Using Good Grammar

Noun/Pronoun Agreement

When reviewing and writing texts, you must know if the nouns and pronouns agree.
Here’s what you need to know for test day.

Pronouns exist to take the place of a noun in a sentence.

When it comes to people, you use the singular pronoun she/he to refer to a person who is the subject of a sentence, and the singular pronoun her/him to refer to a person who is the object of a sentence.

• Ex: I like Tim. He is such a good guy. I want to give him a big hug!

You use the plural pronoun they to refer to a group of people who are the subject of a sentence, and the plural pronoun them to refer to a group of people who are the object of a sentence.

• Ex: I love my teachers. They always take time to explain things to me. I hope to see all of them at graduation!

Use the pronouns his/her/their to indicate possession when referring to people.

• Ex: His cat belonged to her dad. Now, since they’re married, the cat is now theirs.

Lastly, you can use the pronoun it to refer to animals and nonliving things.

• Ex: I just bought a plant. Isn’t it cute?

The possessive its reveals possession by an animal or nonliving thing.

• Ex: My cat lost its collar last night.

Note
The main thing you need to look out for in GRE RLA questions and in your essay is keeping singular nouns with singular pronouns and plural pronouns with plural pronouns. Mixing up singular and plural in the same sentence is grammatically incorrect.

Subject/Verb Agreement

Just like with nouns and pronouns, a sentence’s subject and verb must agree with one another. Here are some handy rules:

If the subject is singular, add an -s or –es to the end of most verbs.

• Ex: He goes to the store.
• Ex: He buys a candy bar.

However, there is an exception when you use I.

• Ex: I go to the store.
• Ex: I buy a candy bar.

If the subject is plural, use the base form of most verbs (i.e., the same form you use with I).

• Ex: They go to the store.
• Ex: They buy a candy bar.

Note
If you come across a question assessing subject/verb agreement, read the entire sentence carefully to see if something sounds off. Your day-to-day experience using English will help you determine if something feels off about how a sentence sounds.

Need to Know Vocabulary

Besides mastering the two grammar skills we’ve already covered, there are a few grammar vocabulary terms you 100% need to know for test day.

• Adverbs: A word that modifies or describes a verb, adjective, another adverb, or a whole sentence.
  • Ex: He followed (verb) quietly. He was very short (adjective).
• Adjectives: A word that modifies or describes a noun or pronoun.
  • Ex: Today is a wonderful day. I had a great lunch.
• Articles: Words that appear before nouns that show whether the noun is used in a general or specific sense.
  • Ex: A (general) cat is a tame lion. The (specific) cat over there is a tame lion.
• Interjections: Single-word sentences that indicate a sudden feeling. They may or may not use an exclamation point.
  • Ex: Ouch! Wow! Oops.
• Prepositions: Prepositions are words that show the relationship between the other words in the sentence.
  • Ex: I bought a hot dog because I have money. I set my watch on the table. We talked at the park.