Download Aim: How do we identify common problems in grammar and usage?

Do Now: What are the most common problems that students
deal with regarding grammar and usage?
 SENTENCE FRAGMENTS
 RUN-ON SENTENCES
 SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
 PRONOUN VERB AGREEMENT
 PROUNOUN ANTECENDENT AGREEMENT
 PROBLEMS WITH CASE
 PROBLEMS INVOLVING MODIFIERS
 COMMON PROBLEMS IN USAGE
 PICKING PROPER PREPOSITIONS
 SENTENCE FRAGMENTS
and
 RUN-ON SENTENCES
 A sentence fragment is a a broken chunk of a a
sentence that is need of fixing.
 It cannot stand by itself it is missing a part.
 Sentence – is a word groups that contains a
 SUBJECT – VERB – and EXPRESSES A COMPLETE THOUGHT
 Types of Sentences:
 Declarative (.)
 The umpire called a strike
 Imperative (“. “with implied subject ‘you’ ”)
 Get that umbrella for me
 Exclamatory (!)
 What a wonderful day we had yesterday!
 Interrogative
 Who is your favorite teacher?
 A word or word group that may be capitalized or
punctuated, but does not contain all the elements of a
sentence. It could be missing a:
 Subject
 Verb
 Fail to express a complete thought.
A phrase: A group of related words that is used as a single
part of speech and does not contain bot a verb and its
subject.
Verb Phrase – has been cancelled (no subject)
Prepositional Phrase – Before the party (no
subject or verb)
Infinitive Phrase – to buy bread (no subject or verb)
*Note: A group of words that contain both a subject and a
verb is called a clause:
independent – The field trip has been cancelled
(sentence)
Subordinate – before the party started (fragment)
Prepositional Phrase: phrase that includes a
preposition, the object of the preposition and any
modifiers of that object.
1.
1.
Example: with the red roof
Adjective Phrase: A prepositional phrase that
modifies a noun or a pronoun.
2.
1.
Tells what kind(s) or which one(s).
Adverb Phrase: a prepositional phrase that modifies
a verb, an adjective or other adverb.
3.
1.
Tells how, when, where, why or to what extent (how
long or how far)
1. Participle: a verb form that can be used as an adjective. (end in “-ing” or
“- “d” or “ed”.)
2. Participle phrase: consists of a particle and any modifiers or
compliments the participle phrase has. The phrase is an adjective.
Example: Speaking eloquently, Julie enthralled the
audience.
3. Gerund: a gerund is a verb form ending in –ing that is used as a noun.
4. Gerund phrase is a gerund and any modifiers or compliments the
gerund has. The entire phrase is a NOUN
Example: Studying regularly leads to better grades.
5. Absolute phrase – word group consisting of particle or participle phrase
that is used as an adverb to modify an independent clause. Modifies the
entire clause by telling who, when or why.
Example: The costumes having been made, the actors dressed for
rehearsal.
Phrases are fragments…..
An infinitive is a verb from that can be used as a
noun, an adjective or an adverb. Most infinitives
begin with “To”
2. The infinitive phrase consists of an infinitive and any
modifiers or compliments the infinitive has.
1.
1.
2.
The entire phrase can be used as a noun, an adjective
or adverb.
Examples:
2.
3.
To finish early is her plan.
Reginald wants to go to the beach with us on Saturday.
An appositive is a noun or pronoun placed beside
another noun or pronoun to identify or describe it.
1.
1.
Example: Sheila devotes Saturday morning to her
favorite hobby, shopping.
An appositive phrase consists of an appositive and
any modifiers the appositive has,
2.
1.
Example: Remember the celebrations held on Monday,
January 1, 2001, the first day of the twenty first
century?
 In our preparation of the the purple
potion.
 Muttering over the cauldron.
 To harvest mandrakes nocturnally
 Or lurk beneath the balustrade.
 When the troll bounced off the
banister.
Fragment: In our preparation of the the purple potion.
