English Grammar - Test Four

Explain faulty predication with "when" and "where."

"When" refers only to time "Where" refers only to place Sometimes "when" and "where" are used incorrectly and illogically, resulting in faulty predication. Example of faulty predication with "where": Photosynthesis is where carbon dioxide, water, and chlorophyll interact in the presence of sunlight to form carbohydrates. (photosynthesis is a process, not a place, so we cannot have "where" describing it) Revised sentence: Photosynthesis is the process in which carbon dioxide, water, and chlorophyll interact in the presence of sunlight to form carbohydrates.

What are the four ways in which confusing shifts can occur?

(1) Person and number (2) Verb tense (3) Mood and voice (4) Direct and indirect quotes

How do we fix the sentence: The reason the joint did not hold is because the coupling bolt broke.

(1) The reason the joint did not hold is that the coupling bolt broke. (2) The joint did not hold because the coupling bolt broke.

What are the situations in which faulty parallelism occurs?

(1) in sentences that present equivalent items in a series (2) in sentences that pair equivalent iterms with a conjunction or contrast them with a comparative expression (3) in outlines and headings, and in numbered and bulleted lists

Each verb in a sentence has one of three possible moods. What are those moods?

(1) indicative - used to state or question facts, acts, and opinions. (2) imperative - used to give commands or advice. (3) subjective - used to express wished, conjectures, and hypothetical conditions.

What are dangling modifiers?

A dangling modifier "dangles" because the word or words it modifies are not in the sentence. Dangling modifiers usually appear at the beginning of a sentence and seem to modify the noun or pronoun that immediately follows them; however, they are really modifying another word or group of words. Dangling modifier: Rushing to class, the books fell out of my bag. (it appears that the books were rushing to class—you need to add the proper subject and change the sentence to fit it) Corrected: Rushing to class, I dropped my books

What is a dangling modifier?

A descriptive phrase that implies an actor different from the sentence's subject.

What is a clause?

A group of words with a subject and a verb.

What is a tag sentence?

A normal sentence with a phrase or question attached on the end. This is the right key, I think.

What is a prepositional phrase?

A phrase introduced by a preposition such as: at, by, for, in, of

Give an example of a mixed-up sentence.

According to the discoveries of quantum physics, states that we can never determine exactly where in the spherical shell the electron is at a given time.

When is essential used?

Adjective clauses

Homonyms: advice and advise

Advice (an opinion); advise (to give an opinion)

Homonyms: affect and effect

Affect (to influence, a feeling) Effect (to make, a result) The new policies go into effect next month. My allergies have been affected by the weather.

Homonyms: allude and elude

Allude (to hint at) Elude (to escape or avoid) The thief eluded to the police. He alluded that there may be a lot to do next week.

Homonyms: allusion and illusion

Allusion (indirect reference) Illusion (unreal image)

What are great indicators for the perfect tense?

Always, yet, since, until (past perfect)

What are split infinitives?

An infinitive (as you have learned) couples the word "to" with the base form of the verb. In a split infinitive, one or more words intervene between to and the verb form. Avoid separating the parts of an infinitive with a modifier unless keeping them together results in an awkward or ambiguous construction. Awkward: The librarian asked us to not disturb other patrons. Corrected: The librarian asked us not to disturb other patrons. A bit awkward: To successfully complete this assignment students have to carefully assess projected economic benefits in relation to potential social problems. (Change the first split infinitive only, but keep the second) Corrected: To complete this assignment carefully, students have to carefully assess projected economic benefits in relation to potential social problems.

Homonyms: ascent and assent

Ascent (the act of rising up) Assent (to agree to) The ascent up the mountain was long and tiring. After reading the plan, the mayor assented cheerfully.

What is an adjective clause?

Begin with "who", "whom", "whose", "which", "that", "when", "where", or "why." They are dependent clauses that modify a noun or pronoun in an independent clause.

What types of titles are enclosed in quotation marks?

Book chapters, essays, short poems, songs, short stories, articles in periodicals, part of a website, episodes of radio and tv programs, and titles of unpublished works.

When are colons used?

Colons function within sentences to introduce elements. Must be a complete sentence before the colon is added.

What is coordination and subordination?

Coordination gives two or more ideas equal weight (the newlyweds were poor but happy). Subordination makes one idea depend on another and is therefore used to combine ideas that are not of equal importance (because the storm knocked the power out, we ate dinner by candlelight).

Homonyms: council and counsel

Council (an advisory group to meeting) Counsel (to give advise)

Give some examples of dangling modifiers.

Dangling modifier: Swimming toward the boat on the horizon, the crowded beach felt as if it were miles away. (It appears that the beach is swimming) Corrected: Swimming toward the boat on the horizon, I felt as if the crowded beach were miles away. Dangling modifier: After struggling for weeks in the wilderness, the town pleased them mightily. (It appears that the town was struggling for weeks in the wilderness) Corrected: After struggling for weeks in the wilderness, they were pleased to come upon the town.

