GRAMMAR FINAL

verb

indicates action or being// ex. has

Pronoun

subs for a noun// ex. its

Antecedent

the preceding word that a pronoun points to

Indefinite Article

A

Conjunction Connects

ex. The very rare car has its original tires and its one of the finest on the market

modifiers such as only apply to what immediately follows

ex. Only Butterscotch can sleep on the chair. Butterscotch can sleep only on the chair Don't mean the same thing

ellipsis can only be used

in the middle of the citation

ellipsis has

4 periods

periods go where with parentheses

inside if it is a complete sentence/apart of the first sentence

the colon the dash and the semicolon go outside quotation marks

ex. Mac Arthur said

a semicolon

can replace a period

compound subjects that are distinct

each one is possessive

Singular proper nouns ending in s

Boz Scaggs' Dickens' Kansas' Starbucks'

if you would use the word OF

the word is probably possessive (apostrophe)

Insert a comma after an introductory clause or phrase

Sometimes

inset a comma after an introductory clause or phrase

He is very busy. However

WHO

has the comma if the clause if nonessential essential: The gator swimmer who has the most Olympic medals is Dara Torres. nonessential: Torres

That

essential; no commas

Which

nonessential; commas

Adverb

modifies or quantifies a verb

A preposition starts a modifying phrase

ex. The very rare car has its original tires and is one of the finest on the market.

Good grammar involves knowing two categories of verbs

1) Action 2) Linking

action verbs are modified by adverbs

ex. Alec acted rudely towards his daughter

linking verb

connects (links) a modifier that follows it back to the subject indicate a state of being

modifier

following a linking verb modifies the subject (a noun or pronoun)

verb

to be. am. are. being. did. is. was. were

compound modifiers are hyphenated after a linking verb but not an action verb

subjective mood is used when a verb indicates something contrary to fact

ex. Jackie sang as if she were an angel use also when referring to something contrary to fact

Cant turn noun into verb

ex. Police used a Taser on Andrew Meyer

an object receives an action or thought

a subject and an object can both be nouns

but they serve different purposes

avoid passive voice by identifying the actor

Cap the first word after a colon only if what follows would be a complete sentence

Could it stand on its own if so then the word is in caps

Dash is longer than a hyphen

dash separates a hyphen joins, a dash has space around either side, hyphen has no spaces, a dash creates a pause

ellipsis

an omission in the middle of a quotation or citation not a pause

parentheses can

repair quotations and indicate an aside

quotation marks indicate exact words

quote word for word except for uh and hmm

periods and commas always go within quotation marks

ex. "Greed for lack of a better word

Question marks and exclamation points go within quotation marks if part of the quote

ex. Grandma yelled "Bingo!" for the third time.

apostrophe

signals ownership or possession

when used as a possessive an apostrophe substitutes for of

Ayn Rand's philosophy rejected altruism

an apostrophe may indicate omitted letters

it’s only rock n roll, but we like it

use an apostrophe to form a plural only with single letters

ex. She would get A's in a pop culture class because she knows he VIPs.

for compound subjects that are shared

only the second item is possessive

Basic rules to make singular words plural

1. Most words

Singular words

add apostrophe s. ex). The dog's toy is next to the cat's dish.

plural words

add an apostrophe ex). The dogs' toys are next to the cat's dishes.

singular proper nouns not ending in s or an s sound

use an apostrophe s. ex). James Taylor's acoustic guitar is distinctive.Taylor performed at Obama's inauguration.

singular proper nouns ending in an s sound

use an apostrophe s. ex). Few guitarists can imitate Jimi Hendrix's style.

plural proper nouns

add an apostrophe ex). The Adamses' terms were eventful. (Business names are left alone)

if the word is possessive use an apostrophe

the apostrophe is used only for possessive. he farmer's tomatoes. the farmers market

if you would use FOR or BY

the word is probably descriptive (no apostrophe)

Commas

don't use a comma between a subject and a verb. don't use a comma between a title and a name. don't use a comma before a dependent (crucial) clause at the end of the sentence

correct use of a comma

Because he did not hear his alarm clock, Eduardo was late for work.

use a comma before a conjunction such as 'and' inly if what follows has a subject and a verb.

The doctor is here

an apposition helps define an adjacent noun

Her cat

Use commas around year if follows exact date

Kennedy died on Nov. 22

use commas around a state or nation if it follows a city or locale

Orlando

Q) Robert said his wife Amy is pregnant

A) Robert said his wife

Commas are not used with essential phrases

Adjectives generally follow an order or rank

1. opinion

2. size

3. shape

4. color

5. origin

6. material

7. purpose

THAT

used with essential clauses and never has a comma

WHICH

used with nonessential clauses and always has a comma, use who if referring to a person (or a word that substitutes for a person) or to a named animal. "person" includes nouns that truly substitute for people: players

use that or which for an inanimate (not alive) object or a concept

or an unnamed animal