Title: PSAT Grammar
1PSAT Grammar
verb tense Subject-verb agreement Pronoun
usage Double negatives Idioms Passive
voice Misplaced/dangling modifiers Parallelism Sen
tence structure Coordination/subordination Punctua
ting with colons Adverbs Adjectives Prepositions A
ppositives Infinitives Gerunds Participles clauses
- Mrs. Nichols
- English II Pre-AP
2VERB TENSE
Consistency of verb tense Past perfect
tense Historical present Writing about literature
- Mrs. Nichols
- English II Pre-AP
3Consistency of Verb Tense
- The tense of verbs must remain consistent in the
sentence. If the sentence starts in present
tense, it should stay in the present tense. If it
begins in the past, it should remain in the past. - EX Because she sang so beautifully, she wins
the contest. - Sang is past tense while wins is present. We
need to change wins to won.
4Write the corrected sentences in your notes.
- The leprechaun walked to school, and on the way
he drops his pot o gold.
5Write the corrected sentences in your notes.
- The concert finally ended, but all the taxis are
busy.
6Write the corrected sentences in your notes.
- The rhino has some good points, but he also had
some tough skin.
7Write the corrected sentences in your notes.
- The man tries to rescue the hamster, but he was
not successful.
8Answers
- The leprechaun walked to school, and on the way
he dropped his pot o gold. - The concert finally ended, but all the taxis were
busy. - The rhino has some good points, but he also has
some tough skin. - The man tries to rescue the hamster, but he is
not successful.
9Past Perfect Tense
- The past perfect tense always uses the helping
verb had with the main verb. This tense is used
to indicate a time that precedes another time
mentioned in the sentence. - EXI had seen the movie before I saw Janet at the
store. - The action of seeing the movie occurred before
the action of seeing Janet. The first action to
happen requires past perfect tense. The last
action to happen requires past tense. Using these
two tenses keeps the time reference clear in
written English.
10Write the corrected sentences in your notes.
- Until last Friday, we thought we lost the unicorn.
11Write the corrected sentences in your notes.
- By the time Matilda left, Bruce ate the entire
cake.
12Write the corrected sentences in your notes.
- David probably saw the error long before he
corrected it.
13Write the corrected sentences in your notes.
- After finding her absent, I knew that she went to
the Beyonce concert with Devlin.
14Answers
- Until last Friday, we had thought we lost the
book. - By the time Kelly left, Mary had eaten the entire
cake. - David probably had seen the error long before he
corrected it. - After finding her absent, I knew that she had
gone to the concert.
15Historical Present Tense
- Part of the sentence may be in the past tense,
but another part might be in the present if that
second part is something that is always true. - For example, we know as a fact that light travels
faster than sound. Since this is always true, we
state the fact in the present tense, regardless
of what happens in the rest of the sentence.
16Example of historical present tense
- Incorrect His research was based on the concept
that light traveled faster than sound. - Correct His research was based on the concept
that light travels faster than sound.
17Present Tense When Discussing Literature
- Another time we consistently use the present
tense is when discussing literature the accepted
convention is to discuss the actions in fiction
in terms of present tense. - Incorrect The main character of the story
disregarded his fathers wishes. - Correct The main character of the story
disregards his fathers wishes.
18Assessment of what youve learned Write the
corrected sentences in your notes.
- By the time I left, Baxter ate the entire wheel
of cheese.
19Assessment of what youve learned Write the
corrected sentences in your notes.
- Through experience Janet learned that hot dogs
and ice cream produced obesity.
20Assessment of what youve learned Write the
corrected sentences in your notes.
- In the novel, the hero stressed his love for the
woman.
21Assessment of what youve learned Write the
corrected sentences in your notes.
- Jerry said that Newtons third law of physics
stated that for every action there was an equal
and opposite reaction.
