Better writing ( Sách writing hay )

A verb may not always be a single word but sometimes a group of words, such as “Your order has been sent.” The following twenty-three words are helping verbs.. It has a subject and pr

Subject Complements After Linking Verbs 28

Direct Objects After Action Verbs 29

Subjects and Verbs, Not Adjectives and Adverbs 30

Verbs, Not Verbals 31

• The Subject and Verb in a Sentence

with a Modifying Clause 36

• Explanatory Words (Appositives) 38

Contents

• Verbs of One Word 17

• Verbs of More Than One Word 18

• Verbs, Not Modifiers 19

• Finding the Subject 20

• Compound Subjects and Verbs 23

• Compound Sentences 24

L E S S O N 3

S u b j e c t V e r b , a n d " C o m p l e t e r ” ( S t a g e T w o ) 2 7

iii

• Each, Either, and Neither 47

• The Pronoun and Its Antecedent 48

L E S S O N 6

• Nouns Plural in Form but Singular in Number 52

• Nouns Singular in Sense but Plural in Use 52

• None, Any, Some, All, and Most (NASAM) 53

• The Number and a Number 54

• Who and That Clauses 54

L E S S O N 7

P r o n o u n s _5 7

• The Subject Forms of Pronouns 58

• The Object Forms of Pronouns 58

• Self-Words 60

• Comparisons After As or Than 60

• The Possessive Form with -ing Words 61

L E S S O N 8

• I f (and Wish) Clauses 64

• The Correct Forms of Certain Verbs 65

• Double Negatives 67

L E S S O N 9

• Adjectives and Adverbs 71

• The Articles A and An 72

iv

• Comparing Two or More Adjectives or Adverbs 72

• This, That, These, and Those 74

L E S S O N 1 0

• Errors in the Use of Prepositions 77

• Special Prepositions with Certain Words 79

• Introductory Prepositional Phrases 100

• Dates and Addresses 101

L E S S O N 1 4

P u n c t u a t i o n o f t h e C o m p o u n d S e n t e n c e 1 0 4

• The Comma in a Compound Sentence 104

• The Semicolon in a Compound Sentence 106

• The Comma in a Command Sentence 106

• The Question Mark for a Direct Question,

to Express Doubt, for Partly Interrogative Sentences, and for a Series of Questions 122

• The Exclamation Point After Groups of Words Expressing Strong Feeling and After Interjections 123

• The Singular Possessive 128

• The Plural Possessive 129

L E S S O N 1 9

T h e A p o s t r o p h e ( L e v e l 2) 1 3 2

• Proper Nouns 132

• Joint and Separate Possession 133

• The Noun Understood 134

• Quotations Marks for Direct Quotations 153

• Quotation Marks for Articles, Chapters,

Short Stories, and the Like 154

• Italics for Books, Magazines, and Newspapers 155

L E S S O N 2 4

• Capitalize the First Word of Every Sentence 158

• Capitalize Proper Nouns 159

L E S S O N 2 5

• Certain Numbers Written Out 164

• Figures for Certain Numbers 165

• Keeping to One Point of View 193

• Using Only Related Ideas in a Sentence 193

• Including Necessary Words 194

• Avoiding Run-On Sentences 195

• Placing Important Words in Emphatic Positions 204

• Varying the Beginnings of Sentences 205

C O N T E N T S

L E S S O N 3 3

• Using the Library 220

• Using the Internet 221

• Weighing Authorities 222

• Taking Notes 223

• Writing a Summary 223

• Citing Your Sources 224

• Being Original— Avoiding Plagiarism 224

( p ) r e f a c e

Better Writing presents a new method of teaching and learning about

the sentence, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and style It is based on two facts: (1) before students can learn to write well, they need to learn to write correctly, and (2) learning to write correctly— and

effectively— can be made easy.

The presentation of this new method is timely Across the nation, students are graduating—even from college— without the necessary writing skills Surveys reveal that students do not know basic grammar rules or how

to construct a proper sentence Better Writing is an answer to these

concerns By means of the Five-Way Method, it presents not only what

to know but also how to write in an organized way for easier and more effective writing.

The Five Ways

The Sentence Knowledge o f the sentence provides the necessary

background fo r understanding grammar, punctuation, and the advanced w o rk o f style

Grammar The gram mar section eliminates technical language

and unnecessary theory, emphasizing the most common errors to ensure th a t w riters never make these mistakes

Punctuation Learning critical rules on how to punctuate the

simple, compound, and complex sentence and doing special exer­cises to form correct habits can help elim inate errors

Spelling Better Writing provides easy-to-remember clues fo r

spelling problem words, helping students learn to spell them correctly

Style This section gets w riters to th in k about the words they use

and the ways in which they construct th e ir sentences, paragraphs, and compositions It presents the great principles o f unity, coherence, and emphasis in teaching students how to w rite well

P R E F A C E

Objectives

Better Writing is intended for an introductory English or composition

course It can be used for both classroom instruction and independent

study After completing the text, students will be able to

• Understand and apply basic rules o f gram m ar and punctuation

• W rite unified, coherent, and emphatic sentences, paragraphs, and

compositions

• Think and w rite critically, keeping an open mind on questions u ntil all the

facts are in

Better Writing can also serve as a complete reference guide to gram­

mar, punctuation, style, and writing Even after they have completed

the textbook, students should be encouraged to continue to use it

at home, at school or college, or at their place of employment.

Special Features

Better Writing presents not only what to know in our language but

also how to use it for easier, more effective writing The following

features of the text help improve writing skills:

The only way

to success in writing is to lay

a foundation

he fore trying to paint the eaves

—Anonymous

©

The Sentence

• The Sentence in Three Stages is a

special step-by-step program th a t gives

students a proper knowledge o f the

sentence Stage 1: Recognize the subject

and verb in a sentence Stage 2: Recog- ^

nize the subject, verb, and "com ple te r" \

o f a sentence Stage 3: Recognize phrases \

and clauses as subjects; id entify the main \

subject and verb in a sentence w ith a

H u rry u p , n o w is th e tim e t o g o H u rry up N o w is th e tim e t o g o

" I c a n 't, " h e said, " it's t o o b itt e r " " I c a n 't, " h e sa id " It's t o o b itt e r "

T h e b a n k w ill b e close d Since

\ Do you know what a sentence is? If you are among the many students who

\ do not know, you can readily learn it in Lessons 2 through 4 of Part 1, “The Sentence in Three Stages,” a special program for learning the sentence

^ quickly and easily.

