Grammar



Grammar

Round 2 Day 1

Topic 1: Semicolons (review), Dashes, Colons, Quotation Marks, and Parentheses

Semicolons are used to separate clauses or phrases that are related and that receive equal emphasis.

• Semicolons join independent clauses in a compound sentence if no coordinating conjunction is used.

EXAMPLE: Michael seemed preoccupied; he answered our questions abruptly.

• Semicolons are used before a conjunctive adverb (transition word) that joins the clauses of a compound sentence.

EXAMPLE: The emergency room was crowded; however, Warren was helped immediately.

• Semicolons help avoid confusion in lists where there are already commas.

EXAMPLE: We traveled to London, England; Paris, France; Berlin, Germany; and Sofia, Bulgaria.

COLONS

Colons follow independent clauses and are used to call attention to the information that comes after.

• Colons come after the independent clause and before the word, phrase, sentence, quotation, or list it is introducing.

EXAMPLE:

o Joe has only one thing on his mind: girls. (word)

o Joe has only one thing on his mind: the girl next door. (phrase)

o Joe has only one thing on his mind: he wants to go out with Linda. (clause)

o Joe has several things on his mind: his finals, his job, and Linda. (list)

*Never use a colon after a verb that directly introduces a list.

INCORRECT: The things on Joe’s mind are: finals, work, and Linda.

CORRECT: The things on Joe’s mind are finals, work, and Linda.

Dashes connect groups of words to other groups of words in order to emphasize a point or show that the information is unessential. Usually the dash separates words in the middle of a sentence from the rest of the sentence, or it leads to material at the end of the sentence.

• In the middle of a sentence, a dash can put special emphasis on a group of words or make them stand out from the rest of the sentence.

EXAMPLE: Linda Simpson's prescription for the economy, lower interest rates, higher employment, and less government spending, was rejected by the president's administration.

BECOMES: Linda Simpson's prescription for the economy—lower interest rates, higher employment, and less government spending—was rejected by the president's administration.

• The dash can also be used to attach material to the end of a sentence when there is a clear break in the continuity of the sentence or when an explanation is being introduced.

EXAMPLE: The president will be unable to win enough votes for another term of office—unless, of course, he can reduce unemployment and the deficit soon.

EXAMPLE: It was a close call—the sudden gust of wind pushed the helicopter to within inches of the power line.

Quotation marks are used to show the beginning and end of a quotation or a title of a short work.

• Quotation marks enclose the exact words of a person (direct quotation).

EXAMPLE: Megan said, "Kurt has a red hat."

*Do not use quotation marks around a paraphrase (using your own words to express the author’s ideas) or a summary of the author's words.

EXAMPLE: Megan said that Kurt’s hat was red.

• Quotation marks set off the titles of magazine articles, poems, reports, and chapters within a book. (Titles of books, magazines, plays, and other whole publications should be underlined or italicized.)

EXAMPLE: "The Talk of the Town" is a regular feature in Time magazine.

QUOTATION MARKS WITH OTHER PUNCTUATION

o Place periods and commas inside quotation marks.

EXAMPLE: Aida said, “Aaron has a blue shirt.”

o Place semicolons and colons outside quotation marks.

EXAMPLE: He calls me his "teddy bear"; I'm not a bear.

o Place question marks or exclamation points inside the quotation marks if they punctuate the quotation only.

EXAMPLE: "Are we too late?" she asked.

o Place question marks or exclamation points outside the quotation marks if they punctuate the entire

sentence.

EXAMPLE: Why did she say, "We are too late"?

PARENTHESES

Elements inside parentheses are related to the sentence but are nonessential.

• Parentheses set off additions or expressions that are not necessary to the sentence. They tend to de-emphasize what they set off.

EXAMPLE: We visited several European countries (England, France, Spain) on our trip last year.

• Parentheses enclose figures within a sentence.

EXAMPLE: Grades will be based on (1) participation, (2) in-class writing, and (3) exams.

• When the group inside the parentheses forms a complete sentence but is inserted inside a larger sentence, no period is needed. However, if a question mark or exclamation point is needed, it may be used.

EXAMPLE: The snow (she saw it as she passed the window) was now falling heavily.

• When parentheses are used to enclose an independent sentence, the end punctuation belongs inside the parentheses.

EXAMPLE: Mandy told me she saw Amy’s new car. (I saw Amy’s car before Mandy.) She said it was a nice car.

Exercise: Punctuation Exercise

Put in semicolons, colons, dashes, quotation marks, and parentheses where ever they are needed in the following sentences.

