In a relationship with English Grammar

Hi there,

I decided to share this topic as I study Warriner's English Grammar and Composition ( complete course) I acquired ( without the answer key) and get my examples from the books I read.


For purpose of better understanding and absorbing I will change the examples to my preferences.

English is not my native language, so feel free to point out any mistake or misunderstanding I might write down.

I hope this study along comes useful to some of you as for me.

Chapter 1 The parts of Speech content
Noun – name (girl, Lisbon, book)
Pronoun - takes the place of a noun ( you, we, herself, them)
Adjective - modifies a noun or a pronoun (black, large, eleven)
Verb - shows action or helps to make a statement (is, does, have, wanted)
Adverb - modifies a verb, and adjective, or another adverb (rapidly, well, too)
Preposition - relates a noun or a pronoun to another word ( into, below, of, from)
Conjuntion - joins words of groups of words (and, but, or, for)
Interjection - shows strong feelings (ow!)

Great, thanks. I'm on to it.
I have found Grammar girl useful and other text books. I want to follow American english rules, because it comes easier to me and I intent to stick to one and be faithful.
I am always fighting with both.

Medievalist said:

Also, look for books by Marianne Celce-Murcia. She's written some fabulous books about English grammar for non-native speakers.

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Thank you for the suggestion, : )

Noun

Before getting into sentences that will drive me insane....

NOUN
For examples I will be using a random book from my shelf.
Royal Assassin, by Robin Hobb.

A proper noun is the name of a particular person, place, thing, or idea. Proper nouns are capitalized:
Molly and Fitz, Buckkeep and Antler Island, Skill


A common noun is a noun that does not name a particular person, place, or thing. Common nouns are not capitalized:
boy and wolf, keep and road, sword and book


An abstract noun names a quality, a characteristic, an idea:
beauty, strength, love, courage


A concrete noun.
Edit:
According to Essential English Grammar by Philip Gucker:
"The name of a thing or class of things that can be
perceived by the senses"

hat, desk, box, book

I missed this one: my mistake. ( thanks )
Collective nouns
crowd, pack, class

“The coterie ( collective) members ( common), Verity (proper) privately told me, function almost as well as carrier pigeons (common) at relying simple messages ( common). His situation ( abstract) with me was a more frustrating one. For this own reasons (abstract), he had chosen not to disclose to anyone his training of me in the Skill (proper). I believe he was enjoying the advantages ( abstract) of being able to go with me and observe and listen undetected to the everyday life (abstract) of Buckkeep Town ( proper).”



Any mistake so far?


This is a lot difficult than I expected. I had some doubts regarding: “reasons,” and “advantages."



I had to search a little online and the dictionary. I hope I did not missed to identify all.

Understanding pronouns

Pronoun
A word used in place of one or more nouns.
Personal Pronouns
“I was as shamed then as I ever been.”
“…she almost became him.”
“Shrewd looked me up and down carefully.”
“… may begin courting her.”

Possessive Forms
“Brawndy is my friend, as well as my duke.”
“… a title of her own.”
“…Verity arranged his ships and men as…”
“The effort to follow their attempts at witty…”

Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns
“…falling snow to hide himself.”
“I promised myself my visit would be brief, just…”

Relative Pronouns (introduce subordinate clauses) had trouble finding examples in text
“...from a man who doesn’t own it.”
“Poor Cook Sara had been shaken to her core and declared that never before had such a thing dared to happen in her kitchens.”

Interrogative Pronouns
“ ‘Who said the Bastard would die?’ ”
“What was I, anymore, to anyone…”
.Whom has he selected?
.Which do you prefer?
.I want to know who told you that story.

Demonstrative Pronouns
“....this is how Verity should see …”
“And then, all these benches and statues…”
“And on those words we slowly…”

Common indefinite pronouns
“...the sound one makes when all barriers suddenly yield…”
“ A thousand such details still would not…”
Singular indicators:
Anybody, anyone, anything, everybody, everyone, everything, somebody, someone, something, another, each, either, neither, nobody, none, one.

Plural indicators:
All, any, both, enough, few, more, none, plenty, several, some.

Portion indicators: ( singular, used with things that cannot be counted)
All, any, enough, less, little more, much, none, plenty, some.

Fallen said:

I'm not familiar with how ESL English is taught, so I'll leave this to those that are so as not to stress you out, but, Med, is concrete noun right in ESL terms? (usually nonabstract: car, horn, strawberry etc.). Is there confusion there with count nouns?

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med stands for what?

Sorry, I did not understand the relation with count nouns.

Fallen said:

Sorry, Nistarn, I was looking for clarification from Medievalist (Med) on ESL teaching of concrete nouns.


Count = countable nouns.

concrete nouns usually depict nonabstract.

Click to expand...

Oh, blush, its his name... of course.

Ok. I am a little butterfly, still learning the way around. : D

I see my mistake and corrected.

Still I am happy to have identified them.

Thanks

Adjectives

Adjectives
Modifies a noun or a pronoun.

In my previous post, I found the “carrier pigeon” and I thought carrier was an adjective, in the same way dog house specifies the house is no one but the dogs. --- Noun used as an adjective?


And there is also the scenario where the same word can be both adjective and noun.
Which pen do you want? ---- Which modifies the noun pen. [ADJECTIVE]
Which do you want? ----- Which takes the place of a noun previously mentioned. [PRONOUN)

I like this book. ( This modifies the noun book.)
I like this. ( Takes the place of a noun previously mentioned.)

