
Transcription
Chapter 7VerbsRegular and Irregular Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122Regular Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122Irregular Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124Subject-Verb Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135“Problem” Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128Active and Passive Voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140The Twelve Verb Tenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131Simple Tenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131Perfect Tenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131Progressive Tenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131Perfect Progressive Tenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131Strong Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143MICROTHEMEEXERCISE AConsistency in Tense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139Subjunctive Mood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Chapter Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145Writing Activity in MiniatureBefore you work on this chapter, write a Microtheme on the following topic. Write smallenough to leave room for marking later. After you have studied this chapter, return to yourMicrotheme and complete Exercise B to practice what you have learned.Suggested Microtheme Topic: Write a Microtheme of 80 to 100 words about people’s driving habits that bother you. Giveat least one real-life example.EXERCISE BConnecting Your Learning Objectives with Your MicrothemeComplete this exercise after you have studied this chapter.1. Check to make sure your verbs are correct in form and consistent in tense.2. Check to make sure your subjects and verbs agree.3. Check to make sure you have used strong verbs in the appropriate voice and mood.121Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.02131 07 ch07 p121-150.indd 12111/26/09 10:57:25 AM
122Chapter 7 VerbsThis chapter covers the use of standard verbs. To some, the word standardimplies “correct.” A more precise meaning is “that which is conventionalamong educated people.” Therefore, a standard verb is the right choice in mostschool assignments, most published writing, and most important public-speakingsituations. We all change our language when we move from these formal occasions to informal ones: We don’t talk to our families in the same way we wouldspeak at a large gathering in public; we don’t write letters to friends the sameway we write a history report. Even with informal language, we would seldomchange from standard to nonstandard usage.Regular and Irregular VerbsVerbs can be divided into two categories, called regular and irregular. Regularverbs are predictable, but irregular verbs—as the term suggests—follow no definite pattern.The forms for both regular and irregular verbs vary to show time. Present-tense verbs show an action or a state of being that is occurring at thepresent time: I like your hat. He is at a hockey game right now. Present-tenseverbs can also imply a continuation from the past into the future: She drives towork every day. Past-tense verbs show an action or a state of being that occurred in the past:We walked to town yesterday. Tim was president of the club last year. Past-participle verbs are used with helping verbs such as has, have, and had:Georgina had studied hard before she took the test.REGULAR VERBSPresent TenseFirst Person:Second Person:Third Person:SingularI askyou askhe, she, it asksPluralwe askyou askthey askIf the verb ends in -y, you might have to drop the -y and add -ies for he, she, and it.First Person:Second Person:Third Person:SingularI tryyou tryhe, she, it triesPluralwe tryyou trythey tryPast TenseFor regular verbs in the past tense, add -ed to the base form.Base Form (Present)walkanswerPastwalkedansweredCopyright 2011 Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.For he, she, and it, regular verbs in the present tense add an -s or an -es to thebase word. The following chart shows the present tense of the base word ask,which is a regular verb.Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.02131 07 ch07 p121-150.indd 12211/26/09 10:57:27 AM
