,Just when you think you have the rules sorted out, a situation arises that doesn’t quite fit any of them. This section will attempt to help you. The key to any of these is consistency. So … to comma or not to comma Which one is correct? So we left at midnight. So, we […]
Question
Negatives
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 […]
Helping verbs
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: […]
Contractions
Shortened forms of words Contractions begin with a noun or pronoun and attach a shortened form of a verb (replacing the initial letters with an apostrophe) or “not” (abbreviated as “n’t”). ‘ Contractions should only be used in informal writing or in conversation/dialogue. Names and other nouns use the third person of the verb, singular […]
Functions of sentences
A sentence has different functions. Sentences are categorized by their purpose. They may be declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, or imperative. A declarative sentence makes a statement. If offers information. An interrogative sentence asks a question. It seeks information. An exclamatory sentence expresses an emotion, usually a strong emotion. An imperative sentence gives a command. It tells […]
Parts of speech
Article = one of these three words: “a,” “an,” “the” (used with nouns) Definite article = “the,” indicates a specific item Example: The idea was to give the bone to the boy with the dog. (one specific idea, one specific bone, one specific boy, one specific dog) Indefinite article = either a generalization or not referring to a […]
Quotation Marks (“Hello”)
Quotation marks have a variety of uses. Exact words spoken Use quotation marks around the exact words spoken. “A”Examples: “I’m not going tonight,” he announced. “But you’re the MC!” she protested. Dialogue tags Dialogue tags indicate who is speaking. Not every line of dialogue needs a tag. Conversation back and forth between two speakers […]
