SELF - LEARNING MODULE

ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

Quarter 2 | Module 6 | S.Y. 2021-2022
TEACHER: BECRIS M. PALMARES

I. OBJECTIVES
a. Analyzes the arguments used by the writer/s in manifestoes.
CS_EN11/12A-EAPP- lIa-d-3
b. Writes various kinds of position paper. CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-lIa-d-5

II. SUBJECT MATTER

Common Lapses in Grammar and Sentences Structures

III. LEARNING RESOURCES

 Author: Philippe John Fresnillo Sipacio
Anne Richie Garcia Balgos

IV. LEARNING ACTIVITY:

Grammar and Writing

There are some who argue that knowledge in grammar

has nothing to do with writing skills. In the Philippine context, there
are more Filipinos who are very sharp in recognizing grammatical
errors than those who are good in writing. You may wonder what
the difference is between grammar and writing. Grammar rules
guide one to correct sentence structure, whereas writing is the overall application of language
skills. A good knowledge in grammar rules and wisdom on how to apply them in writing will result
in a writing output that can easily be understood.

While good grammar leads to clear and effective writing, the construction of ideas and
logical arrangement of disclosure into a comprehensible whole makes one a good writer. So while
it is important for ideas to be presented in good grammar, they should also be written in a and
logical manner.

Subject-Verb Agreement

The subject of a sentence tells who the doer is, and the verb tells what is
being done. These two are the core parts of a sentence. They form the skeleton-the frame in
which all other surrounding words add to the meaning of the sentence. If these
two parts are absent, then the sentence is not complete. If these two do not agree with one
another, then the sentence is not in harmony.

The first of basic rules that a learner of an English language encounters is subject-verb
agreement. The rule is simple: a singular verb and vise versa. A fundamental knowledge on the
guidelines of subject-verb agreement is your foundation for an easier application of the subject-
verb agreement principle. Here are some basic principles and rules in verb usage.

Basic Rules in Subject-Verb Agreement

A good knowledge of verb tense usage is a prerequisite in determining the
Subject verb agreement in a sentence.

 There are two types of action verbs: regular verbs and irregular verbs
 The past and past participle forms of regular action verbs are formed with an – ed.
 Irregular verbs are more difficult as they vary in style and form. But there are patterns that
you can watch out for.
 Irregular verbs in past time do not need helping verbs.
 Irregular verbs in the past participle form need helping verbs.

A subject and verb should always agree in number. This is the foundation of all the other subject-
verb agreement rules. When it comes to subject-verb agreement, here are few more basic rules.

1. A sentence in present tense with a singular subject is paired with a verb in the -s form.

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 The lady throws her bouquet in the air.
2. A sentence in present tense with a plural subject is paired with a verb in a regular present
form (i.e., no -s).
3. Do not get confused with the words that may come between the subject and the verb.
Incorrect: Belen, who gave me cupcakes, are my aunt.
Correct: Belen, who gave me cupcakes, is my aunt.
4. Do not shift verb tenses unnecessarily in the sentences all throughout the paragraph and the
whole text.
Incorrect: She likes cupcakes: thus. She baked them.
Correct: She likes cupcakes; thus, she bakes them. Words
5. Place the subject after the verb when a sentence begins with the word “here” or “there”. This
will help you determine what number your verb should agree with. The following boldfaced
words are the subjects, and the italicized words are the verbs. Look at how they are together.
Here are your clothes.
There is a rainbow.

Regular and Irregular Verbs

There are two types of action verbs: regular verbs and irregular verbs. The past forms of regular
verbs end wit -ed, whereas irregular verbs are written in different ways. How to write irregular verbs may
be confusing and hard to remember, but there are patterns that can help you familiarize yourself with
irregular verb form.

Pattern Base Form Past Form Past Participle

-d ending changes to -t bend bent bent
lend lent lent
send sent sent
minus one vowel but a plus in sleep slept slept
consonant ending feed fed fed
kneel knelt knelt
-d or -t ending with ea vowels dream dreamt dreamt
pronounced as short e mean meant meant
hear heard heard
vowel is changed to -ought or -aught teach taught taught
bring brought brought
fight fought fought

 Remember to use auxiliary verbs -has, have, or had – with the past participle form of verbs.

Common Mistakes

The following table shows the singular and plural forms of verbs.

Singular Plural
Present Tense Past tense Present Tense Past Tense
is Was are were
has Had have had
does Did do did

The rule on the auxiliary verbs “is/was” and “are/were” is easy to understand, but it
can be confusing when the subject and the verb is separated from subject and the verb is separated from
each other by a phrase or a clause. Always remember to identify who or what the simple subject is to help
you determine the right form to use. You will understand more of this rule when we discuss the modifiers.
 The representative [from the Philippines to the Southeast Asian Games] is from Laguna.
 The representatives [from the Philippines, together with my uncle who happens to
be their coach,] are leaving tomorrow.

