I r writed about grammars.

To me, grammar seems to be one of the more neglected subjects in school. You review and go over things, but it's just one small section of the English language that gets stuffed into your English curriculum. When you take a foreign language class, the main focus of that class is grammar, grammar, grammar! It isn't like that in English if it is your first language. With spellcheck and modern technology, it really doesn't need to be. You can search your paper and find all your errors, can't you? Well, no, you can't actually. The errors not caught by spell check seem to almost be acceptable. Now, don't get me wrong, I adore spellcheck. Honestly, I abuse it and use it constantly. However, I really dislike how dependent we are becoming on it as we get older. When you're younger, you spend alot more time with grammar. Obviously, they need to learn it, but even when you're older you still forget things. Well, at least I do..

I've noticed in blogs that without spellcheck, we all seem to make basic errors that my 8 year old brother would be able to notice. Some helpful tips(in color ~~)...

Homonyms/Homophones
A homonym is a word with multiple meanings. (ex. Bank- place where money is kept, Bank- where a river meets land) Homophones are words with multiple spellings that are pronounced the same. Depending on your source, those definitions may be switched around or mixed together, it really doesn't matter. An easy hint when working with homonyms is that an apostrophe is indicating a contraction. Some common problem words..
Their, They're, There
These 3 words are confused so often. I mix them up frequently and I know the difference! I think for some reason we just always want to use "their", we don't really think about the situation, almost like it's automatic.
Their- This word shows ownership. (ex.- That is their bike.)
There- A place (ex.- The desk is over there)
They're- A contraction of they are. The apostrophe is your clue. (ex.- They're over here [meaning "they are over here"])

To, Two, Too
To- A prepositional phrase (ex.- She is going to the movies)
Too- This means "in excess" or "also". [ex.- My music is too quiet. or He is watching the movie too.)
Two- This is the number 2. (ex.- Two cats ran across the road.)

Your, You're, Yore
Again, your and you're seem to be big problem words. Not so much yore however, it isn't used as often.
Your- This shows ownership. (ex.- This is your profile)
You're- A contraction for "you are". (ex.- This is where you're staying [meaning "this is where you are staying])
Yore- Time long past, in the past. (ex.- Days of yore..)

Affect, Effect
Affect- A verb that means "to influence" (ex.- The rain did not affect the game)
Effect- A noun synonymous with "results". If you're confused, substitute "effect" with "result" or "influence" and see if your sentence still makes sense. (ex.- The cause was the fire, the effect was forest destruction.[meaning "the result was forest destruction"])
Effect- Effect can also be used as a verb, meaning to cause change. This is where the two become confused. If you're unsure, substitute "effect" with "change".(ex.- You wanted to effect the school.[meaning "you wanted to change the school"]

Accept, Except
Accept- A verb that means to recieve (ex.- I accept your invitation)
Except- This word is a preposition that means to omit or exclude. (ex.- You're all invited to my party except Dujo because hes a Croatian fruitloop who likes to tap dance)

Ad/Ads, Add/Adds, Adze
Ad/Ads- Short for Advertisement. (ex.- Have you seen the Pepsi ad?)
Add/Adds- to perform addition (He can add the numbers)
Adze- Chances are if you ever see this word on GSB, its crazy chatspeak. However, it can also some kind of tool. (ex.- He needed the adze to complete the project

Its, It's
Its- Shows ownership. There is no such word as its', so don't say that. (ex.- A penguin is a bird known for its inability to fly.)
It's- Just by looking at the apostrophe, you know this is a contraction. This can mean either "it is" or "it has". (ex.- It's cloudy outside.)
Are, Our, Hour
Are and our are not pronounced exactly the same, however they're still confused quite frequently.
Are- A plural verb (ex.- The dogs are outside)
Our- A possesive pronoun ( ex.- Do you have our reservation?
Hour- a measurement of time. (I sleep for 8 hours)

No, Know
No- Used to negate. (ex.- I said no when he asked me.)
Know- To have knowledge. (ex.- I know the doctor.)


Comma Errors
Commas can cause lots of problems within your writting. Without a comma, your sentence can be difficult to read. However, if they're misplaced then your sentence is no longer correct.
Series of Items
Whenever you're discussing 3 or more items, you need to place commas in your sentence. Example..
I have cats, frogs, and dogs.
Using a comma before and in this case is optional, however in the majority of published literature the comma is still used. In some instances, this comma can avoid confusion.
When you have a list of adjectives, commas are also needed. Examples..
The big, fat dog is dirty.
The big and fat dog is dirty.
The big fat dog is dirty.

With two adjectives describing a single noun, all three of those are correct. However if you have more than two adjectives...
The fuzzy, warm, cute kitten belongs to her.
The fuzzy, warm and cute kitten belongs to her

Both of those examples are correct. You need commas, however you can also use a conjunction. The examples below are incorrect...
The fuzzy warm cute kitten belongs to her.
The fuzzy warm and cute kitten belongs to her.

