Unit 3: Grammar and Usage

Lessons 36 - 41 Unit 3: Grammar and Usage

Use may to ask for permission. • EXAMPLE: May I go with you? • Use can to express the ability to do something. • EXAMPLE: Jacques can swim well. • Teach means “to give instruction” • EXAMPLE: I’ll teach you how to shoot free throws. • Learn means “to acquire knowledge” • EXAMPLE: When did you learn to speak Vietnamese? Using May/Can and Teach/Learn

Sit means “to take a resting position.”Its principal parts are sit, sitting, and sat. • EXAMPLES: Please sit here. He sat beside her. • Set means “to place.” Its principal parts are set, setting, and set. • EXAMPLES: Will you please set this dish on the table? He set the table for dinner last night. Using sit/set and lay/lie

Lie means “to recline” or “to occupy a certain space.” Its principal parts are lie, lying, lay and lain. • EXAMPLES: • Why don’t you lie down for a while? • He has lain in the hammock all afternoon. • Lay means “to place.” Its principal parts are lay, laying, and laid. • EXAMPLES: • The men are laying new carpeting in the house. • Who laid the wet towel on the counter?

Complete each sentence. Underline the correct verb in brackets. • (Lay, Lie) the papers _______________________. • Oscar has (laid, lain) on the couch____________. • (Sit, Set) the basket _______________________. • Amanda (laid, lain) the shovel _______________. • We (sit, set) near __________________________. EXERCISE

A singular subject requires a singular verb. • EXAMPLE: Kristen spread the feast on the table. • A plural subject requires a plural verb. • EXAMPLE: Her grandmother and her father were born in Italy. • Collective nouns usually require a singular verb. • EXAMPLE: My family speaks two languages . • When a phrase containing a plural noun separates a singular subject and a verb, the verb is singular. • EXAMPLE: An understanding of air currents helps meteorologists predict weather. Subject-Verb Agreement

Write sentences using the subjects and verbs provided. Be sure that the subject and the verb agree. • (women) (invent) • (food) (remain) • (team) (work) • (family) (celebrate) Exercise

Use is with a singular subject. • EXAMPLE: Tasha is the winner. • Use are with a plural subject. • EXAMPLE: The boys are walking home. • Always use are with the pronoun you. • EXAMPLE: You are absolutely right! Using is/are and was/were

Complete each sentence. Underline the correct verb in brackets. • Carola asked if you (is, are)__________________. • The shipment of books (is, are) ______________. • Those tomatoes from southern Ontario (was, were)____________________________________. • Everyone from that town (is, are) _____________. exercise

Voice refers to the relation of a subject to the action expressed by the verb. • In the active voice, the subject does the action. • EXAMPLE: Robin made the dress last year. • In the passive voice, the subject is acted upon. • EXAMPLE: The dress was made last year. • Try to avoid overusing the passive voice in writing. Active and passive voice

Underline each verb. Then write active or passive on the line. __________ 1. Under my father’s direction, I was taught to be a bricklayer. __________ 2. As a child, I happily played with frogs and snakes. __________ 3. The songs were written by David Foster. __________ 4. Andrew flopped into the chair. __________ 5. They passed directly overhead, not half a metre from us. Exercise

A pronoun takes the place of one or more nouns or a group of words in a sentence. Like nouns, pronouns can be used to refer to a person, place, or thing. • EXAMPLE: The conductor described the songs we would play. She wanted us to memorize them. (She and them are pronouns. They refer to conductor and songs we would play, which are called antecedents. • Some common pronouns include I, it, its, me, he, she, we, them, himself, herself, this, that, those, any, some, everyone, who, and what. Pronouns and Antecedents

Confusion can occur when it is unclear to which antecedent the pronoun refers. • EXAMPLES: • Vague: The basketball player asked for a meeting in the general manager’s office to discuss his new contract. The general manager said she couldn’t do that. (That is a pronoun. Is the general manager declining the meeting or the discussion?) • Revised: The basketball player asked if he could meet with the general manager in her office. The general manager said she couldn’t do that. (The antecedent for that is now clear.)

The pronoun antecedents are unclear in the following sentences. Underline the pronouns in each, then rewrite the sentences so the antecedent is clear. Dan is teaching, working on his thesis, and writing. He has no idea when he will be finished this. I really like reading mystery novels, but I like reading non-fiction books too. I enjoy reading them all the time. I completed the essay, which pleased my teacher. If the dog leaves any food in his bowl, throw it out. Exercise

Unit 3: Grammar and Usage