TalonRider

I went and read the first one after I read the second one just to find out what was going on with the whole story.

I have both my desktop and laptop (new with vista) set to check for updates. The Laptop came set up to check daily. Jan

Exercise ? Punctuation 1 1. I asked Donna to get the report to me Monday; however, she did not get it to me until Wednesday. 2. Linus asked for pens, pencils, and erasers for the meeting. 3. Program Assistant, Program Manager, and Program Director?those were the positions she held here. 4. Jenny?s response was, ?The last one was yours.? 5. Dr. Smith gave us only nine flu shots; therefore, we will have to give them out on a first come- first-served basis. Exercise ? Punctuation 2 1. If you are worried about getting injured, stand back; this blade is very sharp. 2. I don?t believe all her friends should call her ?doctor? just because she received a Ph.D. 3. The list of magazines for which she models is bizarre: Motorweek, Scientific American, and Knitter?s Digest. 4. The trained chimpanzee?wearing a striped shirt and a beanie, no less?strolled down the street making balloon animals. 5. ?In the absence of a better suggestion, we will adjourn this meeting, for it is better to come back to these ideas with a fresh mind tomorrow,? said the judge.

Punctuation Punctuation marks serve to organize or clarify written language. The rules vary with language, location and time. Periods . Periods are the most frequently used punctuation marks to help signify the end of a complete thought. Periods are necessary for a number of important tasks. Rules: Use a period at the end of a complete sentence that is a statement. Mehret is the Vice President of International Markets. I understand that you have a significant amount of experience in running database programs. Use a period after an indirect question. Errol asked where the monthly report was. Yolanda wondered what was for dinner. If the last word in the sentence ends in a period, do not follow it with another period. Commas, question marks, and other punctuation should be used as they would usually. This is my first trip to the U.S. On Magnus?s first trip to the U.S., he met lifelong friends. When do you think Krystle will stop talking about her Ph.D.? Use a period for some abbreviation. The samples were collected Aug. 6, 1952. All the food, decorations, silverware, ect., that we need for the event should be charged to the entertainment budget. Caution: There is no reliable rule for abbreviation: Some get periods, some do not. Only a dictionary will tell you for sure which do, though the information may differ from dictionary to dictionary, as each relies on its own measurement of standard usage to decide which is the ?authoritative? usage for its lexicon. Commas , Commas are among the most frequently used punctuation marks to help manage the flow of thoughts in a sentence. Commas perform critical functions: Rules: Use a comma in a compound sentence where a conjunction (and, but, or, yet, so, for, nor) separates the complete thoughts. We expected an especially heavy workload today, so we asked for three temporary employees. Susan investigated the complaint, and Bill wrote a thorough report. Use a comma where consecutive adjectives modify the same noun. We prepared a hard-hitting, effective ad campaign. He wrote a thorough, detailed report. Use a comma before the final and or or in a series of three or more. Jane ordered pens, pencils, and stationary. John bought cookies, muffins, and fruit for the staff meeting. Use a comma between the dependent clause (incomplete thought) and the independent clause (complete thought) in a complex sentence. This is most typically done when sentence order is inverted (the incomplete thought comes first). If you need my assistance, please notify me by Friday. Or: Please notify me by Friday if you need my assistance. Because we had received a complaint, the manager interviewed each of the employees at the counter. Or: The manager interviewed each of the employees at the counter because we had received a complaint. Use a comma for any introductory idea, interruption, or after thought. Introductory idea: In the meantime, we will continue the current policy. On Friday, July 17, the Personnel Department will conduct interviews for the three positions. Interruption: Ellen Henderson, rather than Mary Phipps, was named manager of the Seattle office. You will see, however, that the project will be finished on time. Afterthought: It?s not too late to change the deadline, is it? Send the report to Data Processing by Monday, if you can. Use two commas to set off any expression that explains a preceding word. John Pickering, vice president of Acme Computers, is attending the meeting. Offshore manufacturing, a typical production option today, is helping to create a global village. Use commas to set off a year written after both the month and the day (to show exactly which month and day you mean). The August 30, 2005, report details our recovery of delinquent funds. The meeting on Tuesday, March 14, 2006 is to discuss the four final job candidates. Caution: Do not use commas for just a month and year. The December 1992 report showed gains in our customer response. Peter Montgomery was hired in January 1988. Use commas to set off the name of a state or country after a city because it identifies a particular city. We know she lives in either Kansas City, Kansas, or Kansas City, Missouri. Do not use a comma to separate: 1. A subject and its verb. 2. A verb and the object immediately following. 