Grammar and Writing in the Workplace

Janet Allen
janetsusanallen@gmail.com

 Review Commonly Confused Words
 Review Subject-Verb Agreement
 Review Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Write to Your Audience
 Create Readable Text
 Use Active Voice
2

 Be Present and Focused
• Phones
• Side conversations
• Other work
• Return on time
 Respect Airtime
• Don’t dominate
• 3-before-me
 Focus on what you can do.
 Everyone participates.
3

Name
Position
Why are you here?
Special Interest
4

Audience: Your Boss
Speaker: The most professional version of
yourself.
Purpose: To convince your boss to allow
you to attend an all-expenses paid
work conference in an exotic
location.
5

Small Errors = Big Repercussions
Lose credibility with coworkers
Create bad impressions with clients
Cost money (ruin marketing materials)
Waste time (confused communication)
9

HOMOPHONES HOMONYMS
 A word pronounced the
same as another word but
differs in meaning, and may
differ in spelling.
 Rose and Rose
 To, Too, and Two
 Caret, Carat, and Carrot
^
 A group of words that share
the same spelling and
pronunciation, but have
different meanings
(homographs and
homophones).
 Stalk (plant, creepy)
 Left (go away, not right)
 Skate (sport, fish)
 Row (exercise, argument,
seating arrangement)
10

 With a partner, create a visual display to
demonstrate the differences between your set
of commonly confused words.
 Please include the following:
• a heading
• explanations of each word
• written examples of how each word should be used
• symbols or pictures to help our understanding
 Each pair will teach the class as experts
11

AFFECT EFFECT
 Most of the time:
• verb
• to influence
 EX. The rain affected Amy's
hairdo.
 Sometimes:
• verb
• to act in a way that you don't
feel
 EX. She affected an air of
superiority.
 Most of the time:
• noun
• a result
 EX. The rain had no effect on
Amy's hairdo.
 Sometimes:
• verb
• to bring about or to
accomplish
 EX. Bill hoped to effect change
within congress.
12

FARTHER FURTHER
 Physical Distance
 “Farther” has the word “far”
in it, and “far” obviously
relates to physical distance.
 EX. I ran a 5k last week, but
I know I will run farther when
I train for a marathon.
 Metaphorical/Figurative
Distance
 EX. If you complain further, I
won’t buy dinner!
 TIP: If you can't decide
which one to use, you're
safer using further because
farther has some
restrictions.
14

TO TOO
 Express direction; identify
the recipient of something
 EX. I can’t walk from here to
there without the dog
following me to beg for food.
 An excessive amount; in
addition
 EX. I ate too much.
 EX. She ate too much too!
 TIP: Excessive, additional
amount of o’s
 TIP: Replace with “also”
TWO
The number
15

ACCEPT EXCEPT
 to receive
 EX. He accepted tea from
Annette without looking at
her.”
 Accept something by giving
it an A, or exclude it with a
big fat X for except.
 to exclude (unless)
 used incorrectly more often
 EX. He defined solitary
confinement as an inmate
being held in isolation from
all except guards for at least 22
hours a day. ”
 EX. But color excepted, he
made about the same figure in
the street next day.
16

THEN THAN
 Then = time
• next
• at that time
 EX. We ate and then we
went to the movies.
 EX. Movies were a lot
cheaper back then.
 Than = comparison
 EX. I have more cookies
than she has.
 Both than and comparison
have the letter "a" in them,
and then and time both have
the letter "e."
17

PASSED PAST
 Past tense of to pass:
• To be successful
• To hand over
• To move past (confusing!)
 EX. She passed the exam with
distinction.
 EX. The sail boat passed us
swiftly.
 To test whether passed is
correct, substitute it with went
past. If your sentence still makes
sense, then passed is the correct
version.
 Several meanings:
• time before the present
• from one side to the other
side
 EX. The past year has been
difficult.
 EX. Alan ran past the gate
into the driveway.
18

LEAD LED
 Lead (rhymes with bead)
• being in charge or in front
 EX. Lead the team onto the
field.
 Lead (rhymes with bed)
• a soft, toxic metal
 EX. Lead paint must be
removed by professionals.
 Past tense of the verb to
lead is led.
• Confusion arises
because lead (a soft toxic
metal) is pronounced led.
 EX. He led the cavalry over
the hill.
 EX. The dog led the puppies
to safety.
19

