JOUR 310 Midterm - Grammar Portion

worse vs. worst

- "Worst comes to worst" is technically correct ("worse comes to worst" is increasingly accepted) - Ex: Which is worst: men, bacteria or daytime TV? (NOT worse)

What is a preposition?

- A connector joining a noun or pronoun to another word, showing relationship - Ex: I am IN the room

What is a predicate nominative?

- A noun or pronoun that renames the subject when the two are joined by an intransitive (linking) verb - Ex: Superman is MY HERO

What is a transitive verb?

- Action verb, takes a direct object - Ex: I GAVE you the BOOK

What is a predicate adjective?

- An adjective that describes the subject when the two are joined by an intransitive (linking) verb - Ex: Superman is AMAZING

Where is the hyphen placed when using compound adjectives?

- Between the adjectives, NOT between the compound adjective and the noun it modifies or describes - Ex: The Tribune embarked on a five-year plan to create a two-floor newsroom.

as ... as vs. so ... as

- Choose according to whether a positive or negative comparison is being made - When comparing things to show that they are equal or equivalent, use as ... as (Ex: I am as tall as Bill) - When comparing things to show that they are unequal or not equivalent, use so ... as (Ex: I am not so rich as Bill)

Collective pronouns

- Company, team and group take singular verbs and pronouns!!! - Team names that are plural or have no plural forms also take plural verbs and pronouns - Ex: The team is considering its options. - Ex: The Bulls and the Magic are considering their options.

What is an intransitive verb?

- Denotes a state of being, feeling or emotion - Does NOT take a direct object - Ex: I AM hungry, I FEEL tired

When DON'T you use a hyphen with compound adjectives?

- Do NOT hyphenate compound adjectives beginning with words that end in -ly - Ex: I got this on deep background from a highly placed source.

Examples of when to use one word or two when it comes to compound adjectives.

- Ex: The company has no long-term strategy - Ex: The company is developing a strategy for the long term - Ex: He was a one-time wrestling champion - Ex: He wrestled the champion one time - Ex: Janet has a part-time job - Ex: Janet works part time

Good vs. well

- Good is an adjective or predicate adjective used for descriptive purposes - Well is an adverb often used specifically to indicate a state of health - Ex: You look good in that new blue suit. - Ex: You're looking well now that you're over your cold.

When do you use a comma with introductory clauses?

- In long clauses and phrases of more than 3 words - Ex: When Jane left her husband of 20 years, she felt sad.

When do you use "who/ever"?

- In the nominative and subjective case - To denote the subject or to denote the predicate nominative

When do you use "whom/ever"?

- In the objective case - To denote the direct object (DO), indirect object (IO), object of a preposition (OP) or subject of an infinitive verb!!

One of those who/that

- In these constructions, the verb agrees with the antecedent (preceding word) of the relative pronoun - not with "one" - and thus is always PLURAL - In other words, identify the relative pronoun (who, that, which), back up one word to its antecedent and make the verb agree with it - Ex: Stone is one of those directors who favor historical topics. - Ex: Oprah Winfrey is one of those handful of entertainers who have carved such unique places for themselves.

Lay (tenses)

- Lay/lays - Laid - Am/is/are laying - Have/had laid

Lie (tenses)

- Lies/lies - Lay - Am/is/are lying - Have/had lain

If a subject does follow the word "and" but the clauses joined by "and" have the same subject and are closely related in meaning (the second being a logical result of the first), do you use a comma?

- NO - Ex: I finished reading the book and then I called my sister to talk about it - BUT ex: I finished reading the book, and then I called my sister

If no subject follows the word "and," do you use a comma?

- NO - Ex: I finished studying and then went to the movie

Do you generally hyphenate prefixes whose root words begin with a consonant?

- NO - Ex: The board approved the multimillion-dollar contract.

Do introductory clauses of three words or fewer require commas?

- NO - Ex: When Jane left she felt sad. - Ex: In 2012 Jane left her husband of 20 years.

Would you put a comma in the following sentence? "Jane inherited a colorful Oriental carpet."

