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Learn the fundamentals of grammar with this guide focused on subject-verb agreement, sentence fragments, run-on sentences, verb tense, and subjunctive. Improve your writing skills and avoid common errors.
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Good Grammar It’s not just for high school anymore
What is Subject / Verb Agreement? • Subjects must agree with their verbs in number. • Singular subject = singular verb • Trouble: • Matching the verb with the incorrect subject word: • The only person who correctly completes all questions are Sally. • Letting logic get in the way: • Everyone are finished. • Letting word order get in the way: • There are no way she could win.
Sentence Fragments • It looks like a sentence, it walks like a sentence, it sounds like a sentence, but it ain’t a sentence. • To be a sentence, it must have at least: • One subject • One verb, AND • One completed idea • Ex: I always try to edit my writing carefully, looking for typical problems. Such as sentence fragments and their kinds of errors.
Sentence Fragments • How to find them? • Put the words “It’s obvious that” in front of them and see if the sentence makes sense. • “It’s obvious that such as sentence fragments and their kinds of errors.” • How to fix them? • Replace the punctuation that caused the fragment (typically a period) with a comma. • I always try to edit my writing carefully, looking for typical problems, such as sentence fragments and their kinds of errors.
Run-on Sentences and Comma Splices • A run-on sentence is a group of words without punctuation showing where the first sentence ends and the second begins. • Word processing offers useful editing tools forwriters it can help them locate and correct many typical grammar errors. • A comma splice is a group of words with only a comma showing where the first sentence ends and the second begins. • Word processing offers useful editing tools forwriters, it can help them locate and correct many typical grammar errors. • Two independent clauses can’t be connected by a comma. They just can’t.
Most Common Reason • Two independent clauses (= complete sentences) joined by a conjunctive adverb or transitional (see next slide) must be separated by either a semicolon or a period. • They may not be separated by just a comma, because that would produce a comma splice. • Ex:I enjoy working for the Labor Commission, however, there are challenges.
Common Conjunctive Adverbs and Transitionals • additionally • also • anyway • as a result • at the same time • besides • consequently • finally • first • for example • for instance • furthermore • however • in addition • in comparison • incidentally • indeed • in fact • instead • likewise • luckily • meanwhile • moreover • namely • nevertheless • next • now • on the contrary • on the other hand • otherwise • second • similarly • still • then • therefore • thus • undoubtedly • unfortunately
Exception • When this type of word is used in the middle of ONE sentence, rather than connecting TWO different sentences, it is set off by just a pair of commas. • Do not use a semicolon in this situation. Using a semicolon would create a sentence fragment. • Examples: • We decided, however, that we would consider the offer. • They agreed, of course, to accept the amendment.
Which is correct? • I understand run-ons, however, I’m still having trouble with comma splices. • Iunderstand run-ons; however, I’m still having trouble with comma splices.
Which is correct? • I’m really good with punctuation, because I have been practicing so much. • I’m really good with punctuation; because, I have been practicing so much.
Which is correct? • I’ve been given a number of new duties, for example, I now have to do all the filing. • I’ve been given a number of new duties; for example, I now have to do all the filing.
Which is correct? • I’ve been given lots of new duties, for example filing and community outreach. • I’ve been given lots of new duties; for example, filing and community outreach.
Verb Tense • Normally, not a problem • But – be consistent • Aunt Jenny wrote to tell us of her recent trip to Hawaii. She said it was a delightful journey. Seeing her brother again is a real treat. • Spring begins early in Tennessee. First, the forsythia bursts into blossom; then the dogwood trees began to bloom. • During the course of his investigation, Dave found that Mary is consistently late to work. She often arrived up to 20 minutes late. She parks in the customer lot even though she is an employee. She often left her computer on overnight.
Subjunctive • When you’re writing about a non-true situation – usually following the word if or the verb wish – the verb to be is rendered as were. • Examples: • No: If I was a rich man. • Yes: If I were a rich man. • No: I wish it was summer. • Yes: I wish it were summer. • But if you are using if for some other purposes (hypothetical situations, questions), you don’t use the subjunctive. • Examples: • No: The reporter asked him if he were happy. • Yes: The reporter asked him if he was happy.
Making Your Pronouns Agree with the Words They Stand For • A pronoun must match the noun it stands for (its antecedent) in number and gender. • That means, you must use a plural pronoun (like "they") when referring to a plural noun (like "my clients") and a singular pronoun (like "this" or "it") when referring to a singular noun (like "the problem"). • English also requires a feminine (she), masculine (he) or neuter (it) pronoun depending on whether you are referring to feminine, masculine or neuter nouns.
