Grammar Basics Workshop(June 2011)

8/6/2019 Grammar Basics Workshop(June 2011)

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Grammar Basics Workshop

Presented by the

Southeast Writing Center


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Fragments Definition: A fragment is a phrase that is not a complete sentence, and

is punctuated without being completed or joined to a completesentence.

To be complete, a sentence must have, at the very least, a subject and averb. Fragments occur when either the subject or the verb is omitted.

Example of a fragment in which the subject has been omitted:Anddrove to work in her new car. This phrase is a fragment because thereis no subject. We have no idea who went to work in the car.

Example of a fragment in which the verb has been omitted: The man

with the heavy coat and big shoes. This phrase is a fragment becausethere is no action being done. We have no idea what the man does.

Example of a fragment that contains neither subject or verb. On thetable with the vase of roses. Here, we have no idea what is on thetable, nor do we have any idea what it is doing.


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Repairing Fragments Most fragments can be fixed in one of two ways.

The fragment can either be incorporated into anexisting sentence, or added to, so that it is complete.

Lets look at the examples we have used:

And drove to work in her new car was the fragmentthat lacked a subject, or doer of the action. If thesentence before this wasAngela locked the frontdoor, then all we need to do is combine the twosentences to give a subject to the fragment.Angelalocked the front door and drove to work in her newcar.


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Repairing Fragments (cont.) Similarly, the fragment that lacked a verb, the man

with the heavy coat and big shoes, can either be

incorporated into an existing sentence or simplyhave a verb added to it.

Lets add a verb.

The man with the heavy coat and big shoes ranpast the building and into the alley. Now it is a

complete sentence with a subject and a verb.


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Repairing Fragments (cont.)Another way to fix a fragment is to put

two subordinate clauses together. Asubordinate clause sounds like asentence because it has a subject and averb, but it begins with a word that

makes it subordinate. These are someof the most common of these words:


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Repairing Fragments (cont.) after, although, as, because, before,

even though, if, since, so that, than,that, unless, until, when where,whether, which, while, who, and why

A more complete list can be found inRules for Writers on page 151.


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Repairing Fragments (cont.) Here is an example of a subordinate

clause as a fragment:After they understood the problem

Corrected:After they understood the problem, the politicians were able to

agree on a solution.


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Repairing Fragments(cont.)Another kind of a fragment is a phrase.

For example:

The English department is looking for a new teacher. Preferably awriting teacher.

The phrase in italics is a fragment that can be joined to thesentence before it, separated by a comma.

Corrected:The English department is looking for a new teacher, preferably a

writing teacher.


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Run-on Sentences

Definition: a group of independent clauses that hasnot been joined correctly.

Independent clauses, if combined into one sentence,must be combined in one of two ways:

With a comma and a coordinating conjunction With a semicolon.


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Run-on Sentences (cont.) Two clauses combined with no punctuation form a

type of run on that is called a fused sentence.

Amanda walked into the mall she bought a pair of shoes.

To correct this fused sentence, we can add a commaand conjunction or a semicolon.

Amanda walked into the mall, and she bought a pair of shoes.

Or:

Amanda walked into the mall; she bought a pair of shoes.


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Run-on Sentences (cont.) Two independent clauses that are onlyjoined with a comma is a type of run-onthat is called a comma splice.

Example:Albert typed his paper at the last minute, he made a low

grade.


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Repairing a Comma Splice There are three ways to correct a

comma splice:

1. Use a coordinating conjunction and a comma

Albert typed his paper at the last minute, so he made a low grade.

2. Use a semi colon

Albert typed his paper at the last minute; he made a low grade.


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Repairing a Comma Splice

(cont.)3. The third way to correct a comma splice is

simply to make each independent clause a

sentence on its own by inserting a period andcapital letter where appropriate.

Albert typed his paper at the last minute. He made a low grade.


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Parallel Structure Parallelism is the repetition of a grammatical structure that is

used to emphasize the similarity among compared ideas.Elements of your sentence that are alike in function should also

be alike in construction. When comparing people or objects,use only similar nouns. When comparing actions, use onlysimilarly constructed verbs.

