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Grammar And Correct Usage
Vernon E. Reyes
3.30.2012
Sentences vs. Sentence fragments
Sentences form the basic unit of written language
COMPLETE sentences express a WHOLE thought
Fragment
Complete
• The assistant filing folders.
• Leaving messages for me.
• The assistant was filing
folders
• Janet was always leaving
messages for me
Which is complete?
1. a. We saw the tornado approaching.
b. When we saw the tornado approaching.
2. a. Before the new house was built in 1972.
b. The new house was built in 1972.
3. a. Since we are leaving in the morning.
b. We are leaving in the morning.
Which is complete?
1. a. We saw the tornado approaching.
b. When we saw the tornado approaching.
2. a. Before the new house was built in 1972.
b. The new house was built in 1972.
3. a. Since we are leaving in the morning.
b. We are leaving in the morning.
Subordinating conjunctions
• These can signal sentence fragments!
After
Once
Until
Although
Since
When
As
Than
Whenever
Because
That
Where
Before
Though
Wherever
If
Unless
While
Which is complete?
1. When we saw the tornado approaching, we
headed for cover.
2. Before the new house was built in 1972, the
old house was demolished.
3. Since we are leaving in the morning, we went
to bed early.
Run-on Sentences
• Composed of 2 or more independent clauses
(sentences) BUT written as though they were
one sentence.
A complete report had to be
submitted every week, it was due on
Friday.
1. You can use conjunctions such as and, but,
as, or because.
A complete report had to be submitted every
week, and it was due on Friday.
A complete report had to be
submitted every week, it was due on
Friday.
2. You can use a semicolon ( ; )
A complete report had to be submitted every
week; it was due on Friday.
3. Just separate it!
A complete report had to be submitted every
week. It was due on Friday.
A complete report had to be
submitted every week, it was due on
Friday.
4. Use subordinating conjunction: because
A complete report had to be submitted every
week because it was due on Friday.
5. Use a dash ( - )
A complete report had to be submitted every
week - it was due on Friday.
Let’s Practice
1. We attended the meeting, we formed some
committees.
2. Without exception, all of the employees went
to lunch at 12:00 they turned at 1:00.
3. The defense needed time to examine the
new evidence, the lawyer asked for an
extension.
Capitalization
• Common Rules:
1. First word of a sentence. If it is number, write it
as a word.
2. Pronoun “I”
3. First word of a quotation:
“What is the address?” she asked.
DO NOT capitalize the first word of a partial
quotation:
He called me “the best employee” and nominated
me for an award.
Capitalization
Common Rules:
4. Capitalize: Proper Nouns (names of people,
places or things:
i.e. Jose Rizal; Marikinina, Philippines; Marikina
River
Different from common nouns like:
president, city, state, river
Capitalization
Common Rules:
5. Capitalize proper adjectives (adjectives
formed from a proper noun)
i.e. Proper Noun:
Japan
Proper adjective:
Japanese language
Capitalization
Categories:
- Days of the week
- Months of the year
- Holidays
- Special events
- Names of individuals - Names of structures - Building
- Ships, aircraft, products
Geographic locations
Streets, highways,
roads, landmarks
Public areas, bodies of
water
Ethnic groups,
languages, nationalities
Institutions,
organizations,
businesses
Punctuation
Use periods ( . ) during:
1. End of a sentence taht is not a
question/exclamation
2. Initial in a name
3. Abbreviations: Mr., Ms., Corp., Inc., etc.
Punctuation
Use commas ( , ):
1. Before conjunctions and, but, so, or, for, nor,
yet when they separate two groups of words
that could be complete sentences:
Example: The manual listed the steps in
sequences, and that made it easy for any
reader to follow.
Punctuation
Use commas ( , ):
2. To separate items in a series:
The student driver stopped, looked, and listened
when she approached the railroad tracks.
3. After introductory words, phrases or clauses
in a sentence:
Usually, blah blah blah
During her lunch break, blah blah blah
Punctuation
Use commas ( , ):
4. Separate items in an address
5. Separate days, months, years (and sometimes
after the year:
I was born on December 29, 1983, during a party.
6. After a greeting of a letter and after the closing
Dear Mrs. Lim,
Sincerely yours,
Punctuation
Use commas ( , ):
7. Separate contrasting elements in a sentence:
Your speech needs strong arguments, not strong
opinions, to convince me.
8. Appostives to explain words or phrases
My dog, a Chihuahua, is named Polly
Apostrophes
Use commas ( ‘ ):
1. Contractions – some letters have been
omitted
I will = I’ll
He is = he’s
2. Plural of numbers and letters
There are two o’s and two m’s in the word
roommate
Apostrophes
Use commas ( ‘ ):
3. To show possession
Singular nouns
Boy’s
Child’s
Lady’s
Plural Nouns w/ s
Boys’
Kids’
Ladies’
Plural nouns w/o s
Men’s
Children’s
Women’s
Verbs
The subject should agree with the verb.
If the subject is singular, the verb MUST be
singular; if the subject is plural, the verb MUST
be plural.
If unsure, if the subject ends with an ‘s’ is a sign
that the subject is plural. Therefore, the verb
must be plural too!
Verbs
If unsure, if the subject ends with an ‘s’ is a sign
that the subject is plural. Therefore, the verb
must be plural too!
ALSO
If the verb ends with an ‘s’ the subject must be
singular.