Problem: A phrase:
A phrase: A group of related words that is used as a single
part of speech and does not contain bot a verb and its subject.
Solution:
Add Simple Subject and Verb
We prepared the purple potion
Make it an imperative sentence with an implied subject
Prepare the purple potion.
Attach an independent clause:
We miscalculated the proportions in preparation of the
purple potion.
Fragment: Muttering over the cauldron.
Problem: This is either a participle phrase or a gerund phrase
a. Gerund: a gerund is a verb form ending in –ing that is used as a noun.
b. gerund phrase is a gerund and any modifiers or compliments the
gerund has. The entire phrase is a NOUN
c. Participle: a verb form that can be used as an adjective. (end in “-ing”
or “- “d” or “ed”.)
d. Participle phrase: consists of a particle and any modifiers or
compliments the participle phrase has. The phrase is an
adjective.
Solution: The fragment needs a subject and verb.
The witch is muttering over the couldron.
FRAGMENT: To harvest mandrakes nocturnally
Problem: Infinitive Phrase
a. Infinitive: is a verb form that can be used as a noun, an
adjective or an adverb. Most begin with “to”
b. Infinitive Phrase: consists of an infinitie and any modifiers or
compliments the infinitive has. The entire phrase can be used as a noun,
an adjective or an adverb.
Solution:
1. Add simple subject and complete verb:
We will harvest mandrakes nocturnally
2. Add a predicate:
To harvest mandrakes nocturnally is a task that a junior wizard
must undertake.
3. Attach it to an independent clause:
To harvest mandrake noctunrally, you must wait for a moonless
night.
 Fragment: Or lurk beneath the balustrade.
 Problem: COMPOUND PREDICATE
 No Subject or Additional Predicate
 SOLUTIONS:
 Imperative Statement: Lurk beneath the balustrade.
 Simple Subject: Orcs lurk beneath the balustrade.
 Compound Predicate: Orcs slink around the cellarage or
lurk beneath the balustrade.
 Fragment: When the troll bounced off the banister.
 Problem
 subordinate clause – a subordinate clause does not express a
complete thought and cannot stand by itself.
 Solution –
 1. combine clause with an independent clause
 2. Remove the subordinating conjunction, i.e. “when”
 Sentence:
 The troll bounced off the banister.
 When the troll bounced off the banister, he bowled over
the professor of herbology.
 JK Rowling, a British novelist, whose fame as an
innovator in the field of fantasy may come to equal
that of Tolkien.
 The new vacation resort, featuring tropical gardens
and man-made lagoons, and overlooks a magnificent
white sand beach.
The run-on sentence operates under several alias:
a.
The comma fault
b.
The comma slice
c.
The fused sentence
Examples of run-on sentences:
a. The wizards tasted the potion, they found the mixture tasty.
b. The troll is very hungry I think he is going to pounce.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE SENTENCES?
They are two sentences in one.
HOW TO WE FIX THE PROBLEM.
Four Basic ways:
1.
Period at the end of first independent clause. Begin the second
independent clause with a capital letter.
2.
Connect the two independent clauses with a comma preceding an
coordinating conjunction.
3.
Insert a semi-colon between the two independent clauses
4.
Use a subordinating conjunction to indicate that one of the
independent clauses is dependent on the other and connect them
with a comma.
1. SENTENCE – word group that contains a subject a verb and expresses a complete thought.
2. SUBJECT AND THE PREDICATE – a sentence consists of two basic parts:
1.
Subject – tells whom or what the sentence is about
2.
Predicate – tells something about the subject.
3. COMPLEMENT – word or word group that completes the meaning of a verb.
1. Direct object – noun, pronoun or word group that tells who or what receives the
action of the verb or shows the result of the action.
Example: Toads cause warts.
2. Indirect object – is a noun pronoun or word group that precedes a direct object
and tells to whom or to what (or for whom or for what) the action of the verb is done.
