Final Grammar Review

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Final Grammar Review
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Parallel Structure

• Definition/Rules
• Parallel structure means using the same pattern
  of words to show that two or more ideas have the
  same level of importance. This can happen at the
  word, phrase, or clause level. The usual way to
  join parallel structures is with the use of
  coordinating conjunctions such as "and" or "or."

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Examples

• NOT PARALLEL
• Mary likes hiking, swimming, and to ride a
  bicycle.
• The teacher said that he was a poor student
  because he waited until the last minute to study
  for the exam, completed his lab problems in a
  careless manner, and his motivation was low.

• PARALLEL
• Mary likes hiking, swimming, and bicycling.
• Mary likes to hike, to swim, and to ride a
  bicycle.
• Mary likes to hike, swim, and ride a bicycle.

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Exercises

• In the following pairs, one sentence has parallel
  structure, and the other sentence lacks parallel
  structure. Mark the CORRECT sentence.
• 1.
• A. Jennifer is smart, beautiful, and loves
  everyone.
• B. Jennifer is smart, beautiful, and caring.
• 2.
• A. Andys day is so long that he gets up at 600
  a.m., leaves for work at 630 a.m., is eating
  dinner at 1100 p.m., and goes to bed at 200
  a.m.
• B. Andys day is so long that he gets up at 600
  a.m., leaves for work at 630 a.m., eats dinner
  at 1100 p.m., and goes to bed at 200 a.m.
• .

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• 3.
• A. Bob was not only Sams roommate, but also he
  was his best friend.
• B. Bob was not only Sams roommate but also his
  best friend.
• 4.
• A. If you go to the store, please remember to
  pick up your prescription, buy some shampoo, and
  to look for a notebook.
• B. If you go to the store, please remember to
  pick up your prescription, to buy some shampoo,
  and to look for a notebook.

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• 5.
• A. I spent two hours with Ms. Smith, reviewing my
  job performance, evaluating my goals, and
  discussing my future with the company.
• B. I spent two hours with Ms. Smith, reviewing my
  job performance, evaluating my goals, and my
  future with the company was also discussed.
• 6.
• A. Mr. Browns lecture was inaccurate, boring,
  and unnecessary.
• B. Mr. Browns lecture was inaccurate, boring,
  and should have been omitted.

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Semicolon Rules
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Semicolon

• Use a semicolon to separate to independent
  clauses. (An independent clause means it can
  stand alone as its own sentence.)
• Example My aunt also had hairy knuckles she
  loved to wash and comb them.

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Semicolon Exercises where should they go?

• 1.  Take care of the children the adults can take
  care of themselves.
• 2.  There were two young elephants they needed to
  have the hairs trimmed out of their noses.
• 3.  It was ever so easy to build smoke stacks out
  of cardboard the hard part was keeping the smoke
  stacks from burning up.
• 4.  Irma was a very contented lady while she was
  swimming she always grinned. 

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Subject/Verb Agreement

• Basic Principle Singular subjects need singular
  verbs plural subjects need plural verbs. My
  brother is a nutritionist. My sisters are
  mathematicians.

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Exercises Subject Verb Agreement

• 1. At Yellowstone Park grizzly bears (doesnt,
  dont) have names they have numbers.
•        
• 2.   In the meeting between human and bear, a
  wild-card factor (throws, throw) all calculations
  and studies to the wind.
• 3. The Yellowstone authorities should (has, have)
  kept thorough records on each bear.        
• 4.      When some bears (encounters, encounter)
  people, it is the bear who runs.

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Pronoun/Antecedent Agreeement

• A Pronoun is a substitute for a noun. It refers
  to a person, place, thing, feeling, or quality
  but does not refer to it by its name.
• An antecedent is the word, phrase, or clause to
  which a pronoun refers, understood by the
  context.
• Although Sarah was shy, she managed to make a few
  friends.

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Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement Exercises

• During early rehearsals, an actor may forget (his
  or her, their) lines.
• The Washington team was opportunistic (it, they)
  took advantage of every break.
• A person needs to see (his or her, their) dentist
  twice a year.
• The committee members put (its, their) signatures
  on the document.
• If any one of the sisters needs a ride, (she,
  they) can call me.

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There, Theyre, Their

• There place
• Theyre they are
• Their possession

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There, Theyre, Their

• Which of the following sentences uses the correct
  word choice for their/there/theyre?
• a) They couldnt believe they forgot to call
  there parents.
• b) Their worried that their parents will be mad.
• c) They left theyre phones in the car.
• d) I only hope that Santa will bring my sons
  everything on their list.

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Misplaced Modifiers

• Modifiers are just what they sound likewords or
  phrases that modify something else. Misplaced
  modifiers are modifiers that modify something you
  didn't intend them to modify. For example, the
  word only is a modifier that's easy to
  misplace.These two sentences mean different
  things
• I ate only vegetables.I only ate vegetables

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EXAMPLES

• One morning I hugged an elephant in my pajamas.
• Fixed One morning, wearing my pajamas, I hugged
  an elephant.

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Misplaced Modifier Exercises

•   The bus station was located by a river which
  was made of red brick.
• A fish was found in the Pacific Ocean that had
  been considered extinct.
• The cowboy was thrown by the bull in a leather
  vest.
• Sam asked me to go for a ride on the telephone.

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Smoothly Embedding a quotation

• You need context before your quote. Advanced
  embedding means that you include your quote as
  part of your sentence.
• Example The author says of the Boise School
  Library, in February 2010, it had
  6,787visitors (Doerr 2).

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You Try

• Which one is done correctly?
• Vincent describes how one of his patients is
  always trying to learn new vocabulary, but finds
  it extremely difficult (Smith 3).
• In the article it says, always trying to learn
  new vocabulary, but finds it extremely difficult
  (Smith page 3).

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Active vs. Passive Voice

• What is the active voice? Its a form of sentence
  construction. In the most basic sentence,
  active-voice construction is subject verb
  direct object. The subject acts on a direct
  object. Put another way, in the active voice you
  identify an actor (for instance, a person or
  organization) and what the action is.

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Active vs. Passive Voice

• What is the passive voice? In the passive voice,
  the subject is acted upon. Typically, the passive
  voice uses a verb phrase of the verb to be plus
  by. Many writers, however, drop the by in the
  passive voiceso the reader does not know for
  sure who or what the actor is.

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Active vs. Passive Voice

• These are examples Seniors are covered . . .
  Medicines are distributed . . . Prices were
  increased . . . Candles are being lit . . . Songs
  were sung . . . You can mentally insert by to
  double check that these sentences are in the
  passive voice. Medicines are distributed by the
  United Nations. Prices were increased by the
  health care insurers.

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Passive Voice Exercises

• 1. You are being watched by Big Brother
• Paradise was paved and a parking lot put up
• The sheriff was shot by me.
• A new nation was brought forth on this continent
  by our fathers.

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Exit Slip

• Pick one of the grammar topics we reviewed today
  and create 2 sample quiz questions testing that
  skill.
• You will switch with a partner and answer his/her
  questions.