NAME NOOR IZATULHIDAYAH

BT DOLLAH
MATRIX D20091034434
NO.
COURSE AT06 (TESL)
CODE
CORRECTIONS TITLE H1N1 SCARE
SEMESTER 1 / 2009
A. Present Continuous Tense

The numbers of confirmed cases are increase further, with evidences of

nationwide spread.
X
The numbers of confirmed cases are increasing further, with evidences of ✔
nationwide spread.

A. Subject-Verb Agreement

The current situation regarding H1N1 has made people feels worry. 

The current situation regarding H1N1 has made people feel worried.
✔
 Most of H1N1 patients starts with sore throat and dry cough associated 
with fatigue

Most of H1N1 patients start with sore throat and dry cough associated ✔
with fatigue

Influenza viruses may also be spread when a person touch respiratory 

droplets on another person

Influenza viruses may also be spread when a person touches respiratory ✔

droplets on another person

A. Modal verbs


Some patient also have diarrhoea.

Some patient may also have diarrhoea. ✔

Influenza viruses also be spread when a person touches respiratory


droplets

Influenza viruses could also be spread when a person touches respiratory ✔

droplets
The essay has two common grammar mistakes which are in the SUBJECT - VERB
AGREEMENT and MODAL VERBS.

MISTAKES IN SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

EXAMPLE FROM THE ESSAY:

a. The current situation regarding H1N1 has made people feels worry.
b. Most of H1N1 patients starts with sore throat....
c. Influenza viruses also be spread when a person touch respiratory droplets....

For sentence (a) the phrase ‘people feels’ is incorrect because the word ‘people’ in the
sentence meaning that ‘ More than one person’ which is plural. So, we don’t need to
put ‘s’ for the verbs ‘feel’. We just put ‘s’ to a verb that comes after a singular
subject.

Same goes with sentence (b). The word ‘patients’ has a meaning that the patient is
more than one which is plural. So,we don’t need to put the ‘s’.

For sentence (c) ‘a person touch’ has a meaning that just one person touch respiratory
droplets. So, we need to put ‘es’ in the verb ‘touch’ in order to make it correct in the
form of Subject-Verb Agreement.

The correct sentences would be like the sentences below:

a. The current situation regarding H1N1 has made people feel worry.
b. Most of H1N1 patients start with sore throat....
c. Influenza viruses can also be spread when a person touches respiratory
droplets...
 MISTAKES IN MODAL VERBS

EXAMPLE FROM THE ESSAY:

a. Some patients also have diarrhoea.

b. Influenza viruses also be spread when a person touches respiratory droplets....

The sentences are incorrect because they don’t use the modal verbs in their sentences.
Sentence (a) show the meaning of to express possibilities and sentence (b) show the
meaning of to express certainty. So, we need to put the modals of possibility and
certainty in each sentences to make a complete and meaningful sentences.

Examples of modals of possibilities we can use are:

Might and May

Examples of modal of certainty we can use are:

Could and Can

The correct sentences:

a. Some patients may also have diarrhoea.

b. Influenza viruses could also be spread when a person touches respiratory
droplets...

Sentence (a) means that perhaps the patients of H1N1 also have diarrhoea.

And sentence (b) means that the influenza viruses can be spread when a person
touches respiratory droplets.

Those sentences are possibilities and certainty.

We can use them for the present or for the future.

SUBJECT – VERB AGREEMENT

Explanation: A verb must agree with its subject in Number and Person. Like the noun or
pronoun, a verb too has two numbers which are Singular and Plural. A subject in the singular
must have a verb in the singular. If the subject is plural, the verb too must be in the plural.

SUBJECT VERB

PERSON NUMBER NUMBER PERSON

SINGULAR PLURAL SINGULAR PLURAL

FIRST: I am First

SECOND: You (You ) are ( are ) Second

THIRD : He is Third

She is

They are

Example
(a) The door is open.
(b) The doors are open.

Explanation
In the sentence (a), the word ‘is’ is a singular verb that must agree with their subjects in their
number which is the word ‘door’. The word ‘door’ is a singular subject.

The sentence (b) shows that the word ‘are’ is a plural verb that agrees with their plural
subject which is the word ‘doors’.

Both sentences are correct.

Singular verbs used with singular subject.

 SINGULAR SINGULAR SENTENCES

SUBJECTS VERBS

Each has Each person has a different personality.

Every is walking Every student is walking to the hall.

Nobody knows Nobody knows where he is.

None reaches None of them reaches the top of the

mountain.

Everybody is Everybody is in the sitting room.

Everyone is Everyone is given an equal amount of

time.

Anyone has Has anyone seen my wallet?

Anybody has Has anybody taken my book?

Each of needs Each of them needs to bring their own

food.

One of is One of the students is absent today.

Neither of knows, is Neither of them knows the other is in

the same room.

Either of has Either country has to come to an

agreement or go to war.

With is The boy, with his friends, is playing

football.

Like carries The girl, like her mother, carries a

 basket.

As well as has Peter, as well as Eng Hock, has a

bicycle.

