Summarize general purpose notes
Chapter 2
1. Subject-Verb Agreement Basics:
- A singular subject requires a singular verb, and a plural subject requires a plural verb.
- Example: "The cat eats" (singular subject) vs. "The cats eat" (plural subject).
2. Special Cases:
- When making a noun plural, add "-s" (e.g., girl becomes girls).
- When making a verb plural, remove the "-s" (e.g., he talks becomes they talk).
- Example: "She has" (singular) vs. "They have" (plural).
3. Irregular Verbs:
- Some verbs have irregular forms for singular and plural subjects.
- Examples:
- DO: Singular - He does, Plural - They do.
- HAVE: Singular - She has, Plural - They have.
- BE: Singular - He is, Plural - They are.
4. Subject-Verb Agreement Rules:
- Use singular verbs for words like "anyone, everybody, each, every, someone, nobody."
- Use plural verbs when two subjects are joined by "and."
- Example: "Everyone is invited" (singular) vs. "The cat and the dog are playing" (plural).
5. Possible Pitfalls:
- Watch for subject-verb separation in sentences and ensure agreement.
- Maintain agreement in sentences starting with "there" where the subject may come after
the verb.
- Match relative pronouns (who/which/that) with their antecedents for correct agreement.
Chapter 3
Present Perfect Tense:
1. Function:
- Used to refer to actions or activities that occurred at an unspecified time in the past.
- Formed with [has/have + past participle].
- Specific time of the action is not crucial in this tense.
2. Rule of Use:
- Indicates an action that occurred at an unspecified time before the present.
- Exact time is unimportant.
- Not used with specific time expressions like yesterday, one year ago, or last week.
- Suitable for unspecific expressions like ever, never, once, many times, before, so far,
already, and yet.
Past Perfect Tense:
1. Function:
- Used to indicate an action that was completed before another action in the past or before a
specific time in the past.
- Expresses an earlier past action or event that was or was not completed before another
later past action or event.
2. Construction:
- Affirmative: Subject + "had" + past participle.
- Example: "I had arrived."
- Negative: Subject + "had not" (or "hadn't") + past participle.
3. Sequence of Events:
- Past Perfect tense is used for the earlier action, while simple past tense is used for the later
action to clarify the sequence of events.
- Example: "The robbers had escaped when the police arrived."
4. Usage Tips:
- Use Past Perfect to show an action completed before another past action.
- Use Present Perfect for actions with a connection to the present or unspecified past time.
Chapter 4
Adjectives:
1. Function:
- Modify nouns or pronouns by providing more information about their qualities or
characteristics.
- Describe or give more detail about the noun they are modifying.
- Often placed before the noun they modify.
2. Examples:
- "The beautiful flowers."
- "She has a red car."
3. Placement:
- Typically placed before the noun they modify.
- Can also come after linking verbs like "be," "seem," "appear," etc.
Adverbs:
1. Function:
- Modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs by providing additional information about how,
when, where, or to what extent an action is performed or a quality is described.
- Can also modify entire sentences or clauses.
2. Examples:
- "She quickly ran to catch the bus."
- "He speaks very softly."
3. Degrees of Adverbs:
- Positive Degree: Simple form without comparison. Example: "She sings beautifully."
- Comparative Degree: Used to compare actions or qualities. Example: "She sings more
beautifully than her sister."
- Superlative Degree:Used to compare actions or qualities of more than two things.
Example: "She sings the most beautifully in the choir."
4. Placement:
- Adverbs are versatile and can modify different parts of speech.
- Placed near the word they are modifying, but their placement can vary.
5. Adverbs vs. Adjectives:
- Adjectives primarily modify nouns, while adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives, other
adverbs, or even entire sentences.
- Adjectives describe nouns, while adverbs provide more information about the action,
quality, or circumstance being described.
