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           Grammar BackgrounderEnglish 102: Writing with Power and Persuasion

This overview of grammar, punctuation and style will help you write with greater clarity, accuracy and power. You should be fully fluent with all of this material by the end of the course. To review the PowerPoint effectively• Please put the presentation into slide show mode (The numerous animations and many slides will

look like gibberish in in normal view)• Left click your mouse to advance the slides. After you advance the slide, look out for the instruction

“Please Left Click” to launch animations.

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1. The Sentence (LINK)The sentence is the key component of all writing. Words are separate, isolated entities until they are placed in understandable order in sentences, which give logic and sense to all writing. Understanding how to write great sentences is the basis of excellent writing.

2. Punctuation (LINK)Good punctuation is necessary for clear communication. This section focuses on the most common issue in punctuation. We focus on the comma, which enables use to clarify what we are trying to say and eliminate confusion and misunderstanding.

3. Common Errors (LINK)Whether it is confusing words that sound alike (homonyms), such “to” and “too” or “they’re,” “their” and “there”) or pronouns that do not have a clear antecedent (the original word that they are intended to represent), there are common mistakes that many writers make repeatedly. This section focuses on avoiding committing bedeviling errors.

                     

          

Table of Contents (Main Sections)

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4. Proof, Proof, Proof (LINK)Solid proofreading is the best tool for avoiding mistakes, typographical errors, and embarrassment. In this section, you can find tips for becoming a successful proofreader and easily enhance the quality of your writing.

5. Short, Sweet and Precise (LINK)Writers should strive to be as precise, understandable, and to the point as possible to ensure accuracy, brevity, and clarity. This section examines how to avoid unnecessary words, redundancy, and colloquial terms and slang that are inappropriate in a formal paper. It also looks at active and passive voice. You should use active voice, because it is more direct, dynamic, and concise.

6. Resources for Writers (LINK)A selection of books, websites and other resources that will enable you to up your game and become a better writer.

7. Glossary (LINK)The glossary is a place to refresh your memory about the meaning of some key words. Many of the words in the text are hyperlinked to this glossary, and each word is hyperlinked back to the page where it is first used.

                     

          

Table of Contents (Main Sections)

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1. The SentenceSlide 5: The Sentence: The Key to Grammar LINK

Slides 6-7: Great Sentences LINK

Slide 8: The Anatomy of an almost Perfect Sentence LINK

Slide 9: Independent and Dependent Clauses LINK

Slide 10: Run-On Sentences LINK

Slides 11-12: Comma Splices LINK

Slide 13: Free the Preposition LINK

Slide 14: Pronoun Case LINK

Slide 15: Rules, Rules, Rules LINK

Slide 16: Subject—Verb Agreement LINK

Slide 17: Collective Nouns LINK

2. PunctuationSlide 21: Punctuation Makes a Difference (LINK)

Slides 22-23: Bless the Comma (LINK)

Slide 24: More on Parenthetical Expressions (LINK)

Slide 25: The Comma’s Identity Crisis (LINK)

Slide 26: A Comma—The Difference between Life and Death (LINK)

Slide 27: The Panda Eats Shoots and Leaves (LINK)

                     

          

Table of Contents

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2. Punctuation (Cont.)Slide 28: Commas and Modifiers (LINK)

Slide 29: An Exercise on Commas (LINK)

Slide 30: The Dash (LINK)

Slides 31-33: The Hyphen and its Roles (LINK)

Slide 34-37: Conon-oscopy: Examining the Colon (LINK)

3. Common ErrorsSlide 40: Headline Writer Headaches (LINK)

Slide 41: Can’t We just Get Along (LINK)

Slides 42-44: Common Errors (LINK)

Slide 45: To vs. Too (LINK)

Slides 46-47: Seven Special Rules to Live by in Formal (LINK)

Slide 48: Choose Words Wisely (LINK)

4. Proof, Proof, ProofSlide 51: The Glaring Error (LINK)

Slide 52: Why We Proofread (LINK)

Slides 53: A Common—and Embarrassing—Error (LINK)

Slides 54-55: Proofreading Tips (LINK)

                     

          

Punctuation: Table of Contents

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5. Short, Sweet & PreciseSlide 58: The Experts Agree; Brevity is a Virtue in Writing (LINK)

Slide 59: Words to Avoid; Filler Words (LINK)

Slide 60: Don’t Double Team the Reader (LINK)

Slide 61: Words to Avoid: Colloquialisms (LINK)

Slide 62: Cutting Words Down to Size (LINK)

Slide 65-69: Active Voice vs. Passive Voice (LINK)

6. Resources (LINK)

7. Glossary (LINK)

                     

          

Proof, Proof, Proof: Table of Contents

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Understanding sentence structure is fundamental to great writing.PART 1—The Sentence

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

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1. The SentenceSlide 5: The Sentence: The Key to Grammar LINKSlides 6-7: Great Sentences LINKSlide 8: The Anatomy of an almost Perfect Sentence LINKSlide 9: Independent and Dependent Clauses LINKSlide 10: Run-On Sentences LINKSlides 11-12: Comma Splices LINKSlide 13: Free the Preposition LINKSlide 14: Pronoun Case LINKSlide 15: Rules, Rules, Rules LINKSlide 16: Subject—Verb Agreement LINKSlide 17: Collective Nouns LINK

                     

          

The Sentence: Table of Contents

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“If one understands that a sentence is a structure of logical relationships and that the number of relationships involved is finite, one understands too that there is only one error to worry about, the error of being illogical and only one rule to follow: make sure that every component of your sentences is related to the other components in a way that is clear and unambiguous.”

