ENG 102 Handout Instructor: Mithila Mahfuz

(I) Subject !erb "#ree$ent In general, subjects and verbs must agree in number. This means that a singular subject must have a singular verb, and a plural subject must have a plural verb. Additionally, subjects and verbs must agree in person (first, second, or third). See the table below to understand this general idea. Subject / Verb Agreement: Singular Subjects Subject / Verb Agreement: Plural Subjects I wor you wor she, he, it wor s we wor you wor they wor

!hen you"re dealing with a simple subject li e those in the table above, ma ing the subjects and verbs agree is straightforward. Some subjects, however, are not so simple. The following guidelines will help you deal with these comple# subjects and ma e them agree with verbs. $lease note% in each e#ample, the subject is italicized and the verb is underlined. !hen the subject of a sentence is two or more nouns or pronouns (either singular or plural) connected by and, use a plural verb.

The table and couch loo li e they need wor . Jamie and her friends drive all the time.

!hen the subject of a sentence is two or more singular nouns or pronouns connected or or nor, use a singular verb.

Sheila or Jenny will water my plants. Neither the Ford nor the Pontiac is the car I want.

The verb should agree with the noun that is closer to the verb when the subject has both a singular noun or pronoun and a plural noun or pronoun connected by or or nor.

The kitchen or the bedrooms need to be cleaned. The bedrooms or the kitchen needs to be cleaned.

The following words are all singular and therefore re&uire singular verbs% each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone, nobody, somebody, someone, and no one.

Each of these sweaters is blac . Nobody nows what happened to all the ca e. Everybody thin s they can sing really well.

In sentences that begin with there are or there is, pay attention to what follows there are or there is. This element is what determines whether you use are or is. If the subject is plural, you use are' if the subject is singular, you use is.

There are two coo ies left. There is one chance to ma e a first impression.

Some subjects imply more than one person, but are themselves singular. These are nown as collective nouns. (#amples include group, team, committee, class, band, and family. )ecause these words are singular, they re&uire a singular verb.

The committee meets tomorrow. *y family is a little cra+y.

)e careful not to be misled by phrases that come between the subject and verb. Always remember that the verb should agree with the subject of the sentence, not with the noun(s) or pronoun(s) in the phrase. ,arefully identifying the subject of the sentence will help you avoid this confusion.

One of the dogs runs really slowly. The eo le who bring ca e are always popular.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% %%%%%%%% -. !hen the subject of a sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns connected by and, use a plural verb. She and her friends are at the fair. .. !hen two or more singular nouns or pronouns are connected by or or nor, use a singular verb. The boo or the pen is in the drawer. /. !hen a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural noun or pronoun joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is nearer the verb. The boy or his friends run every day. 0is friends or the boy runs every day.

1. 2oesn3t is a contraction of does not and should be used only with a singular subject. 2on3t is a contraction of do not and should be used only with a plural subject. The e#ception to this rule appears in the case of the first person and second person pronouns I and you. !ith these pronouns, the contraction don3t should be used. 0e doesn3t li e it. They don3t li e it. 4. 2o not be misled by a phrase that comes between the subject and the verb. The verb agrees with the subject, not with a noun or pronoun in the phrase. 5ne of the bo#es is open The people who listen to that music are few. The team captain, as well as his players, is an#ious. The boo , including all the chapters in the first section, is boring. The woman with all the dogs wal s down my street. 6. The words each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone, nobody, somebody, someone, and no one are singular and re&uire a singular verb. (ach of these hot dogs is juicy. (verybody nows *r. 7ones. (ither is correct. 8. 9ouns such as civics, mathematics, dollars, measles, and news re&uire singular verbs. The news is on at si#. 9ote% the word dollars is a special case. !hen tal ing about an amount of money, it re&uires a singular verb, but when referring to the dollars themselves, a plural verb is re&uired. :ive dollars is a lot of money. 2ollars are often used instead of rubles in ;ussia. <. 9ouns such as scissors, twee+ers, trousers, and shears re&uire plural verbs. (There are two parts to these things.) These scissors are dull. Those trousers are made of wool. =. In sentences beginning with there is or there are, the subject follows the verb. Since there is not the subject, the verb agrees with what follows. There are many &uestions. There is a &uestion.

