Grammar Rules by Mary Ann Hudson - A Guide to Proper Capitalization and Punctuation
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GRAMMAR RULES!
Grammar
by Mary Ann Hudson is licensed under a
.Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International LicenseCreative Commons
undefinedCAPITALIZATION
Proper Nouns and Common Nouns
Capitalize proper nouns
specific
places, people, or things
Mississippi River, Troy University, 123 Salem Street
Governor Bentley, Aunt Lorene
Civil War, the Bible
Do not capitalize common nouns
general
places, people, or things
a river, a college, the street I live on
the governor, my aunt
a war, a book
Titles Before People’s Names
Capitalize a person’s title when it is used
before or in place of his or her name
Doctor Jackson ; Professor James
I asked Mom to pick me my after softball practice
.
Do not capitalize a title when it is used
after a possessive pronoun or alone
my coach; the biology professor
I asked my mom to pick me my after softball
practice.
Quotations
The first word of a quoted
sentence
should
be capitalized but not the first word of a
quoted
phrase
.
My brother said, “Your floppy hat makes
your face look like a ball.”
My mom advised me not to wear “that
floppy hat.”
Interrupted Quotations
Capitalize the second part of an
interrupted quotation only if it begins a
new sentence.
“
My newborn daughter is just as beautiful,”
she sobbed, “as we dreamed she would be.”
“My newborn daughter is just as beautiful as
we dreamed she would be,” she sobbed.
“Life is going to be so exciting!”
Title and Subtitles
No matter the genre (book, article, poem,
movie, etc…), capitalize the first and last
words and all other important words in the
title.
Do not capitalize articles (a, an, the),
conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so),
and prepositions (with, for, from, by, at, in, of, to).
COMMONLY
CONFUSED
WORDS
Commonly Confused Words
Accept/Except
Accept – to receive willingly
Except – excluding
Did everyone in the class
accept
his
excuse
except
me?
Commonly Confused Words
Affect/Effect
Affect – verb; to change
Effect – noun; a result
Effective
political officials can
positively
affect
the whole country.
Commonly Confused Words
A lot
allot
;
alot
; a lot
Those girls have a lot of nerve!
Could’ve, Should’ve, Would’ve
could HAVE, should HAVE, would HAVE,
not could OF, should OF, would OF
Commonly Confused Words
Its, It’s
Its – possessive pronoun
It’s – contraction for “it is” or “it has”
You know
it’s
going to be a long day
when your car overheats
its
engine on
the way to school.
Commonly Confused Words
Than/Then
Than – used to compare
Then – used to indicate a time sequence
I got depressed when I realized that my
niece is taller
than
I am;
then,
I
remembered that most people are.
Commonly Confused Words
Their/There/They’re
Their – possessive
There – tells where
They’re – contraction for “they are”
They’re
in
there
taking
their
exams.
Commonly Confused Words
To/Too/Two
To – tells direction
Too – also or excessively
Two – the number
You need to give
two
dollars
to
Sophie.
Give her the lunch box,
too
. I will carry her
book bag because she has
too
much
to
carry
with her
two
hands .
Commonly Confused Words
Who’s/Whose
Who’s – contraction for “who is”
or “who has”
Whose – possessive
Who’s
watching
whose
video?
Commonly Confused Words
Your/You’re
Your – possessive
You’re – contraction for “you are”
You’re
going to have to use
your
own
car.
Commonly Confused Words
Since/Sense
Since – indicates a time span
Sense – five senses, common sense
Jane
sensed
more stress in Paul
ever
since
he came back from New
York.
Commonly Confused Words
Threw/Through
Threw – past tense of the verb “throw”
Through – preposition
Colton
threw
his football
through
the
goal post.
Commonly Confused Words
A/An
A – used before consonant
sounds
An – used before vowel
sounds
An
RN student will have
a
heavy class
load.
A
registered nursing student will have
an
awfully hard schedule her first semester.
Commonly Confused Words
Ever/Every
Ever – at all times; at any time
Every – each
Have you
ever
wondered if the
dolphins come close to shore
every
day?
