Lesson 10 1-5

What statements are a purpose of and adjective?

*Modify or describe a noun or pronoun. *Give your writing greater depth and meaning. *To create different degrees of comparison.

Subject-Verb Agreement:

A fundamental part of sentence construction is that subject and verbs must agree in number. Use singular subjects with singular verbs and plural subjects with plural verbs. The sentences, He types efficiently and They type efficiently , illustrate proper agreement. There are special cases, but in general agreement between subjects and verbs follow basic rules

Prefixes and Suffixes:

Add a prefix at the beginning of a word to change its meaning. Adding in to tolerable forms the word intolerable . Occasionally, insert a hyphen when you use a prefix (all-inclusive). Place a suffix at the end of a word and occasionally add a hyphen. Combine work and able to create workable and president and elect to form president-elect .

Plurals:

Add an s to make most nouns plural. While this is the basic rule, there are exceptions. Add es for nouns ending in s, ss, z, sh, and x (address—addresses). For nouns ending in y preceded by a consonant, drop the y and add ies (territory—territories). Add s or es for nouns ending in o (halo—halos; potato—potatoes). Change some nouns ending in f by dropping the f and adding vs or ves (self—selves). For compound nouns that are two words, change chairman of the board to chairmen of the boards .

Adverbs:

Adverbs are similar to adjectives except they describe or limit verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Use adverbs to answer the questions When? Where? How much? or How? to more specifically describe work. Most adverbs end in -ly . Quickly, hourly, and carefully are examples. Adverbs not ending in -ly include late, very, well, not, there, fine, fast, quick, and slow. The temporary worker did fine is an example. Use an adverb (frequently) and verb (reviews) together in the sentence: Mary frequently reviews her e-mail messages . Change adjectives to adverbs by adding an -ly ending. Make the adjective quiet an adverb by adding -ly (quietly). Also, add -er and -est to create comparative adverbs (hard, harder, hardest).

Brackets:

Brackets are similar to parentheses, as they add information. Use brackets with a parenthetical remark. The following sentence is an illustration: Customer complaints are at a record low level [see page 89, Monthly Sales for a summary by client] . Enclose additions to quoted material with brackets: Richard Reed said this place [Westpark Manufacturing Company] taught him all he needs to know .

Capitalization:

Capitalize proper nouns (specific people, places, races, languages, companies); job and academic titles that precede a person's name (President Schultz, Professor Dawkins); and family relationships that substitute for a proper noun (I spoke with Father).

Which form of punctuation is used when creating a list of choices?

Colon.

Phrases:

Combine words to make a phrase, a part of a sentence that does not contain both a subject and predicate. Use the following types of phrases: Noun Phrase: the broken telephone Verb Phrase: are participating Prepositional Phrase: for the class Participial Phrase: buying the computer (verb ending in -ing ) Infinitive Phrase: to work (the word to followed by a verb)

Commas:

Commas are the most frequently used form of punctuation. They also have the greatest number of rules. Think of a comma as a breathing space, a separator, and a pause that explains. Insert a comma to separate words and phrases in a series. The sentence, When sales are down, there are no bonuses, no company parties, and no new furniture purchases illustrates this rule. Use an introductory comma to move beyond opening words in sentences. The sentence, Frankly, I believe I could edit the document , is an example. Add commas before and after connecting phrases and words. For example, The monthly production balances, according to my calculations, exceeded my expectations . Join two independent clauses by adding a word like and or but and a comma. Steve knew that he'd be late, but he left for the airline terminal anyway illustrates this rule. Use a comma when directly addressing someone. Jane, can you fix the copier? is an example.

Dashes:

Create a dash by typing two hyphens to emphasize a word, phrase, or clause set off from the rest of the sentence. The sentence, Harold Harper has three motivations for working--vacations, holidays, and retirement , is an example. Don't leave spaces before and after dashes.

Proofreading Methods and Strategies: When proofreading a document, follow these methods and strategies for efficiency and effectiveness:

Develop A Checklist Create a checklist to guide you logically through your proofreading activity. Include all elements that need reviewing, including spelling, font size, margins, spacing, positioning of headings, pagination, punctuation, grammar, word usage, sentence structure, transposed numbers, and subject-verb agreement. Read the document specifically in reference to each element. 1. Make A Ruler: Use a 3x5-inch index card to position under lines of text. Slide the card down your page as you read to review a document line by line. 2. Read Aloud: If possible, read every single word aloud to make sure sentences flow. If you can't read aloud, read each word silently. Pay special attention to wordiness and run-on sentences. 3. Read from Your Reader's Perspective: Adopt the position of a reader to understand a document from another's perspective. 4. Maintain a Reference Library: Obtain a grammar and punctuation guide, a dictionary, a thesaurus, and a word division dictionary. Take advantage of online dictionaries and references.

