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hp6drg8qgcThe Best
Grammar Workbook
Ever!
Other books by Arlene Miller:
!e Best Little Grammar Book Ever: Ways to Impress with Your Writing and Speaking
Correct Me If I’m Wrong: Getting Your Grammar, Punctuation, and Word Usage Right
!e Great Grammar Cheat Sheet:
Grammar, Punctuation, Writing, and Word Usage Tips You Can Use Now (ebook)
www.bigwords101.com
The Best
Grammar Workbook
Ever!
Grammar, Punctuation, and Word Usage
for Ages 10 Through 110
Arlene Miller
!e Grammar Diva™
bigwords
Petaluma, California
!e Best Grammar Workbook Ever!
Grammar, Punctuation, and Word Usage for Ages !rough
Copyright © by Arlene Miller
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior
written permission of the copyright holder.
Cover design by Matt Hinrichs
Interior formatting by Marny K. Parkin
Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Miller, Arlene.
!e Best Grammar Workbook Ever! Grammar, Punctuation, and Word Usage for Ages
!rough . First Edition,
p. cm.
Includes appendixes and index
ISBN (--)--
. English language—Grammar. . English language—Usage. +. English language—Grammar—
Self-instruction
Library of Congress: PE ).M
Dewey: (.
Published by bigwords, P.O. Box (+, Petaluma, CA USA
website and blog: www.bigwords.com
Contact Ingram or the publisher for quantity discounts for your company, organization,
or educational institution.
To Jake and Shelley,
my two magna opera
Contents
Practices and Tests xvii
Acknowledgments xxi
Introduction 1
How to Use This Book 3
Conventions Used in !is Book
Pretest 5
Chapter 1: The Parts of Speech 13
.. Introduction
.. Nouns
!e Five Types of Nouns
.. Pronouns
Antecedents
Types of Pronouns
.. Verbs
Action Verbs (
Linking Verbs (
Tenses
Irregular Verb Forms
Voice
Transitive/Intransitive
.. Adjectives
Other Types of Adjectives
.(. Adverbs
.). Prepositions
.. Conjunctions
Subordinating Conjunctions
viii ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
.. Interjections
.. Using the Parts of Speech
Chapter 1 Test 26
Chapter 2: Sentences 27
.. Introduction: What Is a Sentence? )
.. Subjects )
Complete Subjects (
.. Predicates
.. Objects
Direct Objects (
Indirect Objects
Objects of a Preposition
.. Predicate Words
.(. !e Four Kinds of Sentences
Declarative Sentence +
Interrogative Sentence +
Imperative Sentence +
Exclamatory Sentence +
Chapter 2 Test 32
Chapter 3: Phrases 33
.. Introduction: What Is a Phrase?
.. Prepositional Phrases
.. Infinitive Phrases
.. Participial Phrases
Present Participles +
Past Participles +
.. Gerundial Phrases
.(. A Few Words About Appositives (
Chapter 3 Test 37
Chapter 4: Clauses 39
.. Introduction: What Is a Clause?
.. Independent Clauses
Contents " ix
.. Subordinate (Dependent) Clauses
Adjective Clauses
Adverb Clauses
Noun Clauses
Chapter 4 Test 43
Chapter 5: Types of Sentence Structures 45
.. Introduction
.. Not a Sentence
Sentence Fragment
Run-on Sentences )
.. Types of Sentence Structures )
Simple Sentence
Compound Sentence
Complex Sentence
Compound-Complex Sentence (
.. A Variety of Sentence Patterns
Chapter 5 Test 50
Chapter 6: Special Issues with Pronouns 51
(.. Introduction
(.. Personal Pronoun Problem: Cases—Is It I or Me?
(.. Demonstrative Pronouns and Adjectives: This, That, These,
Those
(.. Reflexive Pronouns:
Using the -self Words Correctly
(.. Interrogative Pronoun Issues
Whose or Who’s?
(.(. Relative Pronouns: Using Who, Which, and That Correctly
(.). Indefinite Pronouns: Singular,or Plural? (
Singular Indefinite Pronouns )
Plural Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite Pronouns !at Can Be Either Singular or Plural
(.. Unclear Antecedents
Chapter 6 Test 59
x ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Chapter 7: Special Issues with Verbs 61
).. Introduction (
).. Tense (
Tense Trouble )
Using the Past Perfect )
).. Irregular Verb Forms (
).. Verbs of Being (
Adjectives After Linking Verbs )
Pronouns After Linking Verbs )
).. Voice: Active or Passive? (
).(. What Is Subjunctive Mood, Anyway? ((
Commands and Recommendations ))
!ings !at Are Not True ))
).). Using Strong Verbs ((
Chapter 7 Test 68
Chapter 8: Commas: Yup! A Whole Chapter 69
.. To Comma or Not To Comma: !at Is the Question (
.. Series Comma (Oxford Comma) (
.. Compound Sentences (
.. Between Two Adjectives )
.. Introductory Elements )
Introductory Words and Transition Words
Introductory Phrases
Introductory Clauses
.(. Interrupting Material )
Commas Needed
No Commas Needed
.). Other Common Uses for,Commas )
etc., i.e., e.g.
Dates
Commas with Numbers
With Too 72
Direct Address +
Setting o, Academic Degrees +
Addresses +
Company Names +
Contents " xi
Contrasting Expressions and Elements +
When a Word Is Left Out +
Commas for Emphasis +
Letters and Emails +
Unusual Word Order in a Sentence
Setting o, However and !erefore 74
Anyplace Where Not Using a Comma Would-Be Confusing
.. Don’t Put Commas Here! )
Chapter 8 Test 76
Chapter 9: Punctuation (Except Commas) 77
.. Introduction ))
.. Periods (.) ))
Abbreviations
Decimals (
Lists or Outlines (
Measurements (
.. Question Marks (?) )
.. Exclamation Points (!) )
.. Semicolons (;) )
Compound Sentences
Compound Sentences with Series or Other-Commas
Confusing Series (
.(. Colons (:)
Digital Time (
Salutation of a Business Letter (
Between the Title and Subtitle of a Book (
In a Compound Sentence (
Introducing a Quote (
Introducing Lists (
.). Parentheses ( ) and Brackets [ ]
Brackets (
Parentheses (
.. Hyphens and Dashes (-/–/—)
Hyphen (-) (
En Dash (–) (+
Em Dash (—) (+
xii ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
.. Italics
Words Used as !emselves (
Letters and Numbers Used as !emselves (
Foreign Terms and Phrases (
Titles? Italics or Quotes? (
Other Uses for Quotes (
.. Quotation Marks ( “ ”)
Dialogue (
Other Uses for Quotation Marks (
Quotation Marks with Other Punctuation ()
Single Quotation Marks ()
.. Ellipses ( . . . ) )
Chapter 9 Test 88
Chapter 10: Capitalization 89
.. Introduction
.. !e Basic Rules
.. More Capitalization Rules
Titles
Directions
Letter/Email Salutations and Closings
Earth
Seasons
Some “Common” Proper Nouns
President of the United States and Other Titles
Departments
School Courses
Decades
Dog Breeds/Names
Words !at Come Before Numbers
Hyphenated Words
Chapter 10 Test 94
Chapter 11: Some Really Important
Grammar Issues 95
.. Introduction
Contents " xiii
.. Run-on Sentences (and,Fragments)
Run-on Sentences
Fragments
.. Agreement (
Interrupting Words and Phrases with Subject/Verb Agreement )
Using and, or, neither, either Between Subjects
Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement
Sentences !at Begin with There 98
Indefinite Pronouns (
Singular Nouns !at Look Plural
Collective Nouns
A Quirky Little Issue
.. Comparison
Forming Comparatives and Superlatives
What If It Isn’t More? What If It Is Less?
Irregular Forms
Faulty Comparisons
.. Misplaced Modifiers
.(. Possessives
Singular Nouns
Plural Nouns
Words !at Already End in -s 103
Last Names +
Exceptions +
Possessive Pronouns +
.). Parallel Structure
Parallel Structure in Lists
.. Using Numbers: When,to,Spell,!em Out
.. Double Negatives (
.. Apostrophes in Plurals )
.. Let’s Be Clear: Avoiding,Vagueness
!is and It (
!e Lonely Which (
Unclear People (
.. Can I Do !ese !ings?
Use Abbreviations
Use Contractions
Use Slang
Start a Sentence with And, So, or But
xiv ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
End a Sentence with a Preposition
Split an Infinitive
Use !ey as a Singular
Chapter 11 Test 111
Chapter 12: Commonly Confused Words/
A Dictionary of Usage 113
.. A !rough D
.. E !rough H )
.. I !rough L
.. M !rough P
.. R and S
.(. T !rough Z
Chapter 12 Test 126
Final Test 129
Part —English Language Basics
Part —Sentence Correction
Appendix A: Redundancy 135
Appendix B: Commonly Misspelled Words 137
A through E )
F through P
Q through W
Appendix C: Commonly Mispronounced Words 141
Appendix D: Common Prefixes, Suffixes,
and Word Roots 143
Appendix E: Writing Tips 147
Appendix F: Glossary 149
Contents " xv
Appendix G: Answers to Practices and
Chapter Tests 153
Pretest
Chapter
Chapter )
Chapter
Chapter (
Chapter (
Chapter ( (
Chapter ) (
Chapter ((
Chapter ()
Chapter )
Chapter )
Chapter )
Final Test )
Index 181
Practices and Tests
Pretest 5
Practice —Recognizing Nouns +
Practice —Recognizing Types of Nouns
Practice +—Pronouns and Antecedents
Practice —Personal Pronouns
Practice —Demonstrative Pronouns
Practice )—Interrogative Pronouns
Practice —Relative Pronouns )
Practice (—Intensive/Reflexive Pronouns )
Practice —Indefinite Pronouns
Practice —Pronoun Review
Brain Challenge
Practice —Action Verbs (
Practice —Linking Verbs (
Practice +—Action and Linking Verbs
Practice —Verb Tenses
Practice —Regular Verbs
Practice )—Active and Passive Voice
Practice —Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
Practice (—Identifying Adjectives
Practice —Identifying Adverbs
Practice —Placing Adverbs +
Practice —Identifying Prepositional Phrases +
Practice —Coordinating Conjunctions
Practice +—Identifying Subordinating Conjunctions
Practice —Adding Interjections
Brain Challenges
Chapter 1 Test 26
Practice —Identifying Subjects
Practice )—Identifying Verbs (
xviii ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Practice —Dividing the Sentence into Subject and Predicate (
Practice (—Identifying Direct Objects
Practice —Identifying Indirect Objects
Practice +—Identifying Objects of Prepositions +
Practice +—Identifying Predicate Adjectives and Predicate Nominatives +
Practice +—Identifying the Types of Sentences +
Chapter 2 Test 32
Practice ++—Identifying Prepositional Phrases ++
Practice +—Find the Infinitive or Infinitive Phrase +
Practice +—Identifying Infinitives as Subjects or Objects +
Practice +)—Identifying Participles +
Practice +—Find the Gerund +
Practice +(—Gerund or Participle? +)
Practice +—Find the Appositives +)
Chapter 3 Test 37
Practice —Identifying Independent Clauses +
Practice —Subordinate Clauses
Practice —Identifying Adjective Clauses
Practice +—Identifying Adverb Clauses
Chapter 4 Test 43
Practice —Identifying and Rewriting Sentence Fragments )
Practice —Identifying and Correcting Run Ons )
Practice )—Simple and Compound Sentences
Practice —Complex Sentences (
Practice (—Identifying Sentence Structures (
Practice —Writing Sentences with Di,erent Structures
Chapter 5 Test 50
Practice —Using the Correct Pronoun Case
Practice —Using Demonstratives Correctly +
Practice —Using -self Pronouns
Practice +—Who and Whom as Interrogative Pronouns
Practice —Whose and Who’s
Practice —Essential Versus Nonessential Clauses )
Practice )—Singular Indefinite Pronouns
Practices and Tests " xix
Practice —Indefinite Pronouns (
Chapter 6 Test 59
Practice (—Tenses )
Practice —Using Correct Tenses )
Practice )—Irregular Verb Forms )
Practice )—Active and Passive Voice )
Practice )—Using Subjunctive Mood ))
Chapter 7 Test 68
Practice )+—Some Important Comma Rules
Practice )—Commas for Introductory and Interrupting Elements
Practice )—More Comma Rules
Chapter 8 Test 76
Practice ))—Using Periods (
Practice )—Question Marks (
Practice )(—Exclamation Points
Practice )—Semicolons and Colons (
Practice —Parentheses and Brackets (
Practice —Hyphens and Dashes (+
Practice —Italics (
Practice +—Italics Versus Quotation Marks (
Practice —Quotation Marks ()
Chapter 9 Test 88
Practice —Basic Capitalization Rules
Practice )—More Capitalization
Chapter 10 Test 94
Practice —Run Ons and Fragments )
Practice (—Agreement
Practice —More Agreement
Practice (—More Agreement (
Practice (—More Agreement
Practice (—Comparison
Practice (+—Misplaced Modifiers
Practice (—Possessives
xx ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Practice (—Parallel Structure
Practice ()—Numbers )
Practice (—Double Negatives
Practice ((—Plurals with Apostrophes (
Practice (—Clarity (
Practice —Can I Do !ese !ings?
Chapter 11 Test 111
Practice —Confusing Words A !rough D )
Practice —Confusing Words E !rough H (
Practice +—Confusing Words I !rough L
Practice —Confusing Words M !rough P
Practice —Confusing Words R and S
Practice )—Confusing Words T through Z
Chapter 12 Test 126
Final Test 129
Answers to Practices and Chapter Tests 153
Index 181
Acknowledgments
M y sincere thank you . . . Jeane Slone and Mona Mechling: Local book distribu-
tors, for keeping my books selling.
Dr. Susan Behrens: My beta reader and favorite linguist, My “Blurbers”: Je, Deck, half of the Typo Hunting Team;
who contributed her wise and spot-on comments in a Sharon Hamilton, bestselling author; Pete Masterson,
more timely manner than I was able to write the book. book designer and book sage; John Bribiescus, retired
English teacher and tireless fundraiser and volunteer for
My friends: Frances Caballo, Bobbi and Dave Noderer,
education; Peter Bowerman, Well-Fed Author and Self-
Edie and Jim Partridge, Jeannie !omas, Norma Sadow,
Publisher; Marjorie Feinstein-Whittaker, M.S., Speech
and Bart Scott for always believing in me (and provid-
and Communication Consultant; and David Freeman,
ing chocolate bread).
Author of Mushroom Tales.
John DeGaetano: My business coach, for lighting the
My colleagues: At Petaluma City Schools, Red-
fire under me to make me finish the manuscript.
wood Writers, and Bay Area Independent Publishing
Michael Powell: My librarian friend, for his knowledge Association.
of copyright pages!
Dan Poynter for his groundbreaking book on indepen-
Matt Hinrichs (cover) and Marny K. Parkin (interior): dent publishing and for always including my blog posts
Without their design there would be no book. in his newsletters.
Publicity People: Gil Namur, who keeps the website Starbucks for providing ca,eine and a comfortable
running; Timothy Nonn, who gave me my first piece of place to sit and write.
newspaper publicity five years ago; !e Petaluma Argus
My new family, the Bindons, and my amazing and tal-
Courier.
ented new son-in-law, Josh.
Copperfield’s Books: !e indie bookstore that has been
Shelley and Jake, without whom I would be nothing.
so kind to me always—a shout out to Grace Bogart, Ray
Lawrason, and Vicki DeArmon.
Susan Damon: For piloting this book with her adult lit-
eracy classes.
Introduction
T his is my fourth grammar book and my first work-
book. Although language does evolve and “rules”
may change, grammar is not going away. It is alive and
I also have produced a small e-book, !e Great Gram-
mar Cheat Sheet: Grammar, Punctuation, Writing,
and Word Usage Tips You Can Use Now, for writers who
well. Proper grammar, punctuation, and capitalization might be in a hurry—who want a no-frills explanation
conventions make our writing—and speaking—clearer and perhaps a shortcut to their questions.
and easier to read.
I have wanted to write a workbook for some time, and
Good, clear writing is even more important now: the I am happy to present it to you now. I have included
Internet is forever, and once you put something up all the information—and more—that is in both of my
there and everyone sees it, you can’t take it back. And previous books, updated and presented in easy-to-read
if you think your employer or college admissions o.ce language, logical order, and friendly format, with plenty
won’t notice your mistakes, think again. Grammar is of examples and exercises. !ere is a Pretest at the
still a way for others to judge our competence, attention beginning of the book and chapter tests at the conclu-
to detail, education, and intelligence. Dress for success. sion of each chapter. Inside each chapter are numerous
Speak for success. Write for success. “practices,” or exercises, so you can practice the infor-
mation you are reading. To see what you have learned,
My first book, !e Best Little Grammar Book Ever:
there is also a Final Test. Of course, all the answers are
Ways to Impress With Your Writing and Speaking, is
included in the final appendix!
a small guide to avoiding the most common errors in
grammar and punctuation. It also includes an introduc- !e most frequent comment I get about my books is
tion to the basics of grammar and sentence structure. that in addition to providing helpful information, they
Each chapter contains a quiz at the beginning. Also are friendly and easy to read. I hope you find that
included are lists of the most commonly misspelled describes this workbook as well.
and mispronounced words, a writing lesson, a gram-
!e Best Grammar Workbook Ever contains everything
mar glossary, and a complete index.
you need to become a better and more confident writer
My second book, Correct Me If I’m Wrong: Getting Your and speaker. It concentrates on the most common
Grammar, Punctuation, and Word Usage Right, is also grammar issues and provides all the basic information
a small guide to avoiding common grammar, punctua- about grammar that you will need to understand the
tion, and word usage errors. It presents all the issues in more advanced topics.
alphabetical order and includes more word usage and
Enjoy!
comma rules than the first book. Omitted are the quiz-
zes and glossary. Arlene Miller, “!e Grammar Diva”
How to Use This Book
T his workbook begins with basic grammar and builds
up to more complex ideas and grammatical issues.
You will probably want to begin by taking the Pretest to
Chapter ( is devoted to commas. !ere are so many
comma rules that commas deserve a chapter of their
own!
check your current knowledge level. !en, you might
Chapter talks about the other punctuation marks.
want to begin at the beginning and work through the
book in order. However, you may find it more helpful to Chapter reviews capitalization conventions.
skip to the areas with which you have the most trouble. Chapter discusses some really important grammar
I will leave that up to you! issues including agreement, parallel structure, compar-
!is book begins with a Pretest and ends with a Final ison, possessives, using numbers, and plurals.
Test. Each chapter contains exercises, or “practices,” Chapter contains a Dictionary of Usage, explaining
and ends with a Chapter Test. All answers are in the the word pairs and groups that often get confused: lay
final appendix, before the index. and lie, capital and capitol, imply and infer, and many,
Please note that all conventions in this book reflect many others.
American English, rather than British English. And !roughout each chapter, there are a number of prac-
there are di,erences. For example, rules about quota- tice exercises; there is a chapter test at the end of each
tion marks with other punctuation are the opposite in chapter. !en there is a final test. All answers are in
American versus British English style. Appendix G.
Here is a more specific overview of the contents. Appendix A includes a list of common redundancies
Chapter begins with the parts of speech, the building that we often use in our writing and speaking.
blocks of writing, breaking grammar down into single Appendix B contains a list of commonly misspelled
words and their uses in sentences. words.
Chapter talks about the elements of a sentence and Appendix C contains a list of commonly mispro-
the basic types of sentences. nounced words.
Chapter + introduces phrases: small groups of words Appendix D contains a list of common prefixes, su.xes,
that make your sentences more interesting and varied. and word roots to help improve vocabulary and help
Chapter continues with longer groups of words, clauses. you figure out the meaning of a word by looking at parts
you might recognize.
Chapter discusses complete sentences (and what are
not sentences) as well as a variety of di,erent sentence Appendix E contains writing tips.
patterns using the phrases and clauses you learned Appendix F is a glossary of grammar terms.
about in Chapters + and .
Appendix G includes all the practice and test answers.
Chapter ) begins talking about some common problems
with grammar, concentrating on pronoun problems. !ere is a complete index at the end of the workbook.
Chapter reviews verbs and some of the specific issues If you have any comments on this book, or if you have
connected with verbs. a question about something that is not included here
4 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
(and you think it should be), please contact me. I can be . ✎ indicates a special note you should read.
reached at info@bigwords.com.
+. I have used a conversational tone in this book to
Visit my website at www.bigwords.com and sub- make it easy to read. In some cases you might
scribe to my weekly blog post! notice I have done something I have told you to
avoid—using a sentence fragment or beginning a
sentence with a conjunction—in order to keep a
Conventions Used in This Book casual tone and get my point across. I would not
. I have tried to make the format as simple as pos- do these things in more formal writing.
sible. I have used a di,erent typeface for exam-
ples, and bold italics for words that are used as
themselves.
Pretest
Answer these questions before you go through the book to see what you know.
. Which of these is not considered a part of speech?
a. adjective b. subject c. preposition d. noun
. Which of these is a conjunction?
a. is b. anyone c. and d. of
+. Which of these is a verb?
a. it b. in c. is d. if
. Which of these is an interjection?
a. ouch b. whom c. it d. because
. Every sentence needs a subject and a(n) _________
a. object b. noun c. verb d. period
). I gave my brother a hug. !e subject of this sentence is
a. I b. gave c. brother d. hug
. Simple predicate is the same as
a. subject b. verb c. phrase d. clause
(. Which of the following is a proper noun?
a. he b. Jack c. I d. school
. Give the book to Steve. !e direct object of this sentence is
a. Steve b. book c. give d. there is none
. Give the book to Steve. What type of sentence is this?
a. interrogative b. declarative c. exclamatory d. imperative
. Which of these is a prepositional phrase?
a. into the house b. Wow! c. locking the door d. He went
. Which of these phrases contains a participle?
a. to be a farmer b. singing loudly c. up the stairs d. a dark-haired boy
+. Which sentence has a participle that makes sense?
a. Driving down the road, my car broke down.
b. Reading a book by the window, my cat fell asleep.
c. He read from his book wearing glasses.
d. Running down the street, the dog wouldn’t come back.
. Which one contains an infinitive?
a. to go to the store b. running down the street c. my neighbor d. to the bank
6 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
. A clause is a group of words with
a. a phrase b. two verbs c. a sentence d. a subject and a verb
). An independent clause is the same as
a. a sentence b. a phrase c. a subject d. an infinitive
. Which of the following is a clause?
a. because I can’t talk on the phone
b. running down the street
c. Jack and Jill
d. going to the movies
(. Which of these is a complete and correct sentence?
a. Because I can’t go with you.
b. Going to the movies.
c. She ran.
d. She ran, he walked.
. Which one of these is a run-on sentence?
a. I told you so.
b. She ran; he walked.
c. I didn’t go, he did.
d. Give me the book, and then go to bed.
. Which of these is a compound sentence?
a. Jack and Jill went up the hill.
b. Jack went up the hill and then fell down.
c. Jack went up the hill, and Jill fell down.
d. Jill climbed and climbed up the hill.
. Paul and (me, I, myself ) cooked dinner tonight.
. Give the tickets to my sister and (me, I, myself ).
+. (Him and I, He and I, Me and him, He and myself ) loved that movie!
. With (who, whom) are you going?
. (Who, Whom) are you?
). (Who, Whom) did you invite to the party?
. I know (who, whom) you went with.
(. I love (this, these) kind of apples.
. Anyone on the boys’ basketball team can buy (his, their) uniform here.
+. Either Mary or Jane (is, are) coming with us.
+. Neither one of them (is, are) here.
+. Somebody is studying (his, his or her, their) math in the library.
++. Either the dogs or the cat (is, are) making a mess.
Pretest " 7
+. Which sentence is written clearly?
a. Bev waved at Carol as she was walking down the street.
b. As she was walking down the street, Carol waved at Bev.
c. As Bev was walking down the street, she waved at Carol.
d. As she was walking down the street, she waved at Bev.
+. Which sentence is written in passive voice?
a. He stopped when he reached the corner.
b. Did you put the groceries away?
c. !is dress was made for me!
d. I got all the way home before I realized I had lost my keys.
+). Which sentence has a verb in present perfect tense?
a. I will tell you a story later.
b. I had pizza for dinner yesterday.
c. I went to the movies yesterday.
d. I have gone to the movies three times this week.
+. Which sentence is written using correct verb tenses?
a. I have run last night.
b. I had run five miles before I fell.
c. I go to the movies last night, and I see my friends.
d. She failed the test five times before she finally passed.
+(. Which sentence is written correctly?
a. I did good on the test.
b. She looked bad in that dress.
c. !e band played loud.
d. !e steak tasted really badly.
+. Which sentence is not correct?
a. I have went to Alaska before.
b. I have swum in two di,erent oceans.
c. I have drunk all the milk.
d. I saw a rainbow this morning.
. Which sentence is using subjunctive mood?
a. I dreamed I was a whale.
b. If I were rich, I would be really happy.
c. I wish I was smarter.
d. !ey were really happy to see me.
. Which sentence is not correct?
a. !e bell rung three times.
b. I had rung the bell three times.
c. She shrank my dress in the dryer.
d. She has fallen into the snow.
. Add commas in the correct places in this sentence. !ere are two commas:
Mary who had three dogs was a real animal lover.
8 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
+. Add commas in the correct places in this sentence if any are needed.
!e book that has the old torn cover belongs to me.
. Which sentence is not punctuated correctly?
a. I am going to college next year, my sister is too.
b. I am going to college next year; my sister is too.
c. John, Mary and I have finished the exam.
d. John, Mary, and I have finished the exam.
. Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
a. She said, “I can’t go with you”.
b. Did she say “I can’t go with you?”
c. Did she ask, “Can I go with you”?
d. Did she say that she can’t go with you?
). Italics are used for (choose only one):
a. !e titles of songs.
b. !e titles of books.
c. !e titles of newspaper articles.
d. None of the above.
. Colons are used for (choose only one):
a. Introducing a list.
b. In the greeting of a business letter.
c. Introducing a long quotation.
d. All of the above.
(. What is the di,erence between a hyphen and a dash? (choose one)
a. !ere is no di,erence.
b. Hyphens are used to indicate a break in thought in a sentence.
c. Hyphens are used in some compound words; dashes are not.
d. Dashes are used in indexes.
. Insert two dashes (—) into the following sentence in the correct places.
My cat I don’t know how she got there was living in the neighbor’s garage.
. Brackets [] are used for (choose one):
a. Parentheses inside of other parentheses.
b. Added information to explain a quote.
c. Neither of these.
d. Both of these.
. Correctly capitalize the following sentence:
I work at the first national bank in boston.
. Correctly capitalize the following sentence:
out of all the seasons, summer is my favorite.
+. Correctly capitalize the following sentence:
I said, “don’t go without me.”
. Correctly capitalize the following sentence:
“take this book,” he said, “and return it to the library.”
Pretest " 9
. Correctly capitalize the following sentence:
!e title of the movie is once upon a time in rome.
). Correctly capitalize the greeting of this letter:
dear mr. and mrs. foster:
. Correctly capitalize the closing of this letter:
yours truly,
john jones, jr.
(. Which sentence is written correctly?
a. Both Jim and Pete is going.
b. Jim, along with his friends, are going.
c. Neither Jim nor Pete is going.
d. None of them is correct.
. Which sentence is written correctly?
a. Neither the boy nor the girl are going.
b. Neither the boy nor the girls are going.
c. Neither the boys nor the girl are going.
d. !ey are all correct.
). Ted is the (taller, tallest) of the twins.
). She is the (less, least) friendly girl in the class.
). Which sentence is correct?
a. She likes pizza more than me.
b. She likes pizza more than I.
c. !ey are both correct.
d. Neither is correct.
)+. Which sentence is correct?
a. Freshly painted, my car looked great when I picked it up today.
b. Freshly painted, I picked my car up from the shop today.
c. Freshly painted, the shop gave me a great deal on the car.
d. !ey are all incorrect.
). Which sentence is correctly written?
a. I read about the earthworm in the science book.
b. I heard about the hurricane on the news.
c. I saw the tornado on the news.
d. None of the sentences is written well.
). !is is my (sisters, sisters’, sister’s, sister’s’) pair of shoes.
)). I think this is (James’, James’s, James, James’s’) house.
). !e bicycle belongs to my (sister’s, sisters’, sisters, sisters’s).
)(. Write the following sentence correctly:
I like to swim, to fish, and lying in the sun.
10 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
). Fix the punctuation in this sentence:
Mrs. Apple, the president of the company; Mr. Jones, the vice-president; Mr. Green; Ms. Young, Mr. Fox; and I
are going to the meeting.
. In which sentence are the numbers written correctly?
a. boys were in the class.
b. Five boys and + girls were in the class.
c. Five boys and three girls were in the class.
d. boys and girls were in the class.
. Which sentence is correct?
a. I was born on July , .
b. I was born in July, .
c. I was born July, , .
d. None of them is correct.
. Which sentence is correct?
a. I can’t hardly hear the music.
b. I can’t barely do this math problem.
c. I can barely finish this piece of cake.
d. !ey are all correct.
+. Which sentence is correct?
a. Have you seen my vacation photo’s?
b. Do you know your ABC’s?
c. !ere are too many A’s in this word.
d. !ey are all correct.
. Which sentence is written best?
a. I work at the Beverly Co.
b. I received a percent on the quiz.
c. !ey stole about / of my money.
d. I sell, write reports, check the inventory, etc., and so on, at my job.
. Which of the following should you never do when you write?
a. Start a sentence with a conjunction (for example, and)
b. End a sentence with a preposition
c. Split an infinitive
d. Separate two sentences with a comma and no conjunction
). Is it (alright, all right) if I come with you?
. I (hanged, hung) the picture on my wall.
(. My car has (dual, duel) engines.
. (Bring, Take) these books back to the library.
(. I feel (bad, badly) about the broken vase.
(. Please be (discreet, discrete), and don’t tell anyone this secret.
(. Turn the car (in to, into) Benson Street.
(+. My grandparents (emigrated, immigrated) from Poland.
Pretest " 11
(. I would like the chocolate cake for (desert, dessert).
(. I didn’t want any pie, (anyway, anyways).
(). Boston is the (capital, capitol) of Massachusetts.
(. She acted (as if, like) she liked being here.
((. He is much better at science (than, then) I am.
(. !e weather forecast says (its’ its, it’s) going to be degrees today!
. I heard that (your, you’re) computer is missing.
. My brother has the (principal, principle) role in the play.
. All the cast members are going over (there, their, they’re) lines.
+. Please (lay, lie) these blankets on the sand.
. !e school band (lead, led) the parade.
. (Try and, Try to) get some sleep.
). I don’t know (whose, who’s) jacket this is.
. !e news will (proceed, precede, procede) the late movie.
(. I walked (passed, past) the library on my way to the theater.
. I have (fewer, less) books than you have.
. I will (lend, loan) you five dollars if you ask me nicely.
See Appendix G for the answers.
Chapter 1
The Parts of Speech
1.1. Introduction People: Susie, girl, doctor, family
!e parts of speech are the categories into which every Places: California, seashore
word in the language fits. Each part of speech performs !ings: dog, book, sun, rain
a di,erent function in a sentence, and some words can
be more than one part of speech, depending on their Ideas or emotions: happiness, religion
use in a particular sentence. !ese parts of speech are ✎ You can check to see if something is a noun: Usually,
the building blocks of the language. When people refer you can put the words a, an, the, or my before nouns.
to the parts of speech, they mean these eight categories
Examples: the sun, a girl, a dog, a religion,
into which all words can be placed.
my happiness
Here are the eight parts of speech:
!is doesn’t work as well with words that start with cap-
. Noun ital letters, such as California or Suzie. However, most
. Pronoun words that start with capital letters are nouns anyway.
+. Verb Remember that you don’t have to be able to see it for it
. Adjective (and Articles) to be a noun. You can’t see ideas or emotions, but they
. Adverb are still things.
). Preposition
. Conjunction Practice 1—
(. Interjection Recognizing Nouns
Identify all the nouns in the following sentences:
1.2. Nouns . Peter gave his cake to his younger brother.
A noun is a person, place, thing, idea, or emotion. . Do you know where this idea came from in the first
place?
Here are some nouns:
+. I still collect stamps, but I have new hobby: making
sun book scrapbooks of photos I have taken.
girl rain . !e department has had five meetings in the past
month.
dog family
. He was sad until he learned he had won the award;
happiness religion then he was filled with happiness.
California Susie See Appendix G for the answers.
doctor seashore
!e words above are all people, places, things, ideas, or
emotions.
14 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
The Five Types of Nouns . Find all the proper nouns: Bob, brother, summer,
Ireland, Buddhism, decision
!ere are five categories of nouns:
). Find all the abstract nouns: idea, book, school, dog,
1. Common nouns are regular nouns that do not start sadness, shirt, Christianity, Empire State Building,
with capital letters, such as happiness, boy, desk, and hunger
city.
. Find all the collective nouns: group, committee,
2. Proper nouns are the nouns that start with capital boys, tribe, happiness, bunch, clocks, collection
letters. !ey are specific people, places, things, or ideas See Appendix G for the answers.
such as Florida, Buddhism, Joe, and Thanksgiving.
3. Concrete nouns are nouns that represent things you
can see, hear, smell, taste, or feel. Most nouns are con- 1.3. Pronouns
crete. Concrete nouns are either common or proper too. Pronouns take the place of nouns. For example, com-
Concrete nouns include grass, paper, perfume (you can pare these two sentences:
smell it), air (you can feel it), Susie, and Golden Gate
Mary baked Mary’s famous lasagna for dinner.
Bridge.
Mary baked her famous lasagna for dinner.
4. Abstract nouns are the nouns that represent ideas or
emotions; you cannot perceive them with your senses. Her is a pronoun. It is used in the second sentence to
Religion, happiness, anger, and Buddhism fall into this take the place of Mary, so we don’t have to repeat Mary.
category. Doesn’t the second sentence sound better?
5. Collective nouns are nouns that represent a group of Some common pronouns are I, you, he, she, them, they,
things or people without being plural (although they we, us, him, her, and it.
can also be made plural). Family, group, orchestra, audi-
ence, flock, bunch, and herd fall into this category. !ese
nouns become important when we discuss noun and Antecedents
verb agreement in Section .+. An antecedent is the word the pronoun is standing in for.
✎ Most nouns can be counted (girls, pencils, stars), but In the sentence above, Mary is the antecedent of her. An
some cannot be (salt, wisdom, sand, beauty). antecedent can also be a pronoun. Pronouns can stand
in for other pronouns, as in the following sentence:
He showed the manager his report. (His and he are
Practice 2— the same person. He is the antecedent.)
Recognizing Types of Nouns
In the following sentence, there are no antecedents
Find the type of noun asked for in the following sen-
present in the sentence:
tences. !ere is only one noun of the type asked for.
He showed the manager her report.
. Find the proper noun: We went to New York City on
our vacation last summer. Obviously he is showing the manager the report of a
. Find the concrete noun: You need to add more soil female (her), not his own. We would probably find the
before you finish. antecedents in previous sentences in the text if we had
them. However, we can tell that he is not the antecedent
+. Find the abstract noun: You seem to know all the
for her because they don’t agree in gender. Pronouns
rules of this game!
must agree in gender and number (singular or plural)
. Find the collective noun: !e band played all day in with their antecedents.
the gymnasium.
✎ Make sure that when you write, your antecedents
Find all the nouns of the type requested in each series:
are clear, so that you don’t confuse the reader. !ey
Parts of Speech " 15
should be able to tell who is who. (See? In the previ- . !e story about the accident was so terrible that I
ous sentence they is unclear. Does they refer to the didn’t believe it at first.
word antecedents or the word reader?) . Don’t forget to bring your bathing suit when we go
Unclear antecedent: Mary and Jenny went to visit her to the beach.
mother. (Whose mother?) See Appendix G for the answers.
Practice 3— 2. Demonstrative pronouns point things out. !ere are
Pronouns and Antecedents only four of them: this, that, these, and those. Here are
Identify the antecedent for the italicized pronoun. some examples:
. June brought her books back to the library. This is my new CD. (Once again, make sure your
reader knows what this refers to!)
. I baked you a cake, but I burned it.
+. !ey came to the party and brought their costumes. I want those!
. I want to take singing lessons, but my mother can- ✎ If you say I want those cookies, those becomes an
not a,ord to pay for them. adjective because it is describing cookies. More
. Bob loves his younger brother, who worships him. about that in Section ..
See Appendix G for the answers.
Practice 5—
Demonstrative Pronouns
Types of Pronouns
Rewrite the following sentences using a demonstrative
Pronouns can be a little tricky. !ere are six di,erent
pronoun instead of the words in italics:
types of pronouns.
Example: !e pencil over there is mine. That is
1. Personal pronouns are the most commonly used
mine.
pronouns.
. !e shirt I am holding is new.
Here is the complete list:
. I want some of the cookies in the kitchen.
First Person: I, me, my, mine (singular); we, us, our, ours
+. Please take some of the books I am giving you.
(plural)
See Appendix G for the answers.
Second Person: you, your, yours (both singular and
plural)
!ird Person: he, him, his, she, her, hers, it, its (singular); 3. Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions.
they, them, their, theirs (plural) !ere are five of them: which, who, whose, whom, and
what. For example:
Who is that man? What is wrong?
Practice 4—
Personal Pronouns
Identify only the personal pronouns in each sentence. Practice 6—
!ere may be more than one. Interrogative Pronouns
. I didn’t tell him about the new idea I had. !e following sentences contain personal, demonstra-
tive, and interrogative pronouns. Find only the inter-
. My brother told me who is coming to my party.
rogative pronouns. Remember that they must ask a
+. We students are having a carwash to support our question, and that there are only the five of them that
school.
16 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
are listed above. Not all the sentences will have an inter- 5. Reflexive/intensive pronouns are personal pronouns
rogative pronoun. with -self at the end:
. Why are you asking me this question? myself, ourselves, yourself, yourselves, himself,
. Whom are you going with? herself, itself, and themselves
+. !is is where I live. Here are some examples of how they are used. Notice
. Which do you like better, dogs or cats? the di,erence between using them reflexively and
intensively:
. When are you going to get here?
). Write the five interrogative pronouns: ________ I wrote that poem myself. (Reflexive—myself
_________ _________ _________ _________ reflects back to I )
See Appendix G for the answers. She baked the wedding cake herself. (Reflexive—
herself reflects back to she)
I myself wrote that poem. (Intensive—used to
4. Relative pronouns begin adjective clauses (more
emphasize I )
about that in Section .+). !ere are five of them:
which, whom, whose, who, and that. Notice that they I saw Jim himself at the wedding! (Intensive—used
are almost the same as the interrogative pronouns we to emphasize Jim)
just learned about. However, relative pronouns do not
✎ A reflexive pronoun must refer back to the subject of
ask a question, and they do not appear at the beginning
the sentence. For example, you cannot use myself as
of a sentence. Here are some examples of how relative
a reflexive pronoun unless I is the subject of the sen-
pronouns are used:
tence. Likewise, you cannot use herself as a reflexive
You can borrow the book that I just finished. pronoun unless she (or the noun that she represents)
is the subject of the sentence. Here are examples of
My neighbor, who is a lawyer, just came back from
the correct and incorrect uses of the reflexive myself.
Paris.
Correct: I fixed the broken fence myself.
(Yes, you will learn the di,erence between who and
whom in Section )..) Incorrect: She gave Jim and myself new books. (Myself
should be me.)
Practice 7— Note that hisself, theirselves, and ourself are not words.
Relative Pronouns See more about reflexive/intensive pronouns in Sec-
Each of the following sentences contains one of the tion )..
relative pronouns. However, the sentences also contain
other types of pronouns, including interrogative and
Practice 8—
demonstrative pronouns, which can look like relative
Intensive/Reflexive Pronouns
pronouns. Relative pronouns begin clauses and won’t
be at the beginning of a sentence. Find the relative Fill in the blank with the appropriate reflexive/intensive
pronoun in each of the following sentences. pronoun. Remember that the pronoun will refer to the
same person who is the subject of the sentence.
. I have a dog that barks all the time.
. Do you know who that man in the costume is? . I made that dress _________.
+. !at is my neighbor, whose daughter lives in Mexico. . She _____________said that it was true.
. I really like the girl whom I have invited to go with +. He made ______________a huge sandwich for a
us. snack.
See Appendix G for the answers. . You _______________ said it couldn’t be done, but
you did it!
Parts of Speech " 17
. !e little boy made the tower of blocks all by (specific person, place, thing, or idea). Pronouns are
____________. a separate part of speech.
See Appendix G for the answers. Proper Nouns: New York, Nancy, Christianity, Canada,
Macy’s
6. Indefinite pronouns do not refer to a specific noun. Pronouns: she, anyone, they, which
Here are some examples of indefinite pronouns: someone,
everyone, anyone, no one, somebody, anybody, every-
Practice 10—
body, everything, something, anything, nothing, none, few,
Pronoun Review
many, several, all, and some (and there are more). !ey
are important because you need to know which ones are !ere are three pronouns in each of the following
singular and which ones are plural, so you know which sentences. Find each pronoun and tell which kind it
verb form and personal pronoun to use with them. We is: personal, demonstrative, interrogative, intensive/
will talk about these pronouns in Section ).. reflexive, indefinite, or relative.
. You and I should be friends with him.
Practice 9— _______________ ______________ ______________
Indefinite Pronouns . Which shirt do you think I should buy?
We haven’t talked about indefinite pronouns very much _______________ ______________ ______________
yet. However, see if you can find the indefinite pro-
+. !is is the book that I read last summer.
nouns in the following sentences. I will help you. I will
put all the pronouns in italics. Since you should already _______________ ______________ ______________
be able to recognize personal, demonstrative, inter- . !ey finally did something by themselves!
rogative, relative, and intensive/reflexive pronouns, the _______________ ______________ ______________
indefinite singular pronoun will be the other italicized
words! !ere may be none, one, or more than one indef- . I have never heard of anything like that!
inite pronoun in each sentence. Here we go: _______________ ______________ ______________
. You and I should eat something before we go. ). When are you going to tell someone about this?
. Is anyone home? _______________ ______________ ______________
+. Everyone who is going on this trip should bring some See Appendix G for the answers.
books to read.
. All of the pizza is gone, but most of the salad that I
made is still here. Brain
Challenge
. She didn’t do it by herself; she had help from her
friends. Can you write a sentence with one pronoun of each
). What are you doing with that? type in it? Hint: It will have to be a question in order to
use an interrogative pronoun. Here is an example:
. We did nothing yesterday, but tomorrow we are
going to the movies. What (interrogative) are you (personal) doing
(. !ose who think they can do anything usually can! all by yourself (reflexive) that (relative) sounds
like that (demonstrative) and disturbs everyone?
See Appendix G for the answers.
(indefinite)
No, you wouldn’t really write a sentence like that, but
✎ Do not confuse pronouns with proper nouns. Proper sometimes it is fun to try!
nouns begin with capital letters and are nouns
18 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
1.4. Verbs I am hungry. (Hungry describes I; they are linked
by the verb am.)
Verb: It’s what you do!
She was a dancer. (Dancer describes she; they are
linked by the verb was.)
Action Verbs
!ere are linking verbs other than the forms of the verb
Most verbs are action words. Jump, run, bake, study, to be. Taste, appear, look, sound, seem, and feel are also
read, swim, give, and walk are examples of verbs. examples of linking verbs. Usually, if you can substitute
Verbs can also indicate mental action, not just physical a form of the to be verb and the sentence still makes
action: think, wonder, plan, and consider are also verbs. sense, you have a linking verb.
The boys hid in the forest. (Hid is a verb.) She felt tired today. (Tired describes she; they are
linked by the verb felt. She is tired today also
I took the math test yesterday. (Took is a verb.) makes sense.)
The hotel provided us with rooms after the game. He seemed angry at me. (Angry describes he; they
(Provided is a verb.) are linked by the verb seemed. He was angry at
✎ Every sentence needs a verb. Without a verb, there me makes sense.)
is no sentence! Mary threw the ball. (Ball does not describe Mary;
threw is not a linking verb! Mary is the ball makes
no sense.)
Practice 11—
Action Verbs To make things just a bit more confusing, words like
taste, smell, and feel are sometimes linking verbs and
Find the verbs in the following sentences. !ere may
sometimes action verbs. Notice the di,erence:
be more than one verb in a sentence. Remember that
most verbs are action words, but they don’t necessarily The cake tasted great! (Great describes cake; tasted
involve movement. is a linking verb. The cake is great makes sense.
!e cake didn’t do anything. !ere is no action
. Jack threw the ball to Sam, who caught it.
here.)
. Do you know anything about European history?
I tasted the cake. (Cake does not describe I; taste
+. My cat jumped up on the table and ate the cookies.
is an action verb here. I am doing something.
. I wonder if she likes me. And I am the cake doesn’t make sense.)
. Tell me the truth.
✎ Why does it matter which verbs are linking and
See Appendix G for the answers. which are action? Good question! You will find out
in Chapter , “Special Issues with Verbs.”
Linking Verbs
In addition to action verbs, there is another impor- Practice 12—
tant type of verb called a linking verb. A linking verb Linking Verbs
ties together the word or words before the verb and
Identify the linking verbs in each sentence. !ere may
the word or words after the verb. A linking verb is like
be more than one in a sentence. Some sentences may
the equal sign in math. !e most common linking verb
have an action verb and NO linking verb. Other sen-
is the verb to be. !at verb has many di,erent forms.
tences may have both action and linking verbs. Identify
You probably recognize the to be verb by these familiar
only linking verbs.
forms: is, am, are, will be, was, has been, have been,
etc. Here are some sentences with forms of the to be . I am tired, so I will go to bed.
linking verb: . !is cake tastes burned.
Parts of Speech " 19
+. She seems fine, but she says she is sick. . Present perfect tense: I have walked to the store
. I study until my eyes hurt. every day this week. (It happened in the past and is
possibly continuing.)
. !at cake is too pretty to eat!
Present perfect progressive tense: I have been walk-
See Appendix G for the answers.
ing to the store.
. Past perfect tense: I had walked for an hour by the
Practice 13— time I found the library. (It happened in the past
Action and Linking Verbs before something else happened in the past.)
Identify all the verbs in the following sentences, and Past perfect progressive tense: I had been walking to
tell whether each one is action or linking. !ere may be the store when I met Sue.
more than one verb in a sentence.
). Future perfect tense: I will have walked five miles by
. If you are correct, then there is no answer to this the time I get to your house. (It will happen in the
problem. future before some other future event.)
. Clean your room, and then mow the lawn. Future perfect progressive tense: I will have been
+. I think that she is the tallest girl in the room. walking five miles a day for six years by the time I
. My o.ce is too small, and my desk won’t fit. graduate from high school.
. I shop, clean, and visit my mother on weekends. !e progressive tenses represent the same time as their
See Appendix G for the answers. matching tenses. !e words that we use to help specify
the tenses (such as will, have, and have been) are called
helping verbs.
Tenses ✎ Although some helping verbs look like forms of the
Verbs have some qualities you should know about. One linking verb to be, they are not. Because they are
of these is tense, which has to do with time. !e tense with another verb (in this case, walk), they are called
of a verb tells you when the action took place. Verbs helping verbs. For example, in “I will have been walk-
are the only action part of speech, so they are the only ing,” will have been are helping verbs, and walking is
part of speech with tense. As you know, things can take the main verb. If “will have been” is used without a
place in the past, in the present, or in the future. !ere main verb, then it is a linking verb. For example, in
are six main tenses, each representing a di,erent time. “I will have been a teacher for three years,” will have
Each of these six has a partner (the progressive form), been is a linking verb. !ere is no other verb in the
making the total number of tenses twelve. Here they are, sentence, and teacher describes I.
using the action verb walk:
Here are the tenses for the linking verb to be, using the
. Present tense: I walk to the store. (It is happening pronoun you:
now.)
Present/Present Progressive: you are/you are being
Present progressive tense: I am walking to the store.
