GRAMMAR BASICS

It’s easier to lower your standards once you’ve learned higher ones than it is to raise them if you’ve never

learned more formal ones.

Examples:

A person should mind their own business. (his or her)

Several employees had to go outside and lay down after the fire. (lie)

Hopefully, the snow will miss our area. (Hopefully doesn’t say who is hoping)

8 parts of speech

Nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections

Parts of speech refer to what words ARE

Parts of a sentence

Subject, predicate, predicate complement (predicate nominative and predicate adjective), direct object, indirect object, noun of direct address, appositive, sentence adverb, prepositional phrase, subject of an infinitive, and so on.

Parts of a sentence refers to what words DO or how they are used in a sentence.

And then there are…

Verbals: infinitives, gerunds, participles Groups of words: phrases, clauses,

sentences

Rather than define all of them right now, let’s look at them as they come about so you take in only as much terminology as is necessary.

Common mistakes

a/an: a is used before a word that begins with a

consonant sound when pronouncedan is used before a word that begins with a

vowel sound when pronounced○ Abbreviations: the choice is determined by the

initial sound○ …an FBI inquiry (initial sound is ef)○ …a historical event (initial sound is hih)

Other “a” mistakes

“A lot” is always two words Adjective-adverb confusion: adjectives

modify nouns or pronouns Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives or

other adverbsEverything was running smoothly – modifier

describes the manner in which something was running – it modifies the verb

Or say, everything was smooth, because smooth would be the adjective modifying everything

Adopt/pass

You adopt a resolution. You pass an ordinance

Affect is a verb meaning “to influence” Effect is a noun meaning “result” and a

verb meaning “to cause”

Affect/effect

Other “a” mistakes As/like

As is a conjunction and should be used to introduce a clause

Like is a preposition and should be used to introduce a word or phrase

Among/betweenUse between for two items; among for three or

more Alleged and allegedly

Avoid these as modifiers, for they don’t offer the legal protection many would think.

Don’t write, “He is an alleged rapist.” Just say, “He is charged with rape.”

B

Blond/blonde Brunet/brunette

The forms without the final e are used when applying to a man only.

The forms with the e are used only as nouns applying to a woman.

C

Centers around – change to centers on or revolves around because the center is in the middle

Colon – capitalize the first word after a colon if what follows is a complete sentenceHe said you could summarize the message

in three words: Love thy neighbor.

Comma

Put a comma before a conjunction such as “and” and only if what follows could stand alone as a complete sentence

Or, if the “and” could be confusing reading as linking the last two items as one rather than leaving them separate:Corn, pork, and beans

Comma-splice sentences

A comma alone is not enough to connect two independent clauses.

Add a conjunction such as “and” after the comma, change the common to a semicolon, or change the comma to a period and capitalize the next word.

Compare to/compare with Use compare to when similarities are

stressed Use compare with when differences are

stressed

The whole is composed of the parts or comprises the parts.

The parts constitute the whole

Compose/comprise/constitute

Conditional mood

Use could, not can Might not may Should not shall Would not will

Don’t write, “The bill will make gun owners…”

Write, “The bill would make gun owners…”

Contact

Avoid as a verb. Use call, write, visit

You’re convinced that or convinced of something.

You’re persuaded to do something.

Convince/persuade