns as Objects
Websites with Additional Information
Grammar Challenge 1: How did the (to be) verb come to be?
Grammar Challenge 2: The strange case of (go) and (wend)
Grammar Challenge 3: How we manage to learn a language.
Two Exceptions to the Subject-comes-before-the-Verb
Rule
Exception 1: When a sentence begins with There or Here
In sentences that begin with there or here, the Subject comes after
the Verb. Consider the following examples:
•
•
Here is the answer.
There is the computer.
Also in sentences that begin with there or here, the Verb is always
one of the forms of the (to be) Verb:
Am
Are
Is
Was
Were
Will be
Finally, the Subject is never the words there or here.
Sentences that start with there or here can be tricky if the Noun
coming after the Verb is plural. You might be tempted to use a
singular Verb, but you would be wrong. In sentences that start with
there or here, if the Subject (that follows the Verb) is plural, the Verb
must be plural too. Here are some examples:
Correct:
There are a bat, a ball, and a glove in the
closet.
Correct:
A bat, a ball, and a glove are in the closet.
Incorrect:
There is a bat, a ball, and a glove in the
closet.
(Told you it was tricky!)
People who study language believe that the order of the Subject and
Verb is reversed because our ancestors used there and here just as if
they were pointing their finger at something. It’s as if the words
there or here are taking the place of a pointing finger:
http://www.satrakshita.com/images/Oregon71.jpg
There is the Moon.
As the famous Karate expert and actor Bruce Lee pointed out, it’s
not the finger that is important, but what the finger is pointing at:
the Subject.
http://humanbeingsfirst.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/bruce-lee-dont-concentrate-on-the-finger-or-you-willmiss-all-that-heavenly-glory.jpg?w=419&h=315
YouTube Video of “Finger Pointing to the Moon” karate instruction by
Bruce Lee (Click Here).
The Website, Grammar Girl, has a good discussion of using
there or here at the beginning of a sentence (Click Here).
 Exception 2: When the sentence is in the form of a question,
the Subject and Verb are switched.
Sentences that ask questions end in a question mark (?) and switch
the order of the Subject and Verb. There are two types of questions
that switch the Subject and Verb.
1. When the sentence asks a question using only the (to be)
Verb—without a Helping Verb—the Subject comes after the
(to be) Verb.


Example: Are small airplanes safe?
Example: Is this your book?
2. When the sentence asks a question using a Helping Verb and a
Main Verb, the Subject is sandwiched between the Helping
Verb and the Main Verb.


•
Example: Is Roger going to Chicago?
Example: Has the weather changed?
Example: Did you finish the assignment?
Practice 6. Subject-Verb – Green (Intermediate) Ski Run
http://www.mymorningjoe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/16630-banner-Deuce-Snowboard-2.jpg
In the following sentences, underline the Subject(s) and put the
Verb(s) in bold. (If you’re not using a computer, double underline the
Verbs.)
Example: There is the exit.
Example: Here are the sentences.
 Remember in sentences that begin with there or here, the
Subject comes after the Verb.
1. There are three support paragraphs in her essay.
2. Here are the table and chairs.
3. There is only one correct answer.
Practice 7. Subject-Verb – Green (Intermediate) Ski Run
In the following sentences, underline the Subject(s) and put the
Verb(s) in bold. (If you’re not using a computer, double underline the
Verbs.)
1. Did he quit the team?
2. Has he returned the favor?
3. Was the defendant innocent?
Building Blocks of the Sentence
Subjects
Pronouns as Subjects
Action Verbs
Finding the Subject with Action Verbs
Multiple Subjects —
Multiple Verbs
Linking Verbs
Finding the Subject with Linking Verbs
Exceptions in Finding the Verb – The Three Imposters!
1. Verbs ending in “ing” without a Helping Verb
2. When “to” comes before a Verb
3. Nouns that pretend they’re Verbs
Subject-Verb Agreement
Two Exceptions to the Subject-comes-before-the-Verb Rule
11. Adjectives
Adverbs
Objects
Pronouns as Objects
Websites with Additional Information
Grammar Challenge 1: How did the (to be) verb come to be?
Grammar Challenge 2: The strange case of (go) and (wend)
Grammar Challenge 3: How we manage to learn a language.