Homonyms: descent and dissent

Descent (downward movement) Dissent (to disagree)

Homonyms: devise and device

Device (a piece of equipment) Devise (to invent)

Homonyms: discrete and discreet

Discrete (distinct) Discreet (showing good judgement) We have to be discreet when using our cell phones. The issue is discrete from the others.

Homonyms: elicit and illicit

Elicit (to bring forth) Illicit (illegal) Good incentives can elicit greater effort. The plan was put into action to stop illicit behavior.

What is essential (restrictive)?

Essential elements identify who or what the writer is describing. Because readers need these elements to understand the sentence's meaning, they are not set off with commas.

Explain faulty parallelism with comparisons.

In comparisons, the items being compared should have parallel structures. Comparisons often use the word than or as. When you edit for parallelism, make sure that the items on either side of those words are parallel. Not parallel: Driving downtown is as fast as the bus. Parallel: Driving downtown is as fast as taking the bus. Not parallel: To admit a mistake is better than denying it. Parallel: To admit a mistake is better than to deny it. Not parallel: A tour package is less expensive than arranging every travel detail yourself. Parallel: Getting a tour package is less expensive than arranging every travel detail yourself.

How can confusing shifts occur with direct and indirect quotations?

Indirect quotations report what others wrote or said without repeating their words exactly. Direct quotations report the words of others exactly and should be enclosed in quotation marks. Do not shift from direct to indirect speech. Shift from indirect to direct speech: In his famous inaugural speech, President Kennedy called on Americans not to ask what their country could do for them but instead "ask what you can do for your country." Corrected: In his famous inaugural speech, President Kennedy called on Americans not to ask what their country could do for them but instead to ask what they could do for their country.

What is an infinitive?

It couples the word "to" with the base form of a word.

What is faulty parallelism?

It occurs when items in a series, paired ot contrasting items, or items in a list do not have the same grammatical form.

How do we use modifiers that start with -ing verbs?

Misplaced modifier: Darlene started the car using jumper cables. Corrected: Using the jumper cables, Darlene started the car. Misplaced modifier: Javier climbed the mountain wearing flip-flops. Corrected: Wearing flip-flops, Javier climbed the mountain.

How do we use modifier clauses that start with who, whose, that, or which?

Misplaced modifier: Joel found the computer virus attached to an e-mail message that was infecting my hard drive. (the message was not infecting my drive—the virus was) Corrected: Joel found the computer virus that was infecting my drive attached to an e-mail message. Misplaced modifier: The baby on the bus who was crying had curly hair. (It appears that the bus was crying, not the baby) Corrected: The baby who was crying on the bus had curly hair

How do we use modifiers that are prepositional phrases?

Misplaced modifier: The cashier found money on the floor from the cash register. Corrected: The cashier found money from the cash register on the floor. Misplaced modifier: Jen served punch to the seniors in plastic cups. Corrected: Jen served punch in plastic cups to the seniors.

When do mixed constructions occur?

Mixed constructions occur when writers start a sentence one way and then, midway through, change grammatical direction.

What are misplaced modifiers?

Modifiers are words or word groups that describe other words in a sentence. Modifiers should be near the words they modify; otherwise, the sentence can be unintentionally funny. A misplaced modifier, because it is in the wrong place, describes the wrong word or words. Misplaced modifier: Linda saw the White House flying over Washington, D.C. (it appears that the White House was flying over Washington, D.C.) Corrected: Flying over Washington, D.C., Linda saw the White House. To correct a misplaced modifier, place the modifier as close as possible to the word or words it modifies, often directly before it.

What is nonessential (nonrestrictive)?

Nonessential elements add information to a sentence but are not required for its basic meaning to be understood. They are set off with commas.

What are the correlative conjunctions?

Not only...but also Both...and Either...or Neither...nor

What is an appositive?

Nouns or noun phrases that rename nouns or pronouns and generally appear right after the word they rename. They can appear at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of sentence.

What is a split infinitive?

One or more words intervene between "to" and the verb form.

What is faulty parallelism? Give an example.

Parallelism in writing means that similar parts in a sentence have the same structure: Their parts are balanced. Use nouns with nouns, verbs with verbs, phrases with phrases, and clauses with clauses. Not parallel: I enjoy basketball more than playing video games. Parallel (version 1): I enjoy basketball more than video games. Parallel (version 2): I enjoy playing basketball more than playing video games. Not parallel: This weekend, we can go to the beach or walking in the mountains. Parallel: This weekend, we can go to the beach or to the mountains.

Homonyms: complement

Something that completes

What is the preferred word with essential (restrictive) clauses?

That

Give an example of faulty predication and how to fix it.

The best kind of education for me would be a university with both a school of music and a school of government. (a university is an institution, not a type of education, so the sentence needs to be revised) Ways to fix it: (1) A university with both a school of music and a school of government would be best for me. (2) The best kind of education for me would be offered by a university with both a school of music and a school of government. (3) The best kind of university for me would be one with both a school of music and a school of government. (4) A university with both a school of music and a school of government would offer me the best education.

