Table of Contents. QUICK EDITING ROADMAP (laminated pull out) About the Author i Preface to Instructors xix How to Use this Handbook xxiii

Transcription

1 iii Table of Contents QUICK EDITING ROADMAP (laminated pull out) About the Author i Preface to Instructors xix How to Use this Handbook xxiii Section I Word Level: Basic Grammar 1_Articles 3 (1a) Indefinite articles 3 (1b) Definite articles 4 EXERCISE 1 5 2_Nouns 7 (2a) Singular or plural nouns 7 (2b) Common or proper nouns 8 (2c) Count or non-count nouns 8 (2d) Concrete or abstract nouns 9 (2e) Possessive nouns 9 EXERCISE 1 10 (2f ) Collective nouns 11 EXERCISE _Pronouns 13 (3a) Personal pronouns 13 Table: Personal pronouns 14 (3b) Possessive pronouns 14 Table: Possessive pronouns 15 EXERCISE 1 16

2 iv SIGNS: A Grammar Handbook (3c) Reflexive and intensive pronouns 16 Table: Reflexive and intensive pronouns 16 EXERCISE 2 17 (3d) Relative pronouns 18 Table: Relative pronouns 18 EXERCISE 3 19 (3e) Interrogative pronouns 20 (3f ) Demonstrative pronouns 20 (3g) Indefinite pronouns 21 List: Indefinite pronouns 21 (3h) Reciprocal pronouns 21 4_Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement 23 (4a) Check if a noun is singular or plural 23 (4b) Check if a noun is definite or indefinite 23 (4c) Check if a noun is generic 24 (4d) Check for compound antecedents 24 (4e) Check for pronouns with correlative conjunctions 24 EXERCISE _Subjects 27 (5a) Pronouns and nouns as subjects 27 (5b) Noun phrases and noun clauses as subjects 27 (5c) Other parts of speech as subjects 28 (5d) Delayed subjects 28 EXERCISE _Verbs 31 (6a) Main verbs Linking verbs 31 List: Common linking verbs 31 EXERCISE Intransitive verbs Transitive verbs 33 EXERCISE 2 33 (6b) Auxiliary verbs and modals 34 List: Auxiliary verbs and modals 34

3 Contents v (6c) Verbals Gerunds Infinitives Participles 35 EXERCISE 3 36 (6d) Regular and irregular verbs 36 Table: Common irregular verbs 38 (6e) Number and person of a verb 41 Table: Conjugation of the regular verb to sign and the irregular verb to fly 42 (6f ) Tense of a verb 42 EXERCISE 4 43 (6g) Aspect of a verb Progressive Perfect 44 EXERCISE 5 45 (6h) Voice of a verb Active voice Passive voice 46 EXERCISE _Subject/Verb Agreement 49 (7a) Check for simple subjects or head nouns 49 (7b) Check for prepositional phrases 49 (7c) Check for parenthetical statements or interjections 50 (7d) Check for indefinite pronouns as subjects 50 (7e) Check for compound subjects 51 EXERCISE _Modifiers: Adjectives 53 (8a) Forms 53 Table: Irregular adjectives 54 (8b) Types 54 EXERCISE 1 55 (8c) Functions 56

4 vi SIGNS: A Grammar Handbook 9_Modifiers: Adverbs 57 (9a) Forms 57 Table: Irregular adverbs 58 (9b) Types 58 EXERCISE 1 58 (9c) Functions 59 List: Common adverbial conjunctions 60 10_Modifiers: Prepositions 61 (10a) Forms 61 (10b) Types 62 EXERCISE 1 62 (10c) Functions 63 List: List of prepositions 65 Section II Word Level: Basic Usage and Style 11_Appropriate Word Choice 69 (11a) Check for exactness and clarity Be precise Use specific, concrete words 69 Table: Using specific, concrete words Delete empty words and phrases 71 List: Weasel words Replace wordy prepositional phrases with more concise adverbs 72 Table: Using adverbs for conciseness Describe exactly who, what, when, where, why, and how Use figurative language when appropriate 73 EXERCISE 1 74 (11b) Check for completeness 75 (11c) Check for tired, stale, or unnatural language 76 List: Some clichés to avoid 76 (11d) Check for appropriate levels of formality 78 Table: Pretentious words 80