Adjectives, Adverbs, and Objects: Words that
support the Subject and the Verb
Adjectives
Adjectives are words that describe nouns. Here are some examples:




The big car
The green car
The new car
The used car
Adjectives must come before the Noun they describe. You can’t place
them anywhere in the sentence.
You can also string Adjectives together in front of a noun:
 The big car
 The big, green car
 The big, green, used car
Notice that when you string Adjectives together, you put a comma
between each Adjective, but not after the last Adjective in the list.
There are lots and lots of adjectives. Here’s a short list of some
common adjectives:
Large
Fast
Hard
Good
small
slow
weak
easy
long
bright
full
brave
short
cold
(any color)
famous
Near
Noisy
Sweet
Safe
(Click Here) for a longer list.
Adjectives that Compare
You can also use Adjectives to compare one Noun with another. For
example:
 Dalia is taller than Maria.
 Roger is faster than Martin.
 Alicia is more generous than Debbie.
Or you can use Adjectives to compare three or more Nouns. For
example:
 Dalia is the tallest player on the team.
 Roger is the fastest runner on the team.
 Alicia is most generous person I know.
Notice that some of these comparison adjectives just add an er or est
while others begin with more or most. Often, your ear will guide you
to the right spelling. For example, saying “Roger is the fastest runner
on the team,” sounds fine, but saying, “Roger is the most fast runner
on the team,” doesn’t sound right at all—and it isn’t. There’s also a
simple rule you can use with most comparison adjectives:
If the comparison adjective has
only one syllable, add an er or
est.
If the comparison adjective has
three or more syllables, put
more or most before the
adjective.
Dalia is taller than Maria.
Dalia is the tallest player on
the team.
Alicia is more generous than
Debbie.
Alicia is most generous person I
know.
The problem comes with two syllable Adjectives, which can go
either way. For some, your ear will tell you the correct answer.
 Correct: Jade’s essay was more complete than her first draft.
 Incorrect: Jade’s essay was completer than her first draft.
 Correct: She is more careful than she was before the accident.
 Incorrect: She is carefuller than she was before the accident.
Other comparison adjectives are just plain tricky, and you often have
to memorize, or look up, the correct form. Here are some tricky
examples:
 Correct: Jake is happier now that he has his degree.
 Incorrect?: Jake is more happy now that he has his degree.
 Correct: That ring is shinier than the other.
 Incorrect?: That ring is more shiny than the other.
See what we mean?
The good news is that most two syllable comparison adjectives add
er or est. Here’s a list:
bumpy
bumpier
bumpiest
heavy
heavier
heaviest
icy
icier
iciest
shiny
shinier
shiniest
tiny
tinier
tiniest
able
abler
ablest
gentle
gentler
gentlest
hollow
hollower
hollowest
narrow
narrower
narrowest
shallow
shallower
shallowest
simple
simpler
simplest
funny
funnier
funniest
lovely
lovelier
loveliest
Here’s a list of comparison adjectives that use more or most:
peaceful
more peaceful
most peaceful
pleasant
more pleasant
most pleasant
careful
more careful
most careful
famous
more famous
most famous
worried
more worried
most worried
boring
more boring
most boring
useless
more useless
most useless
Some Comparison Adjective are right both ways—The good news is
you get to choose! Here’s a list:
clever
cleverer
cleverest
clever
more clever
most clever
gentle
gentle
gentler
more gentle
gentlest
most gentle
friendly
friendly
friendlier
more friendly
friendliest
most friendly
quiet
quiet
quieter
more quiet
quietest
most quiet
simple
simple
simpler
more simple
simplest
most simple
Adjectives that compare: The Exceptions
Of course, in English there are almost always exceptions, and
comparison adjectives are no exception. Here are some comparison
adjectives that don’t fit any pattern:
good
better
best
bad
worse
worst
far
farther or
further
farthest or furthest
Good
better
best
little
less
least
many/much/some
more
most
Here’s the take-away for comparison adjectives: If you’re not sure,
consult the list.
Building Blocks of the Sentence
Subjects
Pronouns as Subjects
Action Verbs
Finding the Subject with Action Verbs
Multiple Subjects —
Multiple Verbs
Linking Verbs
Finding the Subject with Linking Verbs
Exceptions in Finding the Verb – The Three Imposters!
