― proofreading and editing ―
Clause, Conjunction, Independent, Subject [print-me]
“FANSBOY” is an acronym for the seven coordinating conjunctions: “for,” “and,” “nor,” “so,” “but,” “or,” “yet.” Each of these requires a comma when combining two independent clauses. (Not every FANSBOY begins an independent clause.) Examples: The king, his horses, and his men tried to pick up all the pieces, for Humpty Dumpty had fallen from […]
Clause, Dependent, Independent [print-me]
Correlative conjunctions offer a choice (and/or): “either A … or B,” “neither C … nor D,” “both E … and F,” “whether G … or H,” “not [only] J … but [also] K”. Despite common usage, “nor” follows “neither.” “Either” pairs with “or.” When using correlative pairs in a single clause, no comma comes before […]
Adjective, Adverb, Clause, Comma, Conjunction, Contraction, Past, Period, Preposition, Present, Question, Statement, Subject, Verb [print-me]
Negative sentences A negative in a sentence gives the opposite of the statement. (The book is here. >> The book is not here.) noIn most instances, using two negatives in a sentence creates a double negative, which is a grammatical “no-no.” (:>) Many sentences can be made negative by using a negative prefix to an […]
Apostrophe, Clause, Conditional, Contraction, Future, Negative, Noun, Past, Present, Pronoun, Question, Subject [print-me]
English verbs use helpers (auxiliary verbs) to create tenses other than simple present and past. The helping verb “do” is used to create questions. Other helping/auxiliary verbs identify necessity/obligation/advice, permission/possibility/ability, or habitual past actions. To create a negative sentence, insert “not” (or its contraction “n’t”) between the helping verb and the main verb. Tenses: […]
Clause, Conjunction, Dependent, Ending Mark, Exclamation, Independent, Noun, Phrase, Subject, Verb [print-me]
In formal writing, anything between an initial capital letter and an ending punctuation (period, question mark, or exclamation mark) should be a complete sentence. It should express an understandable thought with a subject (doer) and a verb (action). Some verbs require objects, what the action was done upon (direct object: what was thrown, what was […]
Clause, Dependent, Independent, Phrase [print-me]
Sentence “no-no’s” The difference between a comma splice and a fused sentence (or run-on sentence) is the comma included in a comma splice. A fused or run-on sentence has no punctuation between two independent clauses. It simply runs on from the capital letter to the period. A comma splice occurs when two or more independent […]
Clause, Independent, Noun, Past, Phrase, Present, Subject [print-me]
Word order matters. Where you put a word or a phrase can change the meaning of a sentence or make it completely illogical. Misplaced modifiers come in several varieties: dangling participles, misplaced adjectives, misplaced adverbs, misplaced phrases. What is a dangling participle? A participle dangles when the present (“-ing”) or past (“-ed”) participle in the […]