Past/Past Progressive: you were/you were being
. Past tense: I walked to the store. (It happened in the
past, and it is over.) Future/Future Progressive: you will be/you will be being
Past progressive tense: I was walking to the store. Present Perfect/Present Perfect Progressive: you have
been/you have been being
+. Future tense: I will walk to the store. (It will happen
in the future.) Past Perfect/Past Perfect Progressive: you had been/you
Future progressive tense: I will be walking to the
had been being
store. Future Perfect/Future Perfect Progressive: you will have
been/you will have been being
20 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Practice 14— . rain rained
Verb Tenses . wash _____________
Fill in each blank with the verb and tense in parentheses. +. study _____________
You may use the progressive form if you like. . play _____________
. We __________________ to the movies three times . graduate _____________
this week. (verb: to go—present perfect tense) See Appendix G for the answers.
. I ___________________ a cake for your birthday.
(verb: to bake, future tense)
Voice
+. We __________________ at that mall before. (verb:
to shop—past perfect tense) Another quality of verbs is voice. !ere are two voices:
active and passive. In active voice, the subject of the sen-
. I ___________________ piano lessons for seven
tence (usually, the noun or pronoun before the verb) is
years by this winter. (verb: to take—future perfect
doing the action. In passive voice the subject is usually
tense)
not doing the action of the verb. Can you see the di,er-
. I ___________________ until I couldn’t study any ence between the voices?
longer. (verb: to study—past tense)
He drove to the mall. (active—the subject of the
). She ___________________ football with all the boys
sentence, he, did the driving.)
in her class. (verb: to play—present tense)
See Appendix G for the answers. He was driven to the mall by his sister. (passive)
✎ When you write, use active voice most of the time. It
is stronger and more e,ective. See Section ..
Irregular Verb Forms
When we talk about di,erent forms of a verb, we are
usually referring to how the verb changes in a di,erent Practice 16—
tense, generally past or present perfect. Most verbs add Active and Passive Voice
-ed to the end for the past tense, but many verbs have See if you can identify the verbs in the following sen-
other past tense forms; these verbs are called irregular. tences as active voice or passive voice. !e verbs are in
We will talk more about irregular verbs in Section ., italics.
but here are a few examples of regular and irregular verbs.
. I mowed the lawn this morning. ____________
Regular verbs:
. I was told a secret. ____________
I walked to the train station. (ends in -ed ) +. Did you see that dog? ____________
He wondered about his dream. (ends in -ed ) . We celebrated her birthday with cake and ice cream.
Irregular verbs:
____________
. She bought six dresses and four pair of pants.
He thought about it for a while. (not thinked! )
____________
The cat ate its food. (not eated! ) ). She was awarded the gold medal. ____________
. I thought about it for a long while. ____________
Practice 15— (. !e committee met for the last time on Friday.
Regular Verbs ____________
Write the past tense of the following verbs. !ey are . !e school was built in . ____________
all regular verbs. !e first one is done for you. You will . I built a roller coaster out of Legos. ____________
find this easy! See Appendix G for the answers.
Parts of Speech " 21
Transitive/Intransitive kind, or which ones. Here are some examples of adjec-
tives describing (or modifying) nouns:
One more thing about verbs (yes, they are rather com-
plicated). Verbs are also classified as either transitive or pretty bird
intransitive. !e dictionary refers to verbs as either vi
six trees
(verb intransitive) or vt (verb transitive) where it tells
you the part of speech. blue dress
Transitive verbs have a direct object; intransitive verbs handsome guy
don’t. Direct objects are discussed in Section .. Basi- good idea
cally, if you ask what or who about the verb, the answer
is the direct object. Direct objects are always nouns or Here is an example of an adjective that describes a
pronouns. Here are some examples. pronoun:
They played baseball. (Played what? Base- He is handsome.
ball. Baseball is the direct object, so played is Notice that the structure is a little di,erent here. When
transitive.) describing a pronoun, the adjective is usually after the
They played in the yard. (Played what or who? !e verb rather than right before the pronoun. Notice that
sentence does not tell you. !ere is no direct when the adjective comes after the verb, the verb is
object, and played is intransitive.) always a linking verb (is, in the sentence above). Some-
times, of course, the adjective can come before the pro-
noun. For example
Practice 17— Silly me!
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
Here is an adjective describing another adjective:
In each of the following sentences, identify the italicized
verb as either transitive or intransitive. If it is transitive, bright blue dress
identify its direct object. !e adjective blue is describing the noun dress. How-
. I played chess with George. ever, the adjective bright is describing the type of blue
. She walked to school. (not the dress).
+. Jess bought a new suit. What if you said old, torn dress? Old and torn are both
. Did you see the cat jump over the fence? adjectives, but they both describe the noun dress. It is
an old dress, and it is a torn dress.
. I wrote the monthly report for my company.
See Appendix G for the answers. When both adjectives describe the noun (as in old,
torn dress), you generally put a comma between the
two adjectives. When one adjective describes the
✎ You already learned in Section . that you can tell if other adjective (as in bright blue dress), do not use a
a word is a noun by putting a, an, or the in front of comma. One way to figure this out is to put the word
it. How can you tell if a word is a verb? Put the word and between the two adjectives. If it makes sense, use
to in front of it, for example, to jump, to think, to be, a comma.
to study, to allow. Old and torn dress makes sense. Use a comma:
Old, torn dress
1.5. Adjectives
Compared to verbs, Adjectives are pretty simple. !ey Other Types of Adjectives
are used to describe nouns (people, places, things, !ere are a couple of special types of adjectives. How-
ideas) and sometimes pronouns. Adjectives can also ever, they have the same function as any other adjective.
describe other adjectives. !ey tell how many, what
22 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
1. Demonstrative Adjectives: In Section .+ we discussed Adverbs tell where, when, how, or to what extent.
demonstrative pronouns. !ey are this, that, these, Adverbs usually end in -ly, but not always. Here are
and those. !ese same four words, when placed right some examples of adverbs:
before a noun, are demonstrative adjectives. Notice the
She ran quickly. Quickly describes how she ran
di,erence:
(ran is the verb).
This is my book. (demonstrative pronoun)
He is extremely intelligent. Extremely describes the
This book is mine. (demonstrative adjective adjective intelligent.
describing book)
He writes really quickly. Really describes quickly,
2. Proper Adjectives: Proper adjectives, like proper nouns, also an adverb. Quickly describes how he writes
begin with a capital letter. Here are a few examples: (writes is the verb).
Thanksgiving dinner, Italian food, Catholic religion As we said above, not all adverbs end in -ly. And, some
words that end in -ly are adjectives, not adverbs, because
3. Articles: !e words a, an, and the are called articles.
they describe nouns. Here are some examples:
Sometimes they are thought of as a separate part of
speech, but they are really adjectives. What a lovely dress. Lovely describes the noun
dress, so it is an adjective.
✎ Some words can be used as more than one part of
speech, depending on how they are used in a partic- I have three sisters, so I am never lonely. Lonely
ular sentence. Nouns can often be used as adjectives. describes the pronoun I. !e two words are
Here are some examples: beef stew, bread pudding, linked with the linking verb am. (Note that the
prom dress, Christmas vacation. word never is an adverb telling when. It describes
the adjective lonely.)
Practice 18— Many adverbs do not end in -ly. Some of these adverbs
Identifying Adjectives include now, then, soon, very, only, often, and not.
Each of the following sentences contains three adjec- ✎ !ere is usually more than one place to put an adverb
tives. See if you can identify them by circling each in a sentence. Sometimes the location of an adverb
adjective. !ese adjectives may include articles, proper changes the meaning of a sentence (for example, see
adjectives, and demonstrative adjectives. Chapter for a discussion about the adverb only).
Other times, the sentence is simply clearer if you
. I had three books, but I gave one book to my younger place the adverb close to the verb.
brother.
I go for a walk in the woods often.
. !e tall tree in the yard has fallen.
+. !is cat is mine, but that cat is from the shelter. I often go for a walk in the woods. (better way to
write it)
. Which of these two cookies looks good to you?
. We had a fabulous !anksgiving dinner! Often, I go for a walk in the woods. (also good)
See Appendix G for the answers. ✎ Be careful not to overuse the adverbs really, so, and
very. Always avoid using two reallys, sos, or verys in
a row (for example, really, really good).
1.6. Adverbs
Like adjectives, adverbs are describing words. How- Practice 19—
ever, while adjectives describe nouns or pronouns Identifying Adverbs
(people and things), adverbs are used to describe verbs
(actions). Sometimes adverbs also describe adjectives Identify each adverb in the following sentences. Some
or other adverbs. sentences may have more than one adverb. Every sen-
tence here has at least one adverb.
Parts of Speech " 23
. We went up the stairs quietly. to the movies before dinner
. Soon I will be years old. up the tree along the riverbank
+. He drives very slowly.
!ere are many other prepositions, but you get the idea!
. !is is too heavy for me to carry.
If a preposition does not have a noun or pronoun after
. She tenderly held the baby and kissed her softly.
it, it is generally not a preposition; it is being used as an
See Appendix G for the answers. adverb.
I am going inside the house (prepositional phrase;
Practice 20— inside is a preposition).
Placing Adverbs I am going inside. (!ere is no prepositional
In some of the following sentences, the adverb is not phrase; inside is an adverb here.)
in the best place. Find a better place to put the adverb. ✎ You may have heard that you aren’t supposed to
Other sentences are correct. Identify which sentences end a sentence with a preposition. !ere are some
are written well. Remember that many times there is cases where you probably should not end a sentence
more than one correct place to put the adverb. with a preposition; however, sometimes you should
. We walked down carefully the stairs. because it sounds better.
. He will be soon coming home. Whom are you going with? It is fine to end the sentence
+. Put the toys away quietly. this way (with the preposition with). With whom are you
. !e cat purred and ran up the stairs contentedly. going? is also fine.
. Gladly I gave him the old baby clothes I had collected. Where are you at? Please do not end a sentence this way.
See Appendix G for the answers. You don’t need the at. Just leave it o,.
What are you staring at? !is is fine. You can’t leave at
o, here. You can say, At what are you staring, but ending
1.7. Prepositions this sentence with at is fine.
Prepositions are usually little words, and they are always It is very important to be able to recognize prepositional
part of a phrase (a group of a few related words—see phrases. Often, recognizing a prepositional phrase will
Section +.) known, not surprisingly, as a prepositional help you decide whether to use who or whom, I or me,
phrase. A prepositional phrase generally consists of a him or he, etc. (more about this in Chapter )). It is also
preposition, sometimes an article (a, an, or the), and important to put your prepositional phrases in the correct
a noun or pronoun (which is called the object of the place in the sentence (more about this in Section .).
preposition). Prepositional phrases usually answer the
questions where? or when?
Practice 21—
Here are some examples of prepositions in a phrase (the
Identifying Prepositional Phrases
preposition is in bold):
Each sentence below contains one prepositional phrase.
in the box down the stairs
Can you find it?
with my friends beside the desk
. !e cat is under the table.
at school within the city . We camp at the lake every summer.
around the room for the committee +. Come into the house before you freeze!
of ours among the students . We ran around the track twenty times!
between the chairs beneath the table . I went to the museum.
See Appendix G for the answers.
by the author after the storm
24 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
1.8. Conjunctions include (but are not limited to) these words: although,
since, if, because, until, when, whenever, before (some-
Conjunctions are joining words. !ey join words, times) and after (sometimes).
phrases (a short group of related words), or even sen-
tences together. (See Chapter + for more information Although I am small, I am strong (subordinate
about phrases.) !e most common conjunction is and. clause begins with although).
Jack and Jill (joins two words together). Because I have no money, I cannot go to the mov-
ies (subordinate clause begins with because).
I went to school and to the movies (joins two
phrases together). I cannot get my license until I turn sixteen (subordi-
nate clause begins with until ).
I am a student, and my brother is a dentist (joins
two sentences). ✎ When you are joining two words, there is no comma.
However, in a series or more than two things, use
And is called a coordinating conjunction. !ere are seven
a comma after each item in the series except, of
coordinating conjunctions. !ey are for, and, nor, but, course, the last item. !e comma before the con-
or, yet, and so. !e first letters of these words spell out
junction (usually and) is optional and is called the
FANBOYS.
Oxford comma. I prefer to use it.
Remember the “word” FANBOYS, and you will remem- I packed shoes and socks. (two items only; no
ber these conjunctions! comma)
I packed shoes, socks, pants, and shirts. (comma
Practice 22— after pants is optional)
Coordinating Conjunctions
✎ !ere is generally a comma before a FANBOYS con-
Fill in the blank in each sentence with one of the seven junction that connects two complete sentences.
FANBOYS conjunctions. Use a di,erent conjunction
I sprained my ankle, so I cannot go hiking today.
for each sentence. Use the conjunction that makes the
most sense in that sentence. I cannot go with you, but my sister can.
. I would buy that toy for you, _______ I don’t have ✎ Can you begin a sentence with a FANBOYS con-
any money. junction? Yes and no. Most people now say it is per-
. She is small, ______ very strong. fectly okay to begin a sentence with and, but, or so.
My opinion? I do it in this book. I do it in my blog
+. Do you want the chicken _____ the steak?
posts. Would I do it in a cover letter or a job applica-
. Bobbie _____ Jim are getting married. tion? No.
. I like neither liver ________ brussels sprouts.
). I have other plans, ____ I won’t be going with you.
Practice 23—
. You will need to study more, ______ you got a bad Identifying Subordinating Conjunctions
grade.
Fill in each blank with the best subordinating conjunc-
See Appendix G for the answers.
tion. Use a di,erent conjunction for each sentence.
Choose from these five conjunctions:
Subordinating Conjunctions Until Although Because Whenever If
!e FANBOYS conjunctions are called coordinating con- . _____________ I read that book, I don’t remember
junctions because they connect, or join, two or more
it very well.
things. !ere is another kind of conjunction, called a sub-
. We never made it to Paris _____________ we ran out
ordinating conjunction. !ese conjunctions begin subordi-
of time.
nate clauses (see Section .+). Subordinating conjunctions
Parts of Speech " 25
+. I didn’t believe it _____________ I saw it with my Spring is my favorite season. (noun)
own eyes.
I can’t wait until spring break. (adjective describing
. _____________ you see your cousin, tell him I miss break)
him.
My cat will spring forward to grab the ball of yarn!
. _____________ I eat chocolate, I am happy!
(verb)
See Appendix G for the answers.
Brain
1.9. Interjections Challenges
Wow! !is is an easy part of speech. Interjections are !e following sentences have just one part of speech
words that don’t add anything grammatically to the missing. Can you tell which one it is?
sentence; they are usually exclamatory words, but not
. Well, I looked in the car and I couldn’t find the pur-
always. Sometimes they are followed by an exclamation
ple sweater.
point; other times they are connected to the sentence
with a comma. Interjections are generally not used in . Wow! You and little John swim well, but I don’t.
formal writing like business letters. +. Oh, they are happily baking cookies and brownies
in the kitchen.
Here are some interjections: hey, gosh, ouch, gee whiz,
wow, oh, well !e following sentences are missing two parts of speech.
Can you fill in the blanks with those two parts of speech?
Wow! What a nice car!
. ______! Jim and ____ are quietly playing Scrabble,
Ouch! That really hurt! and Marcy is playing computer games with Tim.
Well, I think I am going with you. . Ouch! I ____________ my foot on the table, and then
Oh, I am sorry about that.
I saw my ____ toe bleeding.
Can you write a sentence using all eight parts of speech?
Try to make it no longer than words long. (You can
Practice 24— repeat parts of speech.) Here is mine:
Adding Interjections
Wow! My friends and I stupidly ran up that huge hill!
Fill in each blank with one of the following interjections.
Noun—friends, hill
Use each interjection only once.
Pronoun—my, I
Ouch Wow Help
Verb—ran
. ________! Look at that beautiful sunset.
. ________! !e garage is on fire! Adjective—that, huge
+. ________! I stepped on a rock! Adverb—stupidly
See Appendix G for the answers. Conjunction—and
Preposition—up
1.10. Using the Parts of Speech Interjection—wow
We have now talked about each of the parts of speech. You probably won’t ever have the need to write a sen-
Every word in the English language belongs to one or tence with all eight parts of speech, but isn’t it nice to
more of those parts of speech. If a word can be used as know that you can? Knowing the parts of speech gives
more than one part of speech, then it depends on how you more control over what you write and more free-
it is used in the sentence. For example, let’s look at the dom to write exactly what you are trying to say.
word spring.
26 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Chapter 1 Test
The Parts of Speech
Part 1—Match each word with its part of speech. Use . I attend Mills College.
each letter only once.
Mills College is what type of noun?
. around ___ a. noun
a. simple b. proper c. pronoun d. passive
. wow ____ b. pronoun
+. We will go to Paris next year.
+. desk ____ c. verb
. think ____ d. adjective !e verb in this sentence is in what tense?
. but ____ e. adverb a. present b. past c. future d. future perfect
). really ____ f. preposition . You and I should do something fun for your birthday.
. pretty ____ g. conjunction How many pronouns are in the sentence?
(. them ____ h. interjection
a. four b. two c. three d. none
. !at book is interesting but di.cult to read.
Part 2—In each sentence, identify the pronoun of the
type in parentheses. How many adjectives did you find in that sentence?
What are they?
. Which of these chairs do you like? (interrogative)
a. none b. three c. one d. two
. You and Penny are sure to love the movie! (personal)
+. I smell something good in the kitchen. (indefinite)
. I made the cookies myself. (reflexive) Part 5—Fill in the blanks with the information in
. !is is my cookie! (demonstrative) parentheses.
). !is is my sister, who is ten years old. (relative) . _______! !at’s a huge bike for you! (interjection)
. _______ and I are on our way to work. (proper noun)
Part 3—Write all coordinating conjunctions +. We ran _______________ all morning. (preposi-
(FANBOYS) tional phrase)
. We picked _______________ up from the airport.
(personal pronoun)
. Susan _______________ when she gets home. (future
tense verb)
Part 4—Multiple Choice. Find the correct answer.
How did you do? Check your answers in Appendix G.
. She drove her new car to school.
!e verb in this sentence is
a. passive b. a noun c. transitive d. future tense
Chapter 2
Sentences
2.1. Introduction: more than one). To find the subject, first find the verb
and ask who is doing the action. If there are two sub-
What Is a Sentence?
jects, generally joined with a conjunction (for example,
Words are combined to make up sentences. A sentence Jack and Jill), we call that a compound subject.
is a complete thought. Almost everything you read is
made up of sentences. Every word in a sentence is, of . !e man tied his shoes. (!e subject is man.)
course, one of the eight parts of speech. A sentence . Everyone is going to the movies. (!e subject is
might contain more than one instance of a certain part everyone, a pronoun.)
of speech (for example, four nouns, or three verbs, or +. Who is knocking at the door? (!e subject is who.)
five adjectives) and does not need to contain all the parts . After school, she and I always do our homework.
of speech. In fact, hardly any sentence would contain (!e subjects are she and I; remember that more
all eight parts of speech. However, remember that each than one subject is called a compound subject.)
word in a sentence is one of the eight parts of speech.
. Do you know who is at the door? (!e subject is you.)
Each word in a sentence also performs a certain func-
In a question, it is often easier to find the subject and
tion in the sentence. !ese functions will be described
the verb if you make the question a statement: You
in this chapter. !e function a word performs in the
do know who is at the door.
sentence is not always the same as its part of speech.
“Parts of speech” refers only to these eight words: noun,
pronoun, verb, adjective (and article), adverb, preposi- Practice 25—
tion, conjunction, and interjection. Identifying Subjects
Knowing how sentences are formed and what a sen- Identify the subject or subjects in the following
tence requires will help your writing. sentences:
. I play tennis with my friends every Wednesday.
2.2. Subjects . You and Jane should visit me this weekend.
+. My boss gave me instructions to do this report.
Every sentence has a subject. !e subject is the who
or what that the sentence is about. !e subject of the . Next summer we are going to Disneyland.
sentence is always a noun or a pronoun (or a group of . Although it is hot out, I still need to mow the lawn.
words that functions as a noun, but don’t worry about ). Jack, Joan, and Fred are still not home.
that right now.) !e subject is usually whatever or who-
. What are you doing today?
ever is doing the action of the verb. !e subject is often
the first word in a sentence, but not always. !ere are (. Clean your room before dinner.
sometimes introductory words, phrases, or clauses (see See Appendix G for the answers.
Chapters + and ). However, the subject usually does
come before the verb it belongs to, wherever that might
be in the sentence. Every sentence needs a subject (or
28 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Complete Subjects Practice 27—
Sometimes adjectives or phrases are part of a subject, Dividing the Sentence into Subject and
along with the noun or pronoun. !e entire subject is Predicate
called the complete subject. For example Place a line between the complete subject of the
(complete subject) (complete predicate)
sentence (the subject and anything that modifies it) and
the predicate (the verb and anything that modifies it).
The girl in the blue dress / is walking toward the school.
. !e large dog scared us.
In the above sentence, the girl in the blue dress is the
. Fourteen boys and nine girls came to the party.
complete subject. !e verb phrase (new term? It simply
refers to the verb and any helping verb with it) is is +. !e chocolate cake in the kitchen is for dessert after
walking, which is also the simple predicate (see the next
dinner.
section). !e complete predicate is is walking toward See Appendix G for the answers.
the school, which is the whole sentence without the
complete subject.
2.4. Objects
Like subjects, objects are always nouns or pronouns (or
2.3. Predicates groups of words that function as a noun). Unlike sub-
!e predicate of the sentence is the verb. !e verb, along jects and verbs, sentences do not need to have objects
with any helping verbs it may have (see Section .), is to be complete sentences. However, most sentences
called the simple predicate. !e complete predicate is have objects. !ere are three kinds of objects a sentence
actually the whole sentence except for the subject. Every might have: direct, indirect, and objects of prepositions
sentence needs at least one verb. (see Section .). A sentence can have any combination
of the three types of objects, or no object at all.
Practice 26—
Identifying Verbs Direct Objects
Identify the verbs in the following sentences. !ey Direct objects receive the action of the verb. If you ask
might be either linking verbs or action verbs, and there what? or who? about the verb, the answer will be the
may be more than one verb in the sentence. Two verbs direct object. Here are some examples:
that have the same subject and are connected with a I threw the ball at Jim. (!rew what? !e ball is the
conjunction are called compound verbs. If you can find direct object.)
the helping verbs, include them in your verbs.
We ate pizza for dinner last night. (Ate what? Pizza is
. Everyone went on the field trip to the city. the direct object.)
. I climbed the mountain, and then I was very tired.
Last week, I wrote three papers for history class.
+. !e teacher has given us the instructions many times. (Wrote what? Papers is the direct object. Three
. !e dogs barked and growled as we walked by. is an adjective describing how many papers. It
. Are you going to the party? doesn’t really matter if you include that as part of
the direct object.)
). I am going to the movies, but my brother is taking
a nap. We walked to the movies yesterday afternoon.
. Tell me the truth. (Walked what? !e sentence doesn’t answer this
question, so there is no direct object.)You might
See Appendix G for the answers.
think to the movies would be the direct object.
However, it doesn’t answer who? or what? and it
is a prepositional phrase. Prepositional phrases
Sentences " 29
are not direct objects, not will any part of a prep- I gave her a gift. (Gift is the direct object—gave
ositional phrase be a direct object.) what? !e indirect object is her.)
We walked the dog around the block. (Walked what? Mom baked me a cake. (!e direct object is cake—
Dog is the direct object here. So unlike in the baked what? !e indirect object is me.)
previous example, the verb walked has a direct
Some verbs lend themselves to having indirect objects,
object here.)
but there are many verbs that will never have an indi-
As you already read in Section ., verbs that have a rect object. It is rare to make a grammatical mistake
direct object in a particular sentence are called transi- with indirect objects, so don’t worry. Do note, however,
tive. Verbs without a direct object are called intransi- the following two sentences that mean the same thing:
tive. Some verbs are usually transitive; others are always
She gave me the tickets to the concert.
intransitive. Other verbs can be either transitive or
intransitive, depending on the sentence. She gave the tickets to the concert to me.
In the first sentence, me is the indirect object (tickets is
the direct object). In the second sentence, there is no
Practice 28—
indirect object. To me is a prepositional phrase; some
Identifying Direct Objects
people call it an indirect object anyway, but I call it a
Identify the direct objects in the following sentences. prepositional phrase. It doesn’t matter which way you
Two direct objects with the same verb are called com- write the sentence. !ey mean the same thing.
pound objects, and you may find some of those too.
Some of the sentences will not have a direct object.
Practice 29—
. I play chess every evening.
Identifying Indirect Objects
. Every Monday morning, I go to a yoga class.
Identify the indirect objects in the following sentences.
+. I ate pizza and salad for dinner last night.
Some sentences will have no indirect objects. Some
. He took his book back to the library. sentences may have a compound indirect object. If you
. Tell him your secret. can, identify the direct objects too.
). We walked around the park. . I gave you the tickets yesterday.
. Did you see a purple sweater anywhere? . We walked for miles and miles!
See Appendix G for the answers. +. Did you bake me that beautiful cake?
. Did you see my book anywhere?
Indirect Objects . Blue is my favorite color.
Indirect objects come between the verb and the direct ). He invited us to his birthday celebration.
object. You cannot have an indirect object unless you . He showed Jim and me his insect collection.
also have a direct object, but you can have a direct object (. I told my baby sister a story.
without an indirect object. Examples will help here!
See Appendix G for the answers.
I threw the ball at James. (!e direct object is ball—
answers threw what?)
Objects of a Preposition
Jane ate three pieces of cake. (!e direct object is
pieces—ate what? !e direct object is not cake We talked about objects of prepositions in Section ..
because cake is part of a prepositional phrase. A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition (for
You won’t find the direct or indirect object in a example, in, out, up, down, with, along, between, etc.),
prepositional phrase.) usually followed by an article (a, an, or the), and then
always by a noun or pronoun. !is noun or pronoun is
the object of the preposition. Here are some examples:
30 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Jimmy ran up the stairs. (Stairs is the object of the Linking verbs have predicate adjectives and predicate
preposition up.) nominatives (nouns) that may look like objects. We will
talk more about predicate nominatives in Section-).
In Paris we saw the Eiffel Tower. (Paris is the object
when we talk about pronoun cases.
of the preposition in. !ere is no article in this
phrase.) Her are some examples of predicate adjectives and pred-
icate nominatives.
Something is stuck between the pages. (Pages is the
object of the preposition between.) I am a writer. (Am is a linking verb, so writer is
not an object. Since writer is a noun, it is called a
predicate nominative.)
Practice 30—
Identifying Objects of Prepositions I am happy. (Am is a linking verb, so there is no
object. Since happy is an adjective, it is called a
Each of the following sentences has at least one object predicate adjective.)
of a preposition. Remember that objects can be either
nouns or pronouns. Identify all the objects of preposi- It seems cold outside. (Seems is a linking verb, so
tions in the following sentences. there is no object. Cold is a predicate adjective.)
. I finished my report for psychology class. This cookie tastes stale. (Tastes is a linking verb
here, so there is no object. Stale is a predicate
. !at song is sung by my favorite artist.
adjective.)
+. For my birthday, I received a lot of money.
. I gave that book to my cousin and my uncle.
. My older sister is at college now.
Practice 31—
Identifying Predicate Adjectives and Predicate
). We jogged around the track and then along the river. Nominatives
See Appendix G for the answers.
Identify the predicate nouns and adjectives in the fol-
✎ We mentioned compound subjects and objects. Any lowing sentences. Remember that you must have a
type of object can be compound. Verbs can be com- linking verb to have predicate words. If the verb is an
pound too. Here are some examples: action verb, it may have an object, but it will not have
Jack and Jill came down the hill. (compound subject— a predicate nominative or predicate adjective. Some of
Jack and Jill) the sentences will not have predicate words, and others
may have more than one.
We ate and drank until we were stuffed! (compound
verb—ate and drank) . !is dress looks beautiful on you.
. !e cookies look terrible, but they taste great!
He read mysteries and science fiction most of the
time. (compound direct object—mysteries and sci- +. I baked these cookies last night.
ence fiction) . She is tall, but her brother is even taller!
Maddie baked my sister and me a pie. (compound . She plays the violin really well.
indirect object—my sister and me) ). Her cousin is an actor.
He sent the memo to my boss and me. (compound See Appendix G for the answers.
object of the preposition—my boss and me)
✎ Remember that a linking verb connects the words
2.5. Predicate Words before and after it. It functions as an “equal” sign
in the sentence. !e subject and the predicate word
Linking verbs (refer back to Section .) do not have are equal. In the examples at the beginning of this
objects. Because linking verbs function as equal signs in section, I is the “same” as writer and happy. How-
a sentence, there is no receiver of the action of the verb. ever, when there is an action verb, there is no linking
Sentences " 31
of words before and after the verb. In the example ✎ When you look at most commands, they do not seem
I threw the ball, threw is not linking I and ball. I am to have a subject. For example, you might tell your
not equal to a ball! We will talk more about linking dog, “Sit.” While that may not look like a sentence
verbs in Section .. (since it is only a verb), it is actually a sentence. Most
commands do not have a subject visible in the sen-
tence. However, there is an implied subject, which is
2.6. The Four Kinds of Sentences usually indicated in grammar books by putting the
In Chapter we will talk about the di,erent structures subject in parentheses. What is the subject? You. It
of sentences, but here we will identify the kinds of sen- is the person you are talking to:
tences by describing what the sentence is doing. (You) please do your chores now.
(You) go to the store and get some salad for dinner.
Declarative Sentence
A declarative sentence makes a statement and generally Exclamatory Sentence
has a period at the end of it. Here are two examples:
An exclamatory sentence expresses emotion (usually
I am changing jobs next week. excitement of some type) and ends with an exclama-
We all enjoyed the concert last night. tion point. Notice that sometimes an interrogative
(question) or imperative (command) can be treated as
an exclamatory sentence, although most of the time
Interrogative Sentence the sentence is declarative said with emotion. Here are
Interrogative sentence is a fancy name for a sentence some examples:
that asks a question. !is type of sentence would gener- There is a fire in the garage!
ally end with a question mark. Here are two examples:
Don’t crash into that car! (also imperative)
Which movie do you want to see?
What do you think you’re doing! (also interrogative)
Did you ask her if she has the report ready?
✎ On the other hand, I asked her if she had the report Practice 32—
ready is not a question even though the word asked
Identifying the Types of Sentences
is there. It is simply a declarative sentence, or a
statement. Identify each sentence as declarative, interrogative,
imperative, or exclamatory.
. Look at that huge cat!
Imperative Sentence
. I saw a cat in those bushes.
Imperative sentence is a fancy name for a sentence that
+. !ere’s a train coming!
gives a command. !ese sentences usually end with a
period. Here are two examples: . Did you see the cat hiding in the bushes?
. Try to get the cat out of the bushes.
Please do your chores now.
See Appendix G for the answers.
Go to the store and get some salad for dinner.
32 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Chapter 2 Test
Sentences
Part 1—Identify the subject(s) and verb(s) in these Part 4—Label each predicate word as a predicate adjec-
sentences: tive or a predicate nominative. !ere is at least one (and
maybe more) in each sentence.
. Jim reads for an hour every night.
. You and I will walk a mile to the mall. . She is pretty.
+. !e grapes taste really good. . Aren’t you tired yet?
. On the last test, I received an A. +. She is a cheerleader with the football team.
. !e dog ate and drank everything in its bowl. . I didn’t know whether you were Santa Claus last
Christmas.
Part 2—Separate each sentence into the subject and
predicate. Part 5—Identify all the objects and predicate words in
the following sentences, and tell which type of object
. !at big brown dog attacked the neighbor yesterday. or predicate word each is. Sentences may have one or
. Suzie, Jack, Holly, Mike, and all the others are invited more.
to our party.
. Finish your dinner before you go to the beach.
+. Dinner consists of steak, potatoes, salad, and bread.
. She told me the story about the rabbit and the bear.
+. At work I have six reports that I must finish before
Part 3—Find all the objects in the following sentences, Friday.
and identify which type each one is: direct object, indi- . !ose cherries are tasty, but the bananas are not ripe
rect object, or object of the preposition. Sentences may yet.
have more than one object, but each sentence has at
. Which tickets are you giving him for the game on
least one.
Sunday?
. Take your coat and come with me.
. She gave me a birthday gift yesterday.
Part 6—Which sentence in Part is imperative? _____
+. We exercise in the morning and at night.
. Joe took me to the baseball game.
. In Paris, we took a train around the countryside. See Appendix G for the answers.
Chapter 3
Phrases
3.1. Introduction: Here are some examples of adjectival prepositional
phrases:
What Is a Phrase?
She wore the dress with stripes. (with stripes tells
A phrase is a small group of words that go together. A
phrase is never a complete sentence, and it never has what kind of dress, so the phrase functions as an
both a subject and a verb. adjective.)
This is the new book by J. K. Rowling. (by J. K. Rowl-
Phrases generally function as one part of speech. Some
ing tells which book, so the phrase functions as
phrases act as adjectives, describing a noun in the sen-
tence. Other phrases function as adverbs, describing a an adjective.)
verb or perhaps an adjective in the sentence. Still other The flag of the United States is red, white, and blue.
phrases act as nouns and might be the subject or object (of the United States tells which flag, so the
in a sentence. phrase functions as an adjective describing flag.)
Phrases add information and variety to your writing.
In Section . we talked briefly about verb phrases (the Practice 33—
verb and its helping verbs). !ere are several other Identifying Prepositional Phrases
common types of phrases.
Each of the following sentences has one prepositional
phrase. Identify the phrase, and tell whether it is being
3.2. Prepositional Phrases used as an adverb or adjective.
We talked about prepositional phrases in Section .. . I slept on the chair.
Prepositions always appear in phrases, which all have . After dinner, wash the dishes.
pretty much the same structure: preposition, (some- +. !e chair with the pillow is very comfortable.
times an article), noun or pronoun. Prepositional
. !e cat is sitting under the tree.
phrases tell where, when, and sometimes how or what
kind. Prepositional phrases function as either adjectives . !e girl in blue is my sister.
or adverbs. !e important thing to know about prepo- ). We walked around the park.
sitional phrases is where to put them in the sentence. . You will find the computer in the o.ce.
We will talk about that in Section ..
(. !e poem was written by Robert Frost.
Here are examples of adverbial prepositional phrases. See Appendix G for the answers.
I put it on the table. (on the table answers where,
so the phrase functions as an adverb describing
put.) 3.3. Infinitive Phrases
She is at school. (at school also tells where and First of all, there are infinitive phrases and there are plain
modifies the verb is.) old infinitives. Infinitives are pretty easy to understand.
An infinitive is a verb with the word to in front of it. But
During the movie the baby cried. (during the movie
tells when and describes the verb cried.)
34 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
it doesn’t function as a verb. An infinitive is a noun. You Practice 35—
will see that in the examples. Identifing Infinitives as Subjects or Objects
✎ !e to in front of an infinitive is not a preposition, so Each of the following sentences has an infinitive phrase.
don’t get an infinitive confused with a prepositional Identify the infinitive phrase and whether it is being
phrase. If a verb comes after to, you have an infini- used as the subject or an object in the sentence.
tive. If a noun or pronoun comes after to, then to is
. To be an astronaut was his dream in life.
a preposition:
. I want to read that new book.
I want to jump. (infinitive)
+. I cannot decide whether to see the new movie or the
I jumped to the ground. (preposition) concert.
Back to infinitives. An infinitive can be used by itself . To go to college is a necessity in this family
in a sentence; however, if you add some words to it, it See Appendix G for the answers.
becomes an infinitive phrase.
Here are some examples:
3.4. Participial Phrases
I like to write quickly. (to write is an infinitive, and
Participles, like infinitives, come from verbs, but they
to write quickly is the entire phrase. Notice that
are now adjectives (whereas infinitives are now nouns).
write is no longer a verb. !e verb in the sentence
is like. Since to write quickly tells what you like, it !ere are two kinds of participles: present and past.
is actually the direct object: a noun.)
To be an actor is my greatest ambition. (to be is the Present Participles
infinitive, to be an actor is the entire phrase, and
A present participle is formed by adding -ing to a verb:
it is the subject of the sentence, thus functioning
running, jumping, thinking, reading, etc.
as a noun. !e verb of the sentence is is.)
Here are some sentences using present participles (or
I want to go to the movies later. (want is the verb,
participial phrases). Notice that they are used as adjec-
and to go to the movies is the phrase serving as
tives: (!e whole phrase is in bold.)
the direct object of the sentence: want what? to
go to the movies. Notice there is also a preposi- Running quickly, I got to school late anyway. (Running
tional phrase (to the movies) inside the infinitive is the participle, and it describes the pronoun I.)
phrase. !at’s okay.
Dad, driving the car, wasn’t listening. (Driving is the
It’s easy to use infinitives and infinitive phrases correctly. participle, and it describes the noun Dad.)
The hopping bunny was so cute. (Hopping is the
Practice 34— participle, and it describes bunny.)
Find the Infinitive or Infinitive Phrase ✎ Can you tell the di,erence between running in these
Each of the following sentences has one infinitive. Iden- two sentences?
tify each one. Running for the bus, he tripped and fell.
. I want to go to the movies right now. He was running for the bus when he tripped and fell.
. To tell the truth is always important. Answer: In the first sentence, running is a participle that
+. I plan to hand in my report tomorrow. describes he.
. To become a doctor, you must go to school for many In the second sentence, running is not a participle. It is
years. the verb (past progressive tense) in the first part of the
. It’s not good to eat too many sweet things. sentence, and its subject is he.) Did you figure it out?
See Appendix G for the answers.
Phrases " 35
Past Participles . I could not eat the baked apple because I like my
apples raw!
A past participle is formed by using the form of the verb
that you would use with the present perfect tense (that +. I love skating on the frozen pond.
is the one using the helping verb have or has): written, . Sitting on my lap, my dog enjoyed the television
burned, seen, run, baked, etc. show about cats.
Here are some sentences using past participles (or par- . I took a very di.cult math test last week.
ticipial phrases). Notice that they are used as adjectives: ). Sneezing and coughing, my sister could barely talk.
(!e whole phrase is in bold.) . Chasing the ball is my dog’s favorite hobby!
Written quickly, my essay didn’t get a very good (. Chasing the ball, my dog was almost smiling!
grade. (Written is the participle, and it describes See Appendix G for the answers.
the noun essay.)
We noticed the burned building as we drove by.
(Burned is the participle, and it describes the 3.5. Gerundial Phrases
noun building.) Gerunds look like present participles; they have the
Baked to a perfect brown, the crust was delicious.
form of a verb with -ing added to the end. However,
(Baked is the participle, and it describes the noun whereas participles function as adjectives, gerunds
crust.)
function as nouns. !ey can be subjects or objects in
sentences. Here are some examples of gerunds and
✎ As you will read about in Section ., if you aren’t gerundial phrases:
careful, you can run into trouble with participial
Skiing is a favorite hobby of mine. (Skiing is a ger-
phrases: If you put them in the wrong place (called
a misplaced modifier), your sentence won’t make und and is the subject of the sentence.)
sense—and sometimes writers overlook these. For I love skiing as much as you do. (Skiing is a gerund
example, take the first sentence above. Let’s rewrite and is the direct object of the verb love. Love
it a bit: what? skiing.)
Written quickly, I didn’t get a very good grade on my I have read many books about skiing. (Skiing is
essay. a gerund and is the object of the preposition
about.)
Can you see the problem? We know that written quickly
is an adjective. What is it describing in the sentence Don’t worry too much about gerunds. !ey are nice
above? Generally, in the English language things are to know about, but it’s di.cult to make a grammatical
assumed to belong to words that are placed near them. mistake with them.
Written quickly, I? !e rewritten sentence says that I was
written quickly not the essay, so it is incorrect. We have
a misplaced modifier. Practice 37—
Find the Gerund
Can you find the gerunds in the following sentences?
Practice 36—
Each sentence has one. Gerunds are used as nouns, so
Identifying Participles
be careful not to confuse them with plain old verbs end-
Find the participles and participial phrases in the fol- ing in -ing.
lowing sentences. Some sentences have no participles,
. Swimming in the pool at my friend’s house is my
and some may have more than one. !ey may be either
favorite thing to do.
past or present. If you can, find the word the participle
modifies. . While she was walking, she heard yelling in the park.
+. I love knitting my own sweaters.
. Running after the car, the dog wasn’t quite fast
enough.
36 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
. He was completing his report when his boss told Notice that sometimes the appositive is set o, by com-
him that his writing was excellent. mas and sometimes it isn’t. When do you use commas?
. His job consists of tasting the chocolate to make As a rule, setting something o, in commas means that
sure it is perfect. whatever is between the commas could be left out of
the sentence, and the reader would still know what
See Appendix G for the answers.
the sentence meant; the words inside the commas are
added information. If the appositive is needed to iden-
Practice 38— tify the noun or pronoun that comes before it, then no
Gerund or Participle? comma is used. Look at the following sentences:
All of the following sentences contain a gerund, a par- My brother, Joe, went to Princeton and then to law
ticiple, or both. Some sentences may have more than school.
one gerund or participle. Find all the gerunds and par- My brother Joe went to Princeton and then to law
ticiples and identify which each is. You don’t need to school.
worry about the rest of the phrase.
!ey are both correct, but they are di,erent. In the first
. Running around the track, I was out of breath. sentence, Joe is set o, with commas, implying that is isn’t
. Running is great exercise! really necessary to know the brother’s name or that the
+. While I was running, I saw a burning building. reader already knows the name. In the second sentence, Joe
. Closing her book, she thought about how much she is not set o, with commas, meaning that it is a necessary
loved to read. part of the sentence. !is implies that Joe is needed to
identify the brother. One case in which this might happen
. Did you finish writing yet?
is if you had more than one brother and needed to identify
). My job consists of reading and writing. which brother went to Princeton. Sometimes whether or
. Lying in the sun, she was getting a sunburn. not to use commas is tricky, and sometimes you can really
(. Stop talking while I explain these written instruc- go either way. See Chapter ( for more information about
tions to you. commas.
See Appendix G for the answers.
Practice 39—
Find the Appositives
3.6. A Few Words About
Each of the following sentences contains one or more
Appositives
appositives. Identify each appositive.
An appositive is a word or group of words (phrase) that
describe a noun or prnoun that comes right before it. . My sister Jean is the oldest of the six of us.
Here are some examples of appositives: . Mr. Green, a psychology professor, has written our
textbook.
My sister Ellen is visiting next week. (Ellen is describ-
ing sister.) +. He gave me a gift, a pearl necklace, for my birthday.
. !is book, one of my favorites, is very worn!
Ellen, my older sister, is visiting next week. (My older
sister is an appositive phrase describing Ellen.)
. !ese pizza toppings, peppers and olives, are not my
favorites!
My company, SWT Publications, is expanding to two
See Appendix G for the answers.
new locations.
Joe Clark, my neighbor across the street, is a
famous author. (!is appositive contains a prepo-
sitional phrase.)
Phrases " 37
Chapter 3 Test
Phrases
Part 1—!e following sentences contain all types of +. Did you want to see the new painting I bought?
phrases: prepositional, infinitive, participial, appositive, . I went to the mall to buy a new suit.
and gerundial. Can you find them and identify which
. Did you go to the museum with your guests?
type they are? Each sentence has at least one phrase.
. Smiling broadly, John gave his girlfriend a hug for
Part 4—Fill in the blanks with the correct answer.
her birthday.
. Lisa, his girlfriend, is a senior in high school. . My sister Jane is a doctor. !e appositive is ______
+. Walking through the park, they held hands. a. doctor b. sister c. Jane d. is
. Giving gifts is fun, and receiving them is also fun! . I have a talking bird named Joey. Talking is ______
. Receiving a bicycle for Christmas, Luke, my cousin, a. gerund b. verb c. noun d. participle
learned how to ride it that very day!
+. I walked all the way to school. To school is ______
a. prepositional phrase b. infinitive c. adjective
Part 2—!e following sentences contain either a parti- d. noun
ciple or a gerund. Identify it and tell which one it is. If it
. There is too much salt in this omelet. !is sen-
is a participle, tell what it modifies. It it is a gerund, tell
tence contains _____
whether it is a subject or an object.
a. no phrases b. an infinitive c. a prepositional
. She laughed as the swimming dog chased the waves. phrase d. a gerund
. Going to the movies isn’t much fun for me.
. The book that is here is yours. !is sentence con-
+. I like talking too much to sit through a long movie! tains _____
. My frightened sister didn’t like the scary movie. a. a gerund b. a prepositional phrase c. a participle
. Can you tell me which way the speeding car went? d. none of those
Part 3—Some of the following sentences contain infini- See Appendix G for the answers.
tives. Others don’t. Find any infinitives in the sentences.
. !e child cried, “I want to go home!”
. She saw the man as he went into the building.
Chapter 4
Clauses
4.1. Introduction: Practice 40—
What Is a Clause? Identifing Independent Clauses
In Chapter + we learned that a phrase is a small group of Some of the following are independent clauses (com-
related words without both a subject and a verb. Back in plete sentences); some are not. Identify which ones are
Chapter , we talked about sentences and learned that independent clauses.
sentences contain both subjects and verbs. So what is . I want a cheeseburger.
a clause? . Do you want some?
A clause is a group of related words with both a subject +. Because I am hungry.
and a verb. You might ask, “Well, isn’t that a sentence?” . She stood and stared at me.
Sometimes. Some clauses are complete sentences, but
. Sit.
others are not.
). Although he wouldn’t tell me what he wanted.
!ere are two main types of clauses: dependent clauses
. Is your homework done?
(otherwise known as subordinate clauses) and indepen-
dent clauses, otherwise known as sentences. (. Went home and ate dinner.
See Appendix G for the answers.
4.2. Independent Clauses
An independent clause can stand on its own; in other
4.3. Subordinate (Dependent)
words, it is a sentence. One independent clause equals Clauses
one simple sentence (refer to Chapter for a discussion A subordinate clause has both a subject and a verb, yet it
of the kinds of sentences). It has a subject and a verb, cannot stand alone as a sentence. Here are some exam-
and it may also have objects and phrases. It may have ples of subordinate clauses:
more than one subject or more than one verb. Here are
because I am working late (subject is I and verb is
examples of two di,erent independent clauses. One is
am working)
very short and the other very long. However, they are
both just one independent clause each. after we come home from vacation (subject is we
and verb is come)
She spoke.
whenever we go to the movies (subject is we and
She spoke loudly to the class, trying to be heard over
verb is go)
the noise.
which is the last movie I saw (subject is which and
verb is is)
who is my best friend (not a question: subject is
who and verb is is)
40 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
whom you are talking to (subject is you and verb is . because I couldn’t go last year e. the blue dress
are talking) was on sale
Notice that in the first three examples, you could take See Appendix G for the answers.
the first word away and you would have a sentence.
However, that first word is part of the clause and indi-
Adjective Clauses
cates that more information is needed. !ere is more
that needs to be added to the thought. One type of subordinate clause is an adjective clause.
Here are a few things about adjective clauses:
Now, let’s add some words to those subordinate clauses
(sometimes called sentence fragments) to make them • !ey function as adjectives in the sentence, modify-
complete sentences. ing a noun or pronoun.
Because I am working late, I will miss dinner. • !ey are always in the middle or at the end of the
sentence. !ey do not begin sentences.
We will unpack after we come home from vacation.
• Sometimes they are essential to the meaning of the
Whenever we go to the movies, you want to sit in
sentence and are not set within commas, but some-
the back row.
times they are additional information and, in that
I loved Blue Jasmine, which is the last movie I saw. case, are enclosed in commas.
Jim, who is my best friend, just moved to Oregon. • !ey begin with relative pronouns. Remember those
from Section .+? !ey are who, whom, whose, which,
I don’t know whom you are talking to.
and that.
Look at the words we added to each subordinate clause
Here are some sentences containing adjective clauses:
to make it a sentence. What did we add? Yes, we added
an independent clause (a complete sentence) to each one. This is my neighbor who owns six dogs. (clause
You could string together subordinate clauses, and describes neighbor)
you still wouldn’t have a complete sentence because every
My boss, whom I really respect, just won a national
sentence must contain at least one independent clause.
award. (clause describes boss)
!ere are a few di,erent types of subordinate clauses,
This is the book that I read last week. (clause
which we will discuss in the next sections.
describes book)
Notice that the second example sets o, the clause with
Practice 41— commas. !at means the clause is nonessential and
Subordinate Clauses could be left out without losing the meaning of the sen-
!e column on the left consists of subordinate clauses. tence. We don’t need that clause to identify the boss. It
!e column on the right contains independent clauses. is more of a “by the way.”
