SCRIPT FOR GRAMMAR
INTRODUCTION
Except for material within brackets read what follows to the learner and get his responses where needed.]
Were you ever so curious about how something works that you took it apart to see what each part does? We are going to take English sentences apart, look at their parts, and see what each part does.
The largest part in a sentence is a clause. In fact, the whole sentence may be one clause. Here is a one-clause one-thought sentence: The little boy drank some pop in the park.
Now let's look at the parts of a clause. First of all, a clause has a subject. The complete subject in our sentence is "the little boy." The subject tells who or what we're talking about. What is the complete subject in the last sentence?
A clause also has a predicate. The complete predicate in the sentence is "drank some pop in the park." A predicate tells something about the subject. In this sentence it tells what the boy did. What is the complete predicate in the last sentence?
Now we can say that a clause is a group of words having a subject and a predicate. In other words a clause says something about something or somebody.
A compound sentence has two clauses or thoughts: The little boy drank some pop in the park, and then he went home. Each clause has its own subject and predicate.
Each word in a subject and predicate has a special job to do. There are a total of eight jobs that words do, and these jobs are called the parts of speech. We will now find out about each of these parts of speech.
1: Nouns have the job of naming persons, places, things, and qualities. Can you think of a naming word for a thing? We might think of computer or screen or keyboard.
Example of nouns: The little boy drank some pop in the park. Boy, pop, and park are common nouns. They are nouns because they are class names for a male child, a soft drink, and a public area. They are "common" nouns because they are not the names of a particular boy, pop, or park.
CHALLENGE 1: Which of the words in this sentence are common nouns that name things?
Cats are pets in many homes. [cats, pets, and homes]
CHALLENGE 2: Think of two common nouns that are names for things you wear.
2: Proper nouns are the names of particular persons, places, or things, and they are always capitalized. Is your name a proper noun?
Examples: "Billy drank some Peck's Purple Pop in Central Park." The italicized words are proper nouns because they name a particular person, thing, and place. They are capitalized, including "Pop" and "Park" because they are part of the names.
CHALLENGE: [Find an appropriate passage in a newspaper story.] Underline five common nouns and circle five proper nouns in this passage.
3: Nouns referring to one person, place, or thing, such as boy, potato, or man, are singular nouns. Can you think of a word that is a singular noun?
Nouns that refer to more than one are plural nouns: boys, potatoes, men. Think of a word that is a plural noun.
A few nouns such as fish and sheep are both singular and plural. Now this is something interesting: A few nouns such as scissors, clothes, and shorts have no singular form.
We change singular nouns to plural nouns in these ways (also covered in the spelling rules):
Some nouns form the plural in special ways: child/children, man/men, woman/women, foot/feet, tooth/teeth, and mouse/mice.
CHALLENGE: Make these nouns plural: street, mess, gully, and toy.
4: Check this sentence: The dog's tail is wagging. The noun, dog, possesses a tail, so naturally we call "dog's" a possessive noun. How do we show that a noun is possessive? Here is the simple rule: If either the singular or plural noun does not end in s, form the possessive by adding an apostrophe, which looks like a raised comma ( ' ), and an s. If it does end in s, form the possessive by adding just the apostrophe. Examples:
CHALLENGE: Make the italicized nouns show possession:
The girls name is Sally.
The two dogs collars are missing.
The womens club is meeting today.
The grass color is green.
5: Nouns can do their jobs in different grammatical parts of a sentence. Here are examples with explanations in parentheses:
The fish (simple subject) is a salmon (a predicate noun linked to the subject with the verb "is").
The boy (simple subject) threw an egg (object of the verb, threw).
Ten books (subject) are on the shelf (object of the preposition, "on").
CHALLENGE: Recognizing different types of nouns. [Find a newspaper passage.] Underline each noun in this newspaper passage, and state whether it is common or proper, singular or plural, possessive or non-possessive.
If you like action, you will like verbs. Verbs and verb phrases are the key words in the predicate. They either tell what action the subject took, or they link the subject to the predicate.
