Transcript Slide 1
A versus An a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a boy an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an elephant a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound: a user (sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e. begins with a consonant 'y' sound, so 'a' is used) some + plural noun: some girls If the noun is modified by an adjective, the choice between a and an depends on the initial sound of the adjective that immediately follows the article: a broken egg an unusual problem a European country (sounds like 'yer-o-pi-an,' i.e. begins with consonant 'y' sound) Note also that in English, the indefinite articles are used to indicate membership in a profession, nation, or religion. Seiko is a practicing Buddhist. Day 2 Use of a Colon before a List One use of a colon is to introduce a list. Make sure not to use a colon directly after a preposition or a verb. If you wish to use a colon add the words the following after the verb or preposition. Commonly Confused Words: Its versus It's Its is used for possession. It's means "it is." Both are regular--meaning they fit into a pattern. His not Hi's Her not He'r Its not Hi's He's She's It's means means He is She is means It is Capitalization of Proper Nouns Proper nouns name specific people, places and things and are capitalized. If a noun is general, it is not a proper noun and is not capitalized. Day 3 Faulty Subordination Subordinating an idea in a sentences means that the writer considers it less important than another idea. Make sure that the subordinate clause is really subordinate. For example, make sure the subordinate clause is really the cause of the event in the main clause. Because she did not understand Spanish, Mila disregarded the warning not to eat the pretty flower. NOT Because Mila disregarded the warning not to eat the flower, she did not understand Spanish. Unclear Antecedent An antecedent is the noun to which a pronoun refers. If the antecedent is uncleardifficult to decide the noun to which the pronoun refers-correct the pronoun by using a specific noun in its place. If the pronouns you and they are used, make sure that there is actually an antecedent identifiable in the passage. Day 4 Comma after Introductory Phrases Use a comma after a phrase that introduces a sentence. Sequence of Verb Tenses In a sentence with two clauses, the verbs must show simultaneous occurance or sequence of occurance. If one verb is in the past and another verb occured before it, the verb that occured first needs to be in the pluperfect or past perfect tense (using the helping verbs had, has etcetera). Because she had murdered him, Myron did not come to Sally's party. NOT Because she murdered him, Myron did not come to Sally's party. Possession of Nouns Nouns take either an 's or an s' to show possession. Day 5 Demonstrative Adjectives Demonstrative adjectives are adjectives that indicate specific nouns (that, this, these, those). Do not put the words there or here after a demonstrative adjective in formal writing. Coordinating Conjunctions A coordinating conjunction is a word which joins together two independent clauses (has both a subject and predicate) that are equally important. A comma comes before the conjunction. The most common coordinating conjunctions are the following: and--joins two similar ideas but--joins two contrasting ideas or--joins two alternative ideas so--shows that the second idea is the result of the firstnor nor--joins two negative alternatives for--meaning because yet--meaning but Misplaced Modifiers Modifiers give additional information. They need to be close to the word or words that they modify. A misplaced modifier is one that is not close to the word or words that it modifies. A misplaced modifier can cause confusion for the reader and should be moved close to the word or words it modifies. "The Raven" Skills and Explanations Day 1 Punctuating titles Put quotations marks around the titles of essays, short stories, poems, one-act plays, songs, newspaper articles and magazine articles. Underline or italicize the titles of book-length works, book-length poems, full-length plays, album or CD titles, titles of movies and names of newspapers and magazines. Commonly Misspelled Word--Harass The word only has one r, not two. Harass Correct Harrass Incorrect End Punctuation of Sentences Sentences must have some form of end punctuation--a period, a question mark or an exclamation point.