1. The men in question Harold Keene, Jim Peterson, and Gerald Greene deserve awards.

2. Several countries participated in the airlift Italy, Belgium, France, and Luxembourg.

3. Only one course was open to us surrender, said the ex-major, and we did.

4. Judge Carswell later to be nominated for the Supreme Court had ruled against civil rights.

5. Yes, Jim said, I'll be home by ten.

6. There was only one thing to do study till dawn.

7. Montaigne wrote the following A wise man never loses anything, if he has himself.

Grammar

Round 2 Day 2

Topics 1 and 2: Semicolons, Dashes, Colons, Quotation Marks, and Parentheses; Agreement (Subj-Verb 1)

Review: Please punctuate the following sentences correctly.

1. He used the phrase you know so often that I finally said No, I don't know.

2. The automobile dealer handled three makes of cars Volkswagens, Porsches, and Mercedes Benz.

Making Subjects and Verbs Agree (Part 1)

1. When the subject of a sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns connected by and, use a plural verb.

She and her friends are at the fair.

2. When two or more singular nouns or pronouns are connected by or or nor, use a singular verb.

The book or the pen is in the drawer.

3. When a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural noun or pronoun joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is nearer the verb.

The boy or his friends run every day.

His friends or the boy runs every day.

4. Doesn't is a contraction of does not and should be used only with a singular subject. Don't is a contraction of do not and should be used only with a plural subject. The exception to this rule appears in the case of the first person and second person pronouns I and you. With these pronouns, the contraction don't should be used.

Correct: He doesn't like it. Incorrect: He don’t like it.

Correct: They don't like it. Incorrect: They doesn’t like it.

5. Do 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 is open.

The people who listen to that music are few.

Practice by choosing the verb that agrees with the subject:

1. The book, including all the chapters in the first section, (is, are) boring.

2. Neither foreign cultures nor our own society (has, have) a monopoly on fashion.

3. The woman with all the dogs (walks, walk) down my street.

4. Body types or size (does, do) influence our choices of styles to wear.

5. Neither men nor women (underestimates, underestimate) the value of fashion.

6. Magazines or television often (dictates, dictate) the current fashions and hairstyles.

7. That book and the magazine (is, are) both about fashion.

8. Some teens and adults (is, are) very experimental with fashion.

9. This string of multicolored beads (glitters, glitter)

10. The beads on the string (reflects, reflect) the light.

Grammar

Round 2 Day 3

Topics 1, 2, and 3: Semicolons, Dashes, Colons, Quotation Marks, and Parentheses; Agreement (Subject-Verb 1); Agreement (Subject-Verb 2)

Review: Please punctuate the following sentences correctly.

1. Though Phil said he would arrive on the 9 19 flight, he came instead on the 10 36 flight.

2. Whoever thought said Helen that Jack would be elected class president?

Practice by choosing the verb that agrees with the subject.

1. Colors and fabrics also (influences, influence) our choices in fashion.

2. Some men and women (spends, spend) a great deal to keep up with fashion.

3. A mime or clown (use, uses) face pain to create new characters.

4. The Singapore airport or other Asian terminals (witnesses, witness) a wide variety of costumes daily.

5. Many gems, like the moonstone (hold, holds) special meaning for some people.

6. Jewelry, bracelets, necklaces, rings, and such, (has, have) been popular with humans from earliest times.

7. Smooth jade of milky green (are, is) set off in a ring by tiny, flashing diamonds.

8. The team captain, as well as his players, (are, is) anxious.

Making Subjects and Verbs Agree (Part 2)

6. 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.

Neither of the tour leaders was available.

7. Nouns sending in –s such as civics, mathematics, dollars, measles, and news require singular verbs.

The news is on at six.

Mathematics is Olivia’s favorite subject.

Note: the word dollars is a special case. When talking about an amount of money, it requires a singular verb, but when referring to the dollars themselves, a plural verb is required.

Five dollars is a lot of money.

Dollars are often used instead of rubles in Russia.

8. Nouns such as scissors, tweezers, trousers, and shears require plural verbs. (There are two parts to these things.)

These scissors are dull.

Those trousers are made of wool.

9. 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.

10. Collective nouns 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.

*In some cases in American English, a sentence may call for the use of a plural verb when using a collective noun.

The crew are preparing to dock the ship.

*This sentence is referring to the individual efforts of each crew member.

11. 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.

Practice by selecting the verb that agrees with the subject.