- NO because they are non-coordinate adjectives and do not have equal weight - They cannot be transposed logically and are not separated by commas

None

- None can take a singular or plural verb depending on the context - Don't memorize a rule - scrutinize the context - When none is used in the sense of "not one," use a singular verb - When none is used in the sense of "no two" (or more), use a plural verb - Ex: All the union members were picking, but none (not one) was paid to be there. - Ex: None (not one) of our neighbors is supporting the bill. - Ex: None of the parties agree. (it takes at least two parties to agree with each other) - Ex: None of the teams in the league play today. (it takes two teams to play)

Does the subject of an infinitive verb take the nominative or objective case?

- Objective case!!! - This is an exception to the rule that subjects take the nominative case - Ex: I will hire whomever I deem to be the best-qualified applicant. - Ex: I want him to have the tickets I cannot use

When are question marks placed inside a quotation? When are they placed outside?

- Placed inside when the quoted material is in itself a question - Placed outside when the quoted material is NOT a question - Ex: "Are you going with me?" I asked Rashid. - Ex: Is this a "one-time offer"?

What is a direct object?

- Receives the action of the verb - Ex: Jack and Jill fetched A PAIL OF WATER

What is an indirect object?

- Receives the direct object - Ex: I gave the keys to YOU

Everyone, everbody

- Take singular verbs and pronouns!! - Thus there is a lack of pronoun agreement (Ex: The teacher told everyone to try their hardest). - If the context is clear that everyone refers to one gender, replace "their" with "his" or "her"

media

- Takes a PLURAL verb! - Ex: U.S. media are increasingly corporate-owned.

Most essential clauses start with what word? Are they set off by commas?

- That - No - Ex: The concert that is the last of its tour is sold out.

How can you recast the following statement? Although the welder's arm ached, he pushed himself to finish the job.

- The "he" here refers to arm so recast it as: - Although his arm arched, the welder pushed himself to finish the job.

What is the simple-series exception?

- The exception to the no-serial-comma rule occurs when the final element of the series contains the conjunction and - In this case, insert a comma after the second-to-last element and before the "and" that immediately follows it. - Ex: The appetizers included carrot sticks, olives, and cheese and crackers - You can easily change the order of the series and apply the no-serial-comma rule, though (ex: The appetizers included cheese and crackers, carrot sticks and olives.)

How does suspensive hyphenation work?

- The hyphen is suspended at the end of the first adjective or at the beginning of the second, with a space before or after "and" - Ex: The critic called the exhibit "a collection of second- and third-rate kitsch." - Ex: WMAQ is an NBC-owned and -operated station.

What's wrong with the following statement? Assassinated in 1948, his ashes had been kept in a vault.

- The man was assassinated in 1948, not his ashes - Recast: His ashes had been kept in a vault since he was assassinated in 1948.

What is the object of a preposition?

- The noun or pronoun in a prepositional phrase - Ex: Such is the way of the WORLD

What is a predicate?

- The verb in a clause (simple) or the verb and its adjective and objects (complete) - Ex: Birds FLY - Ex: Birds FLY SOUTH IN THE WINTER

either ... or, neither ... nor

- These correlative conjunctions require the verb to agree with the element of the subject closest to it - Reverse the order of the subjects, and a different verb is warranted - Ex: Either the whale or the dolphins are the best exhibit at the aquarium - Ex: Either the dolphins or the whale is the best exhibit at the aquarium - Keep elements of the correlative conjunctions either/or, neither/nor and not only/but also (also is required) as near to each other in the sentence as possible - Ex: We will buy either the Porsche or the Corvette. (NOT We will either buy the Porsche or the Corvette).

Explain the case of descriptive adjectives not taking apostrophes. Example?

- This is the case when the words "by" or "for" are implicit in the meaning - Ex: The teachers strike is in its third week. (the strike by the teachers) - Ex: The freelancer bought a writers guide. (a guide for writers)

to grieve vs. to mourn

- To grieve in its transitive form means "to cause to feel grief; afflict with acute sorrow or distress" - Ex: Mourning 'the people's princess' or Grieving FOR 'the people's princess'

When are brackets used in a sentence?

- To insert words that the speaker did not say into direct quotes for clarity (should be done sparingly) - Ex: "This is the most difficult I have run," the mayor said. - Ex: "This is the most difficult [election campaign] I have run," the mayor said.

