BASIC SENTENCE PATTERNS

1. S-LV-C (Subject - Linking Verb - Subjective Complement)

e.g. James is a wonderful brother.
S LV C
The doctor is generous.
S LV C
2. S-IV (Subject - Intransitive Verb)
e.g. James and Anne danced.
S IV
The doctor left already.
S IV
She leaped outside the door.
S IV
3. S-TV-DO (Subject Transitive Verb Direct Object)
e.g. James bought a new car.
S TV DO
The doctor left the building already.
S TV DO
4. S-TV-IO-DO (Subject Transitive Verb Indirect Object Direct Object)
e.g. The doctor gave me free medicine.
S TV IO
Marcus bought his father a new car.
S TV IO DO
5. S-TV-DO-OC (Subject Transitive Verb Direct Object Objective Complement)
e.g. James made his brother happy because of the car.
S TV DO OC
I consider the doctor a munificent man.
S TV DO OC
6. V-S (Verb Subject; Inverted Pattern)
e.g. Was my husband at the building?
V S
Here are the books.
V S
There is your cat.
V S

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

When speaking about agreement, consider the following points:

1. NUMBER is a shared grammatical category between the indefinite articles and nouns, and
between the demonstratives and nouns. Hence, there has to be agreement.
2. Pronouns exhibit both NUMBER and GENDER; thus both grammatical categories have to agree.
3. When the simple present tense is used, agreement between subject and verb is very important.

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 Thus one can say: He is an honest man. These lessons are new. Nobody is allowed to stay here.
But one cannot say: He is an honest men; This lessons are new; and Nobody are allowed to stay here.
These are all ungrammatical sentences.

1. The verb agrees with its subject in person and number.

a. A singular subject requires a singular verb.
E.g. A young man lives in the future.
The customer asks for a discount.

b. A plural subject requires a plural verb.

E.g. Young men live in the future.
The customers asks for a discount.

2. Compound subjects connected by and and both require a plural verb.

E.g. The walls and the ceiling are beautifully decorated.
Bob and Ted look like twins.
Both John and his sister are going to the party.

Exception: When the subjects refer to the same person, thing, or idea, the verb is singular.
E.g. The secretary and treasurer of this class is absent. (same person)
The secretary and the treasurer are absent. (two persons)
His friend and fellow author is attending a seminar. (one person)
His friend and his fellow author are attending a seminar. (two persons)

3. Phrases like together with, accompanied by, as well as, in addition to, including, etc. which
intervene between subject and verb do not affect the verb.
E.g. The bus, loaded with boxes of fruits and vegetables, was abandoned in a solitary
road.
My sister, together with her friends, arrives tonight.

4. Indefinite pronouns such as some, all, most, any, and none take singular or plural verbs depending
on the number of the object of the of-phrase that follows.
E.g. Some of the things were lost.
Most of the music is difficult to appreciate.
Most of the students do not like to study.
All of the cake was eaten by my brother.
All of her dresses do not fit her.
Has any of this evidence been presented?
Have any of my friends called me?
None of the evidence points to his guilt.
None of our students were involved.

5. Fractions are singular or plural depending upon the object of the of-phrase.
E.g. One-third of the orange is rotten.
One-third of the oranges are rotten.
One-half of tee money was stolen.
One-half of the men were laid off.

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6. A collective noun takes a singular verb when the speaker is thinking of the group as a unit; it takes
a plural verb when the speaker is thinking of the individual member of the group.
E.g. The team was ranked first in the nation. (team as a single unit)
The team were talking over some new plays. (team as its members)

7. Compound subjects joined by or, nor, eitheror, neithernor, the verb agrees with the nearest
subject.
E.g. My brother or my sister is likely to be at home.
Neither Oscar nor his friends were present at the symphonies.

8. Each, neither, either, one, no one, everyone, someone, anybody, nobody, another, and anything
are singular pronouns and they require singular verbs.
E.g. It seems that everyone wants more money.
Neither is trustworthy.

Note: Each other is used when referring to two persons or things; one another is used when
referring to more than two.
E.g. My best friend and I always help each other.
The people in the community help one another.

