Download Jeopardy for Editors: Answers and More The Court Rules  

 Jeopardy for Editors:
Answers and More
The Court Rules 100 Question: Two complete sentences (punctuated as one) with no punctuation between them. Answer: Run‐on Example: This is a complete sentence this is another one so this is a run‐on sentence. More on this topic: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/runons.htm How do I know if there are run‐on sentences in my writing? As the definition points out, look for two complete sentences that have been pushed together. Read each of your sentences out loud to check your paper for long sentences. Ask yourself, “Is this one complete sentence or two joined together?” 200 Question: Is Bob dead, did something break? Answer: Comma splice Example: It is half past five, we cannot reach town before dark. How do I correct a comma splice? You might think simply removing the comma will correct the error, but this actually results in a run‐on sentence. Here are a few ways to correct a comma splice: Ex. 1 Change the comma to a semicolon: It is half past five; we cannot reach town before dark. Ex. 2 Create two separate sentences: It is half past five. We cannot reach town before dark. Ex. 3 Insert a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) following the comma: It is half past five, and we cannot reach town before dark. //It is nearly half past five, so we cannot reach town before dark. Ex. 4 Make one clause dependent on the other: As it is half past five, we cannot reach town before dark. 300 Question: One subject, one verb (predicate), and it stands alone. Answer: Sentence Example: Bob ran home quickly. More on this topic: http://employees.oxy.edu/jgarrett/sentences.htm My prof. says my ideas aren’t written clearly, but I don’t know how to change them. Learning to write effective sentences is a great way to improve your overall writing skills. When revising a confusing sentence, try explaining that sentence’s main idea to a friend or family member. If they understand it, write down that explanation and revise from there. If you don’t have someone to talk to, try rewriting the sentence without looking at the original. Focus on the idea of your message and not the structure of the original sentence. 400 Question: “Between you and I, this game is hard.” Answer: Incorrect pronoun case (objective pronouns—me, you, him, her, it, us, you, them— follow a preposition); “Between you and me” is the correct form. More on this topic: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/cases.htm I can’t remember all these rules! Is there an easier way to do this? Yes! Here’s a trick for remembering which pronoun case to use: ask yourself what pronoun form you would use without adding the other person. Ex: Grandma gave Hailey and (me or I?) some candy. Consider how you would write that sentence without Hailey? Æ Grandma gave me some candy. Grandma gave Hailey and me some candy 7.10 |Check out our online resources including handouts, podcasts, and more | Or call the Write Line for quick questions | 979.845.2160 Help with Jeopardy for Editors
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500 Question: One independent clause + one dependent clause. Answer: Complex sentence Example: When I saw what you had done, I was happy. More on this topic: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_clause.html Name that Blooper 100 Question: Marie Antoinette said, “Let them eat cake”! Answer: Exclamation point goes inside the quote (part of quoted material) More on this topic: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/marks/quotation.htm I never know whether to put the punctuation inside or outside the quotation marks. Just remember: Commas and periods always go inside the quotation marks, except when a parenthetical citation follows the quote. Ex 1: He told me, “You need to work harder.” Ex 2: Dr. Smith once stated to his pupil, “You need to work harder” (Harold, 1995). Place colons and semicolons outside closing quotation marks. Ex 1: Williams described the experiment as “a definitive step forward”; other scientists disagreed. Ex 2: Burnett emphasizes three elements of what she calls her “Olympic journey”: family support, personal commitment, and great coaching. Finally, punctuation such as question marks, exclamation points, and dashes go inside quotation marks if the punctuation applies to the quote itself and outside if it applies to the whole sentence. Ex 1: Phillip asked, “Do you need this book?” Ex 2: Does Dr. Lim always say to her students, "You must work harder"? Ex 3: Sharon shouted enthusiastically, “We won! We won!” Ex 4: I can’t believe you actually like that song, “Womanizer”! 200 Question: Warm and plump, Mary Beth inhaled the long‐awaited hot dog. Answer: Dangling modifier More on this topic: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_dangmod.html A dangling what? A dangling modifier is a fancy term for misleading sentence structure. In other words, a dangling modifier is a descriptive phrase without a clear subject which becomes confusing for readers. In this case, “warm and plump” inaccurately describes Mary Beth instead of describing the hot dog. 300 Question: My parents bought a house from a man with no inside plumbing. Answer: Misplaced modifier More on this topic: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/modifiers.htm So what is the difference between a misplaced and a dangling modifier? A misplaced modifier is a phrase incorrectly describing the word it is next to. Misplaced modifiers can occur in any part of a sentence—
unlike dangling modifiers which usually appear at the beginning or end—and are more difficult to recognize. The best way to spot these is to have someone read your paper for confusing or misleading phrases or sentences. Make note of anything they point out then evaluate whether a change is required. 400 Question: The dog wants it’s toy. Answer: Incorrect possessive. “The dog wants its toy” is the right answer More on this topic: http://www.grammarbook.com/grammar/pronoun.asp 500 Question: The perfect Martini uses equal parts dry and sweet Vermouth, having no more than one ounce of water or ice, and is always made with gin instead of vodka. 7.1 |Check out our online resources including handouts, podcasts, and more | Or call the Write Line for quick questions | 979.845.2160 Help with Jeopardy for Editors
