Name _______________________________________ Date _____________________________ Period _____________
GRAMMAR REVIEW: WRITTEN AND ORAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS
UNIT THREE
Standard(s) Addressed:
Grade 7 Review WOC: 1.2 Identify and use infinitives and participles and make clear references between pronouns and antecedents; 1.3 Identify all parts of speech
and types and structure of sentences; 1.4 Demonstrate the mechanics of writing (e.g., quotation marks, commas at end of dependent clauses) and appropriate
English usage (e.g., pronoun reference); Grade 10 WOC: 1.2 Understand sentence construction (e.g., parallel structure, subordination, proper placement of modifiers)
and proper English usage (e.g., consistency of verb tenses).
ESLR:
Reflective Communicators: Think, read, write, listen, speak well
Rationale: Each day we will begin class with a grammar review activity. As you can see from the standards, you should
have learned and mastered most of these grammar rules in the 7th grade. However, in an effort to better prepare you
for the CAHSEE ELA exam on March 13, 2012, we will be reviewing this material throughout the semester.
Directions: At the start of class each day you are to have this paper (or the latest version of it) on your desk. When the
bell rings you are to begin working on the activity. You will be responsible for knowing this material for the exam at the
end of each unit. (Note: the Unit Three exam is scheduled for Friday, November 18.)
Grammar Activity (Thursday, 10/27): “Subject and Verb Agreement: Singular and Plural Subjects”
To make sure a subject and its verb agree, you’ll need to remember these rules of English grammar:
 A singular subject takes a singular verb. A word is singular when it refers to one person, place, thing, or idea.
 The reporter rushes to the scene.
The subject reporter is singular, so the verb rushes must be singular, too.
 A plural subject takes a plural verb. A word is plural when it refers to more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
 Several reporters rush to the scene.
The subject reporters is plural, so the verb rush must be plural, too.
 The number of a subject is not affected by a word in a phrase or clause that follows the subject.
 The reporters for that newspaper are talented.
The subject is still reporters; for that newspaper is a phrase and cannot be considered for the subject of
the sentence.
 A compound subject whose parts are joined by the conjunction and is plural and takes a plural verb.
 The reporter and the photographer work as a team.
 When the parts of a compound subject are joined by the conjunctions or or nor, the verb should agree with the
subject nearer to the verb.
 Neither the passengers nor the driver is injured.
The subject is compound (passengers, driver), but because they are joined with the conjunction nor, our
verb needs to agree with the subject nearest to it (driver).
 Neither the driver nor the passengers are injured.
The subject is compound (driver, passengers), but because they are joined with the conjunction nor, our
verb needs to agree with the subject nearest to it (passengers).
Special Note: Collective nouns can cause problems because these singular nouns name an entire group of people but
require a singular verb. In other words, just because a noun refers to a lot of people doesn’t mean its verb is plural.
What are some collective nouns you ask? Here are just a few: army, class, company, corporation, family, group, school,
society, team, etc.
Directions: Read the sentences below and underline the correct verb form.
1. The world (change, changes) so rapidly, we can hardly keep up.
2. People (is, are) often ten or twenty years behind the times in their knowledge of the world.
3. People who (live, lives) in poverty often do not even have television or newspapers.
4. He (doesn’t, don’t) want to be killed.
5. Life (is, are) very complicated
6. Traditionally, college students (has, have) been very active in politics.
7. There (is, are) both men and women at the meeting.
8. The students in my class (has, have) very poor work habits.
9. Either the workers or the manager (is, are) coming to the conference.
10. All of the children (was, were) hunting Easter eggs in the garden.
Grammar Activity (Friday, 10/28): “Subject and Verb Agreement”
Before beginning, review yesterday’s grammar activity to refresh your memory about the rules regarding subject and
verb agreement. You will follow the same directions as yesterday’s activity, reading the sentences and circling the
correct verb form. Then, you will need to underline the subject of the sentence.
