Week 3

15. TOPIC: SINGULAR AND PLURAL NOUNS

Description:
- Nouns are either singular or plural. A singular noun is just one; a plural is more than one.
Examples:
Singular nouns go with SINGULAR Plural nouns go with PLURAL VERBS
VERBS
 Apple  Apples
 Husband  Hubands
 Wife  Wives
 Knife  Knives
 Goose  Gees

Examples:

 An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

 Apples keep you healthy.

Remember:
Nouns in the plural end with an “s”. 
But now and again - just to confuse you! - we meet a singular noun that ends in an “s” ….  They
look like they are plural, but actually they are singular!

Examples: Mathematics, Economics, Physics are all singular nouns.

Comprehension Check:
What verb would you use for the following nouns?
husband (work/works) managers students (study/studies)
(compute/computes)

Exercise Incomplete Sentences 

1. Sincerity is important when making an apology.
2. The teacher forgives apologetic students without punishing them. (Specific)
 16. TOPIC: PREPOSITIONS

General Description:
- A preposition is a “link word” in a sentence. It shows how what it’s talking about relates
to the rest of the sentence. It can do this in terms of: 
 Location or place [“where it is”]
 The manual is on the shelf.
 The book is in my desk.
 She lives in the city.
 I live at no. 44 New York Street
 Time [“when it happened”]
 She worked for more than eight hours.
 He has worked since 1970.
 Movement
 She went to the office.
 He came here straight from home.
Remember: In order to choose an appropriate preposition, it is important to identify the
function or what it’s doing in the sentence.

Comprehension Check:
Choose the appropriate preposition in the sentence below.
The ball is (on, to) the table.
Exercise: Incomplete Sentences 
1. We went to the company party last night.
2. I work in Tokyo city.

17. TOPIC: PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES

General Description: 
- A prepositional phrase starts with a preposition and is followed by the object of the
sentence.
 e.g. The email was about the marketing plan. I immediately replied after reading
the email.
Exercise: Incomplete Sentences 
1. Please send me an email after you have finished the task assigned to you.
2. I was not able to forward the manager’s message to your email address.
3. I received an email from my client.
4. The employee worked for nine hours.
 18. TOPIC: PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES AND VERB AGREEMENT

Description:
- Prepositional phrases begin with a preposition and end with a noun.
 e.g. in the kitchen
 (preposition)” in” + “the kitchen” (object of the preposition)
- Prepositional phrases may come in between the subject and the verb of a sentence:
 Subject + prepositional phrase + verb
 When this happens, many people get the verb ending wrong - like this –
 WRONG: The employees in the company receives a complaint.
 Correct subject-verb agreement: Ex. The employees in the company
receive a complaint.
- The rule is, make sure the verb ‘agrees’ with the subject [singular or plural] - do not be
distracted by the prepositional; phrase that comes in between!

Examples:
Sample Preposition Sample Sentence
 Aboard  The passengers aboard the old train are unhappy.
 Beside  The owner of the café beside my shop is not friendly.
 Opposite  The customers opposite me find the food too spicy.

Exercise: Incomplete Sentences 

1. The viewers in the movie theatre were not satisfied with the movie’s ending.
2. The guest in the hotel is not contented with his suite.
3. The guests inside the hotel restaurant think their rooms are good.

19. TOPIC: COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS (INTRODUCTION)

General Description:
- A conjunction is a “joining together” word.
- So - a coordinating conjunction joins parts of a sentence together - and, but, or, nor, for,
yet, so
Examples:

 they might talk about similarity [“both the same”]

o The blouse and skirt are blue.
 Or choice [“one or the other”]
o He wants an apple or an orange.
Use a comma before the following conjunctions:

 But and yet - which “tells difference”

o I like rock music, but she likes classical music.
o Alvin was tired, yet happy.
 For and because - which is for “cause and effect” –
o They are late, for they got lost
o They are late, because they got lost
 So - which “tells the result”
o Fred was sick, so he went home

Comprehension Check:
Choose the most appropriate conjunction for the following sentence:
Jenny was honored for her dedication to duty (and/or/but) loyalty to the company.

Exercise: Incomplete Sentences

1. They talked about her loyalty and dedication.
2. Edith’s quality of work is superb, so her boss gave her an award.
3. Either Andrea or Aileen can start the meeting.

20. TOPIC: COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS

General Description:
- Coordinating conjunctions are “connecting words” - there are seven of them
- To remember all seven, think of FANBOYS
F = for
A = and
N = nor
B = but
O = or
Y = yet
S = so

This is how they work:

 or - suggests an alternative [“choose one or the other”]

o The director or the secretary can attend the meeting.
 but - suggests a contrast [e.g. “good vs. bad”] 
o Alex loves to attend conferences but hates small meetings.
  for - to suggests a reason [“why it happened”]
o Adam was awarded for getting the highest number of sales.
Exercise: Incomplete Sentences
1. The new member of our staff is intelligent but lazy.
2. My boss likes neither incompetent nor timid employees.
3. The marketing project is stressful yet fulfilling.

