Topic9ofthe2011CollegeEntranceExaminationE目錄CONTENTSTheUsageofNumeralsTheruleofsubjectverbconsistencySpecialcasesofsubjectverbconsistencyPracticeandAnalysisofSubjectverbConsistency01TheUsageofNumeralsCHAPTERDefinitionAcardinalnumeralisanumberthatexpressesacountorquantity,suchas"one","two","three".UsageUsecardinalnumeralstoexpressprecisecountsorquantities,especiallywhenreferringtospecificitemsorgroups.Example"Ihavetwoapples."CardinalnumeralUsageUseordinalnumberwordswhenreferringtospecificpositionsororders,especiallyinlistsorrankings.Example"Sheisthethirdinline."DefinitionAnordinalnumberwordexpressesthepositionororderofsomething,suchas"first","second","third".OrdinalnumberwordsUsageUsefractionstoexpresspartialquantitiesorpartsofawhole.Fractionscanbewrittenasdecimalsorpercentages.Example"Thecakeisthree-quartersdone."DefinitionAfractionexpressesapartofawholeorapartofanumber,suchas"half","quarter","three-quarters".Expressionoffractions02TheruleofsubjectverbconsistencyCHAPTERgrammaticalconcordThegrammaticalconcordrulerequiresthatthesubjectandverbofasentenceagreeintheirgrammaticalforms.SummaryThisruleensuresthatthesubjectandverbhavethesamegrammaticalnumber(singularorplural)andperson(first,second,orthird).Forexample,inthesentence"Thecatisrunning,"thesubject"cat"issingularandtheverb"is"isalsosingular,followingthegrammaticalconcordrule.DescriptionSummaryTheconsistentinmeaningrulerequiresthatthesubjectandverbagreeintheirsemanticmeanings.DescriptionThisruleensuresthatthesubjectandverbaresemanticallyconsistent,meaningthattheyexpressacoherentthoughtoridea.Forexample,inthesentence"Thegroupofstudentsarestudying,"thesubject"groupofstudents"ispluralandtheverb"are"isalsoplural,followingtheconsistentinmeaningrule.ConsistentinmeaningSummaryTheadjacentconsistencyrulerequiresthatthesubjectandverbbeadjacenttoeachother.DescriptionThisruleensuresthatthesubjectandverbaredirectlynexttoeachother,withoutanyinterveningwordsorphrases.Forexample,inthesentence"Thecat,thedog,andthemouseareplaying,"thesubject"cat,thedog,andthemouse"isfollowedimmediatelybytheverb"are,"followingtheadjacentconsistencyrule.Adjacentconsistency03SpecialcasesofsubjectverbconsistencyCHAPTERWhentwoormoresubjectsarejoinedby"and"or"or,"theverbmustagreewiththesubjectclosesttoit.Forexample:"JohnandMary(and)theirfamilies"shouldbe"JohnandMary(and)theirfamiliesarecoming."ParallelsubjectsIfthesubjectsarejoinedby"or,"theverbcanagreewiththefirstsubjectifitisclearfromthecontext.Forexample:"EitherJohnorMary(or)theirfamilies"canbe"EitherJohnorMary(or)theirfamiliesiswelcome."ExceptionSubjectverbagreementofparallelsubjectsVSWhenasubjectisinasubordinateclause,theverbmustagreewiththesubjectclosesttoit.Forexample:"ThebookthatIamreading(is)veryinteresting."ExceptionIfthesubjectofthesubordinateclauseismodifiedbyanadjectiveoradverb,theverbcanagreewiththemodifiedsubject.Forexample:"Thebook,whichwaswrittenbyafamousauthor(is)verypopular."SubordinateclausesSubjectverbconsistencyinsubordinateclausesWhenasubjectisplacedaftertheverb,theverbmustagreewiththesubjectclosesttoit.Forexample:"Isthatthemanwhoyousaw?"shouldbe"Isthatthemanwhoyousaw?"Ifthesubjectismodifiedbyanadjectiveoradverb,theverbcanagreewiththemodifiedsubject.Forexample:"Isthattheman,whowaswearingahat,whoyousaw?"canbe"Isthattheman,whowaswearingahat,whoyousaw?"InvertedsentencesExceptionSubjectverbconsistencyininvertedsentences04PracticeandAnalysisofSubjectverbConsistencyCHAPTERSubjects:"thenumberofemployees"and"thenumberofhours";Verbs:"is"and"are".Exercise1Subject:"theamountofmoney";Verbs:"is"and"are".Exercise2Subject:"thepercentageofstudents";Verbs:"is"and"are".Exercise3ExercisequestionsThecorrectansweris"Thenumberofemployeesishigh,butthenumberofhoursislow."Thesubject"thenumberofemployees"issingular,sotheverb"is"isappropriate.Thesubject"thenumberofhours"isalsosingular,buttheverb"are"isusedinstead,whichisincorrect.Thecorrectansweris"Theamountofmoneyislarge."Thesubject"theamountofmoney"issingular,sotheverb"is"isappropriate.Thecorrectansweris"Thepercentageofstudentsishigh."Thesubject"thepercentageofstudents"issingular,sotheverb"is"isappropriate.AnswertoExercise1AnswertoExercise2AnswertoExercise3AnswerAnalysisSomestudentsmayconfusetheusageof"number"and"amount".Whilebothcanbeusedassingularsubjects,theusagedependsonthecontext.Forexample,"thenumberofemployees"shoulduse"is",but"theamountofmoney"shoulduse"is".Anothercommonmistakeistheconfusionbetweentheusageof"percentage"andothercollectivenou