Mt. Language Help

20 Content Problems for the Most Difficult Errors in English

Four kinds of nouns

• Concrete= a solid real thing in the physical world.

• Abstract= an idea or feeling. These can’t be touched by your fingers.

• Collective= a single word which means a group. Family. Team. Class. Crew.

• compound= This is easy. There will be two or more words. Christmas Day. Grandmother.

Possessive Nounsor

Where do I put the apostrophe?

• If the noun is singular and does not end in “S” the apostrophe goes before the s.

• Bob’s shoeone person named Bob who owns a shoe.

• dog’s collarone collar belonging to one dog.

• If the noun is plural and ends in an “S” the apostrophe goes AFTER the “s”.

• Students’ tabletstablets belonging to many students.

• Elephants’ tusks.Tusks belonging to many elephants

Active Voice/ Passive Voice(Passive voice is really inverted sentence order; the object of the preposition “BY” becomes

the subject of the passive voice sentence.)

• In active voice sentences, the subject does the action.• Example: Liz played the piano. • In passive voice sentences, the subject receives the action. • Example: The piano was played by Liz. • Can you see how the subject and the directobject have changed places?

This came from the website below. Go to this website for more help.• http://englishforeveryone.org/PDFs/Active%20-%20Passive%20Voice.pdf

• http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Yoda

"Do or do not; there is no try."

4. Right use of verbTense Example Explanation

Simple Present I play football every week. Here you want to say that it happens regularly.

Present Progressive I'm playing football now. Here you want to say that it is happening at the moment.

Simple Past I played football yesterday. You did it yesterday, it happened in the past.

Past Progressive I was playing football the whole evening.

You were doing it in the past. It's not sure whether the action was finished or not.

Present Perfect I have just played football. You have just finished it. So it has a connection to the present. Maybe your clothes are dirty.

Present Perfect Progressive

I have been playing football for 2 hours.

You want to say how long you have been doing it. (You started in the past and it continues up to the present.

Past Perfect I had played football before Susan came.

The two actions are related to each other: you had finished to play football and after that the girl arrived.

Past Perfect Progressive

I had been playing football for two hours when Susan came.

Here you want to point out how long you had been doing it before the girl came.

Future I will play football next week. This is a prediction, you can probably do something else.

Future Progressive I will be playing football next Sunday. You do it every Sunday (as usual)

Future Perfect I will have played football by tomorrow. You will have done it before tomorrow.

5. Correct Fragment/Run-on Sentence• Given an incorrect sentence or sentence

fragment, how can you make ONE complete sentence?

make a simple sentence—one ideamake a compound sentence—two ideas

comma and a coordinating conjunction(, fanboys)Semicolon ( ; ) to separate two independent clauses.

make a complex sentence using a subordinating conjunction or a relative pronoun.

6. ID Subject and Verb

• Identify the simple subject only.

• In a declarative sentence (not a question) the subject comes before the verb.

• It will NEVER be in a prepositional phrase.– Use your prepositional

phrase chart to filter for prepositions.

• The verb may be a single word, or it could have a be verb AND an auxiliary verb in addition to the action verb— – “have been walking.”– “were playing”

This will be a little easier; verb choice

is in parenthesis

7. Correct adjective

• Positive degree just the basic form of the adjective.

• Comparative degree= comparing two items= the -ER form of the adjective.

• Superlative degree comparing three or more items. It takes the –EST form of the adjective.

• Good, strong, fast

• Better, stronger, faster

• Best, strongest, fastest

8. Correct adverb99 44/100% of the time the adverb will end in –LY. It is a very safe bet to go with that.• Watch out for good and well.– Good is an adjective; it will describe a noun.– Well is an adverb; it will describe a verb, an other

adverb, or an adjective. • Watch out for lovely and ugly; they are

adjectives.– Slowly, quickly, graciously, fabulously, thinly, powerfully, loudly, softly –

all adverbs.

#9. Easily confused words• affect / effect Effect is usually a noun that means a result or the power to produce a result: “The sound of the falling rain had a calming effect,

nearly putting me to sleep.” Affect is usually a verb that means to have an influence on: “His loud humming was affecting my ability to concentrate.” Note that effect can also be a verb meaning to bring about or execute: “The speaker's somber tone effected a dampening in the general mood of the audience.”

• cite / site Cite is a verb that means to quote as an authority or example: “I cited several eminent scholars in my study of water resources.” It also means to recognize formally: “The public official was cited for service to the city.” It can also mean to summon before a court of law: “Last year the company was cited for pollution violations.” Site is a noun meaning location: “They chose a new site for the factory just outside town.”

• few / less Few is an adjective that means small in number. It is used with countable objects: “This department has few employees.” Less is an adjective that means small in amount or degree. It is used with objects of indivisible mass: “Which jar holds less water?”