What is a predicate?

The complete verb along with any words that modify it, any objects or complements, and any words that modify them.

Give an example of an essential clause.

The customers demanding a refund lined up in front of the register. (just a few customers - only those wanting a refund). Sally's cousin who lives in Florida will visit her. (talking about one of her many cousins).

Give an example of nonessential phrase.

The customers, demanding a refund, lined up in front of the register. (which customers? all customers) Sally's cousin, who lives in Florida, will visit her. (just 1 cousin).

What is parallelism?

The presentation of equal (or parallel) ideas in the same (or parallel) grammatical form: individual terms with individual terms, phrases with phrases, and clauses with clauses. It allows the concise expression of ideas and emphasizes connections among them.

What type of titles are underlined or italized?

The titles of long works, such as books.

What are great indicators for the simple tense?

Then, now, at (7 pm)

What are the ways to fix a mixed-up sentence?

There are two ways to revise the sentence: (1) keep the first half intact and change the second half According to the discoveries of quantum physics, we can never determine exactly where in the spherical shell the electron is at a given time. (2) Keep the second part intact and change the first part The discoveries of quantum physics state that we can never determine exactly there in the spherical shell the electron is at a given time.

How do we use the modifiers only, almost, hardly, nearly, and just?

These words need to be right before—not just close to—the words or phrases they modify. Misplaced modifier: I only found two old photos in the drawer. Corrected: I found only two old photos in the drawer. Misplaced modifier: Joanne almost ate the whole cake. Corrected: Joanne ate almost the whole cake.

What is a parenthetical expression?

They are like whispered asides or a shrug in a conversation. The information they provide is relatively insignificant and could easily be left out. Therefore, they are set off with a comma or commas. Human cloning, so they say, will be possible within a decade.

What is constasting comments?

They begin with words such as not, unlike, or in contrast to. They should be set off with commas. Will Ferrell is famous as a comedian, not a tragedian.

What are direct quotes?

They report the words of others exactly and should be enclosed in quotation marks.

What are indirect quotes?

They report what others wrote or said without repeating their words exactly.

What do apostrophes show?

They show possession and indicate omitted letters in contractions (don't).

What is a transitional expression?

They show they relationship between ideas in two or more clauses or sentences and make the sentence in which they appear clearer.

What is an absolute phrase?

They usually include a noun followed by a participle and modify whole sentences. They are set off with commas. The snake slithered through the tall grass, the sunlight shining now and then on its green skin.

When are semicolons used?

To join statements that are closely related and grammatically equivalent. They also mark major breaks within some sentences that contain commas.

How can confusing shifts occur in person and number?

Typically occurs with pronouns, or pronoun and antecedent. Example: A person is often surprised when they are complimented. "A person" is singular, while "they" is plural. Corrected sentence: People are often surprised when they are complimented. A person is usually surprised when he or she is complimented.

Homonyms: capital

Uppercase letter, city The capital of Alabama is Montgomery. The capitol building is located in Washington, D.C.

When are hypens used?

Used to form compound words and to indicate that a word is being broken at the end of the line. It is used within words.

How can confusing shifts occur with verb tenses?

Usually a shift in verb tenses occurs when a writer has started expressing an idea in the present tense, and then, inappropriately, shifts the rest of the sentence (or the next sentence) into the past tense. Shifts between present and past tenses are acceptable and correct, only when they present a logical flow of ideas. Inappropriate shift in verb tenses: According to the traditional view, the medieval period begins when Rome fell (in this sentence there is an incorrect shift from the present tense to the past tense) Corrected sentence: According to the traditional view, the medieval period began when Rome fell.

What is faulty predication? Give an example.

When a predicate does not match a sentence's subject both logically and grammatically.

Explain faulty parallelism with paired words.

When a sentence uses certain paired words, called correlative conjunctions, the items joined by them must be parallel. These words link two equal elements and show the relationship between them. Here are the paired words: Both...and neither...nor rather...than Either...or not only...but also Not parallel: Bruce wants both freedom and to be wealthy. Parallel: Bruce wants both freedom and wealth. Parallel> Bruce wants both to be free and to be wealthy.

When is an extract, or block quotation, used?

When using a long quotation. It is not surrounded by quotation marks.

What is faulty coordination?

When writers use coordination to join elements that are not logically equivalent or to join elements with an inappropriate coordinating word.

What is excessive coordination?

When writers use coordination to string together too many ideas once.

What are the preferred words with nonessential (nonrestrictive) phrases?

Which, Who

When is nonessential used?

With oppositive phrases and participal phrases

What are homonyms?

Words that are pronounced alike but have different meanings and spellings.

How do we fix faulty predication?

You need to we-word the greater part of the sentence to make it consistent and logical. There are usually a number of ways that you can change each sentence.