Identify 1 of your common grammar mistakes and explain how the grammatical structure should be used correctly in 200-300 words. In addition, include a practice exercise or activity (not already assigned or in the textbook) related to the grammatical structure. The resources in SELF or on ITSELF may help you.
To write a well-written essay, the proper use of grammar forms is one of the few important aspects that the writers should take into consideration of. Basically, it serves as the basic building block in possessing good command of English, however, it has often been neglected by the writers whom generally overlook and place emphasis on other aspects. Meanwhile, I will focus on one of the grammar forms: SUBJECT-VERB-ARGUMENT in particular.
In simple, SUBJECT-VERB-ARGUMENT (SVA) is defined as a singular subject should come with a singular verb whereas a plural subject should follow by a plural verb. SVA may seem to be straightforward and logical initially but with the incidence of complex and contradictory situations, it may confuse the writers, whom in turn become susceptible in making grammatical mistakes in sentences.
To start off, when comes to indefinite pronouns like ‘everyone’, ‘anyone’ and ‘somebody’, they may seem to be plural but in actual fact, they are always singular and require singular verbs. On the contrary, indefinite pronouns like ‘all’ and ‘some’ can be singular or plural, depending on the specific count of the subject. Then for fractional expressions, they can be either singular or plural as well, depending on the meaning it takes.
Regarding on words ending with‘s’, it can take singular or plural verbs by determining the nature of word form. Besides, two subjects joined by a conjunction contain a plural verb naturally but, the writers have to take note of phrases (non- conjunctions) that seem to join two subjects together. It may not necessarily be plural, depending on the root of the word form as well.
Last but not least, when there is a lengthy explanation that comes after the subject, writers tend to misinterpret it as plural form. To be grammatically correct, they just have to stick to the subject without considering the explanation. In addition, the subject always comes after the verb for an expletive construction which involves ‘there’ at the beginning of a sentence.
In conclusion, a good writer is someone who never fails to emphasize on the significance of grammar structure and also, not neglecting other aspects that contribute to a beautiful piece of essay. Hence, the use of proper grammar structure is at its essence of having good understanding of English.
-The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation, “Subject and Verb Agreement”, [online document]
Available at: http://www.grammarbook.com/grammar/subjectVerbAgree.asp
2 comments:
hi raymond. so this is called SVA. haha thanks for clearing my doubts on this grammar mistake!
hi raymond! i like your SVA, it's very helpful since SVA is the most common problem in our daily writing materials. i think it would be better if you can find some examples of frequent misuse of SVA. Anyway, you did a good job.
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