Top 20, Great Grammar for Great Writing, First Edition Teaching Notes

follows it (e.g. None of the cars are in the parking lot.) As is stated in the text, in spokenEnglish this form is commonly used. However, other grammar texts argue that becausenone is less than one, it must take the singular form of the verb. Exercise 4 gives studentsthe opportunity to observe the classroom and come up with original sentences. Studentsshould be given the opportunity to share their answers with the class when finished.Follow with Exercise 5.Connecting Words and Phrases and Subject-Verb AgreementIn this section, students should be advised to learn the phrases and their agreement rules.This type of grammar point is often seen in standardized exams such as the TOEFL. Theinstructor might aid student retention by drawing a simple table on the blackboard:verb must agree with last nouneither…. orboth… andverb must agree with first nounalong with …together with …Exercise 6 is a matching exercise where students must concentrate not only on subjectverbagreement but also logical connection between ideas.A number of versus the number of (5.6)Again, students should learn the subject-verb agreement rule for these two phrases. Oneway of practicing might be an oral drill, with the teacher starting off the sentence “Anumber of people…” or “The number of insects in the park…” and calling on a student tofinish the sentence with the correct verb.Some Plural Nouns That Take a Singular Verb (5.7)Students should be made aware of the subject-verb agreement rules for some nouns thatend in –s. Follow with the editing practice of Exercise 7. The multiple choice practice(Exercise 8) should prepare students for the more challenging editing activity. ForExercise 9, students who answer incorrectly may look up the corresponding rule forgrammar item and keep it in a grammar rule notebook.Follow up with Exercise 10, Original Writing.2