9. Several, few, both, and many are always plural. They are used only with plural nouns.
E.g. Several students join the rally.
Many were surprised at the final score.
Few members attend the meeting.
Both of your excuses are plausible.

10. Much and little are singular. They are only used with singular nouns.
E.g. A little kindness is what I only ask from you.
Much water was taken from the jar.

11. The verb agrees with its subject, not with its predicate noun.
E.g. Ricardos chief interest is rocks and minerals.
His hobby is reading and writing poems.

12. The verb agrees with the positive subject, not with the negative.
E.g. Susan, not her sister, is going to Manila.
I, not my friends, am buying the dresses.

13. Nouns ending in s but are singular in meaning use singular verbs.
E.g. mumps, measles, economics, mathematics, physics, ethics, news, intramurals,
civics, athletics, social studies, calisthenics, statistics, gymnastics, phonics,
acrobatics, aesthetics

Mathematics is very easy.

Physics is a very complicated subject.

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14. Plural verbs are used for nouns plural in form and meaning.
E.g. scissors, pliers, pants, trousers, spectacles, oats, goods, glasses, refreshments,
riches, ashes, clippers, thanks, shoes, shorts, tongs, socks, proceeds, slacks

My pants need to be washed.

The scissors are very sharp.

15. Words or phrases that express periods of time, weights, measurements, and amount of money
require singular verbs.
E.g. Five hours is too long to read a short story.
Three hundred pesos is not enough.
Five miles is an average distance for me to run.

16. The expression the number takes singular verb and the expression a number takes a plural verb.
E.g. The number of errors was surprising.
A number of errors were made by both teams.

17. A singular verb is used when the subject is a title of a book, play, story, novel, movie, or musical
composition and company name.
E.g. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy.
Girl on Fire was sung by Alicia Keys.
Delmonico Brothers specializes in organic produce and additive-free meats.

18. Some nouns (mass and abstract nouns) have no plural form and demand singular verbs.
E.g. bread, sugar, chalk, food, applause, milk, coffee, advice, patience, generosity,
diligence, ignorance, information, scenery, baggage, etc.

19. Every or many a before a word or series of words is followed by a singular verb.
E.g. Every man, woman, and child was asked to contribute.
Many a college student wishes to return to the easy days if the high school.

20. There are nouns that are always plural.

E.g. These goods are from Mrs. Cruz.
All the help (employees) are leaving.
Her kin (kinfolk) are far away.
The police (members of the police department) are coming.
Poultry (chickens) are hard to raise.
Her remains (dead body) are lying in state.
These trousers (pants) are expensive

21. Some nouns are rarely made plural. In ordinary conversation use these as mass nouns.
E.g. advice (some advice, much advice, a piece of advice, a bit of advice)
candy (some candy, a lot of (much) candy, etc.)
food (little food, some (much) food, a platter of food)
grass (thick grass, much grass, a blade of grass)
chalk, clothing, blood, mail, paper, homework, money, graft, ammunition, soap,
help

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 Note: When a noun above is preceded by pieces of, kinds of, types of, etc., it is followed by a
plural verb.
E.g. Various kinds of clothing are sold at that store.
Many pieces of chalk are in the box.

22. Some nouns change their meaning with a change in form. These nouns are commonly used in the
singular; they carry a special meaning when used in plural.

E.g. Advice (counsel) His advice is generally followed.