Proofreading Your Own Documents:

During Lesson 9 , we spoke briefly about editing documents that you write. The most basic form of proofreading is to review your own document. Regardless how critical and objective you are, you won't find all your errors. This is because you are too close to your writing. Record writing errors that you typically make and look for these errors first. When your document is in good shape, ask a colleague to proofread your document.

Proofreading Online Documents:

Enlarge your document to 115% or 120%. Attach a plastic ruler to your monitor and read text as you would a paper document. Use the spelling and grammar checkers in your word processing software as a final confirmation.

Exclamation Points:

Exclamation points are used to provide emphasis to an entire sentence. To avoid desensitizing your readers, use exclamation points sparingly. Look at the following example: Don't delay. This offer expires tomorrow!

What are the following conditions that represents a common use of parentheses?

Explaining more about a sentence. Defining a part of a sentence. Commenting on a part of a sentence.

Abbreviations and Acronyms:

Follow these rules to properly use abbreviations: For abbreviations with internal periods, leave no space after the first period (Ph.D.). Omit periods from well-known abbreviations, such as YMCA and FBI; and for postal abbreviations for U.S. states (CA, OH). When using abbreviations and acronyms that are not universally understood, spell out entire words at least once (Distribution Requirements Planning—DRP).

Tenses:

Future Perfect: As of next month, I will have worked here for 12 years. Perfect tenses relate a past event to another time (such as the present). Use of perfect tenses is de-emphasized in today's business writing.

Proofreading Other Peoples' Documents:

It is likely that your boss and co-workers will ask you to proofread their written copy. Take this role seriously by setting aside sufficient time to read their documents slowly and carefully.

Apostrophes:

Many writers have difficulty using apostrophes. Use apostrophes to show possession and to create contractions. For most nouns, add 's to create possessive nouns, such as engineer's and men's . Add an apostrophe only for singular nouns and plural nouns that end in s or z , such as Mr. Jones' and teams' . Form contractions from cannot and I will by using can't and I'll . Avoid the use of contractions in business correspondence.

Homonyms

Master use of homonyms (words that sound alike but have different meanings and spelling) to precisely convey what you mean to say. Some common homonyms that cause many writers problems are accept (to receive) and except (not including), affect (to influence) and effect (a result), formally (in a formal manner) and formerly (previously), and their (pronoun for ownership) and there (adverb telling where).

Grammar and Word Usage:

Most of you have taken a course or two about grammar in elementary school. You may recall learning about predicates, genders, and prepositions. But let's be honest. Unless you've recently helped your son or daughter with their English homework, it has probably been a while since you've given much thought to grammar. Whenever you communicate, grammar and word usage is used. Grammar is part of your day-to-day routine. It is defined as a system of rules to use when speaking and writing. Create a firm foundation and present your ideas clearly and concisely by studying grammar, specifically parts of speech, parts of a sentence, and word usage.

Nouns:

Nouns are the most fundamental part of speech because they describe things that are visible, including people, places, objects, activities, and events. Nouns also describe things that are not visible, such as ideas. Use concrete nouns to define what is perceived by your senses (smelling food) and abstract nouns to describe what cannot be sensed (freedom). Classify nouns as proper (specific), common (general), and collective (group). Use proper, common, and collective nouns to refer to a college in three different ways: Los Angeles University; college; faculty. Capitalize proper nouns. Make nouns possessive by adding an 's . Add 's to the noun dog for a singular possessive statement: The dog's water dish is made of plastic. Add an apostrophe to the plural noun dogs to make a plural possessive statement: The dogs' kennel needs cleaning.

Parts of Speech:

Parts of speech are basic building blocks of language. These blocks are arranged to form phrases, clauses, and sentences. Without them, it is impossible to communicate.

What represents the "Building Blocks of Language?"

Parts of speech. Parts of speech are fundamental to language, as they are arranged to form phrases, clauses, and sentences.

