grammar basics

Edit Level 0Which, That; Its, It’s; Subject-Verb Agreement

Our Teacher Ms Anita

Which or That?The arrow that pierced the king’s heart had poison.

The arrow which pierced the king’s heart had poison.

Which or That?I have finished reading a book on XP which has been authored by Kent Beck.

I have finished reading a book on XP that has been authored by Kent Beck.

Which or That: Grammar ruleWhile “which” is related to a non-restrictive clause, “that’ relates to a restrictive clause.

Use “that” when the information is an essential part of the sentence.

Use “which” when the information is a non-essential part of the sentence.

Which or That?The shirt that you lent me is in my bag. The shirt, which is red, is in my bag.

The house that I wanted to buy has been sold.The house, which I didn't want to buy, has been sold.

The food store that I go to all the time is closed today. The store, which is near my house, is not open today. .

Its or It’s?This is his laptop. Its an old one, and will be replaced soon.

Its a matter of time before India becomes a superpower.

Agile’s getting popular. Short releases is its major feature.

This is a Doberman. It’s tail was cut a few days after it was born.

Its or It’s: Grammar ruleUse “its” when you are referring to the subject.

Use “it’s” as an abbreviation for “it is”.

Our Teacher Ms Rose

Basics of agreement: Rule 1Make the subject and its verb agree in person.

You are crazy.

I am not crazy.

This box belongs in the attic.

This box of ornaments belongs in the attic.

Dana Barrett has ghosts in her bedroom.

The Ghostbusters have a new client.

Basics of agreement: Rule 2Make a subject and its verb agree in number.

John is going.

John and Mary are going.

This test case is one of its kind.

The test cases are part of this course.

There was a great teacher in our batch.

Team mates from Chennai were fond of noodles.

Basics of agreement: Rule 3The singular verb form is usually used for units of measurement.

Four quarts of oil was required to get the car running.

Ten kilos of bananas is the elephant’s daily diet.

Five MB of space is the free space left on my computer.

Two units of insulin was his daily dosage.

Basics of agreement: Rule 4Indefinite pronouns typically take singular words.

Everybody wants to be loved.

Nobody claims to be perfect.

Everybody plays the fool sometimes.

Which one’s correct?A good set of skis costs hundreds of dollars.

A good set of skis cost hundreds of dollars.

Which one’s correct?A good set of skis costs hundreds of dollars.

A good set of skis costs hundreds of dollars.

—Ignore words that come between the subject and the verb.

A good set of skis costs hundreds of dollars.

Which one’s correct?My boss, as well has her staff, leaves early on Friday.

My boss, as well has her staff, leave early on Friday.

Which one’s correct?My boss, as well has her staff, leaves early on Friday.

My boss, as well has her staff, leave early on Friday.

—Reduce sentences to their simplest form.

My boss, as well as her staff, leaves early on Friday.

Which one’s correct?My friend and co-worker is waiting to see you.

My friend and co-worker are waiting to see you.

Which one’s correct?My friend and co-worker is waiting to see you.

My friend and co-worker are waiting to see you.

—If the words joined by “and” refer to a single thing, the subject is also singular.

Which one’s correct?Neither the instructor nor the students has any control over the class timings.

Neither the instructor nor the students have any control over the class timings.

Which one’s correct?Neither the instructor nor the students has any control over the class timings.

Neither the instructor nor the students have any control over the class timings.

—When the subject is joined with “or” or “nor” the verb agrees with the words closest to the verb.

Which one’s correct?The jury are deciding the fate of the accused.

The jury is deciding the fate of the accused.

Which one’s correct?The jury are deciding the fate of the accused.

The jury is deciding the fate of the accused.

—Words such as jury, committee, or herd will be singular when everyone in the group is acting together.

Which one’s correct?The jury are undecided on the guilt of the accused.

The jury is undecided on the guilt of the accused.

Which one’s correct?The jury are undecided on the guilt of the accused.

The jury is undecided on the guilt of the accused.

—Collective nouns will be plural when the members of the group are not acting together.

“Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson. You find the present tense and the past perfect.”