Advices (orders, news, etc.) Early advices from abroad are e-mailed daily.
Candy (genera use) Here is some candy.
Candies (different kinds) Assorted candies are in this box.
Cloth (fabric) This cloth is lovely.
Clothes (finished garment) These clothes are for eveningwear.
Fish (collectively) There is some fish for dinner.
Fishes (different kinds) There are different fishes in the aquarium.
Food (general use) There was so much food.
Foods (different kinds) Canned foods are available in sari-sari store.
Fruit (general use) The fruit contains the plants seeds.
Fruits (different kinds) The fruits were piled on the market stalls.
Hair (entire growth on head) Her hair was adorned with a gold comb.
Hairs (strands) Many gray hairs show her age.
Glass (material) Molten glass is shaped in various ways.
Glasses (spectacles, vessel) My glasses are gold-rimmed.
Grass (general use) Grass turns brown in summer.
Grasses (different specimens) Grasses include sugarcane and bamboo.
Instruction (teaching) The instruction here is excellent.
Instructions (orders) All the instructions are followed in here.
Lace (general use) More lace is on her dress than on mine.
Laces (different kinds) Different laces are woven in the factory.
Land (isolated portion of the earth) Idle land invites squatters.
Lands (different nations) Foreign lands do not interest me any longer.
Paper (material for writing) Paper has become a precious commodity.
Papers (documents) These papers are legal.
People (general use) A nomadic people has no fixed native land.
Peoples (different races) Peoples of the world do not live in peace.
Pottery (industry) Pottery is profitable.
Potteries (Wares out of clay) These are expensive potteries.
Property (possession) Their property includes a condominium.
Properties (props) Their properties in our plays are imaginary.
Sand (whole stretch of sand) The sand is warm.
Sand (individual grains) The sands of time have run low.
Wood (lumber) Wood has become an expensive material.
Woods (forest) The woods are dark and deep.
Work (product of labor) Work keeps her too busy to worry.
Works (all products) The works of Juan Luna are famous.

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23. The verb of the sentence introduced by there and here agrees with the number of the subject
which is found after the verb.
E.g. There are workers staging a rally at Rizal Avenue.
There is no problem too great that God cannot solve.
Here are the general guidelines that will help you.
Here is a question for the contestant.

24. The verb of a relative clause agrees with the antecedent of the relative pronoun. In case of a
subject introduced by only one of the, the verb of the relative clause agrees with the subject,
one.
E.g. One of the students who are summoned by the dean is my classmate.
Only one of the students who is summoned by the dean is my classmate.

25. Adjectives when used as subjects and proceeded by THE take plural verbs.
E.g. The needy are to be helped.
The noble are to be honored.

26. With nouns always singular in form but either singular or plural in meaning, the verb agrees wiith
the meaning intended.

E.g. deer, sheep, swine, salmon, trout

Fifty sheep are grazing in the meadow. (more than one sheep)
A sheep is grazing in the meadow. (one sheep)

27. Nouns that express abstract ideas are usually singular in form. They require singular verbs.
E.g. poverty, courage, education, fun, happiness, laughter, luck, wealth, merriment,
piety, pity, presence, sadness, hatred, honesty

Courage is what you need.

My presence is not necessary.

28. Two nouns generally thought of together take a singular verb.

E.g. Bread and butter is good for breakfast.
Rice and fish is also good.

29. REMEMBER: ONLY THE SUBJECT AFFECTS THE VERB!

RULES OF CAPITALIZATION

1. Used in the first word of a sentence.

e.g. Everyone loves the new book.
2. Used to indicate proper nouns.
e.g. Philippines, Marc, Sony
3. Used for days of the week and months.
e.g. Friday, December

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4. Used in the first word of a salutation.
e.g. My dearest Hikari,
Dear Jake,
5. Used in the first word of a complimentary close.
e.g. Respectfully yours,
Love,
6. Used in naming a direction.
e.g. She went to the North.
7. Used in the first word of a direct quotation.
e.g. Andrea replied, It wasnt my fault.
8. Used in the first and all the important words in a title (these words are nouns, verbs, adjectives,
adverbs, and the first word in the title).
e.g. The 50 Most Beautiful Islands of the Philippines
9. Used in titles, when they refer to a particular official or family member.
e.g. General McArthur
First Lady Nancy Reagan
10. Used with the names of commercial products.
e.g. Clyde uses Scope mouthwash, Certs mints, and Dentyne gum to drive away the taste of
the Marlboro cigarettes and White Owl cigars that he always makes.
11. Used with the names of organizations such as religious and political groups, associations,
companies, unions, and clubs.
e.g. Fred Grencher was a Lutheran for many years but converted to Catholicism when he
married. Both he and his wife, Martha, are members of the Democratic Party. Both belong
to the American Automobile Association. Martha works part time as a refrigerator
salesperson at Sears. Fred is a mail carrier and belongs to the Postal Clerks Union.
12. Used with names that show family relationships.
e.g. I got Mother to baby-sit for me so that I can accompany Uncle Carl and Aunt Lucy to the
church service.