Regular and Irregular Verbs123If the base form already ends in -e, add just -d.Base Form (Present)smiledecidePastsmileddecidedIf the base form ends in a consonant followed by -y, drop the -y and add -ied.Base Form (Present)fryamplifyPastfriedamplifiedRegardless of how you form the past tense, regular verbs in the past tense do notchange forms. The following chart shows the past tense of the base word like,which is a regular verb.First Person:Second Person:Third Person:SingularI likedyou likedhe, she, it likedPluralwe likedyou likedthey likedPast ParticiplesThe past participle uses the helping verbs has, have, or had along with the pasttense of the verb. For regular verbs, the past-participle form of the verb is thesame as the past tense.Base FormhappenhopecryPasthappenedhopedcriedPast ParticiplehappenedhopedcriedCopyright 2011 Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.Here is a list of some common regular verbs, showing the base form, the pasttense, and the past participle. The base form can also be used with such helpingverbs as can, could, do, does, did, may, might, must, shall, should, will, and would.Base Form dcrieddecideddived dstartedsupposedwalkedwantedPast walkedwantedCopyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.02131 07 ch07 p121-150.indd 12311/26/09 10:57:27 AM
124Chapter 7 VerbsIRREGULAR VERBSIrregular verbs do not follow any definite pattern.Base Form (Present)shakemakebeginPastshookmadebeganPast ParticipleshakenmadebegunSome irregular verbs that sound similar in the present tense don’t follow thesame pattern.Base Form (Present)ringswingbringPastrangswungbroughtPast ParticiplerungswungbroughtPresent TenseFor he, she, and it, irregular verbs in the present tense add an -s or an -es to thebase word. The following chart shows the present tense of the base word break,which is an irregular verb.First Person:Second Person:Third Person:SingularI breakyou breakhe, she, it breaksPluralwe breakyou breakthey breakIf the irregular verb ends in -y, you might have to drop the -y and add -ies for he,she, and it.First Person:Second Person:Third Person:SingularI flyyou flyhe, she, it fliesPluralwe flyyou flythey flyLike past-tense regular verbs, past-tense irregular verbs do not change theirforms. The following chart shows the past tense of the irregular verb do.First Person:Second Person:Third Person:SingularI didyou didhe, she, it didPluralwe didyou didthey didFor irregular verbs in the past tense, use the following list of irregular verbs.Past ParticiplesUse the past-tense form with the helping verbs has, have, and had.Here is a list of some common irregular verbs, showing the base form (present), the past tense, and the past participle. Like regular verbs, the base formscan be used with such helping verbs as can, could, do, does, did, may, might,must, shall, should, will, and would.Copyright 2011 Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.Past TenseCopyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.02131 07 ch07 p121-150.indd 12411/26/09 10:57:27 AM
Regular and Irregular Verbs125Copyright 2011 Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.Irregular VerbsBase Form (Present)ariseawakebe eanputreadrideringseesewshineshootPastaroseawoke (awaked)was, mademeantputreadroderangsawsewedshoneshotPast Participlearisenawoken ltfoughtflungflownforgottenfrozengot ntputreadriddenrungseensewn (sewed)shoneshotCopyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.02131 07 ch07 p121-150.indd 12511/26/09 10:57:27 AM
126Chapter 7 VerbsBase Form weepwriteEXERCISE 1Pastsangsanksleptslunkspokespentspreadstolestank ustwoke (waked)weptwrotePast rustwoken (waked)weptwrittenS e l e c t i n g Ve r b sUnderline the correct verb form.1. In the twentieth century, two jilted men on opposite sides of the country(create, created) amazing structures to soothe their broken hearts.2. In 1908, Baldasare Forestiere (built, builded) a four-room underground3. Then, he (goes, went) to his native Italy and (ask, asked) his childhoodsweetheart to join him in America.4. When she refused, a sorrowful Baldasare (returns, returned) to the UnitedStates and (threw, throwed) himself into his digging.5. By the time Baldasare died in 1946, he had (digged, dug) for thirty-eight yearsand had (construct, constructed) ninety underground rooms over ten acres.6. Just after World War II, Edward Leedskalnin (began, begins) building a castlefrom enormous coral rocks in Florida City, Florida.7. He had been (jilted, jilten) in 1920 by his 16-year-old fiancée, Agnes.Copyright 2011 Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.apartment in Fresno, California.Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.02131 07 ch07 p121-150.indd 12611/26/09 10:57:27 AM
