9. The key is ______ on the table under the envelope. a. lying b. laying c. lay d. laid 10. Lukas and Elliot said that only one of the solutions mak e sense, and Evan said he agrees. ABCD a. A b. B c. C d. D 11. After Peter b reaks his promise, Wendy vowed never to trust him again. AB C D a. A b. B c. C d. D 12. The doctor suggests ______ less red meat and more fresh vegetables. a. to eat b. eat c. eaten d. eating 13. “What ar e the value of these jewels?” Kim asked as she held them up to the light. AB C D a. A b. B c. C d. D 14. I told Henderson that I ______ have the report ready by noon, but things didn’t go as I’d planned. a. would b. could c. might d. should – STRUCTURE: GRAMMAR AND STYLE– 71 Nouns One of the trickiest things about nouns is remembering whether they are count or non-count nouns. Count nouns refer to distinct, separate individuals or entities, such as a toy, an apple, a phenomenon. Non-count nouns refer to things grouped in a mass rather than separated as individuals, such as grass, milk, blood, bread. When we refer to numbers of non-count nouns, we have to do it indirectly, as follows: one blade of grass three pints of blood ten loaves of bread On the other hand, we can enumerate count nouns directly: one toy three apples ten phenomena Non-count nouns have other special qualities: 1. They have only one form (singular). 2. They must have a singular verb for agreement. 3. They are not preceded by the word the. As a general rule, the following kinds of nouns are non-count nouns: ■ Foods that can be bought in bulk or come in various forms: bread, butter, fruit, meat, rice, sugar, chocolate. ■ Liquids or natural substances that can change shape, depending upon their container or environment: milk, water, tea, oil, ice, steam, oxygen, smoke. ■ Materials that can change shape, depending upon what they are used to make: wood, sand, gold, lumber. ■ Abstractions: kindness, knowledge, integrity, beauty, time. ■ Groups of items that come in different shapes and sizes: furniture, clothing, money, garbage, luggage. ■ Games: chess, tennis, golf, baseball, checkers, marbles. ■ Subjects of study: history, psychology, literature, physics, economics, politics, statistics. – STRUCTURE: GRAMMAR AND STYLE– 72 Pronouns Pronouns are very useful; they keep us from having to repeat nouns. There are several different kinds of pro- nouns and some special rules to follow. PERSONAL PRONOUNS Personal pronouns refer to specific people or things and have several forms. They can be either singular (I) or plural (we); they can be subjects (I) or objects (me). It’s usually clear whether you need the singular or plu- ral pronoun. But knowing whether to use they or them can be a lot trickier. To determine which form to use, you need to determine whether the pronoun is acting as a subject or an object in the sentence. SUBJECT OBJECT Ime you you he him she her it it we us they them (who) (whom) H e hired me. (subject / object) I hired him. (subject / object) The y hired us. (subject / object) H e is taller than I (am). (subject / subject) The officer spoke to my sister and me. (object) To w hom am I speaking? (object / subject) I NDEFINITE PRONOUNS Indefinite pronouns, such as anybody and everyone, don’t refer to a specific person. These pronouns are always singular and require singular verbs. anyone, anybody everyone, everybody no one, nobody someone, somebody either, neither each one I think s omeone is coming. E veryone has a ticket already. N either one of us is ready to go. (Notice “us” is plural, but it is in a prepositional phrase, so it can- not be the subject.) I s anybody here? N obody has seen my wallet. – STRUCTURE: GRAMMAR AND STYLE– 73 PRONOUN AGREEMENT Just as subjects (both nouns and pronouns) must agree with their verbs, pronouns must also agree with their antecedents. An antecedent is the word that comes before the pronoun and which the pronoun replaces. For example, in the following sentence: Male seahorses carry the eggs in their pouches for two to three weeks. The word seahorses is the antecedent. Therefore, the pronoun that replaces seahorses—their—must be plural. The indefinite pronouns above can also be antecedents. They require singular pronouns to follow: E veryone must bring his or her identification card to be admitted. A nyone who enters the contest must have his or her advisor’s approval. N either of the tenants could find his or her copy of the