English Is Killing Me
  • Home
    • Contact Me
  • About
    • Tutoring
  • Grammar
    • Verbs >
      • Troublesome Verbs
      • Passive Verbs
      • Gerunds and Infinitives
    • Adverbs
    • Nouns and Pronouns
    • Subject/Verb Agreement
    • Complex/Compound Sentences
    • Adjective Clauses
    • Adverb Clauses >
      • Adverb Clauses to Phrases
    • Noun Clauses
    • Conditionals
  • Composition
    • Parapraph Structure
    • Essay Structure >
      • Comparison Essays
      • Argument Essays
      • Cause/Effect Essays
    • Thesis Statements
    • Transition Sentences
    • MLA Formatting
    • Synthesizing and Paraphrasing
  • Literary Terms
    • Metaphors and Similes
    • Hyperbole and Sarcasm
    • Plot, Character, Setting
    • Tone, Mood, Point of View
    • Til's Blog
  • Spelling and Punctuation
    • Some Simple Rules
    • Commas,Semicolons, and Colons
    • Capitalization
  • Forum

Verbs That Will Ambush You!

It is sad, but English verbs will try to kill you. You might be at a party having fun when suddenly the tense you use is wrong, or the usage is incorrect, or you simply used the wrong word for the situation. Then there you are surrounded by people staring at you. You are defenseless. This cannot be allowed to happen. Here is a classic example.

The Vicious Lie / Lay

Oh my, how many people  are victims of these two little verbs. I have counted five mistakes in one month even in the Washington Post newspaper. Here is the root of the evil. Lie is an intransitive verb. Remember that term? Intransitive basically means a verb does not have a noun immediately after it. Lie is defined as reposing or resting in a place. For instance, look at sentence (1).

1. I lie on the couch every day. 

Do you see how couch is NOT immediately after lie? Lie is followed here by the preposition [on].
The verb lay, however, is a transitive verb, which means a noun can or must immediately follow it. It is defined as placing something. Look at sentence (2).

2. I lay my books on the table when I come home.

Notice that my books immediately follows lay. Many people get confused with what verb form is appropriate and often use lay when they should use lie. Sentence (3) is a typical example of a deadly sentence.

3. I lay on the floor when I watch television. 

So, so sad.  We can't let sentences like this exist. We must defend ourselves. Of course now you know that this sentence should be:  I lie on the floor when I watch television.

Now let's look at another reason for this horrible confusion.  Below are the present, past, and past participles of lie and lay.


Lie                    Lay
 Lay                   Laid
 Lain                 Laid
Do you notice anything suspicious?  Yes, the past tense form of lie is the same as the present tense form of lay. And guess what? English speakers really don't like past tense verbs that don't have a [t] or [d] sound at the end. Many people just don't think lay sounds like a past tense verb. This is another reason why so many well-educated people still get tricked into using lay, laid, and laid for both verbs. It may take some practice, but as a college student or writing professional this is a mistake you cannot let ambush you.

Comprise and Consist

Here are two verbs that are just waiting to trip you in the dark. Again we will see that the protection you need is your knowledge of transitive and intransitive verbs. Comprise is a transitive verb that either can have or must have a noun or noun phrase following it. Look at sentence (4).

4.  The class comprises a professor and twenty-one students.

The dreadful mistake that many writers make is using comprise as an intransitive verb. Look at the mistake in (5).

5. The class is comprised of a professor and twenty-one students. :(    So sad.

Part of the problem is that comprise means "to consist of," so many people simply write "comprised of." But consist is an intransitive verb, which means it cannot have a noun or noun phrase immediately after it. Look at sentence (6).

6. The lesson consists of three interrelated activities.

Do you see the difference? It is important. The preposition [of] conveys the meaning of [consists] to the noun phrase [three interrelated activities].
Now try this short quiz.

Troublesome Verb Practice

Don't get ambushed again!


Type the correct verb form of lie, lay, comprise, or consist for sentences below.
Click on the [CHECK ANSWERS] button.


The professor his books on his desk every day when he comes to class..
Yesterday I in the sun too long and got a sunburn.
The orchestra of 75 musicians.
Currently, the college students from many different countries.
I was on the couch when the telephone rang.
The loyal dog alwaysnear the door waiting for its master.


   

Complement and Compliment

Here we go again. I know you have probably had disasters with these two words.  Each has a noun and verb form. The important difference to remember is that complement refers to something that is added to enhance something, as in sentences (7) and (8), and compliment refers to praise, as in sentences (9) and (10). The noun form of complement is in (8), and the noun form of compliment is in (9).

7. My girlfriend chose a white blouse to complement her grey jacket.

8. The complement to ability is determination.

9. My father gave me a very sincere compliment when I graduated.  He said, "I always knew you were intelligent."
 

10. I complimented the chef on his delicious meal.
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.