1. Jill’s natural ability and her desire to help others (has, have) lead to a career in counseling.
2. Some of our luggage (was, were) lost.
3. None of this advice (make, makes) sense.
4. One out of every three sunsets (was, were) covered by clouds.
5. A ship and a plane (has, have) recently disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle.
6. The teeth in a crocodile’s mouth (is, are) sharp.
7. The leaders of the expedition (was, were) looking for a campsite.
8. The lion and the photographer (was, were) face to face.
9. Measles (is, are) a contagious childhood disease.
10. A group of students (was, were) blocking the road.
Grammar Activity (Monday, 10/31): “Subject and Verb Agreement II”
As we have seen, the subject and verb in a sentence work together, so they must always agree. Different subjects need
different forms of verbs. When the correct verb follows a subject, we call it subject-verb agreement. Use what you
learned in last week’s review as you complete this activity.
Underline the subject and circle the correct verb form in parentheses to maintain subject-verb agreement in the
following sentences. Remember to ignore the prepositional phrases, unless the subjects are some, any, all, none, or
most.
1. A group of scientists (is/are) looking into the sensation that we (call/calls) déjà vu.
2. Déjà vu (is/are) the feeling that we (is/are) repeating an exact experience that (has/have) happened before.
3. Part of the odd sensation (is/are) that we (is/are) aware of the illogical part of déjà vu while it (is/are) happening.
4. Scientists (has/have) developed a new profile of a person who (is/are) likely to experience this particular sensation.
5. People who (is/are) most prone to déjà vu (is/are) between 15 and 25 years old.
6. Regardless of age, however, anyone who (experience/experiences) déjà vu probably (has/have) a vivid imagination.
7. Stress and fatigue (is/are) often factors because the mind (function/functions) differently under these conditions.
8. Education level and income also (determine/determines) a person’s susceptibility to déjà vu.
9. The phenomenon of déjà vu (seem/seems) to require an open mind.
10. Since political leanings (affect/affects) open-mindedness, liberals (tend/tends) to have more déjà vu experiences
than conservatives.
Source: Psychology Today, March/April 2005.
Grammar Activity (Wednesday, 11/2): “Pronoun and Antecedent Agreement”
You know the basic pronouns: I, me, my, he, she, it, they, we, us . . . so you’re off to a good start. But, you need to know
a little bit more to understand how to make a pronoun and its antecedent (defined below) agree with a verb. You need
to know what an indefinite pronoun is. An indefinite pronoun refers to a person, place, thing, or idea (just like a regular
pronoun), but it may or may not be named specifically. To make a verb agree with an indefinite pronoun that is used as
a subject, you must first determine whether the pronoun is singular or plural. Review the chart below for common
singular and plural indefinite pronouns.
SINGULAR INDEFINITE
PRONOUNS
another
anybody
anyone
anything
each
either
everybody
everyone
everything
neither
nobody
no one
nothing
one
somebody
someone
something
PLURAL INDEFINITE
PRONOUNS
SINGULAR OR PLURAL
INDEFINITE PRONOUNS
both
all
few
any
many
more
several
most
none
some
A noun or pronoun to which another pronoun refers is called its antecedent, and a pronoun should agree with its
antecedent in both number and gender. Doing this enables us to correctly match our subjects to our verbs.
Example: Each of the applicants was interviewed.
The underlined indefinite pronoun each is singular, so it must be matched with a singular verb (was).
Example: Both of the boats are tied to the dock.
The underlined indefinite pronoun both is plural, so it must be matched with a plural verb (are).
Special Note: It might seem tricky trying to determine if an indefinite pronoun is singular or plural when it can be both
(see the third column of the chart), but this tip should help you avoid trouble. The words in the third column are singular
if they refer to one part of something (all of the water, most of the day); they are plural if they refer to several things (all
of the pencils, most of the children).
Directions: Underline the pronouns and draw an arrow to each antecedent. If a pronoun does not agree with its
antecedent, cross out the pronoun and write the correct pronoun above.
them
1. Ella made sure her roller skates fit correctly before taking it to the rink.
2. The politicians had made up their minds long before the bill made its way out of committee.
3. The stockbrokers on the trading-room floor had their arms up, yelling words that made the traders sound like they
were from a foreign country.
