Subject-Verb Agreement

Such easy explanation right? Think you understand? Try answering these questions :)

Choose the correct verb in the brackets.

• Neither they nor we (is, are) sleeping.
•  (Is, Are) your father in the house?
•  Do you realize how much I (was, were) asked to pay for the dress?
• He (do, does) not know that he is sick.
• The traffic in the evening (is, are) always heavy.
•  Me and my brothers (is, are) happy with the presents.
• All of our friends (were, was) at the party.
• The puzzle (was, were) too difficult for us to solve.

For each of the following questions, choose the best answer.

1.       The goats as well as the cows _______________ in the field.

a. are                                                     c. was

b. have                                                 d. is

2.       The scenery on the summit _________________ just fantastic.

a. is                                                        c. were

b. are                                                    d. am

3.       RM50 a month ________________ certainly sufficient for you.

a. is                                                        c. has

b. are                                                    d. were

4.       Nobody ______________ willing to help the poor victim.

a. is                                                        c. are

b. has                                                    d. were

5.       ________________ you sure Leena will agree?

a. Is                                                        c. Are

b. Has                                                    d. Was

6.       Both the children __________________ well-behaved.

a. is                                                        c. are

b. was                                                   d. does

7.       I am sure everyone __________________ doing their homework.

a. is                                                        c. are

b. have                                                 d. were

Pretest on Grammar

There are so many components in grammar, that we are only find one or two difficult to understand. But how do you determine it? Here is a pretest taken from the book, "How To Avoid Common Errors in English" written by Anne Batko that you can take, to know which part in the world of grammar you need tweaking! It maybe a bit difficult but the answers and parts of speech are provided in the comment section so you can know where you went wrong. Oh by the way, this test is not limited to anyone at all; everyone can have a go at it. Good luck! :)

Choose the correct answer.

1. Doris foolishly spent four hours (laying, lying) by the pool and now looks like a radish. 
2. Each of those revolting insects (belong, belongs) to an endangered species.
3. The insects are no longer (lying, laying) on the table because every one of them (have fallen, has fallen) onto the carpet. 
4. Pauline and a man with a large dog (live, lives) in the apartment above mine.
5. My wife and (I, me, myself) have tickets to the submarine race tonight.
6. Harry was begging for disaster when he (set, sat) his new TV on a rickety table, (lay, laid) a glass of milk on the TV, and left the cat alone in the room. 
7. I wish I (was, were) skydiving in the Andes alone with you.
8. It's (he, him) who left the laundry out in the rain.
9. We surprised Rudolph and (she, her) with a gala anniversary bash.
10. My grandfather left most of his money to a home for dentists; the rest went directly to my daughter and (I, me, myself).
11. I gave your car keys to the woman (who, whom) you recently sued. 
12. I'll give your car keys to (whoever, whomever) asks for them.
13. The knife, (that, which) he had almost left back at the camp, turned out to be critical when Jim was faced with jungle growth (which, that) was too dense to get through on his own.
14. Only Rhonda and the man in the black hat (is, are) doing the tango.
15. Either Phyllis or Leticia (is, are) staying up all night to finish the project.
16. Either Phyllis or the guys in the billing department (is, are) going on an emergency coffee run.
17. I want that pie so (bad, badly) that I can almost taste it.
18. She spent the next six months looking for someone as (different than, different from) Reginald as possible.
19. Wanda correctly (inferred, implied) from Steve's frantic signals that he meant to (imply, infer) that she should get off the train tracks.
20. The motion of the ship had little (affect, effect) on her, but the sudden appearance of her ex-husband on deck (affected, effected) her dramatically.
21. Her story (composes, comprises) many bizarre episodes, each (composed of, comprises of) moments sadder than the last. 
22. To win my love you must meet one simple (criteria, criterion); absolute perfection.
23. We stared (incredibly, incredulously) at the (incredible, incredulous) spectacle of Lulu dancing on the table.
24. I'm going to sell the house and become a cowpoke (irregardless, regardless) of what you say.
25. Angela kept a (respectful, respective) distance from the bears and the wolves, (that, which) eventually retreated to their (respectful, respective) dens. 

The Infamous "Apostrophe"

Why do I say "infamous"? It's because up until today, people still get it wrong when it is actually very simple. Here's an easy-to-understand guide on the usage of apostrophe.

Taken from here.

Easy isn't it? Some people think apostrophe does not matter, but it actually does very much. Here's an example if you don't practice proper placing of the apostrophe,

Haha!

Grammar-what?

Yes, you read it right. This is Grammar-rama everyone, where learning grammar does not have to be dull but is fabulous and cool instead! I will try my best to guide you through numerous grammar components without it having to feel like a chore. Do stay tuned and explore the interesting entries to come!

From, 

Your Grammar Guru. :)