WHO WHOM
 Subject of the sentence.
 He loves you. (“He” is the
subject of the sentence.)
 EX. Who loves you? (“Who”
is the subject of the
sentence.)
 Object of the sentence.
 I love him. (“Him” is the
object of the sentence.)
 EX. You love whom?
(“Whom” is the object of the
sentence.)
TIP: If you can't remember that you use "whom" when you
are referring to the object of the sentence, just remember
that "him" equals "whom.” They both end in “m.”
20

GOOD WELL
 Adjective – describes a
noun
 EX. The good boy cleaned
his plate.
 EX. I am good.
• It’s standard to use
adjectives after linking verbs
(i.e. forms of to be).
• EX. He is happy.
 Adverb – describes a verb
 EX. He swam well.
 I am well.
• Usually reserved for
describing your health.
21

YOUR YOU’RE
 Possessive form of “you”
 EX. Your dog is loose!
 Remember that other
possessive pronouns (my,
mine, his, hers, ours, and
theirs) don’t have
apostrophes either.
 Contraction of “you” and
“are”
 In contractions, the
apostrophe takes the place
of the missing letter.
 EX. You’re crazy!
22

COMPLIMENT COMPLEMENT
 A flattering remark or a
courtesy
 EX. The mini-bar is never
complimentary.
 To remember the difference
between the spellings of these
words, be a nice person and
tell yourself:
I like to give compliments.
 A full crew or set; when
something complements
something else, it goes well
together.
 EX. The seashell frame
complements the photo of
us at the beach.
 EX. I have the full
complement of Le Creuset
bakeware.
23

PRECEDE PROCEED
 Cede = to go
 Pre = before
 EX. Thanksgiving sales
precede Christmas sales in
most stores.
 Cede = to go
 Pro = forward
 EX. Despite the chaos in the
ring, the horses procede
through the gate calmly.
24

IMPLY INFER
 To hint at something rather
than saying it directly.
 From an Old French word that
meant “to enfold.”
 Implied statement = hidden or
folded into what was actually
said.
 EX. I don’t mean to imply that
you’re lazy, but get to work!
 To deduce some meaning that
was left unsaid
 From a Latin word that means
“to bring in.”
 Think of readers using their
own minds to bring in a
meaning not explicitly stated.
 EX. From the many clues,
Sherlock can infer that the
murderer is a family member.
25

LESS FEWER
 Usually used with mass nouns
 Mass noun = things that can’t
be counted individually (clutter,
tape, furniture) or made plural
(furnitures? NO)
 EX. She has less furniture than
I do.
 Exceptions: time, money, and
distance
 Use with count nouns
 Count noun = something you
can count (books, pens,
groceries)
 EX. She has three fewer books
than she did yesterday.
 TIP: The words "less" and
"mass" both have four letters,
and the words "fewer" and
"count" both have five letters.
26

FORMER LATTER
 First of two things
mentioned
 First + Former = start with F
 EX. Kevin found canned
tuna and chocolates in the
cupboard and threw out the
former (he hates tuna).
 Last of two things mentioned
 Latter + Last = start with L
 Janet found ice cream and
carrots in the fridge and
knew she should eat the
latter to be healthy.
27

LIE LAY
 No direct object required
 EX. Lie down on the sofa.
 Requires a direct object
(noun to receive the action)
 EX. Lay the book on the
table.
 TIP: Think of the phrase “lay
it on me.” You're laying
something (it, the direct
object) on me.
28

THERE THEIR
 Refers to location
 EX. There is a line for the
bathroom.
 TIP: Has the word “here” in it.
 Shows ownership
 EX. I can’t believe their child
is a genius.
 TIP: Replace with “our”
THEY’RE
Contraction of “they” and “are”
The apostrophe takes the place of the missing letter “a.”
29