4. If Jerrel wants this project done right, he will have to do it himself.
5. Mia and her soccer team won their match with Saddleback to win the city tournament.
6. The baseball was signed by Alex Rodriguez after he clobbered it into the right-field bleachers.
7. Each of the female runners in the race bettered her previous time.
8. Both of the girls told their parents about the dance.
9. Can anybody do this worksheet correctly without his or her handbook?
10. Many of Jack’s errors reveal his lack of practice.
Grammar Activity (Thursday, 11/3): “Principal Parts of Verbs”
There are four principal parts of verbs you need to be aware of in order to use verbs correctly: base form, present
participle, past, past participle.
Base Form
 The base form of the verb is simply the form of the verb that you would see in an English dictionary (It is an
infinitive (e.g. to excel, to leave, to want) without the “to” (e.g., excel, leave, want)
 Form that is the base of other forms (what you use to conjugate and create different tenses)
Present Participle (Remember this from verbal phrases?)
 Used with a form of the verb be (i.e., is, are, was, were, be, being, been)
 Formed by adding –ing to the base form (e.g., is excelling, be leaving, was wanting)
Past
 Regular verbs: formed by adding –d or –ed to the base form (e.g., excelled, learned, wanted)
 Irregular verbs: formed by changing consonants, vowels, or consonants and vowels, or by making no
changes (e.g., awoke, bled, built)
Past Participle (Remember this from verbal phrases?)
 Used with a form of the verb have (i.e., has, had, have)
 Regular verbs: formed by adding –d or –ed to the base form (i.e., has excelled, had wanted)
 Irregular verbs: formed by changing consonants, vowels, or consonants and vowels, or by making no
changes (i.e., had left, has awoken, have built)
Directions: Write the correct form (past tense or past participle) of the irregular verb shown in parentheses to complete
each sentence.
1. The bread dough had risen enough, so it was ready to bake. (rise)
2. Misha treasured the pendant her father had ________________ her. (give)
3. Mario ______________ me to the mall in his dad’s new car. (drive)
4. When I was in grade school, Mr. McCall _______________ music to the whole student body. (teach)
5. My oldest sister has _____________ a lawyer for three years. (be)
6. When Alicia ____________ home from school, she grabbed the mail (get)
7. She looked at each piece as she _________________ it into the house. (bring)
8. Then she _________________ it on the kitchen table for her mom. (leave)
9. This is my good friend Kelly, whom I have ______________ since I was four years old. (know)
10. Once, our cat _________________ a dead mouse behind the sofa. (hide)
11. Warren said, “That’s one too many tests I’ve _____________ today.” (take)
Grammar Activity (Friday, 11/4): “Voice of a Verb”
Voice indicates whether the subject of a sentence is acting or being acted upon.
 Active voice indicates that the subject of the verb is, has been, or will be doing something.
 When a sentence is in the active voice, the subject performs the action.
 Active voice makes your writing more strong, direct, and lively.
Example: For many years Lou Brock held the base-stealing record. (The subject, Lou Brock, is the one
performing the action; it was he who held the record.)
 Passive voice indicates that the subject of the verb is being, has been, or will be acted upon.
 In passive voice, the subject is acted upon, and the performer of the action (called the agent) either is
stated in a prepositional phrase or is missing from the sentence.
Example: For many years the base-stealing record was held by Lou Brock. (In this example, the performer of
the action is Lou Brock—indicated by the prepositional phrase by Lou Brock—but is being acted upon.
In other words, active voice emphasizes the agent of the action, whereas the passive voice emphasizes the action.
After all that explanation it’s time for the super-easy-CAHSEE trick! Now, usually we wait until we begin preparing for
the CAHSEE to share this passive voice trick with you, but since we like you we’re going to share it now: any time you
see a be verb (is, am, are, be, being, been, was, were) plus another verb, passive voice is being used. (Take a look at the
example above if you don’t believe us.)
Directions: Underline the “agent of the action” (the person/thing who/that performs the action) once and underline the
verb (the action) twice. Then rewrite those sentences that are written in the passive voice. If the sentence is already in
active voice, write correct as is.
1. The iron pot was hurled at the intruder by Sara.
Sara hurled the iron pot at the intruder.
2. Creative works are protected by copyright laws.
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3. The first rap album was recorded by Gil Scott Heron.