Match the appropriate independent clause with the sub- In the third example, the clause identifies which book
ordinate clause to create a complete sentence. !e subor- you are talking about. This is the book might not be very
dinate clause can go anywhere, including in the middle, of clear without it. Sometimes it is di.cult to determine
the independent clause. whether or not a clause is essential to the meaning or
. who is visiting from China a. stay in your seat not. It might depend on the context that comes before
the sentence. Sometimes it helps to read the sentence
. although it isn’t dinner time yet b. I am going this
out loud. If you tend to pause before and after the clause,
year
it might need a comma.
+. until the game starts c. my brother is
in college In the first example above, the clause might be essen-
tial, but it might not be. You might need to go by the
. which I bought yesterday d. I am really
situation or previous context for this one. You might
hungry
Clauses " 41
be identifying which neighbor you are talking about by • !ey can be at the beginning, in the middle, or at the
mentioning that it is the neighbor who has the dogs. end of a sentence.
Or, it may be additional information if you are simply
• When they begin a sentence, they are followed by
introducing the neighbor to someone.
a comma. When they are at the end of a sentence,
One thing about essential versus nonessential clauses: they are usually not preceded by a comma.
If your clause is not essential and you are using commas
• !ey begin with the words that are called subordi-
around it, use which for things and who for people. If
nating conjunctions (refer back to Section .().
your clause is essential and you are not using commas
to set if o,, use that. However, if your essential clause Here are some of the more common subordinating con-
describes a person, most people use who (or whom or junctions: because, although, if, since, until, whenever,
whose). However, it is acceptable to use that if you pre- wherever, before, after.
fer (I don’t). Here are some examples: Here are some examples of sentences with adverb
I want the dress that has the blue buttons. clauses:
I want this dress, which is less expensive than the Because I got home late, I missed the TV program.
other one. (Since you are saying this dress, we Although I got paid today, I spent all my money!
know which dress you are talking about; the
clause is added information.) If I finish my work early enough, I can go with you.
Mary, who is my first cousin, is graduating college It has been a week since I returned from my
this year. vacation.
The girl that is sitting in the front row is my cousin. I won’t be home until I finish the speaking tour.
(It is okay to use that here, but I would use who.) Whenever I work late, I end up staying up too late.
I will follow you wherever you go.
Practice 42— Before I pay for the trip, I need to check my
Identifying Adjective Clauses calendar.
Some of the following sentences contain adjective I will pay for the trip after I check my calendar.
clauses. Identify the clause (if the sentence has one),
and tell which word in the sentence the clause modifies. ✎ Notice two things about the examples above. First,
when the clause comes at the beginning of the sen-
. !e job application that I just filled out was four tence, we have used a comma after it. However, when
pages long. the clause is at the end, we don’t use a comma before
. I don’t know where you are. it. All of those sentences can be flipped around and
+. !e pasta, which I just made, is already gone. the clauses put in the opposite place. If you say the
. !is is the book whose author I met at the meeting. sentences out loud, you will probably pause where
the commas are and not pause in the sentences
. My professor, who is an expert on insects, is very
where there are no commas.
interesting.
See Appendix G for the answers. !e second thing to notice is that some of the subor-
dinating conjunctions are often other parts of speech,
namely prepositions. As we said before, a word can
Adverb Clauses function as more than one part of speech (but only
one part of speech at a time), depending on its use in
Here are a few things about adverb clauses:
the sentence. Until, since, before, and after can also be
• !ey function as adverbs in the sentence, usually prepositions. If they are followed by an article (some-
modifying a verb. times) and a noun or pronoun, they are prepositions.
If they are followed by a subject and a verb, they are
42 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
subordinating conjunctions that introduce an adverb Noun Clauses
clause. Notice the di,erences:
Noun clauses, like nouns, function as subjects or objects
After I check my calendar (clause) in a sentence. Here is an example where the noun clause
is the subject of the sentence:
After school (prepositional phrase)
Whoever comes to the party will get a gift. (!e
Before I pay for the trip (clause)
clause is the subject, and will get is the verb. Note
Before the game (prepositional phrase) that you can substitute a noun or pronoun for
Until I finish the speaking tour (clause) the clause and it still makes sense (for example,
Joe will get a gift). (Note also that the clause itself
Until last night (prepositional phase) has a subject and a verb as all clauses do: !e
Since I returned from my vacation (clause) subject is whoever, and the verb is comes. How-
ever, the clause as a whole is the subject of the
Since last night (prepositional phrase)
sentence, and the main verb in the sentence is
will get.)
Practice 43— Here is an example where the noun clause is the direct
Identifing Adverb Clauses object in the sentence.
Each of the following sentences contains an adverb I know who you are. (I know what? who you are.
clause. It may also have adjective clauses. Identify only !e subject of the clause is you, and the verb is
the adverb clauses. are; the subject of the sentence itself is I, and the
. I was late for the meeting because I was in a tra.c verb is know.)
jam. Here is an example where the noun clause is the object
. If my sister, who is coming to visit, wants to go, I-will of the preposition.
go too. I gave the books to whoever wanted them. (!e
+. I haven’t heard from him since he moved away. subject of the clause is whoever, and the verb
. Wherever I go, my cat follows me. is wanted. !e entire clause is the object of the
. I am going hiking, although it is raining. preposition to. !e subject of the entire sentence
is I, and the verb is gave.)
See Appendix G for the answers.
Clauses " 43
Chapter 4 Test
Clauses
Part 1—Identify each of the following as an indepen- Part 3—Identify the noun clause in each sentence and
dent or a subordinate clause. tell whether it is a subject or an object.
. If I told him a story. . I don’t know who you are.
. Mom tells my little brother a story every night. . Whoever is making that noise should stop.
+. Whoever you are. +. I am going with whoever wants to go.
. Because it is Friday.
. I have been studying since yesterday. Part 4—Fill in the blanks with an appropriate subordi-
). After the party, I went home. nate clause of the type in parentheses.
. Wherever they sit. . ________________________ I am wearing a sweater.
(adverb)
Part 2—Each of the following sentences has either an . !at doll, _______________________, is very expen-
adverb or an adjective clause. Identify the clause, and sive. (adjective)
tell which type it is. +. __________________________ should bring a heavy
jacket. (noun)
. Whenever I am with him, I have fun.
. You should take that vacation ___________________
. I don’t know the girl who is walking in front of us.
(adverb)
+. !e story that I am telling you is a secret.
. !e pen __________________________ belongs to
. I didn’t go because I had a game that day. me. (adjective)
. Did you see the boy whose dog was lost?
See Appendix G for the answers.
Chapter 5
Types of Sentence Structures
5.1. Introduction 5.2. Not a Sentence
You want your writing to be interesting. If all your sen- One of the most important things to know when you are
tences have the same structure and same length, your writing is the di,erence between a sentence, a fragment,
writing could get boring to the reader. Knowing the and a run on. We will discuss fragments and run ons
types of sentence structures you can use will allow you in the following sections. Generally, you should write
to make your writing more interesting. in complete sentences and avoid run-on sentences and
fragments. Run ons and fragments are grammatically
We talked about sentences in Chapter . In this chap-
incorrect. Are there exceptions? Of course. !ere are
ter, we will look at sentences in a slightly di,erent way.
always exceptions. Many people use sentence frag-
We will talk about sentence fragments and run-on sen-
ments for e,ect (these are called minor sentences). I am
tences. !en you will learn about the various sentence
sure you can find some in this book. Fiction writers in
structures, so that your writing will be interesting and
particular use fragments. Run ons are a di,erent story
contain a wide range of sentence types. Sentences are
entirely, and they are not usually used in any way that
made up of combinations of clauses (see Chapter ),
improves writing.
both subordinate and independent.
If you are writing a story or memoir or even a memo,
All you really need to have a sentence is a subject (noun
you might want to use a sentence fragment. However,
or pronoun) and a verb. So a sentence can have only
if you are writing a college essay, a cover letter, a letter
two words and still be a perfectly complete sentence.
asking your boss for a raise, or a book proposal to an
!is is a complete sentence: Jack runs.
agent, I would stick to complete sentences!
Obviously, you don’t want to write in two-word sen-
As we already mentioned, a sentence is a complete
tences. However, this chapter will show you how some-
thought. It can be really short or really long. All it really
thing much longer than two words—that might look
needs is a subject and a verb. Here are some examples
as if it is a sentence—may not be a complete sentence.
of sentences:
Finally, this chapter will talk about how sentences are
put together, and the various ways you can build sen- He ran.
tences to make your writing more interesting.
He ran and ran and ran and ran and ran and ran and
✎ You can actually have a sentence that contains only ran, and then he stopped.
one word! For example, you may tell your dog, “Sit.”
Because I have no money, I cannot go to the movies.
Sit is a complete sentence. It is a verb. You might
ask, “Where is the subject?” In a command there is
often an implied subject—meaning it isn’t actually Sentence Fragment
in the sentence, but is understood. !e subject of a
A sentence fragment is not a sentence, but some-
command is always you, whether it is written there
times people think it is. A fragment is not a complete
or not.
thought. Sometimes subordinate clauses are written as
sentences, but they are not. Here are some samples of
46 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
fragments, or incomplete sentences. Do not use them . Put a period between them, and start the sec-
in your writing! ond sentence with a capital letter.
I have a new job. It pays more than my old job.
Because I have no money. (!is is not a complete
thought; it cannot stand on its own.) . Put a semicolon between them if the two sen-
tences are closely related. (Do not capitalize the
And I went with my friend. (Many people say it
beginning of the second sentence.)
is fine to begin a sentence with a FANBOYS I have a new job; it pays more than my old job.
conjunction—refer back to Section .. I person-
+. Add a FANBOYS conjunction (for, and,- nor, but,
ally don’t like it. I wouldn’t do it in formal writ-
or, yet, so) after the comma.
ing; however, if you must, do it sparingly, and in
I have a new job, and it pays more than my old job.
informal writing.)
If the two sentences are very short, you can omit the
If I try really hard. (!is is another subordinate
comma:
clause that cannot stand on its own.)
I work and I sleep.
The person whom I met and told me that she knew
a woman who lived across the street from me. ✎ Sometimes, but not too often, a colon is used
(!is may sound like a sentence, but read it again. between two sentences. I recommend you avoid
It’s long, but it is not a complete thought. What doing this to eliminate the chance of using a colon
about the person? !e fragment doesn’t tell us.) when it really isn’t appropriate. !e colon can sepa-
rate two sentences when the second sentence is an
explanation of the first. However, any one of the
Practice 44— three solutions above will also work in that case. If
Identifying and Rewriting Sentence Fragments you do decide to use a colon, do not capitalize the
Identify each of the following as a complete sentence second sentence. Here is an example:
or a sentence fragment. !en, make the fragments into She is looking for a new job: her last job did not
complete sentences by adding words. work out.
. Since the work isn’t done and we need to leave, but
we can come back tomorrow. Practice 45—
. He fell. Identifying and Correcting Run Ons
+. Who she is, I don’t know. Some of the following “sentences” are actually run ons.
. Where he is calling from. Others are fine as they are. Identify the run ons, and fix
. Because your mother told you to go. them with punctuation and/or conjunctions.
See Appendix G for the answers. . I ate pizza, my brother ate a hamburger.
. !e weather was great, the scenery was beautiful,
Run-on Sentences the company was exciting, and the cost was reason-
able; what a great vacation!
A run on contains more than one complete sentence
+. I took the train, then I had to take two buses to get
without proper punctuation. Here is an example of a
there.
run on:
. Sweep the floor, and then take out the trash.
I have a new job, it pays more than my old job.
. She asked what kind of dog he wanted, however, he
You cannot separate two complete thoughts with just was allergic to dogs, so he couldn’t have one.
a comma. If you do, you have a run-on sentence (often See Appendix G for the answers.
called a comma splice.)
Two complete thoughts (sentences) must be separated
in one of these three ways:
Types of Sentence Structures " 47
5.3. Types of Sentence Structures I ate dinner, and I went to bed. Notice that there
is an independent clause before the conjunc-
All sentences are made up of one or more clauses. tion (and) and another independent clause after
Remember that a clause is a group of words that has a the-and.
subject and a verb. Some clauses are complete sentences
and can stand on their own. Other clauses cannot stand Of course, the independent clauses can be more com-
on their own; they are not complete thoughts, and they plicated than these. And yes, there can be more than
must be added to an independent clause, which is a two independent clauses in a compound sentence:
complete thought. By combining independent and sub- I ate dinner, I went to bed, and I forgot to set the
ordinate clauses, we are able to create the four sentence alarm clock.
structures. !erefore, by being familiar with the di,er-
ent types of clauses, you can form more interesting and ✎ Note that you need complete sentences for the sen-
varying sentences. What about phrases? Clauses can tence to be compound. !e sentence below, very
have any number of di,erent types of phrases in them. similar to the one above, is just a simple sentence
with a compound verb. !ere is only one subject (I).
!e two clauses after the first one have no subjects:
Simple Sentence I ate dinner, went to bed, and forgot to set the
A simple sentence is made up of one independent alarm clock.
clause. !at doesn’t mean that the sentence looks short
or simple. !ere might be several phrases in that one
clause. Here are some sample simple sentences (say that Practice 46—
three times fast!): Simple and Compound Sentences
Jack and Jill went up the hill. !is sentence is Identify each of the following sentences as either simple
pretty simple. It contains a compound subject or compound. Remember that a compound sentence
(Jack and Jill), a verb (went), and a prepositional has two (or more) independent clauses. A simple sen-
phrase (up the hill). tence can have a compound subject, compound verb,
or compound object; that doesn’t make it a compound
Picking blueberries, Jack and Jill decided to climb sentence.
to the top and to pick some flowers, pink roses.
!is sentence may look complicated, but it is still . !e dog eats every morning, but the cat eats every
a simple sentence, containing only one clause. night.
Here is what it includes: . Jane and her brother went to France, Italy, and Spain
on their vacation.
• picking blueberries—participial phrase
+. I’ll clean the kitchen; you clean the bathroom.
• Jack and Jill—compound subject
. I don’t know whether I want to work at the local
• decided—verb company or the larger company.
• to climb and to pick- infinitives . My brother and sister are having dinner together
and then driving me to college.
• to the top—prepositional phrase
). Is that a boy or a girl?
• pink roses—appositive
See Appendix G for the answers.
Compound Sentence
Complex Sentence
A compound sentence contains two or more indepen-
A complex sentence contains an independent clause
dent clauses (in other words, sentences) joined by a
(complete sentence) and one or more subordinate
FANBOYS conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so)
(adverb, adjective, or noun) clauses. So it is a combina-
or a semicolon. Here are some compound sentences:
tion of the types of clauses. Remember that you must
48 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
have an independent clause in a sentence. You could Practice 47—
string together + subordinate clauses and you still Complex Sentences
wouldn’t have a complete sentence.
Add a subordinate clause in these sentences to make
Here are two complex sentences with adverb subordi- them complex sentences. Add the type of clause that is
nate clauses: in parentheses.
Because I missed the bus, I had to walk three . My pen, ____________________________________,
miles. (!e words before the comma make up a is out of ink. (adjective)
subordinate clause; the words after the comma . ____________________________________, I burned
are a complete sentence, or independent clause.) the cake. (adverb)
I walked three miles before I saw the bus. (!is +. I have met the president of the company, __________.
sentence, unlike the previous example, begins (adjective)
with the independent clause and ends with the . My report is late ______________________________.
adverb clause. Both of these sentences could be (adverb)
flipped around, and they would be saying the
. I want ______________________________________.
same thing. Remember that when you begin the
(noun: tough one!)
sentence with the subordinate clause, you gener-
ally follow the clause with a comma. When you See Appendix G for the answers.
end the sentence with the subordinate clause,
there is usually no comma before it.
Compound-Complex Sentence
Here are two complex sentences with adjective subor- If you mix a compound sentence with a complex sen-
dinate clauses: tence, you get a compound-complex sentence, which is
My mother, who was born in Ireland, lived in Eng- a little bit of each. A compound-complex sentence has
land and Scotland before she moved to the United more than one independent clause (like a compound
States. (!e adjective clause is in the middle of sentence), and at least one subordinate clause (like a
the sentence here, and the independent clause complex sentence). Here is an example of a compound-
surrounds it: My mother lived in England and complex sentence:
Scotland before she moved to the United States.) I am learning about UFOs, which are very inter-
This is the book that I read last week. (People are esting, and I am doing a research paper about
usually referred to as who and never as which. aliens. (!e compound sentence is I am learning
!ings are referred to as which for nonessential about UFOs, and I am doing a research paper
clauses [set o, with commas] and that for essen- about aliens. !e subordinate clause is which are
tial clauses [no commas]). very interesting.)
And here are two complex sentences with more than
one subordinate clause: Practice 48—
The book that I read last week is the one that I Identifying Sentence Structures
bought when we were at the airport. (If you leave Identify each of the following sentences as simple, com-
out the essential adjective clauses you have The pound, complex, or compound-complex.
book is the one. Easy to see why you need those
clauses!) . He didn’t want any vegetables or rice with dinner.
. Do you want the pasta, or would you prefer the
Since I bought a new sofa, I won’t buy those red
steak?
leather chairs, which I really don’t need. (!e sen-
tence begins with an adverb clause and ends with +. In Paris last year we saw many attractions, including
an adjective clause.) the Ei,el Tower.
Types of Sentence Structures " 49
. After the game on !ursday, we are going to the Last night my friends and I went to a movie. (prepo-
movies. sitional phrase)
. After you go to the game on !ursday, come to din- Going to the movies is a favorite pastime for me.
ner with us. (gerundial phrase)
). !e book that is on the shelf is yours, and you can
Watching movies, I escape into another world. (par-
take it whenever you want it.
ticipial phrase)
. Although the cookies were burned, they tasted good.
To be able to go to the Academy Awards would be a
(. Jamie and Ralph called me last night and then came
dream come true! (infinitives)
over for a visit.
See Appendix G for the answers. Because I love movies so much, I try to see one at
least once a week. (adverb clause)
Of course, it isn’t just how you start the sentences. You
5.4. A Variety of Sentence Patterns can vary sentences in other ways. You can use adjective
We learn about di,erent types of phrases and clauses so clauses (the ones that begin with that, which or who),
that we can use them in our writing. Simple sentences compound sentences, and appositives to vary your sen-
that always start with a subject and verb can get very tences even more.
boring. Check out this paragraph:
My friends and I went to the concert last night. We Practice 49—
really enjoyed the music. We went out for dinner after Writing Sentences with Different Structures
the concert. I had the best pizza I have ever eaten! My
Combine the following sentences into one sentence using
friends shared a huge plate of appetizers. The waiter
the structure in parentheses. !e first one is an example.
was very friendly. The service was great. I came home
after midnight and was really tired when I had to get . Fred is my best friend. He is a great student. (Use an
up for work this morning. adjective clause.)
!at paragraph sounds a little choppy, doesn’t it? All the Fred, who is a great student, is my best friend.
sentences begin with a subject and a verb, and most of OR
the sentences are simple. How about this rewrite? Fred, who is my best friend, is a great student.
My friends and I went to the concert last night. To say . I couldn’t stay until the end. !e movie was very
we enjoyed the music is an understatement! After the long. (Start the sentence with an adverb clause.)
concert, we went out for dinner. I had the best pizza +. I went to visit my cousins in Nevada. I went last week-
I had ever eaten, and my friends shared a huge plate end. (Start the sentence with a prepositional phrase.)
of appetizers. Because the waiter was so friendly and . I just saw a cute bunny. I was running around the
the service was so great, we left a big tip! However, track. (Start the sentence with a participial phrase.)
coming home after midnight made it really difficult to . I want to become a doctor. It is my most important
get up for work this morning. goal. (Start the sentence with a gerund.)
Better? It is always better to use a variety of sentence types ). I would love to go to Paris. It is my greatest dream.
and structures. Besides starting a sentence with the sub- (Start the sentence with an infinitive.)
ject, you can start a sentence with a phrase or clause: See Appendix G for the answers.
50 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Chapter 5 Test
Types of Sentence Structures
Part 1—Identify each sentence as simple, compound, . Don’t tell me a secret ___________________________.
complex, or compound-complex. +. _____________________________, I got a great job!
. Whenever I can’t find my keys, I look in my
refrigerator!
Part 4—Add a noun clause to each sentence to make it
. Over the mountain and through the woods, Benny a complex sentence.
and Mikey ran and ran.
. I don’t know ________________________________.
+. I lost my keys because I was in such a hurry.
. ______________________________ I will believe it.
. I think I have lost my keys; do you know where they
might be?
. My keys, which are very important to me, are lost, Part 5—Add the requested items to each sentence.
and no one will help me look for them. . __________________________ I baked a cake. (Start
sentence with a prepositional phrase.)
Part 2—Add an adjective clause to each sentence to . ___________________________________, I saw a
make it a complex sentence. lion. (Start the sentence with a participle or parti-
cipial phrase.)
. !is dress, __________________________________,
is old. +. __________________________________ I exercise
every day. (Start the sentence with an infinitive.)
. My mother, _________________________________,
has a part in a play. . !is pizza, __________________________________,
is the best pizza I have ever eaten! (Add an adjective
+. I didn’t know this was a game ___________________.
clause.)
Part 3—Add an adverb clause to each sentence to make
See Appendix G for the answers.
it a complex sentence.
. ______________________________, I won’t eat your
cooking!
Chapter 6
Special Issues with Pronouns
6.1. Introduction So how can you figure out which pronoun to use? We
are dealing with an issue of pronoun forms, or cases, as
Of all the parts of speech, pronouns probably cause the
they are called. Many languages in addition to English
most trouble (with verbs coming in a close second.)
have cases. In English there are three cases: nomina-
Here are some of those pesky pronoun problems, which
tive, objective, and possessive. Let’s look at the di,erent
you have probably run across yourself.
forms of pronouns for these three cases.
Do I use I or me here?
Nominative Objective Possessive
Do I use he or him? She or her?
Singular:
Is it okay to use myself here?
(st person) I me my, mine
What’s the difference between who and whom,
(nd person) you you your, yours
anyway?
(+rd person) he, she, it him, her, it his, her, hers, its
What’s this his or her thing? Can’t I use say they? Or
him/her? Plural:
Yes. !ese are all pronoun problems. But we will clear it (st person) we us our, ours
all up in this chapter. (nd person) you you your, yours
(+rd person) they them their, theirs
6.2. Personal Pronoun Problem: who whom whose
Cases—Is It I or Me? Who is not really a personal pronoun, but it does have
!e choice of whether to use I or me is one of the most cases to worry about, so we will include it here. And we
common issues in grammar, and the choice is often aren’t going to worry about possessive case here.
made incorrectly. !e I or me issue is actually the same
You may already be able to figure out where we are
problem as the choice between who and whom, or he
going. Simply put, you use the nominative form of the
and him. Here are some sentences with the correct use
pronoun for sentence subjects. You use the objective
of these pronouns:
form for direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of
To whom did you give those tickets. prepositions. Refer back to Sections ., .+, and . for
He gave the tickets to him and me. more information about subjects and objects. It is as
simple as that. All you have to do is figure out whether
He and I went shopping yesterday. your pronoun is a subject or an object.
Whom did you bring with you? Let’s look at the sentences we looked at above—the
She brought the pizza to him and us. ones that were written correctly.
He gave her and me some candy. But before we continue, here are a couple of handy tools
you can use to figure this all out.
52 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
. For who and whom, sometimes you can flip the sen- candy. He gave me some candy. So, He gave
tence around, answer it if it is a question, or some- her and me some candy. Her and me are indirect
how try to substitute he or him for who or whom. If objects. Refer back to Section 2.4 for more informa-
you would use him in the sentence, then whom is tion about indirect objects.
correct. Alternatively, if you would use he, you need
✎ If who/whom comes after the words by, with, for, to,
to use who.
between, from (and any other preposition) use whom:
. If there are two pronouns, as in a few of the sen- To whom, from whom, with whom, by whom, etc.
tences below, or if there is a person’s name and a
pronoun, here is what you do: Take one name or
pronoun out and try them separately. Whatever Practice 50—
pronoun you would use separately, you would use Using the Correct Pronoun Case
when you put the other name or pronoun back in. Choose the correct answer for each of the following
To whom did you give those tickets? Answer the sentences.
question: I gave the tickets to him. Therefore, you
. Jim and _____ (I, me) are marching in the parade on
need to use whom because it is the same case as
Saturday.
him: objective. Looking at it grammatically, to whom
is a prepositional phrase where whom is the object of . _____ (We, Us) kids are staying home by ourselves.
the preposition to, so you know you will use whom, +. Give the notes you took to Sally and ______ (I, me).
the objective case. . For _______ (who, whom) are you painting the
He gave the tickets to Judy and me. Simply follow picture?
tool #2 above. Take out Judy: He gave the tickets to . Between you and _____ (I, me), I think she will win
me. You would never say He gave the tickets to I, so the award.
you wouldn’t say He gave the tickets to Judy and I. ). Please tell a story to ______ (we, us) students.
Me is the object of the preposition to.
. _______ (He, Him) and his friends are on the team.
He and I went shopping yesterday. Use tool #2. He (. Listen to ____________ (he and I, him and me) when
went shopping yesterday. I went shopping yes- we talk to you!
terday. So He and I went shopping yesterday. He
. ______ (Who, Whom) are you, anyway?
and I are the subjects of the sentence, so we use the
nominative case.
. I remember that she is the girl _____________ (who,
whom) I dated years ago.
Whom did you bring with you? Back to tool #1.
See Appendix G for the answers.
Answer the question, substituting he or him for
whom. I brought him with me. You used him, so
whom is correct. They are both in the objective case. 6.3. Demonstrative Pronouns and
If you turn the sentence around and make it a state-
ment instead of a question, you can see that whom
Adjectives: This, That, These, Those
is the direct object of the verb bring. (You did bring We are actually going to talk about these four words
whom with you.) as demonstrative adjectives here, not demonstrative
pronouns.
She brought the pizza to him and us. Use tool #2
and take out one pronoun and then the other one. !ese demonstrative words are not di.cult to use,
She brought the pizza to him. She brought the and you will rarely run into a problem with them. Just
pizza to us. Him and us are objects of the preposi- remember that this and that are singular, and these and
tion to. those are plural. If you use them with a noun, make
sure that you use singular with singular, and plural with
He gave her and me some candy. Again, take out
plural:
one pronoun and then the other. He gave her some
Special Issues with Pronouns " 53
These kind of insects are dangerous. Incorrect. Here is the rule for using the reflexive pronouns:
These is plural, and kind is singular.
Do not use myself unless the subject of the sentence
This kind of insect is dangerous, or These kinds is I.
of insects are dangerous. (Also notice that with
Do not use yourself unless the subject of the sen-
the singular words, we used the singular verb
tence is you.
is, and with the plural words, we used the plural
verb-are.) Do not use herself unless the subject of the sentence
is she.
✎ Just for your information: When the demonstrative
is directly before a noun, it is an adjective. When Do not use himself unless the subject of the sen-
it-is not describing a noun, it is a pronoun: tence is he.
This is mine. (pronoun) Do not use yourself or yourselves unless the subject
is you.
This car is mine. (adjective)
Do not use itself unless the subject of the sentence
is it.
Practice 51—
Do not use ourselves unless the subject of the sen-
Using Demonstratives Correctly
tence is we.
Fill in the blanks with the correct demonstrative pro-
Do not use these the pronouns ending in -self as the
noun or adjective.
subject of your sentence.
. ___________ (!is, these) is the type of apples I like.
Here are some examples of correct and incorrect uses:
. ___________ (!is, !ese) kinds of caterpillars are
my favorites. Correct:
+. I don’t like ___________ (that, those) type of dog. I made that quilt myself. (subject is I)
. ___________ (!is, !at) book over there is a collec- Did you do that by yourself? (subject is you)
tor’s item.
We should make dinner ourselves. (subject is we)
. ___________ (!is, !at) kitten that I am holding is
very soft! Incorrect:
See Appendix G for the answers. My friends and myself are getting together tomorrow.
(Don’t use myself as a subject. Use I here.)
He told Joe and myself about the plan. (Don’t use
6.4. Reflexive Pronouns:
myself as an object. Use me.)
Using the -self Words Correctly
They are going with my brothers and ourselves.
!e pronoun myself is often used incorrectly, possibly
(Don’t use ourselves as an object. Use us.)
because of the confusion between I and me. However,
myself has a di,erent use than either I or me. Less !e correct way to write or say the sentences above:
often, the other pronouns ending in -self or -selves are My friends and I are getting together tomorrow.
used when the nominative or objective case should be
used instead. !ere is a simple rule about using these He told Joe and me about the plan.
pronouns: They are going with my brothers and us.
myself, yourself, yourselves, himself, herself, itself, ✎ You can use these pronouns as intensive pronouns
themselves, ourselves when they don’t match the subject:
✎ Please note that there are no such words as their- I saw Mary herself at the meeting.
selves, hisself, or ourself.
It was Jim himself in the movie!
54 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Practice 52— ✎ When we use a linking verb, such as are, we use the
Using -self Pronouns nominative case, not the objective. We will say more
about this in Section-.+.
Mark these sentences as correct or incorrect. Correct
the incorrect sentences. You can also try to figure out if who/whom is the subject
or an object in the sentence. If you can figure that out,
. He and myself are going camping.
you will know whether to use who (subject) or whom
. I made the apple pie myself. (object). It isn’t that di.cult to figure it out in most
+. What do you think of yourself now that you have cases: Find the verb and find the subject of the verb. If
accomplished the big task? there is more than one verb, find the subject of all the
. Give it to Joe and myself. verbs. If who/whom is not a subject of any of the verbs,
. She told herself that she could do it. it must be an object, so use whom.
). !at is the car that my husband and myself just
bought. Practice 53—
. She herself said that she wasn’t coming with us. Who and Whom as Interrogative Pronouns
See Appendix G for the answers. Choose the correct answer for each interrogative
sentence.
6.5. Interrogative Pronoun Issues . (Who, Whom) are you?
. (Who, Whom) are you taking with you?
As we discussed in Section .+, there are five interroga-
tive pronouns, or pronouns we use to ask questions. +. (Who, Whom) did you appoint to the job?
!ey are . To (who, whom) did you give the money?
who . (Who, Whom) is going to the movies with you.
See Appendix G for the answers.
whom
whose
Whose or Who’s?
which
!e other problem you might have with interrogative
what pronouns is deciding whether to use whose or who’s.
!ese pronouns are not di.cult to use—until we get to Whose is possessive. !e possessive pronouns do not
who and whom! However, we talked about this earlier have apostrophes: its, ours, yours, their, whose.
in this chapter when we learned about pronoun cases.
Who’s is a contraction meaning who is. Contractions
In a question, answer the question, substituting he or always have apostrophes: can’t, I’m, it’s, he’s, who’s, and
him for who or whom. If you used he, you should use so on.
who in your question. If you used him, you should use
whom in your question. Here are some examples: If you mean who is, use who’s; otherwise, use whose.
Here are some examples of the two words used correctly:
Who is coming? (He is coming. Who is correct.)
Whose book is this? (Implies ownership, so use
With whom are you going? (I am going with him. whose.)
Whom is correct.)
Who’s going with you? (Who is going with you, so
Whom are you talking about? (You are talking use who’s.)
about him. Whom is correct.)
Do you know whose jacket this is?
Who are you? (Tricky one. You are he? You are
him? Actually it is You are he.) Do you know who’s going with us?
Special Issues with Pronouns " 55
Practice 54— Okay, that is easy enough. But, you ask, when do I use
Whose and Who’s which and when do I use that? And, if I use who, are
there commas around the clause or not?
Fill in each blank with either whose or who’s.
Putting commas around something means you could
. ________________ going to the party with you?
take it out without losing the meaning of the sentence.
. _________________ car is that? It is additional information, and such a cause is called
+. I don’t know ______________ winning the award. nonessential or nonrestrictive. If you do not put commas
. Is that the friend ________________ sister is in the around a clause, the information in the clause is neces-
play? sary for the sentence and is called essential or restrictive.
. I can’t tell ___________________ who! It can sometimes be di.cult to determine if a clause is
See Appendix G for the answers. essential or not. When using commas in general, it is
sometimes said that you put commas where you would
pause if saying the sentence aloud. Actually, this is not a
6.6. Relative Pronouns: Using Who, bad “rule.” It is probably correct a great deal of the time.
Which, and That Correctly And if you would pause around your clause, it may very
well be additional information that requires a comma.
We talked about relative pronouns in Section .+ and
then again when we talked about clauses in Section .+. Let’s look at some examples:
Relative pronouns are the pronouns that begin adjective Women who are smart exercise.
clauses. !ere are five relative pronouns: who, whom,
Women, who are smart, exercise.
whose, which, and that. Here is an example of each of
them used correctly in an adjective clause: !e first sentence identifies the women who exercise:
I am the new employee who started yesterday.
women who are smart. !e sentence implies that if you
are a smart woman, you exercise.
That is the girl whom he took to the dance.
!e second sentence says that women exercise, and that
I live next to the woman whose brother is your boss. women are also smart. It doesn’t limit the smart women
This dress, which is on sale, is too short. to those who exercise. !is sentence implies that women
exercise, and by the way, women are smart too!
The dress that is on the sale rack is not my style.
Let’s look at more examples of both essential and non-
Whose probably won’t cause you any problems. It is a essential clauses:
possessive, as we already learned (as opposed to who’s,
which is a contraction meaning who is). And we already The girl who is sitting in front of me is my cousin.
discussed the di,erence between who and whom earlier (!is essential clause is identifying which girl.)
in this chapter. Jill Dean, who is on a famous TV show, is the one
!at leaves us with which and that. Which and that are in the red gown. (!is nonessential clause doesn’t
used for anything that is nonhuman (yes, including ani- identify, but instead adds information.)
mals), while who is used for people. They say that yellow, which is my favorite color, indi-
!e main issue with which and that is which one of them cates a sunny personality. (We know what yellow is,
to use in a particular sentence. Looking at the exam- so the nonessential clause is added information.)
ples above, you will see that the clause using which is The dog that is barking the loudest is mine! (!is
enclosed in commas; the clause beginning with that essential clause identifies which dog we are talk-
does not have commas around it. ing about.)
!at is generally the way it is. If you use which, use com-
mas around your clause (where you would likely pause
if saying it aloud). If you use that, no commas are used.
56 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
The dog, which we adopted from the shelter last Singular Indefinite Pronouns
year, is a Pomeranian. (!is clause could be added
All of the indefinite pronouns that end in -one, -thing,
information.)
and -body are singular. !at means you use a singular
The dog that we adopted from the shelter last year verb with them, and if there is another pronoun in the
is a Pomeranian. (!e clause could also identify sentence that refers back to one of them, you should use
the dog.) a singular pronoun because everything needs to agree.
In the last pair of sentences, you could go either way, Here are some examples:
depending on the context of the rest of the conversation
Everyone is going. (Everyone and is are both
or text. Sometimes it is a little tricky to decide if a clause
singular.)
is essential or nonessential.
Somebody is calling you.
Is anybody there?
Practice 55—
Essential Versus Nonessential Clauses Everybody on the girls’ basketball team needs her
uniform to practice.
Fill in the blanks and put in any necessary commas in
the following sentences. Here is the problem:
. He is the man (which, who) lost his glasses. Everybody who is going needs to bring his or her
. My favorite dessert is a fresh-baked cookie (which, ticket.
that) is soft. !at sentence is correct. However, most people say their
+. !at teacher (who, that, which) gave me a D is really instead of his or her. If you know everybody refers to girls
mean. only (as in the example about the girls’ basketball team),
. !is is the book (which, that) I have been telling you you can use her. If everybody refers to boys only, you
about. can use him. However, what if everybody refers to both
. Maine (that, which) is a state on the East Coast is boys and girls, or men and women? Or what if you don’t
very beautiful. know? Do you have to use his or her?
). !e dog (that, which, who) is in the yard doesn’t live No, you don’t. But you can, and it is completely gram-
here. matically correct, even though having to use three
. You (that, who) doesn’t know the multiplication words can be a little awkward. Here are some options:
tables shouldn’t criticize my spelling! Do Not Take These Options:
(. !at blue dress in my closet (which, that) I bought Do not use him if you could be referring to women too.
on sale doesn’t fit.
Do not use her if you could be referring to men too.
See Appendix G for the answers.
Do not alternate, using her and then using him the next
time.
6.7. Indefinite Pronouns: Do not use him/her.
Singular or Plural?
Do not use him (her).
!ere are many indefinite pronouns. Here are some of
them: What About This Option?
anyone, anything, anybody, everyone, everything, Some people now use their as a singular. While some
everybody, no one, nothing, nobody, someone, style guides, teachers, etc., might think this is fine, oth-
something, somebody, one, each, either, both, ers will not. Here is an example:
several, neither, many, all, none, any, every Everybody who is coming needs to bring their
passport.
Special Issues with Pronouns " 57
Is it okay? Possibly. Do I like it? No. Would I use it? I +. Neither my brother nor my cousin (is, are) bringing
would use it in conversation, but I would not use it in a a date.
speech, a business letter, a cover letter, or a college essay. . Can anybody in class tie (his or her, their) shoes?
I would stick to him or her. However, the best option is
. Neither boy is eating (his, their) dinner with us.
to rewrite the sentence to avoid the issue entirely. And
that is generally easy to do: ). Everyone (is, are) invited to the party.
. In our o.ce nobody brings (his or her, their) lunch.
Everybody who is coming needs to bring a passport.
(. Someone on the boys’ team left (his, their) shoes on
All those who are coming need to bring passports. the field.
All travelers need to bring passports. See Appendix G for the answers.
!ere are a number of ways to rewrite. Problem solved!
Some other indefinite pronouns are also singular and Plural Indefinite Pronouns
take singular verbs: Here are the plural indefinite pronouns that take plural
each, every, either, neither, one, another, much verbs:
Each of us is going. both, few, many, others, and several (easy to
remember because they sound plural)
Every volunteer is bringing his or her own lunch. (or
their or rewrite to just bringing lunch.) Here are some examples:
Is either of you coming with me? Both of us are coming.
Neither one of us is going. Few are chosen.
One of us is going. Many are attending the wedding.
Another is coming with us. Others are coming too.
Much is said about unimportant things! Several of us play soccer.
We keep talking about singular verbs. What is a singular ✎ Note that some of the indefinite pronouns can also
verb anyway? Just like nouns, verbs have singular and be used as adjectives. Here are a few of them:
plural forms. We generally form the plural of a noun Neither dog is barking.
by adding an s. Verbs, on the other hand, have an s in
Another chance will come.
the singular form. To figure out the singular and plural
forms of a verb, use the verb with he and they. !e verb Both people are wearing red.
that sounds right with he is the singular form of the
Several cats live here.
verb, while the verb that sounds right with they is the
plural form of the verb: he jumps (singular verb); they Using the pronoun as an adjective does not a,ect
jump (plural verb). whether it is singular or plural.
Practice 56— Indefinite Pronouns That Can Be Either
Singular Indefinite Pronouns Singular or Plural
Fill in the blanks with the correct answer. All of the To complicate matters a little more, some of the indefi-
indefinite pronouns are singular. nite pronouns can be either singular or plural, depend-
ing on the noun that they refer to, which is usually in a
. Everybody should know (his or her, their) buddy’s
prepositional phrase that comes right after the pronoun:
name.
. Either Jane or Mary can bring (her, their) computer. all, any, more, most, some, none
58 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
All of the pie is gone. (singular)/All of the guests 6.8. Unclear Antecedents
are here. (plural)
!e job of a pronoun is to stand in for a noun, or some-
Is any of the pie left? (singular)/Are any of the times another pronoun:
pieces left? (plural)
Joe brought his lunch. (Joe is the antecedent of the
More of the book is done. (singular)/More of the pronoun his.)
pages are done. (plural)
They brought their lunches to the park. (They is the
Most of the cake is gone. (singular)/Most of the antecedent of the pronoun their.)
pieces are gone. (plural)
In those two examples, it is easy to see what the ante-
Some of the dress is blue (singular)/Some of us cedent is. However, sometimes when we write we might
are friends. (plural) use a noun or pronoun with an unclear antecedent,
None of the pizza was eaten (singular)/None of making the writing really di.cult to understand.
the houses are occupied. (plural) Sometimes the unclear antecedent will be in a previous
sentence, and other times the unclear antecedent will
be in the same sentence. Here are some examples.
Practice 57—
Indefinite Pronouns Joe and Mike went for a hike in the woods near his
aunt’s house. (We can’t tell whose aunt we are
Fill in the blanks with the correct word.
talking about, Joe’s or Mike’s.)
. All of the pie (is, are) gone.
People were saying mean things behind Mike’s back,
. Most of the pieces (is, are) gone. and Joe was agreeing with them. This hurt his feel-
+. Several of us (is, are) going. ings. (Here, we can’t really tell what this is refer-
. Everyone at the girls’ school took (her, their) college ring to. What exactly caused hurt feelings? Mean
entrance tests. things or the fact that Joe was agreeing. Or both?
. Either pizza or spaghetti (is, are) fine with me. And whose feelings are hurt? Joe’s or Mike’s?)
). Neither of the boys (is, are) getting on the bus. Be careful that your writing is clear with regard to your
. Everyone should hand in (his or her, his/her, his, pronouns. Don’t leave any question in the reader’s mind
their) report on time. about whom or what you are talking. Some of the most
common pronouns that tend to be unclear are it, this,
(. Both dogs and cats (is, are) my favorite pets.
and which, so be careful with them.
See Appendix G for the answers.
Special Issues with Pronouns " 59
Chapter 6 Test
Special Issues with Pronouns
Part 1—Choose the correct pronoun for each sentence. . Neither of the boys talked to (his, their) parents yet.
You may also need to add punctuation. ). He told (me, myself ) about his family.
. (Who’s, Whose) jacket is this? . Rob and (me, I, myself ) are the finalists for the award.
. I remember the girl (who, whom) I invited to my (. Do you think she knows (who’s, whose) going to
first dance. win?
+. Give the directions to Jim and (me, I, myself ). . I have a hat (which, that) has a pink feather on top!
. (We, Us) computer programmers are attending the . My grade on this paper is C (which, that) is not as
big conference. good as my usual A.
. Anyone who is going on the trip needs to bring (his,
his or her, their) passport.
Part 2—Rewrite the following sentences to make the
). I like (this, these) kind of cookies better than the pronoun clear.
other ones.
. Beth saw Maggie as she drove by the park.
. Neither Jenny nor Jane has (her, their) book.
. I ate cake, cookies, and ice cream before dinner,
(. To (who, whom) did you give your ticket?
which made me happy.
. My friends and (I, me) work in the same department.
+. Bob and Joe were hiking up the mountain when he
. Don’t make my friends and (I, me) angry! fell and broke his leg.
. I think they will separate (we, us) friends when they . Mother was yelling at my sister when she started to
assign classes. cry.
. All of the kids have (his or her, their) hoods up in . !e homework was due yesterday, and the report
the rain. was due today, but I didn’t know this.
+. Do you know (who, whom) has been invited?
. (Who, Whom) did you say was coming with you?
See Appendix G for the answers.
Chapter 7
Special Issues with Verbs
7.1. Introduction Past Perfect: Used for something that happened in-the
past before something else that also happened in
Verbs have more “variety” than the other parts of
the-past. I had stopped to buy coffee before I arrived at
speech. While a noun is a noun is a noun, a verb has
work. (Use of past perfect and then past tense.)
tense, voice, mood, and some forms that can be per-
plexing. Remember that verbs are either action words Future: Used for something that will happen in the
or “state of being” words. !e most common “state of future. I will walk to work tomorrow.
being” verb is the verb to be (I am, you are, he/she/it is, Future Perfect: Used for something that will happen
etc.). State of being verbs are also called linking verbs. In in the future before something else in the future. I will
this chapter, we will talk about tense, voice, mood, and have walked to work by the time you get there in your
the other qualities of verbs. car.
Each of these six tenses has a matching tense called pro-
7.2. Tense gressive, which is simply the form with an -ing at the
end.
We talked about tense in Chapter , but let’s review.
Verb tense refers to time. Since verbs are primarily Here are the tense forms, using the verb play.
action words, tense refers to when something was done. Present: I play (no helping verbs)/ Progressive: I am
Common tenses include present tense (happening playing
now), past tense (already happened), and future tense
(will happen). However, it isn’t quite that simple: there Past: I played (no helping verbs)/ Progressive: I was
are actually tenses in the English language. !ere are playing (was or were are used as helping verbs)
six main tenses and each of them has a matching tense Present Perfect: I have played (uses have or has as a
called the progressive. helping verb)/Progressive: I have been playing
!e six main tenses can be put on a timeline: Past Perfect: I had played (uses helping verb had)/Pro-
Past Perfect è Past è Present Perfect è Present è gressive: I had been playing
Future Perfect è Future Future: I will play (uses will as a helping verb)/Progres-
Let’s see how they are each used: sive: I will be playing
Present Tense: Used for something happening now. Future Perfect: I will have played (uses will have as help-
I walk to work. ing verbs)/Progressive: I will have been playing
Present Perfect: Used for something that happened in
the past and may still be happening. I have walked to Practice 58—
work every day this week. Tenses
Past Tense: Used for something that happened already. Change the verb tense in the following sentences to the
I walked to work this morning. tense in parentheses.
. I eat dinner at six. (future)
62 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
. I danced in New York. (present perfect) Mary told me that she had gone to see that movie
+. I will be going to Paris next year. (present progressive) last week.
. I always went to school with my sister. (past perfect)
. I have worked here for ten years. (future perfect) Practice 59—
See Appendix G for the answers. Using Correct Tenses
Correct any incorrect verb tenses in these sentences.
Some are correct.
Tense Trouble
. I went there every year since I was a child.
Some of the tenses can cause problems. For example,
if you are talking about something that happened in a . I went there before I was five years old.
book you read or a movie you saw, you should use the +. I will have been working here five years by next year.
present tense, rather than the past tense. You may have . In the book, Mary was looking for her long lost sister.
seen or read it in the past, but it still exists.
. I was sitting in the movie theater and suddenly I see
In this book, the main character is looking for his real my cousin!
mother. He has not seen her in 20 years, since she See Appendix G for the answers.
gave him up for adoption. He finally meets her and
they begin to establish a mother/son relationship.
In the above example, he is looking for his mother and 7.3. Irregular Verb Forms
he meets her, so those are present tense. However, she What do we mean by verb forms? Well, let’s look at the
gave him up for adoption in the past, and he saw her verb play, which we used in Section-.. If we want to
in the past, even in the story, so we use past tenses for use the verb play in the past tense, what do we do? We
those verbs. add an -ed to the end to make played. Since most verbs
However, if you are talking about something you did add -ed to make the past tense, we call those verbs regu-
last week, do not use present tense: lar verbs. Here are some regular verbs:
Wrong: I go to the movies last week and I see my cousin, kick, want, walk, talk, show, pick, cook, pass, weigh
who I haven’t seen in a long time. We decide to have Verbs with more than one syllable that end in y usually
dinner together, and then I go home. change the y to i and then add the -ed. We can still call
Right: I went to the movies last week, and I saw my those regular verbs. Some examples are study (studied),
cousin, whom I haven’t seen in a long time. We decided and reply (replied).
to have dinner together, and after dinner I went home. Verbs that already end in e just add -d. !ey are also
considered regular verbs. Some examples are bake
(baked), and date (dated).