Lay vs. lie (uses)

- To lay is transitive - takes a direct object - To lie is intransitive - does NOT take a direct object

Lay vs. lie (meaning)

- To lay means "to place" - To lie means "to recline

can vs. may

- Use "can" to denote ability - Use "may" to denote possibility or permission - Ex: You can pass the test if you study for it. - Ex: Lindenbaum may win the election if rural districts favor him.

Subjunctive: was vs. were

- Use "were" to express the subjunctive mood for conditions that are contrary to fact or unlikely to happen - Use "was" to indicate conditions that could happen but may not or won't happen - Ex: If I were you, I'd return those shoes. - Ex: If I were going to Zanzibar, I'd buy you a giraffe. - Ex: If I was going to the store, I'd pick up a few things for you. But I'm going to Zanzibar.

that, which, who, whom

- Use "who" and "whom" to refer to people and animals with names - Use "that" and "which" to refer to inanimate objects and unnamed animals - Use "that without commas for essential clauses or phrases - Use "which" with commas for nonessential clauses/phrases - In general, don't use "that" after "said" unless it is preceded by a time element or followed by a conjunction such as after, although, because, before, until or while - (Ex: Delgado said he would submit the budget, Delgado said that after he fired his press secretary, he had second thoughts, Delgado said Monday that he would revise the budget)

When do you use a comma with the use of "but"? When don't you?

- Use a comma before "but" if a subject (same or different) is stated after it (ex: Nader ran for president, but he did not win) (ex: Nader ran for president, but I did not vote for him) - Don't use a comma before "but" if no subject is stated after it (ex: Nader ran for president but did not win)

When do you use a comma with the use of "or"? When don't you?

- Use a comma before "or" when the second subject is different (ex: Jack is the best on the team, or Notre Dame wouldn't have given him a scholarship.) - Don't use a comma before "or" when the subjects before and after are the same (ex: Jack is the best on the team or he thinks he is)

When do you use an apostrophe with years?

- Use an apostrophe to indicate omitted digits that would denote a century (ex: Russel was born in the mid-'50s). - Don't use an apostrophe when indicating a decade using all four digits (ex: The 1960s was a turbulent decade).

feel bad vs. feel badly

- Use bad as as predicate adjective with "feel" to convey emotion (Ex: I feel bad for you because you have frostbite) - Use badly with "feel" to denote the tactile act of touching (Ex: I felt badly for you with my frostbitten fingers).

When do you use parentheses vs. brackets for clarity?

- Use brackets when making something more clear in a direct quote - Use parentheses when inserting words into text that is not a direct quote - Ex: One of the most-watched television shows (in the U.S.) is "Grey's Anatomy"

shall vs. will

- Use shall to express determination - Use shall or will for first-person constructions that don't emphasize determination - Use will for second- and third-person constructions unless determination is stressed - Ex: I shall help you, and we shall overcome - Ex: We shall attend the seminar OR we will attend the seminar - Ex: You will like the result, but he will not be pleased by it.

should vs. would

- Use should to express obligation - Use would to express a customary action or a conditional past tense - Ex: I should have visited my grandfather more often. - Ex: As a child, I would visit my grandfather for a month every summer. - Ex: If my grandfather had not smoked, he likely would have lived longer.

pronouns: personal vs. possessive

- Use the personal pronoun when the emphasis is on the person (Ex: I appreciate him lending me the money - what a good friend!) - Use the possessive pronoun when the emphasis is on the action (Ex: His lending me the money was a noble gesture). - When the context has no particular emphasis, use the possessive pronoun (Ex: I appreciate his lending me the money).

like vs. as

- Use the preposition "like" to compare nouns and pronouns - Use the conjunction "as" to introduce clauses - Ex: Richard raced down the highway like a madman. - Ex: Richard slowed down when he saw the police car as he didn't want to get a speeding ticket

a number of

- When number is used in the sense of more than one person or thing, use a PLURAL verb - Ex: A number of students were protesting the controversial speaker. - Ex: A number of books were missing from the library. - Ex: The winning lotto number was announced yesterday.

When do you use hyphens with ages? When don't you?

- When they are used as compound adjectives but not as predicate adjectives - Ex: Michael has a 2-year-old son but Michael's son is 2 years old

Couple

- When used in the sense of two people, use a plural verb (Ex: The couple were married in a church)!! - When used in the sense of a single unit, use a singular verb (Ex: Each couple was asked to donate $50 to the church fund).

What is the exception to the "only use a comma with long introductory clauses" rule?