Note the clauses enclosed in brackets on the two sentences above.

In the first sentence, the subject representative is singular; therefore, use the helping verb "is.”
The subject "representative" is separated from the verb "is" by a dependent clause: "from

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 Philippines to the Southeast Asian Games." Do not let the word "Games” confuse you.

Even though it is the noun closest to the verb, it is still part of the clause so it is
not the subject the sentence.
In the second word "coach" may confuse you because it is the noun closest
the verb. But it is not the subject of the sentence.

Remember, always identify the subject first and the verb in your sentences to check if
they agree, most especially in the confusing cases of clauses.

Look at more examples below:

 The graduating class of Mrs. Lim, the teacher who is beloved by the students, is
planning a birthday surprise for her.
 The cupcakes which Kitty decorated with cappuccino icing and nuts were gone in
an instant.
The auxiliary verb "has" is the singular form, while "have" is the plural form for the
present tense. The past form for both is "had."
Incorrect: She have chickenpox. (present tense)
Correct: She has chickenpox. (present tense)
 The main idea of the sentence in the previous example is that she is currently sick
with chickenpox. If she has recovered from the disease, then you should say
Correct: She had chickenpox. (past tense)

note: This present tense rule applies only to the third person. The first person and the
second person pronouns such as "I” and "you'" take the plural form "have."
Incorrect: I has chickenpox.
Correct: I have chickenpox. (present tense)
I had chickenpox. (past tense)
Incorrect: You has chickenpox.
Correct: You have chickenpox. (present tense)
You had chickenpox. (past tense)

Collective nouns such as class take the singular form.

 The House of Representatives has taken a step to help solve the problem
 The association of organic farmers has been busy educating and encouraging other farmers to
shift to organic farming.
 The committee has decided to change the date and venue of the meeting.

Note. "Has," "have," and "had" should go with the past participle form of an action
verb.

 I have frozen the cake before putting icing on it. (not freeze nor froze)
 The announcement of the actress regarding her recent depression bouts
has shaken many fans. (not shake nor shook)
 I have hidden my valuables beneath the pile of paper under my table.
 I deeply regret that I had thrown all the old letters I received from my friends. (not
throw nor threw)
 The nurse had drawn the blinds to darken the room so that the patient can relax and sleep. (not
draw nor drew)

The auxiliary verb "did" always goes along with the base form of a verb and never with the past form.

Incorrect: Did she went to South Korea for a vacation?

Did she gone to South Korea for a vacation?
Correct: Did she go to South Korea for a vacation?
Incorrect: I did took the teachers' licensure exam.
I did taken the teachers' licensure exam.
Correct: I did take the teachers' licensure exam.
"Does" is the singular form, and "do" is the plural form in the third person point o

The first and second person points of view take the plural form as well.
First person: I do like the food at the wedding reception.
Second person: You do like them too, don't you?
Incorrect: She do a lot of baking during the weekends.
Correct: She does a lot of baking during the weekends.

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The word "to" in the infinitive form should go along with the base form and not the past form
Incorrect: The backpackers would like to bought the souvenir shirt.
Correct: The backpackers would like to buy the souvenir shirt.
Incorrect: Tourists can use the train to went around the city.
Correct: Tourists can use the train to go around the city.

Excellent writers are also conscious in making sure that the verb forms they
are consistent all throughout.

Incorrect: Richard says that his contract ended yesterday.

Correct: Richard said that his contract ended yesterday.
Incorrect: His report was late because he includes too much information.
Correct: His report was late because he included too much information

POST – WRITING STAGE

The postwriting stage in the writing process is revising and proofreading one's own work (and that
of other people). In the last module, common lapses in grammar and sentence structure were discussed.

In this module, we will discuss other important things that you should keep in mind while
proofreading: spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and abbreviation.

For spelling, commonly misspelled and/or misused words will be discussed. There are some
confusing words in English-there are words that sound the same but are spelled differently. Then there
are words that almost sound the same and spelled in almost the same way and yet when you interchange
their usage, they will give your sentence or message a different meaning.

Punctuation marks are very powerful. In fact, one mistake can lead to a mishap or
misunderstanding because they can change the meaning of a sentence. The most frequently used
punctuation mark is the period, which indicates the end of thought in a single sentence.
However, there are also other punctuation marks that we use within the sentence, and these are
the ones that, when used effectively, can bring out the clear meaning of a sentence in a smooth
discourse.

On the other hand, correct capitalization and abbreviation will give your writing a
smooth and flawless finish. Capital letters used at the beginning of a sentence indicates the start of a new
sentence. The first letter of a word when capitalized indicates a proper noun. Some words can be
abbreviated but should be done so correctly. There are words that can be appropriately abbreviated, and
there are standardized forms of abbreviations. for them. Do not create your own abbreviations.