Using the Past Perfect
Verbs that end in a short vowel sound and then a con-
If you are talking about two things that happened in
sonant often double the consonant to create the past
the past, but one of them clearly happened before the
tense form. We still consider these verbs regular. Some
other, you need to use di,erent tenses for the verbs. For
examples are hop (hopped), and plan (planned).
example:
Some verbs stay the same in the past tense or take on
Mary told me that she went to see that movie last
a whole new form. !ese verbs are irregular. !ere are
week.
actually three forms of a verb. Regular verbs are the
Both verbs are in the past tense. However, Mary went to same in the second and third forms:
the movies before she told you about it. You need to use
Present tense: play
the past perfect for the earlier event. !e correct way to
write or say this sentence is Past tense (sometimes called simple past): played
Special Issues with Verbs " 63
Past participle (the one you use with the helping verb freeze froze have frozen
has or have): have played
get got have gotten
Let’s look at a verb that remains the same for all three
give gave have given
forms:
go went have gone
Present tense: set (Right now I set my book down on
(not have went)
this table.)
grow grew have grown
Past tense: set (A minute ago I set my book down on
this table.) hide hid have hidden
or have hid
Past participle: have set (I have often set my book down
on this table.) hit hit have hit
!e verbs burst and cost also stay the same in all three know knew have known
forms. lay laid have laid
!ere are many, many irregular verbs in the English lan- lead led have led
guage, and the only way to learn them is to memorize (no a in led except
them and use them. To help you, here is a list of the the lead in a pencil)
more common irregular verbs.
leave left have left
Present Tense Past Tense Past Participle
lend lent have lent
begin began have begun
let let have let
bite bit have bitten
lie lay have lain
blow blew have blown
light lit have lit
break broke have broken or lighted or have lighted
bring brought have brought lose lost have lost
(not brang) (not brung)
ride rode have ridden
build built have built
ring rang have rung
buy bought have bought
(not boughten) rise rose have risen
choose chose have chosen run ran have run
come came have come see saw have seen
cut cut have cut seek sought have sought
do did have done set set have set
draw drew have drawn shrink shrank have shrunk
drink drank have drunk sing sang have sung
eat ate have eaten sink sank have sunk
fall fell have fallen sit sat have sat
fly flew have flown speak spoke have spoken
forgive forgave have forgiven spend spent have spent
stand stood have stood
64 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
steal stole have stolen 7.4. Verbs of Being
swim swam have swum We have previously talked about verbs of being. To
swing swung have swung review, verbs of being are sometimes called linking
(not swang) verbs because they act as an equal sign joining the
words on either side of them. !e most common link-
take took have taken ing verb is the verb to be with all its various forms:
(not tooken)
I am, you are, he is, I was, you were, they were, I
teach taught have taught will be, I have been, etc.
tear tore have torn Note that to be is a linking verb only when it is the
tell told have told main verb! Sometimes the to be verb is a helping verb—
changing the tense of a main verb. For example:
think thought have thought
I am a writer. (am is a linking verb, joining I and
throw threw have thrown
writer. I = writer)
wear wore have worn
I am playing chess. (am is a helping verb; playing is
write wrote have written the main verb. I does not equal chess.)
(not have wrote)
!ere are a couple of things about linking verbs that can
cause problems. But before we talk about those, let’s list
Practice 60— some other linking verbs. To be isn’t the only one.
Irregular Verb Forms !ese verbs are also linking verbs, some or all of the
Correct the verb forms in the following sentences. time.
Some are correct. look, taste, smell, sound, grow, remain, become,
. I have swam every night this week. feel
. !e pond has froze, so we can skate on it. See if you can imagine the verbs in the first sentence in
+. !e balloon burst as soon as I blew it up. each pair as equal signs linking the word before them
with the word after them. !en, in the second sentence
. !e tickets costed ten dollars each.
in each pair, see how the verb is not a linking verb, but
. He through the ball to me. an action verb:
). I have always drank milk every day.
!e cake looks good. I look at the cake.
. !e school bell has already rung.
!e pizza tastes good. I taste the pizza.
(. Have you went to the new mall yet?
. I have tore my new shirt! !e co,ee smells fresh. I smell co,ee.
. He lended me his sweater. !e music sounds loud. I sound the horn.
. Last year he lead the parade. !e room grows quiet. !e flowers grow tall.
. Yesterday I laid out in the sun all day.
It remained noisy. She remained in her seat.
+. !e sun rose very early this morning.
It became clear to me. (generally not used as
. Sit this book down on the chair.
- an action verb)
. Lie this blanket down in the sun.
I feel sad about that. I feel the cat’s fur.
See Appendix G for the answers.
Special Issues with Verbs " 65
Adjectives After Linking Verbs 7.5. Voice: Active or Passive?
As we discussed way back in Section- .), adverbs are Verbs, in addition to having tense, have voice: active and
used to modify verbs. However, adverbs modify only passive. !ese two voices are pretty easy to understand:
action verbs. We use adjectives, not adverbs, after link-
• In active voice the subject of the sentence is perform-
ing verbs. If you look at the examples in the previous
ing the action of the verb. For example: She drove to
section, you will see that in the first column, the words
school.
after the linking verb are adjectives: good, fresh, loud,
quiet, noisy, clear, sad. • In passive voice, the subject does not perform the
action of the verb, but receives the action. For exam-
Here are a few examples of sentences with action verbs
ple: She was driven to school by her brother. She is
followed by adverbs:
still the subject, and was driven is still the verb, but
She plays piano well. this sentence is passive because she didn’t drive.
He talks very quietly. Here is the rule: Use active voice most of the time in
He walked up the stairs hurriedly. your writing. It makes your writing much stronger.
!e adjective after the linking verb usually doesn’t cause !ere are a couple of instances in which you use passive
any trouble. Here is a case where it can cause a problem: voice:
I feel bad about this. (not badly) • Use passive voice when you don’t know who per-
formed the action. For example: !e school was built
Many people say I feel badly, but that is not correct. in ).
Badly is an adverb. Bad is an adjective and should fol-
low the linking verb feel. • Use passive voice when it isn’t important who per-
formed the action, or you don’t want to say who per-
✎ But what if you feel good? Can you use well (an formed the action. For example: He was awarded the
adverb)? Yes, you can. Although well is an adverb, Medal of Honor. It doesn’t matter who gave him the
you can use it to mean a state of health, so in this award. !e important thing is that he received it.
case either good or well is fine. However, perhaps the President of the United States
gave him the award, and that is the important thing.
In that case, you might want to use the active voice
Pronouns After Linking Verbs
and say, “!e President of the United States gave him
In Section ). we talked about pronoun cases. After a the Medal of Honor.”
linking verb, we use a nominative case pronoun. In this
instance the linking verb will usually be the to be verb.
After a to be verb, you use the pronoun you would use Practice 61—
as a subject, not an object. Here are some examples: Active and Passive Voice
Is Nancy there? Yes, this is she. (not this is her) Identify each verb as active or passive:
It is they who are coming with us. (not them) . !e ball was thrown by the rookie.
It is I who played the trick on you. (not me) . I sat in the front row at the game!
+. !e game went into overtime.
Does that sound a little too formal for you? Yes, I know
it does! I would recommend if you are writing some- . !e popcorn was bought by my friend.
thing important you do it correctly. In conversation, . After the game we drove home.
you can certainly be more relaxed! Rewrite each sentence in the active voice:
). He was bitten by a mosquito.
. !e museum was built by ABC Construction.
66 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
(. !e car was driven by the salesman. I wish I were rich. It is not correct in this case to
. !e dog paced back and forth before he was fed by say I wish I was rich. You need the subjunctive
his owner. because you aren’t rich. Notice that although the
sentence is present tense, subjunctive looks like
. !e book was donated to the library by my aunt and
the past tense.
her family.
See Appendix G for the answers. If I were rich, I would buy a big mansion. It is not
correct to say If I was rich. You need the subjec-
tive because you aren’t rich.
7.6. What Is Subjunctive Mood, She acts as though she were the boss. We use sub-
Anyway? junctive here because she is not the boss; she just
Verbs don’t just have tense and voice. !ey also have acts that way.
mood. Most of the time mood doesn’t pose a problem, He speaks as if he were from Britain, but I know he
but sometimes it can. is American. We use subjunctive because he is not
!ere are generally considered to be three moods: from Britain.
. Indicative mood is used most of the time. Regular, In the present tense subjunctive, you see how we actu-
old statements are indicative mood. ally use the past tense form of the verb. If we want to
use subjunctive in the past tense, we go back further
. Imperative mood includes imperative sentences,
and use the past perfect! Here are some examples:
which are commands (Tell me a story, for example).
+. Subjunctive mood is the one that can be a little If I had known you were coming, I would have baked
confusing, Subjunctive mood is used for sentences you a cake. (Not if I knew you were coming . . . )
()- with commands and recommendations, and
()-for things that are not true.
Practice 62—
Using Subjunctive Mood
Commands and Recommendations Rewrite the following sentences correctly. Some may
Here are some examples of the subjunctive mood used already be correct.
with commands or recommendations:
. If I was you, I would call them.
I demand that you be there to answer questions. In . If I were company president, I would do things
this sentence you be there is subjunctive. Gener- di,erently.
ally, you would say you are there.
+. She looks as if she were tired.
I recommend that she cook dinner for the party on . She acts as if she were a queen.
Friday. In this sentence she cook is in the subjunc-
. I recommend that you are there for the meeting.
tive. Generally, you would say she cooks.
). I sure wish I was rich like you!
Most of the time, we don’t have a problem with this use
. I told her I thought she should be there.
of the subjunctive. It just sounds right to us.
See Appendix G for the answers.
Things That Are Not True
Here is where some people have problems with the sub-
7.7. Using Strong Verbs
junctive. Your clues here are clauses that are introduced When you write, you want to use strong verbs that really
with as if, as though, and if. What follows is generally tell what is going on. You will then need fewer adverbs
not true. Another clue is a clause following the verb and adjectives. One of the verbs you want to limit is the
wish. Here are some examples: to be verb, which is not very interesting.
Special Issues with Verbs " 67
Instead of she is tall, you could say she stands over six
feet tall.
Instead of it is a rainy day, you could say the rain is pour-
ing down.
Instead of the diamond is very pretty, you could say the
diamond sparkles on her finger.
Just be aware that overusing verbs like is and has can be
boring in your writing. You want to be more precise in
your descriptions.
68 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Chapter 7 Test
Special Issues with Verbs
Part 1—Choose the correct answer. (. I wish I (was, were) going with you.
. I have (brung, brought) you the newspaper. . Yesterday I say to my friend that I know who you are.
. I (shrank, shrunk) my jeans in the dryer. .!e fish smells badly, so I don’t think I will eat it.
+. Can we skate on the pond that has (froze, frozen)?
. He did (good, well) on the exam. Part 2—Identify each sentence as written in the active
. It is (her, she) who is wearing the dog costume. or passive voice.
). I told my dog to (lay, lie) down. . Follow this street for about seven miles.
. (Set, sit) the cake on the counter. . !e map shows the shortest route.
(. If I (wasn’t, weren’t) so scared, I would just jump into +. !e cake was baked by my favorite aunt.
the deep water. . Wait until the sun goes down.
. !e sun has (risen, rose) over the horizon. . I have given you all the money I have.
. I recommend that you (are, be) more polite next
time.
Part 3—Identify the tense of the main verb in each
. Every day I (sat, have sat) in this tree.
sentence.
. My balloon (burst, bursted) right after I blew it up.
. I wanted to go to the movies tonight.
+. I feel (bad, badly) about the broken vase.
. It is true that she told a lie.
. My stomach just (growled, has growled), so it must
be time for dinner! +. I will have been out of school for five years when
you graduate.
. I (lay, laid) my backpack down right over there.
. I have seen my friends every day this week.
). !e water has (laid, lain) there all day.
. Where are you going?
. She had (gone, went) to get some supplies at the sta-
tionery store.
See Appendix G for the answers.
Chapter 8
Commas: Yup! A Whole Chapter
8.1. To Comma or Not To Comma: Mary went to see a movie, Mom went to visit
Grandma, Dad went to an auto race, and I stayed
That Is the Question
home. (series of clauses/sentences)
Commas, commas, commas: nothing confuses writers,
editors, students, and everyone else more than commas. So what about that final comma—the one before the
and. Do you need that one? !at one is famously called
Some of us don’t like commas and use too few of them.
Others of us don’t really know where they belong and the Oxford comma because it was first used by the
use too many of them. Oxford University Press. Some people use it and others
don’t. Unless you are following a particular style guide
!ere are many comma rules. !ere are also some places that dictates whether or not to use it, it is really up to
where a comma is optional. !e main use of a comma you. !e only advice I have is this: whether or not you
is to make writing easier and clearer to read, but there decide to use the Oxford comma, use it or don’t use it
are many situations where a comma rule really doesn’t consistently within one piece of writing. Don’t switch
make anything clearer, but is expected of good writers. around.
What to do, what to do-.-.-.
Warning: Sometimes leaving out the Oxford comma
In this chapter I will give you the comma rules. But can cause confusion. Sometimes putting it in can also
more than lengthy explanations, I will give you exam- cause confusion, so watch out for these instances:
ples. Sometimes an example is worth a thousand words
The President of the United States, the actress and
of explanation.
model attended the party. (!is sentence could
!ere are two basic comma rules: be read as meaning the President was an actress
. Don’t use a comma unless you have a reason to use and model.) The President, the actress, and the
one. model were at the party. (!at is much clearer!)
. Use a comma anywhere where not using one would
cause the reader confusion.
8.3. Compound Sentences
See what I mean? Here are the rules:
Use a comma before the conjunction in compound
sentences (two or more complete sentences joined by a
8.2. Series Comma (Oxford Comma) conjunction like and, but, or so. Examples:
One of the most common uses of the comma is in I live in Texas, and my brother lives in Utah.
a series. !is can be a series of words, phrases, or I would love to go, but I don’t have any money.
sentences.
If the part of the sentence after the conjunction is not a
I brought oranges, applies, bananas, pears, and grapes. complete sentence, do not use a comma.
(series of words)
He went to the grocery store and bought some items
I went to the museum, to the mall, to the post office, for the party.
and to school. (series of phrases)
70 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
In the above sentence the words after and are not a The old, torn dress was not appropriate to wear to
complete sentence; there is no subject (bought some the wedding. (Old and torn dress makes sense.)
items for the party).
I have a new black purse. (New and black purse?
If the two parts of the compound sentence are very Probably not. No comma needed.)
short and closely related, you do not need the comma.
I played the piano and my brother danced. Practice 63—
Some Important Comma Rules
Sometimes authors will choose not to put a comma in
a compound sentence. Unless the sentence is di.cult Add commas where necessary for series, compound
to read, this is not a great problem. However, I would sentences, or consecutive adjectives. Some sentences
recommend using the comma. may be correct as they are.
If the two (or more) parts of the compound sentence are . Joe was late for work but he was on time for the
complicated and already contain commas, it is wise to meeting.
separate the two sentences with a semicolon (;) rather
. Please buy eggs, milk, bread, and butter when you
than a comma. Example:
go to the store.
Harry, who is a surgeon, went to school on the East +. I was late for school and late for dinner too.
Coast; but his brother, Paul, went to school in Europe,
. I bought a bright blue dress for the party.
where he met his wife.
. I found some valuable jewels in my grandmother’s
✎ Note that then is not one of the FANBOYS conjunc- old dusty trunk.
tions (for, and, nor, but, or, so, yet) and cannot be
). I brought pens, pencils, paper and a notebook.
used to connect two sentences unless you also use a
conjunction or you use a semicolon. Example: See Appendix G for the answers.
My sister went to the mall, then she came home.
(incorrect) 8.5. Introductory Elements
My sister went to the mall, and then she came home. A comma is used after certain words, phrases, and
(correct) clauses that come at the beginning of a sentence. Here
My sister went to the mall; then she came home. are some examples of where commas should and
(correct) shouldn’t be used.
Introductory Words and Transition Words
8.4. Between Two Adjectives
First, we will examine the situation. Next, we will form
Use a comma between two adjectives in a row that both
a plan. (transition words)
describe the same noun. You can usually tell if you need
a comma by putting and between the adjectives. If it In my opinion, we are on the right track. (introduc-
makes sense with and, you need a comma: tory phrase)
Indeed, I think you are correct.
The dress had a big, blue bow. (Big and blue both
describe the bow.) Well, I think you should try to go with your friends.
She wore a bright blue dress. (Here, there is no Yes, I think you are correct.
comma because bright describes blue, rather By the way, I brought your book back to you.
than dress.)
Commas " 71
Introductory Phrases 8.6. Interrupting Material
In Paris we saw the Eiffel Tower. (Introductory, Use a comma around elements that interrupt the flow
short prepositional phrases don’t really require of the sentence, whether they are words, phrases, or
commas after them.) clauses. Sometimes. If the element is required for the
In Paris last September, we saw the Eiffel Tower. sentence to make sense, it is called restrictive, and no
commas should be used.
According to the instructions, we should do it my
way.
Walking down the street, the man dropped his
Commas Needed
heavy bag. My brother, Ken, is in the Army. (!e commas here
imply that we don’t need to mention your broth-
✎ Make sure that when you use a participial phrase,
er’s name, either because he is your only brother
like that last example, the person doing the action is
or because the listener or reader knows whom
right after the phrase. Otherwise, you will have a mis-
you are talking about.)
placed modifier and quite possibly a silly sentence:
My neighbor, the chief of police, is hardly ever home.
Walking down the street, the man dropped his bag.
(correct) The cake, chocolate with vanilla frosting, was gone
in a minute!
Walking down the street, the bag fell to the ground.
(NO) This dress, by the way, was on sale.
I say, indeed, you should come with us.
Introductory Clauses Mr. Paul, who has taught at the school for many
While I was walking, I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen years, is retiring this year.
in years. My brother, if he can get the time off, will go with us.
After we ate dinner, we went for a long walk. The detective looked at the evidence and, if he found
Because we had run out of money, we couldn’t buy anything unusual, he didn’t tell the news reporter
any snacks at the movies. about it.
!ose sentences, which begin with adverb clauses, can
all be turned around. Generally, when you turn them No Commas Needed
around, you omit the comma. My brother Ken is in the Army. (As opposed to the
I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in years while I was very same sentence up above, let’s assume you
walking. have more than one brother and you need to
identify which brother you are talking about in
We went for a long walk after we ate dinner.
this sentence. If that is the case, use no comma.
We couldn’t buy any snacks at the movie because !is is called a restrictive element. It restricts the
we had run out of money. brother to Ken, not one of your other brothers.)
✎ Do not use a comma after introductory phrases if My neighbor across the street is very noisy. (Identi-
they are immediately followed by a verb: fies your noisy neighbor as the one across the
Into the cave in the middle of the night came a bear. street, as opposed to the neighbor next door, for
example.)
Out of the blue came a man wearing a clown
costume. The cake with the white frosting was gone in a
minute! (Using no commas identifies the cake as
To be an astronaut is my ambition.
72 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
the one with the white frosting, not another cake Bring a pencil, pen, paper, erasers, etc.
with a di,erent type of frosting.) Bring something to write with, e.g., a pencil.
All the teachers who have worked at the school
I speak only one language, i.e., my native language,
for more than 25 years are retiring this year. (!e
English.
clause in bold is necessary to identify which
teachers are retiring.)
Dates
Practice 64— When you are writing the date on the top of a letter
Commas for Introductory and Interrupting or where it isn’t in text (in a sentence), use a comma
Elements between the day and year.
Insert any necessary commas into these sentences. August 29, 2013
Some may be correct as they are. Whenever, and wherever, you write the date, if you omit
. My cousin who is in college is graduating next year. the day, you do not need a comma between the month
and the year.
. Finally, I got a dog!
+. First you must add this column, and then you can August 2013
subtract this number. If you write the date in text, the year is followed by a
. In the cupboard on the top shelf you should see the comma if you have included the day. !e two examples
sugar. below are both correct:
. Although I live far away from my sister I see her The March 2014 issue of Golf Digest has an article
frequently. you should read.
). My brother Jack is the tallest of all my brothers. The March 5, 2014, issue of Golf Digest has an article
. !e pen that I have in my hand was very expensive. you should read.
(. Next, put the chocolate chips in the batter. For more information about writing the numbers in
. !is is in my opinion the wrong way to do it! dates, refer to Section .(.
. In December we usually get several feet of snow.
See Appendix G for the answers.
Commas with Numbers
Use a comma in numbers of four or more numerals.
8.7. Other Common Uses 1,000 12,000 350,000 2,000,000
for Commas Use a comma to separate two numbers that happen to
!e following sections discuss the other important uses fall in a row in a sentence (or, better yet, rewrite the
for commas. sentence to avoid the situation).
Out of the total of 350, 45 were women.
etc., i.e., e.g.
If you are using any of these abbreviations in the middle With Too
of a sentence, use commas both before and after the
If you use too, meaning also, in the middle of a sentence,
abbreviation. Since etc. is generally used at the end of
it is set o, with commas. However, if too is used at the
the sentence, just use a comma before it. For more infor-
end of the sentence, there is no comma.
mation about these three abbreviations, see Chapter-.
Etc. means and so on or and the others; e.g. means for I, too, would love to see that play.
example; and i.e. means that is. Here are some examples:
I would love to see that play too.
Commas " 73
Direct Address Contrasting Expressions and Elements
When you are talking to someone using their name, Use a comma in contrasting expressions (they generally
regardless of where the name falls in the sentence, use begin with but, not, or rather than).
commas to set o, the name. Here are some examples,
I like chocolate, but not milk chocolate.
including examples using another word that also needs
to be set o,. I like nonfat milk, not cream.
Charlie, eat that sandwich! I like my pizza with pesto, rather than with tomato
sauce.
Eat that sandwich, Charlie!
Use a comma in contrasting expressions.
Eat that sandwich, Charlie, and then you can go out
to play. Here today, gone tomorrow.
No, Charlie, you cannot go out to play. Garbage in, garbage out
Well, Charlie, did you finish your sandwich yet?
When a Word Is Left Out
Setting off Academic Degrees Sometimes when a word is left out of a sentence (inten-
tionally), the sentence is di.cult to understand. Use
A comma is used to set o, academic degrees. Here are
a comma if that is the case. Most of the time, when a
some examples.
word is left out, the sentence is perfectly clear.
Marc Jones, Ph.D., is speaking at graduation.
The fact of the matter is, they never liked us. (That
Peter Wolf, M.D., has just started to work here. before they is left out.)
!is sentence is perfectly clear without a comma:
Addresses I know she doesn’t like us.
Commas are used in addresses, whether they are on an
envelope, on the top of a letter, or used in a sentence.
Commas for Emphasis
Here are some examples:
You may use a comma for emphasis, but don’t overdo it.
Envelope: Margaret Toll
Here are some examples:
151 Broadway Avenue
Savannah, Georgia 21456 I agree, completely, with what you have to say.
Text: I live at 15 Market Street, Boston, MA 02215. I, myself, will bake and decorate the wedding cake.
Use a comma to set o, the name of the state in text,
when it follows the name of a city. Letters and Emails
I was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in a small farmhouse. Use a comma after both the greeting and the closing of
I was born in Atlanta in a small farmhouse. a letter, note, or email. (In business letters or business
emails, the greeting is generally followed by a colon
rather than a comma. See Section-.).)
Company Names Dear Jerry,
Spell and punctuate company names exactly as the
Hi, Stacy,
company does, whether you think it is correct or not.
Yours truly,
Sincerely,
74 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Unusual Word Order in a Sentence +. !e math department o,ers algebra, geometry, sta-
tistics etc.
If you choose to write a sentence that has an unusual
word order, you might need a comma for clarity. . I too would love to visit France.
. I agree completely that you need a vacation.
Why he wants to move to Michigan, I will never
understand. ). I love scary movies; therefore I want to see the new
monster movie.
. Please mow the lawn, Phil.
Setting off However and Therefore
(. I counted the books, and there are + of them
When however and therefore are in the middle of a sen- children’s books.
tence, sometimes you can set them o, with commas. . !ere is an old saying, “Here today gone tomorrow.”
Other times you will need a period or semicolon on
. What he meant I don’t know.
one side of them. How do you know? Take out the how-
ever or therefore. Read the sentence. If the sentence is See Appendix G for the answers.
fine without however or therefore, you can set the word
o, with commas. But if you are left with a run-on sen-
tence, you need a period or semicolon before however 8.8. Don’t Put Commas Here!
or therefore. (Instead, you can add a conjunction like Although there are many comma rules and places where
and or but.) you do need commas, there are also places where you
don’t put commas. Don’t use a comma unless you have
I know, however, that he is coming with us. (I know
that he is coming with us is fine. !erefore, com-
a reason. Here are some places where you don’t use
mas are enough.) commas.
I know that he is coming with us; however, I don’t
. Do not use a comma before a FANBOYS conjunction
know how long he is staying. (I know that he is
(for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) if the words that follow the
coming with us, I don’t know how long he is stay-
conjunction are not a complete sentence.
ing is a run on. You need a semicolon before
I washed the dishes and swept the floors. (Swept the
however.)
floors is not a complete sentence.)
Would you like pizza or chicken? (Chicken is not a
Anyplace Where Not Using a Comma complete sentence, and two items do not make a
Would Be Confusing series.)
Here is the best rule of all! Use a comma wherever not ✎ !e conjunction but is an exception, and you can use
using one would be confusing. Here are some examples: a comma before it when the words on either side of
After eating ants invaded our blanket. (Place a it contrast.
comma after eating to avoid eating ants!) She is tiny, but strong.
The two dresses were blue with white dots, and yel- He took the sofa, but left the chairs and table.
low with red dots.
. Do not use a comma before or after something in
parentheses unless the sentence would have a comma
Practice 65— there anyway.
More Comma Rules
Right: The company president (he is my cousin)
Insert commas where necessary. One or more of the
offered me a job.
sentences may not need commas.
Wrong: The company president (he is my cousin),
. I was born in Boston Massachusetts in July .
offered me a job.
. !e population of Ourtown is ).
Commas " 75
Right: Although he is my cousin (the company Wrong use of comma: There are football fields, ten-
president), I think I would have gotten the job any- nis courts, and a swimming pool, at the new school.
way. (If-you left out what is in parentheses, there (!ere should be no comma after pool.)
would still be a comma.)
(. Sometimes you use a comma to avoid confusion.
+. You do not need a comma after Jr. or Sr. or Esq. in a However, sometimes putting a comma in causes confu-
name. sion, so you leave it out.
Martin Luther King, Jr. is a well-known American. Richard, my boss, and I are taking a break. In this
sentence you can’t tell if the writer is talking
. Never put a comma between a subject and its verb
about two or three people. Is Richard my boss?
unless there is an interrupter set o, in commas between
We can’t tell. It is best to rewrite a confusing sen-
them.
tence like this. Here are two possibilities:
Wrong use of comma: Hannah and her brothers,
Richard, who is my boss, and I are taking a break.
went to Paris last week.
I am taking a break with Richard and my boss.
Wrong use of comma: The bright blue dress, is in
the closet. ✎ A Few Helpful Notes
. Never put a comma between a verb and its object. . Sometimes you have a choice of whether or not to use
a comma.
Wrong use of comma: He threw, the ball into the
window. Of course, I will go with you.
Wrong use of comma: He is baking, a cake and Of course I will go with you.
brownies.
. If you are setting o, something with commas, make
). Never put a comma between an adjective and its sure you have your commas in the correct place. To
noun. check read the sentence without the words within the
commas. If it makes sense, you are okay. (Incidentally,
Wrong use of comma: She wore a blue, dress to the
the same rule applies for words set o, by dashes.)
party. (No comma between blue and dress.)
This car is as good as, but not better, than my
Wrong use of comma: It was a huge, airplane.
old one. (This car is as good as than my old one
. Never put a comma between a noun or verb and a doesn’t make sense.)
prepositional phrase that immediately follows it.
This car is as good as, but not better than, my old
Wrong use of comma: She was making cookies, in one. (Now, the sentence is correct.)
the kitchen.
76 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Chapter 8 Test
Commas
Some of these sentences are missing commas; some . She is very thin but very strong too.
of them have commas that don’t belong there. Some
sentences are correct as they are. Rewrite the incorrect
sentences. Write “correct ” if the sentence is fine as it is. . He cleaned the house, and then mowed the lawn.
!ese are comma mistakes only.
. Angie made a great presentation and the audience +. When I took the exam for the second time I passed
loved it. it; however I did poorly the first time I tried it.
. Bring me a pencil, a pen and some paper, Jack. . We visited an old beautiful castle on a warm sunny
day.
+. In June, , my sister was born in New York.
. Uncle Joe, Aunt Betty, and I love to play Scrabble,
whenever we have the chance.
. !e January ), issue of this magazine is very,
valuable.
). As we were eating ants invaded our picnic blanket.
. Send the money to me at Wisconsin St. Bakers-
field, CA, +). . !e two dogs were black and white and brown and
white, respectively.
). My dog, whose name is Fred is a terrier.
(. I was late for school because there was tra.c.
. Because of the wind we, can’t sail today.
. !e suit, that is on the back rack, is on sale for .
(. !e di.cult classes, e.g. calculus are o,ered only in
the evening. . John Rivers, M.D. received his degree from Winchell
College, in Nebraska.
. Yes, we are all going on vacation to Miami, Florida.
. !e woman who is wearing the yellow hat, is my aunt. See Appendix G for the answers.
Chapter 9
Punctuation (Except Commas)
9.1. Introduction Some words in our language are merely “shortened”
and should not have periods after them. Here are some
Punctuation makes our writing easier to read. With-
examples:
out punctuation our words would be just that—words.
Punctuation puts in the pauses, the stops, the tones typo, exam, memo, limo, logo, info, lab, rep, photo
of questions and exclamations. It also shows what Generally speaking, most abbreviations should be
is possessive, what is a contraction, and what is an avoided in text; some are fine to use in tables or graphs.
abbreviation. In text, avoid using abbreviations for names of the
Now that commas are out of the way (Chapter (), let’s months or days, measurements, etc.
move on to the other—and less complicated—punctua- !ere are so many abbreviations it is best to look up the
tion marks. correct punctuation of a specific abbreviation if you are
unsure.
9.2. Periods (.) ✎ If an abbreviation or acronym (an acronym is an
abbreviated form of a name that uses all capital let-
Obviously, the most common use of the period is to
ters and spells out its own word, such as OSHA or
put one at the end of a sentence unless the sentence is a
EPCOT) might not be understood by your reader, it
question or an exclamation.
is customary to spell it out the first time it is used
If a question is indirect, rather than direct, you will also and to put the acronym in parentheses. !en the
use a period rather than a question mark: other times you use it, you can use just the acronym
or abbreviation.
He asked who was coming with us.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
The question is how to find out who did it.
✎ Hints for Using Abbreviations
Abbreviations . When in doubt, don’t use an abbreviation. Spell the
words out.
Periods are used in some abbreviations. For example, Jr.,
. !e abbreviations a.m. and p.m. generally use periods.
Sr., Dr., Mr., Ms., Mrs., Esq., and Ph.D. generally have a
period at the end. +. U.S. is commonly used as an adjective, but United
States is spelled out as a noun: U.S. Navy, but the
✎ If an abbreviation that uses a period comes at the population of the United States.
end of the sentence, only one period is used.
. !e abbreviation OK has no periods, but it is better
I was always in awe of Martin Luther King, Jr. to just spell it out (okay).
Abbreviations that are made up of all capital letters usu- . When in doubt about an abbreviation, look it up or
ally do not use periods: spell it out.
IBM, FBI, YMCA, NHL, VIP (but Washington D.C.
does have periods)
78 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Decimals Why? When?
Periods are used in decimals: ., +., . Did he say he was coming with us? When?
If a short question is embedded within a sentence, set
Lists or Outlines o, the question with commas (or sometimes even a
dash will do) and use a question mark after it.
Periods are usually used after the numbers in a num-
bered list, or numbers and letters in an outline: I can come with you, can’t I, if I finish all my chores?
1. You can also use a question mark at the end of a state-
ment if it is said with the tone of a question:
2.
You expect to go to the party dressed like that?
a.
✎ Question marks with quotations: We will cover
b. this topic later in this chapter, but for now: Ques-
tion marks can go either inside or outside quotes,
depending on the sentence. If the entire sentence
Measurements
is a question, but the quote isn’t, the question mark
Measurements are often abbreviated. In text you can goes outside. If the quote is a question, but the entire
always spell them out. However, they do deserve some sentence is not, quotes go inside. If both the quote
special attention here. and the sentence are questions, use one question
Just remember that although ft (foot), yd (yard), and m mark, inside the quotes.
(meter) are not followed by periods, in. (inch) always is, He asked, “When will we get there?”
to avoid confusion with the preposition in.
Did he say, “I hope we get there soon”?
Did he ask, “When will we get there?”
Practice 66—
Using Periods
!ere are no periods in any of these sentences. Insert Practice 67—
periods where necessary. Question Marks
. Dr L Martin, MD is my skin doctor Insert question marks in the necessary places in the fol-
lowing sentences. Some sentences may not need any
. My cousin, Walter Hummel, Jr used to work for the
question marks.
FBI
+. He stands ) ft and + in tall . She asked if I could go with her tonight
. I work at H Hall Corp . Do you know the way
. Please meet me at my house at : pm +. Did she say, “I can’t go with you this time”
). Here is my address: Elm St, Albany, NY . Did he ask, “When will we be there”
See Appendix G for the answers. . He asked, “When will we be there”
See Appendix G for the answers.
9.3. Question Marks (?)
Obviously, the most common use of the question mark
9.4. Exclamation Points (!)
is after a question! Exclamation points are used to express emotion after
either a complete sentence, an expression, or a word
Besides putting a question mark after a complete sen-
(interjection).
tence that is a question, you also use a question mark
after a question that may not be a complete sentence: Help! The house is on fire!
Punctuation " 79
Gee whiz! Did you see the size of that dog! to join the two sentences if you don’t want to use the
Notice that in the second example, the sentence is actu- FANBOYS conjunction. Or, alternately, use a semicolon
ally a question. However, it is said with such emotion to join to two closely related sentences instead of using
that you could use an exclamation point instead of a a period. !e second part of the sentence, following the
question mark. semicolon, does not begin with a capital letter.
I took an airplane, but my brother took the train.
Tips for using exclamation points correctly.
I took an airplane; my brother took the train.
Do not overuse them. (Yes, I did in this book.)
Do not use two or more in a row (!!).
✎ If you looked at the second sentence and thought
that however might fit in nicely, you are right. How-
Do not use them with question marks (!?). ever, you will need to put a semicolon (or period)
A novelist told me that an author should use no more before it. However is not a conjunction, and you can-
than two exclamation points in an entire novel. And not separate two sentences with it.
they really have no place at all in formal writing. So My brother took a train. My sister and I flew.
please don’t use them unnecessarily! (like there)
My brother took a train; my sister and I flew.
✎ !e rules for using exclamation points with quota-
tion marks are the same as the rules for question !e examples above are all correct. It is your choice
marks with quotations. Refer to Section-.+. whether you want to use ()-comma with conjunction,
()-semicolon, or (+)-period.
Incidentally, two sentences connected with a conjunc-
Practice 68— tion or with a semicolon are both called compound
Exclamation Points sentences.
Insert exclamation points where necessary.
. She shouted that there was a fire in the kitchen Compound Sentences with Series or
. She shouted, “!ere’s a fire in the kitchen” Other Commas
+. I hate it when you say to me, “I forgot to call you” If you have a compound sentence, and one or both of
. If you are just joking, don’t ever shout, “!ere’s a fire the sentences in it already have a series or commas,
in the kitchen” you might want to separate the two sentences with a
See Appendix G for the answers. semicolon rather than just a comma for clarity. You can
either leave the conjunction between the two sentences
or take it out.
9.5. Semicolons (;) She visited Rome, Paris, and Barcelona, and London,
Despite the fears that some people have about using Belfast, and Stockholm are on her itinerary for the
them, semicolons are not too complicated. Unlike com- next trip. (unclear)
mas, semicolons really have only three rules. A semi- She visited Rome, Paris, and Barcelona; and London,
colon is not interchangeable with either a comma or a Belfast, and Stockholm are on her itinerary for her
colon but is probably closer to a comma than to a colon. next trip. (clearer) (You can take out the and right
after the semicolon, or you can leave it there.
Of course, you can also rewrite the sentence to
Compound Sentences
avoid the issue.)
Use a semicolon in a compound sentence (two sen-
tences that could be joined together with the conjunc-
tions for, and, nor, but, or, yet, or so—the FANBOYS)
80 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Confusing Series Dear Sirs:
Check out this sentence: Dear President Hamilton:
Please pack these items for our trip: jeans, dress
pants, shorts, tee shirts, white, blue, and red uniform Between the Title and Subtitle of a Book
shirts, socks, and black and brown shoes.
While you do not put a colon on the cover itself, if you
Or this one: write the name of a book in text and want to include the
We will be joined in the meeting by John, the subtitle as well as the title, use a colon between the two.
president of the company, Sandy, the director of the I am reading The Best Little Grammar Book Ever:
department, Larry, Carmen, the personnel director, 101 Ways to Impress With Your Writing and Speaking.
and the treasurer.
✎ A colon is also used to separate chapter from verse
Both sentences are di.cult to understand. Rewriting in scripture references.
can solve the problem. Otherwise, you will want to use
Romans 1:16
semicolons to separate the main items so that you can
see what goes with what:
Please pack these items for our trip: jeans; dress In a Compound Sentence
pants; shorts; tee shirts; white, blue, and red uniform We have already talked about using either a comma
shirts; socks; and black and brown shoes. and a FANBOYS conjunction, or a semicolon to sepa-
We will be joined in the meeting by John, the rate the two parts of a compound sentence. In some
president of the company; Sandy, the director of the instances you can also use a colon, but be very careful.
department; Larry; Carmen, the personnel director; You can use a colon if the second sentence is either an
and the treasurer. (Now you now that there will be explanation of the first sentence or a result of the first
five people joining you.) sentence. However, in either case, it is not necessary to
use the colon. A semicolon, or a comma with a conjunc-
✎ Don’t use a semicolon for other things. Semicolons tion is also fine.
never replace colons for introducing lists, etc.
He brought a variety of vegetables to the party: he
was going to make a salad. (No capital letter is
9.6. Colons (:) required to begin the second sentence.)
When we think of colons, we most often think of them
introducing lists—and that is a common use of a colon. Introducing a Quote
!ere are, however, some other common uses for a
Sometimes a colon is used to introduced a quote of a
colon:
sentence or longer (not in dialogue).
Mayor Jones said in his speech to the city: “I am com-
Digital Time mitted to cutting crime in the city. We have already
!ere is a colon between the hours and minutes in digi- made great strides in this area.”
tal time.
12:45 means 45 minutes past the hour of 12. Introducing Lists
Finally we get to the most common use for colons:
Salutation of a Business Letter introducing lists. (Yes, the preceding sentence is cor-
rect. You need a complete sentence before the colon,
While you put a comma after the salutation (greeting)
but not after it.)
of a friendly letter or email, you put a colon after the
salutation of a business letter.
Punctuation " 81
Your list can be vertical or horizontal. Just remember Practice 69—
that you need to have a complete sentence before your Semicolons and Colons
colon. Don’t put a colon after a verb.
!ese sentences have missing colons and semicolons.
Please bring pencils, pens, and paper to the test. Put the correct mark (either semicolon or colon) in the
(correct) blanks:
Please bring: pencils, pens, and paper to the test. . My favorite season is winter___ my sister prefers
(incorrect) summer.
Please bring these items with you: pencils, pens, . !e title of the book is Adopting a Dog__ Which
and paper. (correct) Breed Is for You?
Here are some examples of horizontal lists. +. Dear Department Chair__
. Mayor Jones said the following in his speech___
Please bring the following items to the test:
“I-believe that the best is yet to come for the city.”
pencils
pens . I have visited Paris, France__ Rome, Italy__ and
paper London, England.
!ese sentences may have missing or incorrect punc-
Please bring
tuation. Please correct them. If you add or change any
pencils
punctuation, use either a semicolon or colon. Some
pens
sentences may be correct as they are.
paper
). We invited Mr. and Mrs. Greeley, our next door
Please bring
neighbors, Mr. Jagger, our realtor, and Mr. !omas.
pencils,
pens, and . Please bring a jacket, warm gloves, and extra socks
paper. on the hike.
(. Please bring these items with you
All of the above lists are correct. !is one is not. No
jacket
colon should be used in this case.
warm gloves
Please bring: extra socks
pencils . !e choice of dresses was the blue and white or the
pens red and black.
paper
. I don’t know what is wrong with my computer, how-
✎ Notes: If your list items are complete sentences, they ever, the technician might know.
should be followed by periods. If one list item is a . I haven’t gotten paid yet and, therefore, I can’t buy
complete sentence, all list items should be complete the gift yet.
sentences, and they should all be constructed simi-
. I have to wait for a phone call, then I can go with you.
larly (see Section-., “Parallel Structure”). You can
use bullets or numbers before your list items if you See Appendix G for the answers.
wish. If you use numbers (such as in steps), the order
of your items should be important. Otherwise, don’t
use numbers.
9.7. Parentheses ( ) and Brackets [ ]
Parentheses and brackets are used to add additional
✎ Colons are also used in citations and bibliographical
information to text. Let’s talk about brackets first, since
entries. Consult a style guide for information about
there are two obvious places to use them.
citations.
82 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Brackets (rather than part of the sentence), it is treated as a sen-
tence, with a capital letter and a period. However, often
If you should need parentheses inside other parenthe-
the parentheses are not needed at all in cases like that.
ses, you use brackets inside the parentheses. However, it
is generally better to rewrite your sentence so you don’t With parentheses that appear in the middle of a sen-
need two levels of parentheses. tence, no commas are needed before or after the paren-
theses unless there would be a comma there anyway:
Look at the illustration on page 67 (Figure A [Item 7])
for instructions. My uncle, who was a famous painter (he died last
year), is featured in this art book. (Correct: the
!e example above is correct. However, it is easy to
comma would be needed even without the
avoid using the brackets:
parentheses.)
Look at the illustration on page 67 (Figure A, Item 7)
for instructions.
Practice 70—
Brackets are also used to add information to a quote,
Parentheses and Brackets
making the quote easier to understand. For example,
you may be quoting part of a speech in a newspaper Insert parentheses, brackets, and necessary periods and
article you are writing. Because you are not quoting the commas in these sentences:
entire speech, something may be unclear to the reader. . You can park for two hours the parking lot is on your
!e explanation can be put in brackets. !e information left if you have a parking pass.
in the brackets is NOT part of the quote.
. Please look at page the figure of the dinosaur bot-
The mayor said, in his speech to the City Council last tom left to see the complete skeleton.
night, “I feel that it [the new mall] will greatly help the +. !e President was quoted as saying, “!ey the Sen-
economy in this city.” ate will meet in a special session to discuss the new
laws.”
Parentheses . Uncle Morris (– was a fairly famous artist.
Extra information can be placed in parentheses. Some- . We are leaving the children with a babysitter tomor-
times this information can also be set o, by commas row evening no children are allowed in the theater.
(but never if the information is a complete sentence) or See Appendix G for the answers.
dashes (see Section .(). Parentheses can be included in
a sentence or can be a separate sentence. !e following
examples are all correct. 9.8. Hyphens and Dashes (-/–/—)
Please look at the information on verbs (Chapter 12) !ere are three varieties of hyphens and dashes: short,
for help. medium, and long. Each of them has a di,erent function.
Please look at the information on verbs (see Chap-
ter 12) for help. Hyphen (-)
Please look at the information on verbs. (See !e hyphen is the shortest line, easily made on your
Chapter 12.) keyboard on the number line. !e hyphen is used to
separate words. It can separate a word at the end of a
Please look at the information on verbs. (This informa-
line (on the syllable break only) if there is no room on
tion is located in Chapter 12.)
the line for the entire word. !is use is not as common
Please look at the information on verbs, Chapter 12, anymore, since most writing is on the computer. Often
in this book. the computer adjusts spacing to avoid dividing words.
As you see above, if the parentheses are around a com- Hyphens are also used in compound words: ex-husband,
plete sentence that is standing on its own after a sentence self-esteem. However, in many cases, compound words
Punctuation " 83
are not hyphenated. Here are some things to keep in Em Dash (—)
mind about word hyphenation.
!e em dash is longer than the en dash. On my Mac,
. Many words are not hyphenated: cooperate, rees- I press Shift+Option+hyphen simultaneously to cre-
tablish, nonfat, etc. If you cannot determine whether ate it. It is the dash most often used in text. It is used
or not to hyphenate a word, look it up in the diction- to indicate a distinct and abrupt break in thought. Yes,
ary. If you cannot find it, or if two sources say di,erent sometimes you can use parentheses or commas (only
things, the most important thing is just to be consistent if the words do not make a complete sentence) instead.
throughout your piece of writing.
We found the dog—he disappeared over a week ago—
. Some compound words use a hyphen if they are all the way across town.
placed before a noun they modify, but not if placed after
Notice that if you take the words inside the dashes
the noun. Here are some examples:
out, the sentence makes sense. You can check to make
She won a well-deserved award. sure your dashes are in the right place by taking out
the information between the dashes and reading the
The award she won was well deserved.
sentence. It should make sense. If it doesn’t, check the
She is the mother of a five-year-old boy. location of your dashes.
Her son is five years old. Dashes work well in the above sentence. However, you
I would like a well-done steak. could also use parentheses:
I like my steak well done. We found the dog (he disappeared over a week ago)
all the way across town. OR
She had a lost-puppy look. We found the dog all the way across town. (He disap-
She looked like a lost puppy. peared over a week ago.)
You cannot use commas to set o, the above material in
dashes because it is a complete sentence. However, you
En Dash (–)
can change the wording:
!e en dash is longer than a hyphen and shorter than
the long dash (called an em dash). Often people use We found the dog, which disappeared over a week
this dash instead of the long dash because it might be ago, all the way across town. (Yes, animals are which,
easier to create on the computer. On my Mac, I make not who.)
an en dash by pressing Option along with the hyphen. ✎ !ere are generally no spaces before or after hyphens
Sometimes people just use the hyphen for either dash. and dashes.
Often, people type two hyphens in a row to represent
any type of dash. Sometimes your computer will put the
two hyphens together for you. Mine doesn’t. Practice 71—
Hyphens and Dashes
!e en dash doesn’t have many purposes in writing. It is
used as the minus sign in math. In writing, it is gener- Add hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes where needed.
ally used to indicate a range: Some sentences may be correct as they are.
John Marks (1935–1990) wrote this poem. . She was very well suited for her position as chief
nurse.
verbs, 12–20 (index entry)
. My cat he disappeared for eleven days had gone all
Spring is March–June every year. the way over to the next neighborhood.
+. Please read the information on pages ) (. (Place
the correct mark between the numbers).
84 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
. !e two and a half year old boy was climbing the making letters plural if you think it improves clarity.
tree. Sometimes, you do need to put an apostrophe:
. Tom Bowers (+ )) lived in this house. (Place I got all A’s. (not to be confused with the word as)
the correct mark between the numbers).
I grew up in the 1970s.
). I don’t know perhaps you do what time the wedding
begins. I know my ABCs.
. I have seen a number of purple haired people in the ✎ With capital letters, you can decide whether to itali-
parade. cize. I like to, but if you don’t want to, just make sure
(. !e girl is three years old. you are consistent.
See Appendix G for the answers.
Foreign Terms and Phrases
9.9. Italics Uncommon foreign terms and phrases are generally
italicized, but commonly used ones are not. Once a
While italics are not actually punctuation, we can
word or phrase becomes common in English, you don’t
include them here, since they do have rules for use.
need to italicize it. !ese are among the many foreign
(Italics are the slanted letters you can make on your
words and phrases that do not require italics:
computer.) You cannot make italics in handwriting, so
don’t even try! If you are writing by hand, underlining a la carte, alma mater, bona fide, chutzpah, en
indicates italics. If using a computer, use italics. Do not route, et al., etc., non sequitur, per annum, per
use both italics and underlining at the same time! diem, magnum opus, rendezvous, savoir faire,
status quo, summa cum laude, and vice versa
Consult a dictionary if you have questions.
Words Used as Themselves
Italicize a word you use as itself, rather than as a gram-
matical part of a sentence: Titles? Italics or Quotes?
You used the word blatant incorrectly in your essay. A common use for italics is for titles. However, some
titles are quoted rather than italicized. So how do you
What does defenestrate mean?
know which is which? Generally speaking, large things
If you use a word as itself and make it plural, sources are in italics, and parts of those things are in quotes:
disagree about whether or not you need an apostrophe.
Italics Quotes
However, the s is not in italics.
Book title Short story, poem, or chapter title
You have too many thes in your sentence. OR
You have too many the’s in your sentence. Movie title Title of a scene
Although I tend to dislike putting apostrophes in, I think Play title Title of an act or scene
the second sentence is clearer. Up to you. TV series title Title of an episode
Opera title Title of an aria
Letters and Numbers Used as Themselves CD title Song title
Italicize a letter or number you use as itself.
Paintings
You left out the final e when you spelled this word.
