English Grammar Lecture Notes

Formal Academic Writing Guidelines

• Avoid contractions in collegiate or formal writing; instead of “I’ll,” write “I will.”
  • The instructor repeatedly reminds English 101 students that contractions signal informal tone.
  • Parallel advice: restrain from using exclamation points unless rhetorically justified.
• “Write like you are applying for a job, scholarship, or internship.”
  • No slang or profanity.
  • Adopt a professional, neutral tone.
• The phrase “write like you talk” refers to maintaining clarity and directness, NOT imitating every casual speech feature.

Standard English vs. African-American Vernacular English (AAVE)

• AAVE (sometimes called “Black English”) is a legitimate linguistic system—people earn PhDs studying it.
• Key Distinction: Formal academic contexts generally expect Standard English.
  • Example of AAVE: “Y’all know Miss Johnson—she go to church on Sunday.”
  • Standard rewrite: “She goes to church on Sunday.”
• Be conscious of language variety you hear at home or in your community; code-switch when necessary.
• Common non-standard past-tense error highlighted: “I’ve seen him” used for simple past; correct Standard English forms might be “I saw him” or “I have seen him.”

Adjectives: Placement & Linking Verbs

• Adjectives typically precede the noun they modify: “wise woman,” “bad habit.”
• They also appear after linking verbs (forms of “to be,” “seem,” “become,” “sound,” “taste,” “smell”):
  • “The road is slippery.”
  • “The dogs are nosy.”
  • “The room looks neat.”

Comparative & Superlative Forms of Adjectives

• Rule for 1-syllable and many 2-syllable adjectives:
  • Comparative ⇒ add $+er$
  • Superlative ⇒ add $+est$
  • Example: “long → longer → longest.”
• Rule for some 2-syllable and all longer adjectives: use “more” (comparative) / “most” (superlative).
  • Example: “famous → more famous → most famous.”
• Sound test: If “carefuller” or “famousest” feels awkward, switch to more/most.
• Negative comparison: use “less … than” for two items, “least” for three +.

Irregular Forms to Memorize

• $\text{good} \rightarrow \text{better} \rightarrow \text{best}$
• $\text{bad} \rightarrow \text{worse} \rightarrow \text{worst}$
• $\text{little} \rightarrow \text{less} \rightarrow \text{least}$
• $\text{much/many} \rightarrow \text{more} \rightarrow \text{most}$

Don’t Double-Mark

• Incorrect: “more better,” “most worst.”
  • Correct: “better,” “worst.”

Classroom Exercise Highlights (Comparatives/Superlatives)

1. “The worst job I ever had …”
2. “The most wonderful day of my life …”
3. “The best chocolate cake I ever ate …”
4. “Sonia is the youngest of the three sisters.”
5. “Freezing rain is worse than a snowstorm.”
6. “That is the most unusual home I have ever seen.”
7. “Leon is the least friendly person I know.”

Adverbs: Functions & Frequent Errors

• Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs; many end in $-ly$.
  • “The father gently rocked the sick child.”
  • “Newborns are totally innocent.”
  • “The lecturer spoke terribly fast.”
• Common mistake: using an adjective where an adverb is needed after a verb.
  • “I laugh too loud” → “I laugh too loudly.”
  • “Run so slow” → “Run so slowly.”

Mini-Exercise Answers (Adjectives vs. Adverbs)

• Earring bounced rapidly.
• Thick piece of syrup ran down his chin.
• Hiccuped continuously for $15$ minutes.
• Detective opened the door carefully.
• She heard only heavy breathing on the phone.

Distinguishing “Good” vs. “Well”

• Good = adjective → modifies nouns.
• Well = usually an adverb → modifies verbs; exception: “well” can be an adjective meaning “healthy.”

Examples:

• “You did a good job.” (job = noun)
• “She organizes records too well.” (modifies verb “organizes”)
• “After eating a pound of peanuts, I didn’t feel too well.” (health sense)
• “Who his good friends really were …”
• “They still get along well as adults.”

Sentence Structure: Complex Sentences & Dependent Clauses

• Presence of subordinating conjunctions (if, because, although, whenever, unless, etc.) automatically creates a complex sentence.
  • Example: “If you kids do a good job, I will take you for ice cream.”
  • Contains an independent clause (“I will take you …”) and a dependent clause (“If you kids do …”).

Practical & Ethical Considerations

• Code-switching respects both personal linguistic identity and academic expectations.
• Recognizing dialectal variation prevents stigmatizing language communities while preparing students for professional communication.
• Accurate adjective/adverb usage improves clarity in résumés, scholarship essays, and internship applications—tangible career benefits.
• Understanding comparatives assists with persuasive writing (e.g., showing relative advantages).

Study Tips & Next Steps

• Memorize the irregular comparatives/superlatives list; expect it on tests.
• Practice rewriting informal sentences into formal Standard English.
• Self-check essays for contractions and inappropriate adjective/adverb choices.
• Use the “sound test” for choosing between $+er/+est$ vs. “more/most.”
• Review subordinate clause markers to identify complex sentences quickly.