->. ,ollective nouns are words that imply more than one person but that are considered singular and ta e a singular verb, such as% group, team, committee, class, and family. The team runs during practice. The committee decides how to proceed. The family has a long history. *y family has never been able to agree. In some cases in American (nglish, a sentence may call for the use of a plural verb when using a collective noun. The crew are preparing to doc the ship. This sentence is referring to the individual efforts of each crew member. The !re"" #eference $anual provides e#cellent e#planations of subject?verb agreement (section ->% ->>-). --. (#pressions such as with, together with, including, accompanied by, in addition to, or as well do not change the number of the subject. If the subject is singular, the verb is too. The $resident, accompanied by his wife, is traveling to India. All of the boo s, including yours, are in that bo#.

Subject-Verb Agreement Exercise

,hoose the correct form of the verb that agrees with the subject. -. Annie and her brothers (is, are) at school. .. (ither my mother or my father (is, are) coming to the meeting. /. The dog or the cats (is, are) outside. 1. (ither my shoes or your coat (is, are) always on the floor. 4. @eorge and Tamara (doesn3t, don3t) want to see that movie. 6. )enito (doesn3t, don3t) now the answer. 8. 5ne of my sisters (is, are) going on a trip to :rance. <. The man with all the birds (live, lives) on my street. =. The movie, including all the previews, (ta e, ta es) about two hours to watch. ->. The players, as well as the captain, (want, wants) to win. --. (ither answer (is, are) acceptable. -.. (very one of those boo s (is, are) fiction. -/. 9obody ( now, nows) the trouble I3ve seen. -1. (Is, Are) the news on at five or si#A -4. *athematics (is, are) 7ohn3s favorite subject, while ,ivics (is, are) Andrea3s favorite subject. -6. (ight dollars (is, are) the price of a movie these days. -8. (Is, Are) the twee+ers in this drawerA -<. Bour pants (is, are) at the cleaner3s. -=. There (was, were) fifteen candies in that bag. 9ow there (is, are) only one leftC .>. The committee (debates, debate) these &uestions carefully.
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.-. The committee (leads, lead) very different lives in private. ... The prime minister, together with his wife, (greets, greet) the press cordially. ./. All of the ,2s, even the scratched one, (is, are) in this case. (II) On Paragraphs

What is a paragraph?
A paragraph is a collection of related sentences dealing with a single topic. Dearning to write good paragraphs will help you as a writer stay on trac during your drafting and revision stages. @ood paragraphing also greatly assists your readers in following a piece of writing. Bou can have fantastic ideas, but if those ideas aren3t presented in an organi+ed fashion, you will lose your readers (and fail to achieve your goals in writing).

The Basic Rule:

eep !ne "#ea t$ !ne Paragraph

The basic rule of thumb with paragraphing is to eep one idea to one paragraph. If you begin to transition into a new idea, it belongs in a new paragraph. There are some simple ways to tell if you are on the same topic or a new one. Bou can have one idea and several bits of supporting evidence within a single paragraph. Bou can also have several points in a single paragraph as long as they relate to the overall topic of the paragraph. If the single points start to get long, then perhaps elaborating on each of them and placing them in their own paragraphs is the route to go.

