Transcript Slide 1
The Short Story Principles and Skills Proper Nouns Proper nouns name specific people, places and things and are capitalized. Spelling of Plural Nouns 1. Add an -s to form the plural of most words. stereo--stereos elephant-elephants 2. For words that end in a "hissing" sound (-s, -z, -x, -ch, -sh), add an -es to form the plural. box--boxes church--churches 3. If the word ends in a vowel plus -y (-ay, -ey, -iy, -oy, -uy), add an -s to the word. tray--trays key--keys 4. If the word ends in a consonant plus -y, change the -y into -ie and add an -s to form the plural. enemy--enemies baby--babies 5. For words that end in -is, change the -is to -es to make the plural form. synopsis--synopses; thesis--theses 6. Some words that end in -f or -fe have plurals that end in -ves. knife-knives; self--selves 7. The plurals of words ending in -o are formed by either adding -s or by adding -es. The plurals of many words can be formed either way. To determine whether a particular word ends in -s or -es (or if the word can be spelled either way), check your dictionary or the list below. There are two helpful rules: a. All words that end in a vowel plus -o (-ao, -eo, -io, -oo, -uo) have plurals that end in just -s: stereo--stereos; studio--studios; duo--duos b. All musical terms ending in -o have plurals ending in just -s. piano--pianos; cello--cellos; solo--solos c. Plural forms of words ending in –o albinos armadillos autos bravos broncos cantos casinos -os combos gazebos infernos kimonos logos marachinos ponchos sombreros tacos torsos tabaccos typos -oes echoes embargoes heroes potatoes tomatoes torpedoes vetoes -os or -oes avocados/oes ghettos/ghettoes mullatoes/os buffaloes/os hoboes/os cargoes/os innuendos/oes palmettoes/os desperados/oe lassoes/os peccadillos/oes dodoes/os mangos/oes tornadoes/os dominos/oes mottos/oes volcanoes/os grottos/oes mosquitoes/os zeros/oes Possession of Nouns Nouns take either an 's or an s' to show possession. Titles of Book-length Works The titles of books or book-length works are italicized if word processed or underlined if written by hand. Subject and Verb Agreement Use has with singular subjects and have with plural subjects. Active Voice versus Passive Voice Active voice has the subject doing something to the object. Passive voice has something being done to the subject by an unknown agent or by something in the prepositional phrase by _______________. Use active voice as much as possible. Only use passive when you have a specific reason. Period with an Initial When an initial is used in a name, a period goes after the letter. Commas in a Series When one has a group of elements that are coordinate and in series, there must be commas between the elements. The comma before the conjunction and the final element is optional. End Punctuation of Sentences Sentences must have some form of end punctuation--a period, a question mark or an exclamation point. First Word of a Sentence The first word of a sentence must be capitalized. Appositive An appositive is a word or phrase following a noun that gives the noun another name. Commas go around appositives that do not add necessary information to the sentence. Dr. Benway, my personal physician, was arrested for many offenses. Correct Comparison of Adjectives When something is said to be the ___________ of all, use the superlative (most or _____est). Wrote versus written Use wrote when the act of writing was accomplished in the past. Use a helping verb and written if the action is ongoing or completed prior to an action in the past Commonly Confused Words: Your versus You're Your is used as the possessive form of the pronoun you. You're is a contraction meaning you are. Exclamation Point The exclamation point is used after an interjection or at the end of a sentence showing strong emotion. Introductory Phrases Use a comma after a phrase that introduces a sentence.