• their / there / they're Their is the possessive form of they; there refers to place; and they're is the contraction of they are. “They're going there because their mother insisted they become proficient in Serbo-Croatian.”

• who's / whose Who's is the contraction of who is. Whose is the possessive form of who. “Who's going to figure out whose job it is to clean the stables?”

• it's / its It's is a contraction for it is, whereas its is the possessive form of it: “It's a shame that we cannot talk about its size.”•

your / you're Your is the possessive form of you; you're is the contraction you are. “If you're planning on swimming, then be sure to bring your life vest and flippers.”

• stationary / stationery Stationary is an adjective that means fixed or unmoving: “They maneuvered around the stationary barrier in the road.” Stationery is a noun that means writing materials: “We printed the letters on company stationery.”

• principal / principle Principal is a noun that means a person who holds a high position or plays an important role: “The school principal has 20 years of teaching experience.” Principal is also an adjective that means chief or leading: “The necessity of moving to another city was the principal reason I turned down the job offer.” Principle is a noun that means a rule or standard: “They refused to compromise their principles.”

• laid / lain / lay Laid is the past tense and the past participle of the verb lay and not the past tense of lie. Lay is the past tense of the verb lie and lain is the past participle: “He laid his books down and lay down on the couch, where he has lain for an hour.”

• Read more: Easily Confused or Misused Words | Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0200807.html#ixzz2QGYHGegU

10. Verb tenseThis is from this web site: http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbtenseintro.html

Simple Present Simple Past Simple Future

I study English every day. Two years ago, I studied English in England.

If you are having problems, I will study English with you.

I will study English next year.

( NOT ON Mt. Language)Present Continuous (Not on Mt. Language)Past Continuous (Not on Mt. Language) Future Continuous

I am studying English now. I was studying English when you called yesterday.

I will be studying English when you arrive tonight.

I am going to be studying English when you arrive tonight.

Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Perfect

I have studied English in several different countries.

I had studied a little English before I moved to the U.S.

I will have studied every tense by the time I finish this course.

I will have studied every tense by the time I finish this course.

11. Pronoun Case• Usage - Pronoun Case

Subjective or nominative case

Objective case Possessive case

personal pronouns singular 1st person I me mine

2nd person you you yours

3rd personhesheit

himherit

hishersits

plural 1st person we us ours

2nd person you you yours

3rd person they them theirs

interrogative pronouns Who? Whom? Whose?

Whoever? Whomever?

relative which/that/ who which/that/ whom Whose

indefinite pronouns

Everybody all most some

Everybody nobody everybody's

#12 Pronoun TypesPersonal

I, me, we, us, you, he, him, she, it, they, themPossessive

My, mine, our, ours, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, their, theirs

**Relative** Used in subordinate clauses to create complex sentences.

That, which, who, whom, whose

Demonstrative “Determiners”This these those that

Intensive/Reflexive

Himself, herself, itself, themselves, myselfInterrogative

What, which, who, whom, whose

IndefiniteAll Each Many Nobody Other Both few

Any Either Much One Somebody More None SeveralAnyone Everything Most No one Some

#12. Pronoun types This is from http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0885483.html

Pronouns• A pronoun is used in place of a noun or nouns. Common pronouns include he, her, him, I, it, me, she, them, they, us, and we. • Often a pronoun takes the place of a particular noun. This noun is known as the antecedent. A pronoun "refers to," or directs your

thoughts toward, its antecedent. Let's call Luma and ask her to join the team. (Her is a pronoun; Luma is its antecedent.)To find a pronoun's antecedent, ask yourself what that pronoun refers to.

What does her refer to in the sentence above—that is, who is the her? The her in the sentence is Luma; therefore, Luma is the antecedent.

Subjective / Nominative Pronouns• A subjective pronoun acts as the subject of a sentence—it performs the action of the verb. The subjective pronouns are he, I, it, she, they,

we, and you.• He spends ages looking out the window. After lunch, she and I went to the planetarium.

Objective Pronouns• An objective pronoun acts as the object of a sentence—it receives the action of the verb. The objective pronouns are her, him, it, me,

them, us, and you.• Cousin Eldred gave me a trombone. Take a picture of him, not us!

Possessive Pronouns• A possessive pronoun tells you who owns something. The possessive pronouns are hers, his, its, mine, ours, theirs, and yours.• The red basket is mine. Yours is on the coffee table.

Demonstrative Pronouns• A demonstrative pronoun points out a noun. The demonstrative pronouns are that, these, this, and those.• That is a good idea. These are hilarious cartoons. A demonstrative pronoun may look like a demonstrative adjective, but it is used

differently in a sentence: it acts as a pronoun, taking the place of a noun.

