GRAMMAR’S GREATEST HITS & PLAIN STYLE:Because Most of the Research Shows that You Can’t Really Teach it Anyways

WHY GRAMMAR MATTERS

GRAMMAR AFFECTS MEANING

GRAMMAR AFFECTS MEANING

GRAMMAR AFFECTS MEANING

GRAMMAR AFFECTS MEANINGDear John:

I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings whatsoever when we're apart. I can be forever happy--will you let me be yours?

Jane

GRAMMAR AFFECTS MEANINGDear John:

I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men, I yearn. For you, I have no feelings whatsoever. When we're apart, I can be forever happy. Will you let me be?

Yours,Jane

CLAUSES

The smallest grammatical unit that can express a complete proposition. Consists of a subject (person, place, or thing and a predicate (modifies the subject, expresses what is true of the subject, must contain a verb)

Superman is a hero.

Subject= “Superman”

Predicate= “is a hero”

Verb= “is”

INDEPENDENT CLAUSE (COMPLETE SENTENCE) A clause that can stand on its own.

A clause that needs no other part to express a full thought.

Also known as a “simple sentence.”

Spider-Man is awesome.

The Avengers movie was cool.

These are complete thoughts. They can stand independently on their own.

DEPENDENT CLAUSE

A clause that contains a subject and a verb, however can not stand on its own (hence they are dependent)

They serve to augment an independent clause

When the Avengers came out, I was in line on the first day.

“I was in line on the first day” = independent clause

“When the Avengers came out” = dependent clause “the Avengers” = subject “came out” = verb

KEY TO COMMA USAGE

Is entirely based on knowing how to link dependent and independent clauses. If you can tell the difference between the two, and if you know a few comma rules, then commas become easy.

Six Major Rules Worth Memorizing

COMMA RULE #1

Commas separate items in a series (3 or more) The Avengers consist of Captain America, Iron Man, and the

Hulk. Dr. Who flies in a time machine, uses a sonic screwdriver, and

wears a nice suit.

Parallel Structure: Note in the second example that the items in the list have a

parallel structure of present tense verb/adjective/noun. All items in a list should contain the same grammatical structure.

COMMA RULE #2

Commas connect two independent clauses when there is a coordinating conjunction

I tried to get into Twilight, but I can’t ignore how much it sucks.

Mario got tired of saving the princess, so he finally gave up and left her with the lizard.

If both sides are not independent, then there is no comma. I bought a pet raccoon and gave him a rocket.

Coordinating conjunctions: and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet

COMMA SPLICES

Comma splices occur when you mash two independent clauses together without the conjunction

Wrong The rare Star Wars figurine is only five hundred dollars, I’m

going to buy it.

2 Fixes The rare Star Wars figurine is only five hundred dollars. I’m

going to buy it. (make it two sentences) The rare Star Wars figurine is only five hundred dollars, so I’m

going to buy it. (add the conjunction and comma)

COMMA RULE #3

When an independent clause begins with a marker word, it becomes dependent and therefore needs a comma.

A marker word turns an otherwise dependent clause into an independent one

When Adam Sandler makes a movie, I am almost certainly not going to like it.

Even though online game players can technically camp out to kill re-spawners, it doesn’t mean they should.

Marker words: after, although, as, because, before, even if, even though, if, in order to, since, though, unless, until, when, whenever, while

COMMA RULE #4

Use a comma to set off introductory elements According to some people, the Hulk has never had his own good

movie. Before going to school, little Jimmy likes to practice his headshot

skills in Call of Duty. Somewhere in his closet, Tim still has mountains of baseball

cards from his youth.

How to tell if it’s an introductory element The phrase modifies the entire thought (as in the Hulk example) It’s an adverbial clause (it has a subject and verb but modifies a

verb) “School” is a subject/”going to” is a verb and together it’s modifying

the “has” in the second part of the sentence.

COMMA RULE #5

Use a comma to set off parenthetical elements: a part of the sentence that could be removed without changing the essential meaning or grammatical flow If someone wants to buy me an iPad, and why wouldn’t you, I

would not be opposed. Mary Jane, Spider-Man’s ex-wife, is now a sadly underused

character.

If someone wants to buy me an iPad, and why wouldn’t you, I would not be opposed.

Mary Jane, Spider-Man’s ex-wife, is now a sadly underused character.

PARENTHESES

Parentheses would technically work in the previous examples but are usually reserved for more of a commentary effect.

If I were in the Hunger Games (which would require them being real), I’d probably just hide in some bushes and take a nap.