The

S ta g e 1 Recognize th e s u b je ct an d ve rb in a sentence You are m ore th a n h a lfw a y

th e re w h e n y o u k n o w these.

S ta g e 2 Recognize th e sub ject, verb , an d "c o m p le te r" o f a sentence If y o u k n o w

th ese, yo u k n o w m ost o f th e sentence.

S ta g e 3 Recognize phrases and clauses as subjects Id e n tify th e m a in s u b je ct and

v e rb in a sentence w ith a m o d ify in g clause C o n g ra tu la tio n s! You n o w reco gn ize a sentence.

7

xi

P R E F A C E

/ Check Your Understanding of Sentences Beginning with Here and There ^

In each sentence, circle the correct verb enclosed in parentheses.

1 T he re (is, are) m any fa cts t h a t y o u s ho uld k n o w a b o u t d o w n lo a d in g files.

2 W h e re (is, are) th e m a n a g e r an d his assistant?

3 H ere (is, are) A n g e lin a an d h e r s ta ff m em bers.

4 H ere (is, are) th e ba ckpa ck y o u lost.

5 T he re (go , goes) th e s tu d e n t an d h e r sister.

6 H ere (was, w ere) fo u n d m an y evidences o f c iv iliz a tio n

Check Your Understanding exercises are

simple self-check exercises distributed

th ro u g h o u t the lessons Each exercise follow s the presentation o f a new concept, helping to ensure th a t students have a proper under­standing o f it Answers— below the exercise— provide immediate feedback

7

I

Apply It ■

On Campus

F or each sentence, supply the correct pronoun — / or m e.

1 The English class is tra v e lin g t o Russia w ith R egina an d .

2 Ellen, Eugene, an d _ _ _ _ _ w e re a p p o in te d tu to rs

3 The lo u d e x p lo sio n d id n o t f r ig h te n m y frie n d a n d _

4 No on e s ign ed u p f o r th e S atu rday class e x ce p t Paul a n d

5 June a n d _ a rriv e d a t th e d o rm ito ry a t th e same tim e

6 D avid se n t m y frie n d a n d _ t w o tic k e ts t o th e h o m e c o m in g gam e.

7 The te s tin g sche du le w as se n t t o m y classmates a n d .

8 The d e b a tin g c lu b se n t Grace a n d a b o o k

10 The lib ra ria n an

For each sentence,

Systematic w ritin g assign-

ments begin w ith a most im por­

ta n t step in learning to

w rite —composing independent

paragraphs from topic sentences

Students then proceed to w r it­

ing related paragraphs: doing

library and Internet research;

w ritin g themes and essays; and

revising, fo rm a ttin g , and p ro o f­

reading th e ir w ork

A p p ly It! exercises help make

the use o f proper English a habit These distinctive end-of-lesson activities give students an oppor­

tu n ity to apply the concepts

ta u g h t in the lesson Solutions are provided at the back o f the

te xt fo r students to check their answers

Write Effective Paragraphs

1 M a k e no te s f o r a sketch o f y o u r o w n life o r th e life o f a fa m ily m em ber

You m ay use th e f o llo w in g sug ge ste d to p ic s o r choose y o u r o w n For each p a ra g ra p h , tr y t o t h in k o f a t least fiv e de ta ils.

A p p ly I t ■

P a ra gra ph 1: Fam ily o r c h ild h o o d

P a ra gra ph 2: E d uca tion

P a ra gra ph 3: W o rk

P a ra gra ph 4: Personal d e s c rip tio n

2 C hoose tw o o f th e fo llo w in g to p ic sentences, a n d exp a n d each in to a

p a ra g ra p h Try t o th in k o f a t lea st fiv e d e ta ils t o use in each pa ra g ra p h

• Id e n tify several h a b its t h a t le a d t o success a t w o rk

• Exp lain h o w y o u le a rn e d t o d o s o m e th in g , such as ska te o r pla y hockey.

• D escribe a te le v is io n p ro g ra m o r pro g ra m s t h a t y o u en joy.

• Exp lain w h a t y o u h o p e t o g e t o u t o f colle ge

• D escribe som e steps t h a t p e o p le can ta k e f o r g o o d h e a lth

• D escribe a pla ce o r an e v e n t th a t is especially m e m o ra b le f o r yo u

• Exp lain h o w t o p re p a re f o r a jo b in te rv ie w

217

XII

P R E F A C E

®

IMPROVE YOUR VOCABULARY

Prefixes and Roots

A d means to or a t as adjoin, to join to, and tow ard as advise, to look

toward This prefix may become a, ac , af, ag, al, an, a p , ar, as , or at

as in ascent, accede, a ffix , aggrandize, allot, annex, appeal, arrest,

assume, and attract.

Adjacent, to; adjoining (jacere, to lie)

Adm ire , to wonder at; to esteem highly, (mirari, to wonder) Admonish, to warn tow ard; reprove mildly, (m onere, to warn) A/Fable, to speak to; pleasant, friendly (fari, to speak) A/fluent, to flow to; an abundance, (fluere, to flow)

The house adjacent to yours lies next to it.

To adm ire a person means literally to wonder at him.

When parents adm onish a child, they warn him tow ard avoiding

some fault or wronj

Being pleasant and friendly in conversation, affable people are easy to speak to.

A person to whom money seems to flow to with little effort may

be considered affluent or wealthy.

Other words for recognizing prefixes and roots: adage, aggression,

allege, alleviate, alliteration, appraise, arrogant.

