ENGLISH
Subject-verb agreement
The rules of the subject-verb agreement are used to properly determine whether the singular or
plural form should be use in a sentence.
1) An intervening phrase or clause between subject and verb does not change the number of the subject.
Margarita, together with her brothers, likes to party.
The gentlemen who attended the meeting are very punctual.
2) Singular indefinite pronouns take singular verbs. Plural indefinite pronouns take plural verbs.
Each student in this school does not pay for his tuition.
Many students perform well in surprise quizzes.
3) Compound subjects joined by and are always plural.
Miguel and Monica spend their free time at the gym.
Chona and Fernan set aside a small percentage of their income for their children’s
educational plan.
4) With a compound subjects joined by or/nor, the verb agrees with the subject nearer to it.
Either Alice or her badminton buddies are bringing the deserts.
Neither the students nor the teacher recognizes the strange markings.
5) Inverted subjects must agree with the verb.
There are 15 students in my class.
How is Maria handling a news of her grandfather’s death.
6) Collective nouns (group, jury, crowd, team, etc.) are always singular.
The jury decides that you are guilty of the crime.
The jury have been arguing for 5 days regarding the case.
7) Titles of single entities (books, organizations, countries, etc.) are always singular.
The grapes of wrath by john Steinbeck takes quite some time to read.
The Philippines strengthens its diplomatic ties with ASEAN nation.
8) Plural form subjects with a singular meaning take with a singular verb. (E.g. news, measles, mumps, physics). Plural form subjects with a plural meaning take a plural verb. (E.g. scissors, trousers).
Measles is a contagious disease that spread among school children.
Scissors are used to cut the props for the stage play.
9) With subject and subjective verb complement of different number, the verb always agrees with the subject.
My favourite topic is short stories by Edgar Allan Poe.
Short stories by Edgar Allan Poe are my favourite topic.
10) With one of those ___who, use a plural verb. With the only one of those___ who, use a singular verb.
Pocholo is one of those people who like to watch DVDs.
Patricia is the only one of those people who likes to read novels.
11) With the number of ___, use a singular verb. With a number of ____use a plural verb.
The number of students who fail the exam increases at an alarming rate.
A number of students continue to fail the exam.
12) With every____ and many a_____, use a singular verb.
Every driver knows his away around Makati.
Many a Filipino dream of winning the lottery.
LITERARY DEVICES
Proper interpretation and understanding of literature requires familiarity with literary devices, idioms and figure of speech. Literary devices are also called literary techniques, literary methods or literary motifs. This pertains to identifiable rules of thumb, conventions or structures employed in literature and storytelling. Some common literary devices are presented in the table below.
Literary Device and its Description
Aphorism- Concise statement that contains a cleverly stated subjective truth or observation.
Chekhov’s gun- Insertion of an apparently irrelevant object early in a narrative for a purpose only revealed later.
Cliffhanger- The narrative ends unresolved, to draw the audience back to a future episode for the resolution.
Defamiliarization- Forcing the reader to recognize common things in an unfamiliar or strange way, to enhance perception of the familiar
Dramatic- Representing an object or character with abundant descriptive.
Visualization- Detail, or mimetically rendering gestures and dialogue to make a scene more visual and imaginatively present to an audience.
Epiphany- A sudden revelation or an insight-usually with a symbolic role in the narrative
Flashback- General term for altering time sequences, taking characters back to the beginning of the tale, for instance.
Flashforward- Also called prolepsis, an interjected scene that temporarily jumps the narrative forward in time.
Foreshadowing- Hinting an events to occur later.
Juxtaposition- Using two themes, characters, phrases, words, or situations together for comparison, contrast, or rhetoric.
Paradox- A phrase that describes an idea composed of concepts that conflict.
Parody- Ridicule by overstated imitation, usually humorous
Poetic License- Distortion of facts, alteration of the conventions of grammar or language, or rewording of pre-existing text made by a writer to improve a piece of art.
Stream of consciousness- Technique where the author writes down their thoughts as fast as they come, typically to create an interior monologue characterized by leaps in syntax and punctuation that trace a character’s fragmentary thoughts and sensory feelings.
Symbolism- Applied use in symbols: iconic presentations that carry particular conventional meaning.
Ticking Clock- Threat of impending disaster-often used in thrillers scenario where salvation and escape are essential elements.
Idioms
Idioms are expressions, words, or phrases that have figurative meaning. They are comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made up of. Some common idioms are presented in the column below.