22Answers
- By the time I left, Baxter had eaten the entire
wheel of cheese. - Through experience Janet learned that hot dogs
and ice cream produce obesity. - In the novel, the hero stresses his love for the
woman. - Jerry said that Newtons third law of physics
states that for every action there is an equal
and opposite reaction.
23SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
Subject followed by prepositional phrase Subject
following the expletive there Subject after
verb Compound subjects joined by or or nor
- Mrs. Nichols
- English II Pre-AP
24Subject-Verb Agreement
- The concept of subject-verb agreement is
relatively simple the subject and verb of each
sentence must agree with each other in number
(singular subject, singular verb, etc.) - Common errors occur
- with a simple subject followed by a prepositional
phrase - with a subject following the expletive there
- with the subject following the verb
- with a compound subject whose parts are joined by
or or nor
25Subject-Verb Agreement
- Subject followed by prepositional phrase
- Singular subject must be followed by singular
verb (verb ending with s) - Plural subject must be followed by plural verb
(verb with no s) - Common prepositions of, with, at, on, for, to,
between, beneath, below, above, along, against - One of the boats are sinking.
- One of the boats is sinking.
26Correct these sentences in your notes.Subject
following a prepositional phrase
- One of the boats are sinking.
27Correct these sentences in your notes.Subject
following a prepositional phrase
- The man with two platypi are walking down the
street.
28Correct these sentences in your notes.Subject
following a prepositional phrase
- The two girls in the gym is going to be in my
class.
29Correct these sentences in your notes.Subject
following a prepositional phrase
- The boys in my science class tries daily to blow
things up.
30Correct these sentences in your notes.Subject
following a prepositional phrase
- One of the pictures of the centaur are lost.
31Subject-Verb Agreement
- Deciding whether or not the verb agrees with the
subject is sometimes difficult because of the
nature and placement of the subject. - Incorrect There is always two men on guard at
this post. - Correct There are always two men on guard at
this post.
32Correct these sentences in your notes.Subject
following the expletive there
- There goes the three moose of the mountain.
33Correct these sentences in your notes.Subject
following the expletive there
- There were never a harder decision to make.
34Correct these sentences in your notes.Subject
following the expletive there
- There was only two pirates at the door to greet
us.
35Correct these sentences in your notes.Subject
following the expletive there
- There seem to be a strong odor in the room.
36Subject-Verb Agreement
- The third type of error deals with the placement
of the subject after the verb. - Example Down the road in a bright red car came
the two girls. - Incorrect Far away from the rest of the crowd
stands the three men. - Correct Far away from the rest of the crowd
stand the three men.
37Correct these sentences in your notes.Subject
after the verb
- Beneath those pictures on the wall are the
artists name.
38Correct these sentences in your notes.Subject
after the verb
- Around the corner from my house lives the Lord
Voledmort.
39Correct these sentences in your notes.Subject
after the verb
- Under the beds in his room were the dragon.
40Correct these sentences in your notes.Subject
after the verb
- Without his hat or his coat stand the detective.
41Subject-Verb Agreement
- When a compound subject is joined by or or nor,
we look at the part of the subject that sits
closest to the verb to determine singular or
plural. - Example Neither the girl nor the two boys want
to go eat breakfast.
42Correct these sentences in your notes.Compound
subjects joined by or or nor
- Either Jane or Sally (seem, seems) to be weirder
than usual.
43Correct these sentences in your notes.Compound
subjects joined by or or nor
- The lantern or the street lights on the road (is,
are) shining brightly.
44Correct these sentences in your notes.Compound
subjects joined by or or nor
- The cyborg on the roof or the cow in the pasture
(was, were) singing.
45Correct these sentences in your notes.Compound
subjects joined by or or nor
- Either Sam or the girls in the green car (ask,
asks) a lot of questions.
46PRONOUN USAGE
Pronoun antecedent agreement Pronoun as a
compound element Ambiguous reference Who vs.
which Shift in person
- Mrs. Nichols
- English II Pre-AP
47Pronoun Antecedent Agreement
- A pronoun is a word that substitutes for a noun.