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4. Your chocolate chip cookies were stolen. (Note: the agent has been removed from the sentence—this sure helps
him/her to avoid responsibility! This means you get to name the subject.)
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5. Many parts of the music industry are affected by music piracy.
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6. Legislative assistants wrote the new laws.
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Grammar Activity (Monday, 11/7): “Active and Passive Voice”
Before beginning today’s activity, review Friday’s “Voice of a Verb” information.
Directions: Underline the “agent of the action” (the person/thing who/that performs the action) once and underline the
verb (the action) twice. Then rewrite the sentences written in the passive voice. If the sentence is already in active
voice, write correct as is.
1. A tray of food was dropped by the waiter.
The waiter dropped a tray of food.
2. The statue is being visited by hundreds of tourists each year.
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3. The construction workers are making street repairs all month long.
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4. These books had been left in the classroom by a careless student.
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5. The streets around the fire had been blocked off by police.
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6. Children cannot open these bottles easily.
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7. The coffee was made by Starbucks.
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8. Jogging is done by many people for exercise.
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9. Last summer our house was painted by Peter.
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10. The syllabus was handed out by the professor.
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Grammar Activity (Tuesday, 11/8): “Modifiers”
Before we can begin a discussion of modifiers, dangling or misplaced, we must review two parts of speech that are at
the core of the issue: adjectives and adverbs.
Modifiers make the meanings of other words more specific. Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns, while adverbs
modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. (Quick review: modifiers, adjectives and adverbs, add information.)
An adjective can change or limit the meaning of a noun or pronoun by answering these questions: What kind?
(purple shirt, patient teacher) Which one(s)? (that book, those students) How many? or How much? (two miles,
more rain)
An adverb answers one of these questions about the word it modifies: How? (studies hard, runs swiftly) When?
(arrived yesterday, will go soon) Where? (walked upstairs, pointed there) To what extent? (completely finished,
never worries)
A modifier can be one word (Leah proudly displayed her gold medal), a phrase (The medal was presented at the swim
meet), or a clause (Leah won the medal after she beat the other swimmers).
Directions: Underline the adjectives (except for any articles: a, an, the) and draw arrows to the nouns they modify.
Circle each adverb and draw an arrow to the verb, adjective, or adverb it modifies.
1. Theodore Roosevelt advised, “Walk softly, but carry a big stick.”
2. The singer filled the immense hall with a magnificent voice.
3. Pumpkins and corn grow well in the Midwest.
4. Harsh winters in the Alaskan wilderness claimed many lives during the Gold Rush.
5. It certainly appears that the tournament is running smoothly.
6. Obi-Wan Kanobi said quietly, “May the Force be with you.”
7. The Italian restaurant sold more deep-dish pizzas this year than last year.
8. The turbo-charged car swerved dangerously around the corner.
Grammar Activity (Thursday, 11/10): “Comparison of Modifiers”
Take a minute to review Tuesday’s activity before beginning with comparatives and superlatives. Ready? Here are some
things you need to keep in mind as you complete today’s activity.
 Modifiers can be used to compare things.
 The degrees of comparison are positive (the basic form), comparative (used to compare two things), and
superlative (used to compare three or more things).
 Modifiers change form to show comparison.
 Most one-syllable modifiers add –er to form the comparative and –est to form the superlative.
 Some two-syllable modifiers and modifiers that have three or more syllables use more to form the
comparative and most to form the superlative.
POSITIVE
kind
clumsy
hopeful
anxiously
COMPARATIVE
kinder
clumsier
more hopeful
more anxiously
SUPERLATIVE
kindest
clumsiest
most hopeful
most anxiously
Directions: Read the sentences below and identify the errors in the use of modifiers. After identifying the error, correct
it.
1. Days are more shorter in winter than in summer.
2. Of all the players, Ellie pitches the better.
3. Which river is longest, the Amazon or the Nile?
4. Who is the popularer Peanuts character, Charlie Brown or Lucy?
5. The fire was the worse disaster in history.
6. I have many baseball cards, but my brother has the most.
7. She’s looking more happier today.
8. Hank is the more efficient worker we have.
9. First Class Pizza is more better than Domino’s Pizza.
10. This is the expensivest hotel I have ever stayed in.
Grammar Activity (Tuesday, 11/15): “Understanding the Placement of Modifiers”
Careful placement of modifiers is essential to clear and precise communication. The general rule is that modifiers should
be placed near the word or words they modify. Adjectives almost always come directly before the words they modify.