What Causes Pronoun/Noun Disagreement? • Using a plural pronoun-- often "they" or "their"-- to refer to a singular noun. • Remember: The pronoun "they" is plural, referring to more than one person, so all forms made from "they" (= their / them / theirs) can be used only when referring to more than one person or thing. • No: The student who cares about their homework will start it early in the week. • Yes:Studentswho care about their homework will start it early in the week. • No: Ask that client if they can switch appointment times until tomorrow. • Yes: Ask that client if he can switch appointment times until tomorrow.
Other Mistakes • Make sure that the antecedents for your pronouns are clear so the reader knows who is doing what to whom and when. • Mr. Smith told Mr. Young that he had to leave. • Mr. Smith told Mr. Young that he (Mr. Smith) had to leave. • That versus Which • “Restrictive clause = that • Gems that sparkle often elicit forgiveness • Nonrestrictive clause = which • Diamonds, which are expensive, often elicit forgiveness.
Parallelism • This issue comes up most often in lists. • Examples • My friend made salsa, guacamole and bought chips. • I spent the day eating, shopping and got my hair cut.
Dangling Modifiers • These are ambiguous, adjective clauses at the beginning or end of sentences that don’t modify the right word or phrases. • What’s wrong: • Rotting in the refrigerator, our office manager threw the fruit in the garbage. • Having read your letter, my cat will stay indoors until the ducklings fly off. • After declining for months, Larry tried a new tactic to increase sales.
Quotations • Punctuation always goes inside the quotation mark, even if the punctuation isn’t part of the original quote. • “Yes”, she said. • “Mr. Jones alleges that by Mr. Young telling him “you shouldn’t work here,” Walmart terminated him. • Use block quotes for direct quotations longer than 40 words • Indent ½” on both sides of the quote. • Only quote what you need to quote.
Other Punctuation Marks • Semicolon ; • Use to separate two complete clauses (a construction with a subject and a verb that could stand on its own as a sentence). • I knocked on the door; no one answered. • Use to separate lists items • The band played Boise, Idaho; Schenectady, New York; and Columbus, Ohio. • I made a chicken casserole with green olives and capers; a green salad with tomatoes; and an apple pie. • Colon : • Use to start a list • I made: chicken casserole with green olives and capers, a green salad with tomatoes, and an apple pie. • Use it link two separate clauses or phrases when you need to indicate a step forward from the first to the second, as when the second party explains the first part of provides an example. • After two hours, they reconciled: the chef apologized, and the owner rehired him.
Other Punctuation Marks, Con’t • Exclamation Point • Don’t use. Ever. Unless it’s part of a quote. • Ellipsis Dots • Use 3 dots when you’ve omitted something from within a sentence. • “The boy . . . ran home.” • Use 4 dots (three ellipsis plus a period) when you’ve omitted something at the end of a sentence. • “The reports made no references to this investigation . . . .” • Use 4 dots when you’ve omitted a complete sentence. No space goes before the first of the four dots. • “Today is Friday. . . . I will sleep in tomorrow.”
Capitalization • Capitalize carefully, not randomly. • Capitalize: • Proper names • Fred • Names of relatives when used with name • Uncle Fred • Names of relatives when used as proper name • She spoke to Mother about going to the dance. • State and Federal • When used as a substitute for the name or used in its official capacity. • Once a year, state employees have an opportunity to change their healthcare plans. • The Federal Government issued a statement yesterday. • I attended training on the State’s new website.
Capitalization • Titles • When preceding a name • Governor Herbert • Not when following a name • Over 2,000 people attended a rally for Gary Herbert, governor of Utah. • Do not capitalize titles used as general words • The governor attended the rally • Capitalize when used in direct address • We appreciate your hard work, Governor. • Directions • Capitalize when used as a section of the country • The Smiths moved to the South. • Do not capitalize when used as a compass direction • Jim lives two miles south of town. • Seasons • Capitalize when used in a title • Mary took the class during Spring Semester. • Don’t capitalize when used generally • This has been a long winter.
Capitalization • Capitalize • Names of national, political, racial, social, civic and athletic groups • Baltimore Orioles, House of Representatives, Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis Club • Trademarks • Pepsi, Apple, Sony, Toyota • Countries, nationalities, specific languages • Peru, Japan, Chinese, French, Spanish • God, specific deities, religious figures, holy books • God, Buddha, Zeus, Allah, Moses, Mohammed, the Virgin Mary, Bible, Koran, BagavadGhita • But don’t capitalize non-specific use of the word “god”
Capitalization • Do not capitalize: • Names of diseases, unless named after a real person • Yes = Lou Gehrig’s disease • No = I have Tuberculosis. • Occupations, unless used with proper name • Yes = Doctor Smith • No = I went to see the Doctor • No = The Manager yelled at me. • Be Consistent!!