Commonly Confused Words
Definitely
Not definantly
Not definately
Not defiantly – (which means acting against
authority)
Behaving defiantly to your parents
will
definitely
get you grounded!
Commonly Confused Words
Right/Write
Right – opposite of left; correct
Write – verb
My best friend was
right
! It is
important to write down all the
math formulas.
Commonly Confused Words
Allowed/Aloud
Allowed – with permission
Aloud - verbally
The children weren’t
allowed
talk during class
aloud
.
NUMBER USAGE
Number Usage
Spell out numbers when:
You can do so in one or two words
eight; twenty-seven; three thousand
Hyphenate any number between twenty-one and
ninety-nine
They begin a sentence
One hundred thirty instructors attended the
webinar.
We invited 125 guests to the retirement party.
Number Usage
Use digits:
When a number cannot be expressed in one or two words
(670; 20,333)
In addresses (765 East Three Notch Street)
In dates (December 25, 2015; the 1920s)
In decimals and fractions (30.6; 3 ½)
Parts of written works (chapter 6; page 123)
Percentages (65 percent; 65%)
PARALLELISM
In a Series or List
Parallel = same grammatical form
nouns:
Please get bread and milk at the store.
same-tense verbs:
The football coach told us to run, walk, and then jog the length
of the football field.
–ing verbs:
Reading and writing your notes are good study tools.
infinitive phrases:
I promised my dad to clean out the garage, to take out the
garbage and to mow the lawn.
In a Series or List
Singing, smiling, and to laugh are important for good
mental health.
Singing, smiling, and laughing are important for good mental
health.
She is a terrible welder because she skips classes,
performs welds improperly, and her work ethic is poor.
She is a terrible welder because she skips classes, performs
welds improperly, and , and
lacks work ethic
.
On a Resume
Headings and verbs should be parallel
June 2011-present
Welder
, Shaw Industries
Repair and install storage tanks
July 2008-May 2010
Machine operator
, Caterpillar
Operated front end loader
and supervised crew.
April 2005-June 2008
Cashier
, IGA
Worked at register and bagged
groceries.
Job titles
are
parallel nouns
Parallel
present-
tense verbs
because applicant is
currently employed
Parallel
past-tense
verbs
because
applicant is no
longer employed at
these jobs
PRONOUN-ANTECEDENT
AGREEMENT
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Antecedent = t
he person, place, or thing to which the
pronoun refers.
Grandpa took his car out of the shop.
George, Henry, and Susan turned in their report.
His, him
,
her
,
and
one
refer to singular nouns.
Their, them
and
people
refer to plural nouns.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Pronouns and antecedents must agree in number
Singular:
A welder must perform (their/his or her) best to get a good
job.
A president should inspire citizens to believe in (them/him or
her).
Plural:
Welders must perform (their/his or her) best to get a good
job.
Presidents are people who can inspire citizens to believe in
(them/him or her).
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Indefinite pronouns are considered
singular
Someone sent (their/his or her) letter to the wrong
address.
Everyone in fitness class completed (their/his or
her) mile run.
Each of the dogs (are/is) doing (their/her) great in
training.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Repeatedly using “his or her,” “him or her,” and
“one” sounds awkward.
Everyone in yoga did his or her best.
All of the yoga students did their best.
One must study properly to pass his or her NUR103
class.
NUR103 students must study properly to pass the
nursing class.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Ambiguous reference occurs when the pronoun
could refer to more than one antecedent
After I connected the VCR to the television, it
exploded.
After I connected the VCR to the television, the
VCR exploded.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Use “you” only when referring to your reader
Use “who” or “whom” (not “that”) when
referring to people
PRONOUNS
Pronouns
Replace people’s names:
I, me, my, mine, we, us, our, ours, they, theirs, you,
your, yours, he, him, his, she, her, hers
Think back to the Me/I trick
My nephew always tags along with
my friends
and (me/I)
.
Pretend no one else is in the list
Pronouns
The toddlers were excited to eat
(my/mine) and your cupcakes.
(Us/We) students get tired of school, too!
(They/Them) and their younger sister
cheer for Auburn.