Collective nouns is The bunch of bananas is ripe.

(bunch)

Uncountable nouns tastes This coffee tastes bitter.

(coffee, sugar )

Singular verbs always have ‘-s’ after the verbs. For example, ‘walks’ from the word ‘walk’.

Plural subjects must be with plural verbs.

PLURAL PLURAL SENTENCES

SUBJECTS VERBS

All are All of the class representatives are here.

Both are Both the pencils are mine.

Several are Only several of them are still standing.

Many walk Many people walk along the road.

Some were Some of the students were failed in the

examination.

And are Mira and Mei Ying are cycling to

school together.
 MODAL VERBS

WE USE MODALS TO:

A. To express certainty
When we wish to conclude something based on facts or logic, we can use the modals:
have got to, have to, may, might, should, ought to, can, could, can, could, can’t,
couldn’t.

1. When the speaker is 100% sure

Example
a. The dodo bird is extinct
b. We need food to live.
(NO MODAL IS USED IN THESE TWO SENTENCES)
1. When the speaker is very sure
Example
a. We have got to study consistently if we wish to do well in exams.
b. John’s parents have to know that their son is playing truant.
1. When the speaker is not very certain
Example
a. The students may study in the library tonight
b. John’s parents could find out why their son is playing truant.

A. To express necessity
Varying degrees of necessity can be expressed through the use of the following
expressions: must, have to, need to, had better, should, ought to, could and might.

1. When something is required by law

Example
a. We must have food and water to survive
b. We must obey traffic rules at all times.
1. When making strong suggestions
 Example
a. You have to visit a dentist. Your tooth is decaying badly.
b. I can see that you are stressed. You need to take a vacation
1. When expressing strong expectations
Example
a. You are supposed to bring me to the airport. Where are you?
b. You were to sign this document in front of the lawyer but you did not turn up.
1. When offering strong advice
Example
a. You had better send your girlfriend a bouquet of roses or she will never forgive
you.
b. You had better settle the traffic fine before you get into further trouble.
1. When making suggestions
Example
a. You should tie your hair. It is too long.
b. You ought to try this pimple cream. It is very effective.
1. When making suggestions but not trying to influence the speaker too strongly
Example
a. You could try adding more butter to the cake to make it soft.
b. You might try seeing the problem from his point of view.
1. When asking questions about a course of action
Example
a. Shall I switch on the fan? Yes, let’s go.
b. Shall we go to the circus tonight.

THE FORM OF MODAL VERBS

 MODAL + THE SIMPLE FORM OF VERB

CAN (a) Mary can speak English. Can, could, may,

might, should, had
better, must, will and
would

COULD (b) He couldn’t come to class. are immediately

followed by the simple
form of a verb.

MAY (c) It may rain tomorrow. • They are not

followed by to.

MIGHT (a) It might rain tomorrow. INCORRECT: Mary

can to speak English.

SHOULD (b) Mary should study harder. • The main verb is

not in a past form.

HAD BETTER (a) I had better study tonight. INCORRECT: Mary

can spoke English.

MUST (b) Mary must see a doctor today. • The main verb is
not in its –ing form.

WILL (a) I will be in class tomorrow. INCORRECT: Mary

can speaking English.

WOULD (b) Would you please close the door?

But for MAY, MIGHT, COULD, SHOULD and OUGHT TO:
We can also use a continuous form. ( be + an –ing form )

(a) The girl may/might be watching us. ( perhaps she is watching us)

(b) I’m not sure where Mary is. She could be shopping at the mall. (possibly she is
shopping at the mall)

(c) She should be studying tonight. It’s late already.

(d) Mary ought to be working. Why she is still here?

MODALS + TO + SIMPLE FORM OF VERBS

HAVE TO (a) I have to study tonight. To + the simple form

is used with these
modals:

HAVE GOT (b) I have got to study tonight. have to, have got to,
ought to.
TO

OUGHT TO (c) Mary ought to study better.

To overcome the grammatical errors problem for the Subject-Verb Agreement, firstly the
writer should know how to differentiate between singular and plural words. It is the most
important thing because she made mistakes in using the correct verbs for singular and plural
subject. She needs to remember that plural subject use a verb with no ‘s’ or ‘es’ but for the
singular subject, it use verbs after the subject with ‘s’ or ‘es’.

For the errors made in Modal Verbs, she needs to know the modal verbs for many situations.
For instance, we use the modal verbs may, might, could, and must to show possibility and
certainty. Other than that, she also needs to know modal verbs can, may, could and be
allowed to are use in asking permission. Using the correct modal verbs in correct sentences is
important to make the sentences we made are grammatically correct.

So, she should do a lot more practises in these two types of grammar so that she wouldn’t do
the same mistakes again.
 REFERENCES

Betty Schrampfer Azar (2003), Fundamentals of English Grammar: chartbook a reference

grammar, Third Edition.

Prentice Hall Regents, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Rose Tunku Ismail (1996), A Review of English Grammar, Volume 2, Dewan Bahasa dan
Pustaka

Practical English Usage ESL, Book 4 (1999), English Language Research Service