Grammar Review

“I wouldn’t torture you like this if you didn’t need to know this

stuff,” English teacher Cathy Crucius

Compound Sentences• Commas are always needed in compound sentences. There will always be one of the seven coordinating conjunctions

in the sentence. There will always be complete sentences on either side of the coordinating conjunction.

• For• And• Nor• But• Or• Yet• So

For example:

Use commas when there is a complete sentence on both sides of the FANBOYS

• Jack Sparrow is unlike Will Turner, yet they both love Elizabeth Swan.

NO comma when there is not a sentence. An implied subject does not make it complete!

• Jack Sparrow is unlike Will Turner but loves Elizabeth Swan anyway.

• For: “because” or “since” • to show a reason

• Most students were happy, for the lunch bell rang.

• And: “in addition”• Suggest 1 thing is the result as another or

chronological;

• He asked her to Homecoming, and she was so happy.

• We are going out to dinner and then to the dance.

Nor: almost always used with “neither”

He is neither sane nor brilliant.

But: contrast

Ashley is really good at basketball but not golf.

Ashley is really good at basketball, but she has to practice a lot.

Or: choice. Only one possibility

We can go out for tacos or burgers.

We can go to the movies, or we could read “Macbeth.”

Yet: “still” “eventually” “even though”

Joe plays soccer well, yet his favorite sport is golf.

Amanda speaks Italian badly, yet by the spring, she’ll speak like a native.

So: “as a result”

Brett Favre plays for the Vikings, so many Packer fans consider him a traitor.

Marcie practiced a lot, so she went to state at 4th singles.

Try these!

• Perez Hilton writes scathing stories and I can’t stop reading them.

• Tessa is only 9-years old yet acts 15.

• I like Bucky Badger because he’s hot.

Introductory clauses

• A group of words containing a subject and a predicate but cannot stand alone as a sentence. When this clause begins a sentence, it always takes a comma. It always starts with a subordinating conjunction.

Common Subordinating Conjunctions

• after even though unless• although if until• as in order that when• as if since whenever• as long as so that where• because then

wherever• before though while

For example:

Note the subordinating conjunction and the use of the comma:

• When Yoda fights, his light saber really flies.

This rule only applies when at the beginning of a sentence:

• His light saber really flies when Yoda fights.

Even though he is now playing for the enemy and can’t throw worth a darn because he blew his shoulder out and had to have surgery which kept him out for at least nine months while he recuperated, Brett Favre is a Viking.

Brett Favre is a Viking even though he is now playing for the enemy and can’t throw worth a darn because he blew his shoulder out and had to have surgery which kept him out for at least nine months while he recuperated.

Try these!

• According to the judge Chris Brown is an abuser.

• While swimming she got water up her nose.

• Through it all they survived.

Infinitives

To + verb = infinitive

When this phrase begins a sentence and is followed by a noun, it must be offset with a comma.

To win the match, she had to make a kill shot.

Infinitives

To + verb = infinitive

When this phrase begins a sentence and is followed by a verb, there is NO comma.

To skateboard is fun.

Try these!

To get to school at 7:30 a.m. she has to wake up by 6.

Where do we have to go?

To ask someone to the Homecoming dance is daunting.

VerbalVerb + -ed -en –ing

When this phrase begins a sentence and is followed by a noun, it must be offset with a comma.

Example:

Startled by his rudeness, she slapped him.

VerbalExamples:

Stopped by the cops while driving home, he got a ticket.

Taken by surprise when he snuck up on her, she laughed.

Steeped in mud after playing soccer, he was dirty.

VerbalVerb + -ed -en –ing

(it looks like a verb, BUT it’s not)

When this phrase begins a sentence and the phrase is followed by a noun, it must be offset with a comma.

Example:According to everyone who was dancing at

the party, he was the worst one.

Verb + -ed -en –ing

Example:Swimming right after she ate lunch, Mary

got stomach cramps.

Performing in front of judges for the first time, Megan didn’t even flub her lines.

Running with her iPod blasting to Beyonce’s music, she set a school record.

Verbal

Verb + -ed -en –ing (it looks like a verb, BUT it’s not)

When this phrase ENDS a complete sentence, it must be offset with a comma.

