Chapter Section A: Verb Basics Section B: Pronoun Basics Section C: Parallel Structure Section D: Using Modifiers Effectively The Writer’s Handbook: Grammar for Writing

Section A: Verb Basics  Verbs tell time:  In English, verbs indicate whether an event happened in the past, is happening in the present, or will happen in the future.  Verb parts (or verb forms) are developed from the base form of the verb, often referred to as the infinitive.  For example: to go, to see, to be, to say, to translate, and so on... © 2014 The Writer’s Toolkit, Inc. All rights reserved.

Verbs in Past Time  When using verbs in past time, do not use a helper verb with the past form; however, use a helper verb with the past participle.  This rule applies to all verbs, but focus on irregular verbs as their past tense and past participle forms are different from each other. For example: Mary took the lead after Bob had spoken about the issues.

Verbs are regular or irregular.  Verbs are categorized as regular or irregular based on how their past parts are formed.  When using regular verbs in past time, add –ed to the base to form the past and past participle; all verbs formed differently are considered irregular. For example: BasePastPast Participle walkwalkedhad walked (regular) speakspokehad spoken (irregular) writewrotehad written (regular)

Third Person Singular: The –S Form  In simple present tense, apply the –s form correctly to third person singular verbs.  For example: Marty buys a paper every day as he walks to the train station. Can you think of a few more examples?

Use Verb Tense Consistently  Keep verbs in a consistent tense; in other words, do not shift verb tense unnecessarily. For example: Incorrect:Alisha says that they went to the meeting at 11 a.m. Revised: Alisha said that they went to the meeting at 11 a.m. Can you think of more examples?

Section B: Pronoun Basics  A pronoun is a word that is used in place of a noun or another pronoun. For example:  Tony walked Tony’s dog to Tony’s grandmother’s house in Tony’s neighborhood.  Tony walked his dog to his grandmother’s house in his neighborhood.

Case and Point of View  Pronouns have cases rather than tenses.  The basic pronoun cases are:  Subjective  Objective  Possessive  Reflexive

Pronoun Case  Pronoun case is determined by the pronoun’s function in a sentence.  Subjective case pronouns function as subjects of verbs.  Objective case pronouns function as objects.  Possessive case pronouns show possession.  Reflexive case pronouns reflect back to subjective case pronouns.

Pronouns and their Antecedents  Pronouns must agree with their antecedents.  Antecedents are words to which a pronoun refers.  In the following example, managers is the antecedent of they and their: All managers said that they would submit their monthly progress reports on time.

Pronoun Viewpoint  Pronouns must have a consistent point of view (or viewpoint).  Viewpoint emanates from a subjective case pronoun.  When a writer establishes a point of view, the point of view should remain consistent. For example: Incorrect: I like to jog because it’s good for you. Revised:I like to jog because it’s good for me.

Pronouns and Gender Bias  When speaking from a point of view, do not express gender bias; keep your writing gender neutral.  To make your writing flow better, take out pronoun references when writing from a singular perspective. For example: A manager should give his or her employees opportunities to share responsibility. Revised:A manager should give employees opportunities to share responsibility.

 When possible, write from a plural perspective. For example: We should give our employees opportunities to share responsibility.  Use the “you” point of view to communicate directly and personally to your readers. For example: (You) Give your employees opportunities to share responsibility.

Section C: Parallel Structure  Parallel structure:  Relates to putting similar sentence elements in the same form.  Creates flow and consistency.  Makes your writing readable and your ideas stand out.

Parallelism: Words  Present lists of items in the same grammatical form. Incorrect: Charley’s favorite activities are golfing, to fish, and going swimming. Revised: Charley’s favorite activities are golfing, fishing, and swimming. Revised: Charley’s favorite activities are to golf, fish, and swim.

Parallelism: Phrases  When related phrases appear, they should be put in the same form. Incorrect: Meeting activities included screening new applicants and a review of department policies. Revised: Meeting activities included screening new applicants and reviewing department policies.

Parallelism: Clauses  Sentences often consist of two or more clauses: focus on focus on keeping the verbs in the same tense and voice. Incorrect: He caught the flight to Denver, but then his flight to Dallas was missed. Revised: He caught the flight to Denver, but then he missed his flight to Dallas.

Correlative Conjunctions  Correlative conjunctions come in pairs:  not... but  not only... but also  either... or  neither... nor  both... and Incorrect: We will not only trade for your account but also are providing monthly reports. Parallel: We not only will trade for your account but also will provide monthly reports.

Section D: Using Modifiers Effectively  A modifier is a word or group of words that describes a noun or a verb.  Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns.  Adverbs (which often end in ly) modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

Modifiers for Action and State of Being  Modify nouns and pronouns with adjectives; modify verbs with adverbs. Here are examples of adjectives modifying nouns: The new conference room has pretty, comfortable chairs. Here are examples of adverbs modifying verbs: The computer runs well. Go forward cautiously forward.

Using Comparative and Superlative Degrees to Compare  When using adjectives or adverbs to compare, use a prefix OR a suffix to show the degree of comparison (but do not use both).  When you compare two items, use the comparative form of the modifier by adding the suffix –er or by prefixing more or less.  When comparing three or more items, use the superlative form of the modifier by adding the suffix –est or by prefixing most or least.

Here are some examples: Incorrect:The project is going more better today than yesterday. Correct:The project is going better today than yesterday. Incorrect:I am more hungrier than I thought I was. Correct:I am hungrier than I thought I was. Correct:I am more hungry than I thought I was. Can you think of a few more examples?

Place Modifiers Close to the Word or Words They Modify  Placing modifiers close to the word or words they modify keeps meaning clear. Confusing: The applicant was the best candidate arriving late to the interview. Clear: The applicant arriving late to the interview was the best candidate. Can you think of more examples?

 Remember, the best way to improve your grammar skills is to identify your own language patterns that are different from Standard English.  Once you identify a pattern, come up with some examples, translate them into Standard English, and repeat the Standard phrase until you feel comfortable.  Improving language skills is mostly a matter of focused practice... but when you change one pattern, you eliminate a whole series of errors!

Work through the following chapters in your Writer’s Handbook: Verbs Pronouns Modifiers