Conquering Grammar

Know the Terms

Adverb

Nou

n

Pronoun

Independent

ArticleConjuncti

onCompound

VerbClause

Comm

a

Predicate

Adjective

Subject

Complex Dependent

Preposition

It’s simple.

A simple sentence:

• Contains ONE Subject (usually a noun)• Contains ONE Verb (PREDICATE)• Is a complete thought• Also known as an INDEPENDENT CLAUSE

It’s simple.

A simple sentence:

• Contains ONE Subject (usually a noun)• Contains ONE Verb (PREDICATE)• Is a complete thought• Also known as an INDEPENDENT CLAUSE

Question: What is a clause?

CLAUSE

A clause is a group of related words containing a subject and a verb

A clause is the primary building block of a sentence

Where are the clauses?

1. I walked. 2. The cat slept in the cardboard box3. I went to the store, and I bought a sandwich4. Mal’s spaceship is named Firefly5. In the event of a water landing, your seat cushion can be used as a flotation device.6. Mallory’s lipstick was smeared.7. Brian’s headphones were too loud, and the teacher could hear them from the front of the room while he was talking.

Subject

1. I walked. 2. The cat slept in the cardboard box3. I went to the store, and I bought a sandwich4. Mal’s spaceship is named Firefly5. In the event of a water landing, your seat cushion can be used as a flotation device.6. Mallory’s lipstick was smeared.7. Brian’s headphones were too loud, and the teacher could hear them from the front of the room while he was talking.

Predicate (what the subject did, will do or is doing)

1. I walked. 2. The cat slept in the cardboard box3. I went to the store, and I bought a sandwich4. Mal’s spaceship is named Firefly5. In the event of a water landing, your seat cushion can be used as a flotation device.6. Mallory’s lipstick was smeared.7. Brian’s headphones were too loud, and the teacher could hear them from the front of the room while he was talking.

CLAUSE = Subject + Predicate

1. I walked. 2. The cat slept in the cardboard box3. I went to the store, and I bought a sandwich4. Mal’s spaceship is named Firefly5. In the event of a water landing, your seat cushion can be used as a flotation device.6. Mallory’s lipstick was smeared.7. Brian’s headphones were too loud, and the teacher could hear them from the front of the room while he was talking.

PHRASES

A phrase is a collection of words that may have subjects or predicates, but it does not have a subject doing a verb. The following are examples of phrases:• leaving behind the dog • smashing into a fence • before the first test • after the devastation • between ignorance and intelligence • broken into thousands of pieces • because of her glittering smile

Conjunction

Coordinating Conjunctions:

FANBOYS

For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So

Conjunction

Subordinate Conjunctions:Connect two different types of clauses (independent and dependent)

Common Subordinating Conjunctionsafteralthoughasas ifas long asas thoughbecausebeforeeven ifeven though

ifif onlyin order thatnow thatoncerather thansinceso thatthanthat

thoughtillunlessuntilwhenwheneverwherewhereaswhereverwhile

CLAUSE

A clause is a group of related words containing a subject and a verb

DEPENDENT INDEPENDENT

Uses Subordinate Conjunctions

(cannot stand alone)

Complete sentences (can stand on it’s own)

Ex: while he slept Ex: He took the carHe screamed while he slept

EXAMPLES

Independent Dependent

• He ran

• I walked

• The Dog chased the cat

• Summertime is my favorite

• I like summer, but Fall is my favorite.

• While he ran

• Then I walked

• Before the Dog chased the cat. (usually)

…when a part of a sentence

Not so simple, is it?

I.U. is still wrestling with its feelings about whether it did enough to prevent Knight’s heated confrontations with referees and other players after punishing Bobby Knight last month for misbehavior but not firing him.

Complex vs. Compound

Complex Sentence:

SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS +Independent and Dependent clauses

Example: Samantha walked to the store while she whistled.

Compound Sentence:

Coordinating Conjunctions +Two or more independent clauses

Example: Laurel took her dog to the vet and she bought medicine.

Complex vs. Compound

Complex Sentence:

SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS

Samantha walked to the store while whistling.

Compound Sentence:

Coordinating Conjunctions

Example:

Laurel took her dog to the vet and bought medicine.

Complex/CompoundUses both subordinating and coordinating conjunctions

Samantha walked to the store while whistling and Laurel took her dog to the vet.

Complex vs. Compound

Complex Sentence:

SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS

Samantha walked to the store while whistling.

Compound Sentence:

Coordinating Conjunctions

Example:

Laurel took her dog to the vet and bought medicine.