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Answer: List not in parallel structure More on this topic: http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/grammar/parallelism.html Extra: Parallel structure creates clear yet complex sentences. In parallel structure, the above example would read as follows: “The perfect Martini uses gin instead of vodka, includes equal parts dry and sweet vermouth, and has no more than once ounce water or ice." Notice the revised version’s use of verbs. The Pause that Refreshes 100 Question: The little mark that separates letters in an email address like “m‐[email protected].” Answer: Hyphen More on this topic: http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/hyphens.asp Extra: People always call it a dash. 200 Question: The punctuation separating two complete sentences, which is not a period, dash, or colon. Answer: Semicolon More on this topic: http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/semicolons.asp 300 Question: It can be used to introduce a long list. Answer: Colon More on this topic: http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/punct/colon.html 400 Question: One of three ways to fix a fused sentence. Answer: Period, semicolon, comma with a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). More on this topic: http://writingcenter.tamu.edu/content/view/13/78/ 500 Question: A punctuation mark often substituted for the colon or comma and is considered less formal. Answer: Dash (or Em dash) More on this topic: http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/dashes.asp The Pen is Mightier than the Rule 100 Question: A part of a sentence used as a full sentence. Yeah, like this. Answer: Sentence fragment When is it ok to use this? Fragments are not always an error. Rhetorically effective fragments can be a powerful writing tool when used properly. 200 Question: The policemen, firemen, and mailmen had gathered to honor fallen heroes. Answer: Discriminatory language More on this topic: http://www.usyd.edu.au/staff/styleguide/non/index.shtml Aren’t terms like ‘fireman’ and ‘policeman’ considered gender neutral though? For years, terms like ‘fireman’ and ‘policeman’ were representative of both males and females in those professions. However, studies have shown that using masculine words as a representation of both genders produces a biased reaction in readers and can reinforce the pattern of male dominance in society. 300 Question: Who did you call last night? Answer: Acceptable uses of who; less formal than whom More on this topic: http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/errors/who.html 7.1 |Check out our online resources including handouts, podcasts, and more | Or call the Write Line for quick questions | 979.845.2160 Help with Jeopardy for Editors
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Extra: Although the use of whom is a dying trend, it is good to know each word’s correct use. When deciding whether to use who vs. whom rewrite the question using “he” or “him” (“she” or “her” are acceptable as well). Ex: (Who/Whom?) were you talking to? → You were talking to him. → Whom were you talking to? “Whom” corresponds with “him” and “who” corresponds with “he.” So in our example, “whom” is the grammatically correct choice. Now, in the case of our original example —“Who did you call last night?” —“who” is acceptable because it is considered to be less formal than “whom.” 400 Question: With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith . . . Answer: Parallel structure (rhetorically effective, used for emphasis and drama) More on this topic: (refer to “Name that blooper” for 500) 500 Question: To boldly go where no one has gone before. Answer: acceptable split infinitive More on this topic: http://www.bartleby.com/64/C001/059.html Extra: An infinitive is “to” + a verb. (i.e. to run, to walk, to cry). A split infinitive is when an adverb is interjected between “to” and its verb; for example, “To boldly go…” In this case, the split infinitive is acceptable because it has the greatest impact on the reader. While it’s ok to use split infinitives, be aware that not all professors accept them. Potpourri 100 Question: Michael Crichton combines scientifical information with enthralling literature in his books. Answer: “scientifical” is not a word More on this topic: www.dictionary.com 200 Question: Simple, compound, complex, and compound‐complex Answer: types of sentences More on this topic: http://www.blinn.edu/brazos/parallelstud/types_of_sentences.htm 300 Question: In spite of its name, it won’t catch spelling errors like “there” for “their.” Answer: spell‐check More on this topic: homophonesÆ http://www.all‐about‐spelling.com/list‐of‐homophones.html 400 Question: Someone comes to the writing center every hour to get their paper reviewed. Answer: Noun‐Pronoun disagreement More on this topic: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/595/01/ 500 Question: If we all cooperate together, we will be able to fulfill all of the necessary requirements . . . Answer: wordy sentence More on this topic: http://www.mccd.edu/faculty/pirov/wordy.htm Extra: Here are five ways to reduce wordiness in your writing (as outlined in the link above): Eliminate unnecessary words from your sentences to create a straightforward style. Avoid the passive voice in your sentences (unless you are trying to de‐emphasize the subject). Eliminate redundancies within a sentence. Eliminate inflated and wordy phrases. Eliminate unnecessary phrases when appropriate. 7.1 |Check out our online resources including handouts, podcasts, and more | Or call the Write Line for quick questions | 979.845.2160