The noun that the pronoun replaces or to which it
refers is called the antecedent. Look at the
sentence below. - Mary went home because she was not feeling
well. - In the sentence, the pronoun she is a substitute
for the noun Mary. Mary is the antecedent of she.
The antecedent of a pronoun is merely the word to
which to pronoun refers. The pronoun and its
antecedent must agree in number (singular
antecedent singular pronoun plural plural)
48Pronoun Antecedent Agreement
- Incorrect If someone calls, tell them I left
early. - Correct If someone calls, tell him I left
early. - The word someone is actually singular. Any
pronoun referring to that word must also be
singular. The pronoun them is plural so it does
not agree with the antecedent someone.
49Correct these sentences in your notes.Pronoun
Antecedent Agreement
- We wanted each of the men to do their share of
the work. - Everyone should bring their books when they come
to class. - Neither Dorothy nor Janice had washed their face.
- Each player must put their own clothes in the
locker.
50Pronoun as a Compound Element
- When pronouns are used as part of a compound
element, students really get confused. - Tom and Sally went to the movies. Tom went to
the movies. Sally went to the movies. - Tom and she went to the movies. Tom went to the
movies. She went to the movies. - He and Sally went to the movies. He went to the
movies. Sally went to the movies. - He and she went to the movies. He went to the
movies. She went to the movies. - If you will break the sentence apart and read it
twice, once for each word in the compound
element, you will realize the correct answer. - Dad gave Tom and Sally the gifts. Dad gave Tom
the gifts. Dad gave Sally the gifts. - Dad gave him and Sally the gifts. Dad gave him
the gifts. Dad gave Sally the gifts. - Dad gave Tom and her the gifts. Dad gave Tom the
gifts. Dad gave her the gifts. - Dad gave him and her the gifts. Dad gave him the
gifts. Dad gave her the gifts.
51Correct these sentences in your notes.Pronoun as
a Compound Element
- Betty went to the store for Susan and (I, me).
- You and (he, him) can continue reading later.
- Janet and (I, me) read the book.
- The manager gave the book to Don and (she, her).
52Lets practice some more togetherPronoun as a
Compound Element
- David told Jerry and (I, me) that block printing
began in China. - If Gerry and (she, her) had waited, the park
would have opened. - The movie surprised Darlene and (he, him).
- The movie surprised Darlene and (I, me).
53Ambiguous Pronoun Reference
- The third area of pronoun usage concerns the
ambiguous reference of pronouns. Earlier we saw
that all pronouns must have an antecedent. When
that antecedent is not clear, we have an
ambiguous reference problem. - Incorrect They say in that magazine that
scores have dropped rapidly. - Correct In that magazine, an authority states
that scores have dropped rapidly. - In the incorrect version, the pronoun they is
vaguely referring to someone, but we have no
clear picture of who it is. If the antecedent is
not clear, you cant use the pronoun.
54Correct these sentences in your notes.Ambiguous
Pronoun Reference
- The manager told her secretary that she must pay
the filing fee. - Bobby bought ice cream for John and his sister.
- It surprised me when you came home.
55Who vs. Which
- The pronoun who refers to people. Which refers to
things. Thats all there is to it. - Note animals are considered things in written
English.
56Correct these sentences in your notes.Who vs.
Which
- He sat in a chair (who, which) was painted red.
- The students (who, which) ride the bus are too
noisy. - This is the newspaper (who, which) won the award.
- We saw a dog (who, which) looked dangerous.
57Shift in person
- The last kind of problem regarding pronoun usage
is the problem of shifting person in the
sentence. - 1st person I, me, my, mine, we, us, our, ours
- 2nd person you, your, yours
- 3rd person he, him, his, she, her, hers, it,
its, they, them, their, theirs - The rule in standard written English is that you
may not shift from one person to another within
the sentence. - Incorrect I think I will be fine, but you have
to be prepared for the unexpected. - Correct I think I will be fine, but I have to be
prepared for the unexpected.
