Grammar Essentials 3rd Edition

[Pages:224]GRAMMAR ESSENTIALS

GRAMMAR ESSENTIALS

Third Edition

? NEW YORK

Copyright ? 2006 Learning Express, LLC.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by LearningExpress, LLC, New York.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Grammar essentials--3rd ed. p. cm. Rev. ed. of: Grammar essentials / Judith F. Olson, 2nd ed. c2000. ISBN 1-57685-541-4 1. English language--Grammar--Handbooks, manuals, etc.

I. LearningExpress (Organization) II. Title. PE1112.O43 2006 428.2--dc22

2006000600

Printed in the United States of America 987654321 Third Edition

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CONTENTS

Introduction: How to Use This Book

vii

1 The Right Way to Write

1

2 What Is a Sentence, Anyway?

11

3 Filling Out Sentence Fragments

17

4 Putting a Stop to Going On and On

25

5 Good Beginnings, Good Endings

37

6 Comma Sense

49

7 More Jobs for Commas

57

8 Getting Fancy with Semicolons and Colons

67

9 Controlling Quotation Marks

75

10 The Mysteries of Apostrophes and Dashes

83

11 The Finer Points of Punctuation

91

12 Verbs That Follow the Rules

99

13 Rebellious Verbs

109

14 Don't Be Tense about Verbs

119

15 Making Subjects and Verbs Agree

127

16 Beating the Pronoun Odds

139

17 Problem Verbs and Pronouns

149

18 Modifier Etiquette

159

19 Tricky Words

171

20 More Tricky Words

183

Conclusion

191

Grammar IQ Final Exam and Answers

193

Appendix A: Two-Word Verbs

203

Appendix B: Additional Resources

207

v

INTRODUCTION

How to Use This Book

Writing is a lot like playing the piano. Some people enjoy it more than others, and people who are good at it study and practice it. No one is born playing the piano, but anyone can do it if he or she wants. The same goes for writing. If you're interested in learning about writing and in becoming a better writer, this book will help you demystify and acquire the coveted power of the pen.

This book covers the basics of writing: punctuation, usage, and diction. There's no fluff here; this book is for busy people who want to learn as much as they can as efficiently as possible. In 20 chapters, each of which you can complete in 20 minutes, you can improve your grasp of grammar. Each chapter contains a Grammar IQ Quiz, lots of examples that illustrate the grammatical rules, and plenty of opportunities for you to practice the skills.

vii

INTRODUCTION

Many people are afraid of writing. They look at a blank sheet of paper or an empty computer screen and say, "I just don't know what to write. Even when I know what I want to say, I'm afraid it will come out looking wrong and sounding stupid."

But writing has three distinct advantages over speaking.

1. You can take it back. Although writing is not instant communication and it doesn't allow for immediate response and exchange, written communication can be retracted. Once words are spoken, you can never unspeak them. However, writing can be revised until you've written the exact words in the exact tone you want. It's a more careful, thoughtful way of communicating.

2. You can make it clear. The second advantage is that writing forces you to clarify your thoughts. If you're having trouble writing, it's usually because you're not yet finished with the thinking part. Sometimes, just sitting down and writing whatever is on your mind helps you discover and organize what you think.

3. It lasts. Another advantage is permanence. Ideas presented in writing carry far more weight than spoken ideas. Additionally, these ideas can be reviewed and referred to in their exact, original form. Spoken ideas rely upon the sometimes inaccurate memories of other people.

Writing is nothing more than carefully considered thoughts on paper. Many great ideas and observations are never born because their creators don't express them. You may have some wonderful concepts inside your head with no way to get them out where others can see them. This book can help you express your ideas.

Develop your own plan for completing the 20 chapters in this book. They're designed to be completed in 20 minutes a day, but you may want to take more or less time with each lesson--or more time with chapters you find difficult and less with those you know cold. You could do a chapter each weekday and come out with a better knowledge of grammar in only a month. Or you may want to do more or fewer chapters at a time. You should, however, plan to complete at least two chapters a week. If you leave too much time between lessons, you'll forget what you've learned.

By the time you finish this book, you'll have much more confidence in your writing, and you'll probably be a better thinker. If you practice what you've learned, it won't take long for other people to notice the new and improved you.

viii

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