Pronouns
You and (her/she) should work on the
research paper together.
(Your/You) and her welding beads are
good quality.
(Her/She) and George have finished the
Electronics exam.
REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS
Reflexive Pronouns
Take the place of nouns when they do
something to themselves
end in
–self
(singular) or
–selves
(plural)
MacKenzie registered herself for MTH101.
Daulton and Colton was singing to
themselves.
Reflexive Pronouns
YES!!!
Myself
Yourself
Yourselves
Ourselves
Themselves
Himself
Herself
Itself
NOOOOOOOO!!
Hisself
Ourself
Theirself
Theirselves
SENTENCES AND
PUNCTUATION
Dependent vs. Independent Clauses
A dependent clause usually begins with a subordinating word
and does contain at least one subject and verb.
When I was eighteen.
After I finish washing and waxing the car.
An independent clause contains a subject and a verb, but it also
expresses a complete thought.
I loved playing Monopoly.
I plan to watch a movie.
Dependent clauses and independent clauses can be combined.
I loved playing Monoploy when I was eighteen.
After I finish washing and waxing the car, I plan to watch a movie.
Sentence Fragments
A fragment occurs when a dependent clause begins with a subordinating
word and is NOT attached to an independent clause.
I am planning on living at the beach. Because I like the sound of the waves.
If you have this type of fragment, you have two options to correct it:
1. Attach the dependent clause to a related independent clause:
I am planning on living at the beach because I like the sound of the waves.
Because I like the sound of the waves
,
I am planning on living at the beach.
If you begin a sentence with a subordinating word like I did here, place a comma before
the independent clause.
2. Remove the subordinating word:
I am planning on living at the beach. I like the sound of the waves.
Sentence Fragments, continued…
Fragments also occur if a clause is simply missing a
subject or a verb.
If the sentence is missing a subject, add one.
Just tried to change the channel.
I
just tried to change the channel.
If the sentence is missing a complete verb, add
one.
The welding course becoming difficult until my
instructor demonstrated the weld procedure.
The welding course
was
becoming difficult until my
instructor demonstrated the weld procedure.
Comma Sense
Parenthetical Information and Interrupters
Provide extra explanation which could be removed
from the sentence without affecting its meaning
My nephew, who is in seventh grade, is a huge Alabama
fan.
The man in the red baseball cap waved frantically.
By exercising thirty minutes per day
,
of course
,
people
can greatly improve their health.
If you eat ice cream every night, however, you still may
not lose weight.
Comma Sense
Coordinating Conjunctions (fanboys)
f
or
a
nd
n
or
b
ut
o
r
y
et
s
o
Comma Sense
Coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS) can join
independent clauses with a comma placed
before
the
conjunction
I love this kind of music
, but
my parents hate it
.
We can go to the park
, or
would you rather go to the
mall
?
She is clothed with strength and dignity,
and
she laughs
without fear of the future
.
She is clothed with strength and dignity
and
laughs
without fear of the future.
Comma Sense
Direct address
Class, your attendance has been great!
I have to admit, Shane, that I did not see that coming!
Between adjectives telling
what kind
when you could use the word “and”
Melissa is a
talented, graceful
dancer.
That
old blue
car is a clunker.
Separate words or phrases that might be mistakenly joined when they are read.
Comma Sense
Commas set off introductory words or phrases
Adverbs
(How? When? How often? Where? To what extent?)
Surprisingly, she left quietly rather than causing a
scene.
Every time I see a cute kid, I remind myself how
awesome it is to sleep through the night.
In the syllabus, you will find the grading criteria.
Prepositional Phrases
(function as adverbs)
From time to time, we all get discouraged.
With enough caffeine, you can accomplish anything!
Comma Sense
Yes
or
No
Yes, you do have to clean your room before you can leave.
Interjections
Oh, I didn’t know he was going with us.
Wow, that escalated quickly.
Tag questions
You haven’t lived here long, have you?
Addresses
Send donations to Human Rights Campaign
,
1640 Rhode Island Avenue
,
Washington
,
DC 20036.
Places
I lived in Montgomery, Alabama, for almost three years.
