SUBJECT -VERB AGREEMENT
· Subject-Verb Agreement
Secara umum pada bentuk simple present tense, singular verb berupa base form / bare infinitive (bentuk dasar dari verb) dengan ditambahkan ending (akhiran) -s/-es. Adapun pada plural verb tanpa ditambahkan ending -s/-es (sebaliknya, plural subject ditambahkan ending -s/-es). Aturan kata kerja ini berlaku pula pada subjek berupa third person (orang ketiga, contoh: Ricky, Anna) dan semua personal pronoun (they, we= jamak; he, she, it= tunggal), kecuali I dan you. Walaupun berupa subjek tunggal, I dan you dipasangkan dengan kata kerja bentuk jamak.
Jika kata kerja dalam verb “to be”, am dipasangkan dengan I, is dengan singular subject kecuali I dan you, dan are dengan plural subject dan you.
Sedangkan pada past tense, tidak ada perbedaan bentuk kata kerja dalam hal number (tunggal atau jamak) subjek kalimat, semua dalam verb-2, kecuali jika kata kerja yang digunakan merupakan verb “to be” was-were. Was untuk singular subject kecuali you, dan were untuk you dan plural subject.
· Basic Rule
A singular subject (she, Bill, car) takes a singular verb (is, goes, shines), whereas a plural subject takes a plural verb.
Example: The list of items is/are on the desk.
If you know that list is the subject, then you will choose is for the verb.
Ø Rule 1.
A subject will come before a phrase beginning with of. This is a key rule for understanding subjects. The word of is the culprit in many, perhaps most, subject-verb mistakes.
Hasty writers, speakers, readers, and listeners might miss the all-too-common mistake in the following sentence:
Incorrect:
A bouquet of yellow roses lend color and fragrance to the room.
Correct:
A bouquet of yellow roses lends . . . (bouquet lends, not roses lend)
Ø Rule 2.
Two singular subjects connected by or, either/or, or neither/nor require a singular verb.
Examples:
My aunt or my uncle is arriving by train today.
Neither Juan nor Carmen is available.
Either Kiana or Casey is helping today with stage decorations.
Ø Rule 3.
The verb in an or, either/or, or neither/nor sentence agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it.
Examples:
Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes on that shelf.
Neither the serving bowl nor the plates go on that shelf.
This rule can lead to bumps in the road. For example, if I is one of two (or more) subjects, it could lead to this odd sentence:
Awkward: Neither she, my friends, nor I am going to the festival.
If possible, it's best to reword such grammatically correct but awkward sentences.
Better:
Neither she, I, nor my friends are going to the festival.
OR
She, my friends, and I are not going to the festival.
Ø Rule 4.
As a general rule, use a plural verb with two or more subjects when they are connected by and.
Example: A car and a bike are my means of transportation.
But note these exceptions:
Exceptions:
Breaking and entering is against the law.
The bed and breakfast was charming.
In those sentences, breaking and entering and bed and breakfast are compound nouns.
Ø Rule 5a.
Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by such words as along with, as well as, besides, not, etc. These words and phrases are not part of the subject. Ignore them and use a singular verb when the subject is singular.
Examples:
The politician, along with the newsmen, is expected shortly.
Excitement, as well as nervousness, is the cause of her shaking.
Ø Rule 5b.
Parentheses are not part of the subject.
Example: Joe (and his trusty mutt) was always welcome.
If this seems awkward, try rewriting the sentence.
Ø Rule 6.
In sentences beginning with here or there, the true subject follows the verb.
Examples:
There are four hurdles to jump.
There is a high hurdle to jump.
Here are the keys.
Ø Rule 7.
Use a singular verb with distances, periods of time, sums of money, etc., when considered as a unit.
Examples:
Three miles is too far to walk.
Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense.
Ten dollars is a high price to pay.
BUT
Ten dollars (i.e., dollar bills) were scattered on the floor.
Ø Rule 8.
With words that indicate portions—e.g., a lot, a majority, some, all—Rule 1 given earlier in this section is reversed, and we are guided by the noun after of. If the noun after of is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.
Examples:
A lot of the pie has disappeared.
A lot of the pies have disappeared.
A third of the city is unemployed.
A third of the people are unemployed.
All of the pie is gone.
All of the pies are gone.
Some of the pie is missing.
Some of the pies are missing.
Ø Rule 9.