1. Verbs ending in “ing” without a Helping Verb
2. When “to” comes before a Verb
3. Nouns that pretend they’re Verbs
Subject-Verb Agreement
Two Exceptions to the Subject-comes-before-the-Verb Rule
Adjectives
12. Adverbs
Objects
Websites with Additional Information
Grammar Challenge 1: How did the (to be) verb come to be?
Grammar Challenge 2: The strange case of (go) and (wend)
Grammar Challenge 3: How we manage to learn a language.
Adverbs
Adverbs are like adjectives, but they don’t describe nouns. Adverbs
describes verbs and lots of other things, including adjectives,
phrases, clauses, and even entire sentences. Adverbs usually answer
the question how? For example:
Adverbs describing verbs:
 He walked slowly
How did he walk?
 Kiersten studied quietly.
How did Keirsten study?
 Brian read the assignment carefully. How did Brian read?
Adverbs describing adjectives:
Adverb Adjective Noun
 Jannik bought a very expensive car.
 It’s been an extremely hot summer.
Adverbs describing other adverbs:
 The wedding couple moved very slowly down the line of wellwishers.
Adverbs describing full sentences
 Lately, he has been working the late shift.
 Finally, I got the work done.
Have you noticed how most adverbs end in ly? It’s true, and most
times you can recognize an Adverb when it ends in ly, Here’s a list:
happily
gladly
sadly
happily
thankfully
perfectly
highly
lowly
quickly
slowly
suddenly
promptly
angrily
quietly
loudly
softly
beautifully
gracefully
generously
generally
Of course, in English there are exceptions. Here’s a list of adverbs
that don’t end in ly:
fast
often
very
so
quite
well
(Click Here) for a list of 100 common adverbs.
Unlike adjectives, adverbs can appear in different places in the
sentence:
 Thoughtfully, the speaker addressed the crowd.
 The speaker addressed the crowd thoughtfully.
 The speaker thoughtfully addressed the crowd.
However, sometimes if you don’t place the adverb close to the word
you’re describing you can cause confusion. For example:
 She looked at the man studying carefully.
Is she looking carefully at the man, or is the man studying carefully?
Since there are two verbs, looked and studying, the adverb will
attach itself to the closed verb, so the sentence means the man is
studying carefully.
If you meant to describe how she looked at the man, you’ll need to
rewrite the sentence, putting the adverb near the verb looked:
 She carefully looked at the man studying.
[or]
 She looked carefully at the man studying.
[or]
 Carefully she looked at the man studying.
Building Blocks of the Sentence
Subjects
Action Verbs
Multiple Subjects
—
Pronouns as Subjects
Finding the Subject with Action Verbs
Multiple Verbs
Linking Verbs
Finding the Subject with Linking Verbs
Exceptions in Finding the Verb – The Three Imposters!
1. Verbs ending in “ing” without a Helping Verb
2. When “to” comes before a Verb
3. Nouns that pretend they’re Verbs
Subject-Verb Agreement
Two Exceptions to the Subject-comes-before-the-Verb Rule
Adjectives
Adverbs
13. Objects
Pronouns as Objects
Websites with Additional Information
Grammar Challenge 1: How did the (to be) verb come to be?
Grammar Challenge 2: The strange case of (go) and (wend)
Grammar Challenge 3: How we manage to learn a language.
Objects
You not only find Adjectives and Adverbs in sentences, you also have
something called Objects. Most times, Subject don’t just do
something; they act on something or someone. When the Subject
acts on something or someone, that’s the Object of the sentence. For
example:
Subject
Verb
Carlos Gonzales hit
Eric
bought
Sandy
took
Grace Park
won
We
ate
Object
a ground rule double.
the computer.
a vacation.
the Tournament.
pizza.
Notice that without an Object, the above sentences are not complete.
The Subject and Action Verb are not enough; they need an Object to
make a full sentence.
Subject
Verb + Object
Carlos
hit a ground rule double.
Gonzales
Eric
bought the computer.
Sandy
took a vacation.
Grace Park
won the Tournament.
We
ate pizza.
Object Pronouns
In English, the pronoun changes, depending on whether the
pronoun is the Subject of the sentence or the Object in the sentence.
Earlier, we listed the Subject Pronouns:
I
You
He/She/It
We
You
They
Here’s how pronouns change form when they are the object of the
sentence:
me
you
him/her/it
us
you
them
For example:
Subject Verb Object
 Connor bought her a ticket to the ballgame.