Vocabulary Check

1 Match words with definitions by placing the correct letter in each blank 1

_ 1 adjacent a to warn; caution

_ 2 admire b near; close to

_ 3 admonish c easy to be spoken to; courteous; kind

_ 4 affable d rich

_ 5 affluent e to regard with strong approval, delight, or

wonder

f allowable

Style principles guide students as they

move beyond w ritin g correctly to w ritin g w e ll—

developing a polished and effective style The

eight lessons in Part 5 focus on the great qualities

o f w ritin g — unity, coherence, and emphasis— and

th e ir use in constructing sentences, paragraphs,

and compositions The section on Practical

Suggestions fo r W riting, or the w ritin g process,

provides an overview o f essential issues o f style

and a simple five-step process fo r producing

better w ritin g , from planning to finished work

Improve Your Vocabulary features are

designed to improve students' reading and w rit­ing ability Vocabulary development contributes

to improved reading and better w riting

Clearness is the fundamental quality o f style,

a quality so essential in every kind o f writing that for want o f it, nothing can atone

—Hugh Blair, 1783

Do You Make These Mistakes in Writing?

Style

■■■BBzeaanaHHWH

Use fa n c y w o rd s t o im p ress o th e rs Use sim p le, s p e cific w o rd s

W rite w o r d y sentences Con de nse e le m e n ts , an d d e le te

unnecessary w o rd s Prese nt th e sam e t h o u g h t tw ic e E lim in a te sen te nce s w it h th e sam e

C om po se d iff ic u lt- to - r e a d w o rk s Use th e g re a t p rin c ip le s o f U n ity,

C oh eren ce, an d Force t o w r ite c le a rly

a n d fo rc e fu lly

Clearness, clearness, clearness Clearness is the prize in writing and is always

the mark of a good style Force, the ability to express ourselves in such a way

as to make it likely our readers will remember what we have said, is also important.

Fortunately, you need to know only several principles—the great qualities of Unity, Coherence, and Force, or Emphasis— in order to be able to write in a good style In the following lessons, you will learn how to apply these principles to improve your writing.

XIII

P R E F A C E

• Consider the Reader—or the "you"

t a ttitu de— is an im portant aspect o f the

w ritin g process The questions and insights in this special appendix w ill help students cultivate the "yo u " attitude and apply it in th e ir interactions w ith others and th e ir w ritin g

Better Writing is a systematic, self-

paced method of learning how to write This text is an essential resource for students who want to improve their writing skills and boost their career potential.

Acknowledgments

The author is grateful to the following individuals who reviewed the

manuscript and offered suggestions:

Michael F Courteau, The A rt Institutes International Minnesota,

Minnesota, MN

Elaine Giuliano, Central Coast College, Salinas, CA

Jennifer E Marano, Silicon Valley College, Fremont, CA

Donna McCullough, W ood Tobe-Coburn School, New York, NY

Sara L Morgan, Minnesota School o f Business, Plymouth, MN

Emma L Tan, ASA Institute o f Advanced Technology, Brooklyn, NY

Carolyn Varvel, A rt Institute o f Colorado, Denver, CO

® P P E N D I X A

Consider the Reader

Considering the reader—the “you” attitude— is an important aspect

of the writing process It is a viewpoint that practically guarantees you will write an effective composition or letter since you will want to make your writing as clear as possible in order to save your reader time and energy.

The following questions will help you to have this “you” attitude In addition, they will help you get along well with others, a key skill desired by employers Even if you find you already have a good atti­

tude, learn how to put your good intentions into practice by asking yourself these questions and following these guidelines.

1 Can you be depended on to do w ha t you say you w ill do? Do n o t

prom ise, f o r exam ple, t o g o t o a school fu n c tio n w ith a frie n d , w rite an

a rtic le fo r th e school newspaper, o r w o rk la te unless yo u are reasonably sure th a t y o u can d o th is Tryin g t o d o w h a t y o u said y o u w o u ld d o is

im p o rta n t fo r th is reason: It helps m ake you a de pe n d a b le person W hen

s om eone reneges on a prom ise, m ost o f us are n o t o n ly d is a p p o in te d in

th e bro ke n prom ise b u t in th e person w h o m ade th e promise.

2 Do you go o u t of yo ur w a y to help others? If a frie n d asks fo r he lp

w ith a h o m e w o rk assig nm en t o r som eone asks y o u t o v o lu n te e r fo r a

g o o d cause an d y o u can h o n e stly d o it, say yes B eing in th e h a b it o f

h e lp in g o th e rs w h e n possible is a po sitive th in g It te lls o th e rs y o u care

a b o u t th e m — an d in th e en d can re s u lt in a b e n e fit to yo u

3 Are you careful not to exaggerate? W hen w ritin g a le tte r o f a p p li­

c a tio n and a resume, f o r exa m ple, be cau tiou s n o t to o ve rsta te y o u r

E x a gg eratin g y o u r a b ilitie s can a c tu a lly ba ckfire o n you If y o u are h ire d

f o r a p o s itio n and th e n d o n o t have ce rta in a b ilitie s, y o u co u ld cause

y o u rs e lf g re a t stress— an d even possibly lose th e p o sitio n

xi v

We must study not only that every bearer may understand us, but tbat it sball be impossible for bim not

to understand us.

— Quintilian, circa A.D 3 5 -9 5

Practical Suggestions for Writing

Do You Make These Mistakes in Writing?

