MMC midterm (quizzes plus rules)
colon-- inside or outside quotation marks?
outside
dash-- inside or outside quotation marks?
outside
semicolon-- inside or outside quotation marks?
outside
the Orlando magic (is/are) winning
are team names are always plural
how to add apostrophes when there are distinct compound subjects
make each subject possessive ex: Few of Bill's and Sam's friends know each other
how are singular proper nouns ending in a s made possessive
only add an apostrophe ex: Samuel Adams'
is the word following a colon capitalized?
only if it is a complete sentence
should you put spaces around both sides of a ellipsis?
only if it is in the middle of a sentence
how to add apostrophes when there is a shared compound subject
only make the second item possessive ex: Let's go to Bill and Sam's apartment
when to use an apostrophe to form a plural
only with single letters!!! ex: I got all A's not: I only go out on Wednesday's
correct: the Grand Canyon is unique
the Grand Canyon is unusual UNIQUE: one and only UNUSUAL: special; rare
who vs whom
use who as a subject use whom as an object to help substitute the word he/him in their place
what do you do if an elipsis is at the end of a sentence?
4 periods
difference between because and since
because: cause and effect since: passage of time
difference between among and between
between: two parts among: two or more parts
nonessential clause
can be removed from a sentence without changing the interpretation of that sentence uses which or who and requires a comma ex: he has longed to read "To Kill a Mockingbird," which is the only book Harper Lee ever published. students, who make up half the crowd, bring zest to college football games
when to use a hyphen with a compound modifier
1. each word is an adjective or not an adverb ending in -ly or the word very 2. the words appear before the noun they modify or after a linking verb
question mark-- inside or outside quotation marks?
inside if it applies to quoted material ex: Do you know why people stand during the chorus of "Hallejuah"?
exclamation point-- inside or outside quotation marks?
inside if it applies to quoted material, outside if not ex: Grandma yelled "Bingo!"
that/which/who how to use who
instead of which or that when referring to a person or named animal essential- no comma nonessential- comma ex: the miami sound machine is the band that I most like to hear Gloria Estefan is the singer who I most like to hear
Japan (is/are) beautiful
is city, state or nation is always singular
half of the battle (is/are) trying
is half is a portion which means the object decides. battle is singular, so singular agreement is necessary
none of the scientists (is/are) working today
is when none is used for "no one" it is singular
it's fun to watch Apple literally run roughshod over the laptop industry
it's fun to watch Apple figuratively run roughshod over the laptop industry LITERALLY: word for word FIGURATIVELY: metaphoric
the team played (its/their) best tonight
its the word team is always singular
she will (lay/lie) her head on the pillow
lay she will place her head on the pillow *head is the direct object
lay vs lie
lay = to place *always has a direct object lie = to recline *never has a direct object
difference between less and fewer
less: uncountable fewer: countable on your fingers
she will (lay/lie) down
lie she will recline down *no direct object present
how to use a hyphen
no spaces around the hyphen with compound modifiers that follow the rules suspensive hyphenation ex: "one- to two-year commitment" "most first- , second- , third-grade teachers" in order to avoid ambiguity ex: "she is a small-business owner" "she is a real estate agent" "she is a black-coffee drinker" DO NOT use a hyphen to substitute for the word to
do you put commas around essential or nonessential phrases
nonessential phrases that do not affect your understanding of the sentence
effect
noun used as a verb- to cause or change ex: the fire effected a change in safety procedure the fire caused a change in safety procedure
difference between further and farther
further: to advance farther: distance
essential clause
AKA restrictive clause is essential to correctly interpretting the sentence its omission could change the meaning uses that or who without a comma ex: the only book that Harper Lee ever published was "To Kill a Mockingbird" Students who attend football games feel more connected to their school.
difference between anxious and eager
anxious: nervous, worried eager: excited, enthusiastic
antecedent
the word to which a pronoun stands for, the nearest noun
correct: when Joni compared the cost of her education to her lifetime earnings, she decided a graduate degree made sense
when Joni compared the cost of her education with her lifetime earnings, she decided a graduate degree made sense COMPARED WITH: differences, similarities or both; to juxtapose COMPARED TO: liken to
who/whom is at the door?