 Andrea enrolled him in first grade.
Most of the time, your ear will guide you to the correct pronoun, so
no worries.
Some sentences are fine without an Object; All they need is a Subject
and a Verb. Here are some examples:
 Birds fly.
 Susan drives.
 I read.
The Subject controls half the sentence and the Verb controls the
other half. The words we studied in this section (adjectives, adverbs,
and objects), depending on where they are in the sentence, support
either the Subject or the Verb. For example:
 Adjectives (yellow highlight)
 Adverbs (green highlight)
 Objects (blue highlight)
Using the above color code, look at the following examples, taken
from the earlier sentences. Notice that all we are doing is adding
supporting detail to the sentences.
Subject
Verb + Object
Carlos Gonzales of the
Colorado Rockies
sharply hit the ball off the
center field wall.
Eric, my cousin from Chicago,
bought the laptop computer
yesterday.
Thinking she had worked
long and hard, Sandy
took a wonderful vacation in
scenic Crested Butte.
Grace Park of South Korea
won the U.S. Open Golf
Tournament.
My good friends and I
ate deep dish pizza for dinner.
Here’s the take-away from section on adjectives, adverbs, and
objects: Know the Subject and the Verb. The rest will work itself out.
Building Blocks of the Sentence
Subjects
Pronouns as Subjects
Action Verbs
Finding the Subject with Action Verbs
Multiple Subjects – Multiple Verbs
Linking Verbs Finding the Subject with Linking Verbs
Exceptions in Finding the Verb – The Three Imposters!
1. Verbs ending in “ing” without a Helping Verb
2. When “to” comes before a Verb
3. Nouns that pretend they’re Verbs
Subject-Verb Agreement
Two Exceptions to the Subject-comes-before-the-Verb Rule
Adjectives
Adverbs
Objects
Pronouns as Objects
14. Websites with Additional Information
Grammar Challenge 1: How did the (to be) verb come to be?
Grammar Challenge 2: The strange case of (go) and (wend)
Grammar Challenge 3: How we manage to learn a language.
Here are some websites with additional information on the basic
grammar terms:
Websites where you can explore grammar at the sentence
level further:
1. English Grammar Guide:
https://sites.google.com/site/englishgrammarguide/Home.
2. Guide to Grammar and Writing:
 Subjects
 Verbs
 Adjectives
 Adverbs
 Pronouns
 Objects
Building Blocks of the Sentence
Subjects
Pronouns as Subjects
Action Verbs
Finding the Subject with Action Verbs
Multiple Subjects – Multiple Verbs
Linking Verbs Finding the Subject with Linking Verbs
Exceptions in Finding the Verb – The Three Imposters!
1. Verbs ending in “ing” without a Helping Verb
2. When “to” comes before a Verb
3. Nouns that pretend they’re Verbs
Subject-Verb Agreement
Two Exceptions to the Subject-comes-before-the-Verb Rule
Adjectives
Adverbs
Objects
Pronouns as Objects
Websites with Additional Information
15. Grammar Challenge 1: How did the (to be) verb come to be?
Grammar Challenge 2: The strange case of (go) and (wend)
Grammar Challenge 3: How we manage to learn a language.
Grammar Challenge — Understanding our Language
When you’re reading about grammar, there’s need to know and
nice to know. In chapter 13, there are only two things you need to
know: the Subject and the Verb. That’s because knowing the
Subject and the Verb allows you to put what’s important in the
sentence first. Without knowing what’s important in the sentence,
you’ll fail to write clear sentences, and without clear sentences,
you’ll not be able to write clear paragraphs and clear essays.
There’s no way around it—you need to know the Subject and the
Verb.
On the other hand, the grammar challenge sections in this chapter
have information that is nice to know. These sections will help
your grammar and your writing, but it’s up to you whether you
want to read them. If you’re interested, by all means do, and if
your professor is interested, the grammar challenge sections
become essential. And, of course, the author of this textbook
would like you to read them, but it’s not his call. If you choose not
to read the grammar challenge sections, you’re still okay. No
worries.
Grammar Challenge 1: How did the (to be) verb come
to be?
“To be or not to be, that is the question.”
William Shakespeare
Video of Jude Law acting in Hamlet (Click Here)
The strange case of the to be verb came to be:
People who study language, called Linguists, don’t know
everything about the to be verb, but they have these words of
comfort: The to be verb may be bad now, but it used to be much
worse. Here’s the inside scoop.