Begin w ritin g w ith o u t careful th o u g h t Plan y o u r w ritin g Decide on y o u r purpose,

and co n tin u e to th in k a b o u t w h y you are

w r itin g u n til you have finished

A tte m p t to w rite w ith o u t g e ttin g all

th e facts

First g e t th e facts

Send o ff y o u r w o rk w ith o u t checking it Set y o u r w o rk aside, and la te r reread it

Be n e g le ctfu l o f y o u r reader's interests Consider y o u r reader, above all m aking sure

y o u r w ritin g is clear

Focus m ore on fancy w ritin g th a n on

th e th o u g h t o f y o u r message

Realize th a t th e th o u g h t o f y o u r message is

th e m ore im p o rta n t p a rt o f y o u r w ritin g

Have you had much writing experience? Do you feel confident in your ability

to express yourself? In this introductory section, you will find practical sug­

gestions for writing— especially helpful if you have not had much practice in

writing You will learn rules for not only thinking and writing in an orderly

and efficient way but also for having good interpersonal skills and for think­

ing critically— invaluable skills especially needed for the workplace.

The more detailed problems of writing— the sentence, grammar, punctuation,

spelling, and style— are addressed in Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 You first, how­

ever, need a natural background for their discussion, which you will find here

in Practical Suggestions for Writing.

1

P R A C T I C A L S U G G E S T I O N S F O R W R I T I N G

Practical Suggestions for Writing

These practical suggestions for writing are often referred to as the

Get all the facts Facts are the core of composition You cannot take too many pains in gathering facts You would never deceive yourself with the idea that you can dash off a composition in a short time without knowing anything about the subject An old verse, though, might help remind you that the greatest achievement awaits the per­ son knowing the most facts:

F is for Facts; you will scribble in vain

If a grip on these churls you don't get and retain.

Outline For a simple theme or letter, it does not have to be elaborate;

a listing of key points is usually fine Some compositions, however, require a great deal of thought to make them understandable.

an unusual sensitivity to people nor a great facility with words or the ability to write similes and metaphors What you do need is to be yourself and write sincerely and truthfully.

2

P R A C T I C A L S U G G E S T I O N S F O R W R I T I N G

Consider the reader Called the “you” attitude, a caring viewpoint

practically guarantees that you will write an effective composition or

letter Above all, you will want to make your writing as clear as possi­

ble in order to save your reader time and energy Add the day of an

appointment— Wednesday, June 28— for example, to reduce the possi­

bility of error.

Before you can hope to write successful messages, you will want to

make sure you have a good attitude towards others You will find

these guidelines in Appendix A Fairness and tact, though, deserve spe­

cial mention here.

Be fair We cannot be fair if we are concerned only with ourselves.

It has been said, in fact, that unfairness is usually the result of selfish­

ness Although fairness is considered especially important in letters

intended to adjust differences, there are many opportunities to be hon­

est and fair.

Be tactful Tact, the special ability to relate to others in such a way so

as not to hurt their feelings, summarizes all the other qualities and

deserves special mention If someone present, for example, is over­

weight, the tactful person will refrain from any reference to weight

loss programs The Golden Rule— do unto others, as you would have

them do unto you— is perhaps the best definition of this important

quality.

Think critically Pay more attention to the thought of your message

than to its style What you say— the thought of your message— is the

more important part of your writing It is essential, therefore, to be in

the habit of thinking critically and judging fairly on every problem.

What is critical thinking? Mainly, it involves thinking about all sides

of an issue, continually questioning assumptions, and not being afraid

to change your mind despite what others may think It can apply to

every subject— education, business, ethics, politics, science, and the

like Thinking critically can be best defined as keeping an open mind

on every question until all the facts are in.

Critical thinking in the workplace A study conducted by Jean-

Fran^ois Manzoni and Jean-Louis Barsoux and discussed in The

Set-Up-To-Fail-Syndrome: How G ood Managers Cause Great People to

Fail (Harvard Business School Press, 2002) shows the importance of

critical thinking in business problems According to the authors of the

study, managers are often at fault when an employee fails The

3

P R A C T I C A L S U G G E S T I O N S F O R W R I T I N G

authors found that what can happen is that the employee might receive a less-than-enthusiastic recommendation from a former employer, the manager then will distrust the employee, and the employee will respond by losing confidence and performing less well.

According to the authors of the study, managers could have ended the cycle by keeping an open mind and asking these critical questions:

Is the employee’s performance as bad as I think it is? Could there be other factors, aside from performance, that have caused me to label this person a weak performer? Did we hire this person because

of above-average qualities? And, if so, why have those qualities disappeared?

What is required for critical thinking, then, is the ability to think through an issue instead of being content to simply form an opinion How can you equip yourself to make sound judgments? How can you become a critical thinker instead of a merely well-informed person? You can begin by asking yourself the following three questions, or questions like them, every day These questions are often called the ABCs of Education:

A Do I really w a n t to know th e tru th about something, or do I w a n t to prove only th a t the ideas I already have are correct?

B Am I w illin g to consider th e possibility th a t I could be w rong in my

ju dgm ent o f an issue?

C Have I ever th o u g h t about th e reasons fo r my most treasured opinions? That is, can I plainly seek the tru th about som ething despite where it

m ight lead me?

Remember, it is the thought of your message—what you say— that

is the more important part of your writing No matter what you write about, therefore, you need to have a technique such as the ABCs of Education to be able to find the truth— and become truly educated You need some way to be able to see the “other side of the story.”

The final step The final step, then, is to weigh each sentence, para­

graph, and message and question yourself about the truth of each Are

my facts correct? Is it possible I could be wrong about this? Even if you ask only these questions, you will be well on your way to making sound judgments.

A C T I C A L S U G G E S T I O N S F O R W R I T I N G

3 C o m p o s e

Do not worry too much about minor details at this stage At the same

time, compose slowly and with care, especially in following the great

principles of writing: Unity, Clearness, Force, and Emphasis.

Unity A sentence should present only one thought; a paragraph, one

topic; and a composition, one subject Supplying sufficient facts and

eliminating unnecessary ones is the key to unity of the paragraph and

composition.

Clearness Above all, a sentence should be clear The term “coher­

ence” (a sticking together) is often used in place of clearness to refer

to the paragraph and composition.

Force Force is the quality that makes sentences sound mature and

sophisticated, not childish and choppy Elements such as the use of

conciseness, active verbs, and putting something before the subject

help you gain this vital quality The use of clear, forceful words also

contributes to this key quality.

