Subject - Verb Agreement, Exercise 2

BOOKS OPEN THE WORLD !

Choose the correct answer:

Mary and her friends is / are at the fair.

The pencil or the pen is / are in the drawer.

The boy or his friends run / runs every day.

His friends or the boy run / runs every day.

One of the boxes is / are open.

The people who listen to that music is / are few.

The team captain, as well as his players, is / are anxious.

The book, including all the chapters in the first section, is / are boring.

The woman with all the dogs walk / walks down my street.

Each of these hot dogs is / are juicy.

Everybody know /  knows Mr. Jones.

Either is / are  correct. 

Five dollars is / are a lot of money.

Dollars is / are often used instead of rubles in Russia.

The team run / runs during practice.

The committee decide / decides how to proceed.

The family has / have  a long history.

My family has / have never been able to agree. 

The President, accompanied by his wife, is / are traveling to India.

All of the books, including yours, is / are in that box.

It look / looks like rain.

These confuse / confuses me.

Those take / takes the cake.

Note:

None has both singular and plural forms. 
The singular verb form is used when “none” means “no one” or “not one”. 

The plural is used when “none” implies more than one thing or person.

i.e. None of us think / thinks what she said is correct.

i.e. None of the local teams is / are making it to the second round in the tournament.

Her attitude as well as her appearance is / are inappropriate.

If Clause, Exercise 2

IF CLAUSE EXERCISE

Choose the correct answer:

1. If you heat water, it will boil / it boils.

2. If they don`t arrive soon, we will leave / we would leave without them.

3. If you have finished / had finished / the essay, leave it on my desk.

4. If I have time / had time, I would drop you off at school.

5. Have I known / Had I known about his condition, I would have helped him.

6. If I'd bought / I`ve bought the lottery ticket, we would be millionaires now.

7. If he was going to come, he would have arrived by now / he would arrive by now.

8. If I were in Hawaii, I would be lying / would have been lying on the beach now.

9. I would be rafting / would have been rafting down the Colorado River right now if my leg weren't broken.

10. If he had been standing  / had stood  near the house when the wall collapsed, it would have killed him.

11. If James had been crossing / had crossed the street when the car ran the red light, it would have hit him.

12. I would have helped him / would help him / would helped him if he asked me to.

13. Should you have any information about that / If you had any information about that, please call me up.

14. I wouldn’t have come if I hadn’t been invited / I haven`t been invited.

15. If I have / had enough money, I will go to Japan.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL MY STUDENTS ! VERY PROUD OF YOU !

August 1st, 2015

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL MY STUDENTS WHO PASSED THE POLICE ACADEMY EXAMS !!!

I AM VERY PROUD OF YOU AND VERY HAPPY, AS WELL !

IT HAS BEEN A LONG, HARD ROAD, BUT YOU ACCOMPLISHED YOUR GOAL AND PASSED ALL YOUR EXAMS !

NOW IT IS TIME TO CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESS !

"EDUCATION IS NOT THE FILLING OF A PAIL, BUT THE LIGHTING OF A FIRE" - William Butler Yeats

MAY YOUR HOPES AND DREAMS COME TRUE !

Verb Tenses, Test 7

1. Complete the sentences with the verb in brackets in past simple or present perfect.

1. She loves Paris. She ..................... (be) there many times.

2. Bill ....................... (work) in that company for 3 years. (He still works there).

3. They ....................... (go) to London on holiday last summer.

4. I ....................... (read) that book. It´s good.

5. His parents ....................... (be) here yesterday.

6. They ....................... (go) to Germany when he ....................... (be) only 4.

7. ........... you ......... (watch) any film last night?

8. I ....................... (have) a couple of toasts for breakfast this morning.

9. He ....................... (live) in Rome since he was a teenager.

10. The house looks different. .......... you .............. (paint) it?

11. I ....................... (not see) you in class last Friday.

12. Shakespeare ....................... (write) over one hundred sonnets.

2. Say if the following sentences are right or wrong. Correct them if necessary.

1. Have you ever been to Thailand?

2. I´ve had sausages for lunch at half past one.

3. She´s enjoyed herself at the party last night.

4. I have read that book but I didn´t like it much.

5. Tom has left school one year ago.

6. My cousins have lived in Dublin since they have been children.

7. We have worked here for a year and a half.

8. My parents lived in Britain for a couple of years.

9. James has made a cake yesterday.

10. I´ve washed the car. It looks great now. 

The Plural of Nouns

THE PLURAL OF NOUNS

Most nouns form the plural by adding -s or -es.

Examples

Singular	Plural
boat	boats
hat	hats
house	houses
river	rivers

A noun ending in -y preceded by a consonant makes the plural with -ies.

Examples

Singular	Plural
a fly	flies
a nappy	nappies
a poppy	poppies
a lady	ladies
a baby	babies

There are some irregular formations for noun plurals. Some of the most common ones are listed below.