I lived in Montgomery for almost three years.
Dates
December 21, 2012, was not the end of the world afterall.
January 1 is the busiest day of the year at most gyms.
Comma Practice
1.
My brother who acts like a complete idiot got a
scholarship but I did not!
2.
September 11 2001 is one of those days we will
always remember. I was attending class in Auburn
Alabama.
3.
Every now and then we all need restful quiet days.
4.
Josh I need Tylenol a magazine and some water
and you need to hurry.
Colons: HB78
Colons are used for the following purposes:
To emphasize what follows the colon
After reflecting on the past year, I have learned one valuable lesson:
never take a single day for granted!
To
abruptly
introduce an explanation, a list, or a quotation
She also voices some common concerns: “The product should be safe,
easily accessible, and low-priced.”
You learned a few things today: time management, organization, and
communication skills.
You learned a few things today
, including
time management,
organization, and communication skills.
You learned a few things today
, such as
time management,
organization, and communication skills.
Semi-colons; HB-67
Can replace a period if the two sentences (independent clauses)
are closely related
I only have terrifying memories of that place; I never want to go back
there again.
Can separate two independent clauses with a conjunctive adverb + comma
I only have terrifying memories of that place; therefore, I never want to go
back there again.
Should be used between items in a list that includes commas
Marcus has three siblings:
Lillie
,
Matthew
, and
Lorrie
.
Marcus has three siblings:
Lillie
,
who was in the Air Force
;
Matthew
;
and
Lorrie
,
who was a surprise to their parents and is three years old
.
Run-On Sentences
(Comma Splices and Fused Sentences)
Commas
(alone) =
Periods, semi-colons, and conjunctions =
Run-On Sentences
(Comma Splices and Fused Sentences)
Comma splice
– when independent clauses are
joined with only a comma
My instructor is obsessed with correcting run-on
sentences, she claims we will benefit from her
obsession.
Fused sentence
– when independent clauses are
joined with nothing at all
My instructor is obsessed with correcting run-on
sentences she claims we will benefit from her
obsession.
Correcting Run-On Sentences
1. Separate the independent clauses with a period.
My instructor is obsessed with correcting run-on
sentences. She claims we will benefit from her
obsession.
2. Add a comma and a coordinating conjunction.
My instructor is obsessed with correcting run-on
sentences
, but
she claims we will benefit from her
obsession.
Correcting Run-On Sentences
3. Separate the independent clauses with a semi-colon
*Semi-colons can be used alone or with conjunctive adverbs
My instructor is obsessed with correcting run-on
sentences
;
she claims we will benefit from her
obsession.
My instructor is obsessed with correcting run-on
sentences
; however,
she claims we will benefit
from her obsession.
Correcting Run-On Sentences
4. Add a subordinating conjunction
My instructor is obsessed with correcting run-on
sentences
because
she claims we will benefit
from her obsession.
Because
she claims we will benefit from her
obsession
,
my instructor is obsessed with
correcting run-on sentences.
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
First, a little review…
The
verb
in a sentence is:
the action taking place
Mason hit his first homerun today!
the state of being
am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been
I was exhausted after moving furniture.
The
subject
of a sentence is the noun or pronoun that is
either performing the action or is in the state of being.
Dinner is on the table.
The price of gasoline skyrockets occasionally.
What doesn’t match?
When John and Drew was both
running after the ball, they collided.
The goals I want to accomplish in the
next ten years is to graduate
college, get married, and start a
family.
Where does your parents live?
Subject-Verb Agreement
Subjects and verbs must agree in number
Singular
subjects need
singular
verbs
Trick: verb forms that match “he” or “she” are
singular
He run/runs.
She was/were correct.
Plural
subjects need
plural
verbs
Trick: verb forms that match “they” are
plural
They run/runs.
They was/were correct.
dance: she _________; they __________
is: she _________; they __________
Compound Subjects
Subjects joined with “and” require a
plural
verb
Remember: verbs that match “they” are plural
My aunt and uncle (live/lives) in Montgomery.
Think “they live?” or “they lives?”
Steak, chicken, and fish (is/are) the main meat sources.
