Reading, Language, and Literature, Part 33

Question 1: List some of the potential problems that can be encountered when using verbs.

Answer 1: The verb is the heart of the sentence. Verbs have several potential problems, including the following:1. Irregular verbs: These are verbs that do not follow usual grammatical rules.2. Tense: Tenses indicate the time of an action in relation to the time of speaking or writing about the action.3. Mood: There are three moods in English: the indicative, used for facts, opinions, and questions; the imperative, used for orders or advice; and the subjunctive, used for wishes. The subjunctive mood is the most likely to cause problems. The subjunctive mood is used for wishes and in if clauses expressing conditions contrary to facts. The subjunctive, in such cases, is the past tense form of the verb; in the case of be, it is always were, even if the subject is singular. The subjunctive mood is also used in that clauses following verbs such as ask, insist, recommend, and request. The subjunctive, in such cases, is the base, or dictionary, form of the verb.

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Question 2: Define pronoun, and discuss the four most frequently encountered problems with pronouns.

Answer 2: Pronouns are words that substitute for nouns: he, it, them, her, me, and so on. Four frequently encountered problems with pronouns include the following:1. Pronoun-antecedent agreement: The antecedent of a pronoun is the word the pronoun refers to. A pronoun and its antecedent agree when they are both singular or plural, or of the same gender.2. Pronoun reference: A pronoun should refer clearly to its antecedent. A pronoun’s reference will be unclear if it is ambiguous, implied, vague, or indefinite.3. Personal pronouns: Some pronouns change their case form according to their grammatical structure in a sentence. Pronouns functioning as subjects appear in the subjective case, those functioning as objects appear in the objective case, and those functioning as possessives appear in the possessive case.4. Who or whom: Who, a subjective-case pronoun, can be used only as subjects and subject complements. Whom, an objective-case pronoun, can be used only for objects. The words who and whom appear primarily in subordinate clauses or in questions.

Question 3: Define adjective and adverb. Tell their most common uses and forms.

Answer 3: Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns; adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Adjectives are often misused in place of adverbs to modify verbs in casual or nonstandard speech. Adverbs usually answer one of these questions: When? Where?, How? Why? How often? To what degree? Many adverbs are formed by adding –ly to adjectives. However, not all words ending in –ly are adverbs. Some adjectives end in –ly, and some adverbs do not.Adjectives ordinarily precede nouns, but they can also function as subject complements following linking verbs. When an adjective functions as a subject complement, it describes the subject.Most adjectives and adverbs have three forms: the positive, the comparative, and the superlative. The comparative should be used to compare two things, the superlative to compare three or more things.

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