There have been four stages in the English language — Old
English, spoken from about 400 to 1100 C.E., Middle English from
1100-1450, Early Modern from 1450-1700, and Modern English
from 1700 on — people used the to be Verb differently in each
stage.
Old English (400-1100 C.E.) had three verbs for be: beon, esan,
and wesan. Beon referred to things that lasted a long time, and
esan and wesan to things that lasted a short time. (The difference
is similar to the one in modern Spanish between ser and estar: Yo
soy Americana [I am American], a long-term state, contrasts with
Yo estoy contento [I am happy], a temporary state.)
In the Middle English period (1100-1450), the three different to
be Verbs came together into one verb. No one knows why people
did this, but they did. It’s sort of like how the iPhone and Android
have partially come together to be called a Smart Phone. It’s like a
game of musical chairs, when players scramble to fill a smaller
number of positions, so too the slots for each of the three to be
Verbs were reduced. As it turned out, each of the ancient to be
Verbs (beon, esan, and wesan) grabbed some of the slots:
 Esan supplied am, is, and are for the present tense.
 Wesan supplied was and were for the past tense.
 Beon supplied the foundation form be, the future tense will be,
and the participle forms – being and been, as in:
 He is being stubborn.
 I have been there before.
Of course, everybody but a few linguists has forgotten this history,
and people must memorize all the forms of the to be verb, which
besides being the most irregular verb, is also the most common
Verb in the English language, used as both a Linking Verb (I am
certain.) and as a Helping Verb (She is trying to understand.). Go
figure!
Building Blocks of the Sentence
Subjects
Pronouns as Subjects
Action Verbs
Finding the Subject with Action Verbs
Multiple Subjects – Multiple Verbs
Linking Verbs Finding the Subject with Linking Verbs
Exceptions in Finding the Verb – The Three Imposters!
1. Verbs ending in “ing” without a Helping Verb
2. When “to” comes before a Verb
3. Nouns that pretend they’re Verbs
Subject-Verb Agreement
Two Exceptions to the Subject-comes-before-the-Verb Rule
Adjectives
Adverbs
Objects
Pronouns as Objects
Websites with Additional Information
Grammar Challenge 1: How did the (to be) verb come to be?
16. Grammar Challenge 2: The strange case of (go) and (wend)
Grammar Challenge 3: How we manage to learn a language.
Grammar challenge 2: The strange case of how the popular Verb “go”
stole the past tense form from the unpopular Verb “wend, and
invention of the regular verb.”
A case study in how our language changes over time.
To Catch a Thief — One of the great suspense-romance-comedy movies of all
time, starring the incomparable Gary Grant and Grace Kelly, and directed by
Alfred Hitchcock, released 1955
How the famous cat burglar, Go, stole the past tense from wealthy
socialite, Wend:
In the Middle English period (1100-1450 C.E) there were two popular
verbs for what we now call go: Go and Wend. Go meant the same a
thousand years ago as we know it today: to proceed on a course. Wend
also meant to proceed on a course, but coming from the word “wind” had
a longer term and less direct meaning. For example, you go to class, but
you wend your way through college. For mysterious reasons, sometime
during the Middle English period, the verb go became more popular and
then “stole” the past-tense form of the less popular verb wend—namely,
went. Today the verb wend, without its popularity and its old past-tense
form, uses the regular past wended, but its original past tense form went
followed a pattern that can be seen today in other irregular verbs that
come from the Middle English period, such as bend-bent, send-sent, and
spend-spent. Meanwhile, students must deal with go-went!
YouTube Video of Madeleine Peyroux singing “Getting Some Fun
Out of Life” (Click Here) with the Verb wend in the lyrics:
Maybe we do the right things
Maybe we do the wrong
Spending each day
Wending our way along
The English language is a living language. Words change over time. That’s
why the past tense of wend (went) was taken over by the more popular
verb go. In some cases what was once an irregular verb became over time
more regular. English was long ago a German language, because it was
German tribes (the Angles and the Saxons) who migrated to England
about 1500 years ago. The German language has far more irregular verbs
than we have in English.
At some point, one of these Angle-Saxon people came up with an
incredible innovation. It was the equivalent of the person who first
discovered that you could use initials instead of words in text messaging.
