Skill 1: BE SURE THE SENTENCE HAS A SUBJECT AND A VERB


A sentence in English must have at least one subject and one verb.
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Example 1:

_____ was backed up for miles on the freeway.
(A) Yesterday
(B) In the morning
(C) Traffic
(D) Cars

Answer:
In this example you should notice immediately that there is a verb was, but there is no subject. Answer (C) is the best answer because it contains the singular subject traffic that agrees with the singular verb was. Answer (A), yesterday, and answer (B), in the morning, are not subjects, so they are not correct. Although answer (D), cars, could be a subject, it is not correct because cars is plural and it does not agree with the singular verb was.

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Example 2:

Engineers _____ for work on the new space program.
(A) necessary
(B) are needed
(C) hopefully
(D) next month

Answer:
In this example you should notice immediately that the sentence has a subject engineers and that there is no verb. Because answer (B), are needed, is a verb, it is the best answer. Answers (A), (C), and (D) are not verbs, so they are not correct.

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Example 3:

The boy _____ going to the movies with a friend.
(A) he is
(B) he always was
(C) is relaxing
(D) will be

Answer:
This sentence has a subject boy and has part of a verb going; to be correct, some form of the verb be is needed to make the sentence complete. Answers (A) and (B) are incorrect because the sentence already has a subject boy and does not need the extra subject he. Answer (C) is incorrect because relaxing is an extra verb part that is unnecessary because of going. Answer (D) is the best answer; will be together with going is a complete verb.




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