Planes, boats, spacecraft
You left out one of the 4s in the phone number. if given names other than their brand or model
You don’t really need an apostrophe when making
a number plural. !e apostrophe can be used when
Punctuation " 85
Other Uses for Quotes 9.10. Quotation Marks (“”)
Sometimes quotes are used in text for emphasis. !is Quotation marks are most commonly used to enclose
is fine, but don’t get carried away and emphasize too direct quotations, the exact words said by someone.
much. Using italics is better than boldface, quotes, or !ey are not used for indirect quotes.
all capital letters for emphasis.
Direct quote: Mary said, “It’s really cold outside.”
Often a fiction or memoir writer will use italics to rep-
Indirect quote: Mary said that it is really cold outside.
resent thoughts rather than dialogue or background text.
(Indirect quotes often have the word that in
them.)
Practice 72—
Italics Here are some examples of using quotations marks
correctly.
Underline any words you would put in italics. Some
sentences may be correct as they are. Mary said, “It is really cold outside.”
. Please look up the word incoherent in the dictionary. “It is really cold outside,” Mary said.
. You have used I to begin your sentences too many times. “It is really cold outside,” said Mary, “but I need to
+. I would like my steak served a la carte. go out.”
. He has a new boat, which he named Lucille. A quotation, of course, can be more than one sentence
. I told you the suspect had blonde hair, not brown. long. If it is, do not put quotes around every sentence.
Just put quotes at the beginning of the quote and again
). I flew on a Boeing to Miami.
at the end. If a single quote by one person goes on for
. I just read a book called !e Silent Spring. more than one paragraph, put quotes at the beginning of
See Appendix G for the answers. the quote and at the beginning of each paragraph, but at
the end of only the last paragraph (the end of the quote).
Practice 73—
Italics Versus Quotation Marks Dialogue
Please underline (italics) or use quotes, as appropriate. If you are writing dialogue, you need to begin a new
paragraph every time a di,erent person speaks.
. Please turn to Chapter , !e Order of Operations.
. !e Mona Lisa is my favorite painting. “I am going to the movies. Do you want to come
along?” Mary asked Joe.
+. I was excited to see the movie Star Wars for the
tenth time! Joe replied, “I don’t think so. I have so much to do.”
. I always watch the television show From Now to !en, “Suit yourself,” said Mary, “but you are going to miss a
and my favorite episode is called Going to the Future. good one.”
. I thought it was weird that he called his new airplane
Honey.
Other Uses for Quotation Marks
). Gone with the Wind is a great book.
. I just sent for tickets to the play !e Book of Mormon. !ere are several other rules for using quotes. We
already talked about using quotation marks for titles
(. !ere was an article in !e New York Times called
in Section-..
Children and Technology.
. I subscribe to Time magazine. . Quote a word or phrase that comes directly from
another person or source.
. Hey! !at boat is named Sue, just like you!
See Appendix G for the answers. She said that she had a “secret magical plan” for
accomplishing her goal.
86 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
. You do not need to quote Yes and No. Jack said, “I didn’t do it.”
When I ask the questions, please just answer yes or I read the short story, “Jack and Jill.”
no.
Colons and semicolons always go outside the quota-
+. You do not need to quote well-known sayings, prov- tion marks.
erbs, or colloquial expressions. She said, “I have had enough”; then she left the room.
It is raining cats and dogs.
Bring the following items “just in case”: toothbrush,
You know that the early bird catches the worm! extra clothes, and a towel.
. Put quotation marks around slang expressions, or Question marks and exclamation points can go
words and phrases that are intentionally misspelled or either inside or outside quotation marks, depending
grammatically incorrect. on the sentence.
She replied that she had gotten the book at the He asked, “Are we there yet?” (Inside: quote is a
“liberry.” question.)
. Put quotation marks around a word or phrase that Did he say, “I hope we get there soon”? (Outside:
has an unusual or “abnormal” place in a sentence. quote is not a question, but the whole sentence is.
Quote does not get a period.)
I admire his “stick-to-it” attitude.
Did he ask, “Are we there yet?” (Inside: both quote
). In Section ., we talked about putting words used as
and sentence are questions.)
words and foreign words in italics. If you define a word,
put the definition in quotes. Exclamation points are treated exactly the same way.
The word defenestrate means “to throw out of a
window.” Single Quotation Marks
. If you use business or other jargon, put the word in Single quotation marks are used if you need quotes
quotation marks the first time you use it. inside of quotes. !at is their only use, so do not use
We were unable to get the computer “booted up” single quotes for emphasis or for any of the reasons you
with the new operating system. might use double quotes.
(. Use quotation marks after such verbs as marked and He said, “I just finished listening to ‘Take Five.’ I love
labeled. that song.”
The package was labeled “personal and confidential.” She said, “I really love the song ‘Take Five.’” (!ree
quotes in a row? Yes. !e first is the ending quote
for the song. !e other two are for the end of the
Quotation Marks with Other Punctuation quote.)
Quotation marks are often used in combination with
other punctuation: commas, periods, question marks, Practice 74—
exclamation points, and possibly semicolons and colons. Quotation Marks
!ere are specific ways to use quotation marks with Put quotation marks in the following sentences where
other punctuation. I am giving you the American way necessary. You may need to add other punctuation with
to do things. !e British style is often di,erent and the quotation marks. Some of the sentences may be
sometimes opposite of the American style. correct as is.
Periods and commas always go inside the quotation . Judy said I think it is going to rain today.
marks.
. Judy said that it will probably rain today.
“I said I didn’t do it,” said Jack.
Punctuation " 87
+. Please just answer yes or no! 9.11. Ellipses ( . . . )
. I hired her because of her I can do anything attitude.
Personally, I don’t like ellipses—probably because I
. It’s raining cats and dogs this morning. never learned how to use them correctly. However,
). Yesterday is one of my favorite Beatles songs she said fiction writers like to use them—and they do come in
. I am running late she said, and I will probably miss handy. !ey are used to indicate an omission in a quote
the beginning of the movie. or a trailing o, at the end of a sentence.
(. She asked me if I would like to see her new digs, An ellipsis consists of three periods with spaces between
which she just painted and carpeted. each. If the omission occurs at the end of the sentence,
. !e box was marked fragile, so I put it in the closet add the fourth period for the end of the sentence (or
right away. another suitable end mark, such as a question mark).
. Please do some backwards planning before you If you are indicating trailing o, at the end of the sen-
complete these lesson plans. tence, use the three periods only.
. In his speech the valedictorian began with the fol- “I think there are many reasons for this situation . . .
lowing words: !is is a day all you graduates will and the final reason is the most important.”
remember. Wherever life takes us, we will remem-
“. . . and it seems that the most important reason is
ber the friends we made in this place.
lack of action.”
. I don’t think we can solve this problem he said I
think we will need to hire outside help. She thought and thought about the mess she had
gotten herself into, sinking into deeper and deeper
See Appendix G for the answers.
despair . . .
88 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Chapter 9 Test
Punctuation
Punctuate the following sentences correctly. You can . !e only four items on the agenda are budgets vaca-
use all the punctuation marks: periods, commas, semi- tions report formats and marketing.
colons, colons, parentheses, brackets, hyphens, dashes, ). I did not do very well on the test however so I failed
quotation marks, ellipses, question marks, underlining the course.
(italics), and exclamation marks. !ere will sometimes
. !e word collaborate means to work together.
be options as to what punctuation you can use. Do your
best. Some sentences may be correct as they are. (. He was very self confident when he went on
interviews.
. I finished the project should I send it to you?
. My neighbor he was gone for five months sailed
. My coworker and her friends are coming to visit. around the world.
+. He said I heard the song Forget You. . Please read the information on pages ) (. (Place
. Life of Pi didn’t win the Oscar. the correct mark between the numbers.)
. Bob was usually a quiet man however he screamed . My six and a half year old cousin looks like my sister.
upon entering the room. . Jean Smith MD has just started to work here.
). To whom it may concern +. I think you should pack these clothes for the trip a
. I love the television show Detectives of New York suit shoes black brown and white socks and three
and my favorite episode is called !e Man in the shirts.
Tan Shirt. . Yes Elaine the party is at my house.
(. It is a cold rainy day. . My address is )( Park St Albany New York (
. !is book which was written by William Golding is please send my mail there not to my old address.
my favorite. ). Although this food tastes terrible I will eat it anyway.
. !e cookies that are on top of the table are for you . I failed the test because I didn’t study.
and your friends.
(. I am running late she said, and I will probably miss
. I decided not to attend the meeting and went to the the beginning of the movie
movies instead.
. I love his can’t fail attitude.
. don’t know if I will ever get over this she said as her
+. I can’t believe since I didn’t do anything wrong that
voice trailed o,.
I got fired.
+. I packed these three items for my hike water a jacket
and a knife.
. I was born on August ( in Lincoln Nebraska. See Appendix G for the answers.
Chapter 10
Capitalization
10.1. Introduction Common Noun Proper Noun
Capitalization can be tricky. While the basic rules are boy Michael
easy, you will always find something that makes you school Wilson High School
stop and wonder. If you have a question about whether
or not a word or phrase should be capitalized, consult soup Campbell’s soup
a comprehensive style guide or dictionary. If there is (Soup isn’t really part of the name.)
disagreement, be consistent in your capitalization if the computer Apple computer
word(s) is used in the same context, whether or not you (Computer isn’t part of the name,
decide to capitalize. unless you are talking about the company.)
In this chapter we will go over some primary capitaliza- theory Theory of Relativity
tion conventions, but mainly some of the more confus-
newspaper The New York Times
ing aspects of capitalization.
(The is actually part of the name, so it would
be capitalized. !is is not always the case.)
10.2. The Basic Rules magazine Seventeen magazine
Here are some easy ones: (In this case, magazine is not actually
part of the name of the magazine.
. Capitalize the first word of a sentence. Therefore, it is not capitalized or italicized.
Always be consistent in your capitalization.
!e next several rules are more specific rules about
Also capitalize phrases or clauses that are used as com- proper nouns.
plete sentences:
. Capitalize cities, states, countries, continents, oceans,
Enough said. islands, streets, mountains, forests, and regions of
Also capitalize an independent question within a the country
sentence: Examples: Boston, Massachusetts, France, Asia,
Pacific Ocean, Bahamas, Jones Street,
The question is Did you or did you not steal the car?
Rocky Mountains, Sherwood Forest,
. Always capitalize the pronoun I, as well as I’ve and New England, the Midwest
I’m and I’d.
. Capitalize the names of clubs, teams, and govern-
+. Capitalize proper nouns and proper adjectives. A ment bodies.
common noun is a person, place, thing, or idea.
Examples: Boy Scouts, New York Mets, House of
A- proper noun is a specific person, place, thing, or
Representatives
idea.
90 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
). Capitalize holidays, events, and historical periods. Practice 75—
Examples: Thanksgiving, Sonoma County Fair, Basic Capitalization Rules
Bronze Age, Civil War Some of the words in these sentences should be capi-
. Capitalize the names of nationalities, races, and talized and are not. Others are capitalized and should
peoples. not be. Circle any word that is incorrectly capitalized
Examples: Japanese, Native American, Aztecs or incorrectly not capitalized. Some sentences may be
correct as they are.
(. Capitalize businesses and brand names
. i love the Spring because the weather begins to get
Examples: First Union Bank, Kleenex tissues
warm.
. Capitalize the names of ships, trains, spacecraft, and . !e fourth of July is my favorite holiday.
aircraft.
+. i’m going to visit aunt Joyce in Florida over winter
Examples: Mayflower, Gemini V, Spirit of St. Louis break.
. Capitalize the names of buildings and other . I think Mayor Jost will win the Election again.
structures. . I think there will be a full Moon tonight.
Examples: Empire State Building, Hoover Dam ). !e Celtics Basketball Team won the championship
. Capitalize the names of awards, monuments, and that year.
memorials. . In history class, we are learning about the Greek
Examples: Nobel Peace Prize, Washington Monu- Gods.
ment, Lincoln Memorial. (. Mike Scott is the new mayor of our city.
. Capitalize religions, holy books, and some deities. . !e President of the United States is about to make
a speech.
Examples: Buddhism, the Bible, Allah, God
(Note that the word god is not capi- . we traveled over the Rocky mountains on our vaca-
talized when it refers to a mythologi- tion, and we stayed in a really nice Hotel.
cal god.) . !e question is what time should we leave?
+. Capitalize planets, stars, constellations, and other . until we meet again.
heavenly bodies See Appendix G for the answers.
Examples: Jupiter, the Milky Way, Orion’s Belt
(Note that sun, moon, and, often,
earth are not capitalized.) 10.3. More Capitalization Rules
. Capitalize a person’s title if it comes before the name. Here are some less obvious, but very important, capi-
talization rules:
Examples: Mr. Jones, Dr. Abbott, Mayor Flynn, Presi-
dent Seymour.
. Capitalize a word that shows a family relationship if Titles
it comes before the name or is used in place of the !ere are several styles in capitalizing titles (book titles,
name. movie titles, chapter titles, headlines, etc.):
Examples: Aunt Joan (but Joan, my aunt), Mom Capitalize the first word only.
(but my mom), Grandma Wallis (but my
grandma). Capitalize the first letter of every word.
Capitalize every letter.
!e most common, and traditional style, however, is as
follows:
Capitalization " 91
Capitalize the first letter of all words with these three period after it. !en, put a more appropriate closing.
exceptions: Also, avoid the sentence Thank you in advance.
• Articles (a, an, the) unless the article is the first
or last word of the title. First and last words are Earth
always capitalized.
Many people feel that earth should always be capital-
• Coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, ized (except when it refers to dirt), but this is not the
yet, and so—be careful because sometimes yet case. Earth is capitalized when it is used in a sentence
and so can be used as adverbs). with other heavenly bodies that are capitalized.
• Prepositions of four letters or fewer (such as in, Jupiter and Saturn are larger than Earth.
out, by, with, for, as, to)
Otherwise, you can use lowercase for earth. Alterna-
✎ Make sure you always capitalize the words is, am, tively, you can choose to capitalize Earth when it is not
are, was, and other forms of the to be verb. !ey preceded by the article the.
are short, but they are verbs, and verbs are always
Life on Earth is relatively new in the scheme of the
capitalized in titles.
cosmos.
We need to save the resources of the earth for future
Directions generations.
Do not capitalize north, south, east, and west when they
are directions. However, do capitalize them when they
Seasons
refer to a geographic area.
!e seasons are not capitalized. !e months, days of the
Head south down Broadway.
week, and holidays are, but the seasons are not unless
The population in the South is growing. they are part of a title.
He comes from southern California. I would say that summer is my favorite season.
He is from the Midwest. Are you going to the Snowflake Winter Festival next
weekend?
Letter/Email Salutations and Closings
!e first words of both the greetings and closings of Some “Common” Proper Nouns
letters/memos/emails are capitalized. Many times, all A few words have become so common that they are no
the words in a greeting are capitalized because they are longer capitalized:
titles or names.
french fries
Dear Mayor:
roman numerals
Dear Sir:
✎ It is best to consult a dictionary to see if other words
Dear Mr. Smith such as these are capitalized.
To whom it may concern:
President of the United States and Other Titles
Sincerely yours, Titles are capitalized when they precede, and are thus
Yours truly, part of, a name. Otherwise, they are generally lowercase.
+. Thank you is not really an appropriate closing to a let- Listen carefully when Mayor Jones is speaking.
ter. If you say thank you, make it a sentence and put a The mayor is speaking.
92 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
An exception is President, but only when it refers to the Words That Come Before Numbers
President of the United States.
Do not capitalize line, paragraph, page, note, step, and
The company president is resigning. size before a number. Do capitalize chapter, figure, room,
and most other words that precede numbers.
The speech was made by President Jones of ABC
Company. Refer to line 5.
You should vote to reelect President Jones. See Chapter 7.
The President will be going by as the parade passes Go to page 550.
the White House.
I am in Room 110.
This dress is a size 8.
Departments
Go back to step 10.
Company departments are generally not capitalized
unless they refer to the writer’s own company.
Hyphenated Words
I spoke to the credit department about my bill.
If a capitalized word happens to be hyphenated, the sec-
The Advertising Department is meeting in five
ond part of the word is not usually capitalized:
minutes.
I live on Thirty-fourth Street.
In a hyphenated word, capitalize only the part of the
School Courses
word that is a proper noun or adjective:
!e names of languages are always capitalized in course
titles. Otherwise, general course topics are not capital- He is a Spanish-speaking student.
ized, but the names of specific courses are capitalized. I am going to a mid-December party.
I am taking French, math, World History II, art, and
science this semester.
Practice 76—
More Capitalization
Decades Some of the words in these sentences should be capi-
Do not capitalize the names of decades and centuries talized and are not. Others are capitalized and should
unless they are special expressions. not be. Circle any word that is incorrectly capitalized
or incorrectly not capitalized. Some sentences may be
the twenties correct as they are.
the twenty-first century . I like my French fries with ketchup, and my french
the Roaring Twenties toast with butter only.
. I did my report on the di,erences between Mars and
Earth.
Dog Breeds/Names
+. (letter salutation) Dear sirs:
Dog breeds are generally not capitalized unless there (letter closing) Yours truly,
is a proper noun or adjective in the name. !at word is
. We are voting for class President today.
then capitalized.
. Please turn to chapter ), page .
German shepherd
). I just found out I need to take an Algebra class to
Boston terrier graduate on time.
poodle . We need to stop the destruction of earth by control-
ling climate change.
Capitalization " 93
(. Sometimes I wish I lived back in the !irties because . I am trying to make some irish stew for dinner
I love the fashion! tomorrow night.
. I heard that algebra II is a very di.cult class. . I can tell from her accent that she is from the south.
. My friend just wrote a book called !e Color Of My ). Back to the future is one of my favorite movies.
Dress is Blue. . I was so young I barely remember president Carter.
. Head East on North Street. (. She moved to West thirty-third Street.
. I just adopted an Alaskan Malamute from the local . She is from Mid-Texas.
shelter.
. I read A Tale of two Cities last week.
+. !e meeting is in room .
See Appendix G for the answers.
94 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Chapter 10 Test
Capitalization
Most of these sentences have capitalization errors: . !e question I always ask myself is Did I leave a big
words that should be capitalized and are not and words enough tip?
that are capitalized that shouldn’t be. Circle all the capi- . My new courses include Introduction to Music,
talization errors in each sentence. Some sentences may Advanced Calculus, and a Sociology course.
be correct as they are.
). Please save the earth by taking care of it!
. My brothers both joined the United States army . Guess who’s Coming to Dinner was a very popular
when they graduated from high school. movie decades ago.
. I like to read !e New York times every day. (. Love is all You Need was written by the beatles, a
+. I don’t really like Winter, but I enjoy going to the very popular singing group in the Sixties.
Winter Festival in our town. . You should head North to get home.
. !e answers to the questions in chapter ( are on .!ere were poodles, collies, Dalmations, and an
page . Irish Setter at the Animal Shelter today.
. On St. Patrick’s day, my Mom and my cousin Frankie . She is from an Italian-Speaking family, although she
go to the Parade. speaks english very well.
). I wrote to the complaint department at ABX Com- . My address is Twenty-!ird Street, Portland,
pany to discuss my computer. Oregon.
. I am really excited about going to the middle east +. I was a member of the Girl scouts when I was a child,
next month with mom and dad. and I also took Piano Lessons from John Smith, ph.d.
(. I spoke to both a senator and mayor Blue last night. . I was amazed at the beauty of the Golden Gate
. I can see both Mars and the Moon tonight. bridge when I visited California to see my cousin
. Polytheism refers to the belief in many gods rather Sue.
than just one. . I work in the Human Resources Department, and
. I signed the letter with “Sincerely Yours.” my job consists of interviewing recent College grad-
uates for Sales jobs.
. better luck next time!
+. I learned the roman numerals at Burke Elementary
school, but i don’t remember them any longer. See Appendix G for the answers.
Chapter 11
Some Really Important Grammar Issues
11.1. Introduction SEPAR ATE T WO COMPLETE SEN TENCES
WITH JUST A COMMA. Yes, I am yelling to make
!is is really the most important chapter in this book
my point here.
because it most a,ects the way you write and speak.
However, you need to go through the rest of the book Here are some correct ways to separate sentences:
to gain the background for understanding the issues • You can put a period to separate them instead of the
in this chapter. Some of the issues have been touched comma, and then start the second one with a capital
upon in other chapters; others are new here. letter. (I read. My sister sewed.)
• You can use the comma, but add a conjunction. (I
11.2. Run-on Sentences read, and my sister sewed.)
(and Fragments) • You can use a semicolon if the sentences are closely
One of the most important things to do when you are related. Do not use a capital letter after a semicolon.
writing is to avoid run-on sentences. Another is to (I read; my sister sewed.)
avoid writing sentence fragments, although there is a • You can use a colon if the second sentence is a result
time and place for them (but not in formal writing). of the first sentence or explains the first sentence. (I
read to my sister: she does not know how to read
yet.) Any of the other three ways to fix this sentence
Run-on Sentences would work just as well as using the colon, which
A run-on sentence can be any length. Some people isn’t used too often to connect sentences.
think a run-on sentence is just a really long sentence,
!ere is never a right time to use a run-on sentence.
but a sentence can be a mile long and still be a perfectly
legitimate sentence, although perhaps not a very well-
written one. Fragments
1. After I got up this morning, I went out for a run, and Sentence fragments are words that are put together
then I came back and took the dog for a walk, and and followed by a period, but that are not complete
then I ate breakfast and got dressed because I had thoughts. Sometimes writers use fragments for e,ect,
to go to work. and that is okay, as long as they are aware that they are
2. I read, my sister sewed. fragments. If you are trying to pass something o, as a
sentence, but it is a fragment, that is a problem. Usually
Sentence is not a run on, although it is very long and the fragments that a writer thinks might be a real sen-
not well written. tence are dependent adverb clauses—the clauses that
Sentence is a run on. begin with although, since, whenever, wherever, until,
and especially because.
A run on is a sentence that is actually two or more sen-
tences that are strung together and not separated prop- Because I just met you yesterday is not a sentence.
erly. Look at sentence above. It contains two complete You need to add a whole independent clause to it
sentences separated by a comma. YOU CANNOT to make it a sentence. !is sentence is fine:
96 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Because I just met you yesterday, I cannot go in the If your subject is singular, the verb that goes with that
car with you. subject must also be singular. If the subject is plural, its
verb must be plural. Yes, there are singular and plural
I wouldn’t recommend using fragments in cover letters
verb forms (generally the distinction is mostly in pres-
or college essays. However, there is a time and a place
ent tense): Take the verb run. You would say she runs.
for a well-written fragment for e,ect. Many authors,
But you would say they run. Runs, then, is the singular
including me, use them in our books. Enough said.
form of the verb, since it sounds right with he, a singular
(Fragment!)
pronoun. We don’t say he run; we say they run, because
Here is a sample paragraph from a short story that uses run is the plural form of the verb. It is the opposite of
two fragments for e,ect: nouns. !e noun with the -s at the end is the plural one
She was tall. Very tall. She made her way over to (usually), but the plural verb form is generally the one
the buffet line, and he couldn’t help staring at her. without the -s.
He wanted to follow her and to say something witty. !e purpose of a pronoun is to take the place of a noun
Something to catch her attention. or another pronoun. !e antecedent is the word that
the pronoun is taking the place of. !e pronoun must
agree in both number (singular or plural) and gender
Practice 77—
(male or female) with its antecedent:
Run Ons and Fragments
Judy brought her suitcase. Judy is singular and
Identify each group of words as either a proper sen-
female, so we use her to replace it; we don’t use
tence, a fragment, or a run on. Fragments and run ons
him (male) or they (plural).
can be fixed in a number of ways. Try to fix the frag-
ments and run ons. Usually agreement is pretty simple, and we do it right
just because it “sounds right” that way. And while that
. I am getting ready to give a party on Friday night.
is true, there are some issues that make it more com-
. Since everyone will be bringing a snack to share. plicated than it seems. We will discuss those in the fol-
+. I am providing drinks and some great desserts. lowing sections.
. Many of my friends are coming, some of my neigh-
bors are too.
Interrupting Words and Phrases with Subject/
. Maybe having a costume party. Verb Agreement
). I am baking my specialty: chocolate chip apple pie.
Sue goes to college. (Goes is singular and agrees
. Apples, cinnamon, chocolate chips, butter, all mixed with Sue.)
together.
Sue, along with her brother and her cousins, goes to
(. Are you coming, I sent you an invitation and didn’t
college. (still singular)
hear back from you.
. It is going to be a fun time. Sue, accompanied by her brother, goes to dance les-
sons. (still singular)
. Come.
See Appendix G for the answers. Phrases such as along with, together with, as well as, in
addition to, accompanied by, including, except, and and
not do not make a singular subject plural.
11.3. Agreement If you have a positive subject and then a negative sub-
Agreement means that verbs agree in number with their ject, the verb agrees with the positive subject:
subjects, and pronouns agree in number and gender Sue, but not her brothers, is going to college. (still
with their antecedents. Huh? Okay. Let’s simplify that. singular)
Important Grammar Issues " 97
Prepositional and other phrases inserted between sub- John or his brother is going with us. (singular: one
ject and verb also do not change the number of the or the other one)
subject:
The boys or the girls are going first. (plural: It is
The photographer for the three weddings has not either boys or girls and each is plural by itself.)
been selected. (singular)
What about this one, where one subject is singular and
The painting that we ordered when we ordered the six the other is plural?
frames has not arrived yet. (still singular)
Either the girl or her brothers ____ going with us. Is
this one is (singular) or are (plural)? It is plural.
Practice 78— In this case, the verb agrees with the noun closer
Agreement to it. So,
Choose the verb that agrees with the subject. Either the girls or the boy is going with us is also
correct because this time the singular subject
. Mary, along with her three brothers, (is, are) going (boy) is closer to the verb.
to college in New England.
. !ey (walk, walks) three miles every morning.
+. !e dresses for the wedding party (has, have) not yet
Practice 79—
been chosen.
More Agreement
. !e pizza, in addition to the salad and desserts, (is, Choose the correct verb that agrees with the subject(s).
are) dinner for tonight. . John and his friends (is, are) going fishing on
. !e dog that I adopted when I still had the other two Saturday.
dogs (live, lives) in the garage at night. . Either John or Uncle Fred (is, are) renting a boat.
See Appendix G for the answers. +. Either Juliet or her sister (has, have) your books.
. Either the red dress with the bows or the three green
Using and, or, neither, either Between Subjects shirts (was, were) on sale, but I don’t remember
which!
Two (or more) subjects joined by and will always be plu-
. Neither the trumpet players nor the tuba player (is,
ral, even if each one is singular on its own, because we
are) tuned up yet.
are adding them together:
See Appendix G for the answers.
Jack and Jill are going up the hill. (plural)
The boy and the girl are going up the hill. (plural)
Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement
Both the boy and the girls are going up the hill.
All the rules in the preceding section apply to pronoun/
(plural)
antecedent agreement, as well as subject/verb agree-
Both the boys and the girl are going up he hill. ment. Look at these examples:
(plural)
Judy, along with her friends, is bringing her suitcase.
Both the boys and the girls are going up the hill. (singular)
(plural)
Judy, accompanied by her friends, is going to her
Two subjects joined by or or nor can be either singular prom. (singular)
or plural depending on the subjects. We are not adding
Judy, but not her friends, is going to her prom.
them together, as we do with and. Look at the following
(singular)
examples:
The painting that we ordered when we ordered the
three frames is in its box. (singular)
98 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Either Judy or her sister is bringing her guitar. these pronouns are singular, some are plural, and oth-
(singular) ers can be either singular or plural.
Either Judy or her sisters are bringing their guitars. . Everyone, everything, everybody, anyone, anything,
(plural) anybody, someone, something, somebody, no one, noth-
ing, nobody, each, neither, either, nothing, and one are
Either her sisters or Judy is bringing her guitar.
(singular) singular.
Everyone is bringing his or her suitcase.
What about this?
Everyone is singular. !e verb is agrees and is also singu-
Either Judy or her brother is bringing ____ guitar.
lar. !e pronoun his or her, which refers back to every-
One is female and the other is male. What do we do? one agrees because it is also singular.
How about just saying a guitar ? Rewriting to avoid an
issue is often the best solution. Most people would say
Everyone is bringing their suitcase.
Sentences That Begin with There Is this okay? Their is plural, but everyone is singular.
Even though a sentence may begin with the word there, Yes and no. !e English language doesn’t have one word
there is never a subject. In this type of sentence, the for the singular that can be either male or female. Of
subject will be right after the verb, so you can figure out course, if we know that only girls are going, we can eas-
if the verb should be singular or plural by looking at the ily say her suitcase. Problem solved. But if both girls
noun or pronoun after the verb. and boys are going, we have no singular word for that
without using his or her.
There are three books on that shelf. Yes, plural.
It is perfectly fine and correct to use his or her. It is
There is three books on that shelf. No, not singular.
also now acceptable (in some style guides and to some
people) to use their as a singular in this case. I wouldn’t
Practice 80— recommend using their in the singular in a formal letter
More Agreement or college application.
Choose the correct answer for each sentence: Avoid using he/she, (s)he, or alternating between he
and she. !e best thing to do is to rewrite; why not just
. Ellen, along with her sisters, (is bringing her lunch, say
are bringing their lunches).
Everyone is bringing a suitcase.
. Either my cousin or my uncles (is taking his vacation,
are taking their vacations) in France. . Both, few, several, and many are indefinite pronouns
+. !ere (is, are) three pieces of pizza left in the box. that are plural:
. Either John or Kate is singing in (his, her, his or her, Several are bringing their suitcases.
their) first concert ever! Few are bringing their suitcases.
. !ere (is, are) not many apples left on the tree.
Both are bringing their suitcases.
See Appendix G for the answers.
Many are bringing their suitcases.
+. All, any, more, most, none, and some can be either
Indefinite Pronouns
singular or plural, depending upon how they are used.
Indefinite pronouns probably present the biggest issue Usually they are followed by a prepositional phrase.
with pronoun/antecedent agreement. We have dis- Look at the noun in that phrase. !e verb generally
cussed these pronouns before (Section- ).). Some of agrees with the noun in the phrase.
All of the pie is gone.
Important Grammar Issues " 99
All of the cookies are gone. The band are tuning their instruments.
Any of the children can take their naps. In the above example, we used a plural verb and a plural
pronoun, thus assuming that band is plural. Is it?
Any of the cake is available to cut.
Collective nouns are singular when they are thought of
More of the pizza is gone than left on the plate.
as a single unit. !ey are considered plural when we
More of the pieces have been eaten. are talking about the members of the collective noun as
Most of the cake is gone. individuals rather than a unit.
Most of the cookies are gone. The band are tuning their instruments. (Plural: !ey
are acting as individuals.)
None of the pizza is left.
The band is having a party after the show. (Singular:
None of the pieces are left. !ey are having a party together, as a unit.)
Some of the people have left. Can you see the di,erence in these sentences?
Some of the crowd has gone. My family is coming over for Christmas dinner.
One of is generally singular. My family are coming from all over the country to
One of my books is missing. visit us for Christmas.
In the first sentence the family is a unit, all coming over
together. In the second sentence, the individuals in the
Singular Nouns That Look Plural
family are being talked about, since they are coming
News, mathematics, thermodynamics, and other such from di,erent places; they are not a unit.
words that end in -s are singular, although they may
look plural. So, we use singular verbs with them. Will the sky fall if you use a singular verb with a collective
noun? No. In fact, if you use a plural, it may sound wrong
The news is good. to some people. However, it is correct to make the dis-
Mathematics is my favorite subject. tinction between singular and plural collective nouns.
Collective Nouns A Quirky Little Issue
We discussed collective nouns in Section-.. !ey are All the girls wore a gown to the prom.
nouns that, while singular, represent a group. !ey can Be careful here. Did all the girls wear the same gown?
generally also be made plural. Here are some singular !e sentence is confusing. !e correct way to say or
forms of collective nouns: write this sentence is
group, band, family, flock, class, herd, tribe, bunch, All the girls wore gowns to the prom.
committee, clan, club, pack, cast
People usually use singular verbs and pronouns with
Practice 81—
these words:
More Agreement
The band is playing in the parade.
Choose the correct answer in the following sentences:
The class is having its party today.
. !e news about my dogs (is, are) good.
However, there is a distinction to be made, and some- . One of these songs (is, are) my favorite.
times these collective nouns are plural. When we use
+. Everyone who has a ticket can take (his or her, their)
plural verbs to agree with them, however, sometimes
seat now.
we sound wrong because most everyone just uses them
as singular all the time. Check this out: . Few (is, are) selected to be in the show.
100 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
. Many of my friends (is, are) coming to the party. ✎ !ere are, of course, exceptions. One of them is fun.
). Most of the pizza (is, are) gone. !ere is no funner or funnest! It is more fun and most
fun.
. !e vase, along with all the flowers, (was, were)
thrown away. Two-syllable adjectives and adverbs:
(. None of the boys (is, are) old enough to drive. • Most add -er for comparative. If they end in -y, the
. (Is, Are) physics or economics you favorite subject? y generally changes to an i, thus making the ending
-ier. Others have no form ending in -er (particularly
Correct any of the following sentences that isn’t already
adverbs). In that case, use more for comparative:
correct:
funnier, prettier, lonelier, more sudden, more quickly,
. All of the bridesmaids wore a purple dress. more slowly.
. !e band are tuning up their instruments. • Most add -est for superlative. If they end in -y the y
. My company is having a picnic on Friday. generally changes to an i, thus making the ending -iest.
+. !e family is all going their separate ways for Christ- Others have no form ending in -est. In that case use
mas this year. most for superlative: funniest, prettiest, loneliest, most
. One of the men are wearing a red hat. sudden, most quickly, most slowly.
. All of the students are carrying a dog. ✎ If there is a form that ends in -er or -est, use it. Do
See Appendix G for the answers. not use more or most before the adjective unless no
-er or -est form exists. Consult your dictionary to
find out. For example, do not say more happy, since
11.4. Comparison there is the correct word happier.
Adjectives and adverbs have comparative and superla- ✎ Avoid double comparisons: Do not say more happier.
tive forms, used for comparison: !ree-syllable or more adjectives and adverbs:
I am taller than you. Use more and most before the adjective or adverb:
First of all, remember to use than in comparisons, not more beautiful, most adventurous, more happily,
then. Then is an adverb that has to do with time. most glorious.
Use the comparative form of the adjective or adverb ✎ Adjectives that end in a su.x such as -ous or -ful will
when comparing two items. never have an -er or -est ending. Use more or most.
For example, more wonderful, not wonderfuler.
I am taller than you.
Use the superlative form of the adjective or adverb What If It Isn’t More? What If It Is Less?
when comparing three or more items.
If you are going the other direction in your comparison,
I am the tallest of the three of us brothers. always use less for comparative and least for superlative:
I am less intelligent than you are.
Forming Comparatives and Superlatives
My brother is the least intelligent of us all.
One-syllable adjectives and adverbs:
This ride is less fun than that one.
• Add -er to adjectives and adverbs to form the com-
parative: taller, smaller, colder, warmer, hotter, sooner This ride is the least fun of all.
• Add -est to adjectives and adverbs to form the super- I am less pretty than my sister.
lative: tallest, smallest, coldest, warmest, hottest, My cousin is the least pretty of the three of us.
soonest
I snore less quietly than my brother.
My sister snores the least quietly of us all.
Important Grammar Issues " 101
Irregular Forms . !e roller coaster was (funner. more fun) than the
Ferris wheel.
!ere are some adjectives and adverbs that add neither
-er/-est or more/most to make them comparative or ). Which do you like (least, less), poetry or opera?
superlative. Here are some: . !is doll is (fragiler, more fragile) than that one.
good better best (. Who makes (more, the most) money, you or your
brother?
bad worse worse
. Of all the types of food, I know (less, the least) about
many more most Asian food.
. He talks (louder, more loudly) when he is angry.
Faulty Comparisons . !e poodle is the (taller, tallest, most tall) of the six
Look at this sentence: dogs here.
She likes pizza more than me! . !e weather is (more worse, worse, worser) today
than it was yesterday.
What does the sentence mean? Does it mean she likes
+. He is the (less, least) adventurous of the two of us.
pizza more than I like pizza? Or does it mean that she
likes pizza more than she likes me? . She is shorter than (I, me).
. My older brother is (more truthful, truthfuler, most
Well, you probably would think it means that she likes
truthful) than my twin brother.
pizza more than I like pizza. And that is usually the
intention of the writer. However, the sentence actually See Appendix G for the answers.
means that she likes pizza more than she likes me.
When you write a comparison like the one above, put in 11.5. Misplaced Modifiers
the missing words, if even just in your head. !en, you will
One of the easiest mistakes to make when you are writ-
use the correct pronoun. Compare these two sentences:
ing is the misplaced or dangling modifier. A modifier is
She likes pizza more than I like pizza. a word or phrase (or clause) that describes or modifies
She likes pizza more than she likes me. something. Adjectives and adverbs are modifiers.
If you are writing a comparison like this, you can leave Participles are, if you remember from Section-+., adjec-
out the words, but pretend they are there to figure out tives that come from verbs. Prepositional phrases (Sec-
which pronoun to use: tion-+.) are also modifiers and can be used as adjectives
or adverbs. And it is participles and prepositional
She likes pizza more than I. (more than I like pizza) phrases that are most often misplaced.
She likes pizza more than me. (more than she In the English language, it is assumed that modifiers
likes me) are placed near what they are modifying, or describing.
Look at these sentences:
Practice 82— Sitting in my lap, my cat yawned and stretched.
Comparison Laughing, she ran down the hill.
Choose the correct answer:
She heard on the news that there was a big parade
. She is the (taller, tallest) of the two sisters. on Thanksgiving.
. She likes school more than (I, me). !ese sentences are all correct. Now look at these
+. She says she likes me, but I really think she likes my sentences:
sister more than (I, me).
Reading a book by the window, my cat scratched
. You would be (more smart, more smarter, smarter) my hand.
if you used more common sense!
102 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Laughing, that joke seemed very funny to me. . Growling loudly, I knew it was time to feed my hun-
gry dog.
She heard about the parade on the news.
). Freshly baked, I took the cookies out of the oven.
!ese sentences are all incorrect. !e modifiers are mis-
. Looking around, I spotted my cousins in the crowd.
placed (not near what they are modifying in the sentence)
or dangling (not modifying anything in the sentence). (. Many of the people in the audience after her perfor-
mance congratulated her and gave her flowers.
!e first sentence says that the cat is reading a book by
. At p.m. next Monday, the employees who attended
the window. !e participial phrase reading a book by
the meeting said there would be a follow-up
the window is dangling because it doesn’t describe any-
discussion.
thing in the sentence. It is meant to describe I, but there
is no I in the sentence. Note that it doesn’t describe my . Take this big bag and go to the library with all the
hand, because my hand wasn’t reading either! Here is books.
one of the ways to correct the sentence: See Appendix G for the answers.
While I was reading a book by the window, my cat
scratched my hand.
11.6. Possessives
!e second sentence says that the joke was laughing.
Possessives are forms of nouns and pronouns that show
However, I was laughing. Here are some ways to cor-
ownership. Most of the time, making a noun possessive
rect the sentence:
is pretty simple, but some problems can arise.
Laughing, I thought the joke was funny.
I laughed because I thought the joke was funny. Singular Nouns
I laughed at the funny joke. Add an apostrophe and an s to most singular nouns to
!e third sentence says that the parade was on the news. make them possessive.
!e prepositional phrase on the news is in the wrong boy—the boy’s toy
place. Most anyone reading the sentence would prob-
ably understand what you meant, but it really isn’t writ- book—the book’s plot
ten correctly. Here is a way to fix the sentence: dog—the dog’s bone
On the news I heard about the parade. ✎ Sometimes you have what looks like a compound
It is very easy to unintentionally put misplaced modi- possessive. Here is what you do:
fiers in your writing, so be very careful! My mom and dad’s new car is in the driveway. (Just
make the last noun possessive because it belongs
to both of them.)
Practice 83—
Misplaced Modifiers My mom’s and dad’s new cars are in the driveway.
(Make them both possessive, since cars is plural;
Some of the following sentences are correct; others have they each have a new car.)
some type of misplaced or dangling modifier. Identify
which sentences are incorrect and fix them if you can.
!ere are always multiple ways to fix a sentence. Plural Nouns
. He read from his new book wearing glasses. Add just an apostrophe to plural nouns that end in s.
. I heard about the volcano on the evening news. boys—the boys’ toys (belonging to more than one
+. While still in diapers, my mother went back to college. boy)
. Forgetting I had a cake in the oven, I took the dog books—the books’ plots (belonging to more than
for a walk. one book)
Important Grammar Issues " 103
dogs—the dogs’ bones (belonging to more than John Smart’s book
one dog) Annie Green’s dress
buses—the buses’ routes (belonging to more than
How about plural possessive last names? First, you need
one bus) to figure out how to make the name plural. !en you
Add apostrophe and s to plurals that end in something need to figure out how to make that possessive. (Once
other than s. again it is best to go by how you would pronounce the
name.) Of course, you can always rewrite to avoid hav-
children—children’s toys
ing to use the possessive (often the best idea).
men—men’s suits
The Thomases’ house (singular: !omas, plural:
mice—mice’s cheese !omases)
The Gonzaleses’ house (singular: Gonzales, plural:
Words That Already End in -s Gonzaleses)
Some singular words end in -s or even -ss. !ese words The Greens’ house (this one is easy)
are generally treated the same as any other noun. To To avoid the situation?
form the possessive, you still add an apostrophe and
an s (you can usually go by how you pronounce the The Thomas family’s house
possessive). The house that belongs to the Gonzales family
boss—boss’s (belonging to the boss)
bosses—bosses’ (belonging to more than one boss) Exceptions
Note that the two words above are pronounced the Some words that end in -s do not add an apostrophe and
same, but spelled di,erently. One is singular possessive an s to make the possessive. !ese are the exceptions.
and the other plural possessive. Words and names that end in -es with the sound of -ez
princess—princess’s (belonging to one princess) add simply an apostrophe. Here are some examples:
princesses—princesses’ (belonging to more than Socrates—Socrates’ (belonging to Socrates)
one princess) Hercules—Hercules’ (belonging to Hercules)
Thomas—Thomas’s (belonging to !omas)
✎ Note that Jesus and Moses are also exceptions and
Mr. Douglass—Mr. Douglass’s (belonging to simply add an apostrophe for the possessive: Jesus’
Mr.-Douglass) and Moses’
Words that end in -x actually have an -s sound at the end
and are treated the same way: Possessive Pronouns
fox—fox’s (belonging to the fox) Here are the possessive pronouns:
foxes—foxes’ (belonging to more than one fox) my, mine, our, ours, your, yours, his, her, hers, its,
their, theirs, whose
Last Names Notice that none of them has an apostrophe in it.
Remember this next time you are confused about its
Last names can be tricky because when you make them
versus it’s.
possessive, you are often also making them plural.
✎ Please do not put apostrophes in your plain old plu-
First, let’s look at some singular possessives:
ral words, because you will usually be wrong. !ere
Jean Thomas’s desk are very few plurals that have apostrophes (see
Section-.).
104 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Practice 84— Here is an example that is a little more complicated:
Possessives Jon felt that to do well in his new job he had to
Choose the correct answer: impress his boss by writing his reports on time, by
answering all his e-mails in a timely manner, and to
. !is is Mr. (Glass’, Glass’s, Glasses) book.
be courteous to his customers. (Make it parallel by
. !is is my older (brothers’, brother’s, brothers) saying by being courteous to his customers.)
motorcycle.
Here is another example:
+. Our new house has room for a (childrens’, children’s)
playroom. Sarah thought that she was being a good parent
. !e cat hasn’t finished (its, it’s, its’) food yet. when she let her kids do whatever they wanted and
not telling them when they made bad choices.
. !ese are my three (sisters, sister’s, sisters’, sisters’s)
rooms. Here is the same sentence with parallel construction:
). !is is my (boss’, boss’s) o.ce. Sarah thought that she was being a good parent
. We read about (Socrates’s, Socrates, Socrates’) ideas when she let her kids do whatever they wanted and
in this course. when she kept quiet when they made bad choices.
(. !at house on the corner is (ours, our’s).
. (Who’s, Whose, Who’se) new car is that? Parallel Structure in Lists
. !is is the (Clarks, Clark’s, Clarks’ house), where five It is important to make your lists parallel. If one of your
children and their parents live. list items is a compete sentence, all your items should
. My (horses, horse’s) stable is right over there. be complete sentences. If all items are phrases, they
. (John and Jane’s, John’s and Jane’s) house is across should be constructed in the same way. Here is a list
the street. that is not parallel.
+. (John and Jane’s, John’s and Jane’s) houses are across In this class, you will learn
the street from each other.
• how to use the new software
. (My mother and father, My mother and father’s, My
mother’s and father’s) new car is red. • how to design a newsletter
. (Her’s, hers) is the green gown. • how to use special e,ects
See Appendix G for the answers. • writing e,ective text
• how to publish your newsletter
11.7. Parallel Structure You would change writing effective text to how to write
What do we mean by parallel structure? Let’s look at a effective text.
simple example of a sentence that is not written with
parallel structure:
Practice 85—
My friends and I like shopping, going to movies, and Parallel Structure
to hike.
All of the following have problems with parallel struc-
When you are writing about similar things you need to ture. Identify the problems and rewrite them correctly.
use similar structure. Shopping and going are parallel,
. I love shopping, going to the movies, and to eat out.
but to hike is a di,erent grammatical construction. It is
not parallel. !is sentence is parallel: . I thought I would do well on the exam because I
memorized all the words and that I made flashcards.
My friends and I like shopping, going to the movies,
and hiking.
Important Grammar Issues " 105
+. Here are the things you need to do: Go to the library. . Really large numbers, over a million, for example,
Returning all the phone messages. Pick up the gro- may be expressed as follows:
ceries. Take out the trash. The company sold 21 million widgets last year.
. Here is the agenda for the meeting:
). If a day comes before the month (or stands by itself )
• Introduce new members
use an ordinal, either spelled out or numeric.
• Reading the minutes
The 6th of September OR
• Discuss new issues
The sixth of September
• Review old issues
• Close the meeting . If a day comes after the month, the number is used.
. Whenever I think of you I remember when we went September 6, 2000
fishing and going to that concert at midnight.
Refer to Section (. for information about commas with
See Appendix G for the answers. dates.
(. Sometimes well-known numbers and dates of grad-
11.8. Using Numbers: uation are abbreviated.
When to Spell Them Out The blizzard of ’09
Numbers. We could write a whole book about them, The class of ’75
but let’s keep it short and simple. !e basic rules are . Money is usually expressed in figures.
as follows:
We made $59 at our garage sale.
• In technical and scientific writing, write out num-
. For amounts less than a dollar, use the numeral and
bers through nine, and use numerals () for all
the word cents.
numbers higher than nine.
This fan costs only 75 cents.
• In formal writing, nontechnical, and more literary
writing, spell out all numbers up through ninety-nine. . Spell out approximate amounts.
We have a few hundred dollars.
Here are some other rules for using numbers:
. As a rule, we spell out fractions.
. In tables and diagrams, generally use numerals
(numbers). I have two-thirds of a pizza left.
. If you have two numbers referring to the same thing ✎ Some style guides tell you to hyphenate the fraction
in a sentence, treat them both the same way, either only if it is an adjective directly before a noun. You
both written out or both numerals. can decide this one. For example,
There are 9 girls and 21 boys in the group. We need a three-fourths majority to pass the rule.
!is is not necessary if the numbers refer to di,erent Three fourths of the people voted to pass the rule.
things:
+. Measurements should generally be expressed in
There are 350 children in the school and they each numerals, even if they are below .
have four textbooks. The room is 5 feet wide and 9 feet long.
+. Never begin a sentence with a numeral. Rewrite the . Birthdays and anniversaries are generally spelled out.
sentence or spell out the number.
We are celebrating our tenth anniversary.
Four hundred students graduated today.
. References to periods of time are generally spelled out:
. If you have two numbers in a row, rewrite the sen-
We bought the house thirty years ago.
tence or separate them with a comma.
In 2009, 435 people worked for the company, ). More technical timeframes are often numerals.
My new job requires a 45-hour workweek.
106 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
. Centuries can be either spelled out or expressed as . !e class is made up of nine boys and ( girls.
numerals: . + people were in the audience.