5 Contents vii (11e) Check for sexist and offensive language Use appropriate words for gender 81 Table: Recommended terms for job titles Use appropriate words for age 82 Table: Recommended terms for age Use appropriate words for ethnicity or race 82 Table: Acceptable terms for ethnicity or race Use appropriate words for disability or illness 83 Table: Recommended terms for disability or illness Use appropriate words for geographical areas 84 Table: Recommended terms for geographical areas 84 EXERCISE _Commonly Confused or Misspelled Words 85 (12a) Check for words that are always separate 86 (12b) Check for words that can be written together or apart 86 Table: Different spacing, different meaning 87 (12c) Check for words that are pronounced the same or similarly 87 Table: Most commonly misspelled homophones 88 Table: Other commonly confused words 88 EXERCISE _Using the Dictionary 99 EXERCISE _Using and Overusing the Thesaurus 103 EXERCISE Section III Review of Basic Punctuation and Mechanics: An Editing Guide 15_The Comma 109 (15a) Set off introductory words, phrases, and clauses Set off introductory words and phrases Set off introductory clauses 110 EXERCISE 1 111

6 viii SIGNS: A Grammar Handbook (15b) Combine independent clauses in compound.sentences 111 EXERCISE (15c) Separate items in a series 113 (15d) Set off non-essential elements Relative clauses Participial phrases Appositives 115 EXERCISE (15e) Separate coordinate adjectives 116 (15f ) Set off interrupters Transitions 117 List: Adverbial conjunctions Interjections Direct address 118 EXERCISE Tag questions 119 (15g) Set off quotations or dialogue 119 (15h) Set off geographic locations 119 (15i) Set off dates 120 (15j) Set off titles 120 (15k) Set off numbers 121 (15l) Prevent confusion _The Semi-colon 123 (16a) Connect independent clauses 123 (16b) Use with adverbial conjunctions or transitional phrases to connect clauses 123 List: Transitional phrases 124 (16c) Separate groups that contain commas 124 EXERCISE _The Colon 127 (17a) Connect independent clauses 127 (17b) Add emphasis 128 (17c) Introduce a series or list 128

7 Contents ix (17d) Introduce a quotation or saying 128 (17e) Use for salutations in formal letters 128 (17f ) Connect numbers Connect ratios Connect chapters and verses of holy texts Connect hours, minutes, and seconds 129 (17g) Connect titles and subtitles 129 (17h) Separate geographical location and publisher name in bibliographic entries 129 EXERCISE _The Period, Exclamation Point, and Question Mark 131 (18a) Use a period to end a sentence or separate initials or abbreviations End a sentence Separate initials or abbreviations 132 (18b) Emphasize with an exclamation point 133 (18c) End a direct question, show uncertainty, or embed a short question with a question mark End a direct question Show uncertainty Embed a short question within the middle of a sentence 134 EXERCISE _The Apostrophe 135 (19a) Mark omissions when parts of words are removed Mark contractions when parts of words are removed Mark numbers when parts of numbers are removed Mark words used to represent oral language 135 (19b) Form plurals 136 (19c) Form possessives 137

8 x SIGNS: A Grammar Handbook 1. Form singular possessives 137 A. Singular nouns 137 B. Personal pronouns 138 C. Indefinite pronouns Mark plural possessives Form possessive compound nouns 138 (19d) Form compounds 139 EXERCISE _Quotation Marks 141 (20a) Signal titles of short works 141 (20b) Set off a direct quotation 142 (20c) Set off dialogue in prose 142 (20d) Share a few lines of poetry 143 (20e) Share personal thoughts 143 (20f ) Signal something being discussed, defined, or used in an unusual or ironic manner 143 EXERCISE _The Hyphen 147 (21a) Join words to make compound adjectives 147 (21b) Connect prefixes and suffixes to root words Join certain prefixes (all-, ex-, half-, and self-) to a root word Link a single letter to a noun or participle 148 (21c) Join words to make compound numbers 148 (21d) Join numbers 149 (21e) Prevent confusion 149 EXERCISE _The Dash 151 (22a) Highlight introductory material 151 (22b) Set off parenthetical, explanatory, or contrasted material 151 (22c) Add emphasis 152 EXERCISE 1 152

