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Grammar Cheat Sheet

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7 views3 pages

Grammar Cheat Sheet

b

Uploaded by

nlrninja248
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Punctuation marks are like the traffic signals of writing.

You could associate commas with a rolling


stop at a stop sign, a semicolon with a quick stop at the same sign, and a period with a brief wait at a
red light.

Colon Usage Comma Splices

(1) Following a colon, only capitalize the first Incorrect: Employees were stealing clothing
word if what follows is a complete sentence. If daily, we had to fire them.
what follows the colon is not a sentence, but a
Correct: Employees were stealing clothing daily,
series of things, the first word should be so we had to fire them.
lowercase, provided it is not a proper noun.
Anywhere there should be a period, is
somewhere a comma NEVER should be placed..

Comma Usage

Example 1: While I was on vacation, I saw the most amazing sites. (Dependent clause,
Independent clause)

Example 2: I saw the most beautiful sites while I was on vacation. (NO COMMA-Independent
clause precedes dependent)

Example 3: Because revenues were plummeting, we decided to close two branches.(Dependent


clause, Independent clause)

Example 4: Revenues were plummeting; therefore, we decided to close two branches. (After a
subordinating conjunction that has a semicolon preceding it)

Coordinating Conjunctions

Correct: Revenues were plummeting, so we decided to close two branches.

Incorrect: Revenues were plummeting, we decided to close two branches.

MIX UP FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

And REMEMBER, if you use a coordinating conjunction to combine two independent clauses, it is
standard to apply a comma before the conjunction.

Myth 2: Don't begin a sentence with and or but. Advertisers and marketers use this common
technique in their ad copy. Book writers do it; journalists do it, too.
Period Infinitives

Example: Revenues were plummeting. We Examples: to win, to write, to triple


decided to close two branches.
Some of us were taught NEVER to put a word in
Sometimes combining two short sentences can between. Don't go out of your way to split them.
be powerful, but these two sound choppy next to Sometimes it sounds too wordy, and we are
each other. trying to avoid that.

Prepositions Too wordy: We need to methodically, carefully,


and thoroughly analyze the book.
Myth 3: Don't end a sentence with a
preposition.This myth was debunked years ago. Just right: We need to carefully analyze the
It was based on a false application of Latin book.
grammar to English grammar. Do you speak
Latin? Subordinating Conjunctions - Because

Semicolon EX 1: Because revenues were plummeting, we


decided to close two branches.
1. Join two independent clauses together
a. Example: Revenues were EX 2: We decided to close two branches
because revenues were plummeting.
plummeting; we decided to close
two branches. EX 3: Because he slept in class, he didn't turn in
2. Join two independent clauses together his work on time.
with a conjunctive adverb
a. Example: Revenues were Incorrect: I like chocolate bunnies. Because they
plummeting; therefore, we decided taste good. (The second part is a mere piece of
a sentence.)
to close two branches.
b. These five show up often in Either format is correct. Beginning a sentence
business writing: therefore, with because creates suspense. The reader
furthermore, however, moreover, wants to know what the resolution is.
nevertheless
Not using because at the beginning of a sentence
is simply bad advice, ignored by good writers
everywhere.

Run-ons

This is a classic example of a run-on sentence: two independent clauses joined together with nothing
but air.

Example: Revenues were plummeting we decided to close two branches.

Myth 5: Never use I think, I feel, I hope

The following sentences are very different, but only one is reasonable:

● We will double our revenues this quarter.


● I believe we will double our revenues this quarter.

Which one sounds true? No one can be certain of outcomes.

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