I remember the 1970s well. +. My birthday is on September )th.
I remember the seventies well. . !ere are a total of diagrams in the science book.
(. When expressing time, always use numerals with . I have only . left in my pocket because I spent
a.m. and p.m. twenty-five dollars at the movies.
Meet me at 3:45 p.m. ). !ere are over +,, people in our county.
. !e meeting will begin at (:+ a.m.
However, if there is no time mentioned, use morning or
evening; do not use p.m. or a.m. (. I am a member of the class of ’.
9. ¾ of the class is on a sports team.
Meet me in the morning.
. I moved to California thirty years ago.
If a.m. or p.m. is not mentioned, you can spell out the
. I got a score of ( percent on my project.
time or use numerals.
. !e answer to the math question is +.)).
Meet me at eight.
+. I have a problem writing ’s so that you can read
Meet me at 8:00. them!
. Write decimals as numbers. . !e total count is , of whom are teenagers.
I measured the window as 35.7 inches wide. . !ere are sixty five poems in this anthology.
. For percentages, use numbers, but spell out percent ). Could you please write your two’s more clearly.
unless it appears in a table or figure, in which case . He has been working )-hour workdays!
you can use the percent symbol (/). (. My room measures ( feet wide by feet long.
Only 7 percent of the class received an A. . I begin my workday at nine a.m.
. If you refer to a number as itself, always use a figure: . I begin my workday at ( in the morning.
Please count to 99. See Appendix G for the answers.
Add 30 and 64, and then multiply by 7.
. To make a number plural, add s. NO apostrophe, 11.9. Double Negatives
please. !ere are negatives, and then there are double nega-
The 1990s was a good decade for me. tives. No and not are often part of a negative sentence.
It was in the 70s all day today. I have no bananas.
+. When spelling out numbers, hyphenate all numbers I do not have any bananas.
between twenty-one and ninety-nine whether the
Even though two wrongs don’t make a right, two nega-
number stands alone or is part of a greater number:
tives do make a positive. Sometimes you might pur-
twenty-seven
posely use two negatives. Other times you might use a
twenty-seven thousand double negative by mistake.
I cannot sit here and say nothing.
Practice 86— !at sentence is a perfectly good double negative. It
Numbers means that you want to say something. It comes out as
Many of the following sentences have mistakes using a positive.
numbers. Some of the sentences may be correct as they I can’t say nothing about that.
are. Find and correct the mistakes.
Important Grammar Issues " 107
!is sentence is likely incorrect. !e writer probably . !ere are no words for this situation.
means I can’t say anything about that.
Here are some sentences in which the double negative ). Please don’t wait and end up doing nothing about it.
is probably incorrect:
I don’t need no pencil. (I don’t need a pencil?)
. !ey don’t have any more candy left.
I can’t see no one. (I can’t see anyone?)
She don’t have no children. (She doesn’t have any (. No animals were harmed in this experiment.
children?)
!ere are some words that don’t sound like negative
See Appendix G for the answers.
words, but they are, so do not use another negative with
them by mistake.
Barely, hardly, and scarcely are negative words: 11.10. Apostrophes in Plurals
I can’t barely see anything in the dark theater. I have one word to say about putting apostrophes in
(Should be I can barely see anything in the dark plurals: DON’T!
theater.) !ere are very few exceptions. !e great majority of the
I can’t scarcely read the writing because it is so small. time there is no apostrophe in a plural. Apostrophes go
(Should be I can scarcely read the writing because it in possessives, not plurals (unless the plural is posses-
is so small.) sive, of course. See Section-.).)
I can’t hardly believe it is you! When should you use an apostrophe in a plural? Answer:
(Should be I can hardly believe it is you!) When not doing so would cause confusion.
✎ I suppose that if you use three negatives in a sen- • With the capital letters A, I, and U:
tence, the sentence goes back to having a negative I got all A’s on my report card.
meaning, but I wouldn’t try it:
You have too many I’s beginning your sentences.
I can’t barely see nothing in this dark theater.
There are two U’s on that sign.
• With lowercase letters or abbreviations for clarity.
Practice 87—
However, note that if you are using a letter or word
Double Negatives
as itself, you would italicize the word but not the s
Some of the sentences below contain incorrect double on the end.
negatives. Some of the sentences are correct. Correct
Don’t forget to dot your i ’s.
the incorrect sentences:
Are you still wearing your pj’s?
. I don’t want no more pizza.
!at is just about it. No other plurals need to be written
with apostrophes including numbers.
. I can hardly see anything.
Remember the 1990s?
She must be in her 60s.
+. We couldn’t scarcely see in the fog.
She must be in her sixties.
. I didn’t barely eat anything for dinner.
108 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Practice 88— The Lonely Which
Plurals with Apostrophes Which is one of those pronouns that is used to begin an
Some of these sentences are correct. Others have errors adjective clause that describes a noun or pronoun that
with apostrophes. Circle any incorrect plurals. precedes it. Here is an example:
. I took these photo’s this morning. I bought this painting, which is by a local artist.
. You put too many as in the word accommodate. Which refers back to painting.
+. I am too young to remember the ’s. However, sometimes when which is used, we don’t really
. My godmother is in her sixties’. know what it is referring back to. Technically, which
. !is is my little sister’s doll. should refer back to a word, rather than an entire idea.
). My cousin’s are coming to visit us next month. Here is an unclear which.
. Does the baby know her ABC ’s yet? We went to France, where we ate real French food
(. !e book takes place in the ’(s. and stayed in French country cottages, which made it
the best trip I have ever taken.
. !is dollhouse belongs to the girls’.
. I never get any Ds on my report card. Which is a little fuzzy in the above sentence. Here is a
clearer use of which:
See Appendix G for the answers.
The best trip I ever took was to France last summer,
where I ate authentic French food, which was pre-
11.11. Let’s Be Clear: pared by the owners of the little French cottages we
Avoiding Vagueness stayed in.
Writing can be vague or unclear in several ways. Most In the above sentence, it is clear that which refers to the
of the ways we will discuss here have to do with words food.
that refer to something we are not quite sure about.
Unclear People
This and It Sometimes he and she (and other personal pronouns
We might begin a sentence with this or it. While in cer- too) can be confusing and unclear.
tain situations, that may be all right in itself, if we don’t When Betsy passed Lucy waking down the street, she
know what this or it is referring to, there will be a prob- waved.
lem. Look at this paragraph, for example:
Who waved? Betsy? Lucy? We have no idea unless the
Last summer my family and I visited relatives in sentence is rewritten.
France. We stayed for three weeks and wished we
could have stayed longer. While we didn’t visit Paris, Betsy waved as she passed Lucy walking down the
we did see many of the small villages in the country- street.
side. We got to eat real French food, prepared by the When Betsy passed by her, Lucy waved.
villagers, and we got to stay in small country cottages.
This made it the best trip I have ever taken.
Practice 89—
What made what the best trip? Here is a better way to
Clarity
write the ending to this paragraph:
Find the word (or words) that are unclear and under-
Eating real French food, prepared by the villagers, and
line it (them). !en, rewrite the sentence(s) to make it
staying in small country cottages made this trip to
(them) clear. Some sentences may be fine as they are.
France the best trip I have ever taken.
. I had a good time on the trip, which was important.
. I saw Ben and Joe on the rollercoaster, and he waved.
Important Grammar Issues " 109
+. Holding up a pretty blue dress, Mary said, “!is is ). Be consistent. Don’t go back and forth between
the dress I was talking about.” spelling out and abbreviating. If you write Federal
. Which of these two books did you write? Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and then start to use
the abbreviation, use the abbreviation throughout
. I saw two movies last week, which were pretty good.
the whole piece of writing.
). Joe saw his cousin at the park and he stopped to talk
If you are compiling a graph, table, or illustration, and
to him.
you are using many abbreviations, make sure your audi-
. I have a deadline at work, which is Tuesday. ence will know what they mean, even if you have to give
(. I got a raise last year, and I think I will get a larger them a guide.
raise this year. !is is unheard of!
See Appendix G for the answers.
Use Contractions
Like abbreviations, most contractions are best avoided
11.12. Can I Do These Things? in formal writing. While you might want to use I’m,
Writers (and speakers) often have questions about what can’t, she’s, etc., I would definitely avoid the contrac-
is okay to do and what is not. Sometimes what is okay tions where have is shortened: would’ve, should’ve,
in a text or a memo, or in an informal conversation, is could’ve. I recommend spelling those out.
not okay in formal writing and speaking. In this book,
we are mostly talking about more formal and academic/
Use Slang
business writing and speaking.
Slang; shortened spellings; trite, overused, general
words: !ese have no place in your writing:
Use Abbreviations
. If you must use a lot, remember it is two words.
It is best not to use too many abbreviations in formal Avoid it whenever possible.
or academic writing. !is includes resumes. Although . Good, bad, great : !ere must be a more colorful and
a resume needs to be concise, you don’t want to use too specific adjective you could use. Same goes for nice
many abbreviations. However, there are indeed some and fun.
things that are usually abbreviated. Here are some
+. Stuff, things, bunch: Rid your writing of these words.
guidelines for abbreviations:
Use bunch only if you are talking about bananas.
. Mr., Dr., Jr., Ms., and Mrs. are always abbreviated . Really and very are also boring. How about extremely,
when they are used as part of a name: Mr. Smith, particularly, exceedingly, or some other more
Dr.-Lang, Henry Foster, Jr. descriptive adverb?
. If a company uses an abbreviation in its name, write . Cool, awesome, and whatever is the newer version
the company name the same way they write it. of these words have no place in formal writing. You
+. Abbreviations that consist of all capital letters gener- can use them in dialogue in fiction, or in informal
ally do not have periods: FBI, CIA, ASPCA writing.
. If you want to use an abbreviation, for example, FBI, ). Gonna, coulda, woulda, shoulda, ’cuz, nite, and lite
spell it out the first time you use it and then put the are not words at all. In dialogue or some type of
abbreviation in parentheses. After that, you can just informal or humor writing, be my guest.
use the abbreviation: The Federal Bureau of Investi-
gation (FBI)
Start a Sentence with And, So, or But
. Names of academic degrees are generally abbrevi-
ated, except in very formal writing. And although Many people say that you shouldn’t start a sentence
they often consist of capital letters, they do use with a conjunction. Most people today think it is fine.
periods: B.A., B.S., Ph.D. M.D., M.Ed, MBA (generally I-have mixed feelings about it. I still wouldn’t use it on a
does not have periods). college or job application or a business letter. However,
110 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
using and, so, or but at the beginning of a sentence can To quietly sing to the baby.
have a certain e,ect you might want in fiction, creative To sing quietly to the baby.
nonfiction, more informal writing, and certainly in pro-
motional writing and advertisements. Six of one, a half dozen of the other. Avoid it if you can,
but don’t worry about it too much.
End a Sentence with a Preposition
Use They as a Singular
!e rule that you shouldn’t end a sentence with a prep-
osition has become more of an old wives’ tale. Many Yes and no. Please refer back to the discussions in Sec-
times a sentence sounds a lot better with a preposition tions ). and .+.
at the end:
Whom are you going with? rather than With Practice 90—
whom are you going? Can I Do These Things?
Whom did you bake the cake for? rather than For For this exercise, assume that we are writing formal
whom did you bake that cake? English, not conversational. !ere is something in each
However, the rule still applies when there should be no sentence that is not appropriate for formal English.
preposition at all! Please identify what it is.
Where are you at? No. It’s just Where are you? . I could’ve done this better if I had had more time.
. Dear Doc Mitchell: I am writing to you for my test
results.
Split an Infinitive +. !is job sounds really cool to me.
!is rule is another old wives’ tale. Remember Star Trek’s . So I graduated from college last year.
To boldly go where no man has gone before? . I have a bunch of letters of recommendation if you
need to see them.
!e infinitive to go is split by the adverb boldly. Don’t
worry about it. Yes, it can always be rewritten, usually ). I live on Maple St.
without losing too much of the e,ect. . Each student should bring their test booklets.
See Appendix G for the answers.
Important Grammar Issues " 111
Chapter 11 Test
Important Grammar Issues
Whoa! Chapter covered a wide range of issues! See . Because I didn’t see you coming.
how well you do on this test. You may find a sentence
or two that is correct, but most of them have problems
with any of these issues from Chapter : run ons, frag- . Neither my cousin nor I see the point in this
ments, agreement of subject and verb, agreement of argument.
pronoun and antecedent, comparison, misplaced mod-
ifiers, possessives, parallel structure, using numbers, +. !is is my younger sisters’ doll; I bought it for her
double negatives, apostrophes in plurals, clarity, abbre- birthday.
viations, slang, contractions, and ending sentences with
prepositions. Some sentences may have more than one
problem. Rewrite the sentences correctly: . During my interview I told the boss that I had a
bunch of experience.
. I think Jane is more pretty than Ellen.
. My brother swims much better than me.
. !ere is three choices for dinner.
). !e president of the club, but not the other o.cers,
+. Mayor Jones, along with two of the police o.cers,
have special privileges.
are coming to the court.
. I have the report for you, I think it is complete.
. My class consists of girls and seven boys.
(. One of us are going to be promoted.
. Polished until gleaming, I picked up my ring from
the jeweler.
. He is the less intelligent of the four brothers.
). I walked to work in the morning, ran two miles at
lunch, and resting at home after work. . All these boys play a clarinet.
. I can’t hardly see you hiding in the closet! . !e cast of the play are going over their lines before
the opening.
(. As I was walking to school, I saw Jim, who waved at
me. . Whom are you going to the meeting with?
. I wish you woulda come with us! +. Anyone who is going with us should pack their
heaviest clothes.
. I will meet you at eight a.m.
112 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
. I took some picture’s on my business trip to Paris. (. I saw a beautiful poodle driving to work this morning.
. I read six books over vacation, which is alot for me! . Both Sue and her brother is going with us.
). And where will my o.ce be if I am hired? +. Getting up early, going to work, having an important
lunch date, going to the gym, having guests for din-
ner, and reading an hour before going to bed.
. ) people work in this building.
See Appendix G for the answers.
Chapter 12
Commonly Confused Words/
A Dictionary of Usage
T his chapter contains an alphabetical list of words
(and word pairs and groups) that are commonly
confused. Examples are given for correct usage.
to use most, almost will not make sense in its place.
Examples:
Almost everyone is here by now. (Don’t say most
everyone.)
12.1. A Through D Most of the pizza is gone. (Almost doesn’t make sense
there, so use most.)
Advice/Advise: !ese two words are di,erent parts of
speech and are pronounced di,erently. In advice, the c -
has an s sound, and the word is a noun. In advise, the s
Already/All ready: Already is an adverb that tells when.
has a z sound, and the word is a verb. Examples:
All ready is an adjective. Examples:
I have some good advice for you.
Is it already time to go?
Could you advise me on this legal matter?
I am all ready to go.
-
-
Affect/Effect: !is troublesome pair is the granddaddy
Alright/All right: !is one is easy. Always use all right as
of troublesome! Once again, these words are di,erent
two words. Alright isn’t a word (or is a really slang word,
parts of speech. Affect is a verb, an action. Effect is a
so avoid it). Examples:
noun, a thing. You can put an article in front of effect
(the e,ect, an e,ect). Examples: Everything will be all right.
!e hot weather has a positive effect on my mood. All right. I will go with you.
!e hot weather affects me and improves my mood. -
- Alter/Altar: To alter something is to change it in some
way. !e altar is at church.
Allusion/Illusion: !ese words are both nouns, but have
entirely di,erent meanings. An allusion is a reference to -
something; its verb is to allude. An illusion is something Altogether/All together: Altogether means totally or
you see that isn’t there, and there is no verb. Examples: completely. !is pair is best shown by example:
He made an allusion to Shakespeare in his speech about It is altogether too cold for me!
playwriting.
Let’s sing all together! (Or Let’s all sing together, where
!e water you sometimes think you see ahead on the you split the words.)
highway is just an illusion.
-
-
Among/Between: !ese two words are both preposi-
Almost/Most: !e general rule: If you can use almost in tions. Between is used when you are talking about two
a sentence, use it. Don’t use most. When it is correct
114 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
people or things; among is used when you are referring you are, etc.) and the verbs that can sometimes express
to more than two people or things. Examples: emotions or senses (feel, taste, smell, look, sound). Some
verbs can be either action verbs (taking an adverb) or
Divide the cake between you and your sister.
linking verbs (taking an adjective), depending on how
Divide the cake among the four of you. they are used. Examples:
- !e dog is bad. (but !e dog is behaving badly.)
Anymore/Any more: Anymore is an adverb that tells I feel bad. (If you feel badly, there is something wrong
when and means any longer. Any more means addi- with your fingertips.)
tional. Anymore is generally referred to in a negative
!e pizza tastes bad. (Compare to the action meaning of
sense and sounds wrong when there is no negative in
taste: I taste sugar in this.)
the sentence. Examples:
!is meat smells bad. (Compare to the action meaning
I can’t find that type of candy anymore. (negative can’t)
of smell: I smell chocolate.)
I don’t want any more pasta, thank you.
!is dinner looks bad. (Compare to the action meaning
I wish I could find that type of candy anymore. (Not cor- of looks: I look at the cake.)
rect. No negative in the sentence. Sounds very weird to
!e CD sounds bad. (Compare to the action meaning of
me, but I hear people say it.)
sound: I sound the horn.)
-
Note: It is also proper to say I feel good. However, you
Anyone/Any one: Anyone refers to a person. Any one can also say I feel well (an adverb) because well is accept-
doesn’t necessarily refer to a person, and is generally able as meaning a state of health.
followed by a prepositional phrase beginning with of.
Examples:
Bring/Take: !ese two words go in opposite directions.
Anyone can eat the leftover pizza.
You take something away, but you bring it back.
Any one of us can make pizza.
By accident/On accident: It has always been by accident,
Anyway/Anyways/Any way: Anyways is not the plural of but lately I hear young people saying on accident. After
anyway! (Just kidding.) !ere is no anyways. !at goes all, we say on purpose, right? But as far as I know, the
for anywhere, everywhere, and somewhere. !ere are correct way to say it is by accident.
no anywheres, everywheres, or somewheres. And here
is the di,erence between anyway and any way:
Capital/Capitol: Usually the word you want is capital
I never liked pizza anyway.
with an -al. It is capital letters, and Sacramento is the
!ere isn’t any way I would eat pizza with anchovies! capital of California. Capitol with an -ol is used to refer
to an actual Capitol building.
Bad/Badly: !is is a tough one. Bad is an adjective. For
example: Bad taste, bad dog. Bad describes a noun. Cite/Site/Sight: Cite is a verb meaning to refer to some-
Badly is an adverb and, as such, describes a verb. For thing: She cited my new book in her speech. Site is a
example: I did badly, I play tennis badly. Okay, that is noun and refers to a place: !ere was an accident at the
the easy part. But there is, of course, an exception to construction site. Sight is usually a noun, but can also be
this rule. When you use certain verbs, called linking a verb: !at is a great sight to see. I can sight the build-
verbs or being verbs, you use the adjective rather than ing from here.
the adverb. !ese verbs include the verb to be (I am,
Commonly Confused Words " 115
Climactic/Climatic: !e first one, climactic, comes from actually plural forms. !e singular form of criteria is cri-
climax. !e second one, climatic, has to do with the terion, and the singular form of data is actually datum.
weather and comes from climate.
When you are talking about one criterion, use the singu-
lar. If you are taking about more than one, use criteria.
Sometimes, people will use criteria to mean just one.
Cloths/Clothes: When I wash the car, I use cloths. When
I go shopping, I buy clothes. !ese two words are pro- Data, however, is now usually considered to be singular,
nounced di,erently. !e first has a short o, and ends and datum is rarely used. Examples:
with an s sound. !e second word has a long o sound
You need to meet one more criterion before you can be
and ends with a z sound.
considered for the promotion.
!ese are the four criteria for getting into the advanced
Conscience/Conscious: !e first hurdle is being able to class.
spell these words in the first place! Conscience is a noun,
!e data is in, and it shows that our profit has increased this
and is the thing that gets guilty and tells you that you
year. (You could say data are, but you probably wouldn’t.)
may have done something wrong. Conscious is an adjec-
tive and means that you are aware.
Desert/Dessert: !ere are three of these to confuse.
!ere is the sweet one, the dry one, and the lonely one.
Complement/Compliment: If you say something nice to
Here they are, used correctly:
me, you are paying me a compliment with an i. If you
are telling me that my dress brings out the green in my I want chocolate cake for dessert.
eyes, you are telling me that the dress complements my It is too hot for me in the desert.
eyes—with an e. Complement means to go well together.
Complimentary with an i means free. If you desert your fellow soldiers, you will be in big trou-
ble. (Pronounced that same as the sweet one.)
Continual/Continuous: !ese words have slightly dif-
ferent meanings. Continual means happening over and Different than/Different from: When comparing, use dif-
over again, usually in rapid succession. Continuous, ferent from.
however, means without stopping. Examples: Coke is quite different from Pepsi.
We have had continuous rain all day; it hasn’t stopped
for even a minute.
Discrete/Discreet: Many of us don’t even realize there
!e continual snowstorms this year have made clearing are two di,erent words here, and that they have com-
all the snow really di.cult. pletely di,erent meanings.
Discreet is the one having to do with keeping a secret.
Could of/Would of/Should of: You’re right! !ese Discrete means separate.
are wrong! It is could have, would have, and should
I am telling you this secret because I know you will be
have! You can use could’ve, should’ve, and would’ve if
discreet.
you want, but I don’t really like the contraction when
the word being shortened is have. Obviously, woulda, Please put these folders into three discrete piles by date
shoulda, and coulda are unacceptable! of creation.
Criteria/Data: !ese two words don’t have anything to Disinterested/Uninterested: If you don’t like watching
do with one another except for the fact that they are baseball or football, you are probably uninterested in
116 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
sports (not interested). If you are judging a competi- . She (dived, dove) into the ocean from the cli,.
tion, we hope you are disinterested (impartial, having +. I saw that movie yesterday (anyway, anyways).
no interest in who wins.)
. She is totally (disinterested, uninterested) in baseball.
I am uninterested in reading about history. . She (complemented/complimented) me on my new
We need a disinterested person to decide which team dress.
will go first. ). I have (already, all ready) finished reading this book.
. !at movie had a real (a,ect, e,ect) on me.
(. I had to (altar, alter) the recipe to make the cake for
Dived/Dove: !ese two words are both perfectly fine
) people.
past tenses of the verb dive. Use whichever you wish,
but be consistent in the same piece of writing. . We visited the (cite/site/sight) where the movie was
made.
He dove into the pool. He dived into the pool. You
. (Almost, Most) everyone in the class received a
choose.
good grade.
. I don’t eat meat much (anymore, any more).
Duel/Dual: !e ones with the guns or swords is called a . When you come home (bring, take) your jacket with
duel. !e one that simply means two is dual. you.
!e cowboys decided who was boss with a duel. +. !e sun (a,ects, e,ects) my mood, always cheering
me up.
!is dual-purpose machine both grinds and brews the
co,ee. . Share the pizza (among, between) the three of you.
. You (should of, should have) told me you were
visiting.
Practice 91— ). !e blue dress really (complements, compliments)
Confusing Words A Through D your eyes.
Choose the correct answer: . !e water you think you see in the distance is just an
. Everyone, (altogether, all together), let’s sing these (allusion, illusion).
songs. (. If you (desert, dessert) your group, you will be in
. Please (bring, take) these books back to the library. trouble.
+. I am sure this happened (by accident, on accident). . I feel (bad, badly) about this argument.
. !e five (criterion, criteria) for qualifying for the job +. !e (climatic, climactic) changes in the area have
are on this list. meant more rain.
. I bought some new (cloths, clothes) to wear on +. I would (advice, advise) you not to change your
vacation. mind again.
). Is everything (alright, all right) over there? +. I am (already, all ready) to go.
. !ere are (dual, duel) remote controls for the TV, so ++. !e two men got their swords ready for a (dual, duel).
we each can have one. +. We need someone who is (disinterested, uninter-
(. Do you have any (advice, advise) on what I should do? ested) in the results to judge the contest.
. What is the (capital, capitol) city of Florida? +. Please put these essays into three (discreet, discrete)
piles by class.
. I know she won’t tell anyone about this; she is very
(discrete, discreet). +). Would you like cake or pie for (desert, dessert)?
. She made an (allusion, illusion) to Shakespeare in +. !e water has been running (continuously, continu-
her speech. ally) for an hour in the leaky sink.
Commonly Confused Words " 117
+(. After he fell from the roof, I was surprised he was !ey emigrated from Russia to the United States.
(conscious, conscience).
!ey left Russia and immigrated to the United States.
+. (Anyone, Any one) of you could fix this chair.
-
. Do you want (anymore, any more) pie?
See Appendix G for the answers. Eminent/Imminent: !ese two words are completely
unrelated. Eminent means well-known or renowned in
one’s field. Imminent means about to happen.
12.2. E Through H Dr. Ray is an eminent scientist in the field of cosmology.
e.g./i.e.: !ese abbreviations come from Latin. Looking at the dark sky, I would say a storm is imminent.
e.g. means exempli gratia, or for example. -
i.e., means id est, or that is. Everyone/Every one: Sometimes everyone is one word;
You can always forget about the abbreviation and just other times it is two. It depends on how you are using
spell out that is or for example. Either way, use commas it. When it should be two words, you will probably find
before and after the expression. yourself pausing slightly.
Long-haired dogs, e.g., poodles, don’t shed or cause Everyone on the list is coming to the party. (meaning
allergies. Long-haired dogs, for example, poodles, don’t everybody)
shed. Every one of the cakes arrived safely at the party. (mean-
!e shortest month of the year, i.e., February, has only ing every single one of them)
(-days. !e shortest month of the year, that is, Febru- -
ary, has only (-days.
Fewer/Less: !is pair of words is really not that confus-
ing. Use fewer with plurals, and use less with singulars
etc.: !is abbreviation means and the others, not to be or things that cannot be counted.
confused with e.g. or i.e. It is usually used at the end of !ere are fewer cookies on this plate than on the other
the sentence and is preceded by a comma. one.
Music genres include jazz, rock, pop, classical, country, !ere is less cake on this plate.
rap, etc.
-
Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly, Lastly: As transition words, use
Earth/earth: Does earth begin with a capital E? Usually first, second, third, and last instead of adding the -ly at
it does not. !e only time you begin earth with a capital the end. And please don’t use first off.
E is when you are using it in the same sentence or con-
First, add sugar. Second, add butter. Third, cream them
text with other heavenly bodies that are capitalized. !e
names of the other planets are capitalized, but the sun together. Last, add the flour.
and the moon are not. Examples: -
Recycling is just one of the ways in which we can take Formally/Formerly: Formally involves tuxedos and gowns
care of the earth. and is from the word formal. Formerly is what happened
Both Jupiter and Saturn are larger than Earth. before, from the word former.
- You need to dress formally for the wedding.
Emigrate/Immigrate: Emigrate has the prefix e-, which
Jane Smith was formerly known as Jane Mills before she
means out. So to emigrate means to leave a country. To got married.
immigrate is to go to a country. -
118 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Former/Latter: If you have mentioned two things, the Healthful/Healthy: If you whip up a wheatgrass and kale
former is the first one you mentioned, and the latter is smoothie (no thanks .-.-. I’ll pass), you will be healthy.
the second. However, the smoothie is healthful. People are healthy.
Dogs too. But when something provides you with good
I have two dogs, a chihuahua and a great Dane. !e for-
health, it is healthful.
mer is named Tiny, and the latter is named Big Boy.
-
However/Therefore: !ese are technically not confus-
Farther/Further: Farther has to do with distance. Further
ing words as far as when to use them. However, it can
means any more.
be confusing to know whether you can put commas
I live farther away from the college than you do. around these words or whether you need a semicolon
I cannot talk about this any further today. (or a period). Look at these examples.
I think, therefore, that I am right and you are wrong.
Good/well: Good is an adjective; well is an adverb. I study; therefore, I do well on my tests.
Adjectives are usually used to describe nouns. Adverbs Here is what you do: take out however or therefore, and
are usually used to describe action verbs. Adjectives, read the sentence without it. If you have a good sen-
however, are used after linking verbs (for example, the tence, the comma is fine. However, if you are left with
verbs to be, to look, to taste, to feel, etc.). Note that even a run-on sentence, you need a period or a semicolon.
though it is an adverb, well can be used after the to be In the first example, the commas are fine; the sentence,
verb to indicate a state of health. (See example below.) without therefore, reads .-.-. “I think that I am right and
He plays tennis well. you are wrong.” In the second sentence, if you take out
therefore, you get .- .- . “I study, I do well on my tests.”
I did well on the test. Since that is a run on, you need a semicolon or a period
I feel good today. before therefore. You can also add a conjunction and
keep the commas. (I study and, therefore, I do well on
!at cake looks good.
my tests.)
I feel well.
Practice 92—
Got/Have: Let’s say my birthday was last week. Let’s say Confusing Words E Through H
I got some gifts. Now I have those gifts. I don’t got them. Choose the correct answer:
I have something. In the past I had something. I- get
something. In the past I got it. Got is not a present tense . I did (good, well) on my exam.
verb, so to say I don’t got any isn’t correct. It also sounds . !e newborn baby was pronounced (healthful,
crummy. healthy).
+. Her name is now Mrs. Jackson, but she was (for-
mally, formerly) known as Ms. Whiting.
Hanged/Hung: Let’s say that today I am hanging a pic-
. Here are the instructions: (First, Firstly), you must
ture. Yesterday, I hung a picture. Yesterday, I also hung
unplug the appliance.
the laundry out to dry (Oh, yes, we all have dryers
these days.) But yesterday, they hanged a man. Hanged . !ere are (fewer, less) papers in this pile than in that
is used as the past tense of hang only when there is a one.
noose involved. ). My backpack contains books, folders, binders, (e.g.,
ect., etc.).
. I am sorry, but I don’t (got, have) any spare money.
Commonly Confused Words " 119
(. Yesterday, I (hanged, hung) all the pictures in my If/Whether: If is often used when whether should be
o.ce. used. If is conditional; whether implies a choice. Here
. !is breakfast is much more (healthful, healthy) are examples:
than the one you have. If it rains, we won’t go hiking
. He is ten (period, semicolon, or comma) therefore,
I don’t know whether I should go hiking or cycling today.
he is in fifth grade.
(I don’t know if I should go hiking today.)
. (Everyone, Every one) is invited to my party.
When or not appears in the sentence, use whether.
. I am an author, (e.g., i.e.), I write books.
+. !e planet closest to the sun are Mercury, Venus, I don’t know whether I should go or not.
and (earth, Earth.)
. He is dressed (formally, formerly) for the wedding. Into/In To: Usually, there is not a problem with making
. !e prisoner was (hanged, hung) for committing his this one word or two. But sometimes, it really matters!
crimes.
I turned my car into the shopping mall. !is implies that
). I know (semicolon, comma, period) however, that some magic was done! (should be in to the shopping
he is coming to visit tonight. mall)
. I feel (good, well) about my exercise program.
I turned my book into the library. Another magic trick!
(. I live (farther, further) away from my o.ce than I (in to the library)
used to.
Most of the time into as one word will work fine!
. I like pizza, but I hate liver; the (former, latter) tastes
much better!
. My family talks about (emigrating, immigrating) to Irregardless: !is one is still around too! It is a non-
France someday. standard word, and it is best not to use it. It contains
. I really cannot discuss this any (farther, further). two negatives: ir- and -less. !e correct word is sim-
. I would like (everyone, every one) of you to follow ply regardless. Often followed by of, it means without
me. regard to or in spite of.
+. I love to feel the (Earth, earth) under my feet! We are going regardless of the weather.
. !e sky is so dark, I think a storm is (eminent,
imminent).
Imply/Infer: !ese two words are sort of opposites and
. I love to read science fiction, (e.g., i.e.,) Brave New go in di,erent directions. Imply means to suggest or
World, one of my favorite books. hint at something without coming right out and saying
See Appendix G for the answers. it. So you might imply by your smile that you are happy.
Someone looking at you would see your smile and infer
that you are happy. So implying is sending the informa-
12.3. I Through L tion out, and inferring is taking the information in.
I could care less: Yes, this one is still around. Now think
about it. If you could care less, you care some and you
probably wouldn’t be talking about this at all. You are Its/It’s: Most of us know this one by now (?). But if you
making the comment because you don’t care at all. should have a moment of confusion, as we all do, it’s
!erefore, you couldn’t care any less than you already easy. All contractions have apostrophes: I’m, can’t, don’t,
care, because you already care zero! won’t, she’ll, etc. Well, so does it’s! It means it is, short-
ened to a contraction. So when it’s means it is, it is like
all other contractions: written with an apostrophe. On
120 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
the other hand, its without the apostrophe is possessive. Libel /Slander: You don’t want to be accused of either
And like all the other possessive pronouns (yours, ours, libel or slander. And you don’t want to be the victim of
theirs, his), it has no apostrophe. either! Both will ruin your reputation. Libel is writing
something negative and untrue about someone. Slander
is speaking it.
Lay/Lie: If you are going to use lay, you need an object.
In other words, you need to lay something.
Like/As if: !ese are both used for comparison. Like is
I am going to lie on the sofa.
used for a simple comparison, usually followed by a
I am going to lay my purse on the sofa. noun. As if is used when a noun and verb follow.
It gets more confusing in the other tenses: She acts like a queen.
Yesterday, I lay on the sofa. She acts as if she were a queen.
Yesterday, I laid my purse on the sofa.
Every day this week, I have lain on the sofa. Lose /Loose: If you lose too much weight, you will lose
Every day this week, I have laid my purse on the sofa. your pants because they will be too loose. Nu, said.
Practice 93—
Lead/Led: !e only type of lead that has an a in it is the
lead in your pencil. !e verb to lead is spelled led in the
Confusing Words I Through L
past tense. Choose the correct answer:
He leads the band. . You look (as if, like) you are angry.
He led the band. . Don’t (lose, loose) your keys again!
+. From her smile, I can (infer, imply) that she did well
on the test.
Leave/Let: !is one doesn’t seem to be confused too . I turned my car (into, in to) the driveway.
often any longer. To let is to allow. We leave someone
. I (could, couldn’t) care less if you come with us or
alone. We don’t let him alone. But you might let him be
not.
alone.
). !e dog is (laying, lying) in its new bed.
. I don’t know yet (if, whether) I will go to France or
Lend/Loan: Technically, lend is a verb and loan is a to Italy on vacation.
noun. You lend someone money. You give them a loan; (. He (lead, led) the marching band in the parade.
you don’t loan them money.
. My dog loves (its, it’s, its’) new sweater.
. Please (leave, let) me alone now.
Less /Fewer: Less is used with singular nouns or things . !is cash register is for ten items or (fewer, less).
you cannot count. Fewer is used with plural nouns and . She is dressed (as, like) a princess.
things you can count.
+. Can you (lend loan) me a few dollars?
I have less money than you do. I have fewer dimes than . I (laid, lay) my blanket on the grass for the picnic.
you do.
. (Its, it’s, its’) almost three o’clock.
I ate less pizza than you did. I ate fewer pieces of pizza ). I want to (imply, infer) that I am unhappy with the
than you did. decision.
. I have (laid, lain) out in the sun every day this week.
Commonly Confused Words " 121
(. !e newspaper article was deleted because it was !e news is good. (not are good)
(libelous, slanderous).
Physics is a di.cult subject for me.
. She (lay, laid) in the sun all day and got quite a
sunburn.
. I don’t know (if, whether) it is going to rain today. None is/None are: !is one can be tricky. None is one
See Appendix G for the answers. of the indefinite pronouns (other indefinite pronouns
include someone, nobody, several, anything, and many
more) that can be either singular or plural depending
12.4. M Through P upon the noun to which it refers. !at noun is often in
a prepositional phrase that follows:
Many/Much: Like fewer and less, one of this pair is for
countable objects (usually plural nouns) and the other None of the cake is gone.
for things that can’t be counted (singular). None of the people are here.
I don’t have many pencils (not much pencils), and I don’t However, to confuse us more, none is singular when it
have much paper. means “not one.”
None of the cookies has been eaten. (Singular—means
May/Might: May implies permission or probability; not one of the cookies has been eaten.)
might implies possibility. May and might meaning prob- !e best thing to do is to say not one if that is what you
ability/possibility are very close and often interchange- mean—and use the singular verb. Otherwise, have the
able. However, it is accepted that may is used when verb agree with the noun that is being referred to.
something is more likely to happen than when might
is used.
Only: I love this word, because so much depends upon
I might go to the play, but I probably will stay home. If
you had taken the other route, you might have had an where you put it in the sentence. Only will generally go
accident! You may take the rest of the pizza. (I give you with the word it is closest to:
permission.) You may take the rest of the pizza. (prob- Only she punched her friend in the arm. (no one else
able, if you get hungry enough!) did)
She only punched her friend in the arm. (she didn’t do
More Important/More Importantly: More importantly anything else)
is an adverb and used most often as a transition. She punched only her friend in the arm. (no one else)
More important is an adjective and usually used in a
She punched her only friend in the arm. (no wonder!)
comparison.
She punched her friend only in the arm. (nowhere else)
I need to finish the reading for this course. More impor-
tantly, I need to get started on my project. She punched her friend in her only arm. (too bad)
Getting started on my project is more important than Usually, we don’t make mistakes in sentences like this,
going to the zoo today. but there is a common mistake in the position of only:
We only have five dollars for the movie. (incorrect, but
understandable)
Moot/Mute: !e point is moot, not mute. Mute means
unable to talk. Moot means not worth discussing. We have only five dollars for the movie. (correct)
News/Mathematics/Physics and Other Such Singulars: Passed/Past: Passed is the past tense of the verb to pass.
Although these words end in -s, they are all singular and Past is a preposition.
use singular verbs.
122 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
We passed the church on our way to school. (verb) . I (passed, past) the slow truck on the road before it
hit my car.
We went past the church on our way to school.
(preposition) +. None of my friends (are, is) going to the movies this
evening.
. Eating meat is against my (principals, principles).
Precede/Proceed: Precede means “to come before” . I (only) have (only) ten dollars. (which only is in the
something else. Proceed means “to continue along.” correct place?)
!e rally will precede the game. See Appendix G for the answers.
!e parade will proceed down Main Street.
12.5. R and S
Principal/Principle: !ere are actually four meanings of Real/Really: Real is an adjective meaning “true.” It is
these words: three of them are spelled principal, and used to describe nouns. Really is an adverb (clue: Most,
only one is spelled principle. but not all, words ending in -ly are adverbs) meaning
!ere is a new principal of the high school. (head of a “to a great extent”; therefore, it is used to describe verbs.
school) Is this a real diamond?
I need to figure out the principal and interest of my Is she really going out with him?
mortgage. (financial meaning)
I did really well. (really describes the adverb well)
I received a principal role in the play. (the only adjective
!is is really beautiful. (really describes the adjective
of the four; means the main one)
beautiful).
It is against my principles to lie. (rule or ethic)
I did real well. (Incorrect: adjectives don’t describe
adverbs)
Practice 94— !is is real pretty. (Incorrect .-.-. use really. How pretty?)
Confusing Words M Through P
Choose the correct answer:
Regretful/Regrettable: Regretful means full of regret.
. You (may, might) have drown when you dove into Regrettable means to be regretted. People are usually
the deep water from the cli,! regretful, but circumstances are regrettable. Here are
. !ere don’t seem to be (many, much) people in the some examples:
audience.
I am regretful that I didn’t study harder as a kid.
+. !e parade usually (precedes, proceeds) the game.
It is regrettable that I didn’t make better use of my
. None of the cake (are, is) gone.
education.
. I walk (passed, past) the church on my way to work.
). Because she is unable to talk, she is (moot, mute).
. He is really intelligent; more (important, impor- Respectfully/Respectively: !ese two words are entirely
tantly), he uses his brain! di,erent. Respectfully means full of respect. Respec-
tively means in the order given.
(. Yes, of course you (may, might) go with me.
. !e rules of physics (are, is) confusing to me! Please respectfully stand when the national anthem is
played.
. !e (principal, principle) rule of the game is to get
the most fish. My favorite colors are blue, green, and red, respectively.
. I see the band (preceding, proceeding) down the (Blue, and then green, and then red.)
street.
Commonly Confused Words " 123
Rise/Raise: Refer back to lay and lie for this one. It is the Shined/Shone: Both are acceptable past tenses of shine.
same rule. Rise is intransitive and has no direct object. However, shined is often used with a direct object and
However, raise has a direct object. In other words, you shone is not.
must raise something:
I shined my shoes.
Please raise the flag when I give the instructions.
!e sun shone.
I watch the sun rise from my balcony every morning.
Note: !e past tense of raise is raised. Past participle
Sit/Set: !ese two verbs are like lie/lay and rise/raise.
is has/have raised. !e past tense of rise is rose. Past
One takes a direct object and the other does not. In this
participle is has/have risen.
case, set needs a direct object. You must set something.
Note also that set is the same in the past tense and the
past participle (has or have set).
Say/Tell: Well, although it is di.cult to describe, there
is a di,erence that is pretty easy for those of us who are Set your book down on the table.
native English speakers. Saying is like speaking. Telling
Sit in this chair.
usually involves saying something to someone. Some-
times say doesn’t have a direct object. Tell generally
does, and it often has an indirect object as well. Sole/Soul: !ere are several meanings for these words:
He told me a story. (He didn’t say me a story. Me is the Sole is a fish—I ate fillet of sole.
indirect object, and story is the direct object.)
Sole is the bottom of your foot—My sole hurts in these
He said that he was going. (Said doesn’t usually have a shoes.
direct object.)
Sole means alone—She is the sole person living in this
Tell me the truth. (Don’t say me the truth. Me is the indi- big house.
rect object, and truth is the direct object.)
Soul means a person or the spiritual essence of a person:
Don’t tell a soul! I love you with my heart and soul.
Shall/Will: Shall is pretty much gone from our language
except in very formal writing. If you want to use shall,
use it with first person pronouns only (I, we); use will Sometimes/Sometime/Some Time: !ese three are all
for second (you) and third (he/she/it) person. In cases di,erent, although slightly.
where you want to appear determined or for special Sometimes means some of the time: Sometimes I like to
emphasis, turn it around. Use will for first person and eat candy all day.
shall for second and third person.
Sometime means at some future time: You will have to
I shall go to the movies. You will go to the movies. He come over to my house sometime soon.
will go to the movies.
Some time means just what it says: I have some time to
I will overcome this obstacle. You shall overcome this spend with you tomorrow afternoon.
obstacle. He shall overcome this obstacle.
For the colloquialism, shall we? (or shall we dance?),
Stationary/Stationery: !e one that ends in -ary means
however, we cannot use will. Imagine saying Will we
“standing still.” You remember this by remembering that
dance? It has an entirely di,erent meaning. Shall we
there is an a in place (standing in place). Yes, there is
dance means Let’s dance.
also an e in place, but it is silent! !e one ending in -ery
is the pretty paper. (Does anyone use it anymore?)
I just bought a stationary bike.
My stationery has pretty pink flowers on it.
124 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Practice 95— There/Their/They’re: Yes, this one is still sometimes
Confusing Words R and S written incorrectly!
Choose the correct answer: There is a place: Go sit over there.
. I polished my ring until it (shined, shone). Their is possessive: I am their mother.
. Do you have (some time, sometime) to help me with They’re is a contraction meaning they are. They’re with
the project? their mother over there.
+. !e answers are and )(, (respectfully, respectively).
. It is (real, really) windy out today.
These/Those: These and those are plural. So don’t use
. !e sun (rised, raised, rose) at :+ a.m. them to describe singular nouns:
). (Set, Sit) your suitcase right here.
Correct: these kinds of apples / this kind of apple
. Please don’t tell a (sole, soul) about this.
Incorrect: these kind of apples
(. !is pretty (stationary stationery) has my initials on-it.
. (Sometimes, Sometime, Some times) I wish I lived
closer to you. Titles: Italics or quotes? Do you often wonder whether to
. You (shall, will) clear your room today! use italics or quotes when you are writing book titles?
. He is the (sole, soul) person on the airplane! Here is the general rule: Use italics (or underlining if
you are writing by hand) for big things. Use quotes for
. Can you (say, tell) that word in French?
parts of those things.
+. It is (regretful, regrettable) that you aren’t able to go
with us. Italics: Book titles, CD titles, movie titles, magazine and
newspaper titles, play and opera titles, TV series titles.
. I signed the letter (“Respectfully, Respectively) yours.”
. I am (regrettable, regretful) about what I said to him. Quotes: Chapter titles, song titles, poem titles, maga-
zine and newspaper article titles, TV episode titles,
). !e man (shined, shone) my shoes.
titles of acts in plays.
. !at truck has been (stationary, stationery) since I
got here. Note that we are not talking about the title on the book
cover itself. We are talking about what to do with titles
(. I am going to (set, sit) my dog in that chair.
when we write about them in text.
. Please come and visit me at work (sometime, some
time).
. (Say, Tell) me what you said to her. To/Too/Two: Yes, this one is still written incorrectly too!
See Appendix G for the answers. To is a preposition that tells where: I am going to the
store.
12.6. T Through Z Too is an adverb that means either “also” or “overly”:
I-am going too. !is is too salty.
Then/Than: Then is an adverb and refers to time. Than is
used for comparison. Much of the time the wrong one Two is a number. I have two pencils.
indicates a typo. Note that when you use too at the end of a sentence, you
Now and then I eat chocolate. don’t need a comma before it, but when you use it in the
middle of a sentence, it is set o, in commas if it means
Chocolate is better than wheatgrass. also: I, too, am going OR I am going too.
Please remember that then is not a conjunction, and
you can’t connect sentences with it! (I ate dinner, then I
watched TV. Wrong!) Toward/Towards: Use either one. !ey are the same.
Americans generally drop the s; the British use the s.
Commonly Confused Words " 125
Try and/Try to: !e correct phrase is try to. Practice 96—
I will try to finish the cleaning this morning. Confusing Words T through Z
Choose the correct answer:
Warranty/Warrantee: A warranty is the agreement you . I prefer (this, these) kind of apples.
get with an appliance that says it will work or else! A . Please point the car (toward, towards) the
warrantee is the person who receives the warranty. intersection.
+. Do you know (whose, who’s) jacket this is?
. I am five inches taller (than, then) my sister.
Weather/Whether: Look out the window. You will see
the weather. Now you can see whether or not the sun . Are you going (to, too) the play on Saturday?
is out! ). I just read a book called (“May Day,” May Day).
. !e box from my new television was missing the
(warrantee, warranty).
Whose/Who’s: Whose is possessive. Who’s is a contrac-
(. Do you know (weather, whether) or not it is going
tion that means who is.
to rain?
Whose package is this? . Please (try and, try to) come to the party.
It belongs to the man who’s in the front row. . Please decide if (your, you’re) coming with us.
. Put the books over (their, there).
. Water the flowers (comma, semicolon) then sweep
Your/You’re: Same as whose and who’s. Your is posses-
the walkway.
sive. You’re is a contraction that means you are.
+. I love the poem (“In the Spring,” In the Spring).
Is this your package?
. Is this (your, you’re) pen?
Yes, you’re correct. . (Who’s, Whose) at the door?
See Appendix G for the answers.
126 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Chapter 12 Test
Confusing Words
Choose the correct answer: +. I (laid, lay) my book on the counter at the library.
. I spilled the milk (by accident, on accident). . I made an (allusion, illusion) to the President in my
paper.
. Boston is the (capital, capitol) city of Massachusetts.
. I was the (sole, soul) person walking on that street
+. Music (a,ects, e,ects) my mood and always makes
last night!
me feel good.
). We need someone who is (disinterested, uninter-
. He is totally (disinterested, uninterested) in roman-
ested) in the results to judge the writing contest.
tic movies.
. (Its, It’s, Its’) time to leave for the airport.
. It is (regretful, regrettable) that she heard what the
neighbors said about her. (. I am not going to give you any more (advice, advise)
if you don’t listen to what I say!
). I got the (principal, principle) role in the play.
. She talks to us (as if, like) she is the boss.
. If you go to the mall, (bring, take) some lunch back
with you. +. Are you (already, all ready) to go?
(. !e groom stood at the (altar, alter) of the church, +. !e ten (criterion, criteria) for getting a good grade
waiting for his bride. on the paper are on this list.