58Correct these sentences in your notes.Shift in
person
- If you intend to go to college, one should try to
do well in high school. - One should be nice to others if you expect
kindness in return. - I tried to fill the order, but one can only do so
much.
59Double negatives
- Mrs. Nichols
- English II Pre-AP
60Double Negatives
- A double negative is two negative expressions
applied to the same idea. The following terms are
negative expressions no, not, nothing, none, no
one, never, hardly, scarcely, nowhere, nobody,
neither. These terms should not be used together
to discuss the same idea. - Incorrect I dont want no help.
- Correct I dont want any help.
- Incorrect We dont have hardly any.
- Correct We have hardly any.
61Lets practice together
- He hasnt got none of the answers right.
- They dont have scarcely any food to eat.
- I dont never want to hear those words again.
- I didnt get no sleep last night.
62idioms
- Mrs. Nichols
- English II Pre-AP
63Idioms
- An idiom is an expression in which the words have
developed a special meaning in relation to each
other. This meaning is destroyed if some part of
the related group of words is omitted, or if some
word not commonly a part of the idiom is
introduced. - For instance, we are angry with a personnot
angry at him. - We comply with a request, not comply to a request.
64Idioms
- The list below illustrates the usage of
prepositions in some idiomatic expressions. These
idioms should be memorized. - agree with a person differ from something
- agree to a proposal differ with someone
- agree on a plan of action overrun by a tank
- aim at a target overrun with ants
- aim for perfection wait for a person
- part with a thing part from a person
65Idioms common mistakes/corrections
- Faulty form Correct form
- among each other among themselves
- bank on depend on, rely on, count on
- could of could have
- in back of behind
- leave us go let us go
- off of, off from off (omit of and from)
- in contrast to in contrast with
- concerned in concerned with
- in regards to in regard to
- being that since
- kind of rather
- different than different from
- filled up with filled with
66Passive voice
- Mrs. Nichols
- English II Pre-AP
67Passive/Active Voice
- In formal, standard written English, the active
voice is preferred to the passive voice. - Active voice occurs when the subject of the
sentence performs the action. - Passive voice occurs when the subject receives
the action. - Active voice Tom hit the ball.
- Passive voice Tom was hit by the ball.
68Active or Passive?Change the passive sentences
to active.
- Jeremy stood beside the road.
- Jeremy was seen beside the road.
- Mary cooked a delicious meal.
- A delicious meal was served by the waitress.
- The man was told not to utter a sound.
69Misplaced/dangling modifiers
- Mrs. Nichols
- English II Pre-AP
70Misplaced Modifiers
- Modifying phrases should be placed as near as
possible to the words they modify. Otherwise,
they sometimes distort the meaning of the
sentence and add unintended humor. - Incorrect The boy saw the red car looking out
the window. - Correct Looking out the window, the boy saw the
red car. - In the incorrect version, the phrase looking out
the window modifies car, thereby implying the car
was looking out the window instead of the boy.
The phrase must be moved near the word it truly
modifies.
71Misplaced Modifiers
- Remember that the placement of a single modifying
word changes the meaning of the sentence. - Look at the three possibilities when the word
only is placed in different positions - I only saw Janet. (I did not speak to her.)
- Only I saw Janet. (No one else saw her.)
- I saw only Janet. (I saw no one else.)
72Correct the errors in misplaced modifiers.
Underline the modifier and draw an arrow to the
word it modifies.
- John stopped and parked the car looking at the
scenery. - Lying on the desk, Jerry read the letter.
- The man saw the log swimming in the lake.
- Covered with cream gravy, the waitress served the
potatoes.
73Dangling Modifiers
- A dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that
does not clearly modify any word in the sentence.