3. The two parts of a compound subject, compound verb, or compound object connected by and, or, or but. 4. A reflexive pronoun from the rest of the sentence. 5. A short prepositional phrase at the beginning of a sentence from the rest of that sentence. Semicolons ; Semicolons are markers that separate various kinds of clauses and phrases. Being able to correctly identify clauses and phrases within a sentence is helpful in using semicolons correctly. Rules: Use a semicolon instead of a conjunction to join two complete thoughts. The two independent clauses, when joined, create a compound sentence. We know that customer service is important to quality efforts; we are implementing new evaluation procedures to solicit customer feedback. The employees are very supportive of the new forms; they are turning in completed ones at the end of each week. Use a semicolon to join two complete thoughts (independent clauses) when the second one begins with a conjunctive adverb or transitional word (such as: accordingly, also, consequently, further, however, indeed, in fact, moreover, nevertheless, then, therefore, thus). The most common used transitions are however and therefore. If the connecting word has more than one syllable, place a comma after the connection. The computer program was difficult to learn; nevertheless, Susan continued her training program until she was proficient. Please tell Mr. Henson the nature of the complaint; then he can refer it to the appropriate department manager. We need your information on the project; therefore, we will schedule the meeting when you are available. Use a semicolon instead of a comma when two complete thoughts joined by a coordinating conjunction have other commas in the sentence. We need to order pens, pencils, and markers; and the order must be placed before March 20. She needs more assistance to finish the project; but the clerks, administrative assistants, and secretaries are all unavailable. Use a semicolon before an expression (or its abbreviation) such as for example (e.g.), that is (i.e.), and namely, if it introduces a list or explanation. Always use a comma after these expressions. The manager had one basic belief; the customer is always right. Many cities would be suitable for the national conference; for example, New Orleans, Atlanta, Los Angles, or Seattle. Use a semicolon to separate a series of items with internal commas. The semicolon clearly shows the major separations between the items. The ad hoc committee elected its new officers: Melissa Kendall, president; Hector Garcia, president-elect; Sondra Norman, vice president; and Andrew Grebecki, treasurer. Caution: A semicolon is an essential punctuation mark, but one that should not be overused. If you string too many thoughts together, sentences will become complicated and confusing. Instead, use semicolons to organize components into the clearest, most well-structured sentences possible. Colons : A colon is used primarily as a separator, dividing major sentence elements. Its most specific and well-known function is to call attention to whatever follows. Rules: Use a colon to formally introduce a list or an idea with a word or phrase such as: the following, as follows, these, this. The word after the colon is capitalized when it?s the beginning of a complete sentence (or when the material following the colon consists of two or more sentences); it is not capitalizes when the list or idea is not a sentence. Prepare the title page as follows: Write the full title and originating department in the center of the page. The real problems in manufacturing are: high turnover, equipment repair costs, and expensive shipping requirements. Use a colon after the salutation of a business letter, and after the words subject or attention. Dear Mr. Garcia: Attention: In business writing, use a colon to introduce a quotation of one long sentence, or two or more sentences of any length. The CEO addressed the board as follows: ?We are creating a new marketing strategy to position our best-selling product more completely. Use colons for separation. Titles: Separate a title for a subtitle. The Earth: A Green Planet Time: Separate hours from minutes. 8:19 a.m.; 4:07 p.m. Citations: Separate chapter from verse in a biblical reference. John 2:14 Ratios 2:1 Caution: Avoid using a colon between a verb and complement, verb and object, or preposition and object. Incorrect: Two entertaining movies by Steven Spielburg are: ET and Jaws. Correct: Two entertaining movies by Steven Spielburg are ET and Jaws. Quotation marks ? ? ? ? Quotation marks---either double (? ?) or single (? ?)