Action verb: Bill jumped.
Linking verb: Bill is quick.
1: You must remember the following rules for choosing a verb:
Verbs often take different forms for different "persons." In Standard English we don't say, "He talk too much." "He" takes the third person singular form of the verb, which is "talks" with an ending s. Correct the verb in this sentence: He eat too fast.
In Standard English we don't say, "We is ready." "We" requires the first person plural verb, "are." Action verbs, such as run, eat, and read, are both singular and plural. "I run." "We run." Correct this sentence: You is late.
In Standard English we don't say, "Yesterday, he buy an ice cream cone." Since "yesterday" is in the past, we must use the past tense of the verb, which is "bought." Correct this sentence: Yesterday, she cook dinner.
2: Much of what you need to know about agreement in person, number, and tense of linking verbs is right here is this little table, which you need to memorize:
1st person, singular: I am quiet. (present tense)
I was quiet yesterday. (past tense)
I will be quiet tomorrow. (future tense)
1st person, plural: We are quiet. (What is the tense of the verb?)
We were quiet. (What is the tense?)
We will be quiet. (What is the tense?)
2nd person, singular: You are quiet. You were quiet. You will be quiet.
2nd person, plural: You all are quiet. You all were quiet. You all will be quiet.
3rd person, singular: He is quiet. He was quiet. He will be quiet.
3rd person, plural: They are quiet. They were quiet. They will be quiet.
CHALLENGE 1: Correct the verbs in these sentences:
He were here about an hour ago.
They is here already.
We was here yesterday.
The price of oranges are going up. (That is a tricky one. The verb must agree with its subject, which is "price," not "oranges.")
You was the person I saw.
I is bigger than he am.
CHALLENGE 2: Change the verbs in these sentences so that the tense is correct:
They are here tomorrow.
Yesterday, Kevin is too sick to go to school.
Tomorrow, they be quiet.
3: Each verb has five forms or parts. Here are the three principal parts for the three simple tenses for the regular verb, dance, and the irregular verb, sing:
1) Present tense: Today I dance, and I sing.
2) Past tense: Yesterday I danced, and I sang.
3) Past participle: I have danced, and I have sung.
Here are the other two parts that are always formed in the same way:
4) Present, third person, singular: He dances and sings today. (Notice that s is added to the present tense form.)
5) Present participle: He is dancing and singing today. (Notice that ing is added to the present tense form.)
4: The good news is that regular verbs, such as "dance," form the past and past participle by simply adding ed.
CHALLENGE: Here are some other regular verbs: walk, jump, start, talk, pull, push, shove, work. Say the correct principal part for the verb "work" in these sentences:
Today, I ______ in the yard.
Yesterday, I ______ in the yard.
I have ______ in the yard.
5: The bad news is that many verbs are irregular. They form the three principal parts in many ways, so you must memorize them. Sorry about that. The first group will probably be your favorite because all three principal parts are the same. Examples:
I usually hit the ball. Yesterday I hit the ball. I have hit the ball before.
Put the box down. Yesterday he put the box away. I have put it back.
I spread the word if necessary. He spread the word yesterday. He has spread the word.
I set the table every day. I set the table yesterday. I have set it again.
I cut meat daily. I cut the meat yesterday. I have cut the meat before.
6: With some irregular verbs only the present form is different. Fill in these blanks with the correct verb part:
Bend the rod. He bent it yesterday. He has bent the rod.
Fred____the rod before I did.
Hold the baby. She held the baby. Mary has held the baby.
He___her yesterday.
I bring the food often. Yesterday I brought the food. I have brought the food.
Sam___food twice last week.
Do you feel the heat? I felt the heat yesterday. I have felt it often.
What do you___?
I sit in the balcony. Yesterday I sat there. I have sat there.
I___in the car for an hour before he came.
Make me an offer. I made an offer yesterday. Jim has made an offer too.
Have you___an offer?
I catch cold easily. Last week I caught a cold. I have caught three colds this winter.
Have you___the flu yet?
I get angry easily. I got angry yesterday. I have got [or gotten] angry before.