Complex/Compound

Uses both subordinating and coordinating conjunctions

Samantha walked to the store while whistling, and Laurel took her dog to the vet.

Comma Rule # 1Use a comma to separate independent

clauses that are joined by one of the seven coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS).

• The receptionist suffered from a sore throat, but he stayed at work.

• My car was stolen, so I filed an insurance claim

• The receptionist suffered from a sore throat, but stayed at work. (INCORRECT) –not an independent clause.

• My car was stolen, while I filed an insurance claim. (Incorrect) Subordinate conjunction

Comma Rule # 2Use a comma after dependent clauses,

introductory phrases, or introductory words that precede the main clause• While I was trying to study, my upstairs neighbors were

having a party. (Dependent clause)

• After a week of rain, the sky was sharp and clear.(Introductory phrase)

• Yes, I would love to practice more grammar.(Introductory word)

Comma Rule # 3Use a comma to bracket clauses, phrases

and words that provide non-essential information• My uncle, who runs marathons, writes songs for

commercials• The movie, in my opinion, was too boring.• Her cat, the black one, is sitting down over there

• TIP: IF THE SENTENCE STILL WORKS WITHOUT IT, PUT IT IN COMMAS

Comma Rule # 4Use a comma to separate three or more

words, phrases, or clauses (SERIES)

• I walked to the store, bought a sandwich, ate it, and threw away the wrapper

• You need pens, pencils, and paper for this project

• Remember the OXFORDIAN comma.

Comma Rule # 5Use a comma to separate adjectives

(descriptive words) that describe the same noun.• He was a big, scary dude.• Krull was a terrifying, menacing chihuaha.

• TIP: It’s like a list, except you only need two.

Comma Rule # 6Use a comma at the end of a sentence to

indicate a distinct pause or shift or that refers back to the beginning or middle of the sentence.• He was content, not overjoyed.• You’re a fisherman, aren’t you?

(distinct pause)• The crazed motorist sped away, laughing maniacally.• The lobster scuttled away from the waiter, brandishing

its claw.(referencing something earlier)

Comma Rule # 6Use a comma at the end of a sentence to

indicate a distinct pause or shift or that refers to back to the beginning or middle of the sentence.• He was content, not overjoyed.• You’re a fisherman, aren’t you?

(distinct pause)• The crazed motorist sped away, laughing maniacally.• The lobster scuttled away from the waiter, brandishing

its claw.(referencing something earlier)

Comma Rule # 7Use a comma to shift between dialogue

tags (unless you use ! Or ?)

• Chuck asked, “where are you going?”• “Home,” Becky said.• “Why,” Chuck asked, “don’t you like snakes?”• Becky gagged, “Not for dinner.” She looked sick.• “I HATE YOU!” she screamed.• “I hate you,” she whispered.• TIP-Remove the quotes and think of it as a sentence. Does it need punctuation?

Comma Rule # 8Use a comma to set off all geographical names, items in dates

(except month and day), addresses (except street number and name) and titles.

• I grew up in Sacramento, California.• Election day is November 4, 2008.• Tyler Durdin, president, is in charge of fight club.• I live at 456 Marras Way, Eureka, California.

;Two Independent clauses WITHOUT a coordinating conjunction

• I am a man; a man who knows no fear.

The independent clauses should be related, or contrast each other• I am a man; I cry at night.

EXTREME EXAMPLE: a list with clauses or phrases embedded inside

• I like Sarah, who is blonde; Michelle, the singer; and Cassandra, who I play basketball with.

Fragment SentenceA group of words without a subject, verb, or both.

• Closed the door. (FRAGMENT)• SHE closed the door.• The kid on his bike. (FRAGMENT)• The kid on his bike crashed into a fire hydrant.

A dependent clause• While I was walking down the street. (FRAGMENT)• While I was walking down the street, I remembered my homework

Missing punctuation.• Michael was a surgeon Selene did not like Victor. (FRAGMENT)• Michael was a surgeon. Selene did not like Victor.

Run on sentence

-A Run on sentence has too many clauses (look for conjunctions). -The sentence wanders off topic or becomes unclear.-Is missing punctuation.

• During the day, I like to go to the park and ride my bike and in New York there are millions of pigeons, but your chair is red. (RUN ON)

• Mary likes dogs she has a beagle. (RUN ON)

William Faulkner

Monday is no different from any other week day in Jefferson now. The streets are paved now, and the telephone and the electric companies are cutting down more and more of the shade trees - the water oaks, the maples and locusts and elms - to make room for iron poles bearing clusters of bloated and ghostly and bloodless grapes, and we have a city laundry which makes the rounds on Monday morning, gathering the bundles of clothes into bright-colored, specially made motor-cars: the soiled wearing of a whole week now flees apparition-like behind alert and irritable electric horns, with a long diminishing noise of rubber and asphalt like a tearing of silk, and even the Negro women who still take in white peoples' washing after the old custom, fetch and deliver it in automobiles.