Think “they is?” or “they are?”
Unless the subject is generally understood to be a
single object
Macaroni and cheese
is
my favorite side!
Compound Subjects
Subjects joined with “or” or “nor” can require either a
singular or a plural verb,
depending on the subject
located closest to the verb
Chicken or tuna (is/are) better for you than steak.
Think “tuna is?” or “tuna are?”
Chicken and tuna (is/are) better for you than steak.
Either you or she (is/are) mistaken.
Neither the teacher nor his students (was/were) able
to solve the equation.
To avoid confusion…
Ignore any words between the subject and
verb
The
words
on the page
are running
together.
The price of oysters (fluctuate/fluctuates)
according to seasonal demand.
Those “mayhem” commercials about insurance
(is/are) hilarious!
UNNECESSARY WORDS
“Quite,” “Very,” and other Empty Words
Be concise, eliminating unnecessary words
Only use “quite,” “very,” and “really” to
intensify
what you say
Quite hungry = famished
Very unique = unique
Really smart = brilliant
Empty Words
Accepted by five Ivy League schools, Jackson
seems to be facing an apparently very difficult
decision.
16 words
Accepted by five Ivy League schools, Jackson is
facing a difficult decision.
12 words
Means the same thing as the first sentence!
There are, It is
Do not start many sentences with “There are” or “It is”;
more concise and impactful ways do exist
It is necessary for Americans today to learn to speak
more than one language.
Americans today must learn to speak more than one
language.
There are four large moons and more than thirty small
ones that orbit Jupiter.
Four large moons and more than thirty small ones orbit
Jupiter.
Redundancies
Eliminate words or phrases that are
unnecessary for your meaning.
Painting the house purple
in color
will make it
stand out from the many white houses in town.
Dashing
quickly
into the street, the young girl
was almost hit by a car.
How much wood is sufficient
enough
for the fire
to burn all night?
Who/Whom
he
she
they
him
her
them
Who
Whom
Who/Whom
My best friend, (who/whom) I met in sixth grade, recently
moved away.
Trick: I met “she” or “her” in sixth grade.
(Who/Whom) first said that famous quote?
Trick: “He” or “Him” first said that famous quote.
It was Abraham Lincoln, (who/whom) was the sixteenth
president of the United States.
Trick: “he” or “him” was the sixteenth president.
(Who/Whom) did you invite to come with us?
Trick: I invited “they” or “them” to come with us.
Me/I
If you are in a list of people, put yourself last.
When trying to decide between
me
and
I
, mentally
take the other person or people out of the sentence.
My big brother and (me/I) have always loved
motorcycles.
(Remember to put yourself last; not “Me and my big brother…”)
My little sister always wants to hang out with my
friends and (me/I).
Me/I
Here is another phrase replacement trick:
We = I
Us = me
My family and (me/I) go to the beach every summer.
Between you and (me/I),I think he’s going to pass.
Explore essential grammar rules for proper capitalization, including guidelines for proper and common nouns, titles before people's names, quotations, interrupted quotations, titles and subtitles, as well as commonly confused words. Enhance your writing skills by understanding when to capitalize, punctuate, and differentiate between various types of words in your writing.
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GRAMMAR RULES! Grammar by Mary Ann Hudson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Proper Nouns and Common Nouns Capitalize proper nouns specific places, people, or things Mississippi River, Troy University, 123 Salem Street Governor Bentley, Aunt Lorene Civil War, the Bible Do not capitalize common nouns general places, people, or things a river, a college, the street I live on the governor, my aunt a war, a book
Titles Before Peoples Names Capitalize a person s title when it is used before or in place of his or her name Doctor Jackson ; Professor James I asked Mom to pick me my after softball practice. Do not capitalize a title when it is used after a possessive pronoun or alone my coach; the biology professor I asked my mom to pick me my after softball practice.
Quotations The first word of a quoted sentence should be capitalized but not the first word of a quoted phrase. My brother said, Your floppy hat makes your face look like a ball. My mom advised me not to wear that floppy hat.
