Download Grammar and Good Writing

Grammar &
Good Writing
COMM 200 - PROFESSOR ROBERTS
The Importance of Grammar
“ The greater part of the world’s troubles are due
to questions of grammar.” -- Michel de Montaigne
Subject / Verb Agreement
SINGULAR:
The cheetah runs across the plain.
PLURAL:
The cheetahs run across the plain.
Subject / Verb Agreement
The cheetah, one of the planet ’s fastest animals, runs
across the plains.
The cheetah who has nine lives like most cats runs across
the plains.
Subject / Verb Agreement
Shaquille O’Neal, along with Allen Iverson and Yao Ming, is
entering the Hall of Fame.
Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson and Yao Ming are entering
the Hall of Fame.
Subject / Verb Agreement
S I N GU L A R P RONOUN S:
A N YO N E , A N Y B O DY, E A C H , E V E R Y B O DY, E V E R YO N E , S O M E B O DY, S O M EO N E , N O O N E ,
N O B O DY, N E I T H E R , E I T H E R
H a s a nyo n e d o n e h i s o r h e r h o m e w o r k ?
I ’m s u r p r i s e d t h a t i n a c l a s s o f 2 0 , e v e r yo n e h a s d o n e t h e h o m e w o r k .
Ea c h o f t h e 2 0 st u d e n t s i s g o i n g t o g e t a p a s s i n g g ra d e .
Ea c h o f t h e 2 0 st u d e n t s i n t h e c l a s s w h o c o m p l e t e d a l l o f t h e a s s i g n m e n t s i s g o i n g t o g e t a
p a s s i n g g ra d e .
N e i t h e r o f t h e t w o c o m p u t e rs i s w o r k i n g .
E i t h e r my fa t h e r o r my b ro t h e rs i s g o i n g t o t h e st o r e .
Subject / Verb Agreement
SINGULAR OR PLURAL PRONOUNS:
A L L , S OME , N ON E
A l l o f my w h i s key i s go n e .
A l l o f my w h i s keys a re go n e .
S o m e o f t h e me d i a a re atte nd ing t h e eve nt .
S ome o f t h e wate r i s p ol l uted.
N o n e o f t h e gi r l s n ex t d o o r a re co m i n g to my p a r t y.
N o n e o f t h e w i n e wa s f i t to d r i nk .
Active / Passive Voice
ACTIVE:
Campus police arrested eight students.
PASSIVE:
Eight students were arrested by campus police.
Times to Use Passive Voice
WHEN THE SUBJECT ISN’T CLEAR OR IMPORTANT:
Visitors are asked to leave after 8 p.m.
TO BE TACTFUL:
Unfortunate mistakes were made by an overzealous intern.
TO EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE OBJECT:
After a vigorous debate, the defense bill was voted out of committee.
Person
1 st Person:
2 nd Person Imperative:
I go to the store.
Go to the store.
2 nd Person:
3rd Person:
You go to the store.
He/she goes to the store.
Person
Avoid shifts in person. They can confuse the reader.
First, the photographer must decide between a film camera or a digital
camera. While digital may be the obvious choice, do not throw out the
valuable experience that comes from film .
First, you must decide between a film camera or a digital camera. While
digital may be the obvious choice, do not throw out the valuable
experience that comes from film.
Pronouns and Cases
Nominative
Objective
Possessive
I
me
My / mine
we
us
o u r / o u rs
2 nd Person
yo u
yo u
yo u r / yo u rs
3 rd Person
he
him
his
she
her
h e r / h e rs
it
t h ey
it
its
1 st Person
who
them
whom
t h e i r / t h e i rs
whose
Pronouns & Cases
NOMINATIVE (Subject of sentence or clause):
He went to the store.
She and I are going to the dance.
You’re looking at the guy who’s going to Europe this
summer.
Pronouns & Cases
OBJECTIVE:
Direct Object: Donna hit him with a bat.
Indirect Object: Jasper gave them 50 dollars.
Prepositional Object: This is between him and me.