Pronouns:

Pick a pronoun to substitute for a noun or another pronoun. Pronouns refer to a person, place, or thing. Examples of pronouns are it , he , them , all , each , some and both . A pronoun refers to something written earlier in your text (called an antecedent). Pronouns and antecedents must agree in number. The sentence, When Buffy jumped the fence, she narrowly avoided the thorny bush in the planter , illustrates proper pronoun/antecedent agreement. Use pronouns in a variety of ways. Choose from personal pronouns in the nominative/subject case (I or we); possessive case (mine, ours, your, his, hers, their); and intensive/reflexive case (myself, yourself). For more on these types of pronouns, refer to the Supplementary Material page.

Clauses:

Pick a subject and add a predicate to make a clause. In the two example sentences presented, we used clauses. Write an independent clause as a complete, stand-alone thought in a sentence. Write a subordinate clause that needs assistance from other words. Create a subordinate clause— by the time Mr. Sanchez arrived —and add an independent clause— the meeting was nearly over —to create the sentence, By the time Mr. Sanchez arrived, the meeting was nearly over .

Periods:

Place a period at the end of a statement, request, or command. Create sentences such as: Mr. Jones is in a good mood . (statement) Please have the report on my desk by Friday morning . (request) Don't interrupt this meeting unless it's an emergency . (command) Also, use a period for indirect questions, such as I wonder when the meeting will be over .

Question Marks:

Place a question mark at the end of a sentence that asks a direct question. The sentence Are you working overtime? is an example. Make sure to place a question mark inside quotation marks when quoting another person, such as Tom asked, "When will I receive my monthly report?"

Proofreading Skills: Attitude

Proofreading can be a stressful job, especially if important documents need to be reviewed without sufficient time. Find a quiet place and time so you can concentrate. Make sure you are not fatigued. Reading copy that is not interesting is challenging, so be creative. For example, look for patterns of errors and keep score.

What is a correct statement regarding effective proofreading?

Record writing errors that you typically make and look for these errors first. This process will make your proofreading activity more efficient.

Hyphenation:

Rules about hyphenation change frequently. Hyphenated words originally written as sub-committee and inter-state are now written as one word (subcommittee and interstate). Insert a hyphen for compound words and numbers (go-between and thirty-five); for continuous numbers (pages 64-83); for prefixes ex- , self- , all- , (self-control); and for the suffix -elect , (mayor-elect).

Moods/Modes:

Select indicative, imperative, or subjunctive moods for your sentences. Ask questions, make exclamations, or use statements such as I don't like to work on Saturdays as an example of the indicative mood. Make commands such as Pay attention to illustrate imperative moods. Use subjunctive moods to express urgency, formality, possibility, or speculation. The sentence, If he were boss, he would eliminate the noisy office environment , is an example.

Complements:

Some sentences stand alone with just a subject and a verb. Mary speaks is an example. To complete sentences that don't stand alone, add a complement to complete the meaning of the verb. Complements provide an answer to the questions who or what . Use complements to provide additional information about the subject. Instead of Mary wrote , write Mary wrote the letter .

This is a proper sentence. :

Subject, predicate, complement, object, clause, modifier

Word Usage:

Subject-Verb Agreement, Tenses, Moods/Modes, Plurals, Homonyms, Prefixes and Suffixes

Predicates:

The other part of your sentence is a predicate, which contains a verb. The sentence, My manager delivers training daily and creates training bulletins monthly , has three types of predicates: Delivers is a simple predicate. Delivers training daily is a complete predicate Delivers and creates together (two verbs) form a compound predicate.

Conjunctions:

The word conjunction offers insight into how it works. Con means with and junction is a place where things meet. Use conjunctions to connect words, phrases, and clauses. Coordinating conjunctions are the most common and include words such as and , but , or , for , so , and yet . Mr. Fitzgerald reads and speaks German is an example of the word and used as a coordinating conjunction for reads and speaks. Use correlative (or paired) conjunctions, such as either/or , both/and , not only/but also to emphasize joining elements of equal rank. The sentence, Ms. Sanders is both president and chief executive officer , illustrates correlative conjunctions. To join elements of unequal rank (where one idea in a sentence is dependent on another), use subordinating conjunctions. Examples are although , as , until , when , and because . The sentence, The administrative assistant can't attend the meeting (major idea} because the directions are incorrect , illustrates a subordinating conjunction.