With collective nouns such as group, jury, family, audience, population, the verb might be singular or plural, depending on the writer's intent.
Examples:
All of my family has arrived OR have arrived.
Most of the jury is here OR are here.
A third of the population was not in favor OR were not in favor of the bill.
Ø Rule 10.
The word were replaces was in sentences that express a wish or are contrary to fact:
Example: If Joe were here, you'd be sorry.
Shouldn't Joe be followed by was, not were, given that Joe is singular? But Joe isn't actually here, so we say were, not was. The sentence demonstrates the subjunctive mood, which is used to express things that are hypothetical, wishful, imaginary, or factually contradictory. The subjunctive mood pairs singular subjects with what we usually think of as plural verbs.
Examples:
I wish it were Friday.
She requested that he raise his hand.
In the first example, a wishful statement, not a fact, is being expressed; therefore, were, which we usually think of as a plural verb, is used with the singular it. (Technically, it is the singular subject of the object clause in the subjunctive mood: it were Friday.)
Normally, he raise would sound terrible to us. However, in the second example, where a request is being expressed, the subjunctive mood is correct.
· Multiple Choice
1. Physics … been my favorite subject since I was 15 years old.
A. have
B. has
(Cabang keilmuan dengan ending -ics bermakna singular sehingga diikuti singular verb)
2. My shears … sharp enough.
A. aren't
B. isn't
(subject berupa benda dengan dua bagian pada satu kesatuan membutuhkan plural verb)
3. Ninety percentage of his furniture … old.
A. is
B. are
(noun setelah “… percentage of” (fractional expression) menentukan apakah diikuti oleh singular atau plural verb)
4. One of her dogs … like bone.
A. doesn't
B. don't
(verb disesuaikan dengan subject (one)%2C bukan prepositional phrase diantaranya)
5. The central office manager, along with his two assistant, … left the room.
A. have
B. has
(“along with” digunakan bersama subjek tanpa menambah jumlah)
· Error Analysis
1. Arvin makes a smartphone.
Incorrect
(Kata yang salah adlah “makes”, Karena subjek nya “Arvin” merupakan singular, maka kata kerja yang digunakan harus singular juga menjadi “make”)
2. Rave and Raive needs a ride to school.
Incorrect
(Kata yang salah adalah “needs”, Karena terdapat dua atau lebih subject yang di terhubung oleh “and” maka kita menggunakan plural verb dan merubahnya menjadi “need”)
3. I sing a song that remind me of her.
Correct
(Karena “I” adalah plural noun maka kita menggunakan plural verb juga)
4. Here is the document you wanted.
Correct
(Karena “document” adalah singluar subject, maka harus di ikuti dengan singular verb)
5. People in big cities tends to use their spare time doing sports or hanging out inparks.
Incorrect
(Kata yang salah adalah “tends”, Karena “People” merupakan subjek plural maka kita rubah menjadi “tend”)
OBJECT OF PREPOSITION
· OBJECT OF PREPOSITION
A preposition is a word that shows the relation of the noun following it to some other word.
A prepositional phrase is a preposition , its object , and any words that tell about the project . these phrases are used like adjectives and adverbs to describe.
· Example :
Ø in the house
Ø from the market
Ø of the world
Ø for the last time
Ø with your permission
Ø to make one more attempt
Question
· Multiple choice
1. Mark twain ….. they years after the civil war the “gilded Age”
a. called
b. calling
c. he called
d. his calls
Explanation : jawabannya adalah a karena merupakan kerja dalam bentuk simple past tense
2. ___ alcoholism are the slow destruction of the liver and possible death
a.The long-term effects of
b.Dangerously
c.The eventual effect of
d.Chronic and eventual
Explaination : pada soal ini teradapat kata kerja bantu are sehingga didepan objek alcoholism dibutuhkan subjek (kata benda) plural. Maka jawaban yang tepat adalah A karena subjek plural berada di depan preposisi “of”
3. To Mike _______ was a big surprise
a. really
b. the party
c. funny
d. when
Explanation :Diidentifikasi hanya terdapat kata kerja dalam kalimat tersebut yaitu was. Mike bukan suatu subjek karena sebelum kata Mike terdapat OBJECT OF PREPOSITION “to”.Menganalisa jawaban a. bukan subjek b. merupakan subjek c. bukan subjek d. merupakan kata penghubung Jawaban yang benar yaitu b. the party lebih tepat karena merupakan suatu subjek.