lease. The following indefinite pronouns, on the other hand, are always plural and require a plural verb: both few many several B oth of us are going to the show. Only a f e w have survived. Many of the seeds have already sprouted. They must also have plural pronouns when they function as antecedents: B oth brought their children with them. Many of the students left their notebooks in the classroom when they ran outside. Finally, these pronouns can be either singular or plural, depending upon the noun or pronoun to which they refer: all any most none some – STRUCTURE: GRAMMAR AND STYLE– 74 The noun or pronoun following these indefinite pronouns determine their number. If the noun or pro- noun is plural, then the verb must be plural. If the noun or pronoun is singular, then the verb must be singular. A ll of the wor k is done. All of the tasks are completed. I s there an y pie left? A re there an y pieces of pie left? M ost of the milk w as sour. M ost of the g lasses of milk we re sour. N one of the mone y was spent. None of the funds were spent. Some of the fr uit was shipped. Some of the ap ples were shipped. (Notice these are noncount nouns.) (Notice these are count nouns.) TROUBLESOME PRONOUNS A few pronouns are confusing even for native speakers of English. The possessive pronouns its, your, their and whose are often confused with the contractions it’s (it is or it has), you’re (you are), they’re (they are) and who’s (who is). The key to using them correctly is to remember that there is no apostrophe if you want to show possession. Only use the form with an apostrophe if you mean to have a pronoun and verb combination. I t’s time for us to say goodbye and head home. (It is time ) I t’s been three years now since the interest rate has changed. (It has been ) The dog wagged its tail happily. (possession) Y our pager is beeping. (possession) Y ou’re going to have to turn off your beeper. (You are going to ) The y’re waiting for us at the bus station. (They are waiting ) The ir bus arrived right on time. (possession) Whos e Palm Pilot® is this? (possession) Who ’s coming to the fundraising dinner? (Who is coming ) The pronouns who, that, and which are also often confused. Here are the general guidelines for using these pronouns correctly: ■ Use who when referring to people: There is the woman w ho designed this building. The man w ho bought my car wants to buy my bicycle, too. ■ Use that when referring to things: This is the neighborhood that suffered the worst damage during the riots. The printer that earned the highest ratings is out of stock. – STRUCTURE: GRAMMAR AND STYLE– 75 ■ Use which when introducing clauses that are not essential to the information in the sentence, unless they refer to people. In that case, use who. Rajesh picked up a copy of Discover,w hich is his favorite magazine. The Mississippi River, w hich originates in Minnesota, empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Douglas, w ho used to sing in the renowned Harlem Boys Choir, lives upstairs. Practice 5 Circle the correct choice in the parenthesis in each sentence below. You will find the Answer Key in Appendix A. 1. The news (is/are) on in five minutes. 2. None of these keys (unlock/unlocks) the door. 3. Some of the animals (was/were) moved for the winter. 4. Someone left (her/their) makeup in the bathroom. 5. Remember to give Jane and Rita (her/their) appointment card. 6. Almost anybody can improve (his or her/their) writing with practice. 7. Neither the soldiers nor the sergeant was sure of (his/their) location. 8. The conductor let (he/him) and (I/me) into the club car. 9. Melissa and (I/me) witnessed the accident. 10. The disagreement is between (he/him) and (I/me). 11. I work with Assad more than (she/her). 12. (Its/It’s) been a year since (their/they’re) last meeting. 13. (Whose/Who’s) idea was it to take this shortcut? 14. He is the one (that/who) told me about this restaurant. 15. Please bring me the document (that/which) is on top of the filing cabinet. – STRUCTURE: GRAMMAR AND STYLE– 76 . statistics. – STRUCTURE: GRAMMAR AND STYLE– 72 Pronouns Pronouns are very useful; they keep us from having to repeat nouns. There are several different kinds of pro- nouns and some special rules. writing with practice. 7. Neither the soldiers nor the sergeant was sure of (his/their) location. 8. The conductor let (he/him) and (I/me) into the club car. 9. Melissa and (I/me) witnessed the