Contractions • It’s versus Its • It’s = It is • It’s Friday. • Its = possessive • They jury has reached its decision. • Its’ = never correct • You’re versus Your • You’re = You are • You’re insane. • Your = possessive • Grab your coat.
They’re versus Their versus There • They’re = they are • Their = possessive • There = place • _____ going to love going ____ – I heard ____ food is the best. • They’re going to love going there – I heard their food is the best.
Possessive Nouns • Most possessive nouns will have an apostrophe. • If the noun is plural, add the apostrophe after the s. • Dogs’ • If the noun is singular and ends with an s, add the apostrophe after the s. • Dress’ • If the noun is singular and does not end with an s, add the apostrophe before the s. • Lizard’s
Possessives with Appositive Forms • When a possessive noun is followed by an appositive, a word that renames or explains that noun, the apostrophe + sis added to the appositive, not to the noun. • When this happens, drop the comma that would normally follow the appositive phrase. • Ex 1: We must get Joe Bidwell, the family attorney's signature. • Ex 2: I wrecked my best friend, Bob's car.
Editing • As you edit your writing, ask yourself the following four questions: • Can I say it smaller words? • Can I say it in fewer words? • Can I say it in better words? • Can I say it with words that make the action clearer?
Proofreading • Don’t proofread until you’re completely finished with the actual writing and editing. • Forget the content or story. Focus on spelling, grammar and punctuation only. • Make several passes for different types of errors. • Take notesto ensure consistency. • If you do make a last-minute change to a few words, be sure to check the entire sentence or even paragraph over again. • Get familiar with your frequent mistakes. • Check format last.
1. Annoying music escaped from Kinya’sear buds. A. Kinya’scontains a correct apostrophe. B. No apostrophe is needed. 2. Buy your own pens! You cannot borrow ours. A. Ours does not need an apostrophe. B. Ours should have an apostrophe between the r and s: our’s. C. Ours should have an apostrophe after the s: ours’. 3. Ask Henry for help. His brain possess’sall kinds of strange trivia. A. Possess’scontains a correct apostrophe. B. You must spell the word like this: possesses. 4. The alarm clocks buzz startled Shane awake. A. Clocks does not need an apostrophe. B. Clocks should have an apostrophe between the k and s: clock’s. 5. The Larsen’s decided not to shutter their windows even though they were taking vacation at the height of hurricane season. A. Larsen’s contains a correct apostrophe. B. The apostrophe should come after the s: Larsens’. C. Larsensshould not have an apostrophe.
1. Emma Sue was delighted when Mr. Nguyen returned her perfect calculus test with an ear-to-ear grin. 2. Scrubbing the tile grout with bleach and an old toothbrush, the mildew stains began to fade. 3. Perched on the curtain rod, the parakeet watched Rocky the cat slink behind the living room sofa. 4. Sheila watched Desmond stuff his mouth with a cupcake frosted with vanilla icing. 5. To finish by the 3 p.m. deadline, the computer keyboard sang with Sylvia's flying fingers.
1. Monica brewed espresso, steamed milk, and told jokes as she prepared Mike’s latte. 2. Natasha tried holding her breath, chewing a piece of gum, and poking her belly, but she could not quiet her empty stomach, which rumbled during the chemistry exam. 3. In the restroom, Tishena was brushing her hair, freshened her lip-gloss, and took deep breaths, trying to work up the courage to walk to her first speech class. 4. Celine looked behind the toilet, in the laundry basket, and checked under the bed, but she could not find Squeeze, her nine-foot albino python. 5. Not only did Dennis apply an extra layer of deodorant to his armpits, but he also polished each tooth with special care. He did not want to offend Malinda with any unpleasant odors.
______________1. Nobody knows that eating chocolate-broccoli muffins is a good way to provide their bodies with vitamin C. ______________2. The troupe of knife jugglers shocked their audience when a butcher knife accidentally decapitated the head of an old woman's poodle. ______________3. Either the grill crew or the manager must give their permission for you to return that half-eaten double cheeseburger. ______________4. Both the computer monitor and the refrigerator door have its shiny surface smeared with dog snot from our curious puppy Oreo. ______________5. Which member of your track team makes their opponents resemble turtles trying to compete with a hare?