Regular and Irregular Verbs1278. Edward (hopes, hoped) that Agnes would come back to him when he(became, become) famous for his project, which he moved to Homestead,Florida.9. Edward (works, worked) on his castle for sixteen years in the dark of night,and no one (knows, knowed) how the five-foot-tall man moved twenty-five-tonblocks.10. Unfortunately, Agnes never (seen, saw) Coral Castle, and she did not(change, changed) her mind about marrying Edward.EXERCISE 2S e l e c t i n g Ve r b sUnderline the correct verb form.1. If you want to save money, professional tightwads urge you to reconsider thethings you’ve always (throwed, thrown) away.2. For instance, ties that are worn out can (become, became) tails for kites orleashes for dogs.3. You may not have (realize, realized) that you can (use, used) toothbrushes toclean shoes.4. Your golfing pals will wonder why they’ve never (thinked, thought) of usingtheir own old socks as golf club covers.Copyright 2011 Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.5. A clear, plastic yogurt lid can (become, became) a frame for a school photoif you add a magnet.6. Bridesmaid dresses can be cut up and (sew, sewn) together to createdecorative throw pillows that would dazzle Martha Stewart.7. Two old license plates can be (reborn, reborned) as a roof for a birdhouse.8. And don’t you dare toss this textbook; it can be (used, use) to wrap fish.9. Strapped to the chest, it can (stop, stopped) small-caliber bullets.10. When (dropped, dropt) from sufficient height, a single copy has been (known,knowed) to kill small rodents.Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.02131 07 ch07 p121-150.indd 12711/26/09 10:57:27 AM
128Chapter 7 Verbs“Problem” VerbsThe following pairs of verbs are especially troublesome and confusing: lie and lay,sit and set, rise and raise. One way to tell them apart is to remember which wordin each pair takes a direct object. A direct object answers the question whom orwhat in connection with a verb. The words lay, raise, and set take a direct object.He raised the window. [He raised what?]Lie, rise, and sit, however, cannot take a direct object. We cannot say, for example, “He rose the window.” In the following examples, the italicized words areobjects.EXERCISE 3PresentTenselielayMeaningto restto place eto go uproserisenraiseto lift, to bring forthraisedraisedsitto restsatsatsetto place somethingsetsetExampleI lay down to rest.We laid the bookson the table.The smoke rosequickly.She raised thequestion.He sat in thechair.They set the basketon the floor.S e l e c t i n g Ve r b sUnderline the correct verb form.1. This story is about Bill “Chick” Walker, who (lossed, lost) all he owned at the2. Chick had (laid, layed) one thousand dollars on the red 21 at the roulettetable.3. For that spin, he (done, did) an amazing thing—he (won, wins).4. But after a while, Chick (became, become) stupid, and his luck (ran, run) out.5. Before he had (ate, eaten) breakfast, he accepted free drinks from the charming Trixie, who (served, serve) cocktails.6. His judgment was soon (ruined, ruint) by the drinks, and he (put, putted) allhis money on one spin.Copyright 2011 Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.Wagon Wheel Saloon in Las Vegas.Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.02131 07 ch07 p121-150.indd 12811/26/09 10:57:28 AM
129“Problem” Verbs7. That wager (cost, costed) Chick everything, and he couldn’t (raise, rise) anymore money.8. Moreover, Trixie would not (sit, set) with him because she (like, liked) onlywinners.9. Chick drained his glass, (rose, raised) from his red-tufted vinyl barstool, and(head, headed) for the parking lot.10. There he (known, knew) Bonnie Lou would be waiting for him because she(lust, lusted) for losers.EXERCISE 4S e l e c t i n g Ve r b sUnderline the correct verb form.1. According to legend, a vampire (lays, lies) in his coffin during the daylighthours.2. Like a teenager, he (sets, sits) his own schedule: He sleeps all day and staysout all night.3. He cannot (rise, raise) until after the sun sets.4. Then the bloodsucker can (rise, raise) the coffin’s lid and (set, sit) up.5. He (rises, raises) from his bed hungry.Copyright 2011 Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.6. But don’t bother (setting, sitting) a place for him at the dinner table.7. He goes out hunting for victims who have unwisely (lain, laid) down their crucifixes, wooden stakes, and garlic necklaces.8. He pounces quickly so that the victim has no time to (rise, raise) an alarm.9. If he (lies, lays) his hands upon you, you’re a goner.10. But when the sun begins to (rise, raise) in the sky, this monster must hurryback to bed to (lie, lay) his head down.Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.02131 07 ch07 p121-150.indd 12911/26/09 10:57:28 AM
