The Comma

• Use a comma when you have 2 complete thoughts joined by a conjunction (and, or, but, for)

Caffeine can keep coffee drinkers alert, and it may elevate their mood.

• Use a comma to set off phrases attached to complete thoughts:With a powerful thud, the book fell to the floor.

Use a comma…• To set off nonessential elements:

The company, which is located in Maine, has a good reputation.

• To separate items in a series:I went to the store to buy eggs, milk, and pie.

• Between 2 or more adjectives modifying the same word: She has a sleek, shiny car.

1. Actors actresses and filmmakers greatly influence the lives of many people.

2. Bette Davis a famous and talented actress was the first woman to

receive the Life Achievement Award. 3. Meryl Streep is known for her great acting ability and she is labeled

as one of the finest in her craft. 4. Several actors even though successful in college leave school to act. 5. Many actors pursue directing producing and scriptwriting. 6. Because many actors influence each other they are all considered

significant.

The Semicolon ;

• A semicolon should be used when you have two main clauses (complete thoughts) joined together. A comma is too weak and is called a comma splice.

The shipment of computers was delayed; the customers were angry.

1. Mary was strongly discouraged to practice gymnastics however, she won several awards for her abilities. 2. People who eat candy may become overweight people who eat

vegetables may perhaps remain thin. 3. All the trees were conifers therefore, they were cone-bearing

evergreens.

4. Mark Twain attached the preceding notice to Huckleberry Finn he felt that too much analysis of art made it less enjoyable.

5. Many artists live and work in Dallas, Texas Orlando, Florida and

Hollywood, California. 6. We must remember that art is not a form of advertising it is a form

of truth.

The Colon :Colons should be used in the following situations:

1. When making lists USE A COLON TO INTRODUCE A LIST, ESPECIALLY AFTER A STATEMENT THAT USES SUCH WORDS AS THESE, THE FOLLOWING, OR AS FOLLOWS. To make a good sandwich, you need the following ingredients:

peanut butter, jelly, and bread. Note that your introductory statement is a complete sentence

2. To introduce material that explains or restates the preceding material

You can see how cold the winters are in Alaska: On a windy morning your breath freezes into ice crystals in front of your face.

3. To introduce a long or formal quotation Lincoln began the Gettysburg Address with these famous words: “Four score and seven years ago....”

1. There are three animals which make good pets cats, dogs, and fish. 2. Among the natural rights of the colonists are these a right to life, a right

to liberty, and a right to property. 3. Poet Karl Shapiro and composer Aaron Copland have something in

common. Each won a Pulitzer Prize. 4. Dorothy Parker asked to have this engraved on her tombstone “Excuse

my dust.”

Basic Parts of Speech Quick Review

•Noun: Person, place, thing, idea Florida is known for tourism, sunshine, and fun.

•Pronoun: noun shortcutsThe governor made his speech and it was long.

•Verb: Action or state of beingThe speech lasted until noon. It was inspiring.

• Adjective: Modifies a noun (beautiful, windy)Yes, the long speech was inspiring.

• Adverb: Modifies a verb, adjective or other adverbThe governor moved very quickly from the podium and gracefully entered the building.

IDENTIFY THE NOUNS, PRONOUNS, VERBS, ADJECTIVES, AND ADVERBS IN EACH SENTENCE.

Very old eagles fly with their young.

The excited toddler quickly opened her present.

The hungry dog ate its bone greedily.

PREPOSITIONS

A PREPOSITION is a word that shows the relationship of a noun or pronoun to another word. It usually tells where or when.

EXAMPLE: The squirrel ran (to, up, on,down, over, toward, under) the tree.

A prepositional phrase includes a preposition, the object of the preposition, & any modifiers of that object.

Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go.

I left my shoes on the staircase in the attic.

Locate the Prepositional phrases.1 She found her jacket in the closet.2. Painted on one wall was an enormous

picture.3. Over the doorway, the picture reached

above the second story.4. It showed an eighteenth-century man

in a white shirt.5. A local artist, who lives by the river,

painted the portrait.

PRONOUNS AS SUBJECTS AND OBJECTS

• Nominative Case - When the pronoun is the subject of the sentence (doing the action)

Ex - He gave John the radio. • Objective Case - When the pronoun

is the object of the sentence (receiving the action)

Ex - John gave him the radio

Nominative Case Objective Case (subject) (object)

  IMeHe HimShe HerThey ThemWe UsWho Whom

___ drove the car. The car was driven by _____.

• NOTE: If you have a prepositional phrase, the pronoun in that phrase MUST be in the objective case.

The dog sat between (he and I) (him and me).

Which is the correct choice?

1. The traffic officer gave Don and (I, me) a stern lecture.

2. Did you know that Jon and (we, us) were arranging the picnic?

3. Between you and (I, me), video games are my hobby.

4. (He, Him) and (I, me) are the friendliest people around town.

5. There has always been a friendship between Mary and (I, me).

1. It must have been (they, them) who were sitting behind us.

2. There are (she, her) and Amy, standing by the road.

3. If I were (she, her), I wouldn’t leave (he, him) alone.

4. The last to arrive were Greta and (I, me).5. Fortunately, (she, her) and not her sister was

behind the wheel last night.