This kind of error makes the meaning of a
sentence absurd. - Incorrect Listening closely, no sound could be
heard. - Correct Listening closely, he could hear no
sound. - In the incorrect sentence, we have no idea who
was listening. Because the phrase sits next to
the word sound, it should modify sound,
theoretically, but that is absurd. Sound cannot
listen.
74Dangling Modifiers
- Before we practice correcting these errors, lets
look at three more examples - Digging in the garden, an old rag doll was
discovered. (The sentence implies that the rag
doll was digging in the dirt.) - Solving the case, one important clue was
overlooked. (Who solved the casethe clue?) - Climbing the tree, a birds nest was found. (Did
the nest climb the tree?)
75Correct the dangling modifiers. You must add
words to make these sentences correct.
- To unlock the door, a key must be used.
- Before going outside, your overshoes must be put
on. - While talking to the officer, a dog ran between
his legs. - After eating all those pears, dinner was served.
76parallelism
- Mrs. Nichols
- English II Pre-AP
77Parallelism
- Maintaining parallel structure in sentences is
very important. Parallelism is about consistency.
If a sentence begins with one construction and
suddenly shifts to another, it is lacking in
parallel structure. - Incorrect He likes hiking, boating, and to run.
- Correct He likes hiking, boating, and running.
- Correct He likes to hike, to boat, and to run.
78Rewrite the sentences, correcting the underlined
portions so that the sentences are parallel.
- Tell me his name and where he lives.
- He is tall, red-headed, and has freckles.
- I decided to go home, to get my gear, and later I
went fishing. - We danced all night, laughed all day, and during
the morning all we did was cry.
79Sentence structure
Fragments Run-ons
- Mrs. Nichols
- English II Pre-AP
80Fragments
- A fragment is part of a sentence that does not
express a complete thought. It can be a thought
cut off from another sentence to which it
belongs, it can be a subordinate clause written
as a sentence, it can be a verbal phrase written
as a sentence, it can be an appositive phrase
written as a sentence, or it can be any number of
other things that are parts of sentences but
which do not constitute a complete thought in
themselves.
81Fragment Examples
- The mailman rang the doorbell and set something
on the porch. Probably a package. (cut off from
preceding sentence) - I opened the door and saw the package. Which had
been left by the postman. (a subordinate clause
cut off from preceding sentence) - Having been left sitting on the porch by the
postman. (a verbal phrase trying to stand alone) - I was introduced to his uncle. The man who left
the package sitting on my front porch. (an
appositive phrase separated from the preceding
sentence)
82Correct the following sentence fragments by
rewriting them as complete sentences.
- Before you get into your car to come to my house.
- Never knowing what the young man would say to the
girl about marrying her. - Being almost six feet tall and enabling him to
play basketball. - After changing the tire on the car and resuming
our trip. - The man in the gray suit smiling broadly under
that elm tree in the park.
83Run-on Sentences
- A run-on sentence is actually two separate
sentences that fail to be separated by the proper
punctuation. A run-on can be created by putting a
comma between the two sentences or by having no
punctuation at all between the two sentences. - A run-on can be corrected in several ways. A
period or a semicolon can separate the two
sentences, or one sentence can be reduced to
modifiers and incorporated into the other
sentence.
84Run-on Examples
- Incorrect I saw the man in the store he was very
handsome. - Incorrect I saw the man in the store, he was
very handsome. - Correct I saw the man in the store. He was very
handsome. - Correct I saw the man in the store he was very
handsome. - Correct I saw the very handsome man in the store.
85Rewrite the following sentences below so that the
run-on sentence is eliminated. Use each of the
three methodsnot the same way for each sentence.
- Last year I saw the Grand Canyon, this year I
will see Niagara Falls. - My dog is my best friend, he has been with me for
ten years. - The man in the store is my uncle, he will drive
us home. - John plans to mow the lawn this morning, he will
go to the movies later.
