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Editor In Chief
Lesson 14
Grammar
 Reminder:
If a passage is written in past
tense, the verbs must REMAIN in past
tense. Exception is in dialogue.
Punctuation
 Comma
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with nonessential appositive
A nonrestrictive or nonessential appositive
should be set off by commas.
Examples:
• The Mardsens, our nearest neighbors, left on
vacation today.
• My brother’s dog, the big white one, is rolling in the
leaves.
• Mr. Smith, the chef, created a scrumptious meal!
Content
 Remember
to carefully study the
illustration and caption. Pay attention to
details. This information is always
correct. The error is in the text.
Punctuation

Run-on Sentences
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Either create two sentences, ending the first with a period
and starting the second with a capital letter
Or use a semicolon to separate the sentences
Or use a comma and coordinating conjunction
Examples:
• INCORRECT: One sea lion balanced a ball another sea lion
waved his flipper.
• CORRECT: One sea lion balanced a ball. Another sea lion
waved his flipper.
• CORRECT: One sea lion balanced a ball; another sea lion waved
his flipper.
• CORRECT: One sea lion balanced a ball, while another sea lion
waved his flipper.
Grammar
 Maintain
verb tense throughout a text.
The exception is if used in dialogue.
Usage
 Agreement
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of Verb with Subject
Verb and subject must agree in number (both be
singular OR both be plural)
Nouns ending in –s are plural
Verbs ending in –s are singular (most of the time);
not ending in –s are plural
Exception: verbs used with “I” or “You”
• I go, you go; however, he goes, she goes, it goes, they
go, and we go

Example:
• The difficulties of going on the long trip were apparent.
• Subject: the difficulties (plural)
• Verb: were (plural)
Grammar

Linking Verbs: express a state or condition, rather than
an action
 They link the subject to a complement that identifies
or describes the subject
• Anchovies taste salty.
• That dog looks thin.
 Some linking verbs can also be used as an action
verb. To test, substitute the appropriate forms of “is”
and “seem” for the verb. If it still makes sense, then
the verb is a linking verb.
• Linking Verb: He remains happy. (He is happy. He
seems happy.)
• Action Verb: He remains happily at the park. (He is
happily at the park. He seems happily at the park.)
Grammar
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A personal pronoun replaces a noun or pronouns. The
pronoun must always agree is gender and number with
the noun or nouns it replaces.
A possessive pronoun may be used before a noun to
show possession, or a possessive pronoun may stand
alone.
Possessive pronouns before a noun include: my, your,
his, her, its, our your, their.
Possessive pronouns that may stand alone include:
mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, yours, theirs.
Grammar

Who vs. Whom: If you are using as a subject,
use who. If you are using as the object, use
whom.
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
Subject: Who is coming for dinner?
Object: Whom are we waiting for?
Easiest way to know: drop who/whom and the
words preceding it and make a sentence with
the words that are left by adding he or him. If
you use “he”, then the sentence needs a subject
(who); use “him”, needs an object (whom).