Make sure plural pronouns have plural referents and singular pronouns have singular referents.

• Roommates should share their cleaning

responsibilities.

• A roommate should share his or her cleaning responsibilities.

PRONOUN AGREEMENT

ANTECEDENT: The word or group of words to which a pronoun refers or replaces.

The Senate passed its first bill of the year.Colleen’s friends gave up their free time.

Make sure the antecedent of a pronoun is clearly stated:

VAGUE: The people who lost their dogs stayed in their yards hoping they would return.

Watch out for switching points of view! Faulty: If a student is late, you must get an

office pass.

Improved: If a student is late, he or she must get an office pass.

Indefinite pronouns (anybody, anyone, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, neither, none, no one, someone, something). Even though some of these seem to have plural meaning, treat them as singular.

Faulty: When someone has been drinking, they will usually speed.

Improved: When someone has been drinking, he or she will usually speed.

Faulty: In class, each gives their best effort.

Improved: In class, each gives his or her best effort.

1. Would anyone like to have (their / his or her) dessert outside?

2. If someone asks for me, send (them / him or her) to my home.

3. A roommate should share ( their / his or her) food.

4. In class, each gives ( their / his or her ) best effort.

5. Mark and Kim ate ( their / his or her) pizza.

6. The teachers gave ( his or her / their) exams on the same days.

7. Everyone should take ( his or her / their ) time getting to school.

Subject - Verb Agreement

A SUBJECT (noun or pronoun doing the action) must agree in number with its verb.

Singular subjects take on singular verbs Example: Shakespeare was a talented poet.

Plural subjects take plural verbs.Example: His poems are read by millions of people

Cover up any interrupting phrases.This book of poems is very special to me.

1. The city of Buenos Aires (is, are) the capital of Argentina.

2. Today, almost nine million citizens (lives, live) in the city and its environs.

3. The lovely flowers in the vase (need, needs) watering.

4. The historic building Casa Rosada (stands, stand) there.

6. Facts and a good photograph (teach, teaches) us about disasters.

7. In science class, my friends and I (is, are) reading about disasters.

8. Each day either Mr. Simms or students (present, presents) information on a disaster.

9. A tornado and a tidal wave (is, are) classified as natural disasters.

10.Earthquakes and floods (fall, falls) into the same category.

Indefinite Pronouns: refer to a person, place, thing, or idea that may or may not be specifically named.

Singular: Anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, neither, everybody, everyone,

everything, someone, Plural: both, few, many, several

Depends on sentence: all, many, more, most, none, some

Example: Most of the job was finished.Most of the jobs were finished.

COMPOUND SUBJECTS: Subjects joined by and usually take the plural verb unless the compound subject is one entity.

Turkey and dressing ARE my favorite foods on Thanksgiving.

Ice Cream IS my favorite dessert.

1. Neither of the candidates (has, have) run for office before.

2. Most of the soup (was, were) gone. 3. None of the athletes (was, were) tired

after the tournament. 4. A few of the volunteers for the job

(was, were) selected. 5. (Have, Has) all of the cheese been

eaten?

Misplaced Modifiers

• Modifiers - words that describe or change the meaning of another word. Modifiers should point clearly to the words they modify:

• Put limiting modifiers (only, even) in front of the words they modify:

EX: I couldn’t even touch my toes.Our team scored only once.

Place phrases so that readers can see what they modify:Incorrect: The robber was a six-foot tall man with a heavy mustache weighing 150 pounds.

Avoid lengthy detours between subject, verb, and direct object. Incorrect: Many students have, by the time they reach their senior year, completed all the graduation requirements.

• The old woman bumped into a bench walking her dog.

• The girls fled from the house noticeably upset.

• Oranges have a better flavor that come from California.

• Grandma called the police scared by the strange noise.

• Bill wants a hamburger and coffee cooked well done.

Dangling Modifiers

• A dangling modifier fails to refer logically to any word in the sentence. They are usually phrases that suggest but do not name an actor.

Upon seeing the barricade, our car screeched to a halt.

To fix a dangling modifier, name the actor or turn the modifier into a group of words that name the actor.

Faulty:Upon entering the doctor’s office, a skeleton caught my attention.

Improved:As I entered the doctor’s office, a skeleton caught my attention.

• Turning the corner, a beautiful sunset could be seen.

• Closing the car trunk, her keys had been misplaced.

• Announcing the winners, Bob spoke in a hushed voice.

Active / Passive Voice

ACTIVE VOICE - This is when the subject performs an action:John drove the car.

PASSIVE VOICE – This is when the subject is acted upon:The car was driven by John.

Notice the linking verb!

Active voice is much more

lively

Directions: Change the passive sentences to active sentences.

Water quality is determined by many factors. Revision

Many factors determine the water quality.

The hamburger was eaten by the hungry boy.Revision

The hungry boy ate the hamburger.

1. The scissors were used quickly and expertly by the hairdresser.

2. Cheers were shouted by the crowd when the team won the game.

3. A man was seen at the intersection calmly crossing against the light.

4. The fight was not noticed by the administration and continued for over an hour.

5. Warnings were called by the police officers as people were speeding down the street.