Grammar for Life Rules and Examples

Common Sense 3  Rule: Use commas to separate items in a series of three or more things.  Wrong answer: I played my three favorite sports this weekend: baseball, basketball, football.  Right answer: I played my three favorite sports this weekend: baseball, basketball, and football.

 Use a comma to separate items in a series of three or more things.  Wrong answer: At the park there were people playing Frisbee having a picnic cat playing with a duck.  Correct answer : At the park there were people playing Frisbee, having a picnic, and a cat playing with a duck.

Redundancy To keep writing clear and effective, it its important to avoid redundancy, or unnecessary repetition – Incorrect: The expensive watch was on sale for a lot of money. – Correct Option # 1: The expensive watch was on sale. Correct Option # 2: The watch was on sale for a lot of money.

Vary Your Sentences Add an adverb to the beginning of a sentence The boy snuck into the room. Quietly, the boy snuck into the room.

Vary Your Sentences 2 Move a prepositional phase to the beginning of a sentence. Jay walks her dog lucky everyday after school. Everyday after school, Jay walks her dog lucky.

 Link two sentences to form a compound sentence.  Incorrect: My sister said she would be ready thirty minutes ago. Now we are late!  Correct: My sister said she would be ready thirty minutes ago, and now we are late! COMPOUND SENTENCES

Rule: A modifier is a word or group of words that modifies, or describes, another word or group of words in a sentence Concept: A modifier should always appear next to the word it modifies Incorrect: Covered in syrup, Grandma brought the pancakes into the kitchen. Correct 1: Grandma brought the pancakes, which were covered in syrup, into the kitchen. Correct 2: Grandma brought the syrup covered pancakes into the kitchen.