I ME
 Subject pronoun – the one
“doing” the verb
EX. I am studying grammar.
 Jenny and (me/I) joined the
chess club.
 Take away the other person
and see if it’s correct.
• Me joined the chess club.
• I joined the chess club.
 Object pronoun – the receiver
of the action of the verb.
EX. Jackie encouraged me to
try out for the play.
 Jill took Justin and (me/I) to the
shop.
 Take away the other person
and see if it’s correct.
• Jill took me to the shop.
• Jill took I to the shop.
30

 Regardless means “without regard.”
Putting “ir” in front means “without without
regard.” Irregardless is not standard
English.
I could care less. (No!)
My head literally exploded! (No, it didn’t.)
Home in (target) or hone (sharpen).
31

The use of cell phones and pagers are
prohibited.
34

The subject of a sentence is who or what
is doing or being something.
You can find the subject if you can find the
verb. Ask, "Who or what 'verbs' or
'verbed'?" and the answer to that question
is the subject.
They laughed.
35

Verbs show:
 Action
• runs
• is going
• has been painting
 Emotion
• Loves
• Envies
 State of Being
• Am
• Is
• Are
• Was
36

 In sentences, subjects and verbs MUST
agree with each other in number
(singular/plural).
Think about it like balancing two sides of
an equation. (1+ 7) = (4+4) OR 1 = 1
37

How can you make sure your subject and
verb agree? Practice!
1. Simply find your subject and circle just
the word (or words) that form the
subject—and ignore everything else.
2. Underline the verb and check if subject
and verb match.
38

Indefinite pronouns do not refer to any
particular person, amount, or thing.
Always Singular Always Plural Singular or Plural
Ends in –one, -body, -thing
anybody, anyone, anything
nobody, no one, nothing, one
somebody, someone, something
everybody, everyone, everything
each, either, neither
little, much, other, another
Both
Few
Many
Others
Several
All
Any
More
Most
None
Some
39

If the indefinite pronoun is one that can be
singular OR plural:
1. Take note of the noun or nouns it refers
to.
2. If the nouns referenced are singular, then
the verb will be singular.
3. If the nouns referenced are plural, then
the verb will be plural.
40

Each of the boys has their own savings
account.
42

Takes the place of one or more nouns
PERSONAL PRONOUNS
(take the place of common
and proper nouns)
Singular Plural
First Person I, Me We, Us
Second Person You You
Third Person She, Her, He, Him, It They, Them
DEMONSTRATIVE
PRONOUNS (things)
Singular Plural
Nearby Things This These
Faraway Things That Those
Don’t forget about indefinite pronouns from a few slides
ago!
43

REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS Singular Plural
First Person Myself Ourselves
Second Person Yourself Yourselves
Third Person Himself, Herself, Itself Themselves
POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS Singular Plural
Used Before Nouns My, Your, His, Her, Its Our, Your, Their
Used Alone Mine, Yours, His, Hers Ours, Yours,
Theirs
OTHER PRONOUNS
Relative Pronouns That, Which, Who, Whom, Whose, Whichever,
Whoever, Whomever
Interrogative Pronouns What, Who, Which, Whom, Whose
44

The antecedent is the noun that the
pronoun is replacing or referring to.
46

A pronoun MUST agree with its antecedent
in number, gender, and person.
A singular antecedent must be replaced by a
singular pronoun.
A plural antecedent must be replaced by a
plural pronoun.
47

 Singular antecedents joined by AND require a PLURAL
pronoun.
EX. John and Dave found their phones and left.
 Singular antecedents joined by OR/NOR require a
pronoun that agrees with the gender and number of
the antecedent nearer to it.
EX. Mary nor Billy has turned in his report.
 Indefinite Pronoun rules apply the same as they did for
subject-verb agreement.
48

Include relevant information
Apply the appropriate tone
Organize information
 Influence/persuade effectively
Use appropriate vocabulary
51

Writer = Message = Audience
52

Objective: To raise awareness of the rhetorical
situation and audience when developing tone.
Directions
1. You and two partners will be assigned a situation,
voice, and audience.
2. You will compose a letter in the voice of the
persona, conveying the situation to the audience.
Think about the kind of language that person or
group would understand or use most.
3. You have 20 minutes to write before sharing out.
53

