Write “R” (right) if the subject agrees with the verb, and “W”(wrong) if it does not.

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 795.

Exercise 1

Have “it” and “there” been used correctly?

We use there + be to say that somethingexists; we use it, they + be to give more details.

a. Sometimes a speaker wantsto focus on the type of information that is expressed by an adjective. Since an adjective cannot be used in a subject position, the word “it” is used as the subject:

It was late and nobody could use the lost money.

Sometimes a speaker wants to emphasize a noun and its relative clause. The speaker uses “it” in the subject position followed by the verb “be”:

It is my mother who makes the family budget.

b. Sometimes a speaker wants to say that something exists, or wants to mention the presence of something. The word “there” is used as the subject and agrees with the nearest noun or noun phrase.

_S_ _V_ ______ N PHR ________

There are very high tariffs and duties on certain products.

“There” can be an adverb which tells where something is. (2)

“There” can also be used to fill the subject position. (1)

There (1) is my preliminary desk research over there (2) on the shelf.

1. Sam, along with other students, plans on protesting the change in academic requirements.

2. Neither her sons nor her daughter know what their annual income is.

3. Accumulating play money are what seems to be the attraction of many board games.

4. What was decided during the meeting has been well documented.

5. The chairmen, together with the Board members, are meeting the partners.

6. Two weeks is plenty of time to finish the course.

7. Peter Wiles, who joined the company six years ago and is Production Manager, and John Martin, appointed two years ago to be Sales Manager, are very adventurous.

8. Modernizing a business to increase its profits are a complicated affair.

9. Tom Douglas together with some critics of the new export markets ask whether the field survey will actually do any good.

10. Several theories on this subject have been proposed.

11. The view on these management techniques vary from time to time.

12. The General Manager as well as his staff are trying to sort out the import licence.

13. Anybody who have lost his ticket should report to the desk.

14. Nobody works harder than John does.

15. Everybody who have labour trouble can't meet the delivery dates.

16. There are some people at the Board of Trade who has a different way of looking at things.

17. Every forward-looking manager's convinced it's quite the right time for this probe now.

18. There are tariffs on certain products, but the Board of Trade assure me that our office equipment would not be liable for duty.

19. After he had received a reservation for a first-class return flight, John decided that everything were in order.

20. There are a couple of likely competitors for this project. The rest of the firms are indifferent.