Collective Nouns

                       

                                               

 COLLECTIVE NOUNS

          A collective noun takes a singular verb when it is  referred to as a unit or as a group acting as one . However ,  it takes a plural verb when its members are referred to as separate individuals with separate actions  or qualities .  Examples of collective nouns are  committee , board , council , group , team , batch , congregation  and entourage.

   

 Examples :

1. The senate committee on ethics  has decided to investigate the complaint against the solon. [ singular ] 
2. The senate committee  on ethics have been  arguing since this morning.[plural] 

 Activity :   Encircle the  letter of the  answer that   will  correctly  complete each sentence.

1.    The  choir ________still deliberating on the repertoire of songs  for the jubilee concert.

a.  is                         b. are                         c. has                   d. have

2.    The congress  ______________ divided on the issue of charter change .

a. seems                 b.   seeming                    c. seem             d. has seemed 

3.    The FBI   ____________  its investigation on the fraud case.

a. have wrapped  up               b. wrapping up     

c. has wrapped up                  d. are wrapping up

4.    The parliament _________________ to have  a recess for a month.

a. are scheduled                                   b. is scheduled

c. were scheduled                                d. scheduled

5.    The  senate ___________  going to start the  session  when some of its members walked out of the hall.

a.  are                   b.  were                    c.  was             d. will

6.    Due to the  sudden rain ,  the  marching band  _____________  to different directions .    

a. going                                   b. has gone

c.  have gone                          d. gone

7.    HS Batch ’98 _____________going to have a reunion  at the  Atlanta  Polo Club a week from  now.

a. is                                   b. are                   c. was             d.  were

8.    The band ______________  October  27  as the date of their fund-raising concert .

         a. have chosen          b. chosen             c. choose                d.  has chosen

9.    FC Barcelona ______________ on a one-month vacation  after winning  the Copa Cup .  

a. is        b.   are           c.  are going     d.    have gone   

10. The board of directors _________________ a split decision on the election of a new chairman .

a. has rendered                                                       b. have rendered

b. is rendering                                                         d. has rendering

Vocabulary Activity

                                                               


1. redundant  - repetitious
2. peril   - danger
3. catholic   - universal
4. enervate  -  to cause  one to lose energy
5. gullible - easily fooled

Activity  :  Fill in the blank with the correct word.

1.  When I told Phillip that  Justin Bieber visited the school when he was absent , he actually believed it . He is so _______________________.

2. One thing that I don't like about Professor Smith is that he  says the same thing over and over again . He is __________________________.

3. Love for  one's family exists in all ethnic groups .  It  is a _____________________   trait .

4.  Any day that goes higher than  25 degrees Celsius will knock me off.  Heat  easily _____________ me.

5. The men  ignored the ______________ of the rough sea  and went fishing anyway . 

Compound subjects connected by " or" , " either-or" or " neither-nor "

 

              For compound subjects connected by  “or”  , “either-or”    or   “neither- nor" , the verb should agree with the subject nearer  the verb.

Look at these examples .

    1.    Either  John   or  the  Quincy   brothers  are going to  wash the dishes at the  bar tonight .   

( In Sentence  1 , the  plural noun “ brothers ” is nearer  the verb . Therefore , the verb should be  “ are ” .  But look at Sentence 2 below. We have switched  the position of the  two subjects.        Now , the  singular  noun “ John ” is nearer the verb position , thus , the verb has to be changed to         “ is ” )

  

     2.    Either the Quincy  brothers  or John  is going to  wash the dishes at the bar tonight .  

Here  are more examples :

     1.    Either I or you   are responsible  for the missing  book that we borrowed from the professor .

     2.    Neither she nor I have the time to prepare dinner tonight.

     3.    Neither Bert nor his family members  are voting for that corrupt senator .

     4.    Either the printers or the laptop  needs to be fixed by the technician.

     5.    Either the cupcakes or the ice cream is to be served  for  dessert.

Practice Activity  1  : Underline the correct verb.

   1.    Either  I or she   [  has / have  ]  to buy the pizza for all of us .

   2   Neither the chairs nor the table  [ has  / have ] been cleaned by the janitor.

   3    Either the teacher or two of her students  [  is  / are ]  preparing the laboratory  equipment.

   4.    Peter or his sister  [ is / are ]  taking care of their sickly  parents.

   5.    Neither this dress  nor these shoes   [ is / are ] on sale.

Practice Activity 2 : Choose the correct   compound subject .