9 Contents xi 23_Parentheses 153 (23a) Enclose explanatory, minor, or secondary information 153 (23b) Enclose in-text citations 153 (23c) Enclose numbers or letters in outlines _Brackets 155 (24a) Use square brackets to signal corrections or errors Signal editorial correction Signal editorial error 155 (24b) Use angle brackets to signal Web addresses _The Slash 157 (25a) Quote lines of poetry 157 (25b) Show a choice _Ellipses 159 (26a) Signal omissions 159 (26b) Signal a pause or hesitation _Capitalization 161 (27a) Indicate the first word Indicate the first word in a sentence Indicate the first word in a quotation Indicate the first word inside parentheses Indicate the first word in a sentence following a colon 162 (27b) Indicate proper nouns and proper adjectives Indicate proper nouns Indicate proper adjectives 163 (27c) Indicate titles and subtitles 163 (27d) Indicate acronyms 164 EXERCISE _Italics 167 (28a) Highlight titles Highlight titles of longer works Highlight legal cases Identify naval and air ships 168

10 xii SIGNS: A Grammar Handbook (28b) Highlight special letters, words, phrases, or clauses Highlight non-english words Highlight referenced or discussed letters, words, phrases, and clauses 169 EXERCISE Section IV Sentence Level: Basic Grammar 29_The Simple Sentence 173 (29a) The simple sentence 173 (29b) Check for common errors with the simple sentence Check for overuse of simple sentences Check for fragments Check for parallelism 176 EXERCISE _The Compound Sentence 177 (30a) The compound sentence 177 (30b) Use appropriate punctuation for the compound sentence Punctuating a compound sentence Option 1: Using a comma + conjunction 178 List: F A N B O Y S Punctuating a compound sentence Option 2: Using a semi-colon Punctuating a compound sentence Option 3: Using a semi-colon + adverbial conjunction Punctuating a compound sentence Option 4: Using a colon 181 (30c) Common sentence errors with the compound sentence Use a variety of punctuation, conjunctions, and adverbial conjunctions Check for comma splices Check for run-on or fused sentences 183 EXERCISE EXERCISE 2 185

11 Contents xiii 31_The Complex Sentence 187 (31a) The complex sentence 187 List: Common subordinators 188 List: Relative pronouns 188 (31b) Dependent clauses 188 (31c) Noun (or nominal) clauses Nominal relative clauses Appositive clauses 189 EXERCISE (31d) Adjective (or adjectival) clauses Comparative clauses Relative clauses 191 EXERCISE (31e) Adverb (or adverbial) clauses 193 List: Common subordinators 193 EXERCISE (31f ) Common sentence errors with the complex sentence Check for fragments 195 EXERCISE Check for unnecessary commas Check for restrictive or non-restrictive punctuation Check for adverbial clause punctuation _The Compound-Complex Sentence 199 (32a) The compound-complex sentence 199 EXERCISE (32b) Common sentence errors with the compound-complex.sentence Check for run-on or fused sentences Check for comma splices Check for fragments 201

12 xiv SIGNS: A Grammar Handbook Section V Sentence Level: Basic Usage and Style 33_Sentence Focus 205 (33a) Use transitions 205 List: Transitions 206 (33b) Emphasize key ideas Use sentence order for emphasis Use end-focus for emphasis Use front-focus for emphasis Reorder negative adverbials for emphasis Use parenthetic expressions 207 EXERCISE (33c) Be clear Avoid tangents Rephrase ambiguous expressions Make sentence elements parallel 209 (33d) Show confidence 210 EXERCISE _Sentence Functions 211 (34a) Use declarative sentences to give information 211 (34b) Use imperative sentences to give commands 211 (34c) Use interrogative sentences to ask questions 212 (34d) Use exclamatory sentences to show surprise 213 EXERCISE _Sentence Order 215 (35a) Vary basic sentence order Subject + intransitive verb Subject + transitive verb + direct object Subject + transitive verb + indirect object + direct object Subject + transitive verb + direct object + object complement Subject + transitive verb + direct object + adverbial complement 217 EXERCISE 1 218

