Basic English Grammar For Dummies - US (For Dummies

428 Pages·2015·2.85 MB·English

by  Geraldine Woods

Basic English Grammar For Dummies®
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2015941963
ISBN 978-1-119-06347-6 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-06349-0 (ebk);
ISBN 978-1-119-06348-3 (ebk)
Basic English Grammar For
Dummies
Visit
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to view this book's cheat sheet.
Table of Contents
Cover
Introduction
About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond the Book
Where to Go From Here
Part I: Getting Started with Basic English Grammar
Chapter 1: Getting a Grip on Grammar
Getting to Know the Elements of Proper English
Building Language, Block by Block: Parts of Speech
Making Sentences
Small but Important: Punctuating, Capitalizing, and Spelling
Facing Everyday Writing Tasks
Chapter 2: Language in Action
Adjusting Language to Suit Your Audience
Getting Help from Spelling and Grammar Checkers
Recognizing Your Grammar Profile
Part II: The Parts of Speech
Chapter 3: People to See, Places to Go, Things to
Remember: Recognizing Nouns
Identifying Nouns
Sorting Out Singular and Plural Nouns
Attaching “This,” “These,” and Other Words to Nouns
Chapter 4: Practicing Pronouns
Replacing Nouns with Pronouns
Solving the Case of Pronouns
Forming Possessive Pronouns
Chapter 5: Doing and Being Words: Verbs
Searching Out Verbs
Asking Questions to Find the Verb
Telling Time with Verbs
Recognizing Forms of Some Important Verbs
Getting Assistance from Helping Verbs
Chapter 6: Describing with Adjectives and
Adverbs
Adding Detail with Adjectives
Writing Well with Adverbs
Choosing between Adjectives and Adverbs
Placing “a” and “an” in the Proper Place
Making Comparisons with Adjectives and Adverbs
Chapter 7: Little Things Mean a Lot: Prepositions
Recognizing Prepositions
Identifying Objects of Prepositions
Choosing Pronouns as Objects of Prepositions
Placing Prepositional Phrases in the Proper Place
Chapter 8: Joining and Commenting: Conjunctions
and Interjections
Linking Ideas with Conjunctions
Identifying Interjections
Part III: Creating Correct Sentences
Chapter 9: Making Progress: Verbs Ending in –ing
Keeping Time with –ing Verb Forms
Choosing between Simple and Progressive Tenses
Some Help with Spelling –ing Verb Forms
Chapter 10: Revisiting the Past: The Perfect
Tenses
Building a Bridge between the Present and the Past: Present
Perfect Tense
Placing Events in Order with Past Perfect Tense
Breaking the Rules: Irregular Past Forms
Glancing at the Future Perfect Tense
Chapter 11: Searching for Subjects
Locating the Subject of a Sentence
Matching Subjects and Verbs Properly
Dealing with Tricky Subjects
Chapter 12: Adding Meaning with Complements
Surveying Complements
Choosing the Proper Complement Pronoun
Chapter 13: Finishing the Job: Writing Complete
Sentences
Halfway Is Not Enough: Expressing a Complete Thought
Cooking Up a Complete Sentence: The Essential Subject–Verb
Pair
Ending Sentences with Proper Punctuation
Changing the Rules for Texting
Part IV: Punctuation and Capitalization
Chapter 14: Small Punctuation Mark, Big Trouble:
Apostrophes
Possessed: Using Apostrophes to Show Ownership
Shortening Words with Apostrophes
Avoiding Common Apostrophe Mistakes
Chapter 15: Pausing for a Rest: Commas
The Sound of Silence: Why Commas Matter
Making a List with Commas
Placing Commas before Conjunctions
Placing Commas after Introductory Words
Talking to People: Commas in Direct Address
Chapter 16: Who Said What: Quotation Marks
Telling the Truth with Quotation Marks
Quoting or Paraphrasing: Which Is Better?
Identifying the Source of a Quotation
Adding Punctuation to Quotations
Identifying Titles with Quotation Marks
Chapter 17: Big or Small? When to Write Capital
Letters
Knowing the (Capital) ABCs of Capital Letters
Setting Up Sentences with Capital Letters
Naming Names
Mr. Mayor or mr. mayor: Capitalizing Titles
Mom or mom? Capitalizing Family Relationships
Capitalizing Creative Works
Capitalizing Abbreviations
Part V: Grammar in Action
Chapter 18: Writing with Electronic Media
The Unbreakable Rule: Communicating Clearly in Texts, Instant
Messages, and Tweets
Writing Proper Emails
Writing for Websites and Social Media
Chapter 19: Presentation Slides and Bulleted Lists
Ladies and Gentlemen, May I Present … Slides!
Writing Bullet Points
Chapter 20: Writing at School and on the Job
A Is for Accomplished: Writing at School
Get to Work: Writing on the Job
Part VI: Common Errors
Chapter 21: Spelling Your Way to Perfection
Following the Rules of English Spelling
Mastering Spelling Demons
Checking the Dictionary for Spelling Help
Chapter 22: Tricky Word Traps
Same Sounds, Different Spelling: Sorting Out Word Pairs
Together or Apart? One-and Two-Word Expressions
Staying Away from Improper Expressions
Chapter 23: Avoiding Common Mistakes
Writing Clear Descriptions
Writing Clear Pronouns
No! No! Understanding Double Negatives
Part VII: The Part of Tens
Chapter 24: Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your
Writing Skills
Listening
Reading
Writing
Rewriting
Recognizing Your Weak Spots
Asking for Help
Proofreading
Making Friends with a Dictionary
Using Spelling and Grammar Checkers
Solving Puzzles and Playing Games
Chapter 25: Ten Mistakes to Avoid
Substituting “Me” for “I”
Switching Verb Tenses
Adding Apostrophes to Plurals
Confusing “An” and “A”
Forgetting Endmarks
Pairing “You” with the Wrong Verb
Connecting Sentences with a Comma
Omitting Capital Letters
Using Half a Verb
Being Unclear
About the Author
Cheat Sheet
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