About the ged writting exam 4 pot

[than he is] Indefinite Pronouns Unlike personal pronouns, indefinite pronouns, such as anybody and everyone, don’t refer to a specific person.. The following indefinite pronouns are alw

Incorrect: What is the side effects of this

medication?

Correct: What are the side effects of this

medication?

Gerunds and Infinitives

Gerunds and infinitives have given many students of

Eng-lish a grammar headache, but they are not so difficult to

master Gerunds, as we noted earlier, look like verbs

because they end in –ing, but they actually function as

nouns in sentences:

Tracy loves camping.

Here, the “action” Tracy performs is loves The thing

(noun) she enjoys is camping In the following sentence,

however, camping is the action Tracy performs, so it is

functioning as a verb, not as a gerund:

Tracy is camping in the Pine Barrens next week.

Words ending in –ing can also function as adjectives:

Some of our camping gear needs to be replaced

before our trip.

Here’s another example of how the same word can

have three different functions:

Verb: He is screaming loudly.

Gerund (noun): That screaming is driving me

crazy!

Adjective: The screaming boy finally stopped.

What this means is that you can’t count on word

end-ings to determine a word’s part of speech Lots of words

that look like verbs may not be It’s how they function in

the sentence that counts

Infinitives are the base (unconjugated) form of the

verb preceded by to: to be, to delay, to manage They are

often part of a verb chain, but they are not the main verb

(main action) of a sentence:

Priya likes to write poems.

In this example, likes is the main verb; what Priya likes

(the action she likes to take) is to write poems.

W HEN TO U SE I NFINITIVES AND G ERUNDS

In many situations, you may be uncertain whther to use

an infinitive or a gerund Which is correct: I like to swim

or I like swimming? In this case, both are correct; like, hate, and other verbs that express preference can be

fol-lowed by either a gerund or infinitive But other verbs can only be followed by one or the other Here are a few helpful guidelines:

■ Always use a gerund after a preposition.

Keza thought that by taking the train, she would save money and time.

Noriel was afraid of offending her host, but she couldn’t eat the dinner.

■ Always use a gerund after the following verbs:

We should discuss buying a new computer.

I am going to quit smoking.

■ In general, use an infinitive after these verbs:

Aswad promises to be back by noon.

Fatima failed to keep her promise.

■ When a noun or pronoun immediately follows

these verbs, use an infinitive:

encourage

I’d like you to reconsider my offer.

The committee needs you to organize this event.

 P r o n o u n s

Pronouns, as we noted earlier, replace nouns This keeps

us from having to repeat names and objects over and

over But pronouns can be a bit tricky at times This

sec-tion reviews the different kinds of pronouns and the

rules they follow

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns refer to specific people or things They

can be either singular (I ) or plural (we); they can be

sub-jects (I ) or obsub-jects (me).

you you

he him

she her

plural we us

they them

Pronoun mistakes are often made by using the subject form when you really need the object form Here are two guidelines to follow:

■ Always use the object pronoun in a prepositional

phrase Pronouns and nouns in prepositional

phrases are always objects.

He promised to bring a souvenir for Betty and me Please keep this between us.

■ Always use the subject pronoun in a than

con-struction (comparison) When a pronoun follows

than, it is usually part of a clause that omits the

verb in order not to repeat unnecessarily

I realize that Alonzo is more talented than I [than

I am]

Sandra is much more reliable than he [than he is]

Indefinite Pronouns

Unlike personal pronouns, indefinite pronouns, such as anybody and everyone, don’t refer to a specific person.

The following indefinite pronouns are always singular

and require singular verbs:

anyone, anybody everyone, everybody

no one, nobody someone, somebody

either, neither each

one

Everybody has a chance to win.

Neither child admits to eating the cookies.

Has anyone seen my keys?

The following indefinite pronouns are always plural:

both few many several

Both sound like good options.

Only a few are left.

These indefinite pronouns can be singular or plural, depending upon the noun or pronoun to which they refer:

all any most none some

Some of the money is counterfeit.

Some of the coins are valuable.

None of the animals have been fed.

All of the bread is moldy.

Pronoun–Antecedent Agreement

Just as subjects (both nouns and pronouns) must agree

with their verbs, pronouns must also agree with their

antecedents—the words they replace For example, in the

following sentence:

Children will often believe everything their

parents tell them

the word children is the antecedent and is replaced by

their and them in the sentence Because children is plural,

the pronouns must also be plural

Indefinite pronouns can also be antecedents Singular

indefinite pronouns require singular pronouns:

Everyone has his or her own reasons for coming

Neither of the physicists could explain what she

saw

A Bad Habit

One of the most common mistakes we make

when speaking and writing is an error of

pronoun-antecedent agreement We often say

sentences like the following:

Did everyone bring their notebooks?

Most people make this mistake because it’s

easier (shorter and faster) to say their—but it’s

not correct When the antecedent is singular,

the pronouns must be singular, too:

Did everyone bring his or her notebook?

Plural indefinite pronouns, on the other hand, require

plural pronouns, just like they need plural verbs:

both few many several

Both of them have finished their work.

Only a few are still in their original cases.

Finally, those pronouns that can be either singular or plural, depending upon the noun or pronoun to which they refer, should take the pronoun that matches their referent If the antecedent is singular, the pronoun and verb must also be singular If the antecedent is plural, they must be plural:

all any most none some

All of the chocolate is gone It was delicious!

All of the cookies are gone They were delicious!

None of the information is accurate; it’s all out of date.

None of the facts are accurate; they are all out of date.