Example: Trainer fed the bears fish.
3. Objective Complement – is a word of word group that helps complete the
meaning of a transitive verb by identifying or modifying the direct object.
Example: The members elected Carlotta secretary.
4. Subjective Complement – word of word groups in the predicate that identifies
or describes the subject. It completes the meaning of a linking verb.
a. predicate normative – word or word group that is in the predicate and identifies
the
subject.
Example: South Dakotas crops are corn and wheat.
b. predicate adjective – an adjective that is in the predicate and modifies the
subject.
Example: The ocean is calm.
 Simple subject – main word or word group that tells
whom or what the sentence is about.
 The Complete Subject – consists of a single subject and
any words or word groups used to modify the simple
subject.
 Examples:
Simple: The coach of our hockey team used to play
professional hockey.
Complete: The coach of our hockey team used to play
professional hockey.
Simple Predicate (verb): the main word of word group
that tells something about the subject.
Complete Predicate: the verb and all the words used to
modify the verb and complete its meaning.
Examples:
Simple: The puppy chased its tail frantically.
Complete: The puppy chased its tail frantically.
Compound Subject – two or more subjects joined by a
conjunction that share the same verb.
Compound Verb – two or more verbs that are joined by a
conjunction and that have the same subject.
***Share the same subject or verb and therefore consist
of only one INDEPENDENT CLAUSE*******
Clause: groups of words that contains a verb and its subject and
that is used as a sentence or as part of a sentence. (Independent or
Subordinate)
1.Independent Clause: expresses a complete thought and can stand
by itself in a sentence.
2.A subordinate clause does not express a complete thought and
cannot stand by itself in a sentence.
a. adjective clause – subordinate clause that modifies a
noun or pronoun. Usually begin with relative pronouns.
b. noun clause – subordinate clause used as a noun. Usually
begin with words like who, what, why, where, which, when….
c. adverb clause – is a subordinate clause that modifies a
verb, an adjective or an adverb. Introduced by subordinating
conjunction.
Simple Sentence: One independent clause and no
subordinate clauses
B. Compound Sentence: Two or more independent clauses
and no subordinate clauses
A.
A.
May be joined by:
A.
B.
C.
D.
1. comma,
2. comma and a coordinating conjunction
3. a semicolon,
4 semicolon and a conjunctive adverb or a transitional expression
Complex Sentence: One independent clause and one
subordinate clause
D. Compound-complex – Two or more independent clauses
and at lease one subordinate clause.
C.
Simple Sentence: Kendra and I have taken the SAT but have
not received our scores. (compound subject and compound
verb – NO COMMA: ONE INDEPENDENT SENTENCE)
Compound Sentence: Kendra and I have taken the SAT, but
we have not received our scores. (compound subject and
compound verb Note: compound sentences that contain one or more
independent clauses may be joined by a comma, comma and
a coordinating conjunction, or by a semicolon, or by a
semicolon and a conjunctive adverb or a transitional
expression.
 Semi-colon:
 between independent clauses not joined by a
coordinating conjunction.
 between independent clauses joined by a conjunctive
adverb or a transitional expression
 Before a coordinating conjunction to join independent
clauses that contain commas
 Between items in a series if the items contain commas
 Colons:
 Use a colon to mean “note what follows”
 A. before a list of items
 B. before a long, formal statement or quotation
 C. between independent clauses when the second clause
explains or restates an idea of the first
 D. Conventional situations
 Time – Hour and Minute
 Book - Title and Subtitle
 After the salutation of a business letter.
 Commas:
 1. Separate items is a series
 2. Separate two or more adjectives preceding a noun
 3. Before a coordinating conjunction when it joins
independent clauses
 4. Set off nonessential subordinate clauses and nonessential participle phrases
 5. After introductory elements such as:
 A. mild exclamations
 B. introductory particle or participle phrases
 C. two or more introductory prepositional phrases or after on
long prepositional phrase.
 D. introductory adverb phrase.