Writing Numbers

Although usage varies, most people spell out numbers that can be expressed in one or two words and use figures for other numbers:

Making Subjects and Verbs Agree

This handout gives you several guidelines to help your subjects and verbs agree.

1. When the subject of a sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns connected by and, use a plural verb.

She and her friends are at the fair.

2. When two or more singular nouns or pronouns are connected by or or nor, use a singular verb.

The book or the pen is in the drawer.

 

Count and Noncount Nouns ( with Articles & Adjectives )

Countable Nouns

Countable nouns refer to things that we can count. Such nouns can take either singular or plural form.

Concrete nouns may be countable.

  There are a dozen flowers in the vase.

  He ate an apple for a snack.

  Collective nouns are countable.

  She attended three classes today.

  London is home to several orchestras.

Some proper nouns are countable.

Definition of Count and Noncount Nouns

Count or Noncount?

The main difference between count and noncount nouns is whether you can count the things they refer to or not.

Count and Noncount Nouns : Basic Rules

Adjectives with Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Relative Pronouns in Restrictive Relative Clauses

Introduction and General Usage in Defining Clauses

The most common relative pronouns are who/whom, whoever/whomever, whose, that, and which. (Please note that in certain situations, "what," "when," and "where" can function as relative pronouns.)

Pronouns Case

Pronoun Case is really a very simple matter. There are three cases.

• Subjective case: pronouns used as subject.
• Objective case: pronouns used as objects of verbs or prepositions.
• Possessive case: pronouns which express ownership.

Pronouns

Using Pronouns Clearly

Because a pronoun REFERS BACK to a noun or TAKES THE PLACE OF that noun, you have to use the correct pronoun so that your reader clearly understands which noun your pronoun is referring to.

Therefore, pronouns should:

Articles

What is an article? Basically, an article is an adjective. Like adjectives, articles modify nouns.

English has two articles: the and a/an. The is used to refer to specific or particular nouns; a/an is used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns. We call the the definite article and a/an the indefinite article.

the = definite article

a/an = indefinite article

Adverbs

The Basic Rules: Adverbs

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. (You can recognize adverbs easily because many of them are formed by adding -ly to an adjective, though that is not always the case.) The most common question that adverbs answer is how.

Let's look at verbs first.

• "She sang beautifully." Beautifully is an adverb that modifies sang. It tells us how she sang.