Emphasis Emphasis is the powerful aid to force, a quality that can

be attained by placing important parts at the beginnings and endings

of sentences, paragraphs, and whole messages.

k. Re vi s e

The secret of success in writing effectively lies in the careful improve­

ment of your work After writing, set your work aside, and later

reread it as if it belonged to someone else If possible, have someone

else read your work and suggest how it could be improved Now is

the time for abolishing redundancies, for arranging your sentences

correctly, for checking for incorrect grammar and punctuation, and

for bringing style into a consistent and effective form.

5 P r e p a r e Y o u r F i n i s h e d Cop y

Make your writing look professional Whether you are writing a

business letter or a theme, correctness in form suggests accuracy and

efficiency and influences your reader’s estimate of you and your abil­

ity Proofread carefully to make sure your document is error free, and

check the appearance of each page In addition, place your name,

date, and other information properly on your theme to make it easy

for your instructor to identify your work— and gain a good impres­

sion of you.

5

Get all th e facts Facts are th e core o f composition.

Outline For a simple them e or letter, a listing o f key points is usually fine

2 Note th e three aspects o f good w ritin g

Be yourself Study the works o f the best authors, b u t have confidence in your a b ility to express yourself and w rite sincerely and tru th fu lly

Consider th e reader—th e "y o u " a ttitu d e Above all, make your w ritin g

as clear as possible to save your readers th e ir tim e and energy Study Appendix A, Consider the Reader The tw elve questions there w ill help you develop the "y o u " attitu d e In addition, these guidelines w ill help you get along w ell w ith others, a key skill desired by employers

Think critically Keep an open mind on every question u n til all the facts are in

3 Compose W hen composing, keep in mind th e great principles o f

w ritin g — Unity, Clearness, Force, and Emphasis

4 Revise Always reread your w o rk to improve it and to check fo r any inconsistencies

5 Prepare your finished copy First impressions count! Follow the guidelines fo r making your w o rk look professional— and give a good impression o f yourself

6

L he only way

to success in writing is to lay

a foundation before trying to paint the eaves

H urry up, n o w is th e tim e to go Hurry up N ow is th e tim e to go

"1 c a n 't," he said, "it's to o b itte r." "1 c a n 't," he said "It's to o b itte r."

The bank w ill be closed Since

Do you know what a sentence is? If you are among the many students who

do not know, you can readily learn it in Lessons 2 through 4 of Part 1, “The

Sentence in Three Stages,” a special program for learning the sentence

quickly and easily.

T h e S e n t e n c e in T h r e e S t a g es

Recognize th e subject and verb in a sentence You are more than halfw ay

there when you know these

Recognize th e subject, verb, and "co m p le te r" o f a sentence If you know

these, you know most o f the sentence

Recognize phrases and clauses as subjects Identify th e main subject and

verb in a sentence w ith a m o difyin g clause Congratulations! You now

recognize a sentence

n j

PART 1 PRETEST

In t he s p a c e p r o v i d e d , wr i t e one of t he f o l l o w i n g l et t er s ( A, 6, or C)

i dent i f y t he c o r r e c t a n s w e r in e ac h s e n t e n c e

tw o sentences written as one o p art of a sentence

1 I have never supported tax increases

2 As you did

3 The purpose o f a sales letter, however, is m otivation

4 Ann sent her resume to the company, then she called the human resources director

5 That is not true

6 As you already know, th e dow ntim e w ill be less w ith private companies

7 The mark grew larger fin a lly we saw the sign

8 The speaker received much applause

9 Since his speech was a masterpiece

10 It is a mistake o f course it is

11 You should remember th a t otherwise you w o uld seem rude

12 Please remember th a t specialists gave you these tests

13 And th a t there are many ways o f answering the questions

14 We were pleased when you became a member, however,

we noticed th a t your membership recently lapsed

15 To open th e file, you must have a special password

16 Being a chief executive officer w h o managed a well-furnished office

17 Looking fo rw a rd to hearing from you

18 I really should hurry to the office

19 Otherwise, I m ig h t be late

20 They passed the exam ination, th erefo re they were happy

O sentence o

8

Lesson ©

The Parts of Speech

T h i s l e s s o n c o v e r s t h e f o l l o w i n g m a i n p a r t s o f s p e e c h : i

adverb.

"m ou r n a tion "

Contrary to what some might say, you really do need to be familiar

with the parts of speech— if only to have the terminology for under­

standing how to improve and revise sentences A shortcut to knowing the parts of speech is to learn by heart the names of linking verbs,

helping verbs, conjunctions, and prepositions.

9

A noun is the name of a person, place, or thing The word “thing” is used not only for objects that we can see, hear, taste, or touch but also for words such as patriotism, sorrow, and peace. In the following pas­ sage, the italicized words are the names of various objects called nouns.

The art o f separating a person from his money is a delicate matter,

and all the tact and diplomacy o f which a skillful salesperson is master

w ill not ward o ff every complaint Discontent arises from carelessness

in giving or in fillin g an order.

1b

A pronoun takes the place of a noun The following are commonly

used personal pronouns:

I, me, he, him, she, her, we, us, they, them , it, you, who, whom

You should be familiar with other pronouns in common use, a list of which follows Whenever you are uncertain whether a word is a pro­ noun, refer to this list In a short time, you will be familiar with most

of them.

Ot h er P r o n o u n s

1c

A verb, the most important word in the sentence, shows action or

indicates a state or condition.

For action verbs, however, the action does not necessarily imply

motion, such as run, jump, and skip Action verbs can also be actions

of the mind, such as think, consider, and remember.

The consultant wrote many letters.

The members concentrated th e ir efforts on w in n in g the argument.

T H E P A R T S O F S P E E C H

Those that do not express action (linking verbs) make a statement and

also connect or link the subject with the word or words that follow it

The primary linking verbs follow:

is

feel

amlook

areappear

wasbecome

wereseem

beenremain

Andres was a student.

I remain an avid reader.