I don't___angry often.
Lay it on the table. Yesterday I laid it there. I have laid it there before.
I___ the hammer on the floor an hour ago.
I read before going to bed. I read it yesterday. I have read it.
Please___a story. [Notice the spelling is the same, but there is a change in pronunciation.]
Answers: bent, held, brought, feel, sat, made, caught, get, laid, read /reed/
7: A few irregular verbs have only a different past participle form. Fill in these blanks with the correct verb part:
I beat the drum. Yesterday I beat the drum. I have beaten the drum.
Have you___the carpets?
Answer: beaten
8: With some irregular verbs only the past tense form is different.
Come to my house. Yesterday you came. You have come to my house often.
He___to the luncheon as I was leaving.
I become angry easily. I became angry yesterday. I have become angry often.
Harry___angry when I told him to keep quiet.
I run for exercise. I ran yesterday. I have run on the track.
Has she___much lately?
Answers: came, became, run
9: Some irregular verb forms are different for each part. Fill in these blanks with the correct verb part:
I sing in the choir. I sang last Sunday. I have sung the song.
Have you___lately?
I often lie on the sofa. I lay on it yesterday. I have lain on it.
Last night I___on the sofa.
Remember this one! Do not say, "I laid on the sofa." "Laid" always requires an object as in "I laid the pillow on the sofa."
I begin to see it. I began to see it yesterday. I have begun to see it.
I have___my exercises again.
"Bite the bullet." He "bit the bullet." He has "bitten the bullet."
Yesterday his dog ___ me."
I do errands for him. Yesterday I did an errand. I have done many errands.
Have you___errands for him?
I break dishes often. I broke a dish yesterday. I have broken many dishes.
Did Frank___the dishes? ("Did" shows the past tense required.)
I choose not to go. Yesterday I chose not to go. I have chosen not to go.
___your players for the game.
I draw cartoons. Yesterday I drew a cartoon. I have drawn many cartoons.
She___the picture from memory.
I drink the water. Yesterday I drank it. I have drunk it before.
He___the whole bottle.
I drive a cab. I drove a cab last year. I have driven a cab for years.
He___a cab until he lost his license.
I eat lunch at noon. Yesterday I ate lunch early. I have eaten lunch.
Have you___your lunch?
She might fall. Yesterday she fell. She has fallen before.
He___on the stairs.
Fly home today. He flew yesterday. He has flown before.
Will he___to New York?
I go there often. I went there yesterday. I have gone there.
Has she___yet?
I speak to him often. I spoke to him yesterday. I have spoken to him.
He___to me later.
I take my turn. Yesterday I took it. I have taken it.
He has___his turn.
I throw curves. I threw a curve yesterday. I have thrown curves.
He___the ball to Pete.
I write poems. I wrote one yesterday. I have written many poems.
What has she___lately?
Answers: sung, lay, begun, bit, done, break, choose, drew, drank, drove, eaten, fell, fly, gone, spoke, taken, threw, written
10: Verbs are either active or passive. Active verbs are generally a better choice. Examples:
The dog bit the postman. (active)
The postman was bitten by the dog. (passive)
CHALLENGE: Change these sentences so that the verb has the active voice:
The ball was hit by John.
The check was paid by the boss.
REVIEW CHALLENGE: Correct the verb in each of these sentences:
Jim don't like vegetables.
He done it an hour ago.
Jim work fast when the boss is looking.
Last month I drive a truck.
Yesterday I eat early.
He get angry easily.
I laid down to rest this afternoon.
I seen it when it first came.
He don't look well.
1: Here are three kinds of verbs you will need to know about later:
Transitive verbs have an object that receives the action. Let's look at some examples:
Bill threw the ball. ("Ball" is the direct object of the verb "threw.")
Jan set the plates on the table.
Lay the wrench on the bench.
Ted threw him the ball. ("Him" is the indirect object. It comes before the direct object and has an "invisible 'to' or 'for'" in front of it. Try this: Ted threw the ball to him.)
Intransitive verbs do not have objects.
