Learning English Skills Through Word Processing

INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................. i

GRAMMAR

Topics 1— 5

I.               SUBJECTS AND VERBS...................................................................................................... 2

Subjects and Verbs  n Find the Subject  n Find the Verb   n Action Verbs
Linking Verbs  n Prepositional Phrases n Helping Verbs and Verb Phrases

II.             COMPLETE SENTENCES.................................................................................................. 16

Fragments  n Phrases and Clauses   n Independent and Dependent Clauses
Correcting Fragments  n Hints on Proofreading for Fragments

III.           RUN-ON SENTENCES......................................................................................................... 32

What are Run-on Sentences?  n Correcting Run-on Sentences
Words that Often Lead to Run-on Sentences

IV.          SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT........................................................................................ 48

Making Subjects and Verbs Agree  n Compound Subjects  n Verbs Separated from Subjects
Pronouns  n Indefinite Pronouns  n Either…or; Neither…nor  n There Sentences

V.     PRONOUNS............................................................................................................................... 64

Choosing the Right Pronoun  n Using Subject Pronouns   n Using Object Pronouns
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement   n General Nouns  n Collective Nouns  n Indefinite Pronouns

PUNCTUATION

Topics 6 — 8

VI.          COMMAS................................................................................................................................. 78

Comma Rules 1-3  n Comma Rules 4-6

VII.        APOSTROPHES.................................................................................................................... 92

Possessive Apostrophes: Singular Nouns  n Possessive Apostrophes: Plural Nouns  n Contractions

VIII.      OTHER PUNCTUATION MARKS.................................................................................... 102

Period  n Question Mark  n Exclamation Point  n Colon  n Semicolon n Hyphens  n Dashes
Parentheses  n Quotation Marks

MECHANICS

Topics 9 — 10

IX.          CAPITALIZATION................................................................................................................ 114

Capitalization Rules

X.            USING NUMBERS IN WRITING....................................................................................... 124

Rules for Expressing Numbers


 

WORDUSAGE

Topics 11— 13

XI.          COMMONLY CONFUSED WORDS................................................................................. 134

Words Commonly Confused

XII.        PROBLEM WORDS............................................................................................................ 146

Meaning Determines Usage

XIII.      MORE PROBLEM WORDS............................................................................................... 154

Troublesome Words

STYLE

Topics 14 — 15

XIV.    ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VERBS....................................................................................... 166

Active and Passive Voice  n Creating Direct and Forceful Sentences n Two Exceptions

XV.      SHIFTS OF PERSON.......................................................................................................... 174

Point of View: Person  n Avoid Shifts of Person

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A.................................................................................................................................. 182

Supplemental Exercises

APPENDIX B.................................................................................................................................. 201

Business Letter Formats n Block Letter Format vs. Modified-Block n Envelope Formats

APPENDIX C.................................................................................................................................. 206

Memos

APPENDIX D.................................................................................................................................. 208

Resumes  n Cover Letters

APPENDIX E.................................................................................................................................. 213

Commonly Misspelled Words

APPENDIX F.................................................................................................................................. 218

Internet Resources

APPENDIX G.................................................................................................................................. 220

Correction Symbols

INDEX.............................................................................................................................................. 221