Elements $% a Paragraph
To be as effective as possible, a paragraph should contain each of the following% &nit'( )$herence( A T$pic Sentence( and A#e*uate +e,el$pment- As you will see, all of these traits overlap. Esing and adapting them to your individual purposes will help you construct effective paragraphs.
Unity

The entire paragraph should concern itself with a single focus. If it begins with a one focus or major point of discussion, it should not end with another or wander within different ideas.
Coherence

,oherence is the trait that ma es the paragraph easily understandable to a reader. Bou can help create coherence in your paragraphs by creating logical bridges and verbal bridges.
Logical bridges The same idea of a topic is carried over from sentence to sentence Successive sentences can be constructed in parallel form

Verbal bridges Key words can be repeated in several sentences Synonymous words can be repeated in several sentences

Pronouns can refer to nouns in previous sentences Transition words can be used to link ideas from different sentences

A topic sentence

A topic sentence is a sentence that indicates in a general way what idea or thesis the paragraph is going to deal with. Although not all paragraphs have clear?cut topic sentences, and despite the fact that topic sentences can occur anywhere in the paragraph (as the first sentence, the last sentence, or somewhere in the middle), an easy way to ma e sure your reader understands the topic of the paragraph is to put your topic sentence near the beginning of the paragraph. (This is a good general rule for less e#perienced writers, although it is not the only way to do it). ;egardless of whether you include an e#plicit topic sentence or not, you should be able to easily summari+e what the paragraph is about.
Adequate development

The topic (which is introduced by the topic sentence) should be discussed fully and ade&uately. Again, this varies from paragraph to paragraph, depending on the author3s purpose, but writers should beware of paragraphs that only have two or three sentences. It3s a pretty good bet that the paragraph is not fully developed if it is that short. S$me meth$#s t$ ma.e sure '$ur paragraph is /ell-#e,el$pe#:

se e!amples and illustrations "ite data #facts$ statistics$ evidence$ details$ and others% &!amine testimony #what other people say such as 'uotes and paraphrases% se an anecdote or story (efine terms in the para)raph "ompare and contrast &valuate causes and reasons &!amine effects and conse'uences *naly+e the topic (escribe the topic ,ffer a chronolo)y of an event #time se)ments%

0$/ #$ " .n$/ /hen t$ start a ne/ paragraph?

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Bou should start a new paragraph when%

&hen 'ou be#in a ne( idea or )oint* .ew ideas should always start in new para)raphs/ 0f you have an e!tended idea that spans multiple para)raphs$ each new point within that idea should have its own para)raph/ +o contrast infor$ation or ideas* Separate para)raphs can serve to contrast sides in a debate$ different points in an ar)ument$ or any other difference/ &hen 'our readers need a )ause* 1reaks in para)raphs function as a short 2break2 for your readers3addin) these in will help your writin) more readable/ 4ou would create a break if the para)raph becomes too lon) or the material is comple!/ &hen 'ou are endin# 'our introduction or startin# 'our conclusion* 4our introductory and concludin) material should always be in a new para)raph/ 5any introductions and conclusions have multiple para)raphs dependin) on their content$ len)th$ and the writer6s purpose/

Transiti$ns an# Signp$sts

Two very important elements of paragraphing are signposts and transitions. Signposts are internal aids to assist readers' they usually consist of several sentences or a paragraph outlining what the article has covered and where the article will be going. Transitions are usually one or several sentences that FtransitionF from one idea to the ne#t. Transitions can be used at the end of most paragraphs to help the paragraphs flow one into the ne#t.
,ontributors:(ana 7ynn (riscoll$ *llen 1ri+ee/ Su$$ar':

The purpose of this handout is to give some basic instruction and advice regarding the creation of understandable and coherent paragraphs.

Paragraphing (Length Consistency)

$aragraphs are units of thought with one idea developed ade&uately. Disted here are some rules of thumb to use when paragraphing. As your writing improves, you3ll be able to brea these FrulesF to meet your own needs. Entil then, these suggestions can be helpful%

Put only one main idea per para)raph/ *im for three to five or more sentences per para)raph/ 0nclude on each pa)e about two handwritten or three typed para)raphs/ 5ake your para)raphs proportional to your paper/ Since para)raphs do less work in short papers$ have short para)raphs for short papers and lon)er para)raphs for lon)er papers/ 8

0f you have a few very short para)raphs$ think about whether they are really parts of a lar)er para)raph3and can be combined3or whether you can add details to support each point and thus make each into a more fully developed para)raph/

Bou can chec on whether your paragraphs are balanced by loo ing at your paper.