With Clauses
2 Independant Clauses

Don't let the term clause confuse you. We know what a sentence is, a thought containing a subject and a predicate. A dependant clause is the same thing. Now, we also know that sometimes sentences have more than just one subject or predicate. We call these compound sentences. There are correct ways to go about forming compound sentences, and incorrect ways...
Conjunction
One of the easiest ways to combine to complete sentences (2 independant clauses) is to use a comma and a coordinating conjunction(for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so). An example..
Tree Frogs are harmless, but Dart Frogs are lethal.
[independant clause>comma>conjunction>second independant clause]
You can also use a semicolon in the place of a comma..
Tree Frogs are harmless; Dart Frogs are lethal.
It isn't uncommon to see people write something such as...
Tree Frogs are harmless, Dart Frogs are lethal.
This is called a comma splice, and it is incorrect. A comma is not strong enough to join two independent clauses alone.
Tree Frogs are harmless however Dart Frogs are lethal.
This is also incorrect, because a coordinating conjuction is not strong enough without a comma.

Introductory Clause
When you start your sentence off with a dependant clause, you have to have a comma seperating it from the rest of the sentence.
Because she can't swim, she won't go to the beach with us
The first part of this sentence states a fact, and it is an incomplete thought. Therefore, your sentence must have a comma.
On June 6th, we can go to Italy.
There, you have to have a comma to set apart the time designation.
In the ocean, sharks and whales swim around
Here, you're setting a place (the ocean) so you need a comma.

Comma vs. Semicolon.
We see the moon at night. Therefore, we know the moon reflects the sun's light
"Therefore" is a transitional phrase (also known as a conjunctive adverb), and transitional phrases are set aside with commas. The purpose of a transition is to link the thoughts of one sentence to another. However, you can also combine the two sentences as one.
We see the moon at night; therefore, we know the moon reflects the sun's light.
On the other hand, you can't combine two sentences with commas.
We see the moon at night, therefore, we know the moon reflects the sun's light.
This sentence is incorrect. A comma is not strong enough to combine sentences in this way.

Other Punctuation..
Apostrophes

Apostrophes are used for two things. One is to create contractions. The other reason is to show possession. Examples..
He won't move the bag.
In this case, the apostrophe is used to join the words will and not. You do need an apostrophe in this case, and it is not optional.
The bat's cave is dark.
Here, the apostrophe is showing ownership. Whose cave? The bat's cave You add an s to the word, and seperate it with a comma.
The parents' dislike that movie.
Here, the word already ends in s, so you can't add another one. Instead, you place the apostrophe on the end of the word.
It's water is deep.
His' socks are red.
Both of these sentences are incorrect. As explained in the homonym section, you do not add an apostrophe to a possesive pronoun.
There are lots of cat's here.
This is also incorrect. When making a word plural, you do not use an apostrophe.

Quotation Marks
Depending on where you're from, how you punctuate quotation marks will vary..
My favorite poem is "The Raven".
If you're British, then your periods and commas will stay on the outside of of your quotes, like in the above example.
My favorite poem is "The Raven."
If you're American, then your commas and periods stay on the inside of the quotes.
Regardless of which side of the Atlantic you frequent, these rules apply to all English.. (unless the Aussies do something weird I don't know about O_O)
To Say Phrases..
He always said, "Don't touch that."
In the above example, you need a comma to set off the quotation.
It was a quote from The Goblet of Fire: "Eternal glory! That's what awaits the student who wins The Triwizard Tournament."
In this sentence, an independant clause comes before the quotation. Here, you use a colon to seperate the two.
"I know the answer," he said, "and it's 93."
If unquoted speech appears in the middle of singular clause quote, end the first segment with a comma. Also, end the speech in the middle with a comma and the correct punctuation at the end of the sentence. (in this case, a period)
"I know the answer," she said. "Do you need help?"
However, if you need to begin a new sentence in the second quote, you end the attribution of speech with a period.

Other..
Absolute Modifiers
Absolute modifiers, as the name implies, are words that are already absolute. They can't be modified or intensified.
He is a very unique person.
This is incorrect. Unique means one of a kind. If something is already one of a kind it cannot be "very" unique or "totally" unique.
He is a very distinguished person.
This sentence makes the same point, only it is grammatically correct.
Examples of Absolute Modifiers
-straight
-opposite
-eternal
-identical
-infinite
-mortal/immortal
-perfect

Illogical Verb Tense Change
We walked to the pool, and he dives in.
"We walked to the pool" and "he dives in" may be independent clauses, but as part of the same statement or idea their verb tense must agree. Even though they make sense seperately, you have to remember that they are together.
We walk to the pool, and he dives in.
We walked to the pool, and he dove in.
Either of those two sentences would be correct.
The rain poured down, thunder exploded, and lightning is lighting the sky.
The same is true in this sentence. The number of verbs you have doesn't matter, they all must agree.
The rain is pouring down, thunder is exploding, and lightning is lighting the sky.
or
The rain poured down, the thunder exploded, and the lightning lit the sky.


how ironic it will be when someone points out grammatical errors I made in this blog
Posted on August 7th, 2007 at 01:56am

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