READ TO THE PERIOD.

PLUG IN YOUR ANSWERS. Try each option in the sentence.

VANE: Affect = verb. Effect = noun. Effect is a verb only when it means “to bring about.”

BEING is never right as an answer choice.

CHECK THE CONTEXT — read above and below for tense and transitions.

A prepositional phrase starts with a preposition and ends with its object. The subject is NEVER inside one. Cross phrases out first, then find the subject.

about · above · according to · across · after · against · along · along with · among · apart from · around · as · as for · at · because of · before · behind · below · beneath · beside · between · beyond · but* · by · by means of · concerning · despite · down · during · except · except for · excepting · for · from · in · in addition to · in back of · in case of · in front of · in place of · inside · in spite of · instead of · into · like · near · next · of · off · on · onto · on top of · out · out of · outside · over · past · regarding · round · since · through · throughout · till · to · toward · under · underneath · unlike · until · up · upon · up to · with · within · without

Forms of TO BE: am, is, are, was, were, been, being.

Spot the phrases — study set 1 (from the page): The book is on the shelf. She hit the ball over the fence. The look in his eye was fierce. The apple fell off the tree. The sound of music was heard. Our woods are filled with snow. The dog barked at him. Her letter to me was brief. We waited for the sunrise. Under the rock lay the lizard. We looked up the chimney. Behind the house is a shed. He walked across the road. Most songs about love are silly. The pumpkin rolled down the hill. They danced around the Maypole. The apartment above ours is vacant. Lightning struck a tree near our house. The city beneath the sea is Atlantis. The snake bit me below the ankle. He skimmed from page to page. Through effort we can succeed in many things. She waited for him by the theater. Like a true cowpoke, the dude rode his horse toward the ranch. During the storm, we stood under the branches of a tree.

Count the phrases — study set 2 (counts from the page): (1) “On the fifth day of each month, Mr. Brown collects reports from his students in every class except the last one.” — 5 phrases. (2) “Take the child to the store on 5th Avenue for some new clothes.” — 3. (3) “As the snow gradually melted near that neighborhood, people with snow shovels in their hands emerged from their homes.” — 4. (4) “Throughout his life, Henry slept soundly on a twin bed by the front window.” — 3. (5) “Meg answered the telephone within a minute of the first ring.” — 2. (6) “Under normal circumstances, we keep all records in the file cabinet until the next semester.” — 3. (7) “The play about the brave hero was considered a success by everyone but the nasty critic at the local paper.” — 4. (8) “After two false starts, the referee warned the athletes about the penalties for such actions.” — 3. (9) “Without you at my side, I cannot do much of anything before ten o'clock on the first day of each week.” — 6. (10) “Like any stranger on her way to the next town, the traveler from Barcelona lifted her suitcase and headed toward the bus station near 42nd Street.” — 6.

Trigger pairs — when you see these in the answers, run the procedure: IS/ARE · WAS/WERE · HAS/HAVE · DOES/DO · MAKES/MAKE.

Procedure: 1) Ask who/what before the verb — that gives the subject. 2) Cross out prepositional phrases (subject is never in one). Read the entire sentence. 3) Substitute a pronoun for the subject: singular → he/she/it, plural → they.

Example: “Each (of the tests) contain the correct answers.” → Each = it → It contains. So: Each of the tests contains the correct answers.

1. Prepositional phrases and clauses never change the verb.
2. A pronoun ending in –one or –body is always singular (everyone, nobody, somebody…).
3. Two subjects joined by and are usually plural. BUT: “The secretary and treasurer is speaking” (one person, two titles) vs “The secretary and the treasurer are speaking” (two people).
4. Joined by or / nor / not only…but also → agree with the subject closer to the verb. “Mary or her friends are going.” / “Her friends or Mary is going.” / “Not only her friends but also Mary is going.”
5. Collective nouns: singular when acting as a unit, plural when acting as individuals. “The jury agrees on a verdict.” vs “The jury disagree on a verdict.” / “My family are vacationing in Canada, California, and Florida…” (individuals, different places).
6. Every or many a before the subject makes it singular. “Every man, woman, and child is entitled…” / “Many a man, woman, and child is deprived…”
7. –ics words are always singular: physics, mathematics, statistics, economics… “Physics gives Philip many headaches.”
8. Amounts are usually singular. “Twenty dollars is a lot to pay.” BUT if a prep phrase follows, use the object of the preposition: “Twenty of the dollars are on the table.” / “Half of the doughnuts are eaten.” / “Half of the food is eaten.”
9. Here and There are NEVER the subject — the subject comes after the verb. “Here are the letters…” / “There is the receipt.” / “There are the receipt and the additional bill.”
10. If it ends in –one/–body, or could end in –one, it is always singular.
11. SAMAN — Some, All, Most, Any, None: singular or plural depending on the object of the preposition. “Some of the pie is eaten.” / “Some of the pies are eaten.”