---mainly enclose direct quotation from speech and from writing. Always use quotation marks in pairs, one at the beginning of a quotation and one at the end. Rules: The main purpose of quotation marks is to indicate that you are using someone else?s exact words, whether spoken or written. Enclose all exact quotations. On the telephone you stated: ?We will send the invoices no later than June 21.? I asked John, ?Do you like ?The Raven? by Edgar Allen Poe?" Do not use quotation marks to paraphrase; this is called an ?indirect quotation.? On the telephone you stated that you will send the invoices no later than June 21. Use a colon to introduce a quotation that relates to the previous part of the sentence. The vice president?s reply was immediate; ?We will implement the new program in 10 days.? Use a comma to introduce a quotation of one short sentence. She said, ?I?ll finish that right away.? Ending punctuation for a closing quotation mark is as follows: Periods and commas go inside a closing quotation mark. He said, ?We have to revise our procedure.? ?The fact is,? she said deliberately, ?we must move on this before the end of the month.? Semicolons and colons go outside a closing quotation mark. The staff members were told, ?There is an impending wage reduction?; they chose to stay and continue to work toward profitability. The CEO provided the managers with a partial list of the ?causes of the profit reduction?: high interviewing and selection expenses, significant training costs, and a manufacturing redesign. Question marks, exclamation points, and dashes can go either inside or outside quotation marks. They are placed inside when they relate specifically to the quoted items. ?Incredible!? was all Mary could reply. ?We?re trying to---? was all she could say before the phone went dead. They are placed outside the quotes when they relate to the entire sentence. Did you read the article, ?Secure Your Future?? ?Give me liberty or give me death?---Patrick Henry is famous for this proclamation. Quotation marks are placed around titles of articles in magazines or chapters in books, poems, short stories, dissertations, plays, and lectures. The names of magazines, newspapers, and books are in italicized, underlined, or written in ALL CAPTIAL LETTERS rather than enclosed in quotation marks. Use quotation marks around technical terms (in nontechnical material), slang phrases, colloquial expressions made-up or ?coined? phrases, and deliberate mistakes in spelling. This program is ?user-friendly.? Brett wanted to ?nail down? the details on the Smith proposal. Caution: Don?t use quotation marks in an attempt to justify or apologize for slang and trite expressions that are inappropriate to your writing. Incorrect: We should support the President in his ?hour of need? rather than ?wimp out? on him. Correct: We should give the President the support he needs rather than turn away like cowards. Parentheses ( ) Parenthetical expressions include explanations, facts, digressions, and examples that may be helpful or interesting but are not essential to meaning. They are emphasized least when enclosed in parentheses rather than set off with commas or dashes. Rules: Parentheses enclose expressions that are explanatory or supplementary to the main thought of a sentence. They may be comments from the author, additions to the meaning, or anything that is incidental to the sentence. The committee reviewed the agenda items (see Appendix A). Many writers use dashes instead of parentheses to set the material off more sharply. The proposal---and it was their final offer---was too good to turn down. Parentheses enclose numbers or letters in lists of running text. Exercise aids in (a) increasing aerobic heart function, (b) maintaining your weight, and ? reducing your stress. Caution: Do not use parentheses to enclose numbers or letters in a tabulated list. Exercise aids in the following: a. Increasing aerobic heart function. b. Maintaining your weight. c. Reducing your stress. Parentheses enclose clarifications of quantities in a formal document. The consultant?s fee for this contract shall be one thousand dollars ($1,000). Punctuating with parentheses: As general rule, never punctuate or capitalize a parenthetical expression that is inside another sentence. Capitalize and punctuate when the parenthetical thought is a separate sentence. The committee reviewed the agenda items and voted on them (see Appendix A). The committee reviewed the agenda items (see Appendix A) and voted on them. The committee reviewed the agenda items and voted on them. (See Appendix A). Dashes -- Use a dash or dashes to indicate sudden changes in tone or thought and to set off some sentence elements. Rules: The most common use of dashes is to indicate a major break in the flow of a thought. Mr. Johnson knows--or at least thinks he does--what the solution to the problem should be. Dashes also can emphasize an explanatory phrase. Sally needs to send out the report--the third-quarter report--immediately. Use