Some balanced pages:

Image ,aption% $aragraph )alance

Unbalanced pages with ideas not equally developed:

Image ,aption% Enbalanced $aragraphs &se the %$ll$/ing graphics as a t$$l t$ $rgani1e '$ur paper /ith $ne main i#ea in each b$x&se as man' pages an# b$xes as nee#e#-

Image ,aption% @raphics to 0elp with )alance and 5rgani+ation The t$pic sentence( /hich is t'picall' near the beginning $% '$ur paragraph( ser,es as the thesis statement %$r the paragraph- Asi#e %r$m a clear t$pic sentence( /hat else can '$u put in each b$#' paragraph? The ans/er: sentences that pr$,i#e supp$rting #etails %$r '$ur paragraph2s main i#eaThe diagram below illustrates the relationship between your essay"s main idea and thesis statement, your paragraphs" main ideas and topic sentences, and the supporting details you provide in each paragraph.
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,onsider the three e#ample topic sentences from Desson .. These three topic sentences represent the three subpoints our e#ample writer has chosen to support her main idea of Ggetting a better job.H Topic Sentence for )ody $aragraph -% The first step I will ta e to getting a better job is to finish school. Topic Sentence for )ody $aragraph .% 9e#t, I will wor toward getting a better job by preparing a resume. Topic Sentence for )ody $aragraph /% The final step I plan to ta e to get a better job is to search for jobs. :or each subpoint, what are some details that would add development and supportA Some ideas are listed below. 3ain "#ea $% B$#' Supp$rting +etails Paragraph :inish School $reparing a ;esume Searching for 7obs getting a course list from the community college' figuring out what classes I want to ta e' meeting with an advisor' signing up for classes listing my s ills and e#perience, finding sample resumes, drafting a resume, getting someone to loo at it going to the community job center' loo ing online for jobs I"m &ualified for' tal ing to friends and advisors about opportunities' ma ing a list of possible job leads

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The paragraph below is an e#ample body paragraph about finishing school. 4The %irst step " /ill ta.e t$ getting a better j$b is t$ %inish sch$$l- " can get a c$urse catal$gue %r$m the c$mmunit' c$llege an# stu#' it t$ see /hat classes s$un# interestingA%ter " thin. ab$ut /hat s$un#s interesting an# /$ul# be help%ul t$ me( " can #eci#e /hich $nes " /ant t$ ta.e- Then( " can meet /ith an aca#emic a#,is$r t$ get a#,ice ab$ut /hat c$urses " /$ul# nee# t$ get m' #egree- A%ter " %igure $ut /hat classes t$ ta.e an# get a#,ice %r$m an a#,is$r( " can sign up %$r the classes " nee# an# /ant t$ ta.e-4 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% %%%%%%%% (III) Writing Transitions @ood transitions can connect paragraphs and turn disconnected writing into a unified whole. Instead of treating paragraphs as separate ideas, transitions can help readers understand how paragraphs wor together, reference one another, and build to a larger point. The ey to producing good transitions is highlighting connections between corresponding paragraphs. )y referencing in one paragraph the relevant material from previous ones, writers can develop important points for their readers. It is a good idea to continue one paragraph where another leaves off. (Instances where this is especially challenging may suggest that the paragraphs don3t belong together at all.) $ic ing up ey phrases from the previous paragraph and highlighting them in the ne#t can create an obvious progression for readers. *any times, it only ta es a few words to draw these connections. Instead of writing transitions that could connect any paragraph to any other paragraph, write a transition that could only connect one specific paragraph to another specific paragraph.
E-a$)le< ,verall$ 5ana)ement Systems 0nternational has lo))ed increased sales in every sector$ leadin) to a si)nificant rise in third='uarter profits/ *nother important thin) to note is that the corporation had e!panded its international influence/ .e/ision< ,verall$ 5ana)ement Systems 0nternational has lo))ed increased sales in every sector$ leadin) to a si)nificant rise in third='uarter profits/ These impressive profits are lar)ely due to the corporation6s e!panded international influence/ E-a$)le< >earin) for the loss of (anish lands$ "hristian 0? si)ned the Treaty of 7ubeck$ effectively endin) the (anish phase of the 3; 4ears @ar/ 1ut then somethin) else si)nificant happened/ The Swedish intervention be)an/ .e/ision< >earin) for the loss of more (anish lands$ "hristian 0? si)ned the Treaty of 7ubeck$ effectively endin) the (anish phase of the 3; 4ears @ar/