Stanley Fish, How to Write a Sentence:And How to Read One

The Key to GrammarFocus on the Sentence and Integrating its Parts

Dangling Participle

Singular Pronoun

Plural Noun

Singu

lar Verb

Missing Conjunction

Sentence Fragment

Misplaced Modifier

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.

George Orwell, 1984

Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.

Gabriel García Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude

It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn’t know what I was doing in New York.

Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

All this happened, more or less.

Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five

Great SentencesA great sentence communicates captures your attention, inducing you to read on. These opening lines of exceptional novels all share the same trait. After you read the first sentence, you cannot help but move on to the second.

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There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.

C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

You better not never tell nobody but God.

Alice Walker, The Color Purple

Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board.

Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God

It was a pleasure to burn.

Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.

William Gibson, Neuromancer

I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.

Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle

Great Sentences, Part II

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It was in the books while it was still in the sky.John Updike (Quoted in Stanley Fish,

How to Write a Sentence: And How to Read One)

SubjectSubject

Conjunction Predicate

Predicate

The Anatomy of an Near Perfect SentencePlease Left Click

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Stanley Fish sees this as an almost perfect sentence. Written by John Updike, it describes what it was like to see baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams hit a home run in his last at bat in Fenway Park. According to Fish, “The fulcrum of the sentence is ‘while.’” One side of the pivot point is a metaphor: this moment will be described “in the book” before it hits the ground. On the other side, the ball “was still in the sky” in three senses. It has “not yet landed,” “its motion is arrested,” and it will “remain forever, in the sky of the books, in the record of the game’s highest, most soaring achievements.” With the two clauses balancing on the word “while,” the sentence epitomizes how this memorable moment instantly became frozen in the memory of the writer and the history of baseball.

Fish, Stanley (2011-01-25). How to Write a Sentence: And How to Read One(Kindle Locations 167-173). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

                     

          

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Independent and Dependent Clauses

An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate and expresses a complete thought.

“Grandpa Jody knows how to rap.”

A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb but does not express a complete thought.

“When Grandpa Jody raps”

It is essential to be able to recognize the difference between independent and dependent clauses, because you can make serious grammatical errors if you do not. Purdue Online Writing Lab has an excellent fact sheet on the topic. It also has a very short exercise. Use the exercise to make sure you understand the concept.

What is a run-on sentence?

A run-on sentence has two or more independent clauses without proper punctuation. For example,

He wears his silly costume everywhere he thinks he’s Iron Man.

“How do you fix a run-on sentence?”

It depends on what you want to say (see table).

                     

          

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Punctuate to Indicate the Connection between the Two Thoughts

Use a period to separate thoughts He wears his silly costume everywhere. He thinks he’s Iron Man.

Use a semi-colon to link the ideas He wears his silly costume everywhere; he thinks he’s Iron Man.Use a conjunction with comma to indicate Causality He wears his silly costume everywhere, because he thinks he’s Iron Man.

Clarification He wears his silly costume everywhere, but not when he goes to work.

Time He wears his silly costume everywhere, even during his early morning jog.Use a semi-colon and adverbial conjunction for variety

He wears his silly Iron Man costume everywhere; however, he is harmless.

Run-On Sentences

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The Comma Splice

The comma splice isall too common.

and

Please Left Click

                     

          

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The Comma SpliceWhat is a comma splice?

A sentence that has two or more independent clauses with a comma but not a conjunction is a comma splice. For example,

He slept until noon every day, he goes to bed early.

How do you fix a comma splice?

It depends on what you want to say (see table).

Punctuate to Indicate the Connection between the Two Thoughts

Use a period to separate the thoughts He sleeps until noon every day. He goes to bed early.

Use a semi-colon to link the ideas He sleeps until noon every day; he goes to bed early.

Use a conjunction and comma to

Emphasize causality He sleeps until noon every day, because he has narcolepsy.

Provide clarification He sleeps until noon every day, except when he get his paycheck.

Indicate time He sleeps until noon every day, and goes to bed early every night.

Use a semi-colon and adverbial conjunction

He sleeps until noon every day; nonetheless, he goes to bed early.

                     

          

Free the Preposition!

Never end a sentence with a preposition?This is an outdated rule that was based on a old view of Latin usage. If we insist on this construction, our language will become clumsier. Sometimes, ending a sentence with a preposition can be elegant (see below).

“We are the ones we have been waiting for.”This is much better than the “correct” version.

“We are the ones for whom we have been waiting .”

A Relevant Conversation

Old-Fashioned Grammarian: “Ouch!”

Hip Grammarian: “Are you hurt? What did you step on?”

Old-Fashioned Grammarian: “Never end a sentence with a preposition. You should say on what did you step?”

Hip Grammarian: “Ok, What did you step on, IDIOT?” 17

Pronoun Case

Three Cases: Subjective, Objective, and Possessive.