Why type “Laughed out loud” when you can just type “LOL”? Our
unknown ancestor discovered that instead of just accepting all the
irregular forms of verbs, all of which people had to memorize, he or she
most likely took the past tense form of the helping verb, did, changed it a
bit for ease of sound to ed, and attached the ed to whatever verb needed
to be converted into the past tense. Presto, no more endless irregular
verb forms to memorize! Here’s how it might have worked:
Present tense
of the verb
work
I work.
Original
irregular past
tense of the
verb work —
How people
spoke 1,000
years ago
I wrought.
Another
way people
use the Past
Tense of any
verb, then
and now.
I did work.
Innovative
past tense
based on the
helping verb
did, creating
the Regular
Verb
I worked.
He or she probably invented the regular verb in response to a host of new
verbs coming into the language from other tribes, a result of growing
trade throughout Europe. People needed a better way make these verbs
communicate than coming up with five or more new irregular forms for
each new verb (what a nightmare!), and somebody devised it. Regular
verbs were both good for business and good for kids learning the
language.
Even though regular verbs were much easier on people, some verbs—
those used most often used—stayed irregular. That’s because when
words are used a lot, people easily remember the irregular spellings, and
they are not so tempted to try different spellings, even if those spelling
are based on just one simple rule. As Grammar Girl puts it: “Think about
how often you hear the verbs am and have in everyday conversation. I
have to go now. I am hungry, and I have a headache. If you’re learning
English just by listening, these are going to be the easiest verbs to learn
properly because you hear them over and over again.”
All the less commonly used verbs made the switch from irregular to
regular. Here are just a few examples of verbs that in earlier times were
irregular:
Present
Tense
Help
Melt
Reach
Work
Shave
The irregular past tense —
how people spoke
1,000 years ago
Holp
Molt
Raught
Wrought
Shove
At some point the verb
became regular
Helped
Melted
Reached
Worked
Shaved
Sometimes, the process of making irregular verbs regular has started but
is not complete so that both the regular or irregular spellings are correct.
Here are some examples:
Present
Burn
Dream
Dive
Slay
Wed
Option 1 (regular)
Burned
Dreamed
Dived
Slayed
Wedded
Option 2 (irregular)
Burnt
Dreamt
Dove
Slew
Wed
It’s so much easier to use a regular verb that slowly these verbs will move
into the regular camp.
In a few cases, verbs have moved from being regular to being irregular.
Why? Because our ancestors liked it that way!
Present
Sneak
Light
At some point, a regular
ending was devised
Sneaked
Lighted
But then the verb moved back
into the irregular camp
Snuck
Lit
Adapted from Words and Rules: The Ingredients of Language
Steven Pinker
Harper Perennial Press 2011
Building Blocks of the Sentence
Subjects
Pronouns as Subjects
Action Verbs
Finding the Subject with Action Verbs
Multiple Subjects – Multiple Verbs
Linking Verbs Finding the Subject with Linking Verbs
Exceptions in Finding the Verb – The Three Imposters!
1. Verbs ending in “ing” without a Helping Verb
2. When “to” comes before a Verb
3. Nouns that pretend they’re Verbs
Subject-Verb Agreement
Two Exceptions to the Subject-comes-before-the-Verb Rule
Adjectives
Adverbs
Objects
Pronouns as Objects
Websites with Additional Information
Grammar Challenge 1: How did the (to be) verb come to be?
Grammar Challenge 2: The strange case of (go) and (wend)
17. Grammar Challenge 3: How we manage to learn a language.
Grammar Challenge 3: The Incredible Language Apps
There’s an App for learning words, there’s an App for
grammar, and there’s another App that seamlessly
connects the words to the grammar. Each App downloads
for free in our brains when we’re about three years old.
Here’s how linguists think the language Apps work.
People who study language, Linguists, have found that in learning
your first, you memorized about 10.000 words, effortlessly, when
you were only three years old, or younger. Impossible, you say,
and you would be right, except that we have the equivalent of an
App for learning a language, which makes it all pretty simple. The
Language App is imbedded in our brains and ready to go at a very
young age—in fact, only at a very young age. That’s why your first
language—be it English, Spanish, Swahili, or Chinese—including
thousands of words and how to pronounce them, and the
grammar that puts all the words together in meaningful patterns,
was learned easily, almost seamlessly, when you were very young.
