Sentence Fundamentals.ietou4oug24l/bg.pptx

FOR EDUCation

1. Sentence Fundamentals SVA

2. Subject Identification What is the subject? The subject is the person, thing, or idea doing the action or being described in a sentence. It is usually a noun (name of a person/place/thing) or pronoun (he, she, it, they, etc.…). It answers the question: " Who or what is this sentence about?" Examples: The cat sleeps on the sofa. (Subject: The cat ) He runs every morning. (Subject: He) Water is essential for life. (Subject: Water )

3. Verb Identification What is the verb? The verb tells us what action is happening or the state of being. It can be a single word : run, sleep, is, seem Or a verb phrase (helping/auxiliary verb + main verb): is running, has eaten, will go Examples: The baby cries at night. (Verb: cries ) They are watching a movie. (Verb phrase: are watching ) My friends have arrived . (Verb phrase: have arrived )

4. ✍️ Writing Strategy : Subject-Verb Agreement “The verb must match the subject, not the distractions in between.”

5. Core Rule Singular subject → singular verb. Plural subject → plural verb. Example: The dog runs fast. ✅ The dogs run fast. ✅ Tip : Ignore words in between subject & verb (prepositional phrases, extra clauses).

6. Tricky Cases & Strategies Prepositional Phrases The bouquet of flowers is beautiful. Subjects Joined by ‘and’ Tom and Jerry are friends. ✅ Either/Neither, Each, Everyone, Nobody → singular Neither of the answers is correct. Collective Nouns → usually singular The team is winning. Inverted Sentences On the table are three books. Test-Taking Trick: Always identify the real subject first . Cross out distractors between subject & verb.

7. Example 1: Inverted + Prepositional Phrase “On top of the tallest shelf in the library (is / are) several rare manuscripts that date back to the 16th century.” ✅ Answer: are Step-by-Step: Subject = “manuscripts” (plural) Verb comes first → inversion Correct answer = are Why wrong: “is” → matches “shelf,” which is not the subject.

8. Example 2: Either/Neither + Compound Subject “Neither the head of the department nor the graduate students (has / have) noticed the missing files.” ✅ Answer: have Step-by-Step: Closest subject = “graduate students” (plural) Correct verb = have Why wrong: “has” → would match “head” (singular), ignoring closest subject.

9. Example 5: Either/Or + Inversion “Either the manager or the team of analysts (is / are) responsible for preparing the quarterly report.” ✅ Answer: is Step-by-Step: Closest subject = “team” (collective, singular) Correct verb = is Why wrong: “are” → would match “analysts,” inside the team → distraction.

10. Example 3: Collective Noun + Intervening Clause “The jury, despite being divided on several points, (is / are) expected to deliver a unanimous verdict by tonight.” ✅ Answer: is Step-by-Step: Subject = “jury” (collective noun) Intervening clause does not affect agreement Correct = is Why wrong: “are” → assumes individual action, but jury acts as a unit.

11. Example 4: Complex Prepositional Phrase “The set of antique chairs, along with the table and the cabinets in the hallway, (was / were) moved to the new exhibition hall.” ✅ Answer: was Step-by-Step: Subject = “set” (singular) Everything after commas = extra info Correct = was Why wrong: “were” → assumes plural subject incorrectly.

12. Special Cases 🔸 Each/Every = Always Singular Every student is here. Each book belongs to the library. 🔸 Either/Neither = Singular when alone Either of the answers is correct. Neither of them knows the answer.

13. Practice Q1: On the top shelf, along with several textbooks and notebooks, (lies / lie) a rare manuscript. Q2: Neither the teacher nor the students (was / were) aware of the schedule change. Q3: The board of directors, together with the advisory committee, (approves / approve) the new policy. Q4: Either the CEO or the team of managers (is / are) in charge of the budget report. Q5: The collection of ancient coins, along with its display cases, (has / have) been insured.

14. Sentence vs. Fragment A sentence must have: A subject A verb A complete thought If anything is missing, it's a fragment . Examples: ✅ She smiled. (Complete sentence) ❌ When she smiled. (Fragment – incomplete idea) More Examples: ✅ The children are playing outside. ❌ Because he didn’t come. (What happened? Unfinished idea)

15. Common Pitfalls 🔸 Subjects with Modifiers Extra words can make it harder to find the subject. Focus on the main noun . The tray of cookies was delicious. (Subject: tray , Verb: was ) 🔸 Compound Subjects Two or more subjects joined by "and" take a plural verb . John and his brother are coming. (Plural Subject → Verb: are ) A pen and a notebook are on the table. 🔸 Collective Nouns (like team , group , family ) Often treated as singular in American English.

16. Practice Sentences vs. Fragments Identify whether the following are Sentences (S) or Fragments (F): After the meeting ended. The students working on their projects. My dog barked at the delivery man. The shop near the school is always crowded. A car with tinted windows.