a dash after an expression such as that is or namely when it introduces a tabulated list. John discovered four ways to improve quality; namely-- 1. reduce expenses 2. listen to the customers 3. improve design 4. limit inventory Use a dash before any word or phrase that sums up a series ahead of it. Quality, responsiveness, attention---these are the promises we make to your customers. Susan Adams, Bill Eversol, Beth Winston---any of these employees can serve on the United Way campaign. Caution: Although dashes also can take the place of commas, semicolons, or parentheses, remember: Overuse of the dash weakens its dramatic effect on the reader. Used sparingly, it highlights, sharpens, and strengthens your message. A proficient business writer uses the dash only to achieve a special emphasis. Note: Create a dash by striking the hyphen key twice, with no spaces in front, between, or behind the hyphens. Although written material can be found with a space preceding and following the dash, the most common use of dash is written without spaces. Hyphens - A hyphen is used primarily for word division or to join words to create a new word. Rules: The hyphen divides a word that cannot be completed at the end of a line. Admirers credited Ty?s meteoric rise to hard work and dedication, but insiders knew it was also due to his mega-lomaniacal ambition. Hyphenate compound words that start with self, anti, ex, pro, post, mid, etc. self-defeating, self-evident self-centered, self-esteem anti-nuclear arms, pro-choice ex-President, post-World War II mid-March Use a hyphen for a compound adjective when it comes before the noun it modifies. worst-case scenario eye-catching newsletter bottom-line results long-range plans high-level meeting high-pressure environment. Caution: Do not use a hyphen after an adverb ending in ly, even when it is part of a compound adjective that precedes a noun. Readers expect such words to modify the word that follows; therefore, the hyphen is implied and not necessary. highly valued employee newly formed division clearly defined business goals. Use a hyphen for two nouns that refer to one person or when one thing has two functions. owner-operator clerk-typist secretary-treasure dinner-dance. Use a hyphen for many compound nouns that have a single letter as their first element. T-shirt A-frame U-turn H-bomb Use a hyphen when a number and a noun form a compound modifier before another noun. 2-liter bottle 20-year mortgage 100-meter dash 50-cent fee 8-foot ceiling. Use a hyphen for compound adjectives involving a number and odd or plus. 30-plus members 20-odd years ago Use a hyphen for a compound adjective composed of one noun and one adjective. bone-dry cost-effective letter-perfect ice-cold machine-readable tax-exempt Note: Use a hyphen when writing out numbers from twenty-one through ninety-nine. Do not hyphenate hundreds, thousands, or millions. Ellipses points . . . Ellipses points are a series of spaced periods that show omission of an idea or an idea that trails off. Rules: Three spaced periods can be used at the beginning or in the middle of a quoted sentence to show an omitted idea. If an omitted idea appears at the end of a sentence, a fourth dot should be used to represent the final period. ?. . . Whether ?tis nobler . . . to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.? ? . . .Whether ?tis nobler in the mind to suffer . . . .? Apostrophes ? An apostrophe is a mark used to indicate absent letters in contractions, dialect, and the possessive case. Use an apostrophe in the place of letters or numbers that have been left out. class of ?73 gov?t aren?t we?re Use an apostrophe to create a possessive form of a noun. Susan?s report Phoenix?s zoo Student?s scores Use an apostrophe to form plural of a word or letter that otherwise would be misread. or?s and nor?s a?s and i?s Caution: To pluralize numbers expressed in figures, add an s without an apostrophe. Incorrect: 1990?s Correct: 1990s Exercise 17 ? Punctuation 1 Punctuate the following sentences correctly. 1. I asked Donna to get the report to me Monday however she did not get it to me until Wednesday 2. Linus asked for pens pencils and erasers for the meeting 3. Program Assistant Program Manager and Program Director those were the positions she held here 4. Jennys response was The last one was yours 5. Dr Smith gave us only nine flu shots therefore we will have to give them out on a first come first served basis Exercise ? Punctuation 2 Punctuate the following sentences correctly. 1. If you are worried about getting injured stand back this blade is very sharp 2. I dont believe all her friends should call her doctor just because she received a PhD 3. The list of magazines for which she models is bizarre Motorweek Scientific American and Knitters Digest 4. The trained chimpanzee wearing a striped shirt and a beanie no less strolled down the street making balloon animals 5. In the absence of a better suggestion we will adjourn this meeting for it is better to come back to these ideas with a fresh mind tomorrow said the judge

