SEE THE IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT BELOW

The material for the test is now complete.  The only portion of the test not covered on the website is the 10-point confusing words section.  Review Handbook pages 360-370, and you'll be in good shape for that.

If you lose the Web address, all you need to do is go to Google and type in MCCC Students.  The link to the index page on my site is the third entry.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

To make material more accessible and to organize it so that students may more readily find what they need, I am now posting tips and study guides on my main website.  Go to:

http://www.grammarmudge.cityslide.com/
(Just click the above link)

This takes you to the home page.  On the buttons down the left-hand side, you'll see one labeled "MCCC Students' Pages" (the 8th button down).  Click this button to go to the page that indexes the entries.  Find the entry you want to see and click on it.

Don't worry if you get lost in your travels around the site.  Every page has buttons down the left-hand side that will take you back to the appropriate index page – or to the home page, if you wish.

I will start posting entries here starting around October 23.

This weblog (Stuguest) will continue to be used for timely announcements, but use the Grammar Curmudgeon site for help on tests and for tips on writing.

You cannot post on the regular pages in the Grammar Curmudgeon site (as you can here by using the password).  However, if you wish, you may register to post on the message boards.  Instructions for registration are on all these boards – just click the "Message Boards" button.

TIPS for SKILLS TEST #1:  SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

One section of the Skills Test will ask you to select the correct verb in each of a series of sentences.  The rule is that a singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb.

To put it another way, if the subject is something that represents one person or thing, the verb will be singular; if the subject is something that represents more than one person or thing, the verb will be plural.  (This does not apply to the pronouns I and you, as noted below.)

The company (it) awards bonuses to efficient employees.
The man (he) who shot three policemen was arrested.
Each child (he or she) in the kindergarten class has been given five cents.

Students sometimes have difficulty identifying the correct verb for two reasons:

1) They do not realize that the verb ending in s is the singular verb.  We are selecting verbs here, not nouns.  Yes, we make most nouns plural by adding s.  However, the verb that goes with he, she, or it (singular) in the present tense ends in s.  The one that does not end in s is the verb that we use with a plural subject (and with the singular pronouns I and you).

I, you (singular), we, you (plural), they go.
He, she, or it goes.

2) They do not identify the subject correctly.  One way to identify the subject is to go to the verb and ask the question:  "Who or what [verb]?"  In the examples above, we can see this clearly.  Who awards bonuses?  The company (company is the subject).  Who was arrested?  The man (man is the simple subject; man who shot three policemen is the complete subject; policemen is not the subject).  Who has been given five cents?  Each child (child is the subject, not class).

Some sentences are more difficult but need not be confusing if we analyze them properly.  Consider these sentences:

Each of these papers contains some mistakes.
One of the men who has been robbing banks was arrested.

Both sentences take singular verbs (ending in s).  In the first sentence, the subject is each (a singular pronoun meaning "each one"), not papers.  In the second sentence, the subject is one (what could be more obviously singular than "one"?).  It is not men because men is the object of the preposition of.  It is not banks because, if we analyze the sense of the sentence, the answer to the question "Who was arrested?" is not banks.

Grasp these basic principles first.  Then go to Study Guide 3 and Handbook Chapter 6a (pages 32-36) for more details.

UPDATE AND MORE ON SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

NOTE:  THE SKILLS TEST HAS BEEN MOVED BACK TO NOVEMBER 2.  YOU WILL RECEIVE A NEW SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS ON WEDNESDAY.

Tips for Making Sure That Subjects and Verbs Agree

• Do not let words between the subject and the verb throw you off.  For example, in "A study of the effects of hurricanes on coastal cities is being undertaken," the subject is study, which requires the singular verb is.  The plural nouns (effects, hurricanes, cities) do not influence the verb.  They are not subjects but objects of the prepositions:  of, of, and in respectively.
• However, be very careful when the subject is a word that denotes a portion of something – i.e., a fraction, a percentage, or a word uch as some, most, all, or none.  Here we need to ask:  A portion of what?  Thus, what is in the prepositional phrase ("of ____") will affect the verb.  Two-thirds, 66%, or most of IT is (singular), but two-thirds, 66%, or most of THEM are (plural).  Therefore, none of my work IS (singular) complete, because none of my papers HAVE (plural) been written.  Half of the pie HAS (singular) been eaten, but most of the cookies HAVE (plural) not.
• When the simple subject is "one," do not be misled into using a plural verb.  Correct:  One out of ten students does not know this rule.  Although "one out of ten" means one-tenth or 10%, the subject is still "one" and requires the singular verb does.  On the other hand, we use the plural verb when we write, "One-tenth of the students do not know this rule" and "Ten percent of the students do not know this rule" because the subject isn't "one" but a portion of something (one-tenth / ten percent), as described in the second bullet.  This is tricky – so watch out!

STAY TUNED FOR MORE TIPS DURING THE NEXT TWO WEEKS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

> Tonight's quiz will cover the same material as last week's quiz (sentence construction).  If time permits, we will have a second quiz on agreement (subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement).

> Rewrites of WA 2 are due tonight or next week at the latest.

> You will receive topics for WA 3 tonight.  It will be written in class next week (October 19).

> We will not have the formal "Skills Review" tonight.  That will also be next week (before the in-class writing assignment).  The Skills Test will be on October 26.  Sample questions and tips will be posted on this blog during the next two weeks.

> Progress report grades are being turned in this week.  You will be notified by mail if your progress is not satisfactory.  Students whose progress is "Good" will not be notified.  Many students were reported as having made only "marginal" progress.  If you want to know what grade was reported, please see me.