Pronouns in the subjective case act as subjects. I, you, he, she, we, they, it, who

Pronouns in the objective case act as direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions.

me, you, him, her, us, them, who

Pronouns in the possessive case indicate ownership adjectives. my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, it, its, our, ours,

their, theirs, whose

For Example,I grabbed my book from off the desk, because it belonged to me, but Sheldon and Thad snatched it from me, because they said it was theirs.

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Rules, Rules, Rules

Use "who" and "whoever" as subject pronouns, for example

“Knock, knock.” “Who's there?”

“Please hold.”“Please hold whom.”

“Your knock is important to me and will be answered in the order it was knocked.”

Use "whom" and "whomever" as object pronouns.For example

“To whom it may concern, I will all my worldly possession to my dearest friend, my poodle Jezebel.”

Is it who or whom?

Subject-Verb Agreement

Do not Confuse the Subject with the Object of the Preposition

Prepositional phrasesPreposition [e.g. "of," "at," and "in“] + Object [noun or pronoun]

"Each of them is distinct."

"The suggestions in his proposal have merit."

Subject

Object

Verb

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Collective Nouns are Singular . . . Most of the timeEveryone knows your family is dysfunctional.

Nearly 25% of the population is Muslim.

But Sometimes . . .A singular collective noun expresses a plural idea and needs a plural verb.

Our staff work hard to meet their goals and deadlines.The orchestra are tuning their instruments.

The cast have been practicing their lines.

                     

          

Collective Nouns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGMJtog25eI

Common Collective NounsArmyAudienceBoardCabinet

ClassCommitteeCompanyCorporation

CouncilDepartmentFacultyFamily

FirmGroupJuryMajority

MinorityNavyPublicSchool

SenateSocietyTeamTroupe

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PART 2: Punctuation

I bet the dishes are not too clean either.

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2. PunctuationSlide 21: Punctuation Makes a Difference (LINK)Slides 22-23: Bless the Comma (LINK)Slide 24: More on Parenthetical Expressions (LINK)Slide 25: The Comma’s Identity Crisis (LINK)Slide 26: A Comma—The Difference between Life and Death (LINK)Slide 27: The Panda Eats Shoots and Leaves (LINK)Slide 28: Commas and Modifiers (LINK)Slide 29: An Exercise on Commas—What is wrong with these

sentences? (LINK)Slide 30: The Dash (LINK)Slides 31-33: The Hyphen and its Roles (LINK)Slide 34-37: Conon-oscopy: Examining the Colon (LINK)

                     

          

Punctuation: Table of Contents

A woman: without her, man is nothing.

                     

          

A woman withouther man is nothing.

Punctuation Makes a Difference.

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We would be lost without the comma, which enables us to provide unambiguous communication by

Marking off sequences of words and phrases or words where there are no conjunctions or only a final conjunction. For example,

“During Thanksgiving dinner, Mark managed to enrage his mother, father, both sisters, his brother, Aunt Flo, Uncle Linus, Father Jim, and the next-door neighbor.”

Introducing quotations

“She said, ‘Some village is missing its idiot.’”

Clarifying meaning and preventing ambiguity. Without the comma for example, we would assume Huey, Dewey, and Louie were not Donald Duck’s nephews, but three other cabinet members:

“I had a horrible dream that Donald Trump was president and he named Rush Limbaugh, Mr. Ed, Donald Duck’s nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie,

And the Three Stooges to his cabinet.”

Preventing run-on sentences by separating two independent clauses when used with conjunctions. For example,

“Hate the sin, but love the sinner.”

Bless the CommaThe Comma, Agent of Clarification

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Separating two or more adjectives that describe the same noun. For example,“My mean-spirited, vicious, ignorant, bigoted friend is a great guy.”

Indicating distinct pauses or shifts in tone. For example,“Call me a cab.” “Ok you’re a cab, stupid twit.”

Setting parenthetical expressions apart from the rest of the sentence. For example,

“She, beautiful and aloof, walk toward me, and I, trembling and pale, ran away.”“Nancy waved enthusiastically at the docking ship, laughing joyously.”

“If you are the smartest person you know, you must hang with a pretty dumb crowd.”

Setting off long propositional phrases (4 words or more)“In the heat of the moment, he swore angrily.”

Bless the Comma (continued)The Comma, Agent of Clarification

What is a parenthetical expression?A parenthetical expression is a phrase that is not central to the main idea of the sentence. We pause when we speak these phrases and use commas when we write them. They are to

Add unnecessary, but useful information. “Kristen Stewart used to be my favorite actress, but Jennifer Lawrence, the

winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2013, is my favorite one now.”

Provide clarifying information“The student over there, the one wearing the top hat and tails, made

a very strange comment about the party.”

Introduce a sentence After the movie, I tried to give her a kiss, but she burst out laughing.

While he was not as ugly as she said, he sure was ugly.

Words that begin introductory, parenthetical clauses includeafter, although, as, because, if, since, when, and while

More on Parenthetical Expressions

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When the words “a,” “an” or “some,” or a number, come before the description or identification of a name, use a comma.

                     

          

The Comma’s Identity Crisis

Cecelia saw the movie, Catching Fire, with her friend, Sabrina.

Use a comma only if the name or phrase is the only one of its kind.

Use comma if Taken 2 is the only movie in the world.

Use comma if Sabrina is Cecelia’s only friend.

