Chapter 3: Parts of Speech: Coming to Terms 33 There are two exceptions. Here's the first: If there is no noun in the compound word, add s to the end of the word, as in these examples: Singular • mix-up • takeoff Plural mix-ups takeoffs Here's the second: If the compound word ends in -ful, add s to the end of the word. Singular Plural • cupful cupfuls 7. Some nouns change their spelling when they become plural. Singular • child • foot • goose • louse • man • mouse • ox • tooth • woman Plural children feet geese lice men mice oxen teeth women 8. Some nouns have the same form whether they are singular or plural. Singular Plural • deer deer • moose moose • Portuguese Portuguese • series • sheep • species • swine series sheep species swine 3*i PartZ: Under the Grammar Hammer Like the word "Portuguese," the names of other nationalities ending in -ese have the same singular and plural form. 9. The only plurals formed with apostrophes are the plurals of numbers, letters, and words highlighted as words. Here are some examples: • How many 3's make 9? • Be sure to mind your p's and q's. 10. Some words from other languages form plurals in other ways, often determined by the laws of the language of their origin. Here are some examples: Singular • analysis • axis • bacterium • index • parenthesis Plural analyses axes bacteria indices parentheses Combo Platter Make each of the following words plural. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Singular spoonful sheriff Vietnamese chief moose axis wolf criterion stimulus basis Chapter 3: Parts of Speech: Corning to Terms 35 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. spoonfuls sheriffs Vietnamese chiefs moose 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. axes wolves criteria stimuli bases A Note on Nouns for Non-Native Speakers Nouns sometimes take the definite article the. Follow these rules: 1. Use the with specific singular and plural nouns. • I need the hammer and the nails. • I need the tools. 2. Use the with one-of-a-kind objects. • Look at the sun! • This is the last cupcake. 3. Use the with the names of oceans, seas, rivers, deserts. • the Atlantic Ocean • the Sahara Desert 4. Use the with the names of colleges and universities containing the word of. • She studied at the University of New Mexico. At other times, nouns do not take the definite article the. Do not use the with the names of people, general positions, continents, states, cities, streets, religious place names, titles of officials, fields of study, names of diseases, and names of magazines and newspapers (unless it is part of the title). • George Bush, not the George Bush • Europe, not the Europe • New Jersey, not the New Jersey • Main Street, not the Main Street • heaven, not the heaven 36 Part 2: Under the Grammar Hammer • Queen Mary, not the Queen Mary • chemistry, not the chemistry • cancer, not the cancer • Newsweek, not the Newsweek • The New Yorker (part of title) Verbs: All the Right Moves Verbs are words that name an action or describe a state of being. Verbs are seriously important, because there's no way to have a sentence without them. While we're on the topic, every sentence must have two parts: a subject and a predicate. • A subject tells who or what the sentence is about. The subject is a noun or a pro- noun. You Could Look It Up Verbs are words that name an action or describe a state of being. 9. • A predicate tells what the subject is or does. The verb is found in the predicate. There are four basic types of verbs: action verbs, link- ing verbs, helping verbs, verb phrases. Action Verbs: Jumping Jack Flash Action verbs tell what the subject does. For example: jump, kiss, laugh. • The mobsters broke Irving's kneecaps. • Some people worry about the smallest things. An action verb can be transitive or intransitive. Transitive verbs need a direct object. • The boss dropped the ball. • The workers picked it up. Intransitive verbs do not need a direct object. • Who called? • Icicles dripped from his voice. Strictly Speaking The action of an action verb can be a visible action (such as gamble, walk, kvetch) or a mental action (such as think, learn, cogitate). jï^Js Quoth the Maven . LV/ TO determine if a verb is tran- sitive, ask yourself, "Who?" or "What?" after the verb. If you can find an answer in the sen- tence, the verb is transitive. Chapter 3: Parts of Speech: Coming to Terms 37 Chain Gang: Linking Verbs Linking verbs join the subject and the predicate. Linking verbs do not show action. Instead, they help the words at the end of the sentence name and describe the subject. Here are the most common linking verbs: be, feel, grow, seem, smell, remain, appear, sound, stay, look, taste, turn, become. Although small in size as well as number, linking verbs are used a great deal. Here are two typical examples: • The manager was happy about the job change. • He is a fool. ^—-^ JSH^>^_J/ Quoth the Maven Many linking verbs can also be used as % %JM x . , , , . , -^ , ^^T '° determine whether a verb s being used as a linking verb or an action verb, use am, are, or is for the verb. If the sentence makes sense with the substitution, the original verb is a linking verb. action verbs. For example: • Linking: The kids looked sad. • Action: I looked for the dog in the pouring rain. Mother's Little Helper: Helping Verbs Helping verbs are added to another verb to make the meaning clearer. Helping verbs include any form of to be. Here are some examples: do, does, did, have, has, had, shall, should, will, would, can, could, may, might, must. Verb phrases are made of one main verb and one or more helping verbs. • They will run before dawn. • They do have a serious problem. Verb-O-Rama Identify each of the verbs in the following sentences. Remember to look for action verbs, linking verbs, and helping verbs. 1. A group of chess enthusiasts had checked into a hotel. 2. They were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. 3. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. 