On the other hand, trying to learn a language later in life is
anything but easy. As William O’Grady of the University of Hawai’i
writes:
Most of the time we adults take language for
granted—unless of course we have to learn a new
one. Then, things change pretty quickly. We can’t get
the pronunciation right, and we can’t hear the
difference between sounds. There are too many new
words, and we forget ones that we learned just the
day before. We can’t say what we want to say, and we
can’t understand anything either, because everyone
speaks too fast.
Things work differently for three year olds. They can’t
tie a knot, jump rope, draw a decent-looking circle, or
eat without making a mess. But they have figured out
what several thousand words mean, how they are
pronounced, and how they can be put together to
make sentences.
It’s all because of our very own Language App. There are five
important features in this incredible bit of neural programming:
1. It starts early
Children seem to be especially designed to listen to language. In
fact, they don’t even wait until they are born to start. Speech can
be heard in the womb—not precisely enough to make out
individual sounds, but clearly enough to identify the basic rhythm
and certain features of the speaker’s voice.
In one study, mothers-to-be read aloud a story every day during
the last six weeks of pregnancy. Some read The Cat in the Hat and
others read The King, the Mice and the Cheese. Two days after
birth, the infants were tested to see whether they found the story
that they’d heard in the womb more soothing than the other story.
They did.
Adapted from
William O’Grady
2007
http://linguistlist.org/pubs/cupmag/pdf/O'grady%20article.pdf
2. It happens fast
Children learn language very quickly. Between age two and six,
they average learning ten new words a day—almost one for every
waking hour and often after hearing it just once or twice! By age
six, they have a vocabulary of about 14,000 words, but they’re far
from finished. Over the next several years, they move even faster,
learning as many as twenty new words per day, including the
grammar for processing those words. (Try to do that if you’re
learning a second language as an adult!)
Adapted from William O’Grady
2007
http://linguistlist.org/pubs/cupmag/pdf/O'grady%20article.pdf
We probably have one Language App that allows thousands of
vocabulary words to be stored in our brains and quickly accessed,
and a different Language App that creates the grammar that
allows us to use the vocabulary words to communicate. No
wonder children are able to learn so many irregular verbs!
3. The sounds that make up words are also hard wired in.
For a child, having the opportunity to listen to and talk with
parents is very important for expanding vocabulary and learning
about the surrounding world, but it is not the only factor needed
to learn a first language. In fact, infants know the sounds of words
without having to listen to their parents at all. For example,
Spanish and Kikuyu (a language spoken by the people of Kenya)
infants can tell the difference in the English sounds of ba’s and
pa’s. However, these sounds are not used in Spanish or Kikuyu,
and their parents cannot tell the sounds apart. Moreover, Englishlearning infants under the age of six months can tell the difference
in sounds used in Czech, Hindi, and Inslekampx (a Native
American language). But English speaking adults cannot tell the
difference in these sounds of other languages, even with five
hundred trials of training or a year of university coursework.
Even more amazing, by the time infants are ten months old, they
can no longer hear these sounds, only the sounds of their family’s
language. In fact, without social interaction, children cannot learn
a language; no child has learned a first language from watching
television or listening to the radio. Social interaction, then, makes
the Language App go.
Adapted from
Steven Pinker
The Language Instinct
1994
4. It is not only about words but also chunks of words
Although most people don’t realize it, we usually don’t leave pauses
between words when we speak—most sentences are a continuous
stream of sounds. Children can almost instantly make meaning from
the sounds without having to translate each word. And they can
communicate by speaking in a stream of sounds without having to
pronounce one word after another. Even more amazing, most of the
stream of sounds comes out grammatically correct!
Mistakes do happen, and they don’t disappear overnight. It may, for
example, take several hundred exposures to the right past tense
form of an irregular verb before the errors are eliminated. Mistakes
may pop up for months or even years before they are finally laid to
rest (For example, a child may say, Mama “goed” to the store). But as
O’Grady advises us, there’s no reason for concern. “Mistakes happen
as a normal part of the language acquisition process. Still, they are
rare, and they’ll disappear as a normal part of that same process.”
Adapted from William O’Grady
2007
http://linguistlist.org/pubs/cupmag/pdf/O'grady%20article.pdf
YouTube video of what understanding a language would be like
without the Language App! (Click Here)