86Using Semicolons
- You must understand how to use semicolons
correctly. In the example below we use a
semicolon with a conjunctive adverb and a comma
to join two separate sentences. If a comma
precedes the conjunctive adverb instead of a
semicolon, a run-on sentence is created. - Incorrect I tried to finish the exam before the
bell, however, I couldnt do it. - Correct I tried to finish the exam before the
bell however, I couldnt do it.
87Semicolons
- Some conjunctive adverbs that commonly appear
with semicolons are however, consequently,
moreover, therefore, nevertheless, otherwise, for
example, that is, and furthermore. - Note These words must be preceded by a semicolon
and followed by a comma. - Margaret wanted to travel abroad however, she
could not afford the trip. - I intend to study consequently, you must leave
me alone.
88COORDINATION AND SUBORDINATION
- Mrs. Nichols
- English II Pre-AP
89Coordination
- Coordination has to do with joining ideas of
equal rank in sentences. Generally we use the
coordinating conjunctions and, but, or, for, nor,
and yet to join these ideas. Below are two
sentences whose ideas are equal in emphasis.
90Coordination
- Notice how we can join the two sentences with
different conjunctions and get a variety of
meanings. - I spoke to Jim. He spoke to me.
- I spoke to Jim, and he spoke to me.
- I spoke to Jim, but he did not speak to me.
- I spoke to Jim, or he spoke to me.
- I spoke to Jim therefore, he spoke to me.
91Coordination
- and indicates addition
- but indicates contrast
- or indicates choice
- therefore indicates result
- The problem we face with coordination is making
sure that the relationship between the two ideas
is accurately expressed. The solution rests on
which conjunction we use.
92Coordination
- Food is adequate in the summer, and in the winter
a good supply is not available. - The conjunction and is not the right word to use
for this sentence. We need a word that expresses
contrast. Look at the two suggestions below. - Food is adequate now, but in the winter a good
supply will not be available. - Food is adequate now however, in the winter a
good supply will not be available.
93Read the sentences below and provide a
conjunction which will provide a conjunction
which will properly join the clauses making the
relationship between the two parts absolutely
clear.
- This recording studio produces the best sound in
recordings, _____ it is a financial failure and
is losing money. - My teacher was evaluating me on neatness _____,
I put forth extra effort to avoid being messy. - James played the flute, _____ Tommy played bass
in the orchestra. - The heater had not been turned off _____, the
house was cold the next morning.
94Subordination
- If two unequal ideas are joined as though they
should have equal emphasis, we have a problem
with coordination. Here is an example - John Blair was a native of Texas, and he was the
guest speaker for the morning. - Since these two ideas are not really related and
are certainly not of equal importance, they
should not be joined with a coordinate
conjunction that suggests that they are equal.
95Subordination
- One way to correct this problem is through
subordination. That is, we take the sentence of
lesser importance and make it into a subordinate
clause. Subordinate clauses begin with a
subordinate conjunction. A few of them are after,
as, before, since, until, when, while, because,
that, in order that, so that, although, if,
unless, and even though. Relative pronouns who
whose, whom, which, and that may also begin
subordinate clauses.
96Subordination Examples
- John Blair, who was a native of Texas, was the
guest speaker for the meeting. - The problem could also be corrected by making the
clause of lesser importance into an appositive. - John Blair, a native of Texas, was the guest
speaker for the meeting.
97Correct the sentences below which have faulty
coordination by using subordinate clauses,
appositives, or modifying phrases.
- Sue cannot pay her credit card bill, and she
still charges merchandise to her account. - Mary Van was a doctor as well as a mathematician,
and she discovered a new virus. - Many teachers love to travel to Europe, and they
do it during the summer months. - Our visitor was a world renowned poet, and he had
a strong background in law.
98VERBALSGERUNDSPARTICIPLESINFINITIVES
- Mrs. Nichols
- English II Pre-AP
99Gerunds
- A gerund is a verb form ending
- in ing that is used as a noun.
