The Good Grammar Guide

Format: Pdf | 219 pages | 1.3 MB Does grammar bother you? Does it first inspire boredom, then fear? Since the virtual removal of formal grammar teaching from our schools' standard curriculum forty years ago, such negative responses have increasingly characterized students and professionals alike. As this lively and user-friendly book sets out to prove, that is both unfortunate and unnecessary. Not only is grammar an enabling servant rather than a tyrannical set of absolute rules: it can also be fun. This light-hearted guide offers extensive coverage of Parts of Speech, Syntax, Inflection and Punctuation, along with a detailed look at common errors and misconceptions. Regular exercises are included, as is a baleful survey of Political Correct usage, whose desire to sanitize and control the way we speak is injurious to grammar, language itself and indeed the way we live now. The aim throughout this book is to reassure and entertain as well as instruct. This handy volume puts an amusing light on grammar, and as such it is guaranteed to banish boredom and fear. Table of Contents List of exercises x Preface xi Acknowledgements xviii A brief note on the text xx 1 Introduction: finding your feet 1 1.1 Getting started 1 1.2 Getting some bearings 7 1.3 Grammar: an outline menu 19 2 Parts of speech 21 2.1 Preliminary 21 2.2 Verbs: an introduction 23 2.3 Nouns 38 2.4 Pronouns 46 2.5 Adjectives 51 2.6 Adverbs 58 2.7 Prepositions 61 2.8 Conjunctions 62 2.9 Interjections 63 3 Inflections 64 3.1 Preliminary 64 3.2 Irregular verbs 64 3.3 Contracted negative verbs 68 3.4 Other inflections affecting verbs 69 3.5 Noun plurals 69 3.6 The genitive of nouns 72 3.7 Prefixes and suffixes 74 3.8 Additional inflections 75 4 Syntax 77 4.1 Preliminary 77 4.2 Phrases 78 4.3 The simple sentence 79 4.4 Double and multiple sentences 80 4.5 Clauses and complex sentences 81 4.6 Interim summary 85 4.7 The right word in the right place 86 5 Parts of speech (advanced) 88 5.1 Preliminary 88 5.2 Verbs 88 5.3 Nouns 105 5.4 Adjectives and Adverbs 109 5.5 Adverb clauses 112 6 Punctuation; speech and quotation 119 6.1 Preliminary 119 6.2 Punctuating speech: the rudiments 120 6.3 The rudiments of punctuating quotation 125 6.4 Further points and final reminders 128 7 Finale * some additional gaps and traps 132 7.1 Preliminary 132 7.2 More on the apostrophe 132 7.3 Synonyms: fact or fantasy? 138 7.4 The indirect object 141 7.5