Idiom and its Meaning
Lend a hand --To help
In hot water --In trouble
Put a lid on it --Be quiet
Lose your shirt --To lose all of or most of your money
Lose touch --To fail to keep in contact/communication
Get the ball rolling --Start
Once in a blue moon --Once in a while, occasionally
Blow one’s own horn --When a person boasts about how great he/she is
Hit the books --To study, prepare for class
Poker face --A face with no expression
A dime dozen --Very common, easy to find
Curiosity killed the cat --It’s not good to be too curious
The cat’s out of the bag --The secret is not a secret anymore
It’s raining cats and dogs --It’s raining hard
A penny for your thoughts --Friendly way to say “what are you thinking about?”
Money talks --Money has power/influence
Born with a silver spoon --Born rich
Figures of speech
Figures of speech are moods of expression in which words are used out of their literal meaning or out of their ordinary use in order to add beauty or emotional intensity. They transfer the writer’s sense impressions by comparing or identifying one thing with another that has a meaning familiar to the reader.
Figure of speech and its Meaning
Alliteration- The repetition of an initial consonant word.
Apostrophe- Breaking off discourse to address some absent person or thing, some abstract quality, an inanimate object, or a no existing character.
Assonance- Identity or simi9larity of the sound between internal vowels in neighboring words.
Euphemism- The substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered offensively explicit.
Hyperbole- An extravagant statement; the use if exaggerate terms for the purpose of emphasis or heightened effect.
Irony- The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning.
Metaphor- An implied comparison between two unlike things that actually have something important in common.
Metonymy- One word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated.
Onomatopoeia- Use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to.
Oxymoron- Incongruous or contradictory terms appear side by side.
Personification- Inanimate object or abstraction is endowed with human qualities or abilities.
Rhetorical question- Question posed for its persuasive effect without the expectation of a reply.
Simile- A stated comparison (usually form with “like” or “as”) between two fundamentally dissimilar things that certain qualities in common.
Synecdoche- A part is use to represent the whole (for example, ABCs for alphabet) or the whole for a part (“England Won the World Cup in 1996”)
ENGLISH 1 – STUDY AND THINKING SKILLS
1.1 use English language correctly an appropriately
PRACTICE TEST: choose the letter that corresponds to the best answer.
For numbers 1-10, select he letter of the pronoun which best completes each sentence.
1. Despite his parents’ complaints, she decided to live by __in Manila.A. her C. oneself
B. herself D. himself
2. If you happen to see Adolfo this Friday, please give__ my warmest regards.
A. her C. it
B. herself D. Them
3. I can never understand__ when Rita speaks Spanish with__.
A. her, me C. their
B. him, me D. him, her
4. Cheaters should be ashamed of__.
A. himself C. themselves
B. him D. them
5. Nene was worried about the children, so she told__ husband not to accept the job.
A. his C. their
B. her D. my
6. Anna and I met a friend of__ at Robinson’s yesterday.
A. ours C. ourselves
B. us D. them
7. I can’t find__ ballpen. Can I use__, Tristan?
A. my, yours C. your, yours
B. mine, yours D. yours, mine
8. I hurt__ when I was slicing the onions.
A. me C. you
B. myself D. My
9. This condominium is too expensive for__. You know we can’t pay such a high monthly payment.
A. us C. them
B. we D. We
10. Each plan has__ merits.
A. It C. it’s
B. Its D. Their
For numbers 11-15, select the most appropriate words to complete its sentence.
11. Igor’s nipa hut was destroyed__ by typhoon Peping.
A. altogether C. altogether
B. all together D. at all
12. The buttered wife is seeking__ separation from her husband.
A. judiciary C. judicious
B. morale D. jurisdical
13. The__ of the story is not to count your eggs until they are hatched.
A. moral C. moralism
B. morale D. morality
14. The ancient people made a__ that the end of the world is near.
A. Prophecy C. prophet
B. Prophesy D. prophetic
15. __ wiring is the cause of the sudden blackout.
A. lose C. losing
B. lost D. loose
For numbers 16-20, select the word which means the SAME as the underlined word in each sentence.
16. Your findings are impertinent to the results of this investigation.
A. malicious C. important
B. violent D. irrelevant
17. Several elements must be transmuted to see the real implications of this event.
A. surpassed C. changed
B. estimated D. summed
18. You should be ashamed of yourself for having such carnal desires.
A. Spiritual C. worldly
B. Bold D. guilty
19. The president showed great aplomb while dealing with the reporters.
A. agitation C. composure
B. nervousness D. perturbation
20. Thank you for your candor, Mr. Secretary.
A. honesty C. shyness
B. frankness D. courage
For numbers 21-30, select the most appropriate form of the verb to complete the sentence. Be guided by rule subject-verb agreement.