Proofreading Skills: Reading

There is a misconception that anyone who can read, can proofread. Proofreading is quite different than casual reading. Read methodically, slowly, and with rhythm. Find a comfortable pace and stick with it

Colon:

Use a colon before a series or list or between independent clauses. Your seminar city choices are: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Hartford, or Boston illustrates the first rule. Maria had only one thought: How was she going to finish the report by Tuesday night? illustrates the second rule.

Modifiers:

Use a modifier (a word or group of words) to limit or qualify the meaning of other parts of your sentence. Adjective modifiers elaborate on nouns or pronouns and adverb modifiers expound upon verbs, adjectives, adverbs, or an entire sentence. Keep modifiers close to the words they modify to avoid dangling modifiers. During his whirlwind tour, the president gave three speeches written by his staff is much better than The president gave three speeches during his tour written by his staff because the words president , speeches , and staff are grouped together.

Quotation Marks:

Use a pair of quotation marks to enclose another person's exact words. Look at the following example: The trainer's directions were, "Run a pilot before introducing the new software." Be careful with other forms of punctuation when used with quotation marks. Place commas and periods inside closing quotation marks and semicolons, colons, question marks, and exclamation points outside closing quotation marks. Put question marks and exclamation points inside closing quotation marks if they are part of quoted material. Review this example: Have you ever read the article "How To Increase Office Efficiency"? (The entire sentence is the question; place the question mark after the quotation mark.) I sent Leroy the article "What's Your Excuse For Not Using a Computer?" (The title is the question; place the question mark before the quotation mark.) Use quotation marks to enclose titles of articles, chapters of books, government reports and proceeding titles, and for unusual terms ( techie ).

Semicolon:

Use a semicolon in place of a conjunction (and, but, and or) and for a stronger break between words than a comma, but not as complete as a period or colon. As an example, The employee cafeteria has great food; the lines are always long during lunchtime . Use semicolons to separate two closely related independent clauses. Burton is seldom late for meetings; he's afraid he'll miss an important announcement is an example.

Subjects:

Use a subject to designate a person, object, or idea. Sentences usually contain a simple subject (noun or pronoun) and a complete (or compound) subject (a phrase). When you write this sentence, The office with the new carpet is for Ms. Sanders , office is a simple subject and The office with the new carpet is a complete subject. Write complete subjects to point out, describe, limit, or expand upon the simple subject.

Adjectives:

Use adjectives to modify or describe a noun or pronoun. Adjectives supply additional information about words they describe by answering questions such as What kind? How many? Which one? and How much? For example, use the word thirty to describe how many chairs are in the conference room and the phrase nine hundred megahertz to describe what kind of computer is needed: There are thirty chairs in the conference room. We need a nine hundred megahertz computer. Give your writing greater depth and meaning by using adjectives. Add adjectives before a noun or after a noun for greater emphasis. Use positive, comparative, and superlative adjectives to create three different degrees of comparisons. For the word fast and its extensions, use positive adjectives when comparisons aren't desired (My printer is fast), comparative adjectives to compare two things (My printer is faster than yours), and superlative adjectives to compare three or more things (My printer is the fastest printer in the office). Create comparisons by adding -er or -est to adjectives. Use demonstrative adjectives such as which, what, this, these, that, and those to emphasize nouns. Return this scanner and that video camera to the human resources department is an example. Identify or number nouns by using limiting adjectives (few, many, any, and most, for instance) or special limiting adjectives called articles (a, an, and the) before nouns. Here are some examples: many managers an executive the administrator.

Objects:

Use direct or indirect objects of a verb. The sentence, Sandy processes customer complaints immediately , illustrates a direct object ( processes is the verb and customer complaints is the object). Give our division the contract is an example of an indirect object (division is the indirect object and contract is the direct object).

Italics:

Use italics to give emphasis to words or phrases, foreign words, and phrases and titles of publications and theatrical productions. As with exclamation points, use italics sparingly. Review this example: I didn't want more samples delivered. I wanted the samples I received last month taken away!

Parentheses:

Use parentheses to add expressions that are interruptions of text but add information (such as explaining, defining or commenting). The previous sentence illustrates a use of parentheses.

Proofreading Symbols:

Use shorthand symbols to designate changes in copy. Achieve efficiency by using a single proof mark to substitute for many words. Once you are certain of corrections to be made, write neatly and concisely using ink.