Susan usually spent the afternoons talking on the phone, cleaningthe house and walked the dog.

In this example, Susan is performing three actions, but the verbsused are not similarly constructed. Here is a correct example:

Susan usually spent the afternoons talking on the phone, cleaningthe house and walking the dog.

Each verb used in this sentence follows the same form.


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Parallel Structure (cont.) In the same way, when comparing people, places or objects,

use only nouns and use similar ones.

In this article, the author discusses nightmares, sleep disorders,

and making them go away.

The phrase making them go away, is a verb phrase thatdoes not match the plural nouns used in the first part of the list.Here is one example of how to correct this nonparallel structure.

In this article, the author discusses nightmares, sleep disorders

and methods of prevention.Here, we have added methods of prevention, because

methods is a plural noun, as are nightmares and sleepdisorders.


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Point of View Point of view is the perspective from which a story or piece of writing is being

presented. English has three points of view: first, second and third person.

First person is used to show the writers personal involvement in the work and is

used when most of what you are writing about comes from personal experience.Examples: I, me, my, mine these place the perspective and focus on theactions of the author. First person is used for personal narratives.

Second person is used to instruct or advise. Examples: you, your, yours thispoint of view is rarely used, and should be avoided in academic writing with theexception of direct quotes.

Third person places emphasis on the material being presented and takesfocus off of the writer. It should be used in most academic writing, unlessotherwise directed. In third person, pronouns such as he, she, they, her, him,or one are used.

See Rules for Writers, pages 104-106 for a more detailed explanation.


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Point of View (cont.) In addition to the standard third person forms, feel

free to use nouns that are specific to the topic you

are writing about.Examples: a person or persons

an individual or individuals

a writer or writers

a reader or readers


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Subject-Verb Agreement Verbs and their subjects must agree in person (1st,

2nd, or 3rd) and number (singular or plural).

Problems arise mostly with verbs in the presenttense. For example, verbs that are singular (ending ins) must correspond with nouns that are singular (noending).

Most nouns form plurals by adding -s or es as an ending.For example:

Singular noun The car in the lotlooks shabby.

Plural noun The cars in the lotlook shabby.


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Subject-Verb Agreement

(cont.) Likewise, most verbs in present tense end in

s or es. Singular verb- A tomato ripens best in the sun.

The librarian speaks quietly.

Plural verb- Tomatoes ripen best in the sun.

Librarians usually speak quietly.

Dont be misled by subjects and verbs with modifiers betweenthem.


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Pronoun-Antecedent

Agreement Pronouns are words that are used to replace nouns.

They have the same function as nouns, but are usedto avoid unnecessary repetition. It is important thata pronoun agrees with the noun it is referring to, itsantecedent.

Pronouns include words like I, me, you, he, she, it,them, and they. A singular, masculine noun (theman) requires a singular, masculine pronoun (he),and so on.

Examples:

Robertwent to the store, and he bought some candy.

Ellen made sure thatshe locked the door.

Robert and Ellen said thatthey had a good time.


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Contractions Contractions may be acceptable in some

circumstances but not in formal writing. Confusing

contractions with possessive pronouns, such asits and its, is common but not acceptable.

Example:

its its; theirs theres ;their theyre; whose whos;

your youre; his hes;


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Verb-Tense Shifts Verb tense is used to tell when the action you are writing about

has happened. It is important not only to use the correct tensefor each situation, but to remain consistent once you havebegun in a certain tense.

The three primary tenses in English are past, presentand future.Present tense is used to discuss actions that are happening right

now, or happen on a regular basis. For example, I walk mydog every day. This is an action that takes place daily.

To describe something that has already occurred, use the pasttense. The past tense is usually formed by adding ed to the

end of a present tense verb. For example, if you do not walkyour dog every day, but you did yesterday, say I walked mydog yesterday.

To discuss future action, use the future tense. The future tense isalways formed by adding the word will to the beginning of apresent tense verb. If you plan to walk your dog tomorrow, say

I will walk my dog tomorrow.