Adverbs are considerably more flexible in their placement, although they usually go directly before or after the words
they modify.
Although there are many types of modifiers, we’re going to focus specifically on two types: dangling (today) and
misplaced (tomorrow) modifiers.
Modifiers are said to dangle when the word they are intended to modify is missing altogether. Dangling
modifiers modify the wrong word, often with surrealistic (def: bizarre or unreal) results.
Example: As a little girl, my father liked to tell me stories about mermaids.
Literally, the sentence means that when your father was a young girl he told you stories about mermaids. Not
too likely. The intended subject I is missing. To revise, supply the correct subject and place the modifier and the
word it modifies in correct proximity (def: closeness), as below.
Revised: As a little girl, I loved listening to my father’s stories about mermaids.
Directions: Underline the dangling modifiers in each sentence, and then fix the sentence to eliminate them. Follow the
suggested method given in parentheses.
1. Upon entering the science lab, the dangling skeleton caught my eye. (Use I somewhere in this sentence).
As I entered the science lab, the dangling skeleton caught my eye.
2. Driving out of the Channel Tunnel, France beckoned (def: gesture somebody to come) ahead. (Use we somewhere in
this sentence.)
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3. After pouring the coffee, her dog jumped on one of Grandma’s guests. (Name the person performing the action in
the introductory clause.)
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4. To make the perfect soufflé, the eggs must be fresh. (Use you as the subject of this sentence.)
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5. Using a computer to help diagnose engine problems, our car was repaired by Omar. (Eliminate the use of passive
voice.)
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6. Just after eating lunch, a strange-looking bird landed on our windowsill. (Name a person as the subject.)
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7. Though fresh out of college, the firm hired Dario for a good salary. (Identify who was fresh out of college in the
introductory clause.)
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Grammar Activity (Wednesday, 11/16): “Understanding the Placement of Modifiers II”
Review yesterday’s activity with dangling modifiers prior to reading about misplaced modifiers.
Misplaced modifiers are modifiers that have been placed incorrectly in a sentence. You’ll remember from yesterday that
a modifier should be placed as closely as possible to the word it modifies.
Example: Jana bought four tickets for the concert this weekend at the grocery store.
As it is written now, it appears that the concert this weekend will be held at the grocery store. We know,
however, that this is not the case, so we need to move the modifier closer to the word it modifies.
Revised: Jana bought four tickets at the grocery store for the concert this weekend.
Directions: Underline the misplaced modifier in each sentence, and then rewrite it so the modifier clearly modifies the
correct word.
1. The boat puttered (def: moved in a random, leisurely way) down the river loaded with excited tourists.
Loaded with excited tourists, the boat puttered down the river.
2. Sharon walked into a class that was discussing Web 2.0 by mistake.
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3. The flight attendants served cookies to the passengers after warming them.
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4. Hanging from the trees, we could see hundreds of monkeys.
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5. ASB has been planning to hold a pizza sale for two months.
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6. The dog was chasing the boy with the spiked collar.
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7. They bought a puppy for my sister they call Fido.
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Grammar Activity (Thursday, 11/17): “Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers”
Now it’s time to see what you’ve learned about modifiers. Before correcting the sentences below, you might want to
take a look at Tuesday and Wednesday’s activities.
Directions: Underline the modifiers in each sentence, and then correct them to eliminate the dangling or misplaced
modifiers. At the end of the sentence, identify if it is dangling (DM) or misplaced (MM).
1. Piled up next to the washer, I began doing the laundry. (DM)
I began doing the laundry piled up next to the washer.
2. He was staring at the girl by the vending machine wearing dark glasses.
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3. I heard that there was a revolution on the evening news.
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4. While talking on the phone, the doorbell rang.
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5. While taking out the trash, the bag broke.
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6. We read that Janet was married in her last letter.
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