***But do not capitalize words like mother, father, grandmother, aunt, and so on, when they are
preceded by a possessive word (my, your, his ,her, our, their).
I got my mother to baby-sit for me so that I can accompany my uncle and aunt to the
church service.

13. Used with names of specific school courses.

e.g. I got an A in both Accounting I and Small Business Management, but I got a C in Human
Behavior.

***But use small letters for general subject areas.

I enjoyed my business courses but not my psychology or language courses.

14. Used with languages.

e.g. She knows German and Spanish, but she speaks mostly American slang.
15. Used with historical periods and events.
e.g. Hector did well answering an essay question about the Second World War, but he lost
points on a question about the Great Depression.
16. Used with races, nations, and nationalities.
e.g. The research study centered on African Americans and Hispanics.

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 They have German knives and Danish glassware in the kitchen, an Indian wood carving in
the bedroom, Mexican sculptures in the study, and an Oriental rug in the living room.
17. Used in the pronoun I and the interjection O.
e.g. I am happy.
O Father, hear us.

RULES OF PUNCTUATIONS

1. THE AMPERSAND (&)

a. Used in the names of companies or in trade names.
e.g. Father & Son Furniture C&D Centerpoint Mall
b. Used in informal writing such as personal letters.
e.g. My dad & I
2. THE APOSTROPHE ()
a. Used to indicate contractions of words.
e.g. wasnt, isnt, lets
b. Used to put a less formal flavour to written pieces.
e.g. blessd for the word blessed
c. Used to abbreviate years.
e.g. Sportfest 05
d. Used to form the plural of numbers, letters, and words.
e.g. eight 9s ABCs Whys and Hows
3. THE BRACKET ([])
a. Used to add the missing letters and words in quotations.
e.g. According to Mrs. Alferez, Math may look hard but it is [relatively] easy.
b. Used to insert corrections into material quoted from a source.
e.g. The Philippines was fortunate in having among its first builders Fray Antonio
Herrera, son [or nephew?] of Spains great architect, Juan de Herrera. (Albert Faurot in
Culture Currents of World Art)
c. Used to enclose words inserted in quotations when quoting another.
e.g. According to comedian and television actor Bill Cosby, Parents are not interested
in justice [nor in free will]: they are interested in quiet.
4. THE COLON (:)
a. Used after the greeting of a business letter.
e.g. Sir: Dear Stockholders:
b. Used to introduce a list.
e.g. The following employees should see the administrator after lunch: Mr. Roque,
Mr. Pineda, Mr. del Rosario, and Mr. Carreon.
c. Used between numbers indicating hours and minutes.
e.g. 8:30 a.m. 2:45 p.m.
d. Used to introduce a quotation if the words preceding it do not have explanatory words
like he said or she said.
e.g. Kenjis reply was loud and clear: You should resign.
e. Used to start a long or formal quotation.
e.g. During the memorial at Gettysburg, the late President Abraham Lincoln said:
It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us that from
these honoured dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the

