A Noun and a Verb – True Love – LOL
A complete sentence involves a noun and a verb.
“He runs.” It is a short sentence, but it is a complete sentence.
English language
Grammar Tip: Find the Right Word
Make sure your verbs are strong—avoiding overuse of what I call the Terrible Twenty, (was, had, did, saw etc.—everybody has their own Terrible Twenty) the one size fits all verbs that are used again and again… Like a one-size fits all t shirt, it looks good on nobody. Try to be as specific as you can, take the time to find the absolutely right word.
🔤 Grammar Tip: Rx For Run on Sentences
Fixing a run-on sentence or a comma splice can be accomplished in one of five different ways:
- Separate the clauses into two sentences.
- Replace the comma with a semi-colon.
- Replace the comma with a coordinating conjunction–and, but, for, yet, nor, so, or.
- Replace the comma with a subordinating conjunction–after, although, before, unless, as, because, even though, if, since, until, when, while.
- Replace the comma with a semi-colon and transitional word–however, moreover, on the other hand, nevertheless, instead, also, therefore, consequently, otherwise, as a result.
For example: Incorrect: Rachel is very smart, she began reading when she was three years old.
Correct: Rachel is very smart. She began reading when she was three years old. Correct: Rachel is very smart; she began reading when she was three years old. Correct: Rachel is very smart, for she began reading when she was three years old. Correct: Because Rachel is very smart, she began reading when she was three years old.
Correct: Rachel is very smart; as a result, she began reading when she was three years old.
🔤 Grammar Tip: Forego Fish Breath
Misspelling “bated breath.” If you write baited breath, everyone will suspect fishing is your favorite hobby. The word should be spelled bated, which comes from abated, meaning held.
🔤 Grammar Tip: Are You Better “Then” or “Than”?
Then & Than
Then is a description of time—”I wrote the sales letter and then I wrote the advertisement”—while than is used when making a comparison—”I am more sick of this picky client than you are!”
🔤 Grammar Tip: Can You End a Sentence With a Proposition? Oh Oh!
Were you taught that a preposition should never be placed at the end of a sentence? Ending a sentence with a preposition is a perfectly natural part of the structure of modern English. For example:
- in some passive expressions:
- The dress had not even been paid for.
- The match was rained off.
- in relative clauses and questions that include verbs with linked adverbs or prepositions:
- What did you put that there for?
Grammar Tip: Watch Out for the Trickster Phrase
Do not be misled by a phrase that comes between the subject and the verb. The verb agrees with the subject, not with a noun or pronoun in the phrase.
One of the boxes is open.
The people who listen to that music are few.
The team captain, as well as his players, is anxious.
The book, including all the chapters in the first section, is boring.
The woman with all the dogs walks down my street.
Grammar Tip: Who or Whom Made the Correct Choice?
Rule. Use this he/him method to decide whether who or whom is correct:
he = who
him = whom
Examples:
Who/Whom wrote the letter?
He wrote the letter. Therefore, who is correct.
Who/Whom should I vote for?
Should I vote for him? Therefore, whom is correct.
Grammar Tip: Do You Feel Good? Or, Do You Feel Well?
Good or Well?
Good is an adjective, so you do not do good or live good, but you do well and live well.
Remember, though, that an adjective follows sense-verbs and be-verbs, so you also feel good, look good, smell good, are good, have been good, etc. So:”My mother looks good.” This does not mean that she has good eyesight; it means that she appears healthy.”I feel really good today.”
Again, this does not mean that I touch things successfully. It means rather that I am happy or healthy.
N.B. Many people confuse this distinction in conversation, and that’s okay. You will hear people say, “I feel well” when they mean that they feel good.
However, if you’re talking about action verbs, you would say “well.” “I did well on my exam.” “She plays tennis well.”
Grammar Tip: Do You Feel Bad or Badly?
Do I Feel Bad About Feeling Badly? 😕
- Bad or Badly ?When you want to describe how you feel, you should use an adjective. You might say, “I feel bad.” Saying “I feel badly” would be like saying you play football badly. “I feel badly” would mean that you are unable to feel, as though your hands were numb. Here are some other examples:
- “The dog smells badly.” Here, badly means that the dog does not do a good job of smelling.
- “The dog smells bad.” Here, “bad” means that dog needs a bath.
- N.B. Sometimes people say, “I feel badly,” when they feel that they have done something wrong. Let’s say you dropped your friend’s favorite dish, and it broke into a million pieces. You might say, “I feel really badly about what happened.”