Cecelia saw her favorite movie, Taken 2, with her oddest friend, Sabrina.

Cecelia saw the movie Taken 2 with her friend Sabrina.

Cecelia saw a movie, Taken 2, with three friends, Sabrina, Philicia, and Denitia.

Please Left Click

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A Comma: the Difference between Life and Death

Let’s eat grandma!,She is so sweet!

Remove the comma

And you change the meaning

Please Left Click

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The panda eats shoots and leaves.

It’s this without a comma

,

Add a comma . . .

And it’s this

Thanks to Lynne Truss for this classic example of the misplaced comma and her wonderful book Eats Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation.

Please Left Click

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Commas and Modifiers

Use commas to separate two or more coordinate adjectives that describe the same noun. Do not add an extra comma between the final adjective and the noun itself or to use commas with non-coordinate adjectives or an adverb and the adjective it modifies.

If you can put “and” between the adjectives or reverse the order of the adjectives and the sentence would still make sense, you have coordinative adjectives and you should use commas. The same rule applies when you have and adverb and an adjective.

Reverse the order or add and. These still make sense.He took a swim in the polluted, gray-green water.He took a swim in the polluted and gray-green water.He took a swim in the gray-green, polluted water

But not theseHe is a fiercely loyal friend. He is a fiercely and loyal friend. (!)He is a loyal fiercely friend.(!)

 

A Special

Tip

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My father, who gave new meaning to the expression hard working never took a vacation.

Although the weather was bitter cold he still walked the ten miles to her house.

Philip Roth, author of “Portnoy’s Complaint” and many other books is a perennial contender for the Nobel Prize.

“The way they’ve been playing, the team will be lucky to survive the first round,” the coach said “I’m just hoping someone gets a hot hand.”

He is a fine person however I can’t stand him.

                     

          

What Is Wrong with these Sentences?

,

,

,,

.;

,

Review these sentences to determine the problem. Left click for the answers.

,

Please Left Click

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The Dash

A dash can be more effective than a comma— so, say the experts.

Each person is born to one possession which outvalues all his others: his last breath.

Each person is born to one possession which outvalues all his others—his last breath.Mark Twain

Thirty: the promise of a decade of loneliness, a thinning list of single men to know, a thinning briefcase of enthusiasm, thinning hair.

Thirty—the promise of a decade of loneliness, a thinning list of single men to know, a thinning briefcase of enthusiasm, thinning hair.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

He was worse than a provincial, he was parochial.

He was worse than a provincial—he was parochial.

Henry James on David Thoreau

The general rule–hyphenate between two or more adjectives when they come before a noun and act as a single idea and when necessary to avoid confusion. For example,

Pot-bellied man Long-haired composer Long-term relationship

Why?Dirty-magazine rack vs. Dirty magazine rackTwo-week sessions vs. Two week sessions

If you can put an “and” between the two words, do not use a hyphen.Pistol-packing mama (not pistol and packing mama)

Bloody-minded mama (not bloody and minded mama)

                     

           The Hyphen

The Evolution of Compound Words

Hyphenating Adjectives

A Special

Tip

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Was Became Is Now

Leap Frog Leap-Frog Leapfrog

Pot-Belly Pot-Belly Pot Belly

Some compound nouns remain two words, some use hyphens, and some are merged into one. There is no set rule. So, when in doubt, look it up!

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Hyphenating AdverbsThe general rule: When adverbs not ending in “ly” are used as compound words in front of a noun, hyphenate. For example,

Well-known actress Beady-eyed neighbor Fine-tuned guitar

When the combination of words is used after the noun, do not hyphenate. For example,“The neighbor gave me the creeps when he stared at me with his beady eyes.”

Do not hyphenate adverbs end in “ly” (If the word ends in “ly,” it is obviously an adverb and no clarification is required.) For example,

Rarely sung anthem Wickedly dressed Goth Carefully phrased request

For example,

The Hyphen Part 2

Use Hyphens forNumbers over twenty when written out: twenty-three. For example,

Will you still need me, will you still feed me when I’m sixty-four.

Proper nouns when adding a prefix. For example,Anti-American Un-American Pre-Cambrian

The wickedly dressed Goth beckoned me from across the room, scaring the hell out of me.When the provocatively clothed beauty slinked across the room, I felt terror and joy, but my dream

collapsed when she embraced the man standing two feet in front of me

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More Roles for HyphensUse hyphens for

Prefixes of one letterX-ray B-team T-shirt F-troop X-men R-rated movie

The prefixes ex, all, self and sometimes crossex-wife, all-knowing, self-actuated, cross-reference

Words in which prefixes end in A and I and the root word begins with the same letter.semi-conscious ultra-orthodox quasi-instruction ultra-ambitious anti-intellectual

This is sometimes true with the E, O, and U, but check if you are unsure.co-op, co-conspirator, co-equal (but not coordinator or cooperation) de-emphasize

However, the following prefixes rarely need hyphens: non, un, in, dis, co, anti, hyper, pre, re, post, out, bi, counter, de, semi, mis, mega, micro, inter, over, and undernonemergency, unstable, inpatient, disorder, coworker, antimatter, hyperactive, prejudge, reoccur, outmoded, bimonthly, counterculture, decompress, semiannual, misjudge, microphone, interconnected, override, underestimate

Use Hyphens with prefix when not to do so would cause confusionre-cover vs. recover (I will re-cover the sofa when I recover from my hangover.) re-lease vs. release (I will re-lease the apartment when they release me from prison.