Verbs
The gymnast is performing
The gymnasts are performing
The new schedule has interfered with their
plans
The new schedules have interfered with their
plans.
Verbs
The flowers (was/were) arranged carefully.
The meeting (start/starts) promptly at 10:00.
The decision (change/changes) everything.
Computers (save/saves) time.
Lightning (strike/strikes) indiscriminately.
Verbs and Pronouns
These pronouns are always SINGULAR:
Each
Either
Neither
Anybody
Anyone
Everybody
Everyone
No one
One
Nobody
Someone
Somebody
Verbs and Pronouns
These pronouns are always SINGULAR:
Each
Either
Neither
Anybody
Anyone
Everybody
Everyone
No one
One
Nobody
Someone
Somebody
TIP: try insert the word ‘one’ after these pronouns
Neither of them has been to New York
Neither one of them has been to New York
Verbs and Pronouns
These pronouns are always PLURAL:
Both
Few
Many
Several
These pronouns can either be plural or singular:
All
Some
None
Most
Any
Verbs and Pronouns
These pronouns can either be plural or singular:
All
None
Any
Some
Most
The words/prepositional phrases after the
pronoun determine plurality/singularity.
All of the work is finished.
All of the jobs are done.
Verbs and Pronouns
If two nouns/pronouns are joined by AND, they
require a plural verb
He and she want to buy a house.
Bill and Sandra want to buy a new house.
If two nouns/pronouns are joined by OR/NOR they
require a singular verb. Think of them as two
sentences.
He or she wants to buy a house.
Neither Bill nor Sandra wants to buy a new house.
Verb Tenses
Past Tense
Yesterday
Present Tense
Today
Future Tense
Tomorrow
TIP: Be consistent! If the passage begins with a
present tense, all verbs should be present
tense. But there are some exceptions!
Pronouns
Easy part:
Me went to the movies with he.
My instructor gave she a ride to the class.
Check these sentences?
The director rode with Jerry and I.
Belle and him are going to the company picnic.
Pronouns
TIP: Turn the sentence into two sentences.
The director rode with Jerry and I.
The director rode with Jerry 
The director rode with me (not I). 
Belle and him are going to the company picnic.
Belle is going to the company picnic. 
He (not him) is going to the company picnic. 
Pronoun Agreement
TIP: If the noun is singular, then the pronoun is
singular. If the noun is plural, the pronoun is
plural.
The doctor must take a break when she is tired.
Doctors must take breaks when they are tired.
One of the girls misplaced her purse.
All of the girls misplaced their purse.
Pronoun Agreement
If two nouns/pronouns are joined by AND, they
require a plural pronoun
If he and she want to join us, they are welcome
to do so.
If two or more SINGULAR nouns/pronouns are
joined by OR, always use singular.
The treasurer or the assistant will lend you his
calculator.
Pronoun Agreement
If a SINGULAR and a PLURAL noun/pronoun are
joined by NOR, pronoun should agree with
closest noun or pronoun it represents.
Neither the soldiers nor the general was sure of
his location.
Neither the general nor the soldiers was sure of
their location.
Words Commonly Confused
(correct usage)
Its/it’s
Its = possession
It’s = contraction for it is or it has
that/who
That refers to things
Who refers to people
Words Commonly Confused
(correct usage)
There/Their/They’re
Their = possession (belongs to them) ir=m
There = location - here
They’re = contraction for they are ‘=a
Your/You’re
Your = possession
You’re = contraction for you are
Words Commonly Confused
(correct usage)
To/two/too
To = preposition (relationship between other
words in a sentence) ex. Prepositions: beside,
over, above, below, on, in
to the office, to my church, to our disadvantage
To = infinitive (followed by a verb)
To talk, to deny, to eat, to find
Words Commonly Confused
(correct usage)
To/two/too
Two = numbers
Too = also. Substitute also and the sentence
should still make sense.
Practice
1. (Its/It’s) (to/two/too) late (to/two/too)
remedy the situation now.
2. Where is the librarian (who/that) helped me
with the research material?
3. (There/Their/They’re) going (to/two/too)
begin construction soon.
Practice
4. We left (there/their/they’re) house after
eating.
5. I think (your/you’re) going (to/too/two) win at
least (to/too/two) more times.
6. The corporation moved (its/it’s) home office.
Words Commonly Confused
(correct usage)
Rite/Write/Right
Vein/Vane/Vain/
Borrow/lend/credit/loan
Between/among
In/By
Accent/ascent/assent
Descent/dissent
 born/borne
Words Commonly Confused
(correct usage)
Coarse/course/corps/corpse
Dessert/desert
Migrate/emigrate/immigrate
Few/pieces of/number of
Piece/peace/peas
Persecute/prosecute
Rise/rice/raise/risen
Threw/thru/through
Words Commonly Confused
(correct usage)
Whose/who’s/whom/which
Tale/tail
Brought in/on/forth/down
Broke in/on/even/down
Build in/up/over/on
Burned out/in/up/over
Buy in/off/out/up
Called in/up/out/off
Words Commonly Confused
(correct usage)
Carried out/away/over/on
Cut short/up/back/out
Get around/along/at/over
Goes along/by/down/through
Hold down/forth/on/with
Knocked around/back/down/out
Laid off/aside/out/away
Look down on/forwards to/out to/up to
Words Commonly Confused
(correct usage)
Picking at/on/out/put out
Setting apart/back/down/up
Wrote in/off/over/up