Pronoun Consistency

Just as you need to be consistent in verb tense, you

should also be consistent in your pronoun point of view.

Pronouns can be:

Singular Plural

First person I, me we, us, our

Second person you you (all)

Third person he, she, it they, them, their

one

A passage that begins in the third person plural should continue to use that third person plural point of view

Incorrect: We have tested our hypothesis and

the team believes it is correct.

Correct: We have tested our hypothesis and we

believe it is correct.

Incorrect: If you prepare carefully, one can

expect to pass the exam.

Correct: If you prepare carefully, you can

expect to pass the exam OR

If one prepares carefully, one can expect to pass the exam.

Possessive Pronouns

The possessive pronouns its, your, their, and whose are often confused with the contractions it’s (it is or it has), you are (you are), they’re (they are) and who’s (who is) Because we

use apostrophes to show possession in nouns (Louise’s

truck, the rug’s pattern), many people make the mistake

of thinking that pronouns use apostrophes for

posses-sion, too But possessive pronouns do not take

apostro-phes When a pronoun has an apostrophe, it always shows

contraction.

CONTRACTION

The pronouns who, that, and which are also often

con-fused Here are the general guidelines for using these

pronouns correctly:

■ Use who or whom when referring to people:

She is the one who should make that decision,

not me.

■ Use that when referring to things:

This is the most important decision that she will

make as director.

■ 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.

Emily married Sonny, who has been in love with her since first grade.

This film, which is a comedy, would be a good gift for Daniel.

 A d j e c t i v e s a n d A d v e r b s

Adjectives and adverbs help give our sentences color; they

describe things and actions Adjectives describe nouns

and pronouns and tell us which one, what kind, and how many See the following table.

Adverbs, on the other hand, describe verbs, adjectives,

and other adverbs They tell us where, when, how, and to what extent See the following table.

Remember to keep modifiers as close as possible to

what they modify

Fewer/Less, Number/Amount

As a rule, use the adjective fewer to modify plural nouns

or things that can be counted Use less for singular nouns

that represent a quantity or a degree Most nouns to

which an –s can be added require the adjective fewer.

Use less salt this time Use fewer eggs this time.

I had less reason to go I had fewer reasons to go

Good/Bad, Well/Badly

These pairs of words—good/well, bad/badly—are often

confused The key to proper usage is to understand their

function in the sentence Good and bad are adjectives;

they should be used to modify only nouns and

pro-nouns Well and badly are adverbs; they should be used

to modify verbs

I was surprised by how good Sebastian’s cake was.

Jennelle hasn’t been feeling well lately.

Her attitude is good, but she didn’t do well in the

interview.

Comparisons

An important function of adjectives and adverbs is

com-parisons When you are comparing two things, use the

comparative form (–er) of the modifier If you are

com-paring more than two things, use the superlative form

(–est) of the modifier.

To create the comparative form, either:

1 add –er to the modifier or

2 place the word more or less before the modifier.

In general, add –er to short modifiers (one or two syl-lables) Use more or less with modifiers of more than two

syllables

cheaper less expensive smarter more intelligent

To create the superlative form, either:

1 add –est to the modifier or

2 place the word most or least before the modifier.

Again, as a general rule, add –est to short modifiers (one or two syllables) Use most or least with modifiers

that are more than two syllables

Wanda is more experienced than I, but I am the most familiar with the software.

Ahmed is clearly the smartest student in the class.

Double Comparisons and Double Negatives

Be sure to avoid double comparisons Don’t use both –er/–est and more/less or most/least together.

Incorrect: She has the most longest hair I’ve

ever seen.

Correct: She has the longest hair I’ve ever

seen.

Incorrect: Minsun is more happier now.

Correct: Minsun is happier now.

The plane flew south Jude arrived early She sang beautifully Anthony is very talented.

Put the chair here She registered late. The system is behaving Eleanor is still extremely ill.

erratically.

I was walking back to camp. Let’s meet again They fought bravely The gas is dangerously low.

tomorrow.

Likewise, be sure to avoid double negatives When a

negative word such as no or not is added to a statement

that is already negative, a double negative—and

poten-tial confusion—results Hardly and barely are also

nega-tive words Remember, one neganega-tive is all you need

Incorrect: He doesn’t have no idea what she’s

talking about.

Correct: He doesn’t have any idea what she’s

talking about.

He has no idea what she’s talking about.

Incorrect: I can’t hardly wait to see you.

Correct: I can hardly wait to see you.

I can’t wait to see you.

 P r e p o s i t i o n a l I d i o m s

Another aspect of usage that may be covered on the GED

is prepositional idioms: the specific word/preposition combinations that we use in the English language, such

as take care of and according to The following is a list of

some of the most common prepositional idioms Review the list carefully to be sure you are using prepositional idioms correctly

according to

afraid of

anxious about

apologize to (someone)

apologize for

(something)

approve of

ashamed of

aware of

blame (someone) for

(something)

bored with

capable of

compete with

complain about

composed of

concentrate on

concerned with

congratulate on

conscious of

consist of

depend on/upon

equal to

except for

fond of

from now on

from time to time

frown on/upon

full of

glance at (something)/

glance through (some-thing, e.g., a book)

grateful to (someone)

grateful for (something)

in accordance with

incapable of

in conflict

inferior to

insist on/upon

in the habit of

in the near future

interested in

knowledge of

next to

of the opinion

on top of

opposite of

prior to

proud of

regard to

related to

rely on/upon

respect for

responsible for

satisfied with

similar to

sorry for

suspicious of

take care of

thank (someone) for (something)

tired of

with regard to