   1.    ________________  is attending the party.

a.    Either Dan or his friends

b.    Neither you nor I

c.    Either Beth or Mary

  2.    ________________ have the skills for this job.

a.    Either you or she

b.    Neither the outgoing engineer nor the new applicants

c.    Either my friend Harry or your football buddy

   3.    _________________ has to re-write the script  for the new drama.

a.    Either the original writers or the director

b.    Neither the director nor the writers

c.      The actors  and the writer

  4.    __________________believe in love at first sight .

a.    Neither you nor I

b.    Neither I nor she

c.    Neither they nor he

   5.    __________________ is going to New York.

a.    Either Paul or  Jim and Kate

b.    Either you or your cousin

c.    Neither she nor you

Every day or Everyday ?

Don't get confused .

" Every day " ( two words )  is a phrase that means  " each day ".

Read these sentences :

a. Every day , thousands of refugees cross international borders . 

b. My neighbor   never fails to piss me off every day. 

You can replace " every day " with " each day " , and the sentence remains grammatically correct.

On the other hand , "everyday" ( one word  )  is an adjective  that

  means  " common , normal or ordinary ".It comes before a noun. 

Take a look  at the sentences below. 

a.You should not wear everyday clothes to a business meeting.

b. Everyday  life has become monotonous to the old man. 

If you try to replace " everyday " with "each day" , the sentence becomes grammatically wrong .  

                            

Activity :  Write  " every day " or " everyday ".

1. ______________ work for him is answering phone calls  from angry and rude customers.

2. Since he laid eyes on her in that Italian cafe , he has been sending  her flowers __________________  for a month.

3. ________________ is a new day . Make the most out of it. 

4. We have to learn how to deal with _____________struggles. 

5. And she loved him , ____________ of her  remaining life. 

Speaking Practice : Talk About A Famous Person You Admire

Stationery or Stationary ?

It's " full-fledged" NOT " "full-pledged" !

               Many Filipinos are guilty of this error . They say                     “ full- pledged”. THIS IS WRONG ! It’s “ full-fledged”.

          “ Fledge ” is a verb  that refers to a stage in a bird's growth.  It  means  to develop feathers  necessary for flying ; or to leave the nest after  acquiring such feathers. A “ fledgling ” , on the other hand , is a young bird that has just learned  how to fly.  

“Full-fledged”  has three figurative definitions .

1.       having attained complete status 

       Paula is now a full-fledged lawyer. ( This is the most common context in which this expression is used. )

2.       total or complete  

       The senator promises to make public a full-fledged report on the abuses of  big  pharmaceutical companies.

3.        full blown  

     We will launch a full-fledged  fund-raising campaign  for disabled war veterans .

          Why do many  Filipinos  make a mistake on this ? It’s due to  overlapping of  contexts.  Most Filipinos  take an oath after passing a government board exam  , and  before practicing their profession. The “oath-taking ceremony ”  is usually a formal occasion that takes place in a grand venue . It’s really a cause for  celebration  for Filipino families. Now , an "oath" is almost synonymous  to a           “ pledge ".  Within this cultural context ,  many Filipinos mistakenly  assume that “ full-pledged” is the correct term. They think it refers to someone who has taken a pledge or oath to his or her  profession. But , again , this is wrong . The word should be “ full-fledged” ---to describe a young  person  who is now ready to practice his or her profession , or who is now capable of independence.

Speaking Practice Tasks - Set 1

Worth One's Salt

            The idiomatic expression “ worth one’s salt ” means that someone deserves his or her reward or salary. It also means that a person deserves respect and admiration.

         The origin of this expression can be traced to the fact that salt was a very important commodity during the 18^th and 19^th centuries. With the absence of advanced technology for food preservation , salt was used not only to enhance the flavor of food but also to prevent spoilage . Like gold and silver coins , salt was  recognized as a form of currency. It was used to barter  meat , bread , leather and other important stuff.

           Some sources say that in the earlier centuries ,some workers  and soldiers  were paid  in “ salt ”. However , some scholars contradict this. Anyway , "salt "  has not lost its  association with money.  It  should be noted that the Latin word  for salt is “ sal ”, which is the root word  of the English word “ salary ”.

IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS LIST 1 : A fly in the ointment ...

IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS LIST   1

1. break even – make  neither profit nor loss
2. up to the mark – up to standard , good enough
3. on edge – nervous , tense , irritable
4. you live and learn – become wiser , gain more experience with age
5. through and through – completely , thoroughly
6. grin and bear it – suffer something unpleasant with optimism  because  one cannot change it
7.  blow by blow – ( when giving an account of something ) including all the details and events
8.  hold one’s horses – be patient , wait , or slow  down
9.  the rat race – the frantic , competitive struggle to do better than others
10. a fly in the ointment -  a difficulty  or something  unpleasant  which prevents  or spoils  total satisfaction or enjoyment
11. a fish out of the water -  someone who feels uncomfortable in unfamiliar situations
12. call a spade a spade – speak frankly
13. keep one’s fingers crossed – hope or wish for luck
14. raise hell – create great disturbance , protest or complain loudly and angrily
15. above board – legal , without secrecy
16. beat around the bush -  talk indirectly about something
17. keep up  with the Joneses -  compete with one’s neighbors and friends in material standards
18. deliver the goods – produce the expected results , do what is expected
19. cut the cackle -  stop wasting time with unnecessary talk
20. the acid test -  the ultimate , most severe test  that proves the ability , truth  or worth of something
21. sick and tired -  thoroughly bored or annoyed with someone or something
22. sleep on ( something ) – postpone a decision
23. at a price – with sacrifice or disadvantages
24. curry favor – try to win favor by flattery   
25. get out of the wrong side of the bed – be in a bad mood all  day

At heart or by heart ?

 

died of or died from ?

Straight From The Horse's Mouth

              The idiomatic expression “ straight from the horse’s mouth ” means that the information is  true  and reliable because it comes from the original or authentic source.  Now , where did this expression come from ? Well , here’s the story . In the olden days , it was believed that the age and general state of health of a horse can be seen in its mouth and teeth . Thus ,  horse dealers   who wanted to avoid being  cheated by lying middle men would themselves go straight to the horse and  inspect its    mouth  and teeth . The expression  caught on and developed another shade of meaning . These days , it has a  figurative meaning that something is true or  correct .

Example : 

You better believe that the company will lay off  Mr. Jones soon . The Human Resources Director himself told me . So , it's really straight from the horse's mouth.  

" One of the ..."

Grammar Lesson 3  – “ One of the …”

Don’t be confused by the word “ one ”. The expression       “ One of the …” should  be followed by a plural noun , but the verb should be singular because the subject is the word " one ". 

a. One of the men is wearing a red neck tie . 

      b.  According to a reliable source , one of the senators is           going to resign.

  

    c.  One of  his professors  has given him an “ F ”.

Grammar : A number / The Number

Grammar Lesson  2 -  The number / A number

The expression a number takes a plural verb because it means “ some ”.On the other hand , the expression the number takes a singular verb because it refers to a statistical or numerical figure.

a.  A number of UN delegates  are in  the country to monitor  poverty alleviation projects. 

b.  The  number of  endangered species   in  the world  has increased by 10 %. 

Confusing Words : Chords / Cord and Adopted /Adoptive

Chord or Cord ?

               A.      In the musical and mathematical sense , use CHORD . 

                      Kris  is learning to read guitar chords.

                Use CHORD also to describe an emotional reaction.

                The president’s speech struck a chord among the working class.

              B.      When  referring  to anatomical parts (i.e., parts of the human/animal  body )   , use CORD                           Kevin’s spinal cord was seriously injured  at the accident .

               She has inflamed and painful  vocal cords.  

  

Adopted or Adoptive ? 

        A. The adjective ADOPTED is applied to a child who was adopted .

This ten-year-old boy is Jane’s adopted son.

B.      The adjective ADOPTIVE is applied to the adult  who adopted the child.

Mr. Sanders and his wife are the adoptive parents  of Mike whose biological parents are actually  Russians.  

Nouns that are always singular in form

Grammar  Lesson 1 

Some English nouns do not have plural forms , except under special  conditions.  Here are some of them .

1.equipment                         

2. furniture

3. advice

4. music

5.jewelry

6. aircraft

7. poetry

8. homework

9. information

10. evidence

11.livestock

If you want to use them in the plural sense , words like “ pieces “ , “ units “ and “ files ”  should be used.

A.1  The  mixing equipment  is  out of order . We have to knead the dough manually. ( singular)

A.2  Three  new  units of mixing  equipment were delivered last week. ( plural )

B.1  The evidence against the accused is very strong .  ( singular )

B.2  The files of evidence were more than  enough to convict the accused .  ( plural )   

Names for groups of animals List 2

VOCABULARY LESSON 3

1.       A skulk of foxes

2.       A sounder of swine

3.       A piteousness of doves

4.       A sloth of bears

5.       A gaggle of geese

6.       A parliament of owls

7.       A colony of ants

8.       A rafter of turkeys

9.       A dray of squirrels

10.   A route of wolves