Interrupted Quotations Capitalize the second part of an interrupted quotation only if it begins a new sentence. My newborn daughter is just as beautiful, she sobbed, as we dreamed she would be. My newborn daughter is just as beautiful as we dreamed she would be, she sobbed. Life is going to be so exciting!
Title and Subtitles No matter the genre (book, article, poem, movie, etc ), capitalize the first and last words and all other important words in the title. Do not capitalize articles (a, an, the), conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), and prepositions (with, for, from, by, at, in, of, to).
COMMONLY CONFUSED WORDS
Commonly Confused Words Accept/Except Accept to receive willingly Except excluding Did everyone in the class accept his excuse except me?
Commonly Confused Words Affect/Effect Affect verb; to change Effect noun; a result Effective political officials can positively affect the whole country.
Commonly Confused Words A lot allot; alot; a lot Those girls have a lot of nerve! Could ve, Should ve, Would ve could HAVE, should HAVE, would HAVE, not could OF, should OF, would OF
Commonly Confused Words Its, It s Its possessive pronoun It s contraction for it is or it has You know it s going to be a long day when your car overheats its engine on the way to school.
Commonly Confused Words Than/Then Than used to compare Then used to indicate a time sequence I got depressed when I realized that my niece is taller than I am; then, I remembered that most people are.
Commonly Confused Words Their/There/They re Their possessive There tells where They re contraction for they are They re in there taking their exams.
Commonly Confused Words To/Too/Two To tells direction Too also or excessively Two the number You need to give two dollars to Sophie. Give her the lunch box, too. I will carry her book bag because she has too much to carry with her two hands .
Commonly Confused Words Who s/Whose Who s contraction for who is or who has Whose possessive Who s watching whose video?
Commonly Confused Words Your/You re Your possessive You re contraction for you are You re going to have to use your own car.
Commonly Confused Words Since/Sense Since indicates a time span Sense five senses, common sense Jane sensed more stress in Paul ever since he came back from New York.
Commonly Confused Words Threw/Through Threw past tense of the verb throw Through preposition Colton threw his football through the goal post.
Commonly Confused Words A/An A used before consonant sounds An used before vowel sounds An RN student will have a heavy class load. A registered nursing student will have an awfully hard schedule her first semester.
Commonly Confused Words Ever/Every Ever at all times; at any time Every each Have you ever wondered if the dolphins come close to shore every day?
Commonly Confused Words Definitely Not definantly Not definately Not defiantly (which means acting against authority) Behaving defiantly to your parents will definitely get you grounded!
Commonly Confused Words Right/Write Right opposite of left; correct Write verb My best friend was right! It is important to write down all the math formulas.
Commonly Confused Words Allowed/Aloud Allowed with permission Aloud - verbally The children weren t allowed talk during class aloud.
Number Usage Spell out numbers when: You can do so in one or two words eight; twenty-seven; three thousand Hyphenate any number between twenty-one and ninety-nine They begin a sentence One hundred thirty instructors attended the webinar. We invited 125 guests to the retirement party.
Number Usage Use digits: When a number cannot be expressed in one or two words (670; 20,333) In addresses (765 East Three Notch Street) In dates (December 25, 2015; the 1920s) In decimals and fractions (30.6; 3 ) Parts of written works (chapter 6; page 123) Percentages (65 percent; 65%)
In a Series or List Parallel = same grammatical form nouns: Please get bread and milk at the store. same-tense verbs: The football coach told us to run, walk, and then jog the length of the football field. ing verbs: Reading and writing your notes are good study tools. infinitive phrases: I promised my dad to clean out the garage, to take out the garbage and to mow the lawn.
In a Series or List Singing, smiling, and to laugh are important for good mental health. Singing, smiling, and laughing are important for good mental health. She is a terrible welder because she skips classes, performs welds improperly, and her work ethic is poor. She is a terrible welder because she skips classes, performs welds improperly, and , and lacks work ethic.