The sun rises in the east.
Jan sat on the couch. (Notice the "on.")
Kevin laughed at the dumb joke.
Linking verbs are not action verbs, so, of course, they have no objects. They link the subject with a predicate noun or predicate adjective. Example:
Bill is a runner (predicate noun). He is tired (predicate adjective).
2: In addition to the three simple tenses, there are three perfect tenses. The perfect tenses suggest that the action has been completed or is still going on. Here are the present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect tenses, which are formed by adding have, has, or had to the past participle. Really, it's not as complicated as it sounds!
Present perfect tense: The action or state was begun in the past and has been completed or is still going on. A present perfect verb phrase consists of "have" or "has" and the past participle form of the verb.
1st person: I have eaten.
2nd person: You have eaten.
3rd person: He has eaten.
Past perfect tense: The action or state was completed in the past before some other action in the past. A past perfect verb phrase consists of "had" and the past participle form of the verb.
I had eaten when Bill came.
You had eaten when Bill came.
He had eaten when Bill came.
Future perfect tense: The action or state will be completed at a definite time in the future. A future perfect verb phrase consists of "shall" or "will" and "have" and the past participle form of the verb.
I shall have eaten when Bill arrives.
You will have eaten when bill arrives.
He will have eaten when Bill arrives.
In formal writing, we use "shall" in the first person for simple futurity and "will" for emphasis. In informal writing we usually use "will" for both.
3: Each tense has a progressive or continuous form with an added ing showing that the action is still going on. This form is called the present participle.
Examples: I am singing. I have been singing.
4: The present and past tenses have an emphatic form made by combining "do," "did," or "does" with the present tense form of the verb. Examples:
Yes, I do sing. (This is more emphatic than just "I sing.)
I did sing yesterday. ("Did" signals the past tense. The base verb, "sing," remains in the present tense.)
5: There are three verb forms called verbals which are words and phrases that look like verbs but function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.
Present participle: The barking dogs scared the cats.
Past participle: The scared cat ran up a tree.
Perfect participle: The cats having been scared stayed away from the dogs.
If it is not clear what the participle modifies, it is a "dangling participle."
Example: I saw a mushroom walking in the park. Corrected: While walking in the park, I saw a mushroom.
Try not to split the infinitive which means putting a word or words between "to" and the verb form. Don't say, "To loudly yell at people is rude." Say, "To yell loudly is rude."
CHALLENGE: Fix these sentences:
Jogging on the beach, a ship could be seen.
To rapidly chew your food can give you indigestion.
6: Nouns are constantly being changed to regular verbs. "Microwave" is a noun but also has become a verb as in "Let's microwave the veggies."
7: If you don't know the principal parts of verbs, you can find them in a dictionary, but you need to know how to do it. Open a dictionary and turn to the examples given. Explanations are added in parentheses.
lie (present tense) vi (intransitive verb which means that it does not take an object); lay (past tense); lain (past participle); lying (continuous or progressive form)
lay (present tense) vb (verb); laid (past tense); (No past participle form is shown because it is the same as the past tense form.) laying (continuous form) vt (Transitive verb means that all forms take an object.)
jump vb vi (Vi means verb intransitive. Only the present tense is shown because "jump" is a regular verb, so we know that the past and past participle forms are formed by adding ed.)
When you know the three principal parts of a verb, you can form all of its six tenses.
CHALLENGE: Refer to the dictionary and for each blank write the appropriate forms of each the following irregular verbs: forget, hang, lose, shake, see, fly.
Simple tenses: Today I___. Yesterday I ___. Tomorrow I will___.
Perfect tenses: I have___. I had___. I will have___.
Simple continuous: I am___. I was___. I will be___.
Perfect continuous: I have been___. I had been___. I will have been___.
Wow! We are finally finished with verbs.
1: Adjectives modify or describe, limit, or identify a noun. Adjectives usually come before nouns. Some come after linking verbs and are called predicate adjectives. Examples:
The tall, graying (ordinary adjectives) man is old (predicate adjective).