. I have been riding the (stationary, stationery) bicy- +. Please be (discreet, discrete), and don’t tell anyone
cle for + minutes. about this.
. You can see the two exhaust pipes because the car ++. I think (almost, most) everyone is coming to the
has (dual, duel) exhaust. party.
. She is a school counselor, (e.g., i.e.), she doesn’t teach +. I sing really (bad, badly).
in the classroom. +. You (could of, could have) stayed with me during
. !e six of us worked on fixing the house up (alto- your visit.
gether, all together). +). !at movie had great special (a,ects, e,ects).
+. She (cited, sited) a song by the Beatles in her speech. +. I don’t see my cousins too often (any more, anymore).
. From his expression, I (infer, imply) that the conver- +(. According to the (principals, principles) I follow, it
sation didn’t go well. is wrong to lie.
. (Anyone, Any one) of you could do this easily. +. I drive right (passed, past) your house on my way
). !is line is for customers with items or (fewer, to work.
less). . !e sauce really (complements, compliments) the
. !e answers on page ))+ are a, a, c, c, and b, (respect- vegetables.
fully, respectively). . Who lives (farther, further) away from the airport,
(. I love getting (complements, compliments) when I you or I?
wear new clothes. . !e big rock is (laying, lying) right in my way.
. Have you (already, all ready) seen that movie? +. I wrote really (good, well) today.
. I asked her if everything was (alright, all right). . (Who’s, Whose) knocking on the back door?
. Recycling helps save the (earth, Earth)! . I drove (in to, into) the garage.
. If you (desert, dessert) your camping team, you will ). I would like (everyone, every one) of you to try this.
face consequences.
Commonly Confused Words " 127
. Please put the towels into three (discreet, discrete) . I don’t know yet (if, whether) I will go to Harvard
piles by color. or Yale.
(. I don’t want (any more, anymore) cookies. +. Please don’t tell a (sole, soul) about this.
. She is married now, but she was (formally, formerly) . (Your, You’re) going too fast!
known as Miss Jones. . (Set, Sit) your backpack on the table.
. I can’t (lend, loan) you any money until next week. ). He (lead, led) the class in the number of books he
. I love foods such as pizza, spaghetti, and lasagna, has read.
(e.g., ect., etc., none of them). . I have (laid, lain) out in the sun every day this week.
. I am sorry, but we don’t (got, have) any men’s clothes (. He was sued because what he said about the mayor
in this store. in his speech was (libelous, slanderous).
+. I (could, couldn’t) care less if it rains or not. . None of the cakes (are, is) gone.
. Spring (precedes, proceeds) summer. (. I (passed, past) by that same family on my way to
. Did you (lose, loose) your keys again? work today.
). I heard that the prisoner was (hanged, hung) (. I love the song (“Yesterday,” Yesterday).
yesterday. (. I (only) made (only) fifty cents at my lemonade stand.
. My grandparents (emigrated, immigrated) to the (which only is in the correct place?)
United States. (+. I prefer (this, these) type of movie.
(. We can talk about this (farther, further) later. (. Please decide if (your, you’re) coming with us.
. I try to eat foods that are (healthful, healthy). (. Please (try and, try to) study harder for the exam.
).!ere is the bird; can you see (its, it’s, its’) beautiful (). Do you know (whose, who’s) book is on the floor?
feathers?
(. She (lay, laid) in the sun all day and got quite a
). !e water you think you see on the road is often just sunburn.
an (allusion, illusion).
((. None of my friends (are, is) going to the movies this
). You need to dress (formally, formerly) for the prom. evening.
)+. I (hanged, hung) all the decorations. (. Do you have (some time, sometime) to fix my com-
). !e planet closest to the sun are Mercury, Venus, puter today?
and (earth, Earth.) . Have you read the book (“Story of a Boy,” Story of a
). I didn’t mean to (imply, infer) that I am unhappy Boy)?
with your actions. . It has been running (continuously, continually) for
)). I have (fewer, less) pieces of paper than you do. an hour without stopping for a minute!
). !e (eminent, imminent) scientist is very well- . Clear your desk before we (precede, proceed) with
known in the field of astronomy. the test.
)(. I like Jean more than I like Linda; the (former, latter) +. I signed the letter (“Respectfully, Respectively)
is much nicer! yours.”
). Please (bring, take) your coat when you go hiking. . I like fiction better (than, then) nonfiction.
. He is acting (as, like) a clown. . !e box from my new television was missing the
. I love to read poetry, (e.g., i.e.,) Frost and Keats, two (warrantee, warranty, warrantey).
of my favorite poets. See Appendix G for the answers.
Final Test
Part 1—English Language Basics
. Which of these is not considered a part of speech?
a. interjection b. preposition c. direct object d. noun
. Which of these is a preposition?
a. is b. anyone c. and d. of
+. Which of these is a verb?
a. it b. in c. is d. if
. Which of these is a conjunction?
a. ouch b. whom c. it d. but
. Every sentence needs a subject and a(n) _________
a. verb b. noun c. object d. period
). After dinner I will play the piano. !e subject of this sentence is
a. dinner b. piano c. I d. play
. !e simple predicate is the same as
a. subject b. object c. adjective d. verb
(. Which of the following is a proper noun?
a. I b. Jack c. he d. everybody
. Give the book to Steve. !e direct object of the sentence is
a. Steve b. book c. give d. you
. Give the book to Steve. What type of sentence is this?
a. interrogative b. declarative c. exclamatory d. imperative
. Which of these is a prepositional phrase?
a. into the house b. He went c. locking the door d. to swim
. Which of these phrases contains a participle?
a. to be a farmer b. pass the school c. up the stairs d. frozen food
+. Which sentence has a participle that makes sense?
a. Driving down the road, my car broke down.
b. He read from his book wearing glasses.
c. Reading a book by the window, my cat fell asleep.
d. Running down the street, the dog wouldn’t come back.
. Which item contains an infinitive?
a. to go to the store b. running down the street c. while talking d. to the bank
130 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
. A clause is a group of words with
a. a phrase b. two verbs c. a period d. a subject and a verb
). An independent clause is the same as a(n)
a. phrase b. appositive c. infinitive d. sentence
. Which of the following is a clause?
a. after I watch the movie
b. running down the street
c. Jack and Jill
d. before the movie
(. Which of these is a complete and correct sentence?
a. Because I can’t go with you.
b. Going to the movies with my mother and brother.
c. She ran.
d. She ran, he walked.
. Which one of these is a run-on sentence?
a. I told you, but you didn’t listen.
b. She ran; he walked.
c. I didn’t go, he did.
d. Give me the book, put the games away, and then go to bed.
. Which of these is a compound sentence?
a. Jack and Jill went up the hill.
b. Jack went up the hill and then fell down.
c. Jack went up the hill, and Jill fell down.
d. Jill climbed and climbed up the hill.
Part 2—Sentence Correction
Most of the following sentences have one or more of the grammar, punctuation, usage, or capitalization mistakes
you learned about in this workbook. Some of the sentences are correct as they are. Find all the mistakes and correct
them. Also identify the sentences that are already correct.
. Jamie, Paul, and myself cooked dinner tonight.
. You should of given those candy bars to my sister and me.
+. Him and I loved that movie, did you like it?
. With whom are you going.
. Who are you?
). Whom did you invite to join my brother and me?
. Do you want these kind of pencils or the newer ones?
(. Anyone whom is on the boy’s soccer team can buy their uniform here.
. Neither of my brother’s are coming with us.
+. Either one of them is able to fix the computer.
Final Test " 131
+. A bunch of students are studying in the library.
+. Either the dogs or the baby are making a mess.
++. Joe waved at his friend as he was walking down the street.
+. !e book was read by me, and I really enjoyed it.
+. I have went to the movies three times this week all ready.
+). I have baked brownies last night, would you like one?
+. I did real good on that test, that I thought it was really di.cult.
+(. I have drunk all the milk, so I will go to the store to buy more.
+. If I was taller, I could probably be a model.
. I had rung the bell five times, before she answered the door.
. !e dress, that I am holding, is on sale.
. I too, like chocolate.
+. Jack, Ben, and I are going, but John, Frank, and him are not.
. I am going to college next year, my two sisters’ are to.
. Did she ask “Can I go with you”?
). I think my favorite song is Summertime.
. !is recipe needs: salt, sugar, flour, milk, three types of chocolate, and four eggs.
(. She is the mother of a four year old boy who is in the kindergarten class I teach.
. My cat-I don’t know how she got there-was living in the neighbors garage.
. I read this quote in the newspaper; “Governor Ferry said that these (the new taxes) would help pay for the
roads to be fixed.
. She attends Proctor High school, in Memphis Tennessee.
. Out of all the seasons, summer is my favorite.
+. She said that “the weather should be nice today.”
. “Take this book,” he said “And return it to the library.”
. !e title of the movie is “Where is Mr. Jones”?
). Dear Mister Duple,
I am applying for the Accounting position at Tickner Inc.
. Yours Truly,
John Jones, Jr.
(. Jim, along with his friends, are going to see a Concert.
. All the girls are wearing a long dress to the School Prom.
). “Which of your to poodles is tallest,” she asked?
). I think this is the least interesting book of the three in the series.
132 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
). He likes to swim more than me but I am a better swimmer.
)+. Finally repaired, I picked up my car from the shop today.
). She asked me if I read about the earthworm in the science book?
). Both of my sisters’ are going, but we aren’t taking either of there cars.
)). I would’ve gone to !omas’ house; but he is on vacation.
). !e motorcycle belongs to her brothers.
)(. After I go to the gym, I will pick up my dry cleaning, and then going to the movies.
). I met the following people at my interview: Ann Jones, the company president, the human resources manager,
Phil Cole, a project manager and a scientist.
. Five boys and ) girls are in the class, this is small.
. I was born in June, ( in Boston.
. I can barely finish this piece of cake anymore.
+. You put to many a’s in the word accommodate.
. !ey almost stole / of my money!
. I asked him if he was alright. And I asked him again when he didn’t reply.
). !is dress is altogether too tight.
. After we hanged the pictures on the wall the apartment looked really well.
(. !is notebook has dual functions: it is both a diary and a reminder list.
. Bring these bottles back to the store and get some money for them
(. Do you feel as badly as me about the broken television?
(. I would appreciate if you would separate these essays into three discreet piles according to grade.
(. I turned the truck into Benson Drive and went straight from there.
(+. Many people have always emigrated to the U.S. from other countries.
(. None of the pieces of chocolate cake from dessert is left.
(. Well, I didn’t want any cake anyways, did you?
(). We visited the capitol building when we visited the state capitol.
(. Because she acted like she was a professional actress you could tell she thought she deserved the lead in the
play.
((. She is a much better actress than I!
(. My dog ate all it’s food this morning, which is unusual.
. She asked, “Are you going to your graduation?”
. !e principle rule of the game, is to get the ball in the basket.
. !e band has been tuning up their instruments for the past hour.
+. After the storm the rocks were laying all over the road.
Final Test " 133
. He lead the class in math but he wasn’t very good in english.
. I am going to try and get a job in Sales.
). “Who’s briefcase is this,” she asked.
. If you will precede with this project; I will get started on the next assignment.
(. Since I live further away from school then you do, I always go passed the mall.
. I only have five pencils, and she has even less than me.
. If you can loan me dollars, we can bring my sister to the movies.
See Appendix G for the answers.
Appendix A
Redundancy
Avoid being redundant and extra wordy in your writing.
Instead of Use Instead of Use
: p.m. in the afternoon : p.m. invited guests guests (guests are
generally invited)
and also and OR also
(but not both) it should be noted that notice
as yet yet past history history
at this point in time now personal opinion opinion
basic essentials essentials plan ahead plan
collaborate together collaborate postpone until later postpone
completely unanimous unanimous protest against protest
difficult dilemma dilemma (they are refer back refer
all di.cult!)
repeat again repeat
due to the fact that because OR due to
revert back revert
each and every each OR every
small in size small
(but not both)
spell out in detail spell out
end result result
such as ________, etc . use either such as
exactly the same the same
OR etc. (not both)
filled to capacity filled
summarize briefly summarize
final outcome outcome
unexpected surprise surprise
for the purpose of to
very unique unique
I would appreciate if you would please
we made a decision we decided
in close proximity to near
with regard to about OR regarding
in the immediately vicinity of near
136 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
It is important to avoid redundancy, or unnecessary Here are the redundancies that were in the first example:
repetition, when we write. Redundancy can make writ-
. 7 a.m. is the morning, so we don’t need to also write
ing overly wordy and often awkward. Read the follow-
this morning.
ing paragraph, and see if you can spot the ten examples
of redundancy. . Close proximity? Close is enough.
+. Immediate vicinity means near.
I woke up early because I had a meeting at 7 a.m.
this morning. It is a good thing I live in close proxim-
. We know small refers to size, so we don’t need to use
small in size.
ity to my office, so I didn’t have to leave too early. I
stopped at Starbucks, which is in the immediate vicin- . Made a decision can be replaced by decided. !is
ity of where I work. I am missed if I don’t show up at redundancy is called a “nominalization,” which
a meeting, since the company is small in size. This means turning a verb into a noun, thus adding more
meeting was about our latest project. We made a words.
decision to collaborate together on it for the purpose ). You cannot collaborate unless you work together, so
of getting a variety of different ideas. The creativity of together is redundant with collaborate.
this company is the reason why I took the job. It is a . Variety implies that the ideas will be different, so we
great job, but at this point in time I haven’t gotten a don’t need both words.
raise as yet.
(. We can use is the reason or we can use is why, but we
Did you find them? Here is the same paragraph with the don’t need to use is the reason why.
redundancy eliminated. . At this point in time is not necessary at all. You are
I woke up early because I had a meeting at 7 a.m. obviously referring to the present.
It is a good thing I live close to my office, so I didn’t . You don’t need as yet. Yet is enough.
have to leave too early. I stopped at Starbucks, which It is easy to let these redundancies slip into our writing.
is near where I work. I am missed if I don’t show up !e best way to avoid them is to be familiar with them
at a meeting, since the company is small. This meet- and proofread your work (or have someone else proof-
ing was about our latest project. We decided to col- read it) to tighten it up.
laborate on it to get a variety of ideas. The creativity
of this company is the reason I took the job. It is a
great job, but I haven’t gotten a raise yet.
Appendix B
Commonly Misspelled Words
A before controversial
absence beginning convenience
accidentally believe criticize
accommodate benefited
accumulate breathe D
achieve brilliant decide
acquaintance business definite
acquire definitely
across C deposit
address calendar describe
advertise careful desperate
advice category develop
amateur ceiling di,erence
among cemetery dilemma
apparatus certain disappear
apparent changeable disappoint
arctic chief discipline
argument citizen dissatisfied
ascend colonel (military rank) does
athlete column during
attendance coming
awful committee E
competition easily
B conceivable eight
balance conscience (the guilty kind) eighth
basically conscientious either
becoming conscious (aware) eligible
138 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
embarrass grieve M
eminent guarantee maintenance
encouragement maneuver
environment H millennium
equipped harass minuscule
exaggerate height mischievous
excellent heroes misspell
except hindrance
exercise humerus (arm bone) N
exhilarate humorous (funny) necessary
existence ninety
expect I noticeable
immediately
experience
incident (something that happens) O
experiment
incidence (frequency of something occasionally
explanation
happening)
occur
incidentally
F occurred
incredible
familiar occurrence
independent
fascinating omitted
inoculate
February optimistic
irresistible
finally
foreign P
J parallel
forty
jewelry
paralyze
forward
judgment
pastime
fourth
perseverance
friend
K
personal
fundamental knowledge
personnel
G picnicking
L
gauge possession
leisure
generally precede
liaison
government precedence
license
grammar prejudice
loneliness
prevalent
Commonly Misspelled Words " 139
privilege S tragedy
proceed schedule transferring
professor seize twelfth
pronunciation sense tyranny
pursue separate
sergeant U
Q severely undoubtedly
questionnaire shining unnecessary
similar until
R sincerely
receive
sophomore V
recommend vacuum
specifically
referring villain
studying
relevant
succeed
repetition W
succession
restaurant weird
rhyme whether (or not)
T
rhythm temperamental
tendency
Appendix C
Commonly Mispronounced Words
accessory !e first C has a “hard” sound. Say ak-sess- forte !e Italian word, a musical term meaning “loud,”
or-y, not ass-ess-or-y. is pronounced with two syllables: for-tay. !e French
word, an adjective meaning “strength” or “strong point,”
across !ere is no T at the end. Do not say a-crost.
is pronounced with one syllable: fort.
arctic Note the C after the R. Say ark-tik, not ar-tik.
Halloween Say hal-o-ween, not hol-lo-ween.
ask !e S comes before the K. Say ask not aks.
height !e word ends in a T sound, not a TH sound.
asterisk Notice the second S. Say as-ter-isk, not Say hite, not hith.
as-ter-ik.
heinous Say hay-nus, not heen-i-us.
athlete !e word has two syllables, not three. Say
hierarchy !e word has four syllables. Say hi-er-ar-
ath-lete, not ath-uh-lete.
ky, not hi-ar-ky.
cache !e word is of French origin, but it does not
Illinois As with Arkansas, the final S in Illinois is not
end with an accented syllable. Say kash, not ka-shay.
pronounced. Say il-i-noy, not il-li-noiz.
candidate Notice the first D. Say kan-di-date, not
interpret !e word has three syllables. Don’t add
kan-i-date.
one! Say in-ter-pret, not in-ter-pre-tate (or in-ter-pert).
cavalry (troops that fight on horseback) Say kav-ul-ry,
jewelry !e word has three syllables. Say jew-el-ry,
not kal-vuh-ry.
not jew-el-er-y or jewl-ry.
chaos Say kay-os, not tchay-os.
library Say li-brar-y, not li-ber-ry.
clothes Notice the TH spelling and sound. Say klothz,
medieval !e word has four syllables. !e first E may
not kloz.
be pronounced either short (med) or long (meed). Say
daïs (a raised platform) !e word is often misspelled med-ee-ee-val or mee-dee-ee-val, not mid-eval.
as well as mispronounced. Say day-is not dī-is.
miniature !e word has four syllables. Say min-i-a-
dilate !e word has two syllables, not three. Say di- ture, not min-a-ture.
late, not di-a-late.
mischievous !e word has three syllables with the
drowned !is is the past participle form of the verb accent on the first syllable: mis-chi-vus. Don’t say mis-
drown. Say drownd, not drown-ded. chee-vee-us. Please.
et cetera !is Latin term is often mispronounced and niche Say neesh, not nitch.
its abbreviation is frequently misspelled. Say et cet-er-a,
old-fashioned Don’t leave o, the ED. Say old-fash-
not ex cet-er-a. For the abbreviation, write etc., not ect.
iond, not old-fashion.
February !e spelling calls for feb-roo-ar-y, not
orient !is word has three syllables. Say or-i-ent, not
feb-u-ar-y.
or-i-en-tate.
foliage !e word has three syllables. Say fo-li-uj, not
picture !ere’s a K sound in picture. Don’t confuse
fol-uj or foil-uj.
picture with pitcher. Say pik-ture, not pitch-er.
142 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
precipitation Say pre-cip-i-ta-tion, not per-cip-i-ta-tion. recur Do not say reoccur.
prescription Note the prefix PRE in this word. Say sherbet !e word has only one r in it. Say sher-bet
pre-scrip-tion, not per-scrip-tion or pro-scrip-tion. not sher-bert.
preventive !e word has three syllables. Say pre-ven- supposedly Do not say supposably.
tive/, not pre-ven-ta-tive.
ticklish !e word has two syllables. Say tik-lish, not
probably !is word as three syllables. Say prob-ab-ly, tik-i-lish.
not prob-ly.
undoubtedly Do not say undoubtably
pronunciation !is word is a noun. It comes from
vehicle Although there is an H in the word, don’t pro-
the verb pronounce, BUT it is not pronounced like the
nounce it. Say vee-ikl, not vee-hikl.
verb. Say pro-nun-ci-a-tion, not pro-nounce-i-a-tion.
wintry !e word has two syllables. Say win-try, not
prostate !is is the word for a male gland. Say pros-
win-ter-y.
tate, not pros-trate (which means lying down).
realtor Say re-al-tor, not re-a-la-tor or ree-la-tor.
Appendix D
Common Prefixes, Suffixes, and Word Roots
P refixes, su.xes, and word roots are parts of words
that carry a specific meaning. !ey help you to fig-
ure out the meaning of a word you may not know. Pre-
Prefix
a/ab
Meaning
away from
Sample Word
absent
fixes are added to the beginning of a word. Su.xes are ad toward advance
added to the end of a word. Roots can be anywhere in ante before antebellum
the word, and are generally the main part of the word. (before the war)
For example: anti against anti-war
!e prefix pre- means before. auto self automobile
Preheat the oven—heat up the oven before you put bene good benefit
something into it.
bi two bicycle
Su.xes usually don’t give much clue to the meaning
of a word. !ey usually change the part of speech. !e co together cooperate
su.x -ful means full of, so adding -ful to beauty makes contr against contradict
the word beautiful, or full of beauty. It also changes the
circum around circumference
word from a noun to an adjective. !e su.x -ize means
to become. Add -ize to modern and you get modern- de reverse, remove decompose
ize, to become modern. !at su.x changes words from
dec ten decade
adjectives to verbs.
dis opposite of distrust
Let’s see an example with roots. Some words have more
than one root in them, and one may be at the beginning, dys bad dysfunction
functioning as more of a prefix. Look at the word auto- du, duo two duet
biography. Let’s break it apart:
ex/e out exhale
auto means self.
hyper over hyperactive
bio means life.
hypo under hypotension
graph means writing.
in/ir/il not illegal
What is an autobiography? A writing about someone’s
life written by oneself. macro large macroeconomics
Knowing roots and prefixes can improve your vocabu- mal bad malfunction
lary. Here are some common prefixes and roots, their micro small microscopic
meanings, and sample words.
milli thousand millipede
mis wrong misspell
144 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
multi many multimillionaire flect, flex bend, turn flexible
non not nonfat fract/frag break fracture, fragment
octa eight octagon geo earth geography
poly many polygon grad/gress by steps gradual, progress
post after postpone graph/gram write telegram
pre before pregame hetero di,erent heterogeneous
pro forward project homo same homonym
pseudo false pseudonym hydro water hydrate
quadr four quadruplets init beginning initial
re again redo ject throw project
sub under submarine jus/jud/jur law/right justice, judge, jury
super above/more than superhero logy science, study of biology
tele far away telescope mag great magnify
trans across transport man hand manicure
tri three triple mater mother maternal
un not unnecessary meter measure centimeter
mis/mit send transmit
Root Meaning Sample Word mono alone/one monotone
amphi/ambi both ways amphibian, mort death mortal
ambidextrous
omni all omnivore
anthro human anthropology
opt sight, eye optical
aqua water aquarium
ortho straight orthodontist
aud/audit hear audience
pater father paternal
biblio book bibliography
patho su,ering, feeling sympathy
bio life biology
ped/pod foot pedal, tripod
cent one hundred centipede
peri around perimeter
chrome color chromatic
phob fear arachnophobia
chrono time chronological
phon sound telephone
cogn know recognize
photo light photosynthesis
cracy government democracy
phys nature physical
demo people democracy
port carry transport
dia across/through diagonal
prim/princ first primary, princess
dict speak dictate
psych mind/soul psychology
Common Prefixes, Suffixes, and Word Roots " 145
quer/quis/ques seek query, question terr land terrace
scope see telescope theo God monotheism
scribe/script write manuscript thermo heat thermometer
stat stand statue var di,erent varied
strict tighten restrict vers, vert turn reverse
syn, sym together synonym, viv/vit live survive
symbiotic
Appendix E
Writing Tips
. NO run ons. When you come to the end of a com- . Subject/verb/object should be placed fairly close
plete thought, put a comma and a conjunction, or a together without a lot of words in between them.
period, or a semicolon—not just a comma. Move words between them to the beginning of the
. Do not start a sentence with and, but, or so. sentence, or give them a sentence of their own.
+. Avoid singular indefinites by rewriting (none, any- . Make a sentence subject something that has been
one, everyone, etc.). !ey cause confusion with the referred to already in the paragraph, so the reader is
singular verb and having to use his or her. familiar with it.
. Avoid weak verbs like is and has. Also avoid the con- . Start most (⅔) of your sentences with the subject.
struction there is-.-.-. . Don’t use compound subjects and compound verbs
. Avoid it unless it is clear to what it refers! together.
). Say things in a brief manner. +. Use parallel form.
. Short words actually have more PUNCH than long . Avoid using too many contractions. Write out
words, especially at the end of a sentence, where abbreviations in most cases. Do not use slang or
words get more emphasis. dead words.
(. Write in the positive rather than the negative. . Mix long and short sentences.
Appendix F
Glossary
Abstract noun A noun that you cannot see, hear, Examples: taller of the two girls, more fun than the
touch, taste, or smell. Examples: happiness, thought. other game.
Active voice Writing in which the subject of the sen- Complex sentence A sentence with one or more sub-
tence is performing the action of the verb. Example: She ordinate clauses and one independent clause. Example:
drove the car. Although I am tired (subordinate), I will go with you
(independent).
Adjective One of the eight parts of speech. An adjec-
tive describes a noun or another adjective and usually Compound sentence A sentence with two or more
tells what kind or how many. Examples: purple, pretty. independent clauses. Example: I am tired, but I will
go with you.
Adverb One of the eight parts of speech. An adverb
describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb and Compound-complex sentence A sentence with one
usually tells how, when, or to what extent. Examples: or more subordinate clauses and two or more indepen-
slowly, very, now. dent clauses. Example: Although I am tired (subordi-
nate), I will go with you (independent) and I will have
Agreement !e rule that singular subjects go with
fun (independent).
singular verbs, plural subjects go with plural verbs, sin-
gular pronouns go with singular antecedents, and plu- Concrete noun A person, place, or thing you can see,
ral pronouns go with plural antecedents. hear, feel, taste, and/or smell. Examples: desk, teacher,
computer.
Antecedent A pronoun stands in for a noun. !at
noun is called its antecedent. Example: Mary brought Dash (– en, — em) !e en dash is used for ranges of
her book. numbers and minus signs. !e em dash is used for a
break in thought in a sentence.
Appositive A phrase that adds more information to a
noun or pronoun. Example: Ben, my older brother, is Demonstrative pronoun !e pronouns that are used
twelve years old. to point out: this, that, these, and those.
Article !e words a, an, and the. !ey are adjectives. Direct object A noun or pronoun that generally
comes after the verb and receives its action. Example:
Clause A group of words that has a subject and a
I threw the ball.
verb. Example: !at book, which I read last night, is
a mystery. Double negative !e use of two negatives, which
makes it a positive and is grammatically incorrect.
Collective noun A noun that even in its singular
Examples: I don’t have no paper. I am not hardly ready.
form represents a group. Examples: group, flock, bunch,
herd. Fragment A group of words that is intended to be a
sentence, but instead is an incomplete thought. Exam-
Common noun A person, place, or thing that does
ple: Because I said so.
not begin with a capital letter. Examples: boy, dog,
house, radio. Gerund A verb form ending in -ing that is used as a
noun rather than a verb. Example: Reading is my favor-
Comparative !e adjective or adverb form that is
ite hobby.
used when comparing two things, the -er or more form.
150 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Indefinite pronoun Pronouns such as anyone, any- Possessive A form of a noun or pronoun that shows
thing, anybody, everyone, everything, everybody, some- ownership. Examples: hers, Susan’s, the children’s.
one, something, someone, none, few, and all. Most, but
Predicate !e simple predicate is the verb in the sen-
not all, of these pronouns are singular.
tence. !e complete predicate is the entire sentence
Independent clause A sentence or complete thought. except the subject.
Indirect object Noun or pronoun that receives the Preposition One of the eight parts of speech. A prep-
direct object in a sentence. Example: He gave me the osition is always the first word in a prepositional phrase.
map. !e phrase usually tells where or when. Examples: in
the box, after the party.
Infinitive A verb preceded by the word to. Example:
to run. Pronoun One of the eight parts of speech. A pronoun
takes the place of a noun. Examples: She, this, who,
Intensive pronoun A pronoun that ends in -self or
someone, I.
-selves. Example: I myself baked that cake.
Proper noun A noun that names a particular per-
Interjection One of the eight parts of speech: a word
son, place, thing, or idea and begins with a capital letter.
that expresses emotion. Example: ouch! wow! oh!
Examples: John, Texas, Pacific Ocean, Buddhism.
Interrogative pronoun !e pronouns that are used
Punctuation marks !e symbols that make text
to ask questions: which, who, whom, whose, and what.
readable by telling the reader when to stop or pause.
Irregular verb A verb that does not form its past Examples: periods, commas, colons, semicolons, quo-
tense with the addition of -ed. Examples: run (ran), see tation marks, dashes, hyphens, parentheses.
(saw), sit (sat).
Reflexive pronoun A pronoun that ends in -self or
Italics Tilted letters in print. You cannot write by -selves. Example: I made this pie myself.
hand in italics.
Relative pronoun A pronoun that begins an adjec-
Linking verb A verb that functions as an equal sign tive clause. !ey are that, which, who, whom, and whose.
in a sentence, where both sides of the verb are equal. Examples: !is is the dress that I just bought. My neigh-
!e most common linking verb is to be (am, are, is). bor, who lives next door, is from Italy.
Example: He is a boy.
Run-on sentence Two sentences with either no
Lowercase Another word for small letters, as opposed punctuation or a comma separating them. !ere needs
to capital letters (uppercase). to be either a period or semicolon separating them, or
Noun One of the eight parts of speech: a person, place, a conjunction added after the comma. Example: !e
thing, or idea. Examples: car, dog, city, sofa, thought. flower is pink, it is very pretty.
Objective case !e pronoun forms that are used as Simple sentence A sentence that consists of just one
direct and indirect objects, and objects of a preposition. independent clause. Example: Jack and I went to the
!ey are me, us, her, him, them, and whom. movies.
Participle A verb form, usually the past tense or -ing Subject Noun or pronoun that the sentence is about.
form, that is used as an adjective. Example: I drove past !e subject generally performs the action of the verb.
the burning building. Examples: She saw the art exhibit. !e dog bit the
young child.
Passive voice Grammatical construction where the
subject of the sentence is not performing the action of Subordinate clause (dependent) A clause (group of
the verb. Example: I was driven to school. words with a subject and a verb) that is not a complete
thought and cannot stand alone as a sentence. Example:
Phrase A small group of related words that does not although I received my driver’s license.
contain both a subject and a verb. Examples: in the sun,
jumping constantly.
Glossary " 151
Superlative !e adjective or adverb form that is used Verb One of the eight parts of speech. Every sentence
when comparing more than two things, the -est or most needs at least one verb. Represents action or a state of
form. Examples: tallest of all the girls, the most fun of being. Examples: run, talk, cook, is, looks.
the three games.
Voice Active or passive. Tells whether the subject
Tense Form of a verb that tells when the action was performs the action of the verb or not. Examples: She
done. !e most common tenses are past, present, and baked a cake (active voice). A cake was baked by her
future. Examples: I walk, I walked, I will walk. (passive voice).
Uppercase Another word for capital letters, as
opposed to small letters (lowercase).
Appendix G
Answers to Practices and Chapter Tests
Pretest +. is
. b. subject +. is
. c. and +. his or her. (!eir is also acceptable in some style
guides.)
+. c. is
++. is
. a. ouch
+. c. As Bev was walking down the street, she waved
. c. verb
at Carol.
). a. I
+. c. !is dress was made for me!
. b. verb
+). d. I have gone to the movies three times this week.
(. b. Jack
+. b. I had run five miles before I fell.
. b. book
+(. b. She looked bad in that dress.
. d. imperative
+. a. I have went to Alaska before.
. a. into the house
. b. If I were rich, I would be really happy.
. b. singing loudly
. a. !e bell rung three times.
+. d. Running down the street, the dog wouldn’t come
. Mary, who had three dogs, was a real animal lover.
back.
+. !e book that has the old, torn cover belongs to me.
. a. to go to the store
. a. I am going to college next year, my sister is too.
. d. a subject and a verb
. d. Did she say that she can’t go with you?
). a. sentence
). b. !e titles of books.
. a. because I can’t talk on the phone
. d. All of the above.
(. c. She ran.
(. c. Hyphens are used in some compound words;
. c. I didn’t go, he did.
dashes are not.
. c. Jack went up the hill, and Jill fell down.
. My cat—I don’t know how she got there—was living
. I in the neighbor’s garage.
. me . d. Both of these.
+. He and I . I work at the First National Bank in Boston.
. whom . Out of all the seasons, summer is my favorite.
. Who +. I said, “Don’t go without me.”
). Whom .“Take this book,” he said, “and return it to the library.”
. who . !e title of the movie is Once upon a Time in Rome.
(. this ). Dear Mr. and Mrs. Foster:
. his (!eir is also acceptable in some style guides.)
154 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
. Yours truly, . principal
John Jones, Jr. . their
(. c. Neither Jim nor Pete is going. +. lay
. b. Neither the boy nor the girls are going. . led
). taller . Try to
). least ). whose
). b. She likes pizza more than I. . precede
)+. a. Freshly painted, my car looked great when I (. past
picked it up today.
. fewer
). d. None of the sentences is written well.
. lend
). sister’s
)). James’s
). sisters Chapter 1
)(. I like to swim, to fish, and to lie in the sun.
). Mrs. Apple, the president of the company; Mr. Jones, Practice 1—Recognizing Nouns
the vice-president; Mr. Green; Ms. Young; Mr. Fox; . cake, brother
and I are going to the meeting. (Just change the
. idea, place
comma after Ms. Young to a semicolon.)
+. stamps, hobby, scrapbooks, photos
. c. Five boys and three girls were in the class.
. department, meetings, month.
. a. I was born on July , .
. award, happiness.
. c. I can barely finish this piece of cake.
+. c. !ere are too many A’s in this word.
. b. I received a percent on the quiz.
Practice 2—Recognizing Types of Nouns
. d. Separate two sentences with a comma and no . New York City
conjunction. . soil
). all right +. rules
. hung . band
(. dual . Bob, Ireland, Buddhism
. Take ). idea, sadness, Christianity, hunger
(. bad . group, committee, tribe, bunch, collection
(. discreet
(. in to Practice 3—Pronouns and Antecedents
(+. emigrated . June
(. dessert . cake
(. anyway +. !ey
(). capital . lessons
(. as if . Bob
((. than
(. it’s Practice 4—Personal Pronouns
. your . I, him, I
Answers " 155
. My, me, my . nothing
+. We, our (. anything
. I, it
. your, we Practice 10—Pronoun Review
. you—personal, I—personal, him—personal
Practice 5—Demonstrative Pronouns . which—interrogative, you—personal, I—personal
. This is new. +. this—demonstrative, that—relative, I—personal
. I want some of those. . they—personal, something—indefinite,
+. Please take some of these. themselves—reflexive/intensive
. I—personal, anything—indefinite, that—
demonstrative
Practice 6—Interrogative Pronouns
). you—personal, someone—indefinite, this—
. None demonstrative
. Whom
+. None. Sentence isn’t a question.
Practice 11—Action Verbs
. Which
. threw, caught
. None
. know
). who, whom, whose, which, what
+. jumped, ate
. wonder, likes
Practice 7—Relative Pronouns
. Tell
. that
. who
Practice 12—Linking Verbs
+. whose
. am
. whom
. tastes
+. seems
Practice 8—Intensive/Reflexive Pronouns
. None
. myself . is
. herself
+. himself
Practice 13—Action and Linking Verbs
. yourself
. are—linking, is—linking
. himself
. clean—action, mow—action
+. think—action, is—linking
Practice 9—Indefinite Pronouns
. is—linking, will (not) fit—action
. something . shop—action, clean—action, visit—action
. anyone
+. Everyone (some is an adjective)
Practice 14—Tenses
. All, most
. have gone (or have been going—progressive)
. None
. will bake (or will be baking—progressive)
). None
156 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
+. had gone (or had been going—progressive) Practice 19—Adverbs
. will have taken (or will have been taking—progressive) . quietly
. studied (or was studying—progressive) . soon
). plays (or is playing—progressive) +. slowly
. too
Practice 15—Regular Verbs . tenderly, softly
. rained
. washed Practice 20—Placement of Adverbs
+. studied . Carefully can be put at the very beginning or the
. played very end of the sentence. It can also be correctly
. graduated placed after we or walked.
. Soon can be put at the very beginning or the very
end of the sentence, and it can also be placed after
Practice 16—Active and Passive Voice
he or after will.
. active +. Sentence is best as it is written.
. passive . Contentedly would be better if it were placed after
+. active purred.
. active . Sentence is written well. Gladly can also be placed
. active after I.
). passive
. active Practice 21—Prepositional Phrases
(. active . under the table
. passive . at the lake
. active +. into the house
. around the track
Practice 17—Transitive and Intransitive Verbs . to the museum
. transitive (direct object: chess)
. intransitive Practice 22—Coordinating Conjunctions
+. transitive (direct object: suit) . but
. transitive (direct object: cat) . yet
. transitive (direct object: report) +. or
. and
Practice 18—Adjectives . nor
. three, one, younger ). so
. the, tall, the . for
+. this, that, the
. these, two, good Practice 23—Subordinating Conjunctions
. a, fabulous, !anksgiving . although
. because
Answers " 157
+. until . b—proper
. if +. c—future
. wherever . a—four (you, I something, your)
. b—three (that, interesting, di.cult)
Practice 24—Interjections Part
. wow . Wow! or another appropriate interjection
. help . a name, such as Suzie
+. ouch +. around the track or another such phrase
. her, him, or them.
Brain Challenges . will eat, will go to bed, or something similar.
. no adverb
. no preposition How did you do? + is a perfect score.
+. no adjective
–+—Excellent!
. interjection and noun or pronoun
–—Very good!
. verb and adjective
–—Pretty good!
Chapter 1 Test Fewer than correct—Need more review.
Part
. around—f preposition Chapter 2
. wow—h interjection
+. desk—a noun Practice 25—Identifying Subjects
. think—c verb . I
. but—g conjunction . You and Jane (compound subject)
). really—e adverb +. boss
. pretty—d adjective . we
(. them—b pronoun . I
Part ). Jack, Joan, and Fred (compound)
. which . you
. you (. you (In a command the subject is always you,
+. something although many times it isn’t there. It is called the
implied you: [You] clean your room before dinner.)
. myself
. this
Practice 26—Identifying Verbs
). who
. went
Part (counts as seven points)
. climbed, was (linking)
for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
+. has (helping) given
Part . barked and growled (compound), walked
. c—transitive . are (helping) going
158 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
). am (helping) going, is (helping) taking Practice 31—Predicate Adjectives and
. tell (command; subject is the implied you.) Nominatives
. beautiful (predicate adjective)
Practice 27—Subjects and Predicates . terrible, great (predicate adjectives)
. !e large dog/scared us. +. none—action verb
. Fourteen boys and nine girls/came to the party. . tall, taller (predicate adjectives)
+. !e chocolate cake in the kitchen/is for dessert after . none—action verb
dinner. ). actor (predicate noun)
Practice 28—Direct Objects Practice 32—Types of Sentences
. chess . Exclamatory
. no direct object . Declarative
+. pizza and salad (compound) +. Exclamatory
. book . Interrogative
. secret (tell what?) . Imperative
). no direct object
. sweater Chapter 2 Test
Part
Practice 29—Indirect Objects . Jim reads
. you (direct object is tickets) . You and I will walk
. none +. grapes taste
+. me (direct object is cake) . I received
. none . dog ate and drank
. none
Part
). none (direct object is us)
. !at big brown dog/attacked the neighbor yesterday.
. Jim and me (direct object is collection)
. Suzie, Jack, Holly, Mike, and all the others/are
(. sister (direct object is story)
invited to our party.
+. Dinner/consists of steak, potatoes, salad, and bread.
Practice 30—Objects of Prepositions
Part
. class
. coat—direct, me—object of preposition
. artist
. me—indirect, gift—direct
+. birthday, money
+. morning—object of preposition, night—object of
. cousin and uncle (compound)
preposition
. college
. me—direct, game—object of preposition
). track, river
. Paris—object of preposition, train—direct, country-
side—object of preposition
Part
. pretty—predicate adjective
Answers " 159
. tired—predicate adjective +. to hand in (my report)
+. cheerleader—predicate nominative . to become (a doctor)
. Santa Claus—predicate nominative . to eat (too many sweet things)
Part
. dinner—direct, beach—object of preposition Practice 35—Infinitives as Subjects and Objects
. me—indirect, story—direct, rabbit—object of prep- . to be an astronaut—subject
osition, bear—object of preposition . to read that new book—object
+. work—object of preposition, reports—direct, Fri- +. to see the new movie or the concert—object
day—object of preposition . To go to college—subject
. tasty—predicate adjective, ripe—predicate adjective
. him—indirect, tickets—direct, game—object of Practice 36—Identifying Participles
preposition, Sunday—object of preposition
. running (after the car)— modifies dog
Part
. baked—modifies apple
!e first sentence in part is imperative. +. frozen—modifies pond (skating is a gerund, not a
participle)
. sitting (on my lap)—modifies dog
How did you do? + is a perfect score.
. no participle
–+—Excellent!
). Sneezing and coughing—modify sister
(–—Very good! . no participle
– Pretty good! (. chasing (the ball)—modifies dog
Fewer than correct—Need more review.
Practice 37—Identifying Gerunds
Chapter 3 . swimming
. yelling
+. knitting
Practice 33—Prepositional Phrases
. writing
. on the chair—adverb modifying slept
. tasting
. after dinner —adverb modifying wash
+. with the pillow—adjective modifying chair
Practice 38—Gerund or Participle?
. under the tree—adverb modifying sitting
. running—participle (modifying I)
. in blue—adjective modifying girl
. running—gerund
). around the park—adverb modifying walked
+. burning—participle (modifying building)
. in the o.ce—adverb modifying find
. closing—participle (modifying she)
(. by Robert Frost—adverb modifying written
. writing—gerund
). reading and writing—gerunds
Practice 34—Infinitives
. Lying—participle (modifying she)
!e rest of the infinitive phrase is in parentheses.
(. talking—gerund and written—participle (modifying
. to go (to the movies) instructions)
. to tell (the truth)
160 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Practice 39—Appositives How did you do? is a perfect score.
. Jean (–—Excellent!
. a psychology professor )–—Very good!
+. a pearl necklace –) Pretty good!
. one of my favorites
Fewer than correct—Need more review.
. peppers and olives
Chapter 3 Test Chapter 4
Part
. Smiling broadly—participial /for her birthday— Practice 40—Independent Clauses
prepositional phrase . independent clause
. his girlfriend—appositive/ in high school—preposi- . independent clause
tional phrase +. not an independent clause
+. Walking through the park—participial /through the . independent clause
park—prepositional phrase
. independent clause (Yes, it really is a complete
. Giving gifts—gerundial/ receiving them—gerundial sentence. Since it is a command, the subject is you,
. Receiving a bicycle—participle/ for Christmas— which isn’t always there, but is understood: You sit.)
prepositional phrase/my cousin—appositive/to ride ). not an independent clause.
it—infinitive
. independent clause
Part (. not an independent clause; missing a subject
. swimming—participle modifying dog
. going—gerund and subject Practice 41—Subordinate Clauses
+. talking—gerund and object . c. My brother, who is visiting from China, is in
. frightened—participle modifying sister college.
. speeding — participle modifying car . d. Although it isn’t dinner time yet, I am really hun-
Part gry. (Or, I am really hungry although it isn’t dinner
time yet.)
. to go
+. a. Stay in your seat until the game starts.
. none
. e. !e blue dress, which I bought yesterday, was on
+. to see sale.
. to buy . b. I am going this year because I couldn’t go last year.
. none (Or, Because I couldn’t go last year, I am going this
year.)
Part
. c. Jane
Practice 42—Identifying Adjective Clauses
. d. participle
. that I just filled out—modifies application
+. a. prepositional phrase
. none.
. c. prepositional phrase
+. which I just made—modifies pasta
. d. none of those
. whose author I met at the meeting—modifies book
Answers " 161
. who is an expert on insects—modifies professor Chapter 5
Practice 43—Identifying Adverb Clauses Practice 44—Identifying and Rewriting
. because I was in a tra.c jam. Sentence Fragments
. If my sister wants to go . Fragment. Sample rewrite: You don’t have to pay us,
+. since he moved away. since the work isn’t done and we need to leave, but
. Wherever I go we can come back tomorrow.
. although it is raining. . Complete sentence.
+. Complete sentence (simply written in an unusual
word order).
Chapter 4 Test
. Fragment. Sample rewrite: I don’t know where he is
Part calling from.
. Subordinate . Fragment. Sample rewrite: Because your mother
. Independent told you to go, you must go immediately.
+. Subordinate
. Subordinate Practice 45—Identifying and Correcting
. Independent Run Ons
). Independent . Run on. !ese are all correct:
. Subordinate I ate pizza. My brother ate a hamburger.
I ate pizza; my brother ate a hamburger.
Part I ate pizza, and (or but), my brother ate a
. whenever I am with him—adverb hamburger.
. who is walking in front of us—adjective . Sentence. It may be long, but it is fine.
+. that I am telling you—adjective +. Run on. !en cannot connect two sentences.
. because I had a game that day—adverb I took the train, and then I had to take two buses to
get there.
. whose dog was lost—adjective
I took the train; then I had to take two buses to get
Part there.
I took the train. !en I had to take two buses to get
. who you are—object
there.
. whoever is making that noise —subject
. Sentence.
+. whoever wants to go—object (of the preposition with)
. Run on. However isn’t used to connect sentences.
Part !ese answers are samples only. Yours will be If-you take out however, the rest of the sentence is
di,erent. a-run on. Here are some sample revisions:
. Because it is cold, I am wearing a sweater. She asked what kind of dog he wanted; however, he
was allergic to dogs, so he couldn’t have one.
. !at doll, which I really want, is very expensive.
She asked what kind of dog he wanted. However,
(Your clause should start with which.)
he was allergic to dogs, so he couldn’t have one.
+. Whoever is going should bring a heavy jacket. She asked what kind of dog he wanted, but he was
. You should take that vacation, although you think allergic to dogs, so he couldn’t have one.
you can’t a,ord it.
. !e pen that is on the table belongs to me. (Your
clause should begin with that.)
162 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Practice 46—Simple and Compound Sentences . Because the movie was very long, I couldn’t stay
until the end.
. Compound
+. Last weekend I went to visit my cousins in Nevada.
. Simple (with compound subject and object)
. Running around the truck, I saw a cute bunny. (Run-
+. Compound
ning is a participle describing I.)
. Simple (compound object)
. Becoming a doctor is my most important goal.
. Simple (compound subject and verb) (Becoming a doctor is the subject of the sentence. It
). Simple is a gerund, or noun.)
). To go to Paris is my greatest dream.
Practice 47—Complex Sentences
Of course your sentences will be di,erent, but here are Chapter 5 Test
some samples of what yours should resemble: Part
. My pen, which I have been using every day, is out of . Complex
ink. (Your clause should start with which.)
. Simple (with compound phrases, subjects, and verbs
. Because I lost track of the time, I burned the cake.
+. Complex
+. I have met the president of the company, who is a
. Compound (using a semicolon instead of a comma
very rich man. (Your clause should start with who,
and conjunction
whom, or whose.)
. Compound-Complex
. My report is late, although I worked on it all week.
(Your clause may not need a comma.) Part
. I want whatever you are eating. (Your clause should !ese are sample answers. Your answers will be di,erent.
be the direct object of want: Want what?)
. !is dress, which is faded and torn, is old.
. My mother, who had always wanted to be an actress,
Practice 48—Identifying Sentence Structures has a part in a play.
. Simple. One independent clause +. I didn’t know this was a game that you loved to play.
. Compound. Two independent clauses (Begin with that, rather than which, because there is
+. Simple. One independent clause, although there are no comma.)
some phrases. Part
. Simple. One independent clause.
Answers are samples only.
. Complex.
. Although I am very hungry, I won’t eat your cooking!
). Compound-Complex.
. Don’t tell me a secret because I am not good at keep-
. Complex
ing them.
(. Simple. !e text after the conjunction and is not a
+. After I finished college, I got a great job!
complete sentence.