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Rule One—A colon always follows an independent clause. For example,

Correct: Please pack the following for our camping trip: “Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece, jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash.”

Incorrect: Please pack: “Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece, jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash.”*

Your new boyfriend is vey nice, except he has a few minor flaws: egotism, nastiness, offensiveness, ignorance, slovenliness, chauvinism, stinginess, greediness, and viciousness.

Your new boyfriend is vey nice, except he has a few minor flaws, namely egotism, nastiness, offensiveness, ignorance, slovenliness, chauvinism, stinginess, greediness, and viciousness.

* Lorde

Colon-oscopy: Examining the Colon

Replace the colon with “namely.” If the sentence still make sense, the colon is the right choice. For example,

 

A Special

Tip

                     

                     

Rule One: The rules for colons are the same when used in bullets.

Of course, you would be a good couple, because you have so many complementary, endearing qualities:

• Extreme vanity• Unrivaled egocentricity• Extraordinary nastiness• Unparalleled narcissism

Of course, you would be a good couple, because of your• Extreme vanity• Unrivaled egocentricity• Extraordinary nastiness• Unparalleled narcissism

An independent clause requires

a colon.

Don’t use a colon following

a dependent clause.

Colons and Lists

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Rule Two—The rules for colons are the same when used in lists:

Of course, you would be a good couple, because youhave so many complementary qualities:

• Your nastiness is extraordinary.• Your narcissism is unbelievably extreme.• Your vanity knows no bounds. • Your egocentricity is remarkable in its intensity.

Of course, you would be a good couple, because of your• extraordinary nastiness• extreme vanity• unparalleled narcissism• unrivaled egocentricity

Use terminal punctuation if your

bullets are sentences

If bullets are not sentences, choose one or the other. However, no end punctuation is

more readable.If the bullet is a sentence,

capitalize the first letter of the bullet. If it is not, it is your choice.

Silver Bullets and Numbers

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Rule Three—Use numbers if the sequence is important

How to unlock my front door1. Remove the padlock to the chain attaching the security bars to

the iron railing.2. Unlock the security bars using the three different keys for the

three locks.3. Remove the security bars.4. Unlock the six locks on the front door.5. Take out the steak from your pocket.6. Open the front door.7. Show the two pit bulls and the three Dobermans the steak before

throwing it as far from the stairs as possible.8. Run up the stairs and into the bedroom as if your life depended

on it, because, in fact, it does.9. Slam the bedroom door shut and block the door with the dresser.

                     

          

Bullets: Order and Parallelism

Rule Four—Make sure your clauses parallel (all verbs, nouns, infinitives, etc. The bullets above all begin with

verbs.

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Avoid grammatical errors if you do not want to give people the wrong impression

PART 3—Common Errors

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3. Common ErrorsSlide 40: Headline Writer Headaches (LINK)Slide 41: Can’t We just Get Along (LINK)Slides 42-44: Common Errors (LINK)Slide 45: To vs. Too (LINK)Slides 46-47: Seven Special Rules to Live by in Formal (LINK)Slide 48: Choose Words Wisely (LINK)

                     

          

Common Errors: Table of Contents

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Headline Writer Headaches

Escaped wallaby caught using huge fishing net

Man who stopped breathing in police car dies

Mother arrested after drowning

173 animals seized; 2 face cruelty charges

La. Chimpanzees get pregnant despite vasectomies

Soccer-Mom madam cools her heels in Riker’s, but will her clients get off?

Shark bites land surfer in hospital

Afghanistan: U.S. pays $50,000 per killing to massacre families

In Three Rivers, community and family bore a hero

1 million get shot to save on loans

Actual Headlines Found by theColumbia Journalism Review

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are

Singular nouns take singular verbs and plural nouns take plural verbs. I am skipping class to party.

We are skipping class to party.

But . . . Everyone __ skipping class to party.

Everyone and everybody are singular nouns and take singular verbsEveryone is skipping class to party.

So are anyone, anybody, no one, and nobodyIt is too bad that no one is skipping class to party.

                     

          

Can’t We Just Get Along?

Subject-Verb Agreement: The Simples Rule of All

isPlease Left Click

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Their They’re There are common errors that will loose lose you points if you use them. Many of your you’re you are going

to make them. Its It’s a big problem and could effect affect your future more than you’re your grade.

                     

          

Common Errors

Confusing Words

Correct Usage

Their, They’re, There

Their stupidity is legendary. They’re lost in the funhouse. There they go again.

Lose, Loose You will lose the debate, because you are loose with the facts.

Its, It’s It’s a pity that the car stopped running. Its tank is empty.

Effect, Affect That’s an effect of the drug. By killing brain cells, the drug will make you dumber,

Than I am taller than her.

Then In 50 years, Chicago will be hotter than New Orleans is today, but I will be gone by then.

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More Confusing Words

Either or Either she will attend or I will.

Neither nor Neither Mary nor Jane like me.

For I have not slept for three days.Since I have not slept since MondayLay Lay your head on the pillow.

