SUBJECT
Noun or pronoun that “does” the action of the verb in the sentence. For example:
He shadowboxed. He is the subject because he is the thing that shadowboxed.
OBJECT
Noun or pronoun that the verb acts on. For example: He tickled me. Me is the
object because me is the thing that got tickled.
PREPOSITION
Words like to, at, in, up, over, under, after, of. They go with objects. For
example, in the phrase “in the house,” in is a preposition and house is the object.
The fanciest preposition: atop.
SINGULAR
Having to do with a single thing or single unit. For example: one lone noodle.
PLURAL
Having to do with more than one thing. For example: oodles of noodles.
The 12 Commandments of Grammar
Behold! The sacred rules of grammar outlined below will illustrate the most
common concepts on the Writing Test. If any of these rules are violated, you
must correct them and cast these mistakes into the blackest abyss.
COMMANDMENT 1: THY VERBS SHALT ALWAYS AGREE WITH THY SUBJECTS.
Subject and verb must agree in number. In other words, if the subject is singular,
the verb should be singular; if the subject is plural, the verb should be plural. So
isolate the subject and the verb and make sure they match.
Example 1:
The proctor, as well as the students, were overcome by the tedious ticking of the
timer and fell asleep.
Don’t let this example become real life. Sleep (and the occasional energy drink) is your friend.
—Samantha
Isolate: subject: proctor (singular)