This topic reminds me, I haven't posted anything in the Editors Desk for awhile. So, I'll do the one on punctuation. Jan

Some of my authors double space, some don't. I've never considered it an issue. Jan

TYPES OF SENTENCES There are several types of sentences, and with the flexibility to combine various kinds of clauses, you can create any structure you desire. Independent clauses Independent clauses are simply complete thoughts with subjects and verbs. When capitalized and finished with a period, question mark, or exclamation point, an independent clause is also a complete sentence. The sky darkened. The school teaches students. Caution: Include a verb to avoid a sentence fragment. Sentence fragment: The baboon in the cage. Dependent clause: Dependent clauses are groups of words with a subject and verb that do not express a complete thought. Because the school teaches parents, it is unusual. Parents who are illiterate often avoid their children?s schools. Compound sentences A compound sentence consists of two independent clauses joined by a (coordinating) conjunction. Last July was hot, but August was even hotter. The hot sun scorched the land to power, and the lack of rain made the soil untillable. Caution: Be sure to use a conjunction to prevent comma splice. Comma splice: Last July was hot, August was even hotter. Complex sentences: A complex sentence consists of at least one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. Rain finally came, although many had left the area by then. (Main clause, then dependent clause.) When the rain came, people rejoiced. (Dependent clause, then main clause.) Exercise 8 ? Types of Sentences Identify the following sentences as simple, compound, complex, or compound complex. 1. The desk is unusually shiny. ____________________ 2. Nancy finally arrived, though she was half an hour late. ____________________ 3. The boss called at 10, but she wasn?t supposed to call until 11. ___________________________ 4. All the e-mails were sent to John; consequently, nobody knew about the problem. ________________________________ 5. Even though the CEO assured everyone all was okay, some of the employees were nervous about returning to work, and I can?t blame them. ____________________________ 6. Most of the employees attended the morning training session. ____________________ 7. Stan can speak Spanish, and Susan speaks French. _____________________ 8. The shipment arrived in the warehouse, although the warehouse staff was not ready to receive the delivery. __________________ 9. Sales in September were better than expected, but the increased revenue did not offset last month?s losses. _________________ 10. He finished the report last night. __________________________ Exercise 9 ? Creating Types of Sentences 1. For each phrase below, identify the correct phrase type. the era of computers is coming to a close (independent/dependent) new technology will take the place of the almighty computer (independent/dependent) 2. Using the phrases above, create a compound sentence with a semicolon. ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ 3. Using the same phrases, create a compound sentence with a conjunction. ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ 4. For each phrase below, identify the correct phrase type. when the sun sinks below the horizon (independent/dependent) pink tendrils cling to the clouds (independent/dependent) for as long as they can (independent/dependent) 5. Using the phrases above, create a complex sentence. ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

Since the story is posted in the forum format, when you reach the bottom of the page, click on Next Newest to advance to the next chapter. Nicks forum is also three pages long at the moment, so you will find other stories in the mix. Jan

What's The Difference Between Me And You? is Nicks first story and at the moment is an exclusive at The Talon House. The story begins with Nick at age 8. Here you will meet all the important people in his life at that age. This story is completed at 33 chapters. At some point, Nick has told me he will begin work on the next part of the story. I am very proud of this young man as he's achieved one of his goals and I congratulate him. Jan

Exercise 6 ? Prepositions and Conjunctions 1. preposition 2. conjunction 3. conjunction 4. preposition 5. conjunction 6. conjunction 7. preposition 8. preposition 9. conjunction 10. preposition Exercise 7 ? Conjunctions 1. or 2. but 3. so 4. for 5. yet (or but) 6. and 7. nor

The chapter was posted on December 16th, which made for a nice birthday present for me. Jan

ROFLMAO

SENTENCE BRIDGES To complete your understanding of how sentences are put together, consider the ways ideas are linked. Two kinds of ?sentence bridges? exist: prepositions and conjunctions. Prepositions A preposition is a small bridge. It links a noun or pronoun to the remainder of the sentence. John walked into the office. Susan put the report on the table. We must finish this project by Friday. A preposition, its object, and any words in between form a prepositional phrase. You can find the prepositional phrases anywhere in sentences. Neither the subject nor the verb can ever be a part of a prepositional phrase. (In the meantime,)we will process your request. The letters and memos (on the desk) are waiting (for revision.) COMMON PREPOSITIONS about ............. beneath .............. in spite of ................ since above ............ beside ................ instead of ................. through according to ... between .............. into ......................... throughout across ............ beyond ................ like ........................ till after .............. by ...................... near ....................... to against ............ concerning .......... next to ................... toward along .............. despite ................ of .......................... under along with ........ down .................. off ......................... underneath among ............. during ................ on .......................... unlike around ............. except ................ onto ...................... until as ................... except for ............ out ........................ up aside from ....... excepting ............. out of .................... upon at ....................for ....................... outside .................. with because of ...... from .................... over ...................... within before ............. in ........................ past ...................... without behind ............. in addition to ........ regarding below .............. inside .................. round Conjunctions A conjunction is a bridge that links words, phrases, or clauses. For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So (FANBOYS) Win or lose. John wrote the report, but Mary typed it. Exercise 6 ? Prepositions and Conjunctions Is the boldfaced word a preposition or conjunction? Circle the correct response. 1. Gerald hopes his monkey will jump over the fence. (preposition, conjunction) 2. Angela and Harold are going to the meeting. (preposition, conjunction) 3. I knew we would be late, but we had to stop at the post office. (preposition, conjunction) 4. The file cabinet was at the back of the office. (preposition, conjunction) 5. The assistant told the salesperson not to bug her, yet she gave him a business card. (preposition, conjunction) 6. Julie planned to complete the project on time and under budget. (preposition, conjunction) 7. In addition to the paperwork, Stan needs to take his passport picture with him. (preposition, conjunction) 8. The deadline must be readjusted if she does not complete the analysis by Monday. (preposition, conjunction) 9. Tony excelled in his group, so he was promoted. (preposition, conjunction) 10. The mail production facility is located behind the conference room. (preposition, conjunction) Exercise 7 ? Conjunctions Choose the proper conjunction from the list for each of the sentences below. For and nor but or yet so (FANBOYS) 1. Either the desk ____ the dining room table can go in the corner of the room. 2. I would have gone to the party, ____ I lost the address of the restaurant. 3. Nate hates cake, ____ we only had ice cream at his birthday party. 4. Make the most of the day, ____ the night is long. 5. Alison was pleased with the way her life had turned out, ____ she always wondered what would have happened if she hadn?t joined the circus. 6. The deluxe sandwich was tremendously expensive, ___ the standard sandwich was not cheap either. 7. I will not be in the office this Wednesday, ___ will I be here the following Thursday.

