'As well as' Rule - Sarah

    'As well as' Rule Verb-agreement & Comma usage     Sarah Hamdan  

Lesson two

'As well as' Rule

- as well as means 'in addition' NOT 'and'. - it is a conjunction that connects two expressions, unequal in emphasis.  - the focus is on the expression before as well as.   Example:   Ahmad, as well as his family, wants to leave the house. Means, not only Ahmad's family want to leave the house, but also Ahmad himself wants that. So, the emphasis here is on Ahmad.

'As well as' Rule

- Usually, as well as combines two subjects, so the format will be:   ( subject, + 'as well as + subject,'.....etc.)   or   ( independent clause + as well as + another independent clause)

'As well as' Rule

- Examples: ( subject, + 'as well as + subject,'.....etc.) She owns a car. She owns a motorbike. She owns a car as well as a motorbike.   ( independent clause + as well as + another independent clause) I   t is imperative that she is aware of the stationing of the guards as well as the other security measures that have been taken at the ground where she is about to perform.

'As well as' Rule/ Subject-verb agreement

- The confusion about subject-verb agreement is likely to happen when using as well as in a sentence. For example:   The moon, as well as Venus, are visible in the night sky. wrong The moon, as well as Venus, is visible in the night sky. correct  Why the first one is wrong? because the is on the first subject which is The moon.  

'As well as' Rule/ Subject-verb agreement

So, the rule says:   * The verb agrees with the first subject when two subjects are joined with as well as. Example: The music as well as direction was done by the same person for this movie. There is one way that can make the decision about using the correct verb easier, which is Comma usage.

'As well as' Rule/ Commas usage

- We can use commas with as well as either to:   1- Change the meaning of the sentence. or 2- Place the focus on the first subject.

'As well as' Rule/ Commas usage

- Commas usage is not mandatory when using as well as, but it will make it way easier to choose the number of the verb. Recognize the difference: The moon as well as Venus is visible in the night sky. The moon, as well as Venus, is visible in the night sky.   * When the commas are there, the emphasis on the first subject becomes clearer. Which helps to choose the correct verb.

'As well as' Rule

        Now, let's move to the worksheet for practice :)

References

- http://site.uit.no/english/grammar/aswellas/ - https://www.englishgrammar.org/exercise-20/ - https://www.theidioms.com/as-well-as/ - https://thegrammarexchange.infopop.cc/topic/subject-verb-agreement-with-as-well-as