13 Contents xv 6. Subject + linking verb + subject complement Subject + linking verb + adverbial complement 219 (35b) Vary sentence openings Add introductory words, phrases, and clauses 219 EXERCISE Avoid subject-itis 221 (35c) Fix misplaced modifiers Check for misleading or misplaced modifiers Check for dangling modifiers 224 EXERCISE (35d) Check direct v. indirect speech 225 (35e) Check for empty phrases and clauses Check for empty it Check for empty there _Sentence Length 227 (36a) Check for choppy sentences 227 (36b) Check for excessive coordination 228 (36c) Check for excessive subordination and modification 229 EXERCISE (36d) Add descriptive words and phrases Add descriptive nouns and noun phrases Add descriptive verbs Add descriptive adjectives 231 A. Adjectives as pre-modifiers 231 B. Adjectives as post-modifiers 231 C. Adjectives as complements Add descriptive adverbs Add descriptive prepositional phrases 233 EXERCISE Section VI Documentation 37_MLA Documentation 237 (37a) Using MLA in-text citations Author s name in text 238

14 xvi SIGNS: A Grammar Handbook 2. Author s name in reference No author given Two or three authors given Four or more authors given Authors with the same last names Encyclopedia or dictionary unsigned entry Lines of verse (plays, poetry or song lyrics) Indirect quotation 241 (37b) Using long or block quotations Block quote of prose Block quote of poetry, drama, or song lyrics 242 (37c) Adding or omitting words in a quotation Adding words to a quotation Omitting words in a quotation 243 (37d) Citing online sources 244 (37e) General formatting guidelines for the MLA Works Cited 245 (37f ) Formats for print sources Books (includes brochures, pamphlets, and graphic novels) Books with two or more authors Two books by the same author Anthology or collection Work within an anthology Article in a scholarly journal Article in a scholarly journal that uses only issue numbers Article in a newspaper Article in a magazine Review Article in a reference book Religious works 249 (37g) Formats for online sources Web site Article on a Web site (including blogs and wikis) 250

15 Contents xvii 3. Online newspaper or magazine Online journal article Article from an online service, such as General One- File or LexisNexis Article from an online reference work 251 (37h) Formats for other commonly used sources Television or radio program Sound recording Film Advertisement Painting, sculpture, or photograph Interview Lecture, speech, address, or reading 254 (37i) Sample Works Cited using MLA _APA Documentation 255 (38a) Using APA in-text citations Author s name and date in reference Author s name and date in text Using a partial quotation in text No author given Two to five authors given Six or more authors given Authors with the same last names Encyclopedia or dictionary unsigned entry Indirect quotation Personal communication 259 (38b) Using long or block quotations 259 (38c) Adding or omitting words in a quotation Adding words in a quotation Omitting words in a quotation 261 (38d) Citing online sources 262 (38e) General formatting guidelines for the APA References list 262 (38f ) Formats for print sources 266

16 xviii SIGNS: A Grammar Handbook 1. Books (includes brochures, pamphlets, and graphic novels) Books with two or more authors Two books by the same author Anthology or collection Work within an anthology or collection Article in a scholarly journal without DOI (digital object identifier) Article in a scholarly journal with DOI (digital object identifier) Article in a newspaper Article in a magazine Review Article in a reference book Religious and classical works 269 (38g) Formats for online sources Web site Article from a Web site, online newspaper, blog, or wiki (with author given) Article from a Web site, online newspaper, blog, or wiki (with no author given) Online journal article Article from an online service, such as General One- File, LexisNexis, JSTOR, ERIC Article in an online reference work 271 (38h) Formats for other commonly used sources Television or radio program (single episode) Sound recording Film Painting, sculpture, or photograph Personal interview Lecture, speech, address, or reading 272 (38i) Sample References list using APA 273 INDEX 275