2: The most common adjectives (a, an, the) are called articles.
Sue lost the red scarf. "The" is a definite article. Notice that it refers to a definite scarf.
She lost a scarf and an earring. ("A" and "an" are indefinite articles. "An" precedes nouns starting with a vowel.)
3: Capitalize proper adjectives, which are names used as adjectives.
Example: Bill likes French fries and Swiss cheese.
4: Comparison adjectives have two forms:
Exceptions for adjectives of more than one syllable are those ending in y, which is changed to i: silly, sillier, silliest
We should never use both "more" and an "er" ending in the same comparison as in "more faster" or use both "more" and an irregular adjective such as "better" as in "more better." When in doubt about the endings on comparison adjectives, look them up in your dictionary.
CHALLENGE: Correct these sentences:
Fido is more uglier than Rover.
Mary's dress was the beautifulest dress at the party.
5: For more effective writing use specific adjectives, if you can, to be more precise and interesting. Which of these two sentences is the most interesting? [1] The old man crossed the street. OR [2] The white-haired, stooped man crossed the busy street.
CHALLENGE: Think of a more specific adjective in these sentences:
The man was wearing a nice shirt.
I went to a good movie.
6: Use a predicate adjective, not an adverb, after the following linking verbs: is, feel, look, smell, taste, seem, appear, and sound. Here are examples:
I feel bad about not calling. (Do not say "I feel badly" even though you may hear a teacher or the president say it. Remember the opposite feeling: I feel good.)
She looks good in that dress. (Do not say "well" unless you mean that she does not look sick.)
7: Articles and pronouns used as adjectives must agree with the noun in number: "a book," "the book" "this book," "these books," "each book," or "those books."
REVIEW CHALLENGE: Find a newspaper or magazine story and list 10 adjectives. Notice how they add interest to the story.
1: An adverb tells more about a verb, adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs tell when--now--, where--here--, how--badly--, how many times--two--, or to what degree--very. Examples:
Ted walks slowly. ("Slowly" modifies or tells more about the verb by telling how he walks. Do not say, "Ted walks slow." "Slow" is an adjective.
Ted talks very rapidly.--"Very" modifies the adverb "rapidly" by telling how rapidly.
2: The "ly" suffix usually forms an adverb but may also form an adjective. Examples:
Jim sings badly at parties. ("Badly" is an adverb modifying "sings.")
He gave her a fatherly kiss. ("Fatherly" is an adjective modifying "kiss.")
3: "Not" is a negative adverb. Do not use a double negative, which cancels each other out. Example: "I haven't got no money." Negatives include never, hardly, and barely..
CHALLENGE: Correct these sentences:
I don't have no time for TV.
I can't hardly hear you.
4: When you write, try to use specific adverbs instead of general adverbs. Here are examples:
Joe swims well. (a general adverb)
Joe swims powerfully. (a specific adverb)
5: Adverbs may be used to compare actions.
Joe walks fast. Fred walks faster. Ted walks fastest.
Joe drives carefully. Fred drives more carefully. Ted drives most carefully.
CHALLENGE: Underline six adverbs in a newspaper story. Do they tell when, where, how, how many, or to what degree? What word does each of them modify? How specific is each of them?
1: A pronoun takes the place of a noun. Many pronouns take the place of definite nouns called antecedents. By using pronouns we avoid repeating nouns. Here is a repetitive use of a name:
Bill asked Bill's father to lend Bill money.
Bill (antecedent) asked his (possessive pronoun) father to lend him (pronoun) money.