Irregular plurals: DATUM (singular) / DATA (plural) · PHENOMENON (singular) / PHENOMENA (plural).

Don’t let them split your verb — see the whole verb. “Also located on the tables in the hallway are the various books for sale.” (subject = books, after the verb). “Each of the living organisms in the experiment has been carefully prepared.”

One / only one trap: “Roosevelt was one of the leaders who were late” (who = leaders, plural) vs “Roosevelt was the only one of the leaders who was late” (who = one, singular). Same for: “Mary was one of the girls who were selected” vs “Mary was the only one of the girls who was selected.”

A number vs the number: “A number are plural” / “The number is singular.”

Rule for all: bracket prep phrases, underline the subject, put the pronoun next to it.

Each sentence is shown as written on the page. Tap to see whether it is correct, and the fix if not.

To rest or recline: lie · lying · lay · have lain. To put or place: lay · laying · laid · have laid.

Exercise answers: 1) laid (carpenter placed the hammer) · 2) lying (resting on the floor) · 3) lie (lie down for a nap) · 4) lay (rifle rested next to him) · 5) lay (place the papers) · 6) lies (cabin rests/sits) · 7) lay (Jonah rested) · 8) lain (have lain) · 9) lying (resting in the sun) · 10) lay (we will place the carpet).

Also: “The décor at Joe's Lunch Bucket is interesting. The wallpaper on the walls has been painted lime green.” (wallpaper = singular).

Every pronoun needs an antecedent — it can't refer to a verb, can't be vague, and must agree in number. All subject–verb rules apply to pronoun–antecedent agreement too.

Traps: “Because it is such an economical method, trucks are still used…” → fix to “Because they are…” (antecedent = trucks). Possessive forms can't be antecedents: “In Fitzgerald's novel, he discusses…” is wrong — Fitzgerald must appear as a subject, not a possessive. Vague: “The cop recognized the criminal when he took off his sunglasses.” (who took them off?) Fix vague which/this by naming it: “…honeymoon. This caused problems…” or “…honeymoon, a discussion that caused problems…”

WHO / WHOM procedure — isolate the clause, substitute a pronoun, make a statement: WHO = nominative (I, we, he, she, they — subject). WHOM = objective (me, us, him, her, them — object). “He is the teacher who tutors me” (he tutors). “He is the tutor whom my teacher recommended” (recommended him). “To whom did you give the gift?” / “Whom did you give the gift to?”

Who/whom exercise answers: 1) Who (he is liable) · 2) Whom (recommend him) · 3) whoever (he asks me) · 4) Who (he will win) · 5) whom (they saw him) · 6) who (he would be principal) · 7) whom (I had brought them) · 8) Who (he was the one) · 9) Who (he would eventually take over the store — the clause subject is he, so nominative). · 10) whom (we hired him).

Case: Nominative (subject / subject complement, after a linking verb): I, we, he, she, they, who. “It is I.” / “The players were Sam and I.” Objective (direct/indirect object, object of a preposition): me, us, him, her, them, whom. “Just between you and me…” / “Lester can varnish floors better than I” (than I can — the verb is understood). Linking verbs: any form of TO BE, or any verb you can swap TO BE into (“The soup tasted salty”).

Self/selves: Intensive = emphasis (“The teacher himself didn't know”). Reflexive = refers back (“I gave myself a manicure”). Never use a –self word without a matching pronoun nearby, and never set it off with commas for no reason.

Pronoun agreement exercise — fixes (traditional rule; modern singular “they” is noted where it differs): 1) “their bodies” → his body (nobody = singular). 2) troupe → its audience (unit). 3) grill crew or manager → his permission (closer subject = manager). 4) monitor and door → their surfaces (both = plural). 5) member → his/her opponents. 6) committee (unit) → its stew. 7) detergent → pants to their original condition. 8) a person → his/her chance (traditional; singular they is widely accepted today). 9) every teacher → her/his own interpretation. 10) every puppy and kitten → its owner. 11) grandmother → every word she read. 12) anyone → he/she had better hurry (traditional). 13) each computer → its own glitch. 14) Tito's (company) → its prices. 15) Tito's → its tortillas. 16) every neighbor → above his/her head (traditional). 17) someone/everyone → his/her hair (traditional). 18) neither Floyd nor cats → they can jump (closer subject = cats). 19) two young men → they have spent. 20) crickets but also a frog → it kept him awake (closer subject = frog).