Grammar Workshop

2. Grammar Workshop

3. 1. Avoid Comma Splices and Run-on Sentences • Rockwent to the MSC, he wanted to buy some books. • Rockwent to the MSC hewanted to buy some books.

4. How Much Emphasis Do You Want to Give the Second Part? Comma and coordinating conjunction [, and but for or nor so yet—Think A. B. Fonsy] Rock went to the MSC, for he wanted to buy some books. Semicolon [;] Rock went to the MSC; he wanted to buy some books.

5. How Much Emphasis Do You Want to Give the Second Part? Start a new sentence. Rock went to the MSC. He wanted to buy some books.

6. Subordinating Ideas Use a subordinating conjunction to subordinate one or more of the ideas. • When Rock went to the MSC, he wanted to buy some books. • Rock went to the MSC because he wanted to buy some books.

7. Transitions with semicolons Words like however, therefore, nevertheless, whereas, thus, etc. can be used with semicolons to make transitions. Rock wanted to buy some books, so he went to the MSC. Rock wanted to buy some books; therefore, he went to the MSC. Punctuate ; however, ; therefore,

8. Commas 2. If the phrase or clause is essential for the sentence to make the sense you want, do not use commas. • The boy wearing the Maroon Out shirt is my brother. • The girl who is waving the Spirit Towel is his date. There are a number of boys and girls.

9. Commas 3. If the word, phrase, or clause is not essential for your sentence to make the sense you want, do use commas. • I can, however, tell you about the picture. • The boy, wearing the Maroon Out shirt, is my brother. • The girl, who is waving the Spirit Towel, is his date. There is only one boy and one girl.

10. Commas 4. When using an introductory word, phrase, or dependent clause to begin a sentence, use a comma. • Today, females are students at TAMU. • During the last thirteen football seasons, I have seen every Aggie home game. • Because the Aggie spirit is exciting, I always enjoy the games.

11. Possessive Nouns 5. End a singular noun with an apostrophe followed by an “s.” • Kyle Field’s capacity is over 86,000. End a plural noun ending in “s” with the “s” followed by an apostrophe. • Many Aggies’ memories of the bonfire are happy and spirit-filled.

12. Possessive Nouns End a plural noun not ending in “s” with an apostrophe followed by an “s.” Women’s soccer is an important sport at Texas A&M.

13. 6. Proper Punctuation to Incorporate a Quotation into a Sentence If the introductory material is a sentence, add the quotation after a colon. Eleanor Roosevelt spent many years feeling insecure before she realized this idea: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

14. Proper Punctuation to Incorporate a Quotation into a Sentence If the introductory material is not an independent clause, use a comma. Eleanor Roosevelt states, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

15. Proper Punctuation to Incorporate a Quotation into a Sentence If you include the words of a quotation into one of your sentences, use square brackets [ ] and ellipses . . . . I agree with Eleanor Roosevelt that “[n]o one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” It is impossible to “. . . make you feel inferior without your consent” (Roosevelt).

16. Agreement of Subjects and Verbs 7. Make the subject and verb agree with each other, not with words that come between them. • One of the most famous Aggies is reviewing the March-in. Of the most famous Aggies is a prepositional phrase. One is the subject of the sentence.

17. Misplaced Modifiers 8. An introductory modifier should always refer to the subject of the sentence. • After carrying the mini-fridge up the dorm stairs, it wouldn’t fit in the doorway to the room. Did it carry the mini-fridge up the dorm stairs? • After carrying the mini-fridge up the dorm stairs, the Fishfound that it wouldn’t fit in the doorway to the room.

18. Parallel Construction 9. If you name a series, always use the same elements throughout the list. • At Fish Camp, we learned Aggie yells, singing the “Aggie War Hymn,” about the traditions, and made new friends. • At Fish Camp, we learned Aggie yells, sang the “Aggie War Hymn,” talked about the traditions, and made new friends. • At Fish Camp, we had fun learning the Aggie yells, singing the “Aggie War Hymn,” talking about the traditions, and making new friends. • At Fish Camp, we learned to do Aggie yells and to sing the “Aggie War Hymn.”

19. Active and Passive Voice 10. If the subject of the sentence does the action, the verb is in active voice. The Aggie men’s basketball teambeat Colorado’s basketball team this week. If the subject of the sentence receives the action, the verb is in passive voice. The tu women’s basketball teamwas beaten by the Aggies this week.

20. Avoid Using Passive Voice Generally speaking, writing is stronger when you use active voice with strong, active verbs. SMU’s soccer teamwas driven to the wall by the Aggies in the game on Saturday. Last Saturday, the AggiesdroveSMU to the wall in the NCAA soccer play-offs.

21. Use Passive Voice in These Situations: When the action is more important than the actor. • Underwater research in the Gulf of Mexico is conducted by Texas A&M Galveston. When the actor is unknown. • Some important informationwas leaked by a source in the White House.

22. Use Passive Voice in These Situations: When the receiver of the action is more important than the actor. • The Presidentwas questioned by the press in this matter. To avoid revealing the actor. • The President stated, “Mistakeswere made.”

23. 11. Omit Unnecessary Words Instead of writing “Scientific research generally depends on fully accurate data if it is to offer theories that will allow us to predict the future in a plausible way.” write “To offer theories that plausibly predict the future, scientific research depends on accurate data.”