Lesson 9 Refresher-Grammatical-Rules-and-Voice-of-Verbs

COURSE
LEARNING PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MUNTINLUPA

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
MODULE University Road, Poblacion, Muntinlupa City
QR/CBA/0__ Course Title: TECHNICAL WRITING WITH BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

Issue No. 0 Revision No. 0 Effectivity Date 7 September 2020 Page No.
Refresher: Grammatical Rules
9
WEEK
& Voice of Verbs
Learning Objectives
After reading Chapter 3 you will be familiar with
LO1
Why correct grammar writing matters
LO2
What are the basic rules of grammar
By applying the information you will be able to
LO3
Identify and apply the grammar usage in business writing.
Module Outline
 Why correct grammar writing matters?
 What are the basic rules of grammar?
 Identify the grammar usage in business writing.
 Module Summary
 Learning Check
COURSE

EXPLAIN
LO1
Why correct grammar writing matters?
“Your grammar is a reflection of your image. Good or bad,

you have made an impression. And like all impressions, you
are in total control.” (Gitomer, 2013)
Grammar plays a vital role in technical and business writing. It supports the
information to be vivid and clear to readers. Poorly written documents imply bad reputation
for the writer and corporate image as well.
Regardless of the type of business correspondence, be it formal or informal, electronic
or hard-form – correctness in grammar is important. Undeniably, first impression matters and
has a lasting impact. If you want to connect with your readers effectively, you need to aim
good impression from them. Not only you will get their attention with your well-written
documents, you will also earn respect and eventually will boost more of your professional
confidence.
ELABORATE
LO2
What are the basic rules of grammar?
The subject-verb pair unifies the sentence. It gives a complete thought or idea. The
subject-verb pair guarantees that the sentence means something. Without this core, a
COURSE

sentence fragments and loses its power to speak. Indeed, a sentence only becomes complete
when it contains at least a subject and a verb.
Subject – doer of the action
Predicate – talks about the subject
RULE #1: A singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb.
Examples: TRY THESE:
He walks. They ________ (love) to sing lullabies.

(Singular subject – He, singular verb – walks)
She dances. He _______ (try) his best for her.
They sing. My friends _______ (run) towards me.
(Plural subject – They, plural verb – sing)
We talk.
Additional Inputs: If the compound subject is made from simple subjects joined by “and”, use
plural verb.
Samantha and Anna collaborate in their upcoming vlog in Youtube.
Phrases such as “together with, as well as, accompanied by, and, including” are not the same
as “and”. They do not make compound subjects. The verb must still agree with the simple
subject.
John, as well as his wife, is coming to the party.

COURSE

RULE #2: Notice that, unlike nouns, regular verbs in the present tense become plural by
subtracting the letter s from the end. In the past tense, verbs usually don’t change at all.
I loved her. They ________ (love) to sing lullabies.
He went to the library. He _______ (try) his best for her.
We decided to get married after the COVID-19 My friends _______ (run) towards me.
pandemic.
I ______ (catch) a cold yesterday.
RULE #3: The indefinite pronouns anyone, everyone, someone, no one, everybody,
and nobody are always singular, and require singular verbs.
No one loves me. Nobody________ (want) to be left behind.
Somebody gets this blanket. Someone _______ (leave) this gift on my table.
Everyone is required to pass the project. Anyone _______ (use) this vitamin will live
healthy.
Additional Inputs: We use indefinite pronouns to refer to people or things without saying
exactly who or what they are. We use pronouns ending in – body or –one for people, and
pronouns ending in –thing for things.
We use singular verb after an indefinite pronoun. But when we refer back to indefinite
pronoun, we normally use a plural pronoun.
Example:
Everybody enjoyed the concert. They stood up and clapped.
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Additional Inputs: Indefinite pronouns such as some, none, all, more, and most may be
singular or plural, depending on whether they are used with a mass noun.
Examples:
Most of the oil has been used.
Some of the drivers apply for a calamity loan.
RULE #4: Words like audience, dozen, jury, group, and team imply a plurality of members,
but when those members act as one, the noun is singular, and takes a singular verb. Collective
nouns are words that refer to a group of people.
Examples:
The team makes an ultimate record.
The choir sings beautifully.
TRY THESE:
The audience ______ (stand) after the performance.
The flock _______ (gather) around their shepherd.
RULE #5: Nouns that express amounts of concepts like time, money, and distance are
singular.
Examples:
Two thousand dollars is more than I can afford.
Seven miles seems to be so short when I am with her.

