Writing Elements A Quick Guide to Grammar and Usag.docxericbrooks84875
Writing Elements
A Quick Guide to Grammar and Usage
Timothy P. Goss and Sabrina M. Goss
1
Using this Guide
Before we get started, you should note that this guide is, in no way, a comprehensive exploration
of grammar and usage. Many guides are available that will provide a much richer and fuller
understanding of the components of language usage. Instead, this guide has been designed to
help you, in a quick and efficient way, avoid some of the more common errors people make in
their writing.
It is a good idea to review this entire guide several times until the information becomes second-
nature. Having a good grasp on the basic rules of grammar and usage will make a big difference
in how your writing will be received in your academic and professional careers. It may even help
your love life, but probably not really help you teach your dog how to say, “Fiddlesticks” (every
piece of writing has its limitations).
Enjoy this journey.
2
Table of Contents
Clarity and Style:
1. Parts of Speech 3
2. Verbs and Verbals 4
3. Commonly Misused Words 5
4. Point of View: First, Second, and Third Person 6
5. Past and Present Tenses 6
6. Clichés 7
7. Sexist Language 7
8. Slang/Jargon 8
Grammar:
1. Subject/Verb Agreement 8
2. Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement 9
3. Sentence Fragments 9
4. Run-On Sentences 10
Punctuation:
1. Commas 11
2. Semicolons 12
Mechanics:
1. Abbreviations 12
2. Numbers 12
General Advice 13
3
Parts of Speech
All words in the English language have a particular duty to perform in a sentence or clause.
These parts work in concert with one another to create meaning. We can look at the way words
work in a sentence by either their function or by their form or definition.
By Function:
1. Verbs: These words determine the action that is being related (all sentences/clauses must
do something).
2. Nouns and Pronouns: These words serve as the thing doing the action (subject), or the
thing having the action done to it (object).
3. Modifiers (Adjectives and Adverbs): These words describe another word to help
distinguish or clarify the meaning being related.
4. Prepositions: These words shows how one word or phrase relates to another
5. Articles: These words are connected to nouns and determine the vagueness of specificity
of the noun.
6. Conjunctions: These words join clauses together.
7. Interjections: These words serve to express strong emotion.
By Form or Definition:
1. Verb: An action word. For example: Speak, run, fight, asked, claimed, and rocked.
2. Noun: A part of speech that stands for a person, place, thing, or idea. For example:
Truck, house, loss, ring, air, and sandwich.
3. Pronoun: Takes the place of a noun. For example: I, he, she, we, i.
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Verb simularities
1. Verb Simularities
In this lesson, we are going to discover a few verbs that
have similar meanings in English but are used in different
situations in Hebrew. It will be a somewhat short lesson.
2. Differences between מדבר/אומר
The two verbs that convey communication in Hebrew are
מדבר and אומר . These words have basically the same
meaning, but there are subtle differences.
The verb מדבר means “talk” or “speak”. מדבר may be
followed by a preposition such as עם (with) or על (on/about).
דוד מדבר עם שרה David speaks with Sarah.
הם מדברים על עוף They are talking about Chicken.
היא מדברת אל דוד She speaks to David.
The verb אומר means “say”. Only אומר can be used for
introducing a quoted phrase:
דוד אומר "אני הולך לגן החיות". David says “I go to the zoo”.
3. Differences between מדבר/אומר
We have discussed the infinitive form of מדבר already since
it is a פיעל verb. The infinitive is regular hashlamim and is
written like this: לדבר (ledaber).
However, the infinitive of אומר is irregular and it is one of the
few verbs that don’t follow the gizra it belongs to. (In this
case, it would fall into the 1st א gizra).
The infinitive of אומר is לומר (lomar). It follows more closely
to a pi’el verb than the pa’al verb that it is, but the vowel
changes are not consistent with pi’el 3rd א verbs either, which
we will cover later. Memorize this infinitive form because it is
used very often.
4. Differences between מכיר/יודע
Another couple words that have a similar meaning are יודע
(know) and מכיר (know). As you can see, they both mean
“know” in English, but have very different uses in Hebrew.
The word יודע (yode’a) is used when you are using either a
question word or a name of a language.
אני יודע אנגלית I know english.
אני יודע מה ללבוש I know what to wear.
The word מכיר (makir) is used with people, places, and
things.
אני מכיר את דוד I know David.
אתה מכיר את הכלב הזה? You know this dog?