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Shortly after (anish forces withdrew$ the Swedish intervention be)an/ E-a$)le< *my Tan became a famous author after her novel$ The Joy Luck Club$ skyrocketed up the bestseller list/ There are other thin)s to note about Tan as well/ *my Tan also participates in the satirical )ara)e band the Aock 1ottom Aemainders with Stephen Kin) and (ave 1arry/ .e/ision< *my Tan became a famous author after her novel$ The Joy Luck Club$ skyrocketed up the bestseller list/ Thou)h her fiction is well known$ her work with the satirical )ara)e band the Aock 1ottom Aemainders receives far less publicity/ ,ontributors:Ayan @eber$ Karl Stolley/ Su$$ar':

A discussion of transition strategies and specific transitional devices.

Transitional Devices
Transitional devices are li e bridges between parts of your paper. They are cues that help the reader to interpret ideas a paper develops. Transitional devices are words or phrases that help carry a thought from one sentence to another, from one idea to another, or from one paragraph to another. And finally, transitional devices lin sentences and paragraphs together smoothly so that there are no abrupt jumps or brea s between ideas. There are several types of transitional devices, and each category leads readers to ma e certain connections or assumptions. Some lead readers forward and imply the building of an idea or thought, while others ma e readers compare ideas or draw conclusions from the preceding thoughts. 0ere is a list of some common transitional devices that can be used to cue readers in a given way.
To Add:

and, again, and then, besides, e&ually important, finally, further, furthermore, nor, too, ne#t, lastly, what3s more, moreover, in addition, first (second, etc.)
To Compare:

whereas, but, yet, on the other hand, however, nevertheless, on the contrary, by comparison, where, compared to, up against, balanced against, vis a vis, but, although, conversely, meanwhile, after all, in contrast, although this may be true

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To Prove:

because, for, since, for the same reason, obviously, evidently, furthermore, moreover, besides, indeed, in fact, in addition, in any case, that is
To Show !ception:

yet, still, however, nevertheless, in spite of, despite, of course, once in a while, sometimes
To Show Time:

immediately, thereafter, soon, after a few hours, finally, then, later, previously, formerly, first (second, etc.), ne#t, and then
To "epeat:

in brief, as I have said, as I have noted, as has been noted

To mphasi#e:

definitely, e#tremely, obviously, in fact, indeed, in any case, absolutely, positively, naturally, surprisingly, always, forever, perennially, eternally, never, emphatically, un&uestionably, without a doubt, certainly, undeniably, without reservation
To Show Sequence:

first, second, third, and so forth. A, ), ,, and so forth. ne#t, then, following this, at this time, now, at this point, after, afterward, subse&uently, finally, conse&uently, previously, before this, simultaneously, concurrently, thus, therefore, hence, ne#t, and then, soon
To $ive an !ample:

for e#ample, for instance, in this case, in another case, on this occasion, in this situation, ta e the case of, to demonstrate, to illustrate, as an illustration, to illustrate
To Summari#e or Conclude:

in brief, on the whole, summing up, to conclude, in conclusion, as I have shown, as I have said, hence, therefore, accordingly, thus, as a result, conse&uently

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