Lie Lie on the bed until you’re sober.

                     

          

More Common Errors

It’s lie down,stupid!

LAY DOWN!

Lay versus LieLay means to put something down. As a transitive verb, it needs a direct object to follow it. For example,

Jane lay the blanket on her sleeping husband. Lie means to rest or recline. It is an intransitive verb; consequently, it does not require a direct object:Jane’s husband lies on the couch when she is not looking

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1. Missing comma after introductory element.

By the time I got out of bed˄it was well past noon.

2. Vague pronoun referenceAlthough the motorcycle hit the tree, it was not damaged. (Is "it" the motorcycle or the tree?)

I don't think they should show violence on TV.

3. Wrong wordListening to the professors lectures, I was for a long time.

4. Wrong or missing preposition.Will you accept that it is time change.

sedentary

More Common Errors

Is it the tree or the motorcycle?

sedated

offor

Left Click Once

,

Who are they?

Left Click Once

Please Left Click

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To vs. Too

Too Much HomeworkToo Many Cooks

Too Much Makeup

• Too means also or as well (“She loves me too”) or in excess (“She loves you too much”).

• To is a preposition (“Send it to her”) or part of the infinitive form of a verb (“I want to send her a letter”).

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Rule I: No Contractions!

Rule 2: No Slang

Rule 3: No Sentence Fragments

Rule 4: No Run-On Sentences or Comma Splices

Rule 5: No Papers with No Paragraphs

Rule 6: No Plagiarism

                     

          

Seven Special Rules to Live by in Formal Writing

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Rule 7: Do not overuse the word “then”

The Day After: A Brief PlayINT. HALL OF APARTMENT – MORNING

Bored POLICE OFFICER pounds of door to Apartment 666. A bedraggled, weary young MAN answers the door.

MANIs there something wrong, officer?

OFFICERWhere were you on Saturday, January 1, 2013

MANAfter I woke up at 4:00 PM, I spent an hour trying to remember what happened the night before, then I called my girlfriend and apologized, then I searched for my car for a couple of hours, then I went to the police station to pay my fine, and then I went to my favorite bar to relax. Then they told me they would have me arrested if I ever show-up there again. Then I went home, and then I went back to bed.

                     

          

Rule 7: Then, Then, Then . . .

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When you write, “the woman walked into the room,” who do you see? Who does your reader see? Detail, clarity, and precision help ensure that readers see what you want them to see. Use the right not the almost right word

Choose Words WiselyDon’t assume that your reader thinks like you. Be sensitive to educational, linguistic

and cultural differences.

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The easiest way to make an error is to fail to proof your text carefully and multiple times.

PART 4: Proof, Proof, Proof

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4. Proof, Proof, ProofSlide 51: The Glaring Error (LINK)Slide 52: Why We Proofread (LINK)Slides 53: One of the Most Common—and Embarrassing—Errors of All (LINK)

Slides 54-55: Proofreading Tips (LINK)

                     

          

Proof, Proof, Proof: Table of Contents

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Avoiding the Glaring ErrorIs there anything worse than putting your heart and soul into a report and, as you hand it in, you see a dumb mistake—a typo in the title, a repeated paragraph, or a stupid grammatical error? A flaw like that is a bird dropping on a freshly waxed car, a pimple on the tip of your nose on the day of the big date, or graffiti on a masterpiece by Renoir:

Please Left Click

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Why We Proofread

Please Left Click

its

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One of the Most Common—and Embarrassing–Errors of All

(Trust me, I have seen it in numerous prestigious publications. A close friend noticed she had made this error after 70,000 high-quality brochures

for the Chicago Orchestra had been mailed.)

l

˄

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1. Cultivate a healthy sense of doubt. If there are types of errors you know you tend to make, double check for those.

2. Read very slowly. If possible, read out loud. Read one word at a time.

3. Try to read what is actually on the Slides, not what you think is there.

4. Proofread more than once. If possible, work with someone else.

5. Read backwards from the last sentence working forward.

6. Most people proof a printed copy better than on the computer, but you may do better looking at the computer screen. Choose what is best for you. Better yet, proof in both mediums.

7. Let your work sit for a while before you proofread it. If possible, leave it sit overnight

8. Remember, many errors are introduced during the correcting process, so be careful when editing your copy.

Proofreading Tips

 

A Special

Tip

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More Proofreading Tips1. Faulty information from the kinesthetic (body) memory can cause you to make

errors. Consequently, if you have always misspelled a word like "accommodate“ or tomorrow, you will probably unthinkingly misspell it again.

2. Your mind works far faster than the pen, and a split second of inattention will lead to an error. Stay focused!

3. Reformat your document to trick your brain into looking at it as a fresh document. You can change the document to landscape view, increase font size or color, or use an unfamiliar typeface.

4. Find a “clean, well-lighted place” in which to work where there are the fewest distractions possible.

5. Give yourself plenty of time to proofread. It should be part of project planning. Don’t wait until you are on the bus on the way to class.