100Gerunds
- A gerund is a verbal that ends in -ing and
functions as a noun. The term verbal indicates
that a gerund, like the other two kinds of
verbals, is based on a verb and therefore
expresses action or a state of being. However,
since a gerund functions as a noun, it occupies
some positions in a sentence that a noun
ordinarily would, for example subject, direct
object, subject complement, and object of
preposition.
101Gerunds
- Gerund as subject Traveling might satisfy your
desire for new experiences. (Traveling is the
gerund.) - The study abroad program might satisfy your
desire for new experiences. (The gerund has been
removed.) - Gerund as direct object They do not appreciate
my singing. (The gerund is singing.) - They do not appreciate my assistance. (The gerund
has been removed)
102Gerunds
- Gerund as subject complement My cat's favorite
activity is sleeping. (The gerund is sleeping.) - My cat's favorite food is salmon. (The gerund has
been removed.) - Gerund as object of preposition The police
arrested him for speeding. (The gerund is
speeding.) - The police arrested him for criminal activity.
(The gerund has been removed.)
103Gerund Phrase
- A gerund phrase is a group of words consisting of
a gerund and the modifier(s) and/or (pro)noun(s)
or noun phrase(s) that function as the direct
object(s), indirect object(s), or complement(s)
of the action or state expressed in the gerund,
such as - The gerund phrase functions as the subject of the
sentence - Finding a needle in a haystack would be easier
than what we're trying to do. - Finding (gerund)a needle (direct object of
action expressed in gerund)in a haystack
(prepositional phrase as adverb)
104Gerund Phrase
- The gerund phrase functions as the direct object
of the verb appreciate. - I hope that you appreciate my offering you this
opportunity. - my (possessive pronoun adjective form, modifying
the gerund)offering (gerund)you (indirect
object of action expressed in gerund)this
opportunity (direct object of action expressed in
gerund)
105Gerund Phrase
- The gerund phrase functions as the subject
complement. - Newt's favorite tactic has been lying to his
constituents. - lying to (gerund)his constituents (direct
object of action expressed in gerund) - The gerund phrase functions as the object of the
preposition for. - You might get in trouble for faking an illness
to avoid work. - faking (gerund)an illness (direct object of
action expressed in gerund)to avoid work
(infinitive phrase as adverb)
106Gerund Phrase
- The gerund phrase functions as the subject of the
sentence. - Being the boss made Jeff feel uneasy.
- Being (gerund)the boss (subject complement for
Jeff, via state of being expressed in gerund)
107Gerunds
- Points to remember
- A gerund is a verbal ending in -ing that is used
as a noun. - A gerund phrase consists of a gerund plus
modifier(s), object(s), and/or complement(s). - Gerunds and gerund phrases virtually never
require punctuation.
108Participles
- A participle is a verb form that is used as an
adjective. The participle can end in ing, -ed,
-n, or t.
109Participles
- The participle is a verb form that is used as an
adjective. The participle can end in ing, -ed,
-n, or t. - How to find it Look for an adjective that is
built from a verb, or look for a verb form that
is used as an adjective.
110Participles
- Jane tried to calm the trembling dog. (trembling
is the participle.) - He tried to open the locked door. (The participle
is locked.) - The hidden road was not obvious to the visitors.
(The participle is hidden.)
111Participial Phrases
- A participial phrase consists of a participle and
any modifiers or complements it may have. The
entire phrase functions as an adjective. - Example The man talking to the woman in the red
dress is the president of the association. - The participial phrase talking to the woman in
the red dress functions as an adjective,
modifying the noun man. If you take the phrase
out of the sentence, since it is just an
adjective, you still have the basic sentence - The man is the president of the association..
112Participial Phrases
- How to find it Look for a phrase that begins
with a word that is a verb form (it usually ends
in ing but it can also end in ed, -n, or t).
You might say that the purpose of a participial
phrase is to point out which noun were talking
about. The participial phrase will point it out.