COURSE

RULE #6: Fractions are singular if they modify singular nouns and plural if they modify
plural nouns.
Examples:
One-third of this article is taken up with statistical analysis.
Fifty percent of the job is monotonous.
Half of his articles are peer-reviewed.
One-third of the students have stable internet connection

at home.
TRY THESE:
Half of what he writes ______ (be)

undocumented.
Fifty percent of the computers _______ (be) CD-

ROM drives.
Half of my family _______ (live) in Canada
Ten percent of the population _______ (be)

bilingual
RULE #7: Certain phrases such as along with, including, as well as, and together with do
not operate on the subject in the same way that the word and does. The word and, used to
connect two nouns or pronouns and compound them into a plural subject. But the phrases
listed above only interrupt the link between subject and verb, leaving the subject’s quantity
unchanged:
COURSE

You and I are going to the negotiation to discuss My colleagues, together with the staff,
the market price. _________ (prepare) the meeting room.
My boss, including his subordinates, is having I, including the interns, __________

their business trip. (discuss) the presentation.
RULE #8: Neither & Either - when they appear with the conjoining words nor (for neither)
and or (for either), the quantity of the subject closest to the verb determines the quantity of
the verb:
Examples:
Neither I nor you know what happened with the morning

board meeting.
Either the chairperson or the board members are all set

for their business trip.
Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes on that shelf.
Neither the serving bowl nor the plates go on that shelf.
TRY THESE:
My aunt or my uncle ____ (is/are) arriving by

train today.
Neither Juan nor Carmen _______

(attend/attends) the meeting.
Either Kiana or Casey _____ (is/are) helping

today with stage decorations.
RULE #9: A pronoun and its antecedent must agree in person, number, gender, and case.
Every pronoun must have antecedent – a noun in which it refers.

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Examples:
The employees report that they are more efficient in the new work-from-home setup.
(The 3rd person plural subject: employees, requires the 3rd person plural pronoun: they.)
LO3
Identify and apply the grammar usage in business writing.
Voice of Verbs
According to (Obnamia, 2014, p. 13): “Voice is the property of the verb which shows
whether the subject of the verb acts or is acted upon. The active voice shows the subject as
the doer of the action, the passive voice shows the subject when acted upon.”
Examples:
Active Voice
“Active verbs are stronger than passive verbs. Limit
The sun provides energy. the use of passive verbs to the description of a
The machine makes errors. process or other scientific texts.” (Obnamia, 2014)
Passive Voice
Energy is provided by the sun.
Errors are made by the machine.

COURSE

Module Summary:
 We study about grammar because knowing the rules and proper sentence construction
will enable us to write effectively.
 If we want to convey our messages right, we need to know how to develop our ability to
express and respond in writing. Then, the more we know about the standards of grammar,
the more we can create well-written documents.

COURSE

REFERENCES
BOOKS
Baraceros, E.L. (2011) Technical writing in this era of globalization and modern technology, Sampaloc, Manila:
Rex Book Store, Inc. (RBSI)
Braun, K., Locker, K.O., Kaczmarek, S.K. (2016) Business Communication: Building Critical Skills, Canada:
Mcgraw-Hill Education
Canavor, N. (2018), Business writing today, Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Garner, B. (2012), HBR guide to better business writing, Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School
Publishing
Gerson, S.M. (2015) Writing that works, Topeka, KS: Kansas Curriculum Center, Washburn University
Minas, R.M., Ferianiza, M.B., Bermudo P.V., Yango, A.J. (2008) Technical writing in the modern world,
Intramuros, Manila: Minshapers Co., Inc.
Obnamia, C.C. (2014) Writing in the discipline, Poblacion, Muntinlupa: Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng
Muntinlupa, College of Teacher Education
INTERNET MATERIALS
Brooks, C. (2014) What is technical writing, Waltham, MA: Business News Daily, Retrieved July 1, 2020 from
https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5864-technical-writing.html
Kashyap, V. (2019) Effective communication in the workplace: how and why, HR Technologist, Retrieved July
15, 2020 from https://www.hrtechnologist.com/articles/employee-engagement/effective-communication-in-the-
workplace-how-and-why/
Straus, J. (Unknown), Capitalization Rules, Retrieved July 5, 2020 from