#12. Pronoun types This is from http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0885483.html

Interrogative Pronouns• An interrogative pronoun is used in a question. It helps to ask about something. The interrogative pronouns are what, which, who,

whom, and compound words ending in "ever," such as whatever, whichever, whoever, and whomever.• What on earth is that? Who ate the last Fig Newton? • An interrogative pronoun may look like an interrogative adjective, but it is used differently in a sentence: it acts as a pronoun, taking the

place of a noun.Indefinite Pronouns• An indefinite pronoun refers to an indefinite, or general, person or thing. Indefinite pronouns include all, any, both, each, everyone, few,

many, neither, none, nothing, several, some, and somebody.• Something smells good. Many like salsa with their chips.• An indefinite pronoun may look like an indefinite adjective, but it is used differently in a sentence: it acts as a pronoun, taking the place

of a noun.

Relative Pronouns• A relative pronoun introduces a clause, or part of a sentence, that describes a noun. The relative pronouns are that, which, who, and

whom, whose.• You should bring the book that you love most. That introduces "you love most," which describes the book.• Hector is a photographer who does great work. Who introduces "does great work," which describes Hector.Reflexive Pronouns• A reflexive pronoun refers back to the subject of a sentence. The reflexive pronouns are herself, himself, itself, myself, ourselves,

themselves, and yourselves. Each of these words can also act as an intensive pronoun (see below).• I learned a lot about myself at summer camp. (Myself refers back to I.)They should divide the berries among themselves. (Themselves

refers back to they.)Intensive Pronouns• An intensive pronoun emphasizes its antecedent (the noun that comes before it). The intensive pronouns are herself, himself, itself,

myself, ourselves, themselves, and yourselves. Each of these words can also act as a reflective pronoun (see above). I myself don't like eggs. The queen herself visited our class

#13. Choose the correct pronoun • Is the correct word a contraction? A

contraction is the combination of two words; one is usually a verb.

• Take the contraction apart and put it into the two word format, then read the sentence. Does it now make sense? If not the other choice is correct.

#14 Combining two sentence with an appositive.An appositive is an adjective phrase that adds additional information to a preceding noun. It provides a second image, expanding the details of the original idea. An appositive will NOT have a verb inside it! It is 100% adjective!

ORIGINAL SENTENCE: The raft drifted slowly down the winding river. NEW SENTENCE: The raft, a skimpy wooden structure, drifted slowly down the winding river. ORIGINAL SENTENCE: The waterfall poured the fresh pure spray into the creek.NEW SENTENCE: The waterfall, a tilted pitcher, poured the fresh, pure spray into the creek.

EXAMPLE: A poisonous snake, the creepy rattler, slithered through the tall grass. Now you try it!A motorbike drove down the street.EXAMPLE: ________________________________________________________________ Taken from Image Grammar by Harry S. Noden C. 1999

#15. Prefixes, root words, and suffixes.

• You can go to this web site for extensive help.– http://www.prefixsuffix.com/rootchart.php

Ask: is there a prefix? Where does it start? Stop?Ask: is there a suffix? Where does it start? Stop?What is left is the root word. It may not even look like a word, but what remains is the root.

#16. Sentence types

• Is the sentence– Declarative—a simple statement of fact.– Interrogative—asking a question?– Imperative—giving a command. (Do this!)– Exclamatory—exclaiming about something

exciting!

#17 Subject complements: predicate nominative, predicate adjectives or

Direct objects and indirect objectives

• Start with identifying the verb. Is the verb linking or transitive?

If the verb is linking then the underlined word will be a predicate nominative or predicate adjective.

If the verb is transitive, carrying the action of the verb, it can only be a direct object or an indirect object.

Test for DO= verb what? Answer? DOTest for IO= to whom? For whom? IO.

#18. Prepositional PHRASES• Prepositions: if the following words do not have an object, then they are

not being used as a prepositional phrase. (up the hill, behind the house, on the chair.)

about below in spite of regardingabove beneath instead of sinceaccording to beside into throughacross between like throughoutafter beyond near toagainst but (meaning

except)of toward

along by off underamid concerning on underneathamong down on account of untilaround during onto upat except out uponatop for out of withbecause of from outside withinbefore in over withoutbehind inside past

#19. Proofreading for mistakes.• The sentences here will have mistakes which

need correcting. The mistakes will be with capitalization and punctuation. Re-write the sentence correctly.

• Do not revise or re-word the sentence; simply proofread for errors. Be sure to include an end mark; all sentence end with end marks.

#20. Sentence structure type.

• Is the sentence simple? Is it one independent clause? (Just one idea?)

• Is the sentence compound; does it join two independent clauses together with a comma and a coordinating conjunction or a semicolon? (two ideas about the same topic?)

• Is the sentence complex? Does it have a subordinating conjunction or a relative pronoun

in a relative clause forming a dependent clause with an independent clause?