1847-1911
Newspaper Publisher
“Put it before them briefly so they will
read it, clearly so they will appreciate it,
picturesquely so they will remember it
and, above all, accurately so they will be
guided by its light.”
55

Use concise language.
Organize information into chunks.
Use proper e-mail etiquette.
56

DO DON’T
 K.I.S.S.
 Be polite, but get right to the
point.
 Omit any unnecessary
information or redundancy.
 Revise with an eye toward
finding language that could
be misconstrued or
misunderstood.
 Don’t bold, underline,
italicize or capitalize entire
words or phrases.
 Don’t use fancy fonts,
colors, emoticons or other
graphics.
 Don’t rely solely on spell
check.
57

NOT CONCISE CONCISE
At this point in time we can’t
ascertain the reason as to
why the screen door was left
open.
We don’t know why the screen
door was left open.
58

2. My sister, a nutritionist at the University of Michigan,
recommends daily megadoses of Vitamin C.
3. Because Congressman Fuenches was exhausted by his last
campaign, voters expected he would not seek re-election.
4. We hope for an appropriate tribute to Professor Espinoza.
5. We want a spring recess to escape our studies.
6. Honest and hard working, Joe was never idle.
7. Explain predestination.
59

8. When will a downturn in the stock market affect
society?
9. Our President, formerly the Governor of Arkansas, is
a Southerner.
10. Millions of fans desperately want the Hartford
Whalers to stay in the city.
11. Bothered by allergies, some children missed several
days in nursery school this spring.
12. Training for nursery school teachers involves
interacting with preschoolers and role playing with
peers.
60

DO DON’T
 Organize information into chunks.
 No smaller or larger than size 12
font.
 Use headings and sub-headings
(bold).
• Questions are often good
subheadings.
 Break up text using bullet points.
 Design each chunk consistently.
 Don’t forget your audience—
put the most important
information first.
 Don’t include too many
different ideas in one
paragraph.
 Don’t include unexplained
words in your headings.
 Don’t list more than 3-8
items in a group.
61

In an active sentence, the subject is doing
the action.
Example: "Steve loves Amy."
Steve = subject
He is doing the action.
Amy = the object being loved
65

1. Lightning struck the school.
2. This morning the police arrested the burglar.
3. Hydrocarbons cause one type of air
pollution.
4. Mr. Patel and his children prepared an
elaborate supper for the miners.
5. The Mad Hatter stole the cookies.
66

6. F.L. Olmsted and Calbert Vaux designed New York
City's Central Park in 1857.
7. The court decided that the contract was invalid.
8. A janitor who was allergic to dust invented the first
commercially successful portable vacuum cleaner.
9. King Francis I of France purchased the Mona
Lisa after Leonardo da Vinci's death.
10. British author George Orwell wrote the allegorical
novel Animal Farm during World War II.
67

Choose one of the following
options to demonstrate your
understanding of:
 Commonly Confused Words
 Subject-Verb Agreement
 Pronoun-Antecedent
Agreement
 Know Your Audience
 Make Text Readable
 Use Active Voice
1. Write a letter to your boss
explaining why you
deserve a raise and/or
promotion.
2. Write a letter to a coworker
to convince him or her to
work with you on a special
project.
3. Write a letter explaining
your job to a new
employee who will replace
you when you retire or get
promoted.
68

Trade your letter with a partner.
1. What, in terms of today’s sessions, is the
writer doing well?
2. What, in terms of today’s sessions, does
the writer need to focus on in the future?
3. Final thoughts?
69

Sentence Structure
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/623/01/
http://www.irsc.edu/uploadedfiles/students/academicsupportcenter/writinglab/pa
rallel-structure.pdf
Comma Usage
http://www.englishforeveryone.org/PDFs/Commas.pdf
https://www.sinclair.edu/centers/tlc/pub/handouts_worksheets/grammar_punctu
ation_writing/comma_practice_comma_usage.pdf
Semicolon Usage
https://www.sinclair.edu/centers/tlc/pub/handouts_worksheets/grammar_punctu
ation_writing/semicolon_usage.pdf
http://www.ics.uci.edu/~dramanan/teaching/ics139w_fall10/semicolons_colons.
pdf
70

Grammar and Writing in the Workplace

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