On a Resume Headings and verbs should be parallel Job titles are parallel nouns June 2011-present Welder, Shaw Industries Repair and install storage tanks Machine operator, Caterpillar Operated front end loader and supervised crew. Parallel present- tense verbs because applicant is currently employed July 2008-May 2010 Parallel past-tense verbs because applicant is no longer employed at these jobs April 2005-June 2008 Cashier, IGA Worked at register and bagged groceries.
PRONOUN-ANTECEDENT AGREEMENT
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Antecedent = the person, place, or thing to which the pronoun refers. Grandpa took his car out of the shop. George, Henry, and Susan turned in their report. His, him, her, and one refer to singular nouns. Their, themand people refer to plural nouns.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Pronouns and antecedents must agree in number Singular: A welder must perform (their/his or her) best to get a good job. A president should inspire citizens to believe in (them/him or her). Plural: Welders must perform (their/his or her) best to get a good job. Presidents are people who can inspire citizens to believe in (them/him or her).
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Indefinite pronouns are considered singular Someone sent (their/his or her) letter to the wrong address. Everyone in fitness class completed (their/his or her) mile run. Each of the dogs (are/is) doing (their/her) great in training.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Repeatedly using his or her, him or her, and one sounds awkward. Everyone in yoga did his or her best. All of the yoga students did their best. One must study properly to pass his or her NUR103 class. NUR103 students must study properly to pass the nursing class.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Ambiguous reference occurs when the pronoun could refer to more than one antecedent After I connected the VCR to the television, it exploded. After I connected the VCR to the television, the VCR exploded.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Use you only when referring to your reader Use who or whom (not that ) when referring to people
Pronouns Replace people s names: I, me, my, mine, we, us, our, ours, they, theirs, you, your, yours, he, him, his, she, her, hers Think back to the Me/I trick My nephew always tags along with my friends and (me/I). Pretend no one else is in the list
Pronouns The toddlers were excited to eat (my/mine) and your cupcakes. (Us/We) students get tired of school, too! (They/Them) and their younger sister cheer for Auburn.
Pronouns You and (her/she) should work on the research paper together. (Your/You) and her welding beads are good quality. (Her/She) and George have finished the Electronics exam.
Reflexive Pronouns Take the place of nouns when they do something to themselves end in self (singular) or selves (plural) MacKenzie registered herself for MTH101. Daulton and Colton was singing to themselves.
Reflexive Pronouns YES!!! Myself Yourself Yourselves Ourselves Themselves Himself Herself Itself NOOOOOOOO!! Hisself Ourself Theirself Theirselves
SENTENCES AND PUNCTUATION
Dependent vs. Independent Clauses A dependent clause usually begins with a subordinating word and does contain at least one subject and verb. When I was eighteen. After I finish washing and waxing the car. An independent clause contains a subject and a verb, but it also expresses a complete thought. I loved playing Monopoly. I plan to watch a movie. Dependent clauses and independent clauses can be combined. I loved playing Monoploy when I was eighteen. After I finish washing and waxing the car, I plan to watch a movie.
Sentence Fragments A fragment occurs when a dependent clause begins with a subordinating word and is NOT attached to an independent clause. I am planning on living at the beach. Because I like the sound of the waves. If you have this type of fragment, you have two options to correct it: 1. Attach the dependent clause to a related independent clause: I am planning on living at the beach because I like the sound of the waves. Because I like the sound of the waves, I am planning on living at the beach. If you begin a sentence with a subordinating word like I did here, place a comma before the independent clause. 2. Remove the subordinating word: I am planning on living at the beach. I like the sound of the waves.
Sentence Fragments, continued Fragments also occur if a clause is simply missing a subject or a verb. If the sentence is missing a subject, add one. Just tried to change the channel. I just tried to change the channel. If the sentence is missing a complete verb, add one. The welding course becoming difficult until my instructor demonstrated the weld procedure. The welding course was becoming difficult until my instructor demonstrated the weld procedure.
Comma Sense Parenthetical Information and Interrupters Provide extra explanation which could be removed from the sentence without affecting its meaning My nephew, who is in seventh grade, is a huge Alabama fan. The man in the red baseball cap waved frantically. By exercising thirty minutes per day, of course, people can greatly improve their health. If you eat ice cream every night, however, you still may not lose weight.