6. If you think you will make a mistake, you will. 

A Special

Tip

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Avoid excess—Be Direct—Be Brief—Be Done

PART 5—Short, Sweet & Precise

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5. Short, Sweet & PreciseSlide 58: The Experts Agree; Brevity is a Virtue in Writing (LINK)Slide 59: Words to Avoid; Filler Words (LINK)Slide 60: Don’t Double Team the Reader (LINK)Slide 61: Words to Avoid: Colloquialisms (LINK)Slide 62: Cutting Words Down to Size (Surgery for Sentences

Animation) (LINK)Slide 65-69: Active Voice vs. Passive Voice (LINK)

                     

          

Short, Sweet & Precise: Table of Contents

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The Experts AgreeBrevity Is a Virtue in Writing

I have made this longer than usual because I have not had time to make it shorter.

Blaise Pascal

I have already made this paper too long, for which I must crave pardon, not having now time to make it shorter.

Benjamin Franklin

You’ll have to excuse my lengthiness—the reason I dread writing letters is because I am so apt to get to slinging wisdom & forget to let up. Thus much precious time is lost.

Mark Twain

It depends. If I am to speak ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; if fifteen minutes, three days; if half an hour, two days; if an hour, I am ready now.

President Woodrow Wilson

If I had my time to go over again, I would make my sermons much shorter, for I am conscious they have been too wordy.

Martin Luther

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Basically can be used at the beginning of sentence on occasion, but is not recommended. Do not use within a sentence where it is usually irrelevant.

“He is basically a toad.”

Even is often used in a series, but it is not needed and usually extraneous.“My uncle showed up at my door in his pajamas, robe, and even Superman slippers.”

Just is often used as an alternative to basically and is not very useful.“When complaining to the professor, just don’t lose your temper.”

Well appears at the front of a sentence that follows a question.“Why are you so ugly?” “Well, I was born this way.”

For all Intents and purposes are five words looking for a good home, but shut the door on them.

For all intents and purposes, this sentence is too long.

Filler words are the linguistic equivalent of verbal sounds, such as “umm.” They fill space, but do not add to the conversation.

                     

          

Words to Avoid: Filler Words

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Don’t Double Team the ReaderAvoid using two words that mean the same thing.

END RESULTFREE GIFTLARGER IN SIZEPAST HISTORYFUTURE PLANSTRUE FACTSPlease Left Click

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A lot: Use several, countless, many, and similar words of instead. [The misspelling of a lot (allot or alot) is two mistakes in one].

Alright: Neither this union of two words (all right) nor its twin, okay, is OK (nor is OK).

Could of, would of, should of: You should have used could have, would have, or should have if you wanted a good grade.

Kinda, kind of: When you use these words to replace “somewhat” or “rather,” you kinda sound dumb. Sorta and sort of is no better.

Use Like instead of “as if", "similar to", or "such as", if you want to sound like a Valley Girl trapped in the 1980s. If not, don’t use it.

Very is a weak word and should be used sparingly, but NEVER use its feebler friends pretty and really.

Colloquial words and expressions are appropriate for informal speech. However, they are unsuitable in formal writing, and some

readers find them to be off-putting.

                     

          

Words to Avoid: Colloquialisms

Before After

Cutting Words Down to Size The Power of Subtraction and Concision

This animation demonstrates how to perform surgery on weak sentences to make them active and more effective. This animation takes some time to develop, so hesitate before trying to advance the slide. The last animation ends with “And only 12 words.”

Please Left Click

65

66

In this animation is a demonstration of an effective

approach to writing prose that is convincing and concise.

A Perfectly Fine Sentence That Could Be Better. . . Let’s get it in shape. . .

Step 3: Where does the action occur in the sentence?

Step 4: Replace the static noun with an active verb.demonstrates

˄

Step Five: Eliminate need for “that is” by moving the noun to follow the two adjectives that modify it.

Step Six: Remove all words no longer required.

A Simple Cure: Remove Excess Words and Passive Verbs

Are they active or passive?

˄

Step 2: Eliminate passive verbs.

˄ ˅

˄

˄

˄

˄˅

Is it a verb or noun?

Step Seven: Pull it all together

˄

This animation demonstrates an effective

approach to writing convincing

and concise prose .

Step 1: Find the verbs.

Let’s Compare Sentences

-

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Convincing, Concise, and Conclusive

In this animation is a demonstration of an effective approach to writing prose that is convincing and concise.

This animation demonstrates an effective approach to writing convincing and concise prose.

The Original Sentence

The Revised Sentencewith the passive verbs and unnecessary words removed

Compelling

And only 12 Words

ConvincingConclusive

A Sentence of 18 Words

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Active VoiceThe subject performs the action denoted by the verb. For example,

“I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy.”“He took me to the cleaners”

“Who’s going to run this town tonight?”“I love you!”*

Passive VoiceThe subject is being acted upon by the action denoted by the verb.

The sheriff was shot by me, but the deputy was not shot by me.I was taken to the cleaners by him.

This town is going to be run tonight by whom?“You are loved by me.”*

                     

          

Active Voice vs. Passive Voice

*Note: In the active form, you feel obligated to use and exclamation point. In the passive version , you do not.

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Passive: “There is a considerable range of expertise demonstrated by hackers.” Passive: “It was determined by the officer that I would be arrested immediately.” Passive: “My car could have been kept by me if the trivia question on the color of the Green Giant had been answered correctly by me.”

Passive: “In psychotherapy, participants are helped by the other participants to realize that most of their problems are shared by others.” Passive: “Reality shows are believed by me to be the most unreal programs developed by TV producers.”