4. To frankie ___ is a wonderfull moment
a. Occasionally
b. Where
c. Happy
d. That dinner
Explanation : frankie merupakan objek preposition satu noun(kata benda) tidak dapt menduduki posisi subjek dan objek sekaligus dalam waktu yang bersaman. Jadi jawaban yang merupakan subjek adalah D
5. President andrew jackson’s informal advisors were great and he prefend the advice from ....
a. Him
b. Them
c. He
d. Their
Explanation : pada soal diatas terdapat preposition sebelum bagian yang kosong, dan ini mengindikasikan bahwa kalimat ini memerlukan object of prepostion sehingga jawaban yang benar adalah B, karena them sama dengan advisors yang merupakan bentuk jamak.
· Error analysis
1. The man with the long beard left the restaurant quickly.
Explanation : the noun beard is the object of preposition “with.” The prepositional phrase with the long beard describes the word man. it tells us exactly which man left the restaurant quickly.
2. A man in the bus was sleeping soundly.
Explanation : the words in the bus, for example , are a prepositional phrase.
3. the great plain in the midwest of the united states make up arich, fertile farming area
Explanation : objeknya adalah " the united states" sedangkan subjek yang berada di depan preposisi adalah "The great plain", maka yang harusnya diganti adalah kata kerja "make: menjadi "makes"
4. in the corner were piled sacks of potatoes and onions.
Explanation : objeknya adalah "potatoes and onions" subjek yang berada didepan preposisi adalah in the corner.
5. over us, in the redwood forest, huge tress towered.
Explanation : objeknya adalah huge tress subjek yang berada didepan preposisi adalah over us.
APPOSITIVE
· APPOSITIVE
Appositive is a word to serve to discribe noun or pronoun that took in.Appositives usually offset with commas,parantheses,or dashes.it is now concluded that appositive is word describing a subject that has previously appearead or that has come after this.
Apppositive phrase with or without an attributive phrase, while a comparative phrase, consist of an appositive phrase add an attributive, and a complement clause sonsists an attributive phrase that is, forming apposesive contruction.
A nominal phrase as a whole cannot be subject to morphological derivation in CAY. as far as appositive and cordinate phrases are concorned, however, they may have one constituent.
· Question
1. The canadian,...... it a train trip fom toronto to vancouver with best scenery of forests and rivers
A. Is one of the iconic train trips in the world
B, Was one of the iconic train trips in the world
C. One of the iconic train trips in the world
D. which is one of the iconic trips in the world
Explaination because The Canadian is the subject of the sentence, and Answer is C. One of the iconic train trips in the world
2. ,..... Ayu rarely misses her basketball shots
A. An excellent basketball player
B. An excellent basketball player is
C. Ayu is an excellent basketball player
D. Her excellent basketball player
Explaination because, sarah is subject and the word misses is a verb (verb) because there is no comma separating it. Answer is A. An excellent basketball player.
3. A truly beautiful island, Bali attracts many foreign tourists every year.
A.Bali attracts many foreign tourists every year
B. A truly beautiful island
C. Bali
D. None
Explaination A truly beatiful island because words that are generally in the form of nouns (phrases) to describe or explain other nouns
4. .........., Sonny, is attending the lecture.
A.Right now
B. Happily
C. Because of the time
D. My friend
Because Sonny is a appositive. because this sentence need subject
5. .............., Her dream, is a big dream.
A. Visiting Korea
B. Visit korea
C. Come to korea
D. None
Because her dream is appositive, this sentence need subject.
· Question Error Analysis
1. .My sister,a chemical engineer,is very diligent
Explanition:subject "a chemical " is word of appositive in which appositive is pronounced after noun
2. The median of annual mothers working hours has increased dramatically by 960 hours since 1979 and 2012.
Explanition:Since is incorrect because since it should only be followed by one time statement, while there is two time information in the sentence
3. Archaeopteryx, one of the oldest known prehistoric birds, had shard teeth, three fingers for claws, but a long, bony tail.
Explanition : But incorect because the depiction of the archaeopteryx specifications does not require butts to connect in contradistinction
4. Although she has a strong desire to be a singer, Rani’s voice sounds horribly to everyone who hears her singing.
Explanition : Horribly incorrect because it is not an adjective, but an adverb or adverb
5. My Daughter, a biological enginers, is very clever
Explanation : subject "a biological enginer"