2: Personal pronouns with the exception of "it" refer to people and have number (singular or plural), person (first, second, or third), and gender (male, female, and neuter), and they may be subject, object, or possessive pronouns. It sounds complicated, but this pronoun table will make it simple:
Subject: Object: Possessive:
1st person:
Singular: - - - I - - - - me - - - my, mine
Plural: - - - - we - - - -us - - - our, ours
2nd person:
Singular: - - - you - - - you - - - your, yours
Plural: - - - - you - - - you - - - your, yours
3rd person:
Singular:
Masculine: - - - he - - - him - - - his
Feminine: - - - she - - - her - - - her, hers
Neuter: - - - - it - - - - it - - - its
Plural: - - - - they - - - them - - their, theirs
Notice that the possessive personal pronouns are formed without an apostrophe:
ours, yours, hers, theirs, and its. Remember that "it's" is a contraction for "it is."3: Here is an important rule to remember: Personal pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number, person, and gender. This is not a big problem if we find the right antecedent. Example:
John (antecedent) went home. He did not return. ("John" is singular, third person, and male. The above table shows that the pronoun must be "he" to agree.)
Each of the boys carried his lunch. (The tricky thing here is the prepositional phrase containing the plural "boys." "His" must agree in number with "each," which is a singular pronoun, rather than "boys." To decide which pronoun to use, leave the prepositional phrase out: Each - - - carried his lunch.
4: Here is another important rule: If a personal pronoun is the subject or comes after a linking verb, use the subject pronoun. If it is the object of a verb or preposition, use the object pronoun. If it needs to show possession, use the possessive pronoun. Examples:
Tim (antecedent) went to the movies. He (subject) will be back soon. I will call him (object) about the book. It is his (possessive).
The winners are Jane and I. ("Jane and I" follow the linking verb "are," and are a predicate noun and pronoun. The pronoun must be of the subject form, "I," rather than "me."
He gave the ball to John and me. ("John and me" are objects of the preposition "to." The pronoun must be of the object form, "me," rather than "I.")
CHALLENGE: Choose the right pronoun:
Bill and I, me went to the game.
Fred went to the game with Bill and I, me."
Jack only told you and I, me.
Tom and she, her are getting married.
Answers: I (subject), me (object of preposition), me (object of verb), she (subject)
5: Compound personal pronouns have "self" or "selves" added. There must be an antecedent that is given extra emphasis.
Singular: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, oneself.
Plural: ourselves, yourselves, themselves.
Examples:
Bill himself gave us a tour of the town. (This emphasizes that Bill personally did it.)
Jane and Mary cooked dinner themselves. (John and Mary personally cooked rather than a chef, for example.)
My friend and myself went away. (Use "I" instead of "myself.")
6: Indefinite pronouns don't have a particular antecedent. They must agree with the verb in number.
Singular: anybody, anyone, each, either, everybody, everyone, nobody, no one, somebody, someone, anything, something, everything, nothing
Plural: few, many, several
Examples:
Was anybody at work? ("Anybody" requires singular verb.)
Many were at work. ("Many" requires plural verb.)
7: Pronouns may be used with nouns as if they were adjectives. Example:
Take this book home. (As opposed to "Take this home.")
Demonstrative pronouns: this book, that paper, these shoes, those socks
Possessive pronouns: my book, your book, his paper, her shoe, their shoes (Since these pronouns function as adjectives, they are often called possessive adjectives.)
Indefinite pronouns: each book, neither book, both books, any paper, many papers, several papers
8: Relative pronouns introduce a subordinate clause. One type of relative pronoun tells which or what kind of person or thing: "who" and "whom" refer to people, "that" refers to people or things, "which" refers to things, "whose" is the possessive referring to both people and things. The trickiest thing is to get the case right. Determine what job the pronoun has in the subordinate clause. Examples:
The person that, who, whom, which called is my friend. (The subordinate clause is "that/who (subject) called.")
The man who, whom is talking is my boss. (The subordinate clause is "who (subject) is talking.)
The letter is addressed to who, whom it may concern. (The pronoun is the object of the preposition, to, so we choose whom.)
John found a dentist who, whom he likes. (The pronoun is the object of "likes," "he likes whom.")
CHALLENGE: Choose the correct pronoun:
The only one who, whom was laughing was Meg.
Fred is the only one who, whom he visits.
9: A second type of relative pronoun introduces a clause that gives additional information that is not essential to the sentence and is set off with comas. These pronouns are who, whose, whom, and which but not "that." Examples:
The chocolate cake, which is my favorite cake, was delicious.