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ARTICLES and Singular Count Nouns

Every time you use a singular count noun, (a common noun

that names one countable item) that noun requires some kind

of determiner. Articles are one kind of determiner. They aresignals that a noun is to follow.

The definite article the is used when the noun is a specific person,

place, or thing. (Specific means anyone who reads your writingknows exactly which noun you are referring to.)

The indefinite article a is used when the person, place or thing isnonspecific. If the noun begins with a vowel sound, use an inplace ofa.


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ARTICLES and Singular Count Nouns (cont.)

If an adjective or phrase comesbetween the article and the noun, thechoice of article does not change.

Definite article the: Indefinite article a:

the computer a chair

the antiquated computer a cold, metal chair

the candidate an umbrella

the well-qualified a useless umbrella

candidate


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ARTICLES and Noncount Nouns

Anything represented by a noun that cannotbe counted is referred to as a noncount noun.

For example water, rice, air, and love arenoncount nouns. Nouns classified asnoncount nouns vary from language tolanguage. For a list of English noncount

nouns, see Rules for Writers, page .

Noncount nouns are always singular and useeither the or no article.


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ARTICLES and Noncount Nouns (cont.)

If the meaning of the noncount noun isspecific, use the .

If the meaning is nonspecific, do notuse the.


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ARTICLES and Noncount Nouns (cont.)

Example:

Kahil served rice to us. He flavored the rice

with curry.

Rice is a noncount noun. In the second

sentence,rice

has become specific, sothe

is used.

For more examples of articles and their use, see

Rules for Writers, pages 242-252.


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Punctuation

Commas

A comma is a punctuation mark used toseparate parts of sentences so that they

flow without confusion.A comma can be used:

After an introductory clause, or a clause thatanswers the questions who, what, when, where or

how, concerning the main action.Today, I went to class.

While in class, I fell asleep.


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Punctuation

Commas (cont.) Commas are also used to separate items in a series.

Jeff used his paycheck to buy groceries, gasoline, and clothes.

The cook made a spicy, tangy soup.

A comma is used to set apart nonessentialinformation.

The mayor, who is running for reelection, held a fundraiser.


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Punctuation

Commas (cont.)

Use a comma when forming a compound sentence by

linking two independent clauses with a coordinatingconjunction (and, or, but, for, nor, so, yet).

The weather was nice, so they decided to walk.

I am not agreeing with you, nor am I disagreeing.

Remember:

If you omit the coordination conjunction and try to join the twoindependent clauses with a comma only, you are committing acomma splice error.


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Punctuation

Semicolons

Semicolons separate two independentclauses when no coordinating conjunction is

used.The other uses for a semicolon are complex and used infrequently.

You can find the rules on pages 291-295 of Rules for Writers.

Do notuse a semicolon to:

introduce a listbetween an appositive and the word it refers to

between a subordinate clause and the rest of the sentence


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Punctuation

Colons

A colon calls attention to what follows.

Use a colon after an independent clause to

direct attention to a list, an appositive, or aquotation.

There were three winners: Lynn, Ana, and Mia.

Diego Rivera painted a controversial mural: the one forRockefeller Center.

Mr. Johnson repeated the words: I prefer not to.


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For further help, please consult your professor, or comesee us in the Writing Center, room ESEE-1221, inside

the Math Lab.You can find help and practice exercises over specific topics covered in this

workshop in Rules for Writers on the following pages:

Fragments: pages 148-155

Run-on sentences: pages 156-163

Commas: pagesArticles: pages 242-252

Verb tenses: pages 203-221 and 224-241

Subject-verb agreement: pages 164-175

Pronoun- antecedent agreement: pages 175-181

Point of view: pages 104-106

Parallel structure: page 84-87

The writing center also has computerized grammar exercisesavailable. Check out our other workshops on Writing ResearchPapers and MLA and APA Documentation!


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ReferencesFor this workshop we used our own

examples, as well as information from:

Rules for Writers, 6th edition, by DianaHacker

The Blair Handbook, 2nd edition, by Toby

Fulwiler and Alan R. Hayakawa

Simon and Shuster Handbook for Writers,4th edition, by Lynn Quitman Troyka

Documents

Grammar Basics Workshop(June 2011)