130Chapter 7 VerbsEXERCISE 5U s i n g Ve r b s i n S e n t e n c e sUse each of these words in a sentence of ten words or more.1. lie, lay (rest), lain, laid2. sit, sat, set4. do, does (or don’t, doesn’t)Copyright 2011 Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.3. is, was, wereCopyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.02131 07 ch07 p121-150.indd 13011/26/09 10:57:28 AM
The Twelve Verb Tenses131The Twelve Verb TensesSome languages, such as Chinese and Navajo, have no verb tenses to indicatetime. English has a fairly complicated system of tenses, but most verbs pattern inwhat are known as the simple tenses: past, present, and future. Altogether thereare twelve tenses in English. The four sections that follow illustrate those tensesin sentences. The charts place each verb on a timeline. The charts also explainwhat the different tenses mean and how to form them.SIMPLE TENSESPresent:Past:I, we, you, they drive.He, she, it drives.I, we, you, he, she, it, they drove.Future: I, we, you, he, she, it, they will drive.PERFECT TENSESPresent Perfect: I, we, you, they have driven.He, she, it has driven.Past Perfect:Future Perfect:I, we, you, he, she, it, they had driven.I, we, you, he, she, it, they will have driven.PROGRESSIVE TENSESPresent Progressive:Past Progressive:Copyright 2011 Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.Future Progressive:I am driving.He, she, it is driving.We, you, they are driving.I, he, she, it was driving.We, you, they were driving.I, we, you, he, she, it, they will be driving.PERFECT PROGRESSIVE TENSESPresent Perfect Progressive:I, we, you, they have been driving.He, she, it has been driving.Past Perfect Progressive:I, we, you, he, she, it, they had been driving.Future Perfect Progressive:I, we, you, he, she, it, they will have beendriving.Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.02131 07 ch07 p121-150.indd 13111/26/09 10:57:28 AM
132Chapter 7 VerbsSimple TensesTime LineTenseTimePresentI drive to work.She drives to work.xxxpastfutureVerb FormPresent, may imply acontinuation from pastto nt preceded bywill:will driveNowPastI drove to work.xNowFutureI will drive to work.xNowTime LineTensePresent PerfectI have drivento work.pastxxxfutureTimeVerb FormCompleted recently inthe past, may continueto the presentPast participle precededby have or has:have drivenPrior to a specific timein the pastPast participle precededby had:had drivenAt a time prior to aspecific time in thefuturePast participle precededby will have:will have drivenNowPast PerfectI had driven towork beforeI movedto the city.[event]Future PerfectI will have driven towork thousandsof times byDecember 31. [event]Eventx oNowEventx oNowCopyright 2011 Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.Perfect TensesCopyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.02131 07 ch07 p121-150.indd 13211/26/09 10:57:28 AM
The Twelve Verb Tenses133Progressive TensesTime LineTensePresent ProgressiveI am drivingto work.pastPast ProgressiveI was drivingto work.xxxNowTimeIn progress nowProgressive (-ingending) preceded by is,am, or are:am drivingIn progress in the pastProgressive (-ingending) preceded bywas or were:was drivingIn progress in thefutureProgressive (-ingending) preceded bywill be:will be drivingfuturexxxNowFuture ProgressiveI will be drivingto work.Verb FormxxxNowPerfect Progressive TensesTime LineTenseCopyright 2011 Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.Present PerfectProgressiveI have been drivingto work.Past PerfectProgressiveI had been drivingwhen I began ridesharing. [event]Future PerfectProgressiveBy May 1 [event],I will have beendriving to work forsix years.pastxxxNowTimeIn progress upto nowProgressive (-ingending) preceded byhave been or has been:have been drivingIn progress beforeanother event in thepastProgressive (-ingending) preceded byhad been:had been drivingIn progress beforeanother event in thefutureProgressive (-ingending) preceded bywill have been:will have beendrivingfutureEventxxx oNowEventxxx oNowVerb FormCopyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.02131 07 ch07 p121-150.indd 13311/26/09 10:57:28 AM