The man, who was in the car, is the president of the company.
10: Pronouns such as who, whom, what, and which are also question or interrogative pronouns. Who and whom are again the tricky ones. Examples:
Who, whom is calling? (who--subject)
Who, whom did he call? (Make a statement out of it: He did call whom. It is now easy to see that whom is correct because it is the object of the verb.)
You gave it to who,whom? (whom--object of the preposition "to")
REVIEW CHALLENGE: Underline six pronouns in a newspaper story and decide what type they are.
1: Prepositions are linking words. They link or join one idea with another. In the sentence, "The house on the hill sold." the preposition, "on," links "house" with "hill."
2: Many prepositions are small words that tell where: above, across, against, along, among, around, at, behind, below, beneath, between, by, down, in, inside, into, near, on, out, outside, toward, through, under, up, and upon. Some prepositions tell when: after, before, during, since, and until. Here are some others: about, except, for, from, like, of, off, to, and with.
3: There are also compound prepositions such as according to, along with, because of, in addition to, in case of, in front of, in spite of, instead of, next to, out of, and up to.
4: A prepositional phrase is a preposition plus at least a noun or pronoun object. "He looked under the bed." Prepositional phrases are groups of words with no verb and acting as a single part of speech. Phrases modifying nouns or pronouns are adjective phrases, and those modifying verbs, adjectives, or adverbs are adverbial phrases.
5: Remember when a pronoun is the object of a preposition it must be an object pronoun rather than a subject pronoun. "It belongs to John and me."
CHALLENGE: Choose the right pronoun:
Ted gave it to Bill and I, me.
The song was for Mary and I, me.
1: Conjunctions are also linking or joining words. In the sentence, "Jim and Fred went fishing." the coordinating conjunction, "and," joins the two names.
2: Coordinating conjunctions connect two words, phrases, or clauses of the same type. There are seven such conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. The first letter of each joined in this order spells FANBOYS. When they join two independent clauses, they are preceded with a comma: John went to work, and Fred went home.
3: Subordinating conjunctions connect a subordinate or dependent clause to an independent clause. "I left after the show was over." "After" connects the dependent adverbial clause to the independent clause, "I left." Here are some other subordinating conjunctions: as, because, before, except, if, provided, since, so that, then, though, unless, until, when, where, wherever, whether, and while. Place a comma after an adverbial clause that begins a sentence: When you leave, shut the door.
4: Another type of connecting word or words that connects two independent clauses is the transitional word or words including conjunctive adverbs such as however, therefore, nevertheless, consequently, then, and furthermore. They also include phrases such as these: as a result, in fact, on the other hand. Notice the punctuation that is used with them in these sentences:
He saw the stop sign; however, he didn't stop.
Bill finally got too sick to work; then he went to the doctor. ("Then" is one of the few transitional words that is not set off by a comma.)
It rained all day; in fact, it really poured.
CHALLENGE: Underline four prepositions, two coordinating conjunctions, and one subordinating conjunctions in a newspaper story.
1: Mismatch between subject and verb. The verb must agree with the subject in number and person. Correct the following sentences:
He were here an hour ago. He don't like to wait.
You was right after all.
2: Error in tense of verb. This error frequently occurs with irregular verbs. Correct this sentence.
"I have already did it."
3: Wrong verb. Correct the following sentences:
This afternoon I laid down on the sofa and took a nap.
Set down and chat with me.
4: Mismatch between a pronoun and its antecedent. Often the pronoun is matched with the object of a preposition instead of with the subject. Correct this sentence:
Each of the boys have a tent.
5: Pronoun is of the wrong case. The choice between "me" and "I" is often a problem. Correct the following sentences:
Fred and me went to the game.
He gave the tickets to you and I.
6: Incorrect homophone. The most common confusion is among "there," "their," and "they're:" Correct the following sentences:
Let's go over to there house.
They live over their.
7: Incorrect modifier. Correct the following sentences:
He stopped quick.
I feel badly about that.
8: Incorrect comparative. Correct this sentence:
This story is more better than his last one.