Grammar Rules: Collective Nouns and Subject-Verb Agreement

Collective Nouns

• Collective nouns (e.g., team, family, group) can be either singular or plural, depending on the context.
• If the collective noun is acting as a single unit, use a singular verb.
• If the collective noun is acting as individual members, use a plural verb.
• Examples:
  • The team is playing well. (singular)
  • The team are arguing among themselves. (plural)

Singular Vs Plural Subjects

• Singular subjects require singular verbs.
• Plural subjects require plural verbs.
• Be careful with nouns that can be both singular and plural (e.g., deer, series).
• Examples:
  • The cat sleeps on the bed. (singular subject and verb)
  • The dogs are playing outside. (plural subject and verb)

Verb Tense Consistency

• Maintain consistent verb tense throughout a sentence or paragraph.
• Avoid switching between past, present, and future tenses unnecessarily.
• Use verb tense to convey time relationships between clauses.
• Examples:
  • I went to the store, and I bought some milk. (consistent past tense)
  • I will go to the store, and I will buy some milk. (consistent future tense)

Subject-verb Distance

• Keep the subject and verb close together to maintain clarity.
• Avoid separating the subject and verb with long phrases or clauses.
• Use sentence restructuring to improve subject-verb proximity.
• Examples:
  • The teacher, who was very patient, helped the student. (improved proximity)
  • The teacher helped the student, who was struggling. (better sentence structure)

Collective Nouns

• Collective nouns can be either singular or plural, depending on the context in which they are used.
• Use a singular verb if the collective noun is acting as a single unit.
• Use a plural verb if the collective noun is acting as individual members.

Singular and Plural Subjects

• Singular subjects require singular verbs.
• Plural subjects require plural verbs.
• Be careful with nouns that can be both singular and plural (e.g., deer, series).

Verb Tense Consistency

• Maintain consistent verb tense throughout a sentence or paragraph.
• Avoid switching between past, present, and future tenses unnecessarily.
• Use verb tense to convey time relationships between clauses.

Subject-Verb Distance

• Keep the subject and verb close together to maintain clarity.
• Avoid separating the subject and verb with long phrases or clauses.
• Use sentence restructuring to improve subject-verb proximity.

Passive Voice

• Formation involves using the verb "to be" in the correct tense + past participle of the main verb
• Focuses on the action's receiver rather than the doer
• Examples:
  • Active: The dog bites the man. → Passive: The man was bitten by the dog.
• Uses:
  • Emphasize the action's receiver
  • Hide the doer's identity
  • Create a more formal tone

Subordinate Clauses

• Definition: A clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence
• Begins with a subordinating conjunction (e.g., because, although, if)
• Types:
  • Adverbial clauses: modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs
  • Adjective clauses: modify nouns or pronouns
  • Noun clauses: function as nouns
• Examples:
  • Adverbial: I went to the store because I needed milk.
  • Adjective: The book, which is on the table, is mine.
  • Noun: What she said was unbelievable.

Gerunds and Participles

• Gerunds:
  • Verbal nouns ending in -ing
  • Function as subjects, complements, or objects
  • Examples:
    • Singing is my favorite hobby.
    • I love watching movies.
• Participles:
  • Verbal forms ending in -ing or -ed
  • Function as adjectives or verbs
  • Examples:
    • The running water was soothing.
    • The child was crying loudly.

Modal Verbs

• Definition: Express degrees of necessity, obligation, or possibility
• Types:
  • Ability: can, could
  • Permission: may, might
  • Obligation: must, should
  • Probability: will, would
• Examples:
  • Ability: She can speak three languages.
  • Permission: You may leave the table.
  • Obligation: You must try this cake.
  • Probability: It will rain tomorrow.

Commas with Coordinating Conjunctions

• Rule: Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet) when connecting two independent clauses
• Examples:
  • I went to the store, and I bought milk.
  • She studied for the exam, but she still didn't pass.

Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

• Misplaced Modifiers:
  • Words or phrases placed too far from the word they modify
  • Examples:
    • Having studied all night, the exam was easy. (Incorrect)
    • Having studied all night, I found the exam easy. (Correct)
• Dangling Modifiers:
  • Words or phrases that do not clearly modify any word in the sentence
  • Examples:
    • After walking for hours, the park bench looked inviting. (Incorrect)
    • After walking for hours, I found the park bench inviting. (Correct)

Parallel Structure

• Definition: Similar grammatical structure for parallel ideas or items in a list
• Examples:
  • Correct: I love reading books, writing stories, and attending concerts.
  • Incorrect: I love reading books, to write stories, and attending concerts.
• Rule: Use the same grammatical structure for each item in a list or parallel ideas.