COMMA RULE #6

Use commas to separate coordinating adjectives (adjectives that appear in sequence to modify the same noun)

Rule of Thumb: if saying “and” aloud between the adjectives and flipping the word order also sounds correct then use a comma. If it sounds strange then no comma is needed Batman is a rich, mysterious character. (rich and mysterious

sounds right) The Hulk is a large green monster. (you probably don’t need

to say large and green and it sounds weird reversed)

THE SEMICOLON ;

Links two very closely related independent clauses Aquaman is lame; he talks to fish.

Between independent clauses (with a comma) linked with a transitional phrase I once got a perfect score at Pac-Man; of course, I can’t prove

it. Zombies can eat as many brains in a night as they want;

however, this may lead to indigestion.

COLON & DASHES

Only use a colon after an independent clause and usually to signify a list coming after the colon.

It was going to be a busy night: eat dinner, chill, and watch Netflix.

Dashes are never required grammatically. They can be used sparingly for abrupt changes in thought and mood.

I kept saying “chill and watch Netflix,” and–how could I have not known this–the students in the know kept giggling.

USE ACTIVE VOICE

The opposite (passive voice) occurs when the subject is acted upon instead of acting. This is bad.

The shield was thrown by Captain America.

The lasso of truth was pulled out by Wonder Woman.

The series finale of Breaking Bad was watched by millions of people.

Passive voice sounds weird and usually leads to a longer, more awkward sentence than needed.

VAGUE PRONOUNS

After putting the disk in the cabinet, Mabel sold it.

Take the stereo out of the car and fix it.

The supervisors told the workers they would receive a bonus.

The candy dish was empty, but we were tired of eating it anyway.

Although Mrs. Smith was wealthy, she made poor use of it.

Meg called Howard yesterday to explain why she had not attended the meeting the day before. This made Howard very angry.

STOP BEING LAZY

Your– possessive

You’re– contraction of you are

To- preposition

Too- amount or quantity/or also

Two- the number

Its- possessive

It’s- contraction of it is

There- direction

Their- possessive

They’re- contraction of they are

Then- time

Than- comparison

I’d rather get an A on this assignment then a F.

(why do you want an F?)

BASIC ELEMENTS OF TECHNICAL STYLE Choosing the right words or phrases

Noting what implications/connotations are made

Structuring sentences for clarity/readability Location of subject, avoiding nominalizations

Using an appropriate tone Linked to rhetorical purpose of document

BASIC SENTENCE PARTS

Subject

The Institute

The government

Crime statistics

Verb

provided

was provided

were provided

Comment

the government with accurate crime statistics.

with accurate crime statistics by the institute.

to the government by the institute.

IGNORING THE ACRONYMS AND NEEDED BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE, THIS STILL SUCKS

The smallest of the URF's (URFA6L), a 207-nucleotide (nt) reading frame overlapping out of phase the NH2-terminal portion of the adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) subunit 6 gene has been identified as the animal equivalent of the recently discovered yeast H+-ATPase subunit 8 gene. There are 20 words between the grammatical subject and

the verb! Anything that interrupts the subject and verb (23 words

here) is sometimes viewed as unimportant

EVEN WORSE . . .

Recently, however, immunoprecipitation experiments with antibodies to purified, rotenone-sensitive NADH-ubiquinone oxido-reductase [hereafter referred to as respiratory chain NADH dehydrogenase or complex I] from bovine heart, as well as enzyme fractionation studies, have indicated that six human URF's (that is, URF1, URF2, URF3, URF4, URF4L, and URF5, hereafter referred to as ND1, ND2, ND3, ND4, ND4L and ND5) encode subunits of complex I.

27 words of separation!!!

2 RHETORICALLY-DEPENDENT FIXESThe smallest of the URF's (URFA6L) has been identified as the animal equivalent of the recently discovered yeast H+-ATPase subunit 8 gene. Writer assumes lengthy aside is already known or irrelevant

2 RHETORICALLY-DEPENDENT FIXES The smallest of the URF's is URFA6L, a 207-nucleotide

(nt) reading frame overlapping out of phase the NH2-terminal portion of the adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) subunit 6 gene; the URF has been identified as the animal equivalent of the recently discovered yeast H+-ATPase subunit 8 gene.

Writer assumes aside is important but incorporates it into sentence better.

Subject and definitional verb up front in first clause; second clause re-establishes subject importance

IDENTIFY YOUR SUBJECT

Place subject in stress position (near start of sentence) and don’t keep its verb too far away

Your subject is based on the rhetorical purpose of your document.