Using Numbers:

Using the rule of ten : spell out numbers ten and under and any number divisible by ten (thirty, eighty). Use figures for all numbers over ten. Spell out very large numbers, such as six hundred thousand. For even larger numbers, use figures followed by million or billion (5.3 billion). Express currency using large figures ($7,840), but spell out small amounts (twenty-eight cents). Start out sentences with numbers expressed as words (Eighteen computers were purchased).

Verbs:

Verbs are action-oriented words, as they provide energy and power for your sentences. Speak, walk, and type are examples of verbs. Every sentence must contain a verb. Use verbs to show action, condition, occurrence, or a state of being. Think of verbs as words that describe what something does, has, or is. For example: My dog leaps after a bouncing ball (does). My dog will strive to possess the ball (has). My dog appears lonely (is). Verbs are classified as regular and irregular. Regular verbs follow patterns through their various tenses, while irregular verbs do not. Verbs have primary tenses of present, past, and future, and also other tenses such as past participle and perfect. Use helping words such as has and are for past participles and have and had for perfect tenses.

Prepositions:

When constructing sentences, use prepositions to relate a noun or pronoun (your sentence object) to another word. The word preposition is descriptive because the first syllable, pre , indicates position to the second syllable position . In the sentence, The convention is in Los Angeles , the preposition in connects the noun Los Angeles to the verb is . At , by , in , of , to and with are commonly used prepositions. Form prepositional phrases by combining words, such as instead of and along with . Avoid placing unnecessary prepositions at the end of sentences. Use Where is the envelope? instead of Where did that envelope get to?

Ellipses:

When words are left out of a passage, use ellipses (three periods) to show the omission. The sentence We'll talk about this later... is an example. Use a fourth period to end the sentence.

Proofreading Skills: Aptitude

When you proofread a document, use your aptitude for critical reading. You need a command of language and sentence structure.

Interjections:

While interjections are a common part of everyday speech and writing, they are seldom used in business. Nevertheless, add emotional content to your business correspondence by adding words such as great , hooray , never , wow . Strengthen your interjections by adding an exclamation point as in Excellent!

Punctuation:

Word usage is confusing without signs and signals, such as periods and dashes. When you speak, you emphasize or de-emphasize words and phrases by using nuances such as body movements and voice volume. Similarly, think of punctuation as signs and signals to clarify and simplify your writing and make it readable. All the rules of punctuation are too numerous for us to discuss in this lesson. Make sure to visit the Supplementary Material page for some excellent references that we've located.

Comparing Two Documents:

You may be asked to compare one piece of typed copy with another. Use this method to compare procedures, advertising copy, and product package inserts. The original manuscript is called dead copy (draft one) and the new version is called live copy (draft two). When you proofread alone, use this method: If you are right-handed, place the dead copy on your left and the live copy on your right. To focus your eyes, place a non-transparent ruler under the line of live copy and another similar ruler under the same line of dead copy. If you proofread with another person, read the first line of live copy while your partner reads the same line of dead copy.

In addition to tenses, verbs have...

active and passive voices . Active verbs have loud voices and passive verbs speak softly. Use active voice to make the subject of your sentence the participant. John composed the business letter . This illustrates active voice. The business letter was composed by John is passive voice.

In the English language, there are many exceptions to rules. Our focus for this lesson is on...

basic rules.

Proofreading and editing are complementary processes. Proofreading involves...

checking copy for errors, while editing modifies documents so that they are accurate, clear, and complete. Both processes require that existing mistakes be corrected without introducing new ones.

Grammar and punctuation create the cornerstone for your...

communication.

Proofreading is a frequent and important activity for administrative assistants. Documents that contain improper...

formatting, misspelled words, incorrect punctuation, and poor use of grammar create a bad impression for your organization.

A matrix illustrating four different tenses of four verbs:

present, past, future, and past participle

Proofreading has evolved from a tedious, completely manual job to a sophisticated...

process assisted by computer technology. Nevertheless, it is still necessary to review documents carefully to ensure desired levels of quality.

Knowledge of word usage is important, but without...

understanding how words work in sentences, it is of little value. Create basic sentences by using subjects and predicates and then make your sentences interesting and meaningful by adding other parts of a sentence.

The sentence, Mary has reviewed the Wilson report , illustrates...

use of past participles. Expand on the verb call in the future perfect tense, By the 20th of next month, I will have called all meeting participants .