Jane became a friend

The cold ice felt good.

A verb may not always be a single word but sometimes a group

of words, such as “Your order has been sent.” The following

twenty-three words are helping verbs (The first eight are also linking

verbs.)

H el p i n g V e r b s

Id

An adjective modifies or in some way makes the meaning of a noun

or pronoun more exact An adjective can describe a noun (the rocky

ledge) or limit a noun (two dollars).

They worked in a busy office.

He b o u ght th e latest version o f the software.

Mr Ito designed the company database.

1e

An adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb Adverbs

usually answer the questions how, when, where, why, or to what

extent and often end in -ly.

They read books often (Describes a verb)

They were very close friends (Describes an adjective)

They w orked really w ell together (Describes an adverb)

11

Although an adverb often modifies the verb in the sentence, it is not always placed directly after the verb At times, it is placed between the parts of the verb phrase.

They were desperately looking fo r a dictionary.

The child was happily w a lking in th e rain.

The company could easily hire six new employees.

If

Conjunctions are connecting words that join sentences, clauses,

phrases, or words.

Coordinating conjunctions connect elements of equal rank They are

and, or, nor, but, yet, for, so

The staff meets on Monday, and th e workers meet on Friday.

Courage is admirable, but patience is pow erful.

Ty knows w ord processing, yet he wants to take a refresher course.

Be sure to memorize the seven coordinating conjunctions When you can recall them, you will automatically know when to place a comma

in a compound sentence.

Subordinating conjunctions connect elements of unequal rank They

introduce dependent clauses and are important because they can remind you to place a comma after the clause.

If a le tte r is to o long, it wastes the tim e o f the correspondent and the reader

After my money was gone, I no longer had friends

The following mnemonic (a means used as an aid in remembering) will help you recall these key words:

T H E P A R T S O F S P E E C H

1g Preposition

A preposition shows a relation to some other word in the sentence.

The president o f th e company reported an increase in sales.

The word o f not only connects the two nouns president and company

but shows the relation between them; the president belongs to the

company If you omit o f , you no longer know what the president and

the company have to do with each other.

Pr e p o s i t i o n s

across behind concerning like th o u g h t w ith

Ten prepositions used more frequently than the others are

in, on, for, from , at, to, by, of, like, with

1h terjection

Oh! My com puter just crashed!

Hey! Do you know where you're going?

W ow! That was a great movie!

Note: The part of speech to which a word belongs is determined by

its use in the sentence.

May I open th e w indow ? (Verb)

We came at last to open country (Adjective)

I always enjoy hiking in the open (Noun)

13

adjective adjective adjective preposition preposition adjective

adverb verb adverb adjective adjective verb

adjective adverb adjective adjective

pronoun noun adverb noun

adjective adverb adjective adjective

noun verb adverb verb

14

IMPROVE YOUR VOCABULARY

Prefixes and Roots

A prefix is a letter, syllable, or word added to the beginning of some other word to vary or modify its meaning, while a root is the main part of the word In the word absolve, for example, abs is the prefix

meaning from, and solv is the root, or main part, meaning loosen.

A, ab, or abs means from: avert, to turn away from; absolve, to

release from; abstract, to draw from.

Abdicate, to proclaim from ; give up (die, diet, to proclaim)

Abhor, to shudder from ; shrink back from in dread or horror (horrero , to shudder)

Absolve, to loosen from ; to free from guilt, {solv, to loosen)

Abscond, to conceal from ; leave secretly, (condo, to conceal)

Abstruse, thrust away, hard to understand, (trudere, to thrust)

The manager abdicated his responsibilities, withdrawing from his various duties.

To abhor is to hate with loathing, literally a shrinking back from Absolve means to set free or release from some duty or obligation.

Abscond does not mean to take someone’s money but to run away secretly.

Students found some abstruse points in philosophy, statements hidden away from their understanding.

Other words for recognizing prefixes and roots: aberrant, abnegate, absent, abstemious.

Vocabulary Check

Match words with definitions by placing the correct letter in each blank.

1 abdicate a to hate, loathe

2 abhor b to flee in haste and in secret

3 absolve c to await, endure

4 abscond d obscure; hidden away from understanding

5 abstruse e to withdraw from duties; to give up formally

f to set free or release; to forgive

2a Verbs o f one w o rd Thev returned to the computer lab.

2b Verbs o f m ore th a n one w o rd They had aone to Hawaii the

previous year.

2c Verbs, n o t m o d ifie rs The student was not present.

2d F inding th e subject The caravan started on its journev.

2e C om pound subjects and verbs Michael and Georae ran and swam.

2 f C om pound sentences / lost my ring, and my friend found it.

A sentence is a group of words expressing a complete thought It has a

subject and predicate (the words that make a statement about the sub­ ject), with the core word of the subject usually being a noun or pronoun and the core word of the predicate being a verb Most importantly, be

sure you are able to find the verb of the sentence easily.

16

S U B J E C T A N D V E R B ( S T A G E O N E )

A verb may be one word It may be either an action verb or a linking

verb.

The students greeted each other (Action verb)

A blank space means a missing design (Action verb)

The thesis provides an overview o f the m ajor points (Action verb)

Planners usually remember every elem ent o f the plan (Action verb)

Many action verbs, such as provides and remember, do not seem to be

moving or doing anything, but they are action verbs.

You’ll recall from Lesson 1 that linking verbs connect or link the sub­

ject with the word or words that follow it The linking verbs are is,

am, are, was, were, been.

The graphics softw are is new (Linking verb)

I am happy w ith my keyboarding class (Linking verb)

The w indow s are open (Linking verb)

They were friends (Linking verb)

Check Your Understanding of Verbs of One Word

Underline the verb in each sentence.

1 The oth e r check-out lines at the grocery store always move faster

2 Unfortunately, the warranties on our office printers expire a fte r one year

3 Nature always sides w ith the hidden flaw

4 A shortcut is the shortest distance between tw o points

5 The fo rm a ttin g o f business letters differs from th a t o f oth e r kinds of

correspondence

6 The beginning and ending o f th e body o f th e le tte r is the most d iffic u lt

part o f the message

7 The date o f a le tte r consists o f the m onth, day o f th e m onth, and year

8 Never use red ink fo r w ritin g letters

9 An elegant letter is less common than any other specimen o f composition

10 The renovation embraces the whole concept o f an open office design

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2a

17

2b ?rbs

A verb may not always be a single word but sometimes a group of words, such as “Your order has been sen t” Review the list of helping verbs Then study the sentences.

H e l p i n g V e r b s

The students greeted each other (One w ord)

Jane has written a thesis (Two words)

They had been living in Chicago (Three words)

Check Your Understanding of Verbs of More Than One Word

Underline the verb in each sentence, and circle the number of words in each.

1 The consultant w ro te many letters 1 2

5 The office assistant struck the keys w ith th e proper fingers 1 2

6 A w rite r should use specific words 1 2

7 W riters should have a high regard fo r accuracy 1 2

11 The door had been hinged at the top 2 3

12 The checks should be w ritte n plainly 2 3

14 The w o rk should have been done sooner 3 4

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S U B J E C T A N D V E R B ( S T A G E O N E )

2c 'erbs Not Modifiers

Words that tell something about the verb are not part of the verb They

may be very important to the meaning of the sentence Nevertheless,

they are not part of the verb Study the following sentences:

The story was not true (Can you not?)

The patio was laid out in blocks (Can you o u tl)

Students carefully study fo r exams (Can you carefully'?)

Not, out, and carefully tell something about the verb and are not part of

it Only was, was laid, and study are verbs in the preceding sentences.

Words that tell something about the subject are also not part of the

verb Certain linking verbs are frequently followed by modifiers that

describe the subject In the first sentence, for example, cold describes

the subject night.

The n ig h t was cold (Can you co/c/?)

The guards had become careless (Can you careless'?)

He was hungry (Can you hungry?)

Again, cold, careless, and hungry are not part of the verb Only was,

had become, and was are verbs.

Check Your Understanding of Verbs Not Modifiers

Underline the verb— and nothing but the verb— in each sentence.

1 The loan application must be fille d o u t completely

2 The self-help book is fu ll o f good suggestions

3 The student had never read the procedures fo r using the Internet

I

4 A h a lf-tru th is o fte n a great lie

5 The layers must be firm ly glued together

6 The softw are docum entation is usually divided in to sections or parts

7 The plane was rapidly gaining altitude

8 The action plan should be im plem ented immediately

9 They were fa irly safe

10 An ergonomic w orkstation has been set up fo r each new employee

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19

Always find the verb first Then ask who or what about the verb The

answer is the subject.

A noun or pronoun usually serves as the simple subject, the simple subject being the particular word in the complete subject about which something is said.

P h r a s e s T h a t Ma y I nt e r f e r e

A frequent error is to consider the object of the prepositional phrase the subject of the sentence.

The managers in our office are capable professionals.

In the preceding sentence, managers is the subject, and are is the verb

In our office, a prepositional phrase, tells something about managers Office, the object of the preposition in, is N O T the subject of the

sentence.

A prepositional phrase may include smaller phrases:

The chimney sits on the top of the house.

Two phrases may also modify separately:

Turn to the riaht at the next corner.

Remember, no part of a prepositional phrase can be a subject To avoid taking the wrong word for the subject, eliminate all prepositional phrases by crossing them out, at least in your mind.

2d

Check Your Understanding of Phrases That May Interfere

Is the underlined word the subject of each sentence? Circle Yes or No

If No, underline the subject.

1 In the past, reports from th e office were sent weeklv yes no

2 An advantage o f th e direct plan is its conciseness yes no

3 Your pronunciation o f those words is incorrect yes no

4 The m anagement qave all the employees a holiday yes no

5 The secretary o f the club read the minutes yes no

6 Paper fo r letters should be suitable fo r the purpose yes no

20

S U B J E C T A N D V E R B ( S T A G E O N E )

7 My frie n d in Boston has bou aht a new computer yes no

8 The president o f th e company reported be tte r sales yes no

9 The style o f the le tter should be determ ined beforehand yes no

10 A variety o f copiers was fo u n d in the office yes no

11 The manager in the office introduced the new employees yes no

12 Many d iffe re n t colors o f copier paper are available yes no

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P r o n o u n s as S u b j e c t s

You are familiar with pronouns in common use, such as each, every,

either, neither, and this You might want to refer back to Lesson 1 (lb),

though, to review the list of these pronouns Meanwhile, study the

following sentences to see how these pronouns function as subjects.

Neither o f the coats fits him (Subject)

Each o f the contestants was right (Subject)

Either o f the jo b applicants w o uld be successful (Subject)

Anybody w h o takes keyboarding acquires a critical skill (Subject)

None o f our computers are infected w ith th e virus (Subject)

This is th e result we all expected (Subject)

Check Your Understanding of Pronouns as Subjects

In each sentence, underline each subject once and each verb twice.

1 Many o f the members o f the com m ittee called fo r a meeting

2 In the past year, several o f the units have been tested

3 Only one o f the contestants finished th e race

4 Most o f the inhabitants were prepared fo r the invasion

5 Everyone in the room knows the reason fo r the test

6 Unfortunately, someone in the class has already seen th e movie

7 Neither o f th e students has a rig h t to the tickets

8 Last summer both o f the contestants applied fo r the scholarship

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21

V ar i e d O r d e r of t he S u b j e c t

The subject may not always be before the verb It may, in fact, be any­ where in the sentence Study the following sentences:

Down jum ped the cat (The cat jum ped down.)

Are you sure? ( You are sure.)

The subjects of most interrogative (questioning) sentences are not in their natural order To find the subject, it may be necessary to change the interrogative sentence to declarative form.

W ho is th a t person? (That person is w h o )

W hat do you want? (You w a n t w h a t.)

In sentences introduced by there or it, the subject follows the verb Here and there are used as fillers They merely introduce.

There is Donald Harney (Donald Harney is there.)

Here are the com puter disks (The com puter disks are here.)

The subject of a command sentence is usually omitted You (the sub­

ject) is understood.

[You] Lock the office door by six o'clock

Do not [you] forget

Check Your Understanding of Varied Order of the Subject

In each sentence, underline each subject once and each verb twice.

1 Forget about the Outstanding A thlete Award

2 There w ill be several applicants fo r the position o f Web Page Designer

3 How are you voting this time?

4 Here is the account o f one o f the witnesses

5 How cold the w ind is to n ig h t!

6 From these strikes came new labor laws

7 Turn to the rig h t at the firs t intersection

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S U B J E C T A N D V E R B ( S T A G E O N E )

2e Compound Subjects and Verbs

A sentence may have a compound subject, a compound verb, or both

“Compound” simply means to be made up of two or more parts.

Study the following sentences:

The doctor and her aides are planning to gọ

The manager keyed the le tter and mailed it

Spring and summer came and went.

In the first sentence the subject—doctor and aides— is compound In

the second sentence the verb—keyed and mailed—is compound And

in the third sentence, both subject and verb are compound.

Check Your Understanding of Compound Subjects and Verbs

Write S (for subject) if the underlined compound unit is the subject

and V (for verb) if the unit is the verb in each sentencẹ

1 Its success and popularity encouraged oth e r investors

2 The speaker presented the awards and discussed plans fo r fu tu re awards

3 Instructors and employees recognize the im portance o f good

keyboarding skills

4 Janet and M artha are friends

5 Carlos and his neighbors sell notebook computers

6 M ark owns and runs a com puter center

7 She w e n t to the w in d o w and looked o u t at the gathering storm clouds

8 Carissa buys and sells stock

9 The passers-by stopped and stared at th e little monkeỵ

10 The coach or his assistants are planning to go to the tournam ent tomorrow

11 Lewis fo und the package and removed the wrapping

12 Upload and download are fa m ilia r com puter terms

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23

A compound sentence makes two complete statements These are

joined by a comma and a coordinating conjunction or by a semicolon.

Use a comma to separate the two statements of a compound sentence only when the second statement begins with a coordinating conjunc­ tion (and, or, nor, but, yet, for, so).

I am going to th e conference, and you can jo in me.

Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate.

Shelly w ill attend the workshop, or she w ill send a substitute.

He has a fin e reputation, yet I do not know him personally.

Nedla did not pass the exam, nor w ill she graduate.

Use a semicolon in a compound sentence when the second statement begins with any word other than a coordinating conjunction.

I saw Harvey yesterday; he was very happy.

The president introduced th e speaker; then she sM down.

Lori ]s w o rking on her degree; Emma has hers.

Sales are good; we expect a pro fit.

Check Your Understanding of Compound Sentences

Underline each subject once and each verb twice in each sentence.

1 Beth is n o t tired, yet she has worked hard

2 I saw him yesterday, and he seemed happy

3 Selma may consider your recommendation, or she may disregard it

4 This backpack is good fo r carrying books; everyone should try it

5 I am going to the meeting, but you can come along

6 It does not m atter; I am n o t tire d now

7 I did n o t seek th e position, nor do I w a n t it

8 We had no assignments, so we left

9 They had nearly finished th e task, b u t they did n o t go on break

10 Jim is w ell liked, fo r he has many good qualities

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2f

In each sentence, underline the subject once and the verb twice.

1 The day was warm

2 O pportunities fo r im provem ent are offered by th e Human Resources Departm ent

3 Neither o f the videos has been ordered

4 The company has n o t purchased a new site fo r its new regional office

5 They smiled cordially and continued on th e ir way

6 The container o f gas soon cooled and solidified

7 Many o f the tickets to the hockey game were sold

8 Did the president report an increase?

9 The am ount o f money was substantial

10 Letters and gifts pour in to th e studio

11 Sound the alarm!

12 There is a new manager

13 Your tic k e t fo r the swimm ing com petition is n o t stamped; therefore, it

is invalid

14 They practiced every m orning, b u t they had little success

15 Their charges fo r going online are m inimal; however, a tax is required

IMPROVE YOUR VOCABULARY

Prefixes and Roots

AO: to, at, toward

A d means to or at as adjoin, to join to, and toward as advise, to look

toward This prefix may become a, ac, af, ag, al, an, ap, ar, as, or at

as in ascent, accede, affix, aggrandize, allot, annex, appeal, arrest,

assume, and attract.

Adjacent, to; adjoining (jacere, to lie)

Admire, to wonder at; to esteem highly (mirari, to wonder)

Admonish, to warn toward; reprove mildly (monere, to warn)

A/fable, to speak to; pleasant, friendly (fari, to speak)

A/fluent, to flow to; an abundance (fluere, to flow)

E x a m p l e s

The house adjacent to yours lies next to it.

To admire a person means literally to wonder at him.

When parents admonish a child, they warn him toward avoiding

some fault or wrongdoing.

Being pleasant and friendly in conversation, affable people are easy to speak to.

A person to whom money seems to flow to with little effort may

be considered affluent or wealthy.

Other words for recognizing prefixes and roots: adage, aggression, allege, alleviate, alliteration, appraise, arrogant.

Vocabulary Check

Match words with definitions by placing the correct letter in each blank.

1 adjacent a to warn; caution

2 admire b near; close to

3 admonish c easy to be spoken to; courteous; kind

4 affable d rich

5 affluent e to regard with strong approval, delight, or

wonder

f allowable

3c Subjects and verbs, n o t

adjectives and adverbs

The friendly student quietly left.

3d Verbs, n o t verbals People d igging for clams should

expect w e t feet.

The three parts of the sentence are subject, verb, and completer, a

completer being a word that completes the meaning of the verb

“Completers” of linking verbs are subject complements, and “com­

pleters” of action verbs are direct objects.

27