1. Nobody (know, knows) all the answers.

2. Each of the horses (is, are) beautifully groomed.

3. Nobody in the class (knows, know) her very well.

4. Measles (are, is) one of the diseases tamed by modern medicine.

5. Cold molasses never (flow, flows) freely.

6. Ten dollars (is, are) too high a price for that cap.

7. There (was, were) a leak in one of the huge tanks.

8. Also, there (is, are) 79 homes, 2 factories, 217 cars, 7 trailers, and 1 tractor destroyed.

9. My family (have, has) never been able to agree.

10. The committee (were, was) scheduled to cast their votes at four.

11. My class (has, have) chartered a bus to attend a concert next week.

12. All of the books, including yours, (is, are) in that box.

Grammar

Round 2 Day 4

Topics 1, 2, 3, 4: Semicolons, Dashes, Colons, Quotation Marks, and Parentheses; Agreement (Subject-Verb 1); Agreement (Agreement Subject-Verb 2); Agreement (Tense)

Review: Please punctuate the following sentences correctly.

1. In baseball, a show boat is a man who shows off.

2. Whoever is elected secretary of the club Ashley, or Chandra, or Aisha must be prepared to do a great deal of work, said Jumita, the previous secretary.

Please choose the verb that agrees with the subject.

1. Fashion and design (has, have) always interested humans.

2. Ornaments and other artifacts from very early civilizations (indicates, indicate) concern for personal beauty.

3. Either a play or a film (removes, remove) the audience from the workday world.

4. Often either a long trenchcoat or bulky sweaters (hangs, hang) over the arms of people arriving from Northern countries.

5. Often famous men and women (becomes, become) attached to their horses.

6. Either of those outfits (look, looks) fine to wear to the concert.

7. Neither of them (complains, complain) much about working such long hours.

8. Because of the intense flash of heat, there (is, are) many people killed instantly.

9. The team (have, has) won its fifth straight game.

10. The team (have, has) tried on their new uniforms.

Tense Agreement: Keep it consistent

When a passage starts in one tense, it needs to stay in one tense, usually for the entire paragraph. Consider the following examples:

Incorrect: Joe ran the race and wins.

Correct: Joe ran the race and won.

Incorrect: Caitlin tries to teach her mom how to text but didn’t expect her to get it.

Correct: Caitlin tried to teach her mom how to text but didn’t expect her to get it.

Incorrect: Mirth has dressed up like a ballerina every year since the third grade, and every year her friend laughed at her.

Correct: Mirth has dressed up like a ballerina every year since the third grade, and every year her friends have laughed at her.

Exception: If it is obvious that the tense has changed, then a shift in tenses in allowed.

Example: Bruce asked Georgia to go to the independent movie today and will ask Chuck to go to the action thriller with him tomorrow.

*The independent movie happens today, so the tense remains in the present. The action thriller happens tomorrow, necessitating the future tense.

Practice:

As soon as the last bell rang, Mr. Brook’s class rushes the door.

a. NO CHANGE

b. will rush

c. has been rushing

d. rushed

Choose the correct verb from the pair shown in parentheses.

1. Archaeologists (have found, will find) preserved bodies in tombs, thousands of years after ancient Egyptians embalmed them.

2. Archaeologists were excavating a site in Bawiti, Egypt, when they (uncovered, are uncovering) at least 200 mummies.

3. Archaeologists had unearthed Ninevah, a capital of the Assyrian Empire, when they (found, were finding) a library containing letters and documents.

4. Howard Carter (was searching, is searching) for Tutankhamen’s tomb for ten years before he discovered the entrance.

Complete these sentences, using the tense suggested.

1. We stand patiently, hoping that ____________________. (use future tense)

2. Advertisers seem to believe that ______________________. (use present tense)

3. By the time the fog lifted, ___________________________. (use past perfect tense)

4. We will leave for Florida as soon as __________________. (use present tense)

5. One student keeps repeating what __________________. (use present perfect tense)

6. Yesterday our track team competed in a meet that ___________________. (use past tense)

7. Before the crew paves a driveway, they always ____________________. (use present tense [habitual action])

8. Before the crew paves the driveway, they ______________________. (use future tense [one-time action])

9. By the time the letter arrives, _____________________. (use future perfect tense)

10. When the final report is published, _____________________. (use future tense)

In the following passage from Alex Haley's Roots, some of the verbs have been deliberately omitted. Supply the appropriate tense for each missing verb, the plain form of which is given in brackets.

In Banjuh, the capital of Gambia, I met with a group of Gambians. They [tell] me how for centuries the history of Africa has been preserved. In the older villages of the back country, there are old men called griots, who [be] in effect living archives. Such men [memorize] and, on special occasions, [recite] the cumulative histories of clans or families or villages as those histories [have] long been told. Since my forefather [have] said his name was Kin-tay (properly spelled Kinte), and since the Kinte clan [be] known in Gambia, the group of Gambians would see what they could do to help me. I was back in New York when a registered letter [arrive] from Gambia.

Words [have] been passed in the back country, and a griot of the Kinte clan [have], indeed, been found. His name, the letter said, [be] Kebba Kanga Fofana. I [return] to Gambia and [organize] a safari to locate him.

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