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 last full measure of devotion; and that government of the people, by the people, and
for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
f. Used between the title and subtitle of a book.
e.g. Shakespeares Women: An Analysis of Female Characters in Shakespeares Plays
g. Used between the volume and number of the volume and pages of a periodical.
e.g. Asian Times 15: 16-18 (volume and pages)
h. Used after labels that feature important ideas.
e.g. WARNING: Slippery When Wet
5. THE COMMA (,)
a. Used to separate words, phrases, or clauses in a series.
e.g. We bought peaches, cherries, pineapples, and mangoes.
The bees flew over the trees, across the river, and into the hive.
Why she left, where she went, and how she survived, make us wonder.
b. Used to separate the words Yes and No in a short response.
e.g. Yes, I do. No, I havent.
c. Used to separate introductory prepositional phrases which are long.
e.g. According to one of the victims of that incurable disease, he acquired the virus
from a prostitute at Sabang Beach.
d. Used to separate introductory participial phrases and adverbial clauses.
e.g. Singing very high, the soprano amazed the audience.
When we left, the hall was in good order.
e. Used to separate nonessential appositives.
e.g. Mr. Alcantara, the manager of the multinational company, delivered an
inspirational message to the employees.
f. Used to separate direct addresses.
e.g. Where have you been, Yuchi?
If you study, Sakura, you will improve your grades.
g. Used in quoted statement.
e.g. That woman waiting outside, said Gil, is my wife.
h. Used to separate two clauses in a compound sentences.
e.g. I read your letter, and I was touched by your sentiments.
i. Used between the day of the month and the year when writing dates.
e.g. June 6, 1976 September 21, 2014
j. Used between the name of a town or city and the name of a province, or between the
name of a province and the name of a country.
e.g. Jaro, Iloilo Manila, Philippines Seoul, South Korea
k. Used after the salutation and the complimentary close of a letter.
e.g. Dear Kei, With much love,
l. Used to separate nonessential adjective clauses.
e.g. Uncle Teddy, who usually comes early, lives quite far.
m. Used to avoid confusing ideas in a sentence.
e.g. Instead of fifty, five came.
n. Used after an ordinal number like first, second, third, and so on when these words
introduce items in a series.
e.g. A regular MSU Marawi student goes through the following enrolment
procedures: first, he obtains his registratio0n materials; second, he sees his adviser for
pre-enlistment advising; third, he goes to the enlistment rooms to sign up for his subjects;
fourth, he sees his advisers again for post-enlistment advising; fifth, he proceeds to the

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 checking and assessment counters; and sixth, he pays the indicated amount of the
specified billing area.
o. Used before sentence connectors and, but, or, and so.
e.g. Im a blond, but both my mother and father have dark hair.
p. Used to indicate a pause in writing just like in speaking.
e.g. Excuse me Sir, but I think you got it wrong!
6. THE DASH ()
a. Used to signify an abrupt break in thought.
e.g. We plan to visit Aunt Cherry shes our favourite relative in Bermuda next
week.
b. Used to separate a statement of summary from the rest of the sentence.
e.g. Trust, appreciation, recognition, forgiveness these are only a few of the things
a man expects from his partner.
7. THE ELLIPSIS ()
a. Used to denote the omission of part of a quoted statement.
e.g. All their life in this world had only been the cover and the little page: now at
last they were beginning. Chapter One of the Great Story in which every chapter is
better than the one before. C.S. Lewis
b. Used after the period of a statement to indicate the omission of sentence or sentences
after it.
e.g. For Jesus, love is a manly or womanly word. It means reverence and
reposnsibility, loyalty, and knowledge Jesus message first and foremost is that his
Father loves us. (Pennock, 1966)
c. Used to mean etc. or so forth.
e.g. The odd numbers are 1, 3,
d. Used to show uncertainty in writing dialogues.
e.g. I thinkumI like you.
8. THE EXCLAMATION MARK (!)
a. Used at the end of an exclamatory sentence and after an interjection.
e.g. There is a wild beast in front of you!
Gosh! I thought Id seen a ghost.
9. THE HYPHEN (-)
a. Used in compound numbers from twenty-one through ninety-nine.
e.g. twenty-six years old sixty-six pesos
b. Used in fractions used as modifiers.
e.g. one-half note one-third ganta of rice
c. Used for some compound nouns.
e.g. siter-in-law editor-in-chief
d. Used after a prefix that is followed by a proper noun or an adjective, or with prefixes all-
, ex-, self-, or with the suffix elect.
e.g. mid-January self-sufficient president-elect
10. THE PARENTHESES (())
a. Used to separate nonessential supplementary information or explanation from the
sentence.
e.g. A coup d etat (koodata) is a forceful, unexpected political move to overthrow a
government or seize power.
b. Used to enclose a source of information.