Part Add a noun clause to each sentence to make it a
complex sentence.
Practice 49—Writing Sentences with Different
Structures . I don’t know what this movie is about.
(You may have figured out a way to write the sentence . Whatever you say, I will believe.
that is not quite like my answer!) Part Answers are samples only.
. Fred, who is a great student, is my best friend. OR . Last night I baked a cake.
Fred, who is my best friend, is a great student.
Answers " 163
. Wandering through the zoo, I saw a lion. . Correct
+. To keep in good shape, I exercise every day. ). Incorrect. Should be my husband and I
. !is pizza, which has vegetables on it, is the best . Correct
pizza I have ever eaten!
Practice 53—Who and Whom as Interrogative
How did you do? is a perfect score. Pronouns
)– Excellent! . Who (predicate nominative)
. Whom (direct object)
—Very good!
+. Whom (direct object)
+–—Pretty good!
. To whom (object of preposition to)
Fewer than + correct—Need more review. . Who (subject)
Chapter 6 Practice 54—Whose and Who’s
. Who’s
Practice 50—Using the Correct Pronoun Case . Whose
. I—subject of the sentence +. who’s
. We—subject of the sentence . whose
+. Me—object of the preposition to . who’s
. Whom—object of the preposition for
. Me—object of the preposition between Practice 55—Essential Versus Nonessential
). Us—object of the preposition to
Clauses
. He—subject of the sentence . who
(. Him and me—objects of the preposition to . that
. Who—Predicate nominative +. , who gave me a D,
. Whom—direct object of dated . that
. , which is a state on the east coast,
Practice 51—Using Demonstratives Correctly ). that
. , who doesn’t know the multiplication tables,
. !is: Verb is singular and kind is singular.
(. , which I bought on sale,
. !ese: Kinds is plural and the verb is plural.
+. !at: Type is singular.
. !at: !e sentence says it is over there.
Practice 56—Singular Indefinite Pronouns
. !is: If I am holding it, it is over here. . His or her (some style guides/people accept the sin-
gular their)
. Her
Practice 52—Using -self Pronouns
+. Is
. Incorrect. He and I, not myself.
. His or her (some style guides/people accept the sin-
. Correct gular their)
+. Correct . His
. Incorrect. Should be Joe and me, not myself. ). Is
164 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
. His or her (some style guides/people accept the sin- Part
gular their)
Your answers may be di,erent.
(. His
. As Beth drove by the park, she saw Maggie.
. Eating cake, cookies, and ice cream before dinner
Practice 57—Indefinite Pronouns made me happy.
. is +. Bob and Joe were hiking up the mountain when Joe
. are fell and broke his leg.
+. are . Mother started to cry when she was yelling at my
. her sister.
. is . I didn’t know that the homework was due yesterday,
and the report was due today.
). is
. his or her. (some style guides/people accept the sin-
gular their) How did you do? is a perfect score.
(. are +– Excellent!
– Very good!
Chapter 6 Test
(– Pretty good!
Part
Fewer than ( correct—Need more review.
. Whose
. whom
+. me Chapter 7
. We
. his or her (some style guides/people accept the sin- Practice 58—Tenses
gular their) . I will eat dinner at six.
). this . I have danced in New York.
. her +. I am going to Paris next year.
(. whom . I had always gone to school with my sister.
. I . I will have worked here for ten years.
. me
. us Practice 59—Using Correct Tenses
. their
. I have gone there
+. who (Who is the subject of has been invited.)
. I had gone there before I was five years old.
. Who (Who is the subject of was coming.)
+. Correct.
. his
. In the book, Mary is looking for her long lost sister.
). me
. I was sitting in the movie theater and suddenly I saw
. I my cousin.
(. who’s
. that Practice 60—Irregular Verb Forms
. which (Add comma after C.)
. swum
Answers " 165
. frozen ). I sure wish I were rich like you! Subjunctive needed
+. Correct with verb wish.
. cost . Correct.
. threw
). drunk Chapter 7 Test
. Correct Part
(. gone Choose the correct answer.
. torn
. brought
. lent
. shrank
. led
+. frozen
. lay
. well
+. Correct
. she
. Set
). lie
. Lay
. Set
(. weren’t
Practice 61—Active and Passive Voice . risen
. Passive . be
. Active . have sat
+. Active . burst
. Passive +. bad
. Active . growled
. laid
. A mosquito bit him. ). lain
. ABC construction built the museum. . gone
+. !e salesman drove the car. (. were
. !e dog paced back and forth before his owner fed . said
him. . bad
. My aunt and her family donated the book to the
Part
library.
. Active
. Active
Practice 62—Using Subjunctive Mood
+. Passive
. If I were you, I would call them.
. Active
. Correct use of subjunctive.
. Active
+. She looks as if she is tired. No subjunctive. She actu-
ally is tired. Part
. Correct use of subjunctive. . wanted (past)
. I recommend that you be there for the meeting. . is (present)
Subjunctive needed for something recommended. +. will have been(future perfect)
. have seen (present perfect)
166 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
. are going (present progressive) (. Correct.
. !is is, in my opinion, the wrong way to do it!
How did you do? + is a perfect score. . Correct. You don’t need a comma after a short intro-
ductory prepositional phrase (in December).
–+—Excellent!
–—good!
Practice 65—More Comma Rules
– Pretty good! . I was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in July .
Fewer than correct—Need more review. . !e population of Ourtown is ),.
+. !e math department o,ers algebra, geometry, sta-
tistics, etc.
Chapter 8
. I, too, would love to visit France.
. I agree, completely, that you need a vacation. (!e
Practice 63—Some Important Comma Rules commas here are used for emphasis and are not
. Joe was late for work, but he was on time for the necessary.)
meeting. ). I love scary movies; therefore, I want to see the new
. Please buy eggs, milk, bread, and butter when you monster movie.
go to the store. Correct as is. You can also remove the . Correct.
comma after bread. Either way is correct. (. I counted the books, and there are , + of them
+. I was late for school and late for dinner too. Cor- children’s books.
rect. No comma before and because this is not a com- . !ere is an old saying, “Here today, gone tomorrow.”
pound sentence.
. What he meant, I don’t know.
. I bought a bright blue dress for the party. Correct as
is. Bright and blue go together and need no comma.
. I found some valuable jewels in my grandmother’s
Chapter 8 Test
old, dusty trunk. . Angie made a great presentation, and the audience
). I brought pens, pencils, paper and a notebook. Cor- loved it.
rect as is, but you can put a comma after paper and . Bring me a pencil, a pen and some paper, Jack. Cor-
also be correct. rect. (You may add a comma after pen if you want.)
+. In June , my sister was born in New York.
Practice 64—Commas for Introductory and . !e January ), , issue of this magazine is very
Interrupting Elements valuable.
. My cousin, who is in college, is graduating next year. . Send the money to me at Wisconsin St., Bakers-
field, CA +).
. Finally, I got a dog!
). My dog, whose name is Fred, is a terrier.
+. First, you must add this column, and then you can
subtract this number. . Because of the wind, we can’t sail today.
. In the cupboard on the top shelf, you should see the (. !e di.cult classes, e.g., calculus, are o,ered only
sugar. in the evening.
. Although I live far away from my sister, I see her . Correct as is.
frequently. . !e woman who is wearing the yellow hat is my aunt.
). Correct as is. Jack is necessary to the meaning of the . She is very thin, but very strong too.
sentence. . He cleaned the house and then mowed the lawn
. Correct.
Answers " 167
+. When I took the exam for the second time, I passed . Did he ask, “When will we be there?” Both the entire
it; however, I did poorly the first time I tried it. sentence and the quoted portion are questions, so
. We visited an old, beautiful castle on a warm, sunny use one question mark and put it inside the quotes.
day. . He asked, “When will we be there?” !e words inside
. Uncle Joe, Aunt Betty, and I love to play Scrabble the quotes are a question, so put the question mark
whenever we have the chance. inside the quotes.
). As we were eating, ants invaded our picnic blanket.
. !e two dogs were black and white, and brown and Practice 68—Exclamation Points
white, respectively. . She shouted that there was a fire in the kitchen. Use
(. Correct as is. your exclamation points very sparingly. You may or
. !e suit that is on the back rack is on sale for . may not choose to put one here.
. John Rivers, M.D., received his degree from Winchell . She shouted, “!ere’s a fire in the kitchen!” !e
College in Nebraska. quoted part of the sentence is an exclamation, so put
the exclamation point before the quotation marks.
+. I hate it when you say to me, “I forgot to call you”!
How did you do? is a perfect score. You need to have !e entire sentence is an exclamation, but not the
the sentence completely correct to get the score. part in quotes, so if you are going to use an exclama-
(–—Excellent! tion point (and you do not need to), put it outside
the quotes. !e mark belongs to the entire sentence.
)–—Very good!
. If you are just joking, don’t ever shout, “!ere’s a fire
–)—Pretty good! in the kitchen!” In this example, both the entire sen-
Fewer than correct—Need more review. tence and the quoted materials are both exclama-
tions. Put the exclamation point inside the quotes.
Chapter 9 Practice 69—Semicolons and Colons
. semicolon
Practice 66—Using Periods . colon
. Dr. L. Martin, M.D. is my skin doctor. +. colon
. My cousin, Walter Hummel, Jr. used to work for the . colon
FBI.
. semicolons
+. He stands ) ft and + in. tall.
). We invited Mr. and Mrs. Greeley, our next door
. I work at H. Hall Corp. neighbors; Mr. Jagger, our realtor; and Mr. !omas.
. Please meet me at my house at : p.m. Use semicolons if you need to separate items that
). Here is my address: Elm St., Albany, NY. already have commas in them. Note that if the Gree-
leys were not your next door neighbors and Mr. Jag-
ger was not your realtor— but instead these were all
Practice 67—Question Marks separate people—the commas would be fine. If the
. She asked if I could go with her tonight. Not a ques- Greeleys are your next-door neighbors, but Mr.-Jag-
tion. Use a period. ger and the realtor are not the same person, then you
. Do you know the way? would put a semicolon after Mr. Jagger, but leave
just the comma after the Greeleys. !e punctuation
+. Did she say, “I can’t go with you this time”? Whole
depends upon what each separate item in the series
sentence is a question, but not the quote. Put ques-
actually is.
tion mark outside the quotes.
168 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
. correct. Practice 71—Hyphens and Dashes
(. Please bring these items with you: . Correct.
jacket
. My cat—he disappeared for eleven days—had gone
warm gloves
all the way over to the next neighborhood. Em dash
extra socks
+. Please read the information on pages )–(. En dash
. !is sentence is correct. It is clear enough without
any punctuation. . !e two-and-a-half-year-old boy was climbing the
tree. Hyphens
. I don’t know what is wrong with my computer; how-
ever, the technician might know. . Tom Bowers (+–)) lived in this house. En
dash
. I haven’t gotten paid yet and, therefore, I can’t buy
the gift yet. Unlike sentence , this sentence is cor- ). I don’t know—perhaps you do—what time the wed-
rect and needs no semicolon. If you take out there- ding begins. Em dash
fore and read the sentence, it is fine. . I have seen a number of purple-haired people in the
. I have to wait for a phone call; then I can go with parade. Hyphen
you. !is sentence is a run on without the semicolon (. !e girl is three years old. Correct as it. It needs no
because then is not a conjunction. hyphens because three years old comes after girl. It
is treated di,erently than three-year-old girl.
Practice 70—Parentheses and Brackets
Practice 72—Italics
. You can park for two hours (the parking lot is on
your left) if you have a parking pass. . incoherent
. Please look at page (the figure of the dinosaur . I
[bottom left]) to see the complete skeleton. You can +. Correct as is. A la carte is common and needs no
avoid the brackets by simply putting a comma after italics.
dinosaur and just using parentheses. It is a matter of . Lucille
personal style.
. blonde. !is one is optional. You could put blonde in
+. !e President was quoted as saying, “!ey [the Sen- italics to emphasize that it is blonde and not brown.
ate] will meet in a special session to discuss the new
). Correct as is. !is is the type of plane, not its name.
laws.” You need brackets around the Senate because
if you didn’t hear the actual speech, you would not . !e Silent Spring
know what the President meant by they.
. Uncle Morris ((–) was quite a famous artist. Practice 73—Italics Versus Quotations
. We are leaving the children with a babysitter tomor- . “!e Order of Operations.”
row evening (no children are allowed in the theater). . Mona Lisa
Here are two other choices:
+. Star Wars
• We are leaving the children with a babysitter
. From Now to !en, “Going to the Future”
tomorrow evening. (No children are allowed in
the theater.) or . Honey
). Gone with the Wind
• Because no children are allowed in the theater,
we are leaving the children with a babysitter. . !e Book of Mormon
(. !e New York Times, “Children and Technology”
. Time magazine. If magazine were part of the actual
title, it would be capitalized and also in italics.
. Sue
Answers " 169
Practice 74—Quotation Marks ). To whom it may concern: (greeting to business
letter)
. Judy said, “I think it is going to rain today.”
. I love the television show Detectives of New York,
. Correct as it is. It is an indirect quote, so no quota-
and my favorite episode is called “!e Man in the
tion marks are used.
Tan Shirt.”
+. Correct as is. !ere is no need for quotation marks
(. It is a cold, rainy day.
around yes and no.
. !is book, which was written by William Golding,
. I hired her because of her “I can do anything”
is my favorite.
attitude.
. Correct as is
. Correct as it is. No quotations marks are needed
around common idioms. . Correct as is
). “‘Yesterday’ is one of my favorite Beatles songs,” she . “I don’t know if I will ever get over this . . . ,” she said
said. Use quotations around the quoted part of the as her voice trailed o,.
sentence. Use single quotes around the song title +. I packed these three items for my hike: water, a jacket,
“Yesterday.” (For quotes inside of quotes, use single and a knife. !e comma after jacket is optional.
quotes.) . I was born on August , (, in Lincoln, Nebraska.
. “I am running late,” she said, “and I will probably miss . !e only four items on the agenda are budgets, vaca-
the beginning of the movie.” tions, report formats, and marketing. !e comma
(. She asked me if I would like to see her new “digs,” after formats is not necessary.
which she just painted and carpeted. Since digs here ). I did not do very well on the test, however, so I failed
means room and is a slang term, put it in quotation the course. However is an interrupter here and needs
marks. only commas around it.
. !e box was marked “fragile,” so I put it away in the . !e word collaborate means “to work together.”
closet right away.
(. Correct as is
. Please do some “backwards planning” before you
. My neighbor—he was gone for five months—sailed
complete these lesson plans. Place quotation marks
around the world. or
around jargon the first time you use it.
My neighbor (he was gone for five months) sailed
. In his speech the valedictorian began with the fol- around the world.
lowing words: “!is is a day all you graduates will
. Please read the information on pages )–(. (Place
remember. Wherever life takes us, we will remem-
the correct mark between the numbers).
ber the friends we made in this place.”
. My six-and-a-half-year-old cousin looks like my
. “I don’t think we can solve this problem,” he said.
sister.
“I-think we will need to hire outside help.”
. Jean Smith, M.D. has just started to work here.
+. I think you should pack these clothes for the trip: a
Chapter 9 Test suit; shoes; black, brown, and white socks; and three
. I finished the project; should I send it to you? shirts. You can rewrite the series, but if you want to
I finished the project. Should I send it to you? leave it as it is, it can be confusing unless you use
I finished the project, so should I send it to you? the semicolons to divide the main items in the series.
Any of these three ways would be correct. !e three colors belong to the socks.
. Correct as is. . Yes, Elaine, the party is at my house.
+. He said, “I heard the song ‘Forget You.’” . My address is )( Park St., Albany, New York (;
. Life of Pi didn’t win the Oscar. please send my mail there, not to my old address.
. Bob was usually a quiet man; however, he screamed ). Although this food tastes terrible, I will eat it anyway.
upon entering the room.
170 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
. I failed the test because I didn’t study. Here, you Practice 76—More Capitalization
don’t need a comma. If you flipped the sentence
. french
around to Because I didn’t study, I failed the test, you
would need a comma. However, when the depen- . Correct as is.
dent adverb clause is at the end of the sentence, you +. Sirs: (letter closing) Yours truly
often don’t use a comma. You would likely want to capitalize Sirs, since it is a
(.“I am running late,” she said, “and I will probably miss title. !e closing is correct.
the beginning of the movie.” . president
. I love his “can’t fail” attitude. . Chapter
+. I can’t believe—since I didn’t do anything wrong— ). algebra
that I got fired. You can use a dash here to indicate . Correct as is.
a break in thought. You can also put that section (. thirties
in parentheses. However, you might just want to
. Algebra II
rewrite the sentence: Since I didn’t do anything
wrong, I can’t believe that I got fired. . of, Is
. east
. malamute
How did you do?
+. Room
–+ sentences correct—Excellent!
. Irish
– sentences correct—Pretty darn good! . South
Under correct—You might need a bit more practice. ). Future
. President
(. !irty-third
Chapter 10
. mid-Texas
. Two
Practice 75—Basic Capitalization Rules
. I , spring
Chapter 10 Test
. Fourth
. Army
+. I’m, Aunt
. Times
. election
+. winter
. moon
. Chapter
). basketball, team
. Day, mom, Cousin, parade. (If the sentence said
. gods
Mom, instead of my mom, Mom would be capital-
(. Correct as is. ized. And if the sentence said my cousin Frankie,
. Correct as is. President is usually not capitalized cousin would not be capitalized.)
unless it is followed by the President’s name, except ). Correct as is
in the case of the President of the United States.
. Middle East, Mom, Dad
. We, Mountains, hotel.
(. Mayor
. What
. moon
. Until
. Correct as is
. yours
Answers " 171
. Better . fragment. Possible correction: !e filling of the pie
+. School, I consists of apples, cinnamon, chocolate chips, and
butter, all mixed together.
. Correct as is.
(. run-on sentence. You need a question mark after
. sociology
coming, rather than a comma.
). Correct as is
. complete sentence.
. Who’s
. complete sentence. A sentence needs a subject and
(. Is, All, Beatles, sixties a verb. !e verb is come. It is a command, so the
. north subject is the implied you.
. dalmations, setter, animal, shelter
. Italian-speaking, English Practice 78—Agreement
. Twenty-third . is
+. Scouts,piano, lessons, Ph.D. . walk
. Bridge +. have
. college, sales . is
. lives
How did you do? sentences all correct is a perfect
score.
Practice 79—More Agreement
+–—Excellent! . are
–+—Very good . is
Fewer than —Need more review +. has
. were. If a singular and a plural noun or pronoun are
connected with or, use the verb that agrees with the
Chapter 11 noun or pronoun that is closer to the verb.
. is
Practice 77—Run Ons and Fragments
. complete sentence. Practice 80—More Agreement
. fragment. Sample correction: Since everyone will be . is bringing her lunch
bringing a snack to share, I don’t have to do much . are taking their vacations (Uncles is closer to the
cooking. verb; use the plural.)
+. complete sentence. +. are
. run-on sentence. You can correct it by either . !ere is no good answer here. You can’t use his because
()-using a semicolon instead of the comma, ()-add- you also have a female. You can’t use her because you
ing a conjunction like and after the comma, (+)-using also have a male. His or her may be technically okay,
a period instead of a comma and capitalizing the s but it sounds silly. !e best answer is their, used in
in some. the singular, which is sometimes considered gram-
. fragment. Sample correction: I may be having a cos- matically correct these days, although I don’t like it.
tume party. Rewriting the sentence to avoid the troublesome pro-
). complete sentence. noun would be the best answer: !is is the first time
that either John or Kate is singing in a concert.
. are
172 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
Practice 81—More Agreement action verb talks. Yes, loud can be used as an adverb,
but it’s not the best choice. It is called a flat adverb.)
. is
. tallest
. is
. worse
+. Everyone who has a ticket can take (his or her, their)
seat now. Everyone is singular, even though it sounds +. less
plural. We know that because it uses a singular verb . I (She is shorter than I am.)
(everyone is). Depending on whom you ask, you can . more truthful
use their as a singular pronoun. You can choose
whether or not to use it.
Practice 83—Misplaced Modifiers
. are
. are . Possible correction: Wearing glasses, he read from
his new book.
). is
. Possible correction: While I was watching the eve-
. was
ning news, I heard about the volcano.
(. is. None of can be either singular or plural when the
+. Possible correction: While I was still in diapers, my
noun in the phrase following it is plural (boys). Usu-
mother went back to college.
ally, however, it is thought of as “not one of” and is
thus singular, taking a singular verb. . Correct as is.
. Is . Possible correction: I knew it was time to feed my
hungry dog when she started growling loudly.
. All of the bridesmaids wore purple dresses.
). Possible correction: I took the freshly baked cookies
. Correct. Here, the band is thought of as many indi-
out of the oven.
vidual players.
. Correct as is.
. Correct. !e company is thought of as one unit here.
(. Here is a better way to write the sentence: Many
+. !e family are all going their separate ways for
people in the audience congratulated her and gave
Christmas this year.
her flowers after her performance.
. One of the men is wearing a red hat.
. Possible correction: !e employees who attended
. All of the students are carrying dogs. (Unless they the meeting said there would be a follow-up discus-
are all carrying the same dog!) sion at p.m. on Monday.
. !e writer of this sentence probably meant the bag
Practice 82—Comparison with the books: Take this bag with all the books and
go to the library.
. taller
. I (more than I like school)
+. me (more than she likes me) Practice 84—Possessives
. smarter . Glass’s
. more fun . brother’s
). less +. children’s
. more fragile . its
(. more . sisters’
. the least ). boss’s
. more loudly (Trick question: One choice is an adjec- . Socrates’
tive and the other is an adverb. !ey are both com- (. ours
parative. Use the adverb, since it is modifying the . Whose
Answers " 173
. Clarks’ . Correct
. horse’s . I have only cents left in my pocket because I spent
. John and Jane’s. Since we are talking about one house, at the movies.
we need only one of the names to be possessive. ). !ere are over three million people in our county.
+. John’s and Jane’s. Here we put both names in the . Correct
possessive because we are talking about separate (. Correct
houses for each of them.
. !ree fourths of the class is on a sports team.
. my mother and father’s
. Correct
. Hers
. Correct
. Correct
Practice 85—Parallel Structure +. I have a problem writing s so that you can read
!ere may be other ways of correcting these in addition them. ( is in italics because it is a number used as
to the way or ways shown. itself. !e s is not italicized.)
. I love shopping, going to the movies, and eating out. . !is is correct because there is a comma between
(Or, I love to shop, to go to the movies, and to eat the two numbers to eliminate confusion. However,
out.) it might be better to rewrite and separate the num-
bers: !ere are teenagers out of a total count of
. I thought I would do well on the exam because
people.
I memorized all the words and I made flashcards.
(You can also leave out the third I.) . !ere are sixty-five poems in this anthology.
+. Here are the things you need to do: Go to the library. ). Could you please write your s more clearly?
Return all the phone messages. Pick up the grocer- . Correct
ies. Take out the trash. (. Correct
. Here is the agenda for the meeting: . I begin my workday at a.m.
Introduce new members
. I begin my workday at eight in the morning.
Read the minutes
Discuss new issues
Review old issues Practice 87—Double Negatives
Close the meeting . I don’t want any more pizza.
. Whenever I think of you, I remember going fishing . Correct as is.
and going to that concert at midnight. Or, When-
+. We could scarcely see in the fog.
ever I think of you, I remember when we went fish-
ing and went to that concert at midnight. . I barely ate anything for dinner.
. Correct
Practice 86—Numbers ). Correct
. Correct
. !e class is made up of nine boys and eighteen girls.
or (. Correct
!e class is made up of boys and ( girls.
. !ree hundred and fifty people were in the audience. Practice 88—Plurals with Apostrophes
or . Photos
!ere were + people in the audience.
. a’s. Needs the apostrophe to avoid confusing it with
+. My birthday is on September ). or the word as.
My birthday is on the )th of September.
+. s
174 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
. sixties ). Spell out Street, particularly because you don’t have
. Correct. !is is not plural. It is possessive and needs the rest of the address, and it is the last word of the
an apostrophe. sentence.
). cousins . Problem: It is best to rewrite the sentence to avoid
the use of the singular they: All students should
. ABCs is not confusing without the apostrophe, so do
bring their test booklets.
not use an apostrophe.
(. Correct
. girls Chapter 11 Test
. Correct . I think Jane is prettier than Ellen.
. !ere are three choices for dinner.
Practice 89—Clarity +. Mayor Jones, along with two of the police o.cers, is
coming to the court.
!ere are many ways to rewrite these sentences.
. My class consists of girls and boys. (Make the
. Possible rewrite: Having a good time on this trip was numbers consistent, either way.)
important to me. . I picked up my ring, polished until gleaming, from
. Possible rewrite: I saw Ben and Joe on the roller- the jeweler.
coaster, and Ben waved. (Or it could have been Joe ). I walked to work in the morning, ran two miles at
who waved!) lunch, and rested at home after work.
+. !is sentence is fine as it is. . I can hardly see you hiding in the closet!
. !is sentence is fine as it is. It is assumed that the (. Correct as is!
person questioned knows which two books are in
. I wish you would have come with us.
question.
. I will meet you at ( a.m.
. Possible rewrite: Last week I saw two movies, which
were pretty good. . Possible correction: I didn’t stop because I didn’t see
you coming.
). Possible rewrite: At the park Joe saw his cousin, who
stopped to talk to Joe. . Neither my cousin nor I sees the point in this
argument.
. Possible rewrite: I have a deadline of Tuesday at
work. +. !is is my younger sister’s doll; I bought it for her
birthday.
(. Possible rewrite: (First sentence is fine) Getting a
large raise this year is unheard of! . During my interview I told the boss that I had sev-
eral years of experience.
. My brother swims much better than I.
Practice 90—Can I Do These Things?
). !e president of the club, but not the other o.cers,
. Problem: Could’ve should be written as could have. has special privileges.
. Problem: Doc should be written as Dr. !e abbrevia- . I have the report for you; I think it is complete. (run-
tion Dr. is fine; you do not need to use Doctor. on sentence. Use semicolon or period.)
+. Problem: Cool is slang here. Use another word, such (. One of us is going to be promoted. (One uses a sin-
as challenging or interesting. gular verb.)
. Problem: Eliminate the so from the beginning of the . He is the least intelligent of the four brothers.
sentence.
. All these boys play clarinets.
. Problem: Leave out bunch. It is slang.
. !e cast of the play are going over their lines before
the opening. !is is technically correct, since the cast,
a collective noun, is being thought of as individuals,
Answers " 175
rather than one group, in this sentence. You can use . clothes
a plural noun. ). all right
. With whom are you going to the meeting? (It is bet- . dual
ter not to end with the preposition.)
(. advice
+. All campers who are going with us should pack their
. capital
heaviest clothes. (Avoid using their as a singular by
rewriting to make the subject plural.) . discreet
. I took some pictures on my business trip to Paris. . allusion
. Reading six books over vacation was a great deal of . dived, dove (Either one is correct.)
reading for me! (!ere are two mistakes here. First, +. anyway
the which is unclear. !en, alot is informal. If you are . uninterested
going to use it, it is two words: a lot.) . complimented
). Where will my o.ce be if I am hired? (!e and is ). already
unneeded; avoid starting sentences with conjunc-
. e,ect
tions in formal writing or speaking.)
(. alter
. !ere are ) people working in this building.
. site
(. I saw a beautiful poodle as I was driving to work this
morning. (Last time I checked, poodles couldn’t . Almost
drive!) . anymore
. Both Sue and her brother are going with us. . bring
+. Fragment. Possible correction: I am exhausted from +. a,ects
getting up early, going to work, having an important . among
lunch date, going to the gym, having guests for din- . should have
ner, and reading for an hour before going to bed. (It
). complements
may be long, but it isn’t a sentence as it was origi-
nally written.) . illusion
(. desert
. bad
How did you do? + is a perfect score.
+. climatic
(–+—Excellent!
+. advise
–—Very good! +. all ready
–—Pretty good! ++. duel
Fewer than correct—Need more review. +. disinterested
+. discrete
+). dessert
Chapter 12
+. continuously
+(. conscious
Practice 91—Confusing Words A Through D +. Any one
. all together . any more
. take
+. by accident Practice 92—Confusing Words E Through H
. criteria
. well
176 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
. healthy . laid
+. formerly . It’s
. First ). imply
. fewer . lain
). etc. (. libelous
. have . lay
(. hung . if
. healthful
. semicolon Practice 94—Confusing Words M Through P
. Everyone . might
. i.e. . many
+. Earth +. precedes
. formally . is
. hanged . past
). comma ). mute
. good . importantly
(. farther (. may
. former . are
. immigrating . principal
. further . proceeding
. every one . passed
+. earth +. is
. imminent . principles
. e.g. . I have only ten dollars
Practice 93—Confusing Words I Through L Practice 95—Confusing Words R and S
. as if . shone
. lose . some time
+. infer +. respectively
. in to . really
. couldn’t . rose
). lying ). Set
. whether . soul
(. led (. stationery
. its . Sometimes
. leave . will
. fewer . sole
. like . say
+. lend
Answers " 177
+. regrettable . all together
. Respectfully +. cited
. regretful . infer
). shined . Any one
. stationary ). fewer, less
(. set . respectively
. sometime (. compliments
. Tell . already
. all right
Practice 96—Confusing Words T through Z . Earth, earth (Either one is okay.)
. this . desert
. toward (Either one is okay, but toward is preferred +. laid
in American English.) . allusion
+. whose . sole
. than ). disinterested
. to . it’s
). May Day (. advice
. warranty . as if
(. whether +. all ready
. try to +. criteria
. you’re +. discreet
. there ++. almost
. semicolon +. badly
+. “In the Spring” +. could have
. your +). e,ects
. Who’s +. anymore
+(. principles
Chapter 12 Test +. past
. by accident . complements
. capital . farther
+. a,ects . lying
. uninterested +. well
. regrettable . Who’s
). principal . into
. bring ). every one
(. altar . discrete
. stationary (. any more
. dual . formerly
. i.e. . lend
178 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
. none of them . Story of a Boy?
. have . continuously
+. couldn’t . proceed
. precedes +. Respectfully
. lose . than
). hanged . warranty
. immigrated
(. further How did you do? is a perfect score.
. healthful
–—Excellent!
). its
(–(—Very good!
). illusion
). formally (–(—Pretty good!
)+. hung Fewer than ( correct—Need more review.
). Earth
). imply Final Test
)). fewer
). eminent
Part 1 English Language Basics
)(. former
. c. direct object
). take
. d. of
. like
+. c. is
. e.g.
. d. but
. whether
. a. verb
+. soul
). c. I
. You’re
. d. verb
. Set
(. b. Jack
). led
. b. book
. lain
. d. imperative
(. slanderous
. a. into the house
. is
. d. frozen food
(. passed
+. d. Running down the street, the dog wouldn’t come
(. “Yesterday”
back.
(. I made only fifty cents at my lemonade stand.
. a. to go to the store
(+. this
. d. a subject and a verb
(. you’re
). d. sentence
(. try to
. a. after I watch the movie
(). whose
(. c. She ran.
(. lay
. c. I didn’t go, he did.
((. is
. c. Jack went up the hill, and Jill fell down.
(. some time
Answers " 179
Part 2: Sentence Correction . Did she ask, “Can I go with you?”(Question mark
goes before quotes. Also add comma after ask.)
. Jamie, Paul, and I . . .
). I think my favorite song is “Summertime.”
. You should have given . . .
. !is recipe needs salt, sugar, flour, milk, three types
+. He and I loved that movie; did you like it? (You can
of chocolate, and four eggs. Delete the colon.
also use a period rather than a semicolon.)
(. She is the mother of a four-year-old boy who is in
. With whom are you going?
the kindergarten class I teach.
. Correct
. My cat—I don’t know how she got there—was liv-
). Correct ing in the neighbors’ garage. (Em dashes instead of
. Do you want this kind of pencil or the newer ones? hyphens; no spaces around them; neighbors should
(. Anyone who is on the boys’ soccer team can buy his be possessive, either singular [neighbor’s] or plural.)
uniform here. (or boys with no apostrophe) . I read this quote in the newspaper: “Governor Ferry
. Neither of my brothers is coming with us. said that these [the new taxes] would help pay for
+. Correct the roads to be fixed.”
+. A group of students are studying in the library. (or . She attends Proctor High School in Memphis, Ten-
many students; avoid using bunch.) nessee. (Delete comma after School and add one
after Memphis.)
+. Either the dogs or the baby is making a mess.
. Correct
++. As John was walking down the street, he waved to
his friend. (!ere are other ways to fix this sentence +. She said that the weather should be nice today.
as long as you make it clear whom he refers to.) Delete quotation marks.
+. I read the book, and I really enjoyed it. (Avoid pas- .“Take this book,” he said, “and return it to the library.”
sive tense.) . !e title of the movie is Where Is Mr. Jones? (Italicize
+. I have gone to the movies three times this week title, remove quotes, and capitalize the I in Is.)
already. ). Dear Mister Duple:
+). I baked brownies last night; would you like one? I am applying for the accounting position at Tickner,
(Delete have.) Inc.
+. I did really well on that test, which I thought was . Yours truly,
really di.cult. John Jones, Jr.
+(. Correct (. Jim, along with his friends, is going to see a concert.
+. If I were taller . . . . All the girls are wearing long dresses to the school
prom.
. I had rung the bell five times before she answered
the door. (Delete comma.) ). “Which of your two poodles is taller?” she asked.
. !e dress that I am holding is on sale. (Delete both ). Correct
commas.) ). He likes to swim more than I,
. I, too, like chocolate. )+. Possible correction: Since my car was finally repaired,
+. Jack, Ben, and I are going, but John, Frank, and he I picked it up from the shop today.
are not. (You can use a semicolon after going instead ). Possible correction: She asked me if I read about
of the comma.) earthworms, written about in the science book.
. I am going to college next year, and my two sisters ). Both of my sisters are going, but we aren’t taking
are too. (Delete apostrophe in sisters. You can also either of their cars. (Delete apostrophe in sisters.)
use a semicolon instead of and, or even use a period )). I would have gone to !omas’s house,
and make it two sentences.) ). Correct
180 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
)(. After I go to the gym, I will pick up my dry clean- (+. Many people have always immigrated to the United
ing and then go to the movies. (Delete comma after States from other countries.
cleaning.) (. Correct.
). I met the following people at my interview: Ann (. Well, I didn’t want any cake anyway, did you?
Jones, the company president; the human resources
(). We visited the capitol building when we visited the
manager; Phil Cole, a project manager; and a sci-
state capital.
entist. (!ere are many ways to clarify the series; it
depends on which parts go together.) (. Because she acted as if she were a professional
actress, you could tell she thought she deserved the
. Five boys and six girls are in the class, which is small.
lead in the play.
. I was born in June ( in Boston. (Delete the
((. Correct
comma after June.)
(. My dog ate all its food this morning, an unusual
. I can barely finish this piece of cake. (Delete
occurrence. (!e which is unclear, so the sentence
anymore.)
should be rewritten.)
+. You put too many a’s in the word accommodate. (a
. Correct.
and accommodate should be in italics.)
. !e principal rule of the game is to get the ball in the
. !ey stole almost percent of my money! (Reverse
basket. (Delete the comma after game.)
the order of stole and almost.)
. !e band have been tuning up their instruments for
. I asked him if he was all right; I asked him again
the past hour.
when he didn’t reply. (Avoid starting the sentence
with and.) +. After the storm the rocks were lying all over the road.
). Correct. . He led the class in math, but he wasn’t very good in
English.
. After we hung the pictures on the wall, the apart-
ment looked really good. . I am going to try to get a job in sales.
(. Correct. ).“Whose briefcase is this?” she asked.
. Take these bottles back to the store, and get some . If you will proceed with this project,
money for them. (. Since I live farther away from school than you do,
(. Do you feel as bad as I do . . . I-always go past the mall.
(. I would appreciate if you would separate these essays . I have only five pencils, and she has even fewer
into three discrete piles according to grade. than-I.
(. I turned the truck onto Benson Drive and went . If you can lend me five dollars, we can take my sis-
straight from there. ter to the movies.
Index
a.m., ) appositives collective nouns,
abbreviations definition of, +) agreement and,
when to use, commas with, +) colons
periods and, articles, , between sentences, )
abstract nouns, in prepositional phrases, + book titles with, (
academic degrees, commas with, + barely, in double negatives, business letter salutation, (
acronyms, periods with, ) book titles, colons in, ( compound sentences and, (
action verbs, (– brackets, (–( digital time and, (
active voice, , ) parentheses and, (–( introducing quotes with, (
addresses, commas in, + quotes and, ( lists and, (
adjective clause, – use of, ( using with quotation marks, ()
adjectives, , – business letters, colons in, ( comma rules, )–
commas with, , but commands
comparative form, – commas and, subject of, +
comparison, – starting a sentence with, – subjunctive mood and, ))
demonstrative, capitalization, (– commas
linking verbs and, )–) beginning a sentence, ( academic degrees with, +
nouns used as, chapter, page, room, etc., addresses and, +
predicate, +–+ decades and, between sentences, ),
proper, , ( directions and, between two adjectives,
superlative form, – dog breeds and, but with,
adverb clause, – email greeting and closings and, company names and, +
commas with, God versus god, compound sentences and, )–
adverbs hyphenated words and, confusing text, avoiding with, (.
comparative form, – of pronoun I, ( contrasting elements with, +
ending in -ly, of question within a sentence, ( dates and,
not ending in -ly, President versus president, – direct address and, +
placement of, –+ proper nouns and, ( emphasis and, +
superlative form, – school courses and, etc. with,
agreement titles and, – however with,
collective nouns and, verbs in titles, in nonessential clauses, –
compound subjects and, –( words before numbers, in salutations, +–
confusion with, )– cases, pronoun left out words with, +
indefinite pronouns and, (– nominative, , numbers and,
interrupting words and phrases and, objective, , Oxford, )
)– possessive, restrictive elements and, –
plural indefinite pronouns and, (– clause versus sentence, + run-on sentences and,
pronoun/antecedent, )–, – clauses, +–+, –( therefore with,
pronoun/verb, )– adjective, – unusual word order with,
singular indefinite pronouns and, (– adverb, –, –(, use in series, )
subject/verb, (– commas in, , , using with quotation marks, ()
alphabetical list of confused words, +– definition of, + when not to use, –
and, starting a sentence with, – dependent, +, , , when to use, )
and between subjects, agreement and, essential, –, –) with adjectives,
answers to practices and tests, +–( independent, + with adverb clauses,
antecedents, – nonessential, –, –) with appositives, +), –
agreement with pronoun, – noun, with conjunctions,
unclear, (, (– parallelism in, with e.g.,
apostrophes, plurals and, –( subordinate, , +–, ), – with i.e.,
182 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
commas (cont.) double negatives, )– interjections,
with interrupters, – e-mails, commas in, +– interrogative pronouns, –), –
with introductory clauses, e.g., and commas, interrogative sentence, +
with introductory elements, – earth versus Earth, interrupters, and commas,
phrases and, – either, between subjects, agreement and, interrupting words and phrases, agree-
with too, –+ ellipses, ( ment and, )–
common nouns, +– em dash, using, (+ intransitive verbs, ,
commonly confused words, +– email greeting and closings introducing lists, colons and, (
commonly mispronounced words, – capitalization of, introductory phrases,
commonly misspelled words, +–+ commas and, + introductory words, commas with,
company names, commas with, + emphasis irregular verbs, , )–)
comparative form, – italics and, ( it, unclear use of, (
comparison using commas for, + italics
superlative form, – en dash, using, (+ emphasis and, (
double, essential clauses, –, –) letters and numbers with, (
problems with, etc., and commas, representing thoughts, (
pronoun cases after, exclamation points, (– terms and phrases with, (
with less and least, – quotation marks and, () titles and, (–(
complete subject, –( exclamatory sentence, + words used as themselves, (
complex sentence FANBOYS conjunctions, , ), jargon, quotation marks with, ()
with adjective clause, –( foreign terms, italics with, ( less and least, in comparisons, –
with adverb clause, –( fractions letters and numbers
compound-complex sentence, ( hyphenation of, –) italics in, (
compound sentences spelling out, –) making plural, –(
colons in, ), ( fragment, sentence, +, –), –) letters, greeting and closings
commas in, ), )– gerund capitalization in,
semicolons in, ), , –( definition of, + commas and, +
compound subjects, versus participle, +–+) linking verbs, (–, +–+
agreement with antecedent, gerundial phrases, + adjectives and, )–)
verb agreement and, glossary of grammar terms, – and predicate adjectives, +–+
compound words God versus god, and predicate nominatives, +–+
capitalization and, grammar problems, – lists
hyphenation and, (–(+ hardly, in double negatives, colons and, (–(
compound objects, helping verbs, complete sentences in, (
compound subjects, his or her horizontal, (
compound verbs, ( using, )– parallel structure in, –
concrete nouns, versus their, )– periods in, (
conjunctions however, vertical, (
comma with, commas with, -ly words,
coordinating, , ), semicolon with, measurements, periods in, (
FANBOYS, , ), , – hyphens misplaced modifiers, +
starting sentences with, – compound words and, (–(+ participles, –
subordinating, , – separating words and, (–(+ prepositional phrases, –
contractions, when to use, using, (–(+ mispronounced words, –
coordinating conjunctions, i.e., and commas, misspelled words, +–+
dashes, em, (.+ imperative sentence, + modifiers, misplaced, +, –
dashes, en, (.+ indefinite pronouns, , )–(, (– mood, in verbs, ))
dates, commas with, agreement and, (– moon, capitalization of ,
decimals, ( plural, –( myself, using correctly, +–
declarative sentence, + plural and agreement, (– names, possessives of last names, +
demonstrative adjectives, singular, )– negatives, double, )–
demonstrative pronouns, , –+ singular and agreement, (, neither, between subjects, agreement and,
describing words singular or plural, )–(, (– nonessential clauses, –, –)
adjectives, – indirect objects, north, south, east, west, capitalization of,
adverbs, –+ infinitives nouns
dialogue, quotation marks with, ( phrases, ++–+ clauses, definition of,
dictionary of confused words, +– definition of, ++–+ definition of, +
direct objects, , (– splitting, used as adjectives,
dog breeds, capitalization of, intensive pronouns, )–, abstract,
Index " 183
collective, , appositive, +) definition,
common, commas with, demonstrative, , –+
concrete, definition of, ++ ending in -self, +–
possessive, –+ gerundial, +–+) indefinite, and agreement, (–
possessives of nouns ending in s, + infinitive, ++–+ nominative,
predicate, +–+ introductory, objective,
proper, parallelism in, personal, , –
singular nouns that look plural, participial, +–+ plural indefinite, –(
types of, prepositional, +, –+, ++, + possessive, ,
numbers verb, ( problems with, –(
and letters, italics in, ( verbal, ++, +–+ singular indefinite, )–
commas with, placement of adverbs, –+ types, –
hyphenation with, –) plurals unclear antecedents, (
percentages, ) apostrophes in, +, –( verb agreement, )–
plurals of, of letters and numbers, –( proper adjectives,
spelling out, –) possessive forms of, –+ capitalization of, (
using, –) possessive nouns, –+ proper nouns, +–, (
using numerals, –) possessive pronouns, + punctuation, )–(
writing fractions, –) possessives brackets, (
numerals exceptions to rules, + colons, (–(, ()
when to use, –) last names and, + commas, )–), ()
time and, ) nouns ending in -ez sound, + dashes, em, (+
objects, (–+ nouns that end in s and, + dashes, en, (+
compound, plural nouns, + ellipses, (
direct, , (–, , pronouns, exclamation points, (–, ()
indirect, (–, , singular nouns, –+ hyphens, (–(+
of preposition, +, (–, , practice answers, +–( italics, (–(
or, between subjects, agreement and, predicate words parentheses, (
Oxford comma, using, ) adjectives, +–+ parentheses with brackets, (
p.m., ) nominatives, +–+ periods, –(, ()
parallel structure, – predicates question marks, (, ()
in lists, – complete, ( quotation marks, (–(
parallelism in writing, – simple, ( semicolon, –(, ()
parentheses prefixes, list of common, +– single quotation marks, ()–(
brackets and, (–( prepositional phrase, +, –+, ++, question marks, quotations with, (, ()
using ( misplaced, quotation marks
participial phrases, +–+ prepositions, + colons with, ()
participle ending sentence with, +, commas with, ()
definition of, +–+ misplaced phrases, defining words and, ()
misplaced, – objects of, + dialogue and, (
past, + President, when to capitalize, – direct quotes and, (
present, + pretest, – exclamation marks with, ()
versus gerund, +–+) progressive tenses, –, )–) jargon and, ()
parts of speech, +–), pronoun cases, – periods with, ()
passive voice, , ) and linking verbs, ) phrases and, ()
past perfect tense , ), )+ in comparison, – semicolons with, ()
periods pronoun types, –, –( single, ()–(
abbreviations and, demonstrative, , –+ titles and, (
acronyms and, intensive, ), use with question marks, (
decimals and, ( indefinite, , )–(, (– using, (–(
end of sentence, interrogative, –), – using brackets with, (
lists and outlines with, ( reflexive, ), +– with intentional misspellings, ()
measurements and, ( relative, ), –) with other punctuation, ()
using with quotation marks, () pronouns, –, – with slang, ()
personal pronouns, agreement with antecedent, )–(, quotations, colons to introduce, (
cases, – – redundancy in writing, +–+)
phrases, ++–+ agreement with compound subjects, reflexive pronouns, )
adjectival, ++ antecedents, –, ( using, +–
adverbial, ++ cases, comparison and, – reflexive/intensive pronouns, )
184 ! Best Grammar Workbook Ever
relative pronouns, ) subject-verb agreement, )– and complete predicate, (
restrictive elements, commas with, – subjects capitalization in titles, –
run-on sentences, –),–) complete, ( definition, of (, )
correcting, ) compound, forms, irregular, , )–)
salutations definition of, –( helping,
colons in, ( subjunctive mood in verbs, )) intransitive, ,
commas and, +– subordinating conjunctions, – irregular past participles, )–)
scarcely, in double negatives, su.xes, list of common, +– irregular, , )–)
school subjects, capitalization of, sun, capitalization of, linking, (–, )–)
-self pronouns, ), +– tense, verb, –, )–) linking, adjectives with, )
semicolons problems with, )–) linking, and pronoun cases, )
between sentences, ) progressive, ) mood, ))
compound sentences and, using past perfect, ) of being, )–)
fixing run-on sentences with, test answers, +–( passive voice, , )–))
quotation marks and, () that phrases, (
series and, –( versus those, –+ problems with, )–)
sentences, –+ versus which, progressive tenses, –
beginning with there, ( their versus his or her, )– pronoun cases after, )
commands, + there regular,
compound-complex, ( agreement with, ( simple predicates, (
declarative, + beginning a sentence with, ( state of being, (–
definition of, , therefore, subjunctive mood in, ))
exclamatory, + commas with, tenses, , )–)
fragments, +, –), –) semicolon with, transitive,
imperative, + these versus this, –+ using strong, ))–)
interrogative, + they, using as a singular, voice, , )–))
objects, (–+ this voice
patterns, unclear use of, ( active, , )
predicates, ( versus these, –+ in verbs, )–))
run-on, ), those versus that, –+ passive, , )
simple, time which
structures, – colons with, ( unclear use of, (
subjects, –( writing, ) versus that, –
types of, + tips for good writing, which and that, using, –)
variety in, titles who
versus clauses, + capitalization in, – use of, ,
series italics and, ( versus whom, ,
comma in, ) italics or quotes with, ( who, which, and that,
semicolons in, –( quotation marks with, ( who’s versus whose, –
simple predicate, ( to be verb, (–, )–) whom, use of, –
simple sentence, too, commas with, word roots, list of, +–
single quotation marks, ()–( transition words, commas with, words
singular nouns that look plural, transitive verbs, , ( commonly confused, +–
singular they, types of sentences, + commonly mispronounced, –
slang unclear antecedents, (, (– commonly misspelled, +–+
quotation marks and, () unclear writing, (– writing, redundancy in, +–+)
when to use, unusual word order, and commas, writing clearly, (–,
so, starting a sentence with, – vagueness in writing, (– writing tips,
spelling out numbers, –) verbs, (–, )–)(
“state of being” verbs, (– action, (–
structure of sentences, – active voice, , )
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