SUBJECT-VERB
AGREEMENT & PUNCTUATION
AGREEMENT & PUNCTUATION
Obsidian is a kind of volcanic glass formed when lava cools so quickly that the atoms inside it cannot arrange themselves in a crystalline structure. You ______ more about obsidianʼs structure, which is classified as amorphous, in a later chapter.
A. had learned
B. had been learning
C. will learn
D. have learned
What is: C. will learn?
When do we use these tenses:
Past perfect, present perfect, future perfect?
What is:
Past perfect: referring to an event that occurred before another event, but both events happened in the past
Present perfect: referring to an unspecified time before now
Future perfect: referring to event that will be completed in the future
Give me an example of a plural, 2nd person pronoun.
What is: you?
Fix the modifier:
The experiment was a failure, not having studied the lab manual carefully.
What is: "They failed the experiment, not having studied the lab manual carefully?"
What is a gerund, and what does it do? Give me an example.
Classical composer Florence Priceʼs 1927 move to Chicago marked a turning point in her career. It was there that Price premiered her First Symphony—a piece that was praised for blending traditional Romantic motifs with aspects of Black folk music—and ______ supportive relationships with other Black artists.
A. developing
B. developed
C. to develop
D. having developed
What is: B. developed?
What tense is the sentence in, and what can be done to change the tense error?
"I had traveled by train yesterday."
What is: past perfect → should be in simple past, so should be changed to just “traveled”?
Is the sentence grammatically sound? If it is not, fix the error:
We are frustrated with his complaining all the time.
What is: Correct?
Far from being modern inventions, ______ more than 5,000 years ago.
A. Sumerians in ancient Mesopotamia used drinking straws
B. drinking straws were used by Sumerians in ancient Mesopotamia
C. the use of drinking straws by Sumerians in ancient Mesopotamia happened
D. ancient Mesopotamia was home to Sumerians who used drinking straws.
What is: B.?
Is this sentence grammatically sound? If it is not, correct the error:
Neither gymnastics nor swimming are required to pass physical education.
What is: "Neither gymnastics nor swimming is required to pass physical education?"
Early jazz music, like much of Western music up to that time, generally used chord tones to create melodies. Bebop jazz, in contrast, relied heavily on chromatic orientation and borrowed notes from altered ______ new harmonic opportunities for musicians.
A. scales. Opening up
B. scales; opening up
C. scales, opening up
D. scales, and opening up
What is: C. scales, opening up?
Is the sentence grammatically sound? If it is not, fix the error:
If you were so concerned about Lauren’s decision to get a tattoo of a jack-o-lantern on her neck, then maybe you should have said something before she did so.
What is: did → had done so?
Is the sentence grammatically sound? If it is not, fix the error:
Since we were provided with a pamphlet about the mating habits of apes, it was easy for she and I to spot indications of romance at the gorilla exhibit.
What is: "she and I → her and me?"
Fix the modifier mistake:
My English professor is a unique-looking man with crazy white hair, standing about 6 feet 6 inches tall.
What is: My English professor, who stands about 6 feet 6 inches tall, is a unique-looking man with crazy white hair?
Fix the error:
Unlike John, Michelle’s writings have more voice and less grammatical errors.
What is: "Unlike those of John, James’s writings have more voice and fewer grammatical errors?"
Mauritius, a small island in the Indian Ocean, has a complicated history influenced by several ______ was first colonized by the Portuguese in 1511, followed by the Dutch, the French, and the British.
A. powers, it
B. powers and it
C. powers; and it
D. powers — it
What is: D. powers — it?
Is the sentence grammatically sound? If it is not, fix the error:
By the time negotiations began, many pessimists have expressed doubt about them.
What is: "have expressed → had expressed?"
Hummingbirds are so remarkable as to be almost beyond belief. Weighing about one-tenth of an ounce, much smaller than most other birds, ______ flap their wings over 50 times every second, and their hearts beat around 1,000 times every minute.
A. they
B. their
C. these birds
D. hummingbirds
What is: D. hummingbirds?
Graphic designers have long played an important role in popular culture, crafting the formats, styles, images, and symbols that shape how consumers perceive products and services. However, with the drastic reduction in newspaper and magazine publishing in the last decade, the number of job openings in commercial design has shrunk. Trying to expand their possibilities, ______ continues to be a growing field for tech-minded artists.
A. much graphic design knowledge also now applies to website and web application design, which
B. many graphic designers’ knowledge also now applies to website and web application design, which
C. website and web application design allows many graphic designers to apply their knowledge, which
D. many graphic designers are also now applying their knowledge to website and web application design, which
What is: D.?
The films of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa enjoy a lofty reputation in the West, but many critics and moviegoers in his home country view his films as neither original nor particularly Japanese. His use of Western ideals and themes — even reinterpreting Western authors such as William Shakespeare and Fyodor Dostoyevsky — leads Japanese cinema lovers, many of ______ see Kurosawa see Kurosawa’s use of Japanese culture as mere “window dressing.”
A. who
B. whose
C. which
D. whom
What is: D.?
Innovators in the field of renewable energy have hailed Dr. Shirley Jackson as a pioneer in the development of solar panel technology, a recognition that has been echoed in numerous publications since the early 2000s. Jackson herself has been modest about her pioneer ______ insisting that her work builds upon a long history of scientific inquiry.
A. status, however
B. status, however;
C. status, however,
D. status; however
What is: C. status, however,?
The Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota is on land considered sacred by many sovereign nations, including the Sioux Nation, which had been promised the territory in perpetuity by the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty. Less than a decade after the treaty had been signed, the discovery of gold brought settlers and prospectors who ______ to force the indigenous people from their land.
A. have attempted
B. had attempted
C. attempt
D. attempted
What is: D. attempted?
Official measurements of the Mississippi Riverʼs length vary: according to the US Geologic Survey, the river is 2,300 miles long, whereas the Environmental Protection Agency records its length as 2,320 miles. This disparity can be explained in part by the fact that rivers such as the Mississippi expand and contract as ______ sediment.
A. they accumulate
B. one accumulates
C. it accumulates
D. we accumulate
What is: A. they accumulate?
The inventions of Nicola Tesla are not just a part of our daily lives; they also continue to be expanded upon to create new advances in science and technology. Tesla’s approach to energy transmission, as well as his invention of the radio, underlies modern wireless communications, such as radio broadcasting and mobile phones, but despite his many discoveries, he died penniless. Other innovators may grow wealthy, ______.
A. but Tesla was an inventor bent on bringing electricity to the people, seeking no fame or fortune
B. but Tesla, who sought no fame or fortune, was an inventor bent on bringing electricity to the people
C. but Tesla was an inventor bent on bringing electricity to the people, who sought no fame or fortune
D. but Tesla was an inventor bent on seeking no fame or fortune, bringing electricity to the people
What is: B.?
Kombucha is a beverage that is traditionally made by fermenting a mixture of tea, sugar, bacteria, and yeast. After two to four weeks, the bacteria and yeast will form a symbiotic colony on the top layer of the fermenting liquid. This thick, jelly-like, cellulose disc is commonly referred to as “the mother culture” or “scoby,” which is an acronym for “symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast.” If avid proponents of the popular drink ______, then consuming kombucha may support healthy gastrointestinal tract function.
A. are to be believed
B. were believed
C. is believed
D. is to be believed
What is: A.?