21. TOPIC: PARALLELISM

General Description:
- Parallelism is when similar groups of words are strung together in a sentence - joined
together by conjunctions such as "and" or "or".
Remember: When creating parallelism, the words must “match”
a. I love writing, reading and drawing. 
b. I have lots of classmates, friends and neighbors
Not parallel - this is WRONG!
- My mother taught me how to sing, to dance, and playing the guitar
Parallel - this is CORRECT!
- My mother taught me how to sing, to dance, and to play the guitar
Note: You can also just write it as “to sing, dance and play the guitar”

Not Parallel - WRONG!

- The meeting was about the importance of safety, cleanliness, and organize in the office.
Parallel - CORRECT
- The meeting was about the importance of safety, cleanliness, and organization in the
office.

Comprehension Check:
Change the form of these verbs to create parallelism with each other and use them in a
sentence:
request ---- scheduling ---- to cancel (requesting, scheduling, cancelling)

Exercise: Incomplete Sentences

 1. Avoid too much rescheduling because it can be a waste of money, effort, and time.

22. TOPIC: SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS

General Description:
- A subordinating conjunction is a word which joins together a dependent clause and an
independent clause. It usually comes at the beginning of the dependent clause. The
dependent clause can be before or after the independent clause.
Dependent clause  - a clause which needs a main (or independent) clause to complete its
meaning.
Independent clause - a clause which has a complete meaning and can “stand alone”.

Joining clauses together with subordinating conjunctions (SB)

a. Because [SB] it was raining [dependent clause], I took my umbrella [independent
clause].        
b. He was wearing a jacket [independent clause] although [SB] it was hot [dependent
clause].

Here are some common Subordinating Conjunctions:

After As if If only Even though Until
When So that Before If Now that
Because Once In order that Although As long as
Though As though Even if Rather than Than
Since That Unless ‘till

Remember: Some of the most important subordinating conjunctions fall into two groups:
contrast, and cause and effect.
a. Express contrast/opposite ideas
o Ex. Although he's small, he's very strong. Luis is short, whereas Eric is tall.
b. Show cause/effect 
o Ex. I lost my job because I was always absent. Since I have no money, I can't
buy the shoes. 

Exercise: Incomplete Sentences

1. Sheri got the job even though she had no experience.
2. I will be late today because my boss called for an urgent meeting.
 3. Although few participants came, they continued the meeting.

23. TOPIC: SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS AND THEIR CORRECT POSITION IN A

SENTENCE

General Description:
- As we’ve seen, a subordinating conjunction is the word that joins an independent and a
dependent clause together. The subordinating conjunction can go either at the beginning
or in the middle of the sentence, depending on which idea is ‘most important’.
Remember: Some common examples of subordinating conjunctions are after, because, if, that,
though, although, until before, unless, when, where, while, etc.
Examples:
1. In sentences starting with independent clauses, the dependent clause comes after the
subordinating conjunction.
o Independent Clause Subordinating Conjunction Dependent Clause
o Sir Barrie should prepare his lesson before the students arrive.
2. If the first word of a sentence is a subordinating conjunction, the dependent clause
comes straight after. The dependent clause ends in a comma, and then finally the
independent clause comes at the end to finish the sentence.
o Subordinating conjunction Dependent clause  Independent clause
o Before I give you the handouts, let me first check the attendance.

Comprehension Check:
Join the following two short sentences into one long one by using a subordinating conjunction.
The finance team forgot to audit the expenses. The reports weren’t presented. 
The reports weren’t presented because the finance team forgot to audit the expenses.

Exercise: Incomplete Sentences 

1. Please pass the hand-outs while I discuss the progress report from last year.
2. We can’t start the meeting until everybody is here.
3. Because the company had more losses than profit, the director decided to close the
business.
 24. TOPIC: INCORRECT SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS

Description:
- Subordinating conjunctions connect the dependent (subordinate) clause to the
independent clause (main clause). As such, they should be placed in front of the
dependent clause.
Ex. After the CEO gives his decision, the new office rule can take effect.
 (subordinating conjunction + dependent clause) followed by (independent clause)
- If you put the subordinating conjunction in the WRONG PLACE, it can completely wreck
the meaning of the sentence - like this….
Ex. The CEO gives his decision, after the new office rule can take effect.
 (dependent clause) + (subordinating conjunction, in the WRONG PLACE + independent
clause)
- Sometimes, putting the subordinating conjunction in the wrong place will still result in a
sentence which is correct grammatically; however, the meaning will be completely
different from what you intended to say.
Here’s an example: 
Main Idea: “The board approved the proposal.”
Correct The board approved the proposal because you presented the benefits.
WRONG! You presented the benefits because the board approved the proposal.
The WRONG sentence makes sense grammatically but see how the meaning has been turned
‘back-to-front’!
 
Exercise: Incomplete Sentences
1. The staff appreciated my new rules after they had seen the results.
2. Even though it was obviously wrong, the management approved the suggestion.
3. I have proposed the increase in the number of guards in our building so that our security
will be ensured.