PREDICATE
A verb must agree in number with its subject. This is a simple and absolute rule.
Indefinite pronoun (anyone, no one, everything, everybody etc., either, neither)
Singular predicate:
Everybody knows it. Either of the rubber rods is attracted by a glass rod. None of the candidates has much support. Neither of King Henry's sons was born in France.She shouted, 'None of you have a chance.' He's complaining that neither of them were asked.
Gerund or Infinitive
Singular predicate: Melting takes place at the temperature called melting point.
Collective Noun (team, committee, family audience, class, crowd, enemy, family, government, orchestra, staff etc.)
- Note that, in American English, a singular verb is typically used after a group noun: My wife's family always has a big get-together with a barbecue on July 4th.
Singular or plural predicate (either the subject is taken as a group or a collection of similar individuals): A woman tried to fight her way back to the thick of the crowd... but the crowd was helpless. The fleeing crowd were scattered by the mounted police. Langley's research staff is well-known for its achievements in aeronautics. Langley's research staff do not all publish their results in report form.
Noun in the plural denoting time, measure or distance = the amount or mass as a whole
Singular predicate: 300,000,000 is the velocity of light in meters per second. Thirty miles is a day's Journey in these hills. The twelve dollars a month you pay me is enough. BUT: While 1 mm of aluminium will stop all alpha-rays 6 cm are required to stop all beta-rays.
Two homogeneous subjects connected by and or Both and
Plural predicate: The earth and other planets move around the sun. Both the dog and his master were dragged ashore by Pete and Hans.
Here/ There + a number of subjects
Singular predicate: And here was a man of few words.
- Two noun or prepositions connected by neither... nor, either... or, not only... but also
Predicate agrees with the last subject: Either Margaret or I am going with you. Neither Margaret nor her sister was ready.
Two subjects connected by as well as
Predicate agrees with the first subject: Liquid, as well as solids, becomes radioactive when put through a nuclear reactor. Gases, as well as liquids, return to their original volume as soon as the applied force is removed.
- Singular subjects joined by or or nor, two nouns connected by with, together with
- Singular subject and a plural subject joined by or or nor
- Singular predicate: My mother or father is surely at home now. A woman with the child is on the third floor.
- Predicate agrees in number with the subject nearer to it: This bushes or the tree has to be cut.
Such words as most, all, some, half, part, a variety of, the majority of, a lot of, plenty of, a mass of, percent, a number of is governed by the number of the noun in the phrase that follows, or that could follow them
Most members leave their cars outside the parking lot.
none of and neither of informal situations
Singular predicate, but plural predicate is used in informal situations: None of the children was wounded. (!)
Subjects that seem to be plural: some nouns ending in -s, phrases describing an amount and some combinations with and
Singular predicate: The news wasn't too bad. Cards is more than a game for some people. Measles is a disease. Fifty pounds is too much. Twenty miles was too far and two days wasn't enough time. Tom and Jerry is a rather violent cartoon. Sausage and beans doesn't cost very much.
People, infantry, cavalry, gentry, cattle, poultry, jury and police
Plural predicate: The police are trying to stop speeding in the city, but people are still driving too fast.
Some nouns have confusing singular or plural forms, for example, aeronautics, sing. equipment, sing. apparatus, sing. hardware, sing. apparatuses, pl. phenomena, pl. data, pl. 1 criteria, pl.
Consult the dictionary or a usage book when there is a question concerning the number of a particular noun.
One noun-subject+ two defining attributes
Singular predicate when one person, thing or idea is meant: This strange social and political situation is now being analyzed by the scientists.
Plural predicate: Classical and light music have both their admirers.
Interrogative (who, what) and relative (who, which, that) pronoun
Predicate agrees with its antecedent: Harry, who had been sitting in a kind of horrified trance, had a sudden idea.
Emphatic it
Singular predicate always, no matter what follows it: It is only English girls who can behave themselves in any circumstances.
Many a
Singular predicate: Many a lie has been told in nobleness name.
LONGMAN Advanced Learners Grammar pp. 250-251,254;
Oxford Practice Grammar, p.5, 75.
Agricultural Systems I. WS 2008/2009 Test A
TEST A
1. Main purposes for primary use of plants
Production of food
Production of fabrice
Water reservoirs protection
Production of clean air
2. Farming system is defined as
Conservation of soil and landscape
Horizontal integration of crop and livestock production
Horizontal and vertical integration of crop livestock, trees and aquaculture
Protection of water, crops and animals
3. Norfolk four-course system is:
Four crops were planted simultaneously
Fallow field was omitted and replaced by fodder crops
First crop was wheat followed by turnips and third barley with clover understown
not used any more
4. Horticulture Mixed Farming System is represented by:
Horticulture farms specialized for individual crops
Farm size is small and has a diversified production pattern
Ornamental are mainly grown here
Cultivation of fruits, nuts and vegetables, partly irrigated
5. Sparse (cold) Farming System is represented by:
Farm size is small and has a diversified production pattern
Limited cultivation of rye and oats, as well as for potatoes and some vegetables
Ornamental are mainly grown here
Short growing season, very low temperatures and poor soils
6. Main objectioves of organic farming are:
Growing grain crops, legumes and pigs on large farms
Preventive application of pesticides
Production of healhty food under regulated procedure
Development of soil fertility mechanical weed control
7. Main steps of soil development are:
Weathering of organic materials -možná
Transition of unstable minerals into more stable ones
Flooding by water
Life organisms appeared in mixture of inorganic and organic materials
8. Soil horizon O is described as
Dark top horizon
Layer lost clay and oxides
Layer with presence of high organic matter
Horizont called elluvial
9. Gaseous phase (soil air) contains .... compare to atmospheric air
Elevated amounts of oxygen and nitrogen
Elevated amounts of sulphur dioxide
Elevated amounts of carbon dioxide
Usaully lower amount of oxygen
10. Mineral solid soil portion consists of:
Inert silica compounds
Plant residues
Organomineral complexes
Primary and secondary aluminosicilates
11. What does it mean soil fertility:
Ability of soil to create optimum conditions for plant growth
Production of sufficient yield at indvidiual field
Ability of soil to supply plants with sufficent amount of nutrients
Activity of microorganisms in the soil
12. Which main factors are required for plant growth
Energy, nutriens, soil
Soil, water, temperature
Water, temperature, energy
Water, sun radiation, temperature, nutrients
13. Nutriens uptake is caused by:
Main roots from soil
Root tips and hairs as well leaves and stem of plants
Main root as well as leaves and stem
Leaves and stems mainly
14. Which elements belongs to major (macro) nutriens:
N, P, K, Ca, Mg
N, P, K, Mn, Ca, Cl
N, P, K, Mg, Cd, Cl
N, P, K, Ca, S
15. Recommended sowing rate of winter wheat is:
100-200 kernels per 1m2
400-500 kernels per 1m2
600-700 kernels per 1m2
800-900 kernels per 1m2
16. Which components belong among outputs of nutrient cycle