[FONT=&quot]“He didn't use to. He used to be just a regular writer, when he was home. He wrote this terrific book of short stories, The Secret Goldfish, in case you never heard of him. The best one in it was "The Secret Goldfish." It was about this little kid that wouldn't let anybody look at his goldfish because he'd bought it with his own money. It killed me.” [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot] THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger [/FONT]

I found this book amazing, because I followed each word and sentence with the audio.

A note about the attributive, I will be dreaming about: “He said, she said, he said, I said.” And never forget it.
The word “really” showed 228 times in 74 thousand words. I really thought it was more.

[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]

We learn British standard.

Terie said:

To make something clear: as far as I know, there's no difference between British English grammar and American English grammar.

The chief differences between the two dialects lie in punctuation, spelling, word choice, and (to a small but noticeable extent) word definitions. And, of course, idiomatic use.

For formal grammar and syntax, English is English is English.

Click to expand...

I hope : ) english is english.

Nevertheless, all of that have differences and I can't right colour in one page and color in another, I need to have that figured out. But can I chose to use always color and favourite ( one without the u and another with?)



I know opening a knew thread and talk about things that were already discussed isn't fun, but this helps me to fear less this forum as I search for information in previous threads. And to have some discipline in trying to understand what is wrong in my long and confused sentences ( such as these).

Thank you for your help untill now.

Elements of Style

1- Follow the rule: form possessive singular nouns by adding -s

Charles's
Girls’
Witch’s malice
Temple of Isis (*)

2- In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each except the last.

red, white, and blue
gold, silver, or cooper

3- Enclosure parenthesis expressions between commas

The best way to see a country, unless you are in a hurry, is to...

No comma in William the Conqueror

To add dependent ( subordinate clauses) and extra information ( appositive)

4- Place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independent clause

The situation is perilous, but there is still one chance of escape.

Before:
, for
, or
, nor
, while

; likewise

When the subject is the same use (, but)

I heard the arguments, but am still unconvinced.

5- Do not join independent clauses with a comma

Mary Shelley's works are entertaining; they are full of engaging ideas.

Mary Shelley's works are entertaining. They are full of...

Mary Shelley's works are entertaining, for they are full...

I had never been in the place before; besides, it was dark...

- Use (.) or (,) when the second clause is short.

6- Don't break sentences in two.

Ana was an interesting talker. A girl who...

Emphasize: Again and again he called out. No reply. ( rare use - beware)

7- Use a colon after an independent clause to introduce a list, an appositive, an amplification, or an illustrative quotation.

But even so, there was a directness and dispatch about animal burial: there was no stopover in the undertaker's foul parlor, no wreath or spray. ( second clause interprets or amplifies the first)

The squalor of the streets reminded her of a line from Oscar Wilde: "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."


8- Use a dash to set off an abrupt break or interruption and to announce a long appositive or summary.

9- the number of the subject determines the number of the verb
.Use singular after: Each, neither, either, everyone, everybody, nobody, someone
.None – singular only when it means “no one” -------- None of us are perfect
. Peter and Ana are…
.Bread and butter is…
. The Republican Headquarters is…
. The general’s quarters are…
10- Use the proper case of pronouns
- Avoid “understood” verbs ---- I think XX
- Peter and I … ( correct)
11- A participal phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject.
. Walking slowly down the road, he saw a woman accompanied by two children ( he walked slowly)
.He saw a woman, accompanied by two children, walking slowly down the road. ( she walked slowly)

12- Chose a suitable design and hold to it.
. clear – design

13- Make the paragraph the unit of composition
- Topic sentence
- Reference
14- Use the active voice
15- Put statements in a positive form
. He was not very often on time ---- He usually came late.
. Not important ---- trifling
Use words to express negative rather than NOT
Her love I never knew until she…
( write without doubts and save: would, should, could, may, might, and can for the right place and to express real doubt)

16- Use definite, specific, concrete language
A period of unfavorable weather set in ------ It rained every day for a week.

17- Omit needles words
He is a man who ---- he
His cousin, who is a --- His cousin, a member…
18-Avoid succession of loose sentences.
- Short sentences without connectors, modifiers, appositive…
- Need of variety
19- Express coordinated ideas in similar form
The French, the Italian, the…
Both… and
Not…but
Not only…. But also
Either….or
First, second
20- Keep related words together
He noticed a stain right in the center of the…
( wrong) He noticed a stain in the rug that was right…
21- In summaries keep to one sentence

22. Place the emphatic word of a sentence at the end ( same for ideas, paragraphs)

Eidt, cut, and review


I just deleted 50 pages and I feel good about it.

Maryn said:

Wow, 50 pages gone! Big job. Congratulations!

Maryn, shaking your hand

Click to expand...

Well, 12 pages of prologue with an action scene featuring a character that is not my main character, plus summary information about the city are gone.

Two scenes from minor point-of-view character also gone.

And I know somewhere in the middle there is a whole chapter how the characters went from X to Y and than from Y to X the same way. 2 equal scenes become one with only the major and most important information



I found this book today : Self-editing for fiction Writers, how to edit, Renni Browne. My editing is not that bad, and this has some good tips.

I also found How not to write a novel, by Mittlemark, Howard & Newman, Sandra

If you have any thoughts about these two books, feel free to share.

The elements of style helped me a lot.

"Said" (can be a invisible almost as ponctuation)

Beware of R.U.E ( Resiste the Urge to Explain)

This is a good one.

The Bourne Ultimatum by Ludlum.

"'I repeat," repeated Alex."


I rest my case.