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 e.g. A good movie is a work of art, and the cinema deserves now to be classed among
the arts (Faurot, 1974).
c. Used to enclose numbers or letters that come before items in a series.
e.g. According to Dr. Melvin Norse, a person has had near-death experience if he (1)
has had a sense of being dead, (2) has had a sense of peace and painless, (3) has had an
out-of-body experience, (4) has had a tunnel experience, (5) has seen people of light, (6)
has seen a being of light, (7) has experienced a life review, (8) has been reluctant to
return, and (9) has experienced personality transformation upon return.
d. Used to separate certain numerical information.
e.g. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1579) is the typical Renaissance man.
11. THE PERIOD (.)
a. Used at the end of a declarative sentence. It may also be used for most imperative
sentences.
e.g. Bacolod City is the City of Smiles.
Please bring home the bacon.
b. Used after a letter or a number in an outline or list.
e.g. I. Advantages of Taking SASE Review Classes
A. Meeting new friends
B. Spending time wisely
c. Used after abbreviations, titles, and initials
e.g. Neg. Occ. Atty. L.V. Gonzales B.S. Biology
12. THE QUESTION MARK (?)
a. Used after an interrogative sentence. It may also be used for some imperative sentences.
e.g. Where are your parents?
Could you open your bags, please?
13. THE QUOTATION MARKS, Double ( )
a. Used to start direct quotations.
e.g. Marc said, I will be your escort to the dance.
b. Used to enclose chapter titles, titles of magazine articles, short stories, essays, poems,
TV or radio programs, movies, songs, or short pieces of music.
e.g. Trees is a poem by Joyce Kilmer.
All I Ask of You is a song from the Phantom of the Opera.
c. Put periods, question marks, and exclamation marks inside the quotation marks if these
punctuation marks belong to the quotation.
e.g. Shelley asked, Are you nervous?
d. Put terminal punctuation marks outside the quotation marks if they do not belong to the
quotation.
e.g. Did you just say, I love You?
14. THE QUOTATION MARKS, Single ( )
a. Used to enclose a quotation within a quotation.
e.g. Sara said, I heard him say, This is hard. before he left.
15. THE SEMICOLON (;)
a. Used to connect two independent clauses not joined by a coordinating conjunction but
which are closely related in thought.
e.g. Fritzie received a trophy; Fritz did not get any.
b. Used to connect clauses in a compound sentence that contains commas.
e.g. Kyle, the best debater in school, won the award; consequently, he was offered a
scholarship.

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 c. Used to separate items with commas.
e.g. The club officers are: Steve Cruz, president; Joanna Adriano, vice-president; Jan
Michael Gaddi, secretary; and Denise de Leon, auditor.
d. Used before conjunctive adverbs that join the clauses of a compound sentence.
e.g. We lost our tennis matches; however, we managed to win in the track events.
16. THE SLASH (/)
a. Used to replace the word per.
e.g. P80/kilo 17km/hour
b. Used to present an option.
e.g. single/ double bedroom

ERROR IDENTIFICATION

1. DOUBLE NEGATIVES
The negative adverb not or never should not be joined with another negative adverb such as
barely, hardly, rarely, scarcely, or seldom.
Incorrect: We seldom never come to work late.
Correct: We seldom come to work late

Incorrect: I cant hardly breathe with this new dress.

Correct: I can hardly breathe with this new dress.

Indefinite pronouns such as neither, nobody, and none should also not be used with other
negative words. Also, if there is a negative adverb such as no or not in the sentence, use any,
anybody, or anyone as the subject or the object in the sentence.
Incorrect: I dont want nobody to leave this room.
Correct: I dont want anybody to leave this room.

Incorrect: Neither didnt bring any pen.

Correct: Neither brought any pen.

2. REDUNDANCY
Words that have the same meaning should not be put together in a sentence. Some
redundant expressions are advance forward, ascend up, deformed in shape, descend down,
enter in, new innovation, over-exaggerated, and return back.
Incorrect: The soup was sufficiently warm enough.
Correct: The soup was warm enough.