who help: turn the question into a sentence first... who/who is at the door. the word is used as a subject meaning you use who help: he is at the door NOT him is at the door
the athletes, (who/whom) had trained for three years, were upset when the olympics were canceled
who help: when who/whom is part of a phrase surrounded by commas, ignore the rest of the sentence... "who/whom has trained for three years" the pronoun is used as a subject meaning who is used help: he has trained for three years NOT him has trained for three years
the president wants to meet with (whoever/whomever) can persuade legislators
whoever tip: when both whoever and whomever seem to work... use whoever the president wants to meet with whom (him) who (he) can persuade legislators
who/whom were you visiting?
whom help: turn question into a sentence first... you were visiting who/whom the word is used as an object meaning you use whom help: you are visiting him NOT you are visiting he
the adviser (who/whom) Peter was assigned to was supportive
whom tip: watch for stray prepositions that pair with who/whom. place stray preposition in front and its easier ...peter was assigned to who/whom= to whom
that/which/who how do you use that
with essential clauses never use a comma ex: corgi is the breed that I like best
that/which/who how do you use which
with nonessential clauses that are not essential in correctly interpreting the sentence use a comma ex: the corgi, which is my favorite breed, is at home in the buckingham palace
correct: we can't hardly wait for the match to begin
we can hardly wait for the match to begin can't hardly is a double negative
none of the taxes (was/were) paid
were when none is used for "no amount" it is plural
correct: what do you imply from Ron's casual indifference toward his job?
what do you infer from Ron's casual indifference toward his job? infer: listener assumes imply: speaker suggests
correct: you should try and eat something for breakfast
you should try to eat something for breakfast NOT try and CORRECT try to
agreement for the word "none"
-when it means "no one"= singular ex: none of the scientists is working today - when it means "no two"= plural ex: none of the physicians agree - when it means "no amount"= plural ex: none of the taxes were paid
difference between compared to and compared with
COMPARED WITH: differences, similarities or both COMPARED TO: liken to
correct: George compared his brother with a porcupine: placid until threatened
George compared his brother to a porcupine: placid until threatened COMPARED WITH: differences, similarities or both COMPARED TO: liken to
how to tell if a word is possessive or just descriptive
If you would use the word of, it is possessive--- use an apostrophe ex: The women's team .. team of women the men's group.. group of men If you would use for or by, the word is descriptive and does not need an apostrophe ex: teachers union... union for teachers farmers market.... marker for farmers not market of farmers
should you place a comma after the second or more word in a list if it is followed by and (in normal circumstances)
NO ex: red, white and blue not: red, white, and blue
parallel phrases
ensure that two or more verbs and phrases are of the same type ex: he came, he saw, he conquered not: he came, he saw, and the enemy was conquered
comma-- inside or outside quotation marks?
inside
correct: Sarah is anxious to get home for the weekend and catch up on sleep
Sarah is eager to get home for the weekend and catch up on sleep ANXIOUS: nervous, worried EAGER: excited, enthusiastic
agreement for collective nouns that denote a unit such as class or department
always singular ex: the family must get its affairs in order the orchestra honored its publicist
correct: The Gator are in control of their destiny in the SEC
The Gators are in control of their own season NOT: in control of destiny no one can be in control of their own destiny
agreement for the word team
always singular ex: the team is playing its best
period-- inside or outside quotation marks?
inside
correct: an internship sophomore year can farther your career aspirations
an internship sophomore year can further your career aspirations further: to advance farther: distance
correct: UF's distinguished record in genetic research has generate considerable notoriety.
UF's distinguished record in genetic research has generate considerable acknowledgment notoriety: negative attention ex: Lindsey Lohan has a notorious public record
half of the pens (is/are) broken
are half is a portion which means the object decides pens are plural which means plural agreement is necessary
"10-15 minutes"
WRONG do not use a hyphen in place of the word to right: 10 to 15 minutes
what is required of a complete sentence
a subject and a verb subject can be implied ex: "Halt!" (you is the implied subject)
how are singular proper nouns that do not end in s made possessive
add an apostrophe and a s ex: Kyle's
how are plural proper nouns made possessive
add only an apostrophe ex: I am going to the Smiths' the Davises' children are well-mannered
television (affects/effects) public opinion
affects used as a verb... to influence television influences public opinion
what do you put commas around both sides of?
