Grammar Crammers 1-10

G. Herbst2011

Dates• Always use Arabic figures (1, 2, 3… not I, II,

III…) without st, nd, th, or rd.• Spell out all months unless used with a date

oWhen used with a date, only abbreviate Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec.

oWhen months begin sentences they must be spelled out Examples

1. The game took place on Oct. 23, 2011.2. October 23, 2011 was the date of the game.3. Classes began Sept. 6.4. Homecoming takes place in October.

Numbers

• One through ten are spelled out• 11 and above are written numerically – Unless the number begins a sentence • then spell out

Names

• Always use first and last names upon first mention for anyone

• For the second mention in the same story, only use the person’s last nameo Example: Dr. Gary Woods is the new

superintendant for BHUSD. Woods’s last job was in San Marino.

Titles• Confine capitalization to formal titles used directly

before an individual’s name• Basic guidelines:

o Lowercase and spell out titles when they are not used with an individual’s name• Ex: The president issued a statement.

o Lowercase and spell out titles when set off from a name by commas• Ex: The vice president, Nelson Rockefeller, declined to run again.

o Capitalize formal titles when they are used immediately before one or more names• Ex: Principal Carter Paysinger, Student Body President Joe Shmoe

o Do not capitalize teacher or student

Classes and Sports Teams

• Do not capitalize unless using a specific title or if class name is already a proper nouno Ex: English, social studies, Algebra II, algebra,

chemistry, AP Chemistry, Spanish, US History, biology, AP European History, drama, Advanced Journalism

• Names of sports teams are never capitalizedo Only JV is capitalized

• If using the gender in the name of the team, the apostrophe goes on the outside of the so Ex: girls’ varsity basketball, football, track, boys’ JV

soccer

Where at

• Do not use at to end a sentence using whereo Ex:

Incorrect: That was where he was at. Correct: That was where he was. Incorrect: Where is the party at? Correct: Where is the party?

As/like

• Aso Conjunctiono Correct word to introduce clauses

Ex: Jim blocks the linebacker as he should.

• Likeo Prepositiono Use to compare nouns and pronouns; requires an

object. Ex: Jim blocks like a pro.

Double negatives: NO, NO!

• I didn’t do nothing is a double negative.o didn’t is negative; nothing is negativeo Each negative cancels out the othero This is Colloquial English

does not follow the rules of standard grammar

Because/Since

• Becauseo Used to denote a specific cause-effect relationship

Ex: He went because he was told.

• Sinceo Acceptable in a casual sense when the first event

in a sequence led logically to the second but was not its direct cause Ex: They went to the game, since they had been given

the tickets.

Imply/Infer

• ImplyoWriters or speakers imply in the words they use

• Infero A listener or reader infers something from the

words they hear or read

Semicolon

• Used to indicate greater separation of thought and information than a comma can convey but less than a period implies.

• It is generally best to avoid semicolons to link independent clauses and always opt for separate sentences.

Semicolons

• To clarify a series: o use to separate elements of a series when items in

the series are long or when individual segments contain material that must also be set off by commas. Ex: He is survived by a son, John Smith, of Chicago;

three daughters, Jane Smith, of Wichita, Kan., Mary Smith, of Denver, and Susan, of Boston; and a sister, Martha, of Omaha, Neb. (Note usage of semicolon before final and)

Semicolons• To link independent clauses:

o Use when a coordinating conjunction such as and, but or for is not present Ex: The package was due last week; it arrived today. Attempt to avoid this usage by creating separate

sentences.o If coordinating conjunction is present, use

semicolon before it only if extensive punctuation is required in one or more of the individual clauses Ex: They pulled their boats from the water, sandbagged

the retaining walls, and boarded up the windows; but even with these precautions, the island was hard-hit by the hurricane.

Semicolons

• Placement with quoteso Place semicolons outside quotation marks