Incorrect: He treated them in an unjust manner

Correct: He treated them unjustly.

Having two subjects in the sentence that refer to the same person or thing is also redundant.
Incorrect: The manager of the company, he left.
Correct: The manager of the company left.

3. AGREEMENT IN MUMBER, GENDER, MOOD, PERSON, AND TENSE

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 Number. Pronouns can either be singular or plural. So be consistent in number.
Incorrect: Only Ray studied since they would take the test.
Correct: Only Ray studied since he would take the test.

Incorrect: I made the cake ourselves.

Correct: I made the cake myself.

Gender. The three genders are male, female, and neuter so be sure to use the pronoun
appropriate to the gender of the noun in the sentence.

***However, if the noun given is neuter or is void of gender, there is no need to always put
the two other gender pronouns since the sentence will be awkward to read.
Awkward: Each student should carefully work on his or her research so that he or she can get a high
grade from his or her teacher.
***The universal gender, male, is used to avoid this kind of redundancy.
Appropriate: Each student should carefully work on his research so that he can get a high grade from
his teacher

Person. If the first person point of view of pronouns is used, be sure that its usage is consistent
throughout the sentence. The same goes with the second and third person points of view.
Incorrect: Those of you who are finished with the test may pass his paper to their left.
Correct: Those of you who are finished with the test may pass your paper to your left.

Incorrect: I would enlist her name if I wanted to join.

Correct: I would enlist my name if I wanted to join.

Mood. There are three different moods of verbs: the indicative, the imperative, and the
subjunctive. Be consistent in using their forms. The example below is in the indicative mood.
Therefore, the linking verb should take tense and not be in its simple form.

***The imperative mood always starts with a verb so be careful with this kind of construction.
Incorrect: Choose a car; would you pay for it?
Correct: Choose a car; pay for it.

***The mood is in the subjunctive if as if, as though, imagine, or suppose is used. Here, the
linking verb used is always were.
Incorrect: Suppose he was to ask you go with him to the party, will you come?
Correct: Suppose he were to ask you to go with him to the party, would you come?

Incorrect: She looked at him as if he was guilty.

Correct: She looked at him as if he were guilty.

Tense. Examples of modals in the present tense are can, may, and will. The past forms of
these are could, might, and would respectively. Observe the following sentences.
Olive thinks she can; Rae thought he could.
Olive says she may stay; Rae said he might stay.
Olive predicts it will rain; Rae predicted it would rain.
That contestant may win because she dances very well. (present)

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 I thought that she would win, and I was right. (past)

4. PARALLELISM
In using adjectives
Incorrect: Paulo is sure and he is efficient in his work.
Correct: Paulo is sure and efficient in his work.
In using verbals
Incorrect: I like to sing and dancing.
Correct: I like to sing and to dance.
In using possessive nouns or pronouns in comparisons
Incorrect: Bessies essay is better than Jamie.
Correct: Bessies essay is better than Jamies.

Incorrect: The rules of soccer are different from chess.

Correct: The rules of soccer are different from those of chess.
In using phrases
Incorrect: It may be under her desk or surely her bag.
Correct: It may be under her desk or inside her bag.
In using clauses
Incorrect: The more we do today, we will do less next week.
Correct: The more we do today, the less we will do next week.

5. MISPLACED OR DANGLING MODIFIERS

Modifiers should be near the words they describe. Observe the following sentence.
Brand new and blue, Dad cleaned our car.
***It does not make sense to use the modifier Brand new and blue to describe the noun
Dad. Therefore, it should be near the noun car that can logically be described as Brand new and
blue. The correct sentence should be
Brand new and blue, our car was cleaned by Dad.
Or
Dad cleaned our brand new and blue car.
Incorrect: A competitive sport, basketball players regularly practice to improve their game.
Correct: To be more competitive, basketball players regularly practice to improve their game.

Incorrect: Antoinette noted that Nicole left early in her notebook.

Correct: Antoinette noted in her notebook that Nicole left early.

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