Pronouns & Cases
POSSESSIVE (to show ownership):
That crazy calico cat is mine.
My cat is always getting into trouble.
Also use with gerunds (“ing ” verbs acting as nouns):
The freshmen kept me awake last night with their partying.
Whose cooking made everyone sick last night?
Pronouns & Cases
Questions often need to be unraveled to make sense.
Who / Whom would I complain to about all the noise?
I would complain to her (whom) about all the noise.
To who / whom should I give this incredible crème brûlée?
I should give this incredible crème brûlée to him (whom).
Pronoun Reference
Pronouns should have a clear antecedent.
Evan told Jonathan that the police had been looking for him.
Evan and Jonathan decided that staying quiet was his best
option.
When the police started pounding on my doors and
windows, he had no choice but to open it.
Pronoun Reference
Avoid unclear pronouns like “it ” ”this” and ”that ”.
According to our textbook, it’s clear that good writing takes practice.
Sarah is always late and in a bad mood. That drives me crazy.
Because Jonah hates math and loves writing, he’s probably not going
to do well on this.
Pronoun Reference
Avoid using ”you” and ”they” to refer to generic individuals.
Everyone loves Japanese food, so you should check out Izakaya Seki.
When I called the police station, they didn’t even answer.
Dangling Participles
Participles are verbs functioning as adjectives.
My hiking group loves to go to Bear Church Rock.
Startled bears can be very dangerous.
Participial phrases contains a participle and modifiers or compliments.
Hiking down the road, the group came across a bear.
Sensing danger to its cub, the bear charged at the group.
Dangling Participles
Participial phrases should clearly refer to the noun they modify.
After reaching a boil, the chef was ready to stir the soup.
The mugger was chased by the cops, still holding onto the purse.
Hiking through the woods, the bear really scared the scouts.
Parallel Construction
In lists, use the same construction throughout.
Sunday is my day to read the Washington Post, cook a big breakfast, and
watching football.
Sunday is my day to read the Washington Post, cook a big breakfast, and
watch football.
Parallel Construction
In lists, use the same construction throughout.
The Ramones were a great band because they were loud, obnoxious, and still
wrote catchy songs.
The Ramones were a great band because they were loud, obnoxious , and still
able to write catchy songs.
The Ramones were a great band. They were loud and obnoxious , but they
could still write catchy songs.
Parallel Construction
In lists, use the same construction throughout.
Chef Geoff ’s is known for large beers, good happy hour prices, and being
a place for American students to hang out.
Chef Geoff ’s is known for large beers, good happy hour prices, and lots
of American students.
Known for its large beers and good happy hour prices, Chef Geoff ’s is a
popular place for American students to hang out.
Sentence Types
Simple: A sentence made up of one independent clause.
I love garlic.
After school on Friday, I told Sarah about my love for the sweet, yet
smoky aroma of roasted garlic.
Sentence Types
Complex: A sentence with one independent clause and one or
more dependent clauses.
After I came home from the store, I realized I forgot to buy
oregano.
After Jenny came back from the mountains, she only wanted to
talk about hiking Old Rag where she saw four bears and a
rattlesnake.
Sentence Types
Compound: A sentence with one or more independent clauses.
The cops arrived, and the students fled.
I would have gone to the party, but Sarah told me about the
arrests.
Sentence Types
Compound-Complex: A sentence with one or more independent
clauses and one or more dependent clauses.
After eating an entire bag of Doritos, I was ready to throw up, but then I
remembered that I still had to eat dinner with my parents.
Because I could barely finish my salad, my mom asked if I was feeling
okay, and the waiter probably thought that I hated my meal.
Sentence Types to Avoid
Fragments: An incomplete sentence missing a subject or
predicate.
Wishful thinking on my part.
With your body turned so your left shoulder is almost in a diagonal line
with goal.
Sentence Types to Avoid
Run-on: Two or more independent clauses that should be joined
or separated.
The next two teams we play are tough we need to start
practicing.
Old Bay makes everything taste great, better add some more.