ages year after an exact date state or nation if it follows a city or local
none of the physicians (agrees/agree)
agree when none is used as "no two" it is plural
agreement for subjects joined by or/nor
agreement is determined by the word closest to the verb ex: "sam or the twins are likely to attend" "the twins or sam is likely to attend"
agreement for a team mentioned by name
always plural ex: the heat are killing it
agreement for a city, state or nation
always singular ex: Miami is a beautiful city France is a wonderful place to visit
ambiguous antecedent
avoid putting a pronoun far away from its antecedent, the antecedent should be the closest noun not: although the scooter hit the tree, it was not damaged correct: the scooter was not damaged when it hit the tree
correct: compared to Miami, Gainesville's Cuban population is relatively small
compared with Miami, Gainesville's Cuban population is relatively small COMPARED WITH: differences, similarities or both COMPARED TO: liken to
correct: critics say the movie is an instant classic
critics say the movie is a huge hit NOT instant classic instant classic is an oxymoron
spaces always go around which: dash or hyphen
dash
the (affect/effect) of the inhaler on Molly's asthma was surprising
effect noun
principled passion can (affect/effect) a dramatic change in washington
effect used as a verb.. to cause principled passion can cause a dramatic change in washington
in what circumstances would you not place a comma after the second or more word in the sentence followed by and
for clarity ex: "Thanks to my parents, the pope, and Mother Theresa" not "Thanks to my parents, the pope and the Mother Theresa" when the last item in a series is a compound object requiring and ex: "I love wine, beer, and macaroni and cheese." not "I love wine, beer and macaroni and cheese" when each item in the series is a complex phrase resembling a detailed and independent clause
correct: grocery stores have express lanes for shoppers with less than 10 items
grocery stores have express lanes for shoppers with fewer than 10 items LESS: uncountable FEWER: countable on your fingers
correct: he was different than other singers of his era
he was different from other singers of his era NOT different than CORRECT different from
correct: her boss is such a jerk that she could care less what he thinks
her boss is such a jerk that she couldn't care less what he thinks NOT: could care less CORRECT: could not care less could care less means you do care a little bit
when do you put commas between adjectives
if they are equal adjectives.. if you could reverse them and put and between and it would still make sense
when do you use a comma with a "free" modifier
if you would use commas with it no matter where it appears in the sentence ex: Freud would have disagreed, too Freud, too, would have disagreed not: Freud would have disagreed also Freud would have also disagreed
subjunctive mood
indicate something contrary to fact use WERE instead of was ex: if I were president...
linking verb
indicates a state of being *to be verbs am, are, being, did, is, was, were, become, seem, feels, smells, sounds
agreement for entities such as companies or organizations
singular ex: apple is an international brand starbucks is my favorite coffee
agreement for pronouns that refer to a single person or thing such as anybody and everyone
singular verb ex: everyone is my friend anybody sings the anthem
agreement for compound independent subjects using and
take a plural verb ex: steak and fish are rich in protein
agreement for compound independent subjects using and that form a single unit
take a singular verb ex: mac and cheese is my favorite food
correct: an argument broke out between the half-dozen people in the room
the argument broke out among the half-dozen people in the room BETWEEN: two parts AMONG: two or more parts
correct: the fire partially destroyed the house and repairs will cost about $50,000
the fire damaged the house and repairs will cost about $50,000 NOT: partially destroyed destroyed means complete
agreement for words that indicate a portion
the object determines if it is singular or plural ex: half of the battle is trying half of the pens are broken
correct: the repair took longer than expected since the head mechanic was gone for the day
the repair took longer than expected because the head mechanic was gone for the day BECAUSE: cause-effect SINCE: passage of time
correct: that restaurant we like is further up the road
the restaurant we like is farther up the road further: to advance farther: distance (far)
compound modifier
two words expressing a single concept if both words are needed --- use a hyphen if both words are not needed --- do not use a hyphen ex: fat-free yogurt rich, creamy yogurt mango-orange yogurt
difference between unique and unusual
unique: one and only unusual: special, rare
suspensive hyphenation
use a hyphen to replace words in a series of parallel compound modifiers do not put a hyphen between words or numbers that are not compound modifiers wrong: let the meat stand for 10-to-15 minutes right: let the meat stand for 10 to 15 minutes
affect
verb to influence ex: the fire affected the entire family the fire influenced the entire family