Follow all the guidelines set in this module and abide within these parameters. Then you will
notice a great improvement in your writing.

Commonly Misspelled Words

There are words in English that can be confusing. Some of these words are the ones with
contraction. Look at the table.

Commonly Misspelled Words with and without Contractions Equivalent Spelled-out

Words without Contractions
Were we’re we are
Your you’re you are
his he’s he is
Their they’re they are
its It’s it is

To lessen your confusion, spell out the contracted word and see if it is grammatically correct. For
example, let's look at the sentence "It's amazing!" Spell out the contracted word “It's" to "It is amazing,"
and you will see that the sentence is grammatically correct; therefore, the word to use should be
the contracted word "it's" and not "its."

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 Another example is if you are going to write "We’re/ Were going home," which word will make the
sentence grammatically correct? Spell it out in your head. "We are going home" is the one that will make
your sentence grammatically correct, so use "we're" instead of "were.”

Punctuation Marks

Perhaps the most basic punctuation mark is the period. But it is interesting to note that even the
basic rule of placing the period at the end of a sentence, many students follow this rule. Always remember
to complete the thought or the idea in your sentence, and place a period at the end of it. The only time a
period is not used in a sentence is when you are writing a question or when you are expressing a very
strong idea or feelings (and you use an exclamatory point instead). Thus, we will no longer have a
separate discussion about the use of a period.

In this module, we shall discuss the comma, the colon, and the semicolon. Using these
punctuation marks effectively will improve your sentence structure and writing style.

Comma Rules

Commas are not used because there should be a break or pause in your sentence. Make sure
that you know the reason or the rule for placing a comma. Here are basic rules in using a comma.

 Use commas to separate items in a series.

I'd like to buy apples, oranges, lemons, and mangoes.
 Use commas to separate independent clauses.
I took the challenge, so you should not be scared to try it, too.
 Use a comma after an introductory clause or dependent clause.
Therefore, all things have worked as planned.
 Use commas in direct address.
David, please leave the room.
 Use commas to set off appositives.
Rosemarie, the best aunt ever, sent me a ticket to Canada.

Semicolon Rules

A colon adds flavor in your writing style. It cannot always replace a period; however, it can be
used to shorten the gap between two short sentences with parallel thoughts.

The curtain closed; the audience clapped.

 A Semicolon is also placed before conjunctions such as "however," "*therefore, and
"furthermore."
Gerald knows the truth; however, he remained quiet during the entire time of
investigation.
 A semicolon is placed in a series when the series contains commas.
I have been to Sarrat, llocos Norte; Legazpi, Albay; and Mambajao, Camiguin.

Capitalization and Abbreviation

The rules in capitalization and abbreviation are very simple, but you should keep them in mind
every time you write. The most basic rule of capitalization is to capitalize the first letter of the first word of
every sentence. You should also capitalize all proper nouns and proper adjectives.

There is no specific rule on how to abbreviate words, and remember that not all words can be
abbreviated. Words that are usually abbreviated are names of places such as countries, streets, and
provinces, units of measurement, and titles. If you are not sure regarding the abbreviation of something,
check the dictionary.

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 Teacher: BECRIS M. PALMARES

NAME: ______________________________________ GRADE & STRAND: ___________________

Test I: Complete the table by filling in the base form, the past tense form, or past
participle forms of the given verbs.

Base Form Past Tense Form Past Participle Form

1. caught caught
2. froze frozen
ride rode 3.
ring 4. rung
spring 5. sprung

Test II. Complete the following sentences by writing the correct form in the choices given. Write your
answer on the space provided.

__________1. The students who went along on the field trips (is/are) not exempted from
presenting their thesis proposals.
__________2. Kelvin and his classmates (was/were) (catch/caught) sneaking in the birthday
cake for Mrs. Gamez.
__________3. Acy (has/have) two extra exam booklets.
__________4. I (has/have) two extra pencils.
__________5. You (has/have) (teach/taught) the rules of basic grammar well.
__________6. She (do/does) a short writing exercise every day by writing an entry into her
journal.
__________7. (Do/Did) you (see/saw) my notes on this laboratory experiment? I (have/had)
been looking for it since yesterday.
__________8. Ryza agreed to (evaluate/evaluated) the English proficiency results of the
applicants.
__________9. Would you like to (get/got) some binder clips for these papers?
__________10. Peter asked me to (leave/left) the room when the complainant walked in.

Activity 1: Analyze the importance of the different grammatical rules, especially for academic purposes.
Explain your answer. Write it down below.

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Activity 2: Write a sample position paper applying Punctuation Marks, Semicolon Rules,
Comma Rules, Capitalization and Abbreviation. Write it down below.

____________________________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________________________
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VI. Enrichment:

Make your week productive . 

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