134Chapter 7 VerbsEXERCISE 6C h o o s i n g Ve r b Te n s eUnderline the correct verb form.1. In the eighteenth century, Benjamin Franklin (is saying, said) that compoundinterest was the “eighth wonder of the world.”2. Today, taking advantage of compound interest (is, was) still one way to grow afortune.3. I wish I (had, had been) started investing years ago.4. If I (will have, could have) saved 2,000 per year from age 21 on, I (wouldhave, would have had) over a million dollars now.5. I (have, had) never realized this until I did the math.6. So I (have decided, could have been deciding) to begin investing money everymonth from now on.7. Yesterday, I (determined, have determined) an amount I should save each week.8. I hope that you (will have considered, are considering) doing the same thing.9. By the time we’re ready to retire, we (were, may be) millionaires.10. Someday we (will worry, worried) about how to pay the bills.EXERCISE 7C h o o s i n g Ve r b Te n s eUnderline the correct verb form.1. We (study, are studying) William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet.2. The teenagers Romeo and Juliet (met, had met) at a party.4. Unfortunately, though, their families (feud, were feuding), so Romeo and Juliet(hid, had hidden) their affection for one another.5. They secretly (married, had married) and (planned, had planned) to run awaytogether.6. But long before Juliet met Romeo, Juliet’s father (decided, had decided) thatshe would marry a man named Paris.7. The night before her wedding, Juliet (took, had taken) a potion that made herappear dead.8. This tale (has, has had) a tragic ending because before Romeo found Juliet in hertomb, he (was not informed, had not been informed) that she wasn’t really dead.9. So he (committed, had committed) suicide, and Juliet (stabbed, had stabbed)herself when she awoke to find his body.10. If I review this exercise, I (have, will have) a hanky ready to dry my tears.Copyright 2011 Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.3. By the time the party was over, they (fell, had fallen) in love.Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.02131 07 ch07 p121-150.indd 13411/26/09 10:57:28 AM
Subject-Verb Agreement135Subject-Verb AgreementThis section is concerned with number agreement between subjects and verbs.The basic principle of subject-verb agreement is that if the subject is singular,the verb should be singular, and if the subject is plural, the verb should be plural.In the examples under the following ten major guidelines, the simple subjects andverbs are italicized.1. Do not let words that come between the subject and verb affect agreement. Modifying phrases and clauses frequently come between the subject and verb:The various types of drama were not discussed.Angela, who is hitting third, is the best player.The price of those shoes is too high. Certain prepositions can cause trouble. The following words are prepositions, not conjunctions: along with, as well as, besides, in addition to,including, together with. The words that function as objects of prepositionscannot also be subjects of the sentence.The coach, along with the players, protests the decision. When a negative phrase follows a positive subject, the verb agrees with thepositive subject.Phillip, not the other boys, was the culprit.2. Do not let inversions (verb before subject, not the normal order) affect theagreement of subject and verb. Verbs and other words may come before the subject. Do not let them affectthe agreement. To understand subject-verb relationships, recast the sentence in normal word order.Are Jabir and his sister at home? [question form]Copyright 2011 Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.Jabir and his sister are at home. [normal order] A sentence filler is a word that is grammatically independent of other wordsin the sentence. The most common fillers are there and here. Even thougha sentence filler precedes the verb, it should not be treated as the subject.There are many reasons for his poor work. [The verb are agrees with thesubject reasons.]3. A singular verb agrees with a singular indefinite pronoun. (See page 163.) Most indefinite pronouns are singular.Each of the women is ready at this time.Neither of the women is ready at this time.One of the children is not paying attention.Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.02131 07 ch07 p121-150.indd 13511/26/09 10:57:29 AM
136Chapter 7 Verbs Certain indefinite pronouns do not clearly express either a singular or pluralnumber. Agreement, therefore, depends on the meaning of the sentence.These pronouns are all, any, none, and some.All of the melon was good.All of the melons were good.None of the pie is acceptable.None of the pies are acceptable.4. Two or more subjects joined by and usually take a plural verb.The captain and the sailors were happy to be ashore.The trees and shrubs need more care. If the parts of a compound subject mean one and the same person
REGULAR VERBS Present Tense For he, she, and it, regular verbs in the present tense add an -s or an -es to the base word. The following chart shows the present tense of the base word ask, which is a regular verb. Singular Plural First Person:we ask I ask S