https://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/capital (Unknown Author & Date) What Are Basic English
Grammar Rules, Retrieved July 5, 2020 from https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/grammar-rules-and-
tips/basic-english-grammar-rules.html
Straus, J. (Unknown), Capitalization Rules, Retrieved July 5, 2020 from

https://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/capital
Sviatuk, Y.V. (2015) Business correspondence style and format, Ukraine: Kyiv Taras Shevchenko National
University, Retrieved July 14, 2020 from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282590772_Business_Correspondence_Style_and_Format
Tontus, O. (2020) A Short Report on Covid-19 Pandemic, Istanbul Technical University, Retrieved July 7, 2020
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340006462_A_Short_Report_on_Covid-19_Pandemic
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COURSE

LEARNING PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MUNTINLUPA

QR/CBA/0__ Course Title: TECHNICAL WRITING WITH BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

Refresher: Grammatical Rules

& Voice of Verbs

After reading Chapter 3 you will be familiar with

By applying the information you will be able to

 Why correct grammar writing matters?

 What are the basic rules of grammar?

 Identify the grammar usage in business writing.

QR/CBA/0__ Course Title: TECHNICAL WRITING WITH BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

“Your grammar is a reflection of your image. Good or bad,

for the writer and corporate image as well.

Regardless of the type of business correspondence, be it formal or informal, electronic

or hard-form – correctness in grammar is important. Undeniably, first impression matters and

QR/CBA/0__ Course Title: TECHNICAL WRITING WITH BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

when it contains at least a subject and a verb.

Subject – doer of the action

Predicate – talks about the subject

Examples: TRY THESE:

He walks. They ________ (love) to sing lullabies.

Samantha and Anna collaborate in their upcoming vlog in Youtube.

John, as well as his wife, is coming to the party.

QR/CBA/0__ Course Title: TECHNICAL WRITING WITH BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

Examples: TRY THESE:

I loved her. They ________ (love) to sing lullabies.

He went to the library. He _______ (try) his best for her.

and nobody are always singular, and require singular verbs.

Examples: TRY THESE:

No one loves me. Nobody________ (want) to be left behind.

pronouns ending in –thing for things.

pronoun, we normally use a plural pronoun.

QR/CBA/0__ Course Title: TECHNICAL WRITING WITH BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

nouns are words that refer to a group of people.

The team makes an ultimate record.

The choir sings beautifully.

The audience ______ (stand) after the performance.

The flock _______ (gather) around their shepherd.

Two thousand dollars is more than I can afford.

Seven miles seems to be so short when I am with her.

QR/CBA/0__ Course Title: TECHNICAL WRITING WITH BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

One-third of this article is taken up with statistical analysis.

Fifty percent of the job is monotonous.

Half of his articles are peer-reviewed.

One-third of the students have stable internet connection

Half of what he writes ______ (be)

Fifty percent of the computers _______ (be) CD-

Half of my family _______ (live) in Canada

Ten percent of the population _______ (be)

QR/CBA/0__ Course Title: TECHNICAL WRITING WITH BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

Examples: TRY THESE:

My boss, including his subordinates, is having I, including the interns, __________

Neither I nor you know what happened with the morning

Either the chairperson or the board members are all set

Neither the serving bowl nor the plates go on that shelf.

My aunt or my uncle ____ (is/are) arriving by

Neither Juan nor Carmen _______

Either Kiana or Casey _____ (is/are) helping

Every pronoun must have antecedent – a noun in which it refers.

QR/CBA/0__ Course Title: TECHNICAL WRITING WITH BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

Energy is provided by the sun.

Errors are made by the machine.

QR/CBA/0__ Course Title: TECHNICAL WRITING WITH BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE