Welcome to the Grammar Help, Writing Help, and Punctuation Help section
There are hundreds of books out there on writing and grammar. What we’ve done here is our best to combine the positives of all these books in one, simple, easy-to-read reference guide.
Grammar Help and Writing Help
The English language can be broken down into 8 parts of speech:
nouns
verbs
adjectives
adverbs
prepositions
pronouns
conjunctions
interjections
Each of the 8 parts of speech has its own set of uses, grammar, and writing tips associated with it. Learn each well, and you’ll have a stronger mastery of grammar and writing than you ever thought possible.
Here’s how we present each part of speech:
1. basic definition
2. basic and complex functions in language
3. common mistakes and how to avoid them
4. writing tips
Punctuation Help
In this section, we go over each punctuation mark and its uses. We spend a great deal of time on the:
comma
We do so because this little punctuation mark carries a lot of weight and possesses an incredible number of uses in our language.
Then, the remaining marks receive their time in the spot light:
parentheses
brackets
dashes
semicolons
colons
periods
exclamation marks
question marks
quotation marks
hyphens
apostrophes
Content Map
Scroll down this large list to see exactly what we cover in each section.
NOUNS
INTRODUCTION: One of the corner stones of the English language stands as the noun. We begin our discussion with a simple definition.
FUNCTIONS: We follow that with a more detailed look at the different ways we can use them by first looking at what makes these sentences wrong.
SUBJECT: Stacey a car bought.
OBJECT: Stacey bought.
OBJECT: Stacey bought a car the Autosuperstore.
Later, we move along to explain the following important noun functions.
ADJECTIVE: history book
ADVERB: We are leaving Friday.
APPOSITIVE: California's capital, Sacramento, is beautiful.
ABSOLUTE: The decision made, we left work early.
POSSESSIVE: William's new house is nice.
DOUBLES: Once we've mastered these essential functions we explain their varied forms, which we term noun doubles.
GERUND: Running is a great form of exercise.
INFINITIVE: He doesn't want to break the bad news.
NOUN CLAUSE: He knows that you are going.
MISTAKES: All the major functions and appearances of nouns discussed, we outline the pitfalls to avoid with SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT by explaining why each of the following is correct.
PART 1: A group of students has come together.
PART 2: The house as well as the car is going to be sold.
COLLECTIVE NOUNS: Your high school team is preparing for the game.
COLLECTIVE NOUNS: The jury are finally going home.
WRITING: In this section, we summarize all that we've learned into a few simple precepts, outlined below, that will propel our writing to the next level.
ADD VARIETY: Fill writing with examples of every noun function.
ADD VARIETY: Exploit gerunds, noun clauses, and infinitives as nouns.
AVOID MISTAKES: Avoid subject-verb errors at all costs.
AVOID TOO MANY: Choose verbs over nouns whenever possible.
VERBS
INTRODUCTION: No part of speech carries more weight in our communication than the verb. To impart the most essential knowledge first, we begin with an outline of how we categorize verbs into some important groups.
TRANSITIVE: The man ate breakfast.
TRANSITIVES WITH DIRECT AND INDIRECT OBJECTS: Billy gave Suzy a new T.V.
INTRANSITIVE: Jim spoke to Jessica yesterday.
LINKING: Jim looks angry with her.
ACTION: Bob felt the rough surface of the countertop.
NON-ACTION: Your student felt angry because you never listen to her.
AUXILIARY: They don't do it.
FORMS: Verbs distinguish themselves through their ability to take on many different forms, essential for us to know if we wish to command the language.
INFINITIVE: to keep
CONJUGATED: eat
PRESENT PARTICIPLE: leaving
PAST PARTICIPLE: suppressed
Learning the forms, we discuss how they function in our writing.
INFINITIVE:
The man to see has billions of dollars.
He opened the box to help.
To eat an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
PRESENT PARTICIPLE:
Running is a great form of exercise.
I am eating right now.
A winning attitude commands a happy life.
PAST PARTICIPLE:
I have been to France.
The building was built in 1905.
The heated argument started friendly enough.
VOICES: Though an odd title, voices represents a very important topic when you deal with verbs.
PASSIVE VOICE: The book was published last week.
ACTIVE VOICE: Samantha has baked cookies since she was a child.
MISTAKES: Verbs present their fair share of complicated traps.
SUBJUNCTIVE: If I were you, I would study more.
FUSED PARTICIPLES: Billy smells your baking.
WRITING: This writing section provides one of the most powerful when it comes to improving your writing style. The concepts outlined below and taken to heart will enable you to write with precision and force.
ACTION VERBS: Replace non-action verbs with action verbs whenever possible.
ACTIVE OR PASSIVE: Communicate best by converting passive sentences to active.
STRONG VERBS: Warehouse an array of strong verbs in your writing.
ADJECTIVES
INTRODUCTION: Adjectives stand as those important words that describe other words. In our discussion, we divide them into two groups: one-worders and mulit-worders--funny names, but they work.
ONE-WORDERS: To start, we look at PLACEMENT; then, we go into their use in making COMPARISONS; and finally, we examine the FORMATION of SUCH comparisons.
POSITION: I big eat a breakfast.
COMPARITIVE: The BMW is cheaper than the Porsche.
SUPERLATIVE: The Porsche is the most expensive.
MULTI-WORDERS: Here, ADJECTIVE CLAUSES (AC) are discussed along with the important differences among WHO, WHOM, and WHOSE. We finish with a treatise on ADJECTIVE PHRASES and how they come from adjective clauses.
(AC) SUBJECTS: One manager who wears black suits steals from employees.
(AC) OBJECTS: The apple that I like smells delicious.
(AC) OBJECTS: The paper on which I wrote an important note was misplaced.
WHO: One manager who wears black suits steals from employees.
WHOM: Most employees steal from the deviant manager whom they take for all he's worth. WHOSE: The manager whose wallet was stolen was very angry.
PHRASE: My manager seen on a TV show annoys me.
Then, we touch on ONE-WORDERS again to delve into the special kinds we avoided in the first discussion.
PRESENT PARTICIPLE: The exciting movie grossed 100 million.
PAST PARTICIPLE: Our nurtured child does well in school.
INFINITIVE: The movie to watch did well.
MISTAKES: In this section, we deal with the common traps we wish to avoid when using adjectives. We do so by outlining why most of these sentences are wrong and why only one stands as correct.
MISPLACED MODIFIER: The dog is sitting next to my friend that is eating my homework.
THAT OR WHICH: The ants, that are blue, died.
THAT OR WHICH: The ants which are blue died.
COMPOUND: The well known issue presents no trouble for us in the debate.
FEWER OR LESS: With seven or fewer items, you may checkout here.
WRITING: Finally, these basic concepts are taken and from them we issue some great tips to improve your writing.
AVOID OVERKILL: Too many adjectives result in wordy, cluttered writing.
CLAUSES TO PHRASES: Reduce adjective clauses whenever possible.
ADVERBS
ONE-WORDERS: First, we touch on an adverb's basic FUNCTION.
FUNCTION: Denise finally started working.
FUNCTION: Jim ran extremely quickly.
FUNCTION: The box is incredibly heavy.
FUNCTION: We started well into the New Year.
Next, its PLACEMENT and FORMATON are discussed. And, just as we learned how to use adjectives to compare, so we learn how to exploit adverbs to compare.
COMPARITIVE: That horse runs faster than the other horse.
SUPERLATIVE: That horse runs the most quickly.
MULTI-WORDERS: Discussing clauses and phrases, we break down an important component when it comes to mastery of the adverb. Also, the general rules of comma usage with these expressions is outlined.
CLAUSE: Because they fell asleep, the teacher was infuriated.
PHRASE: He delivered a speech to motivate us.
PHRASE: When washing my car, he always manages to dent it.
MISTAKES: With adverbs, many traps lay in wait. To avoid such traps, we review why each of the following sentences is incorrect.
HOPEFULLY: Hopefully, Jim will finish his work in time.
SPLIT INFINITIVES: It challenged him to quickly think of the answer. CONJUNCTIVE ADVERB: He ate a lot, nevertheless he wanted more. MISPLACED MODIFIER: When writing, your paper may show this mistake.
WRITING: As always, every major point to take to heart when it comes to adverbs and writing rests in this section.
SHORTEN CLAUSES: Change clauses to phrases whenever possible.
ADD VARIETY: Begin sentences with different kinds of adverbs.
COMMA USAGE: Set off your adverbs with commas when necessary.
PREPOSITIONS
BASICS: We begin with a look at why we need prepositions; then, we move on to understanding how they work.
FUNCTION: The mouse on the box has big teeth.
FUNCTION: The mouse in the box has big teeth.
KINDS: With the basics down, we journey down a road that explains the three types of prepositions we may encounter in writing:
SIMPLE: We ran toward the nearest exit.
MARGINAL: Considering my idea, we decided to postpone the meeting. COMPOUND: Management is in favor of massive layoffs.
MORE FUNCTIONS: Knowing the fundamentals, we discuss more sophisticated aspects of the prepositions.
MULTIPLE ROLES: I saw it before.
MULTIPLE ROLES: I saw it before him.
MULTIPLE ROLES: I saw it before you did.
PHRASES: My house on the beach costs more than yours.
PHRASAL VERBS: We turned on the lights.
MISTAKES: One simple mistake looms with this part of speech: misuse.
WRONG ONE: I'm afraid at spiders.
WRITING: What kernels of wisdom to use in our writing lies here.
BEGIN OR END: End a clause with a preposition with confidence.
COMPOUND: Minimize the presence of compound prepositions
TOO MANY: Limit their use for better flow and more clarity.
PRONOUNS
THE FIRST GROUP: Pronouns divide into seven groups. In this section, the first four come to light.
SUBJECTIVE: He opened the door.
OBJECTIVE: They told her to take him with us.
POSSESSIVEADJECTIVE: Suzy likes your brother.
POSSESSIVE: I like yours better than his.
THE SECOND GROUP: Here, we discuss the members of the next qroup:
INDEFINITE: All of us are going. INDEFINITE: All of the gold was stolen.
INDEFINITE: Many want to leave, and some have already left. INDEFINITE: Everything was taken from my closet. DEMONSTRATIVE: This issue is closed.
RELATIVE: The car that has 6 tires is old.
INTERROGATIVE: Why did he decide to leave so early?
THE THIRD GROUP: The final two pronouns are outlined in this section.
REFLEXIVE: Suzy drove herself to her house. RECIPROCAL: The two of them congratulated each other.
MISTAKES: What errors we may make with pronouns lie here.
SUBJECT-VERB: Everything was stolen from our office! NONE: None of them are right about its usage.
BEFORE VERBS: Her and David leave for Paris tomorrow. PREPOSITIONS: Keep this between you and I.
BE VERB: Look over there! It is he.
THAN: He is much taller than she.
PRONOUNS: Anyone who turns in their homework late will fail. COLLECTIVE NOUNS: The jury reached its decision.
WRITING: The concepts to master when it comes to pronouns and writing.
USE THEM: Employ them to avoid unnecessary repetitiveness.
BE CLEAR: Ensure that each pronoun refers back to its noun clearly.
CONJUNCTIONS
THREE KINDS: Three types of conjunctions exist. Here. we outline the three. explaining how and why we bring them into action.
COORDINATING: She watches movies, but she hates television. CORRELLATIVE: He wants neither breakfast nor dinner.
SUBORDINATING: I ate it because I was hungry.
MISTAKES: Without more to say on the subject, we move onto the array of errors that stem from their misuse. (Only one among the following is correct.)
AS FAR AS: As far as our goal, we must reach it.
IMPOSTERS: The president as well as his cabinet are leaving.
SUBJECT-VERB: Neither my friends nor my sister want to go home.
FOR AND BECAUSE: He ate, for he was hungry.
RUN-ON SENTENCE: The supervisor yelled, the CEO stood amazed. PARALLEL STRUCTURE (PS): Either you cook dinner or breakfast.
WRITING: Now, the discussion revolves around improving writing style through effective conjunction use.
PS: Shorten prose and impart an eloquent tone with parallel structure
AS STARTERS: Periodically begin sentences with conjunctions.
INTERJECTIONS
BASICS: Just a few words on these little parts of speech is all we need.
PUNCTUATION
COMMA: Our discussion starts with an Introduction of the all-powerful, and often misused, comma. Here, We learn how the comma appears in writing.
IN A SERIES: The fish, cat, dog, bird, and ape are good friends.
SENTENCES: The manager finished it, but Sally wanted Suzy to.
ADJECTIVES: Pick the juicy, red tomatoes.
DATES: On January 1, 2000, there was a massive labor strike.
QUOTATIONS: Bill said, "You get outta here right now."
ADVERB CLAUSES: When you leave, I'll be here.
SO: So you wouldn't get cold, I closed the window.
I worked all night, so I'm exhausted.
INTERJECTIONS: Whoa, did you ever see a cat jump that high?
COMMENTS: The prosecutor, in a state of shock, said nothing.
APPOSITIVES: California's capital, Sacramento, lies in northern California.
OTHER: Next we delve into the ways other marks come into play in our writing.
PARENTHESES: He was very confused. (Something he is always.)
BRACKETS: The article read: "The govornir [sic] resigned."
DASHES: Pollution, crime, and unemployment--these are the issues.
SEMICOLON: The company offered no IPOs; the investors were shocked.
COLON: He always leaves early: last night, he left at 6.
PERIOD: The man lives on Fifth Ave.
EXCLAMATION MARK: The police officer said, "Let's go home"!
QUESTION MARK: Is Billy leaving today?
QUOTATION MARKS: The man said, "Buy me a car."
HYPHENS: The man has a two-year-old daughter.
APOSTROPHES: My father and mother's house is beautiful.