- When you need to clarify - Use a comma when its absence would make the sentence unclear or result in a sentence fragment - Ex: Ever since, I've had a craving for anchovies.

Do you generally hyphenate prefixes ending in the same vowel as the beginning of the root word?

- YES - Ex: Dr. Marcy Freud is considered to be among Chicago's pre-eminent psychiatrists

Do you generally hyphenate prefixes when the root word begins with a capital letter or number?

- YES - Ex: Globalization is a phenomenon of the post-Cold War era - Ex: U.S. troop escalation in Vietnam started in the mid-'60s

Are spaces inserted before and after dashes?

- YES - Ex: I appreciate your help - you're the best friend I have.

Are spaces inserted before and after ellipses?

- YES - Ex: I cannot say how touched I am by this generous show of support by my ... campaign workers and constituents.

Do you spell out state names in the body of a story?

- YES - Ex: Lyon, France - Ex: the woman from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, bought the winning lottery ticket

Do you hyphenate compound adjectives beginning with "well"?

- YES - Ex: Raja is not only well-dressed, but he is also well-read.

Are phrases denoting age and place of residence set off by commas?

- YES - Ex: Samantha Smith, 34, of Evanston, was elected to the council - Ex: Brenda Starr, of 44 Writewell Road, won a Pulitzer Prize.

Are elements of direct address set off by commas?

- YES, even when they appear in sentences that are not direct quotes - These elements include interjections (ex: yes, no, oh, well), titles and names - Ex: Yes, I'm the one, officer. Oh, well, you'll just have to arrest me. - Ex: You know, Jane, that's a great idea!

Are most nonessential clauses set off by commas?

- Yes - Ex: The concert, which is the last of its tour, is sold out.

What happens when a prepositional phrase separates the subject from the verb?

- You still need to use subject-verb agreement!! - Ex: Jinxed by a series of disasters in the last six months, that includes two fires, the first collision in orbit, ..... - Notice that "includes" must agree with the subject "a series," which is singular!!! (and not disasters or months) - Ex: The smell of freshly baked bread and cakes mingles with the smells of vegetables, meat and fish. - "mingles" agrees with the subject "smell"

What are the three primary functions of colons?

1.) To introduce a concept or idea (ex: Here's what I think: Better days are sure to come.) - make sure the first letter after the colon is capitalized since the sentence can stand on its own! 2.) To introduce a list (ex: The basket was filled with exotic fruit: mangoes, kiwis and pomegranates) - the first letter after the colon is NOT capitalized 3.) To set off attribution at the beginning of a multi sentence quote (ex: The coach said: "The loyalty of the student body means a lot to me. I will finish my contract.")

What are the two main uses of semicolons?

1.) To separate independent clauses with DIFFERENT subjects in the same sentence (ex: The House passed the bill; the Senate rejected it.) 2.) To separate elements in a complex series that imparts information pairings, such as names and hometowns (ex: The conference was attended by Roger Jones, Springfield, Illinois; Joan Howard, Buffalo, New York; Howard Worthington, Little Rock, Arkansas; and Worthington Rogers, Bloomington, Indiana.) - NOTE: The semicolon is used before "and" in a complex series!!!

It is "between you and I" or "between you and me"?

Between you and me! because "me" is the object of the preposition "between

What is the objective of correct punctuation?

Clarity!

What are the two exceptions to the rule that you generally hyphenate prefixes ending in the same vowel as the beginning of the root word?

Cooperate and coordinate do not have hyphens!

What is the nominative case when it comes to pronouns?

Denotes the actor: I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who, whoever

What is the objective case when it comes to pronouns?

Denotes the person or thing acted upon: me, you, him, her, it, us, them, whom, whomever

What is the possessive case when it comes to pronouns?

Denotes the possessor: my (mine), your (yours), his, her (hers), its, our (ours), their (theirs), whose

Possessive apostrophe: "Miguel earned two weeks pay for two days work." Where do the apostrophes go?

Miguel earned two weeks' pay for two days' work

Do descriptive adjectives take apostrophes?

No - only possessive adjectives!

Possessive apostrophe: "Rebecca earned a weeks pay for a days work." Where do the apostrophes go?

Rebecca earned a week's pay for a day's work

Most nonessential clauses start with what word?

Which!