章振邦《新编英语语法》Lecture-2课件

1、(最新整理)章振邦新编英语语法Lecture_22021/7/261Lecture 2Subject-verb Concord (I)2021/7/2622.1Guiding Principles Grammatical concordNotional concordPrinciple of Proximity2021/7/263NO.1 Grammatical concord The verb must match its subject in number. If the subject is plural, the verb should take the plural form; if

2、, on the other hand, the subject is singular or is a mass noun, the verb should take the singular form.Both boys have their own merits.Few students are really lazy.Many people want to go.Two girls were standing on the corner.2021/7/264NO.1 Grammatical concordEach boy has his own book.Every girl come

3、s on time.Either answer is correct.Much effort is wasted.2021/7/265NO.2Notional Concord The verb can sometimes agree with the subject according to the notion of number rather than to the actual presence of the grammatical marker for that notion.The government have asked the country to decide by a vo

4、te.Fifteen miles seems like a long walk to me.Fifty-six dollars was stolen from the cash register.2021/7/266NO.3Principle of Proximity It denotes agreement of the verb with a closely preceding noun phrase in preference to agreement with the head of the noun phrase that functions as subject.Either my

5、 brothers or my father is coming.Only one out of five were present.No one except his own supporters agree with him.Neither Julia nor I am going.2021/7/2672.1Guiding Principles Note that grammatical concord is the basic principle, but when the subject is realized by a collective noun, a coordinate fo

6、rm or an expression of quantity, the other two principles will have to be considered.2021/7/2682.2Problems of concord with nouns ending in -s There are quite a few nouns that end in s but which are not countable. Some of these nouns are treated as singular, some as plural, and some either as singula

7、r or as plural. Disease and game names ending in s Subject names ending in ics Geographical names ending in s2021/7/269 Other nouns ending in -s Names for things made of two parts such as scissors, pincers, glasses, shorts, trousers, pants, slacks, suspenders, etc are usually used as plural. But whe

8、n they are preceded by such unit nouns as a pair of and two pairs of, the number form of the following verb is generally determined by the number marker of the unit noun.e.g. Joes new trousers are black and white. One pair of scissors isnt enough.2021/7/2610 Other nouns ending in -s Nouns usually ta

9、king plural endings such as archives, arms and clothes are generally used as plural with the exception of whereabouts, dramatics, etc which may be treated either as plural or as singular.e.g. The archives of this society are kept in the basement. The contents of this book are most fascinating. His w

10、hereabouts were / was known only to his personal staff. The dramatics of the performance were / was marvelous.2021/7/2611 Other nouns ending in -s Nouns ending in ings such as clippings, diggings, etc are generally used as plural with the exception of tidings which can be used both ways.e.g. The cli

11、ppings of the hedges are usually burnt. The sweepings of the godown have been disposed of. Good tidings have cheered them up. The tidings has come a little too late.2021/7/2612 Other nouns ending in -s There are also nouns such as barracks and headquarters whose singular and plural number share the

12、same form. These nouns are treated as plural when used in the plural sense, or vice versa.e.g. A barrack was stormed by the enemy. Two barracks in the suburbs have been surrounded. Whats the odds? The odds are against us. 2021/7/2613 Key to exercises Ex. 2A 1. come 2. are 3. has / have 4. are 5. are

13、 6. are 7. was / were 8. is 9. costs 10. were 11. are 12. are 13. was 14. are 15. lie 16. were 17. are 18. is 19. is 20. was 21. Has 22. were 23. is 24. is 25. are 26. is 27. are 28. cover, are 29. is / are 30. was/were 2021/7/26142.3Problems of concord with collective nouns as subject Collective no

14、uns are singular in form but plural in meaning. The choice between grammatical and notional concord is mostly dictated by usage. Collective nouns usually used a plural: people, police, cattle, militia, poultry, vermin, etce.g. Such vermin as bugs and rats are hard to get rid of.2021/7/2615 Key to ex

15、ercises Collective nouns usually used a singular: foliage, machinery, equipment, furniture, merchandise, etce.g. T he merchandise has arrived undamaged. All the machinery in the factory is made in China2021/7/26162.3Problems of concord with collective nouns as subject Collective nouns used either as

16、 plural or as singular : The choice of the verb form following such nouns depends on the exact meaning of the noun in a specific context. When the noun is used in the sense of a collective as a whole, the verb takes the singular form. On the other hand, the noun is used in the sense of the individua

17、ls that make the collective, the verb takes the plural form. audience, committee, class, crew, family, government, public, etc2021/7/26172.3audience, committee, class, crew, family, government, public, etce.g. That group ( or platoon or squad ) of soldiers is a top-notch fighting unit. That group (o

18、r platoon or squad) of soldiers have the best ratings of individual performance. That herd of cows and calves is the healthiest the farm has had in some time. That herd of cows and calves are moving toward the sheds by twos and threes.2021/7/26182.3Problems of concord with collective nouns as subject A committee of, etc. + plural noun When a plural noun is preceded by