Grammar Morsel 1

Then vs. Than

Then vs. Than

• Then is related to time or the order in which things occur

Ex: First, graduate high school. Then, go traveling.If you eat your vegetables then you can have dessert.I was much younger then.

• Than is used for comparison

Ex: That puppy is much cuter than that lizard.I watch less TV than average.Have I said more than I should?

Which is right?

• Take out the trash. Then/Than do the laundry.• Cariann is smarter then/than the teacher.• So then/than, let’s begin!• How much more does it cost then/than you

expected?• That skirt is shorter then/than the dress code allows.• That Extra Value Meal has more calories then/than

the daily recommendations.– Then…than…then…than…than…than

Grammar Morsel 2

Dangling Modifiers:Adjectives ending in -ing (and sometimes -ed) are called participles and must be used with

care.

Consider the following:

• The robber ran from the policeman, still holding the money in his hands.

• After being whipped fiercely, the cook boiled the egg.

• Flitting happily from flower to flower, the football player watched the bee.

How do you fix these dangling modifiers?

• Hiking the trail, the birds chirped loudly.• Hiking the trail, Squiggly and Aardvark heard

birds chirping loudly.• Wishing I could sing, the high notes seemed to

taunt me.• Wishing I could sing, I feel taunted by the high

notes.

Grammar Morsel 3

Run-on Sentences: AGAIN!!!!!!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Lhu0YHLVf4&feature=related

Grammar Morsel 4

Complement vs. Compliment

Complement vs. Compliment

• ComplEment is when two things go together

EX: Those shoes complement that dress.

Those are complementary colors.

• ComplIment is a nice thing say

EX: When I said you weren’t ugly I meant it as a compliment!

He compliments every girl he sees!

ComplEment or ComplIment?

• What a nice complement/compliment!• That complement/compliment won’t get you

out of the dog house!• Have some complementary/complimentary

cake.• I think we complement/compliment each

other.compliment…compliment…complimentary…complement

Grammar Morsel 1

To vs. Too vs. Two

To, the preposition

I went TO the mall TO buy a prom dress.

Give the present TO Grandma.

I have TO eat breakfast or I’ll die.

Jasper is going TO Alaska this summer TO see some bears.

YOUR IDEAS???

Too

That is TOO funny!

I like it when it rains, but I like sunshine TOO.

Brady’s shoes are TOO small for his massive feet.

YOUR IDEAS???

TWO, the number

I’ll take TWO scoops and some chocolate sauce TOO.

TWO can be as bad as one.

YOUR IDEAS????

Grammar Morsel 2

Commas

Use a comma when:• Listing items in a series:– We need mushrooms, garlic, and olive oil.

• Connecting two clauses with a conjunction:– He hit the ball, but ran toward third base.

• To set off introductory elements:– Running toward third, he realized how stupid he

looked.• To set off parenthetical elements:– Makena Beach, which is also known as Big Beach,

is world class.

You can also use commas to avoid confusion:

For most, Krispy Kreme is irresistible.

Add the commas where needed:

• Lily plans to study but wants to eat lunch first.• He’s a tall dark-haired exotic actor.• In front of a crowd of people Matthew forgot

the words.• I simply do not agree you realize with your

argument.• F. Scott Fitzgerald the celebrated author was

born in St. Paul.

Grammar Morsel 3

Verb Tense Shifts:Generally in writing, you should

maintain a consistent tense.

Fix the tense shifts:

• She caught the ball, and then throws it to the catcher for an out.

– She caught the ball, and then threw it to the catcher for an out.

– She catches the ball, and then throws it to the catcher for an out.• Either choice is correct. The best choice depends on the

tone and mood you are going for.

Fix the tense shift

• I was sleeping. Suddenly, I wake up to find a gigantic spider on my face.

– I was sleeping. Suddenly, I woke up to find a gigantic spider on my face.

– I am sleeping. Suddenly, I wake up to find a gigantic spider on my face.• Either choice is correct. The best depends on the tone

and mood you are going for.

Grammar Morsel 4

Capitalization Rules

http://www.grammarbook.com/grammar_quiz/capitalization_1.asp

Take the practice grammar quiz by yourself or with one partner, and check your results!