It tells which one. The participial phrase
usually sits next to the noun it modifies.
Remember that it functions as and adjective and
can therefore be removed from the sentence and
the sentence will still make sense.
113Participial Phrase
- I have read that book lying on the table.
-
- The dog chasing his tail is mine.
- The girl singing that song is one of my students.
- Checking his notes for the last time, the student
walked toward the podium. (all introductory
participial phrases must be followed by a comma)
114Infinitives
- An infinitive is the word to followed by the
present tense of a verb. It can function as a
noun, an adjective, or an adverb.
115Infinitives
- An infinitive is the word to followed by the
present tense of a verb. - Example to run to sing to
dance - I like to run. He wanted to sing. We tried to
dance. - The infinitive can be used in many ways. It can
function as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. - Noun To sing is my dream.
- Adjective He is the man to see.
- Adverb He was quick to speak.
116Infinitive Phrases
- The infinitive phrase includes the infinitive and
any modifiers or complements it may have. - Example He wants to go to the store.
- Sam is the man to see about the job.
- He has gone to visit the famous monument.
- How to find it Look for the word to immediately
followed by a verb. Include all words that are
necessary to complete the idea established by the
infinitive. Example to sing (infinitive) to sing
a song (infinitive phrase)
117Infinitive Phrases
- I tried to see the production.
-
- Sometimes it is necessary to speak ones
thoughts. - The dress to wear to the party is the cute black
one. - To run for public office requires courage.
118AdjectivesAdverbs
- Mrs. Nichols
- English II Pre-AP
119Adjectives
- An adjective describes a noun. It tells which
one, what kind, what color, and how many. An
adjective adds descriptive information about the
noun. - Example I own a dog.
- Which one? I own that dog.
- What kind? I own that large dog.
- What color? I own that large, brown dog.
- How many? I own that one slobbering, large, brown
dog.
120Adjectives
- The adjective usually comes before the noun it
describes. - Example I saw the big, yellow cat.
- I saw the tired and exhausted man.
- However, adjectives can sometimes come
immediately after the nouns they modify. - Example I saw the man, tired and exhausted.
- Adjectives can also come at the opposite end of
the sentence. They are called predicate
nominatives (or predicate adjectives) in this
position. - Example The woman wearing that ridiculous hat
with the flower on top is very pretty. -
121Underline the adjective(s) in each of the
following sentences.
- Have you seen the red dress?
- The tired, old woman walked along the beaten
trail.
122Beginning sentences with adjectives
- Example The young man, wise and analytical,
knew how to handle the problem. - Wise and analytical, the young man knew how to
handle the problem. - The young student, aware of his mistakes, made an
effort to rewrite the paper properly. - The woman, hesitant to accept the gift, blushed
with embarrassment.
123Adverbs
- An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an
adjective, or another adverb. It answers the
questions when, where, how, and to what extent. - Most adverbs are made by simply adding ly to an
adjective. Some will have slight alterations in
spelling when the ly is added. - Adjective Adverb
- quick quickly
- beautiful beautifully
- awful awfully
- true truly
124Adverbs
- Many other adverbs do not end in ly. They still
answer the questions when, where, how, and to
what extent. - When Where How To What Extent
- tomorrow here well not
- before there so
- then nowhere very
- never everywhere too
125Underline the adverb in each of the following
sentences.
- Have you ever seen that movie?
- I have always wanted to go to France.
- We saw the dog yesterday in the park.
- The child tried to run away.
126Beginning sentences with adverbs
- Example I began to listen to him eventually.
- Eventually I began to listen to him.
- I will address that issue later.
- She danced across the floor gracefully.
127Adverbs followed by verbsRewrite the sentences
so that each sentence begins with an adverb
immediately followed by the verb.
- Example I have never known anyone so smart.
- Never have I known anyone so smart.
- We have often met with approval.
- I have never seen such dignity.