Make the subject do something quickly (don’t make the audience wait for the verb)

KNOW COMMA RULES TO WRITE LESS REPETITIVE SENTENCES The buttons are perfect circles with a ¼ inch radius. The

buttons are separated from each other by ¼ inch of space. The buttons are raised ¼ inch from the controller base. The buttons are red and have a smooth texture to the touch. The buttons are easy to press. The buttons are marked with a letter. Each letter corresponds to game actions. The letters are standardized across all models of the controller.

The buttons are, the buttons are, the buttons are, each letter, the letter . . . aaaaargh

KNOW COMMA RULES AND CLEAR PRONOUNS TO WRITE LESS REPETITIVE SENTENCES The buttons are perfect circles with a ¼ inch radius. The

buttons are separated from each other by ¼ inch of space. The buttons are raised ¼ inch from the controller base. The buttons are red and have a smooth texture to the touch. The buttons are easy to press. The buttons are marked with a letter. Each letter corresponds to game actions. The letters are standardized across all models of the controller.

(Revised) The buttons are perfect circles with a ¼ inch radius. They are separated by ¼ inch of space and raised ¼ inch from the controller base. With a smooth texture, the red buttons allow the user to repeatedly press them with less discomfort. Each button is marked with a letter, which correspond to game actions, and are standardized across all models.

MIX SENTENCE LENGTHS AND MOVE AROUND THE DEPENDENT CLAUSESound is created through the interaction of strings and the sound hole. When the guitar string is plucked, air molecules are set into a vibrational motion. The frequency of air molecule vibration corresponds to the frequency of the string. Different frequencies are possible based on varying string quality. The sound is amplified when the vibrations enter the sound hole. Gathered inside the guitar’s hollow body, the frequencies allow the guitar’s sound boards to vibrate more freely. This vibration creates the guitar’s tone.

Dependent Clause: 2 up front and 1 at the end

Shorter sentences following longer ones

SUBJECT COMES EARLY & IS WHAT THE SENTENCE IS ABOUT Located seven inches away from the eraser end and flush with the wooden barrel before sharpening, is the tip of the graphite rod

The graphite rod is seven inches away from the eraser end and is flush with the wooden barrel before sharpening.

THE SUBJECT SHOULD BE THE “DOER” The eraser is used for removing marks on paper and other surfaces.

The eraser removes marks on paper and other surfaces.

The first example is called “passive voice” and occurs when the subject of the sentence is being acted upon.

THE SUBJECT SHOULD BE THE “DOER” Different styles of pencils are chosen by users based on their needs.

Users select different styles of pencils based on the needs of the writing task.

PASSIVE VOICE EXAMPLES

The road was crossed by the chicken.

It was determined by the committee that the report was inconclusive.

There is a considerable range of expertise displayed by the tech writing staff.

The proposed initiative was bitterly opposed by the shareholders. But again, this depends on who the subject is (and what needs

to be emphasized) based on the document’s purpose

SIGNS YOU WROTE IN THE PASSIVE VOICE A form of the verb “to be”

Was/were/be/by

Insert the phrase “by who” after verb. If it still makes sense, it’s passive voice The road was crossed (by who?) by the chicken.

Make sure the subject is doing the action.

THE VERB SHOULD SIMPLY STATE WHAT THE DOER IS DOING The IT staff are the people who will service the computers

on a weekly basis.

The IT staff are tasked with servicing the computers on a weekly basis.

The IT staff services the computers on a weekly basis.

ELIMINATE NOMINALIZATIONS

Nominalizations are verbs and adjectives turned into awkward nouns

The running of the OS X operating system and the inclusion of the full Adobe design suite is characteristic of the instructor computer.

The instructor computer runs the OS X operating system and includes the full Adobe design suite.

ELIMINATE NOMINALIZATIONSOur discussion about the matter allowed us to make a decision on the acquisition of the new x-ray machine.

We discussed the matter and decided to acquire the new x-ray machine.

AVOID EXCESSIVE PREPOSITIONAL PHRASESPrepositional Phrases follow prepositions like in, of, by, about, over, under, etc.

In the current job market where technological skills are more important than ever, students of UVU will find their experience at the university to be beyond the computer training received at comparable institutions.

UVU students will receive computer training comparable to other universities which is key in a job market focused on technological skills.

AVOID REDUNDANCY

Don’t use more words when less will do.

Unruly mob

Active participants

Team collaboration

Empirical observations

Web pages on the net

Students of the university

Helpful support

KEEP SENTENCES BREATHING LENGTHIf your sentence is considerably longer than it needs to be, you will find that the more it goes on and on, there is a high chance that your reader will lose what your message is; this is obviously a problem, especially in technical writing, because your sentences should be reader-centered at all times in the name of function.

During revision, read a loud

Cut words from sentence

Revise the sentence into two