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Important Grammar & Usage Points

Important Grammar & Usage Points. Ch. 10, Rude’s Technical Editing. Why grammar?. Editing sentences according to grammar patterns helps clarify relationships. How are relationships important in sentences? What can you do to help yourself find patterns that clarify and those that don’t?.

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Important Grammar & Usage Points

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  1. Important Grammar & Usage Points Ch. 10, Rude’s Technical Editing

  2. Why grammar? • Editing sentences according to grammar patterns helps clarify relationships. • How are relationships important in sentences? • What can you do to help yourself find patterns that clarify and those that don’t?

  3. Adjectivesvs. Adverbs • What do adjectives do? • Adjectives are words that describe nouns or pronouns. They may come before the word they describe (That is a cute puppy.) or they may follow the word they describe (That puppy is cute.). They describe or limit nouns/pronouns. • They can show comparisons (er, est) • What do adverbs do? • Adverbs are words that modify everything but nouns and pronouns. They modify adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs. • A word is an adverb if it answers how, when, or where. • They modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs or sentence

  4. Pronouns • Pronouns substitute for nouns. • Kinds of pronouns • Personal • I, you, he, • Relative (make clauses dependent) • Who, whoever, which, • Indefinite • Each, one, neither,

  5. Prepositions • What do prepositions do? • Link their object to another word in sentence • About, after, between, with

  6. Conjunctions • What do conjunctions do? • Join words, phrase, clauses • Kinds of conjunctions • Coordinating—and, but, or, for, yet, nor, so • Subordinating—after, although, because, etc • They make clauses dependent.

  7. Conjunctive Adverbs • What do they do? • They modify an entire clause; don’t make clause dependent • Consequently, however, moreover, on the other hand, • I received the letter; consequently, I made arrangements to close the sale.

  8. Verbals • What do they do? • They convert verbs into words that function as nouns or adjectives, have implied subjects,& may take objects or compliments • What kinds are there? • Gerunds • Function as noun with addition of “ing” (“Making the dinner took half an hour.”) • Participles as Verbals • Function as adjectives with addition of “ing” or “ed” to the verb. (“Expecting guests, he cooked more food.” or “The crying baby was soon picked up.”)

  9. Verbs • Kinds of verbs • Transitive • Carry over to a direct object • The sentence would be incomplete w/o the object. • (”He shoveled the walk.”) • Intransitive • Forms a complete predicate; doesn’t require an object • (“A woman walked into the store.”) • Linking • Require a complement that reflects back on the subject • To be verbs, look, seem, etc • (“The student is hard-working.”)

  10. Phrases • Kinds • Prepositional • I went to the store. • Noun • She left the newest dishes. • Infinitive • He wanted to win the Olympics. • Participial (participle=verb w/ ing or ed ending, a modifier) • The changing rules confused the competitors. • Appositive • The plan, a newly formed idea, was presented.

  11. Where can sentences go wrong? • The subject and verb don’t agree in number. • Plural subject, singular verb • The predicate doesn’t comment logically on the subject. (Faulty predication) • EX: “The purpose of the book persuades the readers not to get involved.”

  12. Dangling Modifiers • The modifier (participle, gerund, infinitive phrase) defines an action the subject of the sentence can’t perform. • EX: While driving on Greenwood Avenue yesterday afternoon, a tree began to fall toward Wendy’s car.

  13. Misplaced Modifier • Modifier is separated from the item it is intended to modify. • “I had to take down the shutters painting the house yesterday.” • From Grammar Girl— • I ate only vegetables. • I only ate vegetables.

  14. Pronoun-Antecedent Error • The pronoun does not agree in number with its antecedent. • “Every member of the graduating class should congratulate themselves for having passed all of their final exams.”

  15. Ambiguous pronoun referent • It’s not clear which of 2 previously mentioned items in the sentence or a previous sentence the pronoun might refer to. • “Anne told Lucy that her essay was great.”

  16. Pronoun Case Error • A pronoun in the subject case is used in the object position or vice versa. • Case—describes the role of the subject in the sentence • Subject/Nominative case—pronouns used as subject • Error: “Her and me decided where to go.” • Object/Objective case—pronouns used as objects of verbs or prepositions • Error: “The coach picked him and me.” • Possessive case—pronouns which express ownership • Error: “The man who we saw was the manager.” (“Who” is a subject; “Whom” is an object.)

  17. Subject/Nominative case—pronouns used as subjects

  18. Tense error • The tense does not accurately represent the time of the action.

  19. Tense sequence error • The times of actions as implied by the verb tenses contradict logic, or the time shifts arbitrarily.

  20. Why know grammar & usage? • As an editor you may recognize something is wrong, but be unable to articulate it. • Rules of grammar and usage help you to understand why and communicate your understanding.

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