William Faulkner

Monday is no different from any other week day in Jefferson now. The streets are paved now, and the telephone and the electric companies are cutting down more and more of the shade trees - the water oaks, the maples and locusts and elms - to make room for iron poles bearing clusters of bloated and ghostly and bloodless grapes, and we have a city laundry which makes the rounds on Monday morning, gathering the bundles of clothes into bright-colored, specially made motor-cars: the soiled wearing of a whole week now flees apparition-like behind alert and irritable electric horns, with a long diminishing noise of rubber and asphalt like a tearing of silk, and even the Negro women who still take in white peoples' washing after the old custom, fetch and deliver it in automobiles.

The 1983 Guinness Book of World Records claims the "Longest Sentence in Literature" is a sentence from Absalom, Absalom! containing 1,288 words

EDIT YOUR WORK

Subject Verb Agreement

The subject and the verb in a sentence need to MATCH to be used correctly.The boy runs every day. The boys run every day.Mary is going to the storeMary and Olivia are going to the storeThe boy or his friends every day.

Singular

Plural

run

When there are multiple subject separated by or/nor, match a verb to the one NEAREST the verb

Singular

Plural

Subject Verb Agreement

The subject and the verb in a sentence need to MATCH to be used correctly.

SingularIs

Was

Runs

Talks

PluralAre

Were

Run

Talk

Subject Verb AgreementDo not be misled by a phrase that comes between the subject and the verb. The verb agrees with the subject, not with a noun or pronoun in the phrase.

One of the boxes open. is/are

The people who listen to that music few. is/are

The team captain, as well as his players, anxious. is/are

The book, including all the chapters in the first section, boring. eis/are

The woman with all the dogs down my street. Ewalks/walk

The woman and all the dogs down my street. Ewalks/walk

is

is

is

are

walks

walk

Subject Verb Agreement

The words each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone, nobody, somebody, someone, and no one are

singular and require a singular verb.

Each of these hot dogs is juicy.Everybody knows Mr. Jones.Either is correct.

Subject Verb Agreement

In sentences beginning with there is or there are, the subject follows the verb. Since there is not the subject, the verb agrees with what follows.

• There are many questions.• There is a question.

Subject Verb Agreement

Collective nouns (GROUPS) are words that imply more than one person but that are considered singular and take a singular verb, such as group, team, committee, class, and family.• The team runs during practice.• The committee decides how to proceed.• The family has a long history.• The crew is preparing to dock the ship.

Subject Verb Agreement

Expressions such as with, together with, including, accompanied by, in addition to, or as well do not change the number of the subject. If the subject is singular, the verb is too.

The President, accompanied by his wife, is traveling to India.

All of the books, including yours, are in that box.

$ubject Verb Agreement

the word dollar$ is a $pecial ca$e. When talking about an amount of money, it require$ a $ingular verb, but when referring to the dollar$ themselve$, a plural verb is required.

Five dollars is a lot of money.Dollars are often used instead of rubles in Russia.

Subject Verb Agreement

HINTS:

Connect the subject to the verb

Know what your subject is

A collective group of things is a SINGLE thing

Students = plural the class of students = single

Pay attention to conjunctions (AND, OR, EITHER, BOTH, ALL,

NEITHER, NOR, etc.) to properly identify the subject.

Tense Agreement

Tense Agreement

The tense of the subject and the

tense of the predicate must

agree.Did it happen, is it happening, or

will it happen?

Tense Agreement

• Past• Present• Future• Simple Past• Perfect Past• Perfect Future

Tense Agreement

He will run -futureHe is running -presentHe ran. -past

He will have ran by tomorrow -perfect futureHe had ran yesterday -perfect past

PERFECT = COMPLETED and DONEHINT: Keep it simple

Tense Agreement

Consistency• Verb tenses tell readers when actions are taking

place. Careful and accurate use of tenses is important so that your reader doesn’t get confused. When you're talking about the same event (or group of events), make sure you stick to a single general tense--past, present, or future.

• INCORRECT "I opened the door, and Mike is standing there."

• Correct"I opened the door, and Mike was standing there."