21. The price of this sneakers_ reasonable.
A. Is C. seem
B. are D. aren’t
22. Bread and butter_ our daily food.
A. is C. were
B. are D. am
23. The famous singer and composer_ arrived.
A. have C. will
B. has D. is
24. Collecting stamps_ one of his favorite pastimes.
A. are C. has
B. were D. is
25. Neither his father nor his sister_ mahjong.
A. play C. are play
B. was D. are plays
26. Neither parent_ fond of playing cards.
A. is C. am
B. are D. were
27. Some of my friends_ here.
A. are C. will
B. was D. were
28. Many a man_ to be rich and famous.
A. desire C. is desiring
B. desires D. desiring
29. The pair of scissors_ on the table.
A. was left C. was leaving
B. were left D. is leaving
30. Mathematics_ the most difficult subject in the board exam.
A. remain C. remaining
B. remains D. has remain
For numbers 31-35, select the best preposition to complete each sentence.
31. Joan lives_ Santillan road.
A. in C. at
B. on D. to
32. Maggie will be ready to leave_ about thirty minutes.
A. in C. on
B. at D. where
33. Mince he met his new girlfriend, Mico never seems to be_ home.
A. on C. in
B. at D. towards
34. Jeremy responded to his mother’s demands_ throwing a tantrum.
A. with C. from
B. by D. through
35. I think Carmen spent the entire afternoon_ the phone.
A. on C. at
B. in D. with
For numbers 36-40, choose the letter of the correct answer.
36. The nearest post office is on ___.
A. Twenty-second street C. Twenty Second Street
B. Twenty second Street D. Twenty-second Street
37. Have you ever been to my___?
A. Brothers-in-law’s repair shop, Gus’s Garage
B. Brother-in-laws repair shop, Gus’ Garage
C. Brother’s-in-law repair shop, Gus’ Garage
D. Brother-in-law repair shop, Gus’s Garage
38. Please the chapter____.
A. Filing your Income Tax Returns.
B. Filing Your Income Tax Returns.
C. “Filing your Income Tax Returns.”
D. “Filing Your Income Tax Returns.”
39. New students at the shop should bring___.
A. Hammers wrenches and screwdrivers.
B. Hammers, wrenches, and screwdrivers.
C. Hammers, wrenches and screwdrivers.
D. Hammers wrenches, and screwdrivers.
40. Mrs. Navarro said that___.
A. “The Chemistry II exam will be next wednesday.”
B. the Chemistry II will be next Wednesday.
C. the chemistry II exam will be next Wednbesday.
D. “The chemistry II exam will be next Wednesday
41. The test was hard for Paul and___.
A. me C. myself
B. I D. himself
42. The flower smells ___.
A. sweetly C. sweeter
B. sweet D. himself
43. The suggestion of the employees___ appropriate.
A. seems C. is
B. seem D. is very
44. He is the___ of the two brothers.
A. most tall C. very tall
B. tallest D. taller
45. After___ all day, she finally see the lake.
A. walking C. having walked
B. had walked D. have walked
46. We had the news___ when he came.
A. latest C. very last
B. last D. last of all
47. I___ gone with you.
A. have C. had
B. should D. am
48. I___ walked two kilometers by the time you catch up with me.
A. have C. will have
B. would have D. had
49. If I___ President, I would live in Malacañang.
A. Was C. should be
B. Am D. were
50. The means of transportation___ dramatically since the end of the 20th century.
A. Have changed C. will change
B. Has changed D. will have changed
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1 |
B |
|
2 |
B |
|
3 |
A |
|
4 |
C |
|
5 |
B |
|
6 |
A |
|
7 |
A |
|
8 |
B |
|
9 |
A |
|
10 |
B |
|
11 |
A |
|
12 |
B |
|
13 |
A |
|
14 |
A |
|
15 |
D |
|
16 |
D |
|
17 |
C |
|
18 |
C |
|
19 |
C |
|
20 |
B |
|
21 |
A |
|
22 |
A |
|
23 |
B |
|
24 |
D |
|
25 |
A |
|
26 |
A |
|
27 |
A |
|
28 |
B |
|
29 |
A |
|
30 |
B |
|
31 |
B |
|
32 |
A |
|
33 |
B |
|
34 |
B |
|
35 |
A |
|
36 |
D |
|
37 |
D |
|
38 |
D |
|
39 |
B |
|
40 |
B |
|
41 |
A |
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42 |
B |
|
43 |
B |
|
44 |
D |
|
45 |
C |
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46 |
A |
|
47 |
B |
|
48 |
C |
|
49 |
D |
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50 |
B |
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