Forms of Presidential Primaries and the Effects of Front

Correcting Errors in Subject-Verb Agreement

Correcting Errors in Subject-Verb Agreement Here we will practice applying one of the most basic and yet also most troublesome rules of grammar: in the present tense, a verb must agree in number with its subject. Put simply, this means that we have to remember to add an -s to the verb if its subject is singular and not to add an -s if the subject is plural. Its really not a hard principle to follow as long as we can identify the subject and verb in a sentence. Lets have a look at how this basic rule works. Compare the verbs (in bold) in the two sentences below: Merdine sings the blues at the Rainbow Lounge. My sisters sing the blues at the Rainbow Lounge. Both verbs describe a present or ongoing action (in other words, they are in the present tense), but the first verb ends in -s and the second one doesnt. Can you give a reason for this difference? Thats right. In the first sentence, we need to add an -s to the verb (sings) because the subject (Merdine) is singular. We omit the final -s from the verb (sing) in the second sentence because there the subject (sisters) is plural. Remember, though, that this rule applies only to verbs in the present tense. As you can see, the trick to following the basic principle of subject-verb agreement is being able to recognize subjects and verbs in sentences. If thats giving you a problem, try reviewing our page on the Basic Parts of Speech. Here are four tips to help you apply the principle that a verb must agree in number with its subject: TIP #1 Add an -s to the verb if the subject is a singular noun: a word that names one person, place, or thing. Mr. Eko drives a hard bargain. Talent develops in quiet places. TIP #2 Add an -s to the verb if the subject is any one of the third-person singular pronouns: he, she, it, this, that. He drives a minivan. She follows a different drummer. It looks like rain. This confuses me. That takes the cake. TIP #3 Do not add an -s to the verb if the subject is the pronoun I, you, we, or they. I make my own rules. You drive a hard bargain. We take pride in our work. They sing out of key. TIP #4 Do not add an -s to the verb if two subjects are joined by and. Jack and Sawyer often argue with each other. Charlie and Hurley enjoy music. So, is it really that simple to make subjects and verbs agree? Well, not always. For one thing, our speech habits sometimes interfere with our ability to apply the principle of agreement. If we have a habit of dropping the final -s from words when we talk, we need to be particularly careful not to leave off the -s when we write. Also, we have to keep a certain spelling rule in mind when adding -s to a verb that ends in the letter -y: in most cases, we need to change the y to ie before adding the s. For example, the verb carry becomes carries, try becomes tries, and hurry becomes hurries. Are there exceptions? Of course. If the letter before the final -y is a vowel (that is, the letters a, e, i, o, or u), we simply keep the y and add -s. So say becomes says, and enjoy becomes enjoys. Finally, as we see in our page on Tricky Cases of Subject-Verb Agreement, we have to be particularly careful when the subject is an indefinite pronoun or when words come between the subject and verb.

Defining Marketing Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Defining Marketing Paper - Essay Example Marketing, when broadly defined, means the process of making a product sell by attracting customers. However, this definition would be incomplete. I define marketing as – Any activity that leads to the delivery of a product to the right people, which is done keeping market needs in mind. The aim is to be able to connect with consumers, to make a social impact and in turn, cultivate a long term association between a company and its consumers through the products, ultimately to make profits and run the business. Perreault, Cannon and McCarthy define marketing as – ...the performance of activities that seek to accomplish an organization's objectives by anticipating customer or client needs and directing a flow of need-satisfying goods and services from producer to customer or client† (2011, p.7). From this definition, it is apparent that the aim of marketing is to assess the needs of the customers and satisfy those needs through goods and services. As per the America n Marketing Association's definition of marketing, it is – ...the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large (Kotler and Keller, 2012, p. 4). By and large, these two definitions of marketing mean the same. However, in the second definition, a social aspect is added (â€Å"society at large†). For the success of any business, the selling of a product or service is vital. The entire purpose is to sell something. While the right kind of marketing results in an upsurge of product sales, bad marketing may result in negative publicity. The wrong kind of marketing may also lead to an irreversible damage to the image of the company and its relationship with customers. An example of good marketing or a good marketing strategy is that of Herbal Essences. The hair care products marketed by the company are targeted at a specific age group â€⠀œ young women. The product names as well as the bright colors of the packages are attention grabbing. The packaging and naming itself explains the purpose of the product. For instance, the aqua blue colored â€Å"Hello Hydration† product (Perreault, Cannon and McCarthy, 2011). Customers are encouraged to buy shampoo and conditioner bottles together through the clever use of matching and curvy packaging. The company also seeks eye level placement in retail stores. The online, television and print advertising purports a â€Å"mythical quality† to highlight the organic origin of the product. With the help of a Facebook Fan page and a customer review page on its website, the company has also been successful in connecting with its customers. The marketing mix strategized by the company has been successful in increasing the sales of the company (Perreault, Cannon and McCarthy, 2011). The company's marketing strategy led to the delivery of the product to the right people. An other example that can be used to illustrate the definition of marketing is that of Dove. The social aspect of marketing can be exemplified here. While Dove earlier used models whom the mainstream considered â€Å"beautiful†, it moved on to a new approach in which it projected that every woman is beautiful. This was a result of a moral problem that Dove's Marketing Director underwent when her daughter suffered