Examples of irregular plurals

Singular	Plural
woman	women
man	men
child	children
tooth	teeth
foot	feet

Nouns ending in -f or - fe add - ves in their plural forms

leaf / leaves

wife  / wives 

knife / knives 

half  / halves

loaf  / loaves    

but,

some nouns ending in -f, add only an -s to make their plural forms:

chief  -  chiefs

chef   -  chefs

roof  -  roofs

proof  -  proofs

belief - beliefs

        handkerchief - handkerchiefs

cliff - cliffs

Uncountable Nouns = Non-Count Nouns : English nouns that require a singular verb:

information

luggage [ baggage-AE],

news,

money,

knowledge,

furniture,

advice,

evidence[dovezi],

billiards,

soap,

gold,

mail, e-mail,

silver,

coal,

rice,

bread,

homework,

soup,

measles,

mumps,

beer,

pork,

ink,

butter,

wax,

poetry,

smoking ,

music,

anger,

love,

hatred,

pity,

mercy,

relief,

suspicion,

experience,

work,

help,

courage,

desire,

coffee,

tea,

paper,

wood,

sand,

juice,

jam,

sugar,

stone,

cream,

dust,

gin,

glass,

ice,

oil,

The following nouns require a singular verb form:

Phonetics, Acoustics, Statistics, Mathematics, Electronics, Philosophy, History, the new[ noul], the beautiful [ frumosul], the sublime, the good, the evil, the infinite, the fantastic, the grotesque, progress, traffic, behaviour, weather, work, etc news - The news is on at 6.30 p.m. athletics - Athletics is good for young people. linguistics - Linguistics is the study of language. darts - Darts is a popular game in England. billiards - Billiards is played all over the world. Some nouns are both countable and uncountable in English, depending on their use in the sentence: Hair – hairs [ fire de par] Work – works [lucrari] Paper- papers [ = newspapers] Time – times[ori] Light – lights[becuri, surse de lumina] Noise – a noise Room [ spatiu] – room [ camera] E.g. I don`t have much hair.  There are two hairs in my coffee. Close the curtains: There`s too much light.  There are two lights in my bedroom. I thought I heard a noise. There`s too much noise and I can`t work. Have you got some paper? I`d like to draw something. Have you bought the today`s newspaper? Is there room for me to sit here? Our house has four rooms. Have you got time for a coffee? We had a great time at the party. I have no money. I need work. Macbeth is one of Shakespeare`s greatest works. Note: Drinks [ coffee, water, orange juice] are usually uncountable. But if we are thinking of a cup or a glass, we can say [in a restaurant, for example]: Two teas and one coffee, please. That news doesn`t make me happy. Bad news doesn`t make me happy. Less money does not mean lack of happiness. There was little evidence against him. The upper nouns can be counted if a quantifier is used: a piece of, an item of, a fit of [ fever], a bit of, a word / a piece of [ advice], a bowl of, a plate of, a glass of, a bottle of,,, Examples: A piece of : news / furniture / bread / chocolate / bacon An An item of : furniture / news / infinformation An article / item of furniture A word of abuse / advice A bit / piece of luck A piece of advice / evidence / research A loaf of / a piece of bread A cup of coffee A slice / a piece of cake A piece / sheet of paper A bar of chocolate / soap A piece / stick of chalk A piece / strip of land A bit / blade of grass An item / A bit of business A fit of passion An attack of fever e.g. I`ve got two pieces of good information. Some nouns have a plural form and take a plural verb. Examples: trousers - My trousers are too tight. jeans - Her jeans are black. glasses - Those glasses are his. others include: savings [ economii ], thanks, steps, stairs, customs [ vama; obiceiuri ], congratulations, tropics, wages, spectacles, outskirts [ periferie ], goods, wits EXERCISE Choose the correct answer: Here is the latest news.  … about the elections. a) They are b) It is c) There are There is too … furniture in my room. a) much b) many c) few I can see three … working on the site. a) mans b) men c) man The police … caught the burglars. a) has b) was c) have My family … made up of 5 persons. a) are b) were c) is The programme includes visiting several … a) cities b) citys c)cityes All … strive to be happy. a) people b) peoples c)peopleses What do they need two ... for? a) pianoes b) pianoses c) pianos We did hope there wouldn’t be any ………. in the forest. a) wolfs b) wolves c) wolfes ... aren’t always considered the most pleasant persons. a) Mother-in-laws b) Mothers-in-laws c) Mothers-in-law She’s got the most beautiful … I’ve ever seen. a) tooths b) teeths c) teeth They have lots of animal species on their farm, including ……. a) oxen b) oxes c) oxs He promised to finish both ………. by the end of the year. a) thesis b) theses c) thesises The … live mainly in China. a) Chineses b) Chinesis c) Chinese Cattle ... domestic animals. a) are b) is c) was Please give me another …of paper. a) slice b) item c)sheet Dominoes … very entertaining to play. a) are b) are being c) is Waiter, two ... , please! a) coffees b) cups of coffee c) cups of coffees Where ……… my jeans? a) are b) it is c) is Can you lend me that …? a) scissors b) scissor c) pair of scissors I can’t find my glasses. Have you seen …? a) it b) him c) them He was blamed for his bad … a) manners b) manneres c) manner The young ……. very energetic. a) are b) is c) has been … is an interesting school subject. a) Mathematic b) Mathematices c) Mathematics In this river you can find several … a) fish b) fishes c) fishs We need to settle a few definite … to select the best candidate for the job. a) criterion b) criterions c) criteria He gave her a bunch of … on Valentine’s Day. a) forgets-me-not b) forget-me-nots c) forgets-me-nots These clothes were in fashion in the ... a) 1940s b) 1940 c) 1940s’ How many …have you got lately? a) informations b) information c) pieces of information Could you give me a / an…of      chocolate, please? a) item b) bar c) lump Look! There’s a …of fish swimming among the stones! a) shoal b) flock c) crowd Although she looks nice, I don’t like her … a) way b) ways c) waies Here is your change: 3 pounds and 5 ... a) pennies b) pence c) pences They have dug through several ……….. of soil. a) strata b) stratum c) stratus Being his elder brother, he thought of giving him ………… advice. a) a b) an c) some