Example:

He was the worst one, according to everyone who was dancing at the party.

VerbalVerb –ing (it may NOT be a full sentence after).

Example:

The football team celebrated their win, including varsity, JV, and freshmen.

This Is It would have been Michael Jackson’s comeback, ignoring the fact he died in July.

Juanita Castro wrote a book about her brother Fidel, revealing he betrayed all Cubans.

Verbal

Verb + -ed –en -ingWhen this phrase begins a

sentence and is followed by a verb, there is NO comma.

Grading Macbeth exams over the weekend was fun.

Try these!Putting it on par with the rise of the Spanish Influenza

epidemic in early 20th century President Obama declared H1N1 a national emergency.

A car bomb ripped through a crowded bazaar in Peshawar killing at least 90 people.

Bolivia passed a law that prohibits the use of animals in circuses leaving 22 lions homeless.

Revoking their licenses after overshooting an airport FAA officials reminded pilots not to use personal laptops.

Transitional words

• These are usually single words that begin a sentence and act as a transition between two sentences.

• These words should take commas.

For example:

however moreover finallytherefore

first second thennext

These words always have commas around them!At the beginning of a sentence, commas

follow:

However, he was found innocent.

Within a sentence, commas all around:

He was, however, found innocent.

More examples

Next, I will write about my trip to Amsterdam.

Note: NO commas when at the end of a sentence but after a semi-colon:

• I will write about my trip to Amsterdam next; then, I will explore Brussels.

Try these!

He was however voted off the island.

Moreover he was a popular choice for Prom king.

I will finally make it to Greece on the Europe trip in December.

Appositives

•A word or group of words, which identifies and follows another noun or pronoun.

• Insert the commas when the added information follows specific (only 1) to general (how many there could be).

Specific to General=commas around the added information

• Heroes, my favorite show, reminds me of X-Men, the movie.

General to Specific = NO commas

• My favorite show Heroes reminds me of the movie X-Men.

Specific to General=commas around the added information

Consider the date January 29, 2008

Consider each side of the comma a separate piece of information…

January 29, 2008

How many times does January 29th appear in one year?Once! It’s SPECIFIC!

How many days are there in 2008?365 or Many! It’s GENERAL!

Therefore, dates are written WITH a comma

Appositive “triggers” include: who, which, where

• Mr. Clarksen, who teaches drama, loves directing the One Acts and especially Shakespeare’s stuff.

• Paris, which happens to be the “City of Light,” is quite romantic.

• Jefferson, where I was born, is in Wisconsin.

Try these

Luke Skywalker who is a Jedi fought Darth Vader in the final episode of the Star Wars trilogy.

Tennis player Roger Federer set a new record for winning major tennis tournaments.

When I travel to New York City also called “the Big Apple” I’m going to visit the Statue of Liberty.

Preposition

• A Preposition is a word that relates a noun or pronoun to another word in a sentence, usually indicating where or when.

• He sat under the tree.• She left during class.• She went to the prom with him.

Common prepositions

about behind from on toward

above below in on top of under

across beneath in front of onto underneath

after beside inside out of until

against between instead of outside up

along by into over upon

among down like past with

around during near since within

at except of through without

before for off to  

Prepositional Phrases

Starts with the preposition and continues the thought until the next noun.

The entire thought is considered the prepositional phrase.

Prepositional Phrases

• In the maze, Victor Krum realized he was under the spell of a curse.

Prepositional Phrases• Prepositional phrases not followed immediately by a

verb should take a comma!

• In the end, I really enjoyed Twilight.• In the middle during the breakup, I cried.• For over 2 years, I studied literature.• I studied literature for over 2 years.• Once in Stockholm lived a god named Thor.• Once upon a time, there lived a boy named Jake.

Try these!

• Without knowing why he lied to her.

• From now on I’m going to listen.

• I live along Highway 26.

• Through it all I realized I still liked him.

• She embarrassed me in front of everyone.

• Over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go.

While soundly sleeping she snored.

Throughout the years she matured.

Without thinking clearly she slapped him.

Since yesterday afternoon she has studied prepositions.