                     

          

More Examples of Passive Voice

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2. When we do not know who or what committed the action.

My car has been stolen.Who has been eating my porridge?

1. Lawyers use it to hide the identity of the person committing the action The body was pulled from the room.

                     

          

Four Reasons for Passive Sentences

3. To make the object of the verb more important than the subject of the sentence.

President Kennedy was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald.

He was killed with a gun.

Left Click Once

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4. When the subject of the sentence is so long or complex that the reader will be long delayed in reaching the verb, then the writer may choose to place the verb before the subject.

Acceptable Active Formulation:The committee reports, the floor debates, the presidential statement, and the administrative agency's interpretive guidance mandate the statutory interpretation we have chosen.

Acceptable Passive Formulation:The statutory interpretation we have chosen is mandated by the committee reports, the floor debates, the presidential statement, and the administrative agency's interpretive guidance.

                     

Five Reasons for Passive Sentences (cont.)

                     

          

Five Reasons for Passive Sentences (cont.)

5. Scientists and scholars often use passive voice because, because they believe it sounds more objective. Writers do not have to use personal pronouns of research names, and conclusions can presented without appearing to be biased.

Passive Formulation:The drug was proven to be effective when the larger dose was administered. However, more negative side effects were experienced by the patients.

Active Formulation:Researchers proved the drug was more effective when they administered a larger dose. However, patients experienced more negative side effects.

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PART 6: Resources for Writers (Link to resources)

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Handbooks and Style Guides

The Associated Press Stylebook LINK

The Chicago Manual of Style LINK

The Modern Language Association Handbook (at Purdue Owl) LINK

William Strunk, Jr., The Elements of Style LINK

References

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary LINK

Online Etymology Dictionary LINK

Rodale, J. J., The Synonym Finder LINK

Online Grammar Courses“HyperGrammar,” The University of Ottawa LINK

Technical Writing“Writing Guideline for Engineering and Science Students Penn State University LINK

                     

          

Resources for WritersThis is a very select list of the best online and print resources you can use to support and enhance your writing.

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Popular Grammar and Writing Websites

“The Center for Writing Studies: Grammar Handbook,” University of Illinois at Urban-Champaign LINK

Fogarty, Mignon, “Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tricks,” “Friendly guide to the world of grammar, punctuation, usage, and fun developments in the English language.” LINK

Nordquist, Richard, “About.com Grammar & Composition,” LINK

The Purdue Online Writing Lab LINK

Simmons, Robin L. “Grammar Bytes,” LINK

Superior Books on WritingBradbury, Ray, Zen in the Art of Writing LINK

Bryson, Bill, The Mother Tongue

Fish, Stanley, How to Write a Sentence and How to Read One LINK

Goldberg, Natalie, Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within LINK

King, Stephen, On Writing LINK

Lamott, Anne, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life LINK

Truss, Lynne, Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation LINK

                     

          

Resources for Writers

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PART 7: Glossary

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COMMA SPLICE: A type of run-on (or fused) sentence when two independent clauses are joined with a comma without the necessary conjunction.

Slim Shady split town the sheriff was tracking him down.

DIRECT OBJECT: The noun, pronoun, phrase or clause that follows a transitive verb (an action verb). For example,

Slim Shady followed thee banker to the vault

INTRANSITIVE VERB: An action verb describing an activity that does not have a direct object.*

Slim Shady arrived late and missed the banker.

PREDICATE: The part of a sentences or clause that is governed by a verb and states, affirms, or asserts something about the subject of a sentence.

Slim Shady argued about everything.

RUN-ON SENTENCE: When two independent clauses are joined without a period, semi-colon, or comma and conjunction. For example,

Slim Shady loved Lucille She loved Fat Sunny.

Note: Some verbs can be use as transitive or intransitive verbs.The children played tag. (“Played” is transitive.)

The children played in the backyard. (“Played” is intransitive.)

Glossary

78

SUBJECT: What or whom the sentence is about. It usually comes before the predicate. (Return to Slides.)

Slim Shady is . . . well . . . ah . . . shady.

TRANSITIVE VERB: This verb is an action verb describing an activity one can do to a direct object, the thing or person that receives the action.*

Slim Shady robbed the banker.

Note: Some verbs can be use as transitive or intransitive verbs.The children played tag. (“Played” is transitive.)

The children played in the backyard. (“Played” is intransitive.)

.

Glossary

79Be Consistent!

                     

          

The Golden Rule of Punctuation

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In this animation is a demonstration of an effective

approach to writing prose that is convincing and concise.

A Perfectly Fine Sentence That Could Be Better. . . Let’s get it in shape. . .

Step 3: Where does the action occur in the sentence?

Step 4: Replace the static noun with an active verb.demonstrates

˄

Step Five: Eliminate need for “that is” by moving the noun to follow the two adjectives that modify it.

Step Six: Remove all words no longer required.

A Simple Cure: Remove Excess Words and Passive Verbs

Are they active or passive?

˄

Step 2: Eliminate passive verbs.

˄ ˅

˄

˄

˄

˄˅

Is it a verb or noun?

Step Seven: Pull it all together

˄

This animation demonstrates an effective

approach to writing convincing

and concise prose .

Step 1: Find the verbs.

Let’s Compare Sentences