38 Part 2: Under the Grammar Hammer 4. "But why?" they asked as they moved off. 5. "Because," he said, "I can't stand chess nuts boasting in an open foyer." Answers 1. had checked 2. were standing, discussing 3. came, asked, disperse 4. asked, moved 5. said, can't stand, boasting One more time, with gusto! Underline the verbs in each of these sentences. 1. I can please only one person per day. Today is not your day. 2. I love deadlines. I especially like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by. 3. Tell me what you need, and I'll tell you how to get along without it. 4. Accept that some days you are the pigeon and some days the statue. 5. Everybody is somebody else's weirdo. 6. I don't have an attitude problem; you have a perception problem. 7. Last night I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky, and I thought to myself, where the heck is the ceiling? 8. My reality check bounced. 9. On the keyboard of life, always keep one finger on the escape key. 10. Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience. Answers 1. can please, is 2. love, like, make, fly 3. tell, tell, get 4. accept, are 5. is 6. don't have, have Chapter 3: Parts of Speech: Coming to Terms Î9 7. lay, looking, thought, is 8. bounced 9. keep 10. argue, drag, beat Conjunctions: The Ties That Bind Conjunctions connect words or groups of words and show how they are related. There are three kinds of conjunctions: coordinating conjunctions, correlative conjunctions, and subordinating conjunctions. Let's look at each one. 1. Coordinating conjunctions link words or word groups. Here are the seven coordi- nating conjunctions: • for • and • but • or • yet • so And now for some examples: • Eat one live toad the first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day. 4- Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup. You Could Look It Up Conjunctions connect words or groups of words and show how they are related. JsB^X y Quoth the Maven ^>"Y Use this mnemonic to help you remember the seven coordi- nating conjunctions: FANBOYS [for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). All Tied Up Underline the coordinating conjunctions in each sentence. 1. There are two kinds of air travel in the United States: first class and with children. 2. Almost certainly not Oscar Wilde's last words: "Either this wallpaper goes or I do." M) Part 2: Under the Grammar Hammer 3. Winston Churchill said, "History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it." 4. The only reason I intend to take up jogging is so that I can hear heavy breath- ing again. 5. It's lonely at the top, but you eat better there. Answers 1. and 2. or 3. for 4. so 5. but 2. Correlative conjunctions also link similar words or word groups, but they are always used in pairs. Here are the correlative conjunctions: • both and • either or • neither nor • not only but also • whether or Some examples: • He lost both his shirt and his pants. • Either you come with us now, or you will miss the boat. 3. Subordinate conjunctions link an independent clause (a complete sentence) to a dependent clause (a fragment). There are only seven coordinating conjunctions and five correlative conjunctions, but you have more subordinating conjunctions than Custer had Native Americans. Here are the most often used subordinating conjunctions: • after • as long as • although • as soon as • as • as though • as if • because Chapter 3: Parts of Speech: Coming to Terms M • before • even though • if • in order that • since • so, so that • though • till • unless • until • when • whenever • where • wherever And a few examples culled from actual insurance forms: • The guy was all over the road so I had to swerve a couple of times before I finally hit him. • I had been driving for 40 years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had an accident. Fit to Be Tied Underline the conjunctions in each sentence. 1. Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience. 2. Don't be irreplaceable—if you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted. 3. After any salary raise, you will have less money at the end of the month than you did before. 4. When you don't know what to do, walk fast and look worried. 5. You can go anywhere you want if you look serious and carry a clipboard. 6. As I told you, work with me, baby. 7. Since my car is costlier, newer, and flashier than yours, I have the right-of-way. 8. No sense being pessimistic because it probably wouldn't work anyway 9. Unless you have a doctor's note, it is illegal to buy ice cream after 6 P.M. in Newark, New Jersey. 10. When confronted by a difficult problem, you can solve it more easily by reduc- ing it to the question, "How would the Lone Ranger handle this?" kl PartZ: Under the Grammar Hammer Answers 1. then 2. if 3. after 4. when 5. if 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. as since because unless when Prepositions: Good Things Come in Small Packages Prepositions are the mighty mites of grammar and writing, small but powerful little puppies. Prepositions are words that link a noun or a pronoun to another word in the sentence. Use this list to help you recognize some of the most common prepositions: • about • above • across • after • against • along • amid • around • as • at • before • behind • below • beneath • beside • between • beyond • but • by • despite • down • during • except • for • from • in 4 inside • into • like • near . Chapter 3: Parts of Speech: Coming to Terms 33 There are two exceptions. Here's the first: If there is no noun in the compound word, add s to the end of the word, as in these examples:. sometimes take the definite article the. Follow these rules: 1. Use the with specific singular and plural nouns. • I need the hammer and the nails. • I need the tools. 2. Use the with . Look at the sun! • This is the last cupcake. 3. Use the with the names of oceans, seas, rivers, deserts. • the Atlantic Ocean • the Sahara Desert 4. Use the with the names