Tense AgreementTips for writing about writing

Plot synopsis (summary) should be in the present tense (even if the story is told in past tense).• INCORRECT "Hamlet had doubts, and couldn't bring himself to act."• CORRECT "Hamlet has doubts, and can't bring himself to act.“

Use present tense for eternal truths.• INCORRECT "Beauty was in the eye of the beholder."• CORRECT "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."• (Always has been, always will be--it just is!)

Also use present tense to introduce quotes and paraphrases of an author's words.• INCORRECT "The first line of Moby Dick was 'Call me Ishmael."'• CORRECT "The first line of Moby Dick is 'Call me Ishmael."'

Tense agreement

If you shift between past, present and future, make sure you direct your reader

• Yesterday, Brian said he was going to skip school tomorrow and takes the day off. (What day did he take off?)

• Yesterday, Brian said he was going to skip school today and take the day off.

EDIT YOUR WORK

Common and uncommon errors

Every time you make one of these mistakes, a teacher dies, just a little, on the inside.

Contractions

A word or phrase that has been shortened.Contract – to draw together or to shorten

• It + is = It’s• I + am = I’m• You + are = you’re• They + are = they’re• Who + is = who’s

Don’t use contractions in academic writing. Do not

Contractions

Test for contractions – Take the words apart and see if the sentence still works.

It’s raining. (It is raining)

Who’s going with you? (Who is going with you?)

They’re at school. (They are at school)

We’re going home. (We are going home)

You’re sitting down. (You are sitting down.)

ContractionsTest for contractions – Take the words apart and see if the sentence still works.

It’s raining. (It is raining) I took its place. ( possessive)

Who’s going with you? (Who is going with you?)Whose car is this? (possessive before the noun)

They’re at school. (They are at school)We’re going home. (We are going home)

Where were you going? (past tense form)You’re sitting down (you are sitting down)

Find your test. (ownership)

Homophones

Words that sound the same but have different meanings

They’re there theirWhos whoseIts itsThen thanEffect affect Your you’reTo two too

They’re / There / Their

• They’re – contraction of they are• They are going to school.

• There – a place (HERE)• The school is over there.

• Their – possessive ( I own it)• They need to do their homework.

To, Two, Too

• To – used to express direction, contact, motion or a point or limit

• I like to, he grew to, it is going to• Two - A number (2)

• There are two chairs in at the table• Too – in addition, also; an excessive degree

• Can you take me, too?• I ate too many hot dogs.

• An additional ‘o’

• Then – adverb (time)• I will to go the store then I will walk home.

• Than – conjunction (connects things)• I like original doritos more than cool ranch.

• Affect (VERB) – to influence• The rain affected my hair.

• Effect (noun) – A result• The effect was that it got wet.

BONUS: “Affective” is an adjective based around the influence of emotions “Effective” meant to influence, persuade, or produce a desired outcome.

A lot vs. allot

The word alot does not exist.

A lot means a large extent or to a large extent (more below).

To allot means to apportion something (more below).

Plural vs. Possessive

• ‘s = possessive• Example: The dog’s collar

• s = plural• Example: I like those two dogs

• s’ = a plural possessive• Example: The two girls’ mom

• s’s = A single possessive (like any other letter)• Example Travis’s dog.

• (This rule has changed/is changing… WHEN IN DOUBT, TAKE IT OUT.• EXAMPLE: Travis’ dog is acceptable

When using quotes

“The period goes after the citation in an in-text citation” (Argo). Always after the parentheses.

# or numbers

Guidelines• Be consistent

• Write out the smaller units

(Three vs. 456,211,343)

• Use differences to help the reader understand when you are

talking about two different things.

The five 10 dollar bills (there are 5 separate 10 dollar bills)

• ’09 not 09’ Apostrophe goes in front of (towards what is missing_

Hyphens (-)…know your role.

If the words are “connected”• A hot-water bottle is a bottle that holds hot water• A hot water bottle is a water bottle that is hot.• The friendly-looking man had a friendly look.• The friendly, little girl was a little girl who was

friendly.• All numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine.• Phrases that should not be broken: • He was a nine-year-old boy. X-Ray, A-Frame.• When in doubt…look it up. Or just leave it out.

Leave it on your cell phone

DO NOT USE!!!• U• THNX• TTYL• The number 2 in place of to or too. • Y instead of why• b/c or w/• @ in anything except an email address

• Or any other form of text speak or shorthand abbreviations.• If you do, your teacher just might….

PWNED!!

!

• Proper noun capitalization• Ellipses• Dialogue (capitalization and paragraphs)• Abbreviations 2nd vs second

Start sentences with a capital letter.Use periods at the end of a sentence.

Indent your paragraphs.Spell correctly.

Questions?

EDIT YOUR WORK