Sorry, I just realized I never posted the answers to this exercise. 1. I 2. her 3. himself 4. me 5. whom 6. themselves, their, them 7. me 8. her, she, herself

Exercise 5 ? Adjectives and Adverbs 1. really 2. well 3. good 4. remarkable 5. satisfactorily 6. slowly 7. badly 8. quickly 9. immediately 10. really

I don't have one of those either. So I guess the next best thing to do is copy the exercise and change the text color of the word of your answer. Jan

Part 4 Adjectives Nouns are subjects or objects, and they are described by adjectives. Adjectives can ?decorate? a noun and provide significantly more information about it. Adjectives usually precede the noun unless they are being used as predicate adjectives (completers) and follow the verb. Adjectives generally describe size, shape, color, emotion, condition, position, physical attribute, or some other quality. The words a, an, and the are considered adjectives (they are usually called ?articles?) and always precede a noun or noun phrase. Adjectives give color and vibrance to our language by allowing us to create word pictures for our readers. We can recreate the world around us in our writing. As a general rule, if you are using a series of adjectives, you should place size or shape first, color second, position, condition, or emotion next, and other qualities last. Provides limited information: secretary Provides more information: experienced secretary, stressed-out secretary, young secretary, angry secretary, nervous secretary Provides even more information: nervous young secretary Adverbs Adverbs do all the other descriptive jobs in a sentence. Adverbs describe verbs: She thinks quickly. The new copy machine arrived promptly. Adverbs describe other adverbs: She thinks very quickly. The new copy machine arrived rather promptly. Adverbs describe adjectives: It was a very long letter. It was a quite negative report. Most adverbs are created by adding ?ly to an adjective: sweet ............. sweetly scarce ............ scarcely prompt ........... promptly rapid .............. rapidly careful ........... carefully Other adverbs state how, when, where, or why: afterward ................... sometimes ................. so beforehand ................. again ........................ almost generously ................. briefly ........................ close never ........................ hard ........................... helpfully rather ........................ sadly ......................... now satisfactorily ............... seldom ...................... temporarily soon .......................... there ......................... then always ....................... far ............................. too fast ............................ rarely ........................ very here ........................... since ......................... well Adjectives vs. adverb Writers sometimes incorrectly use and adjective where they should use an adverb. Following are some common mistakes: Incorrect: Call us direct to receive your subscription. Correct: Call us directly to receive your subscription. Incorrect: The manager was real pleased with the result. Correct: The manager was really pleased with the result. Incorrect: She sure did a good job! Correct: She surely did a good job! Caution: Bad/badly. Bad should only be used only as an adjective; the verb is badly. He felt bad because his tooth ached badly. Exercise 5 ? Adjectives and Adverbs Adjective or adverb form? Circle the correct answer for each of the following. 1. It was a (real, really) dull convention. 2. Bart manages people (good, well). 3. Bart is a (good, well) manager. 4. You did a (remarkable, remarkably) job. 5. He finished the project (satisfactorily, satisfactory). 6. Remove the cap very (slow, slowly) to avoid being burned by the hot steam. 7. Tom was embarrassed because they performed (bad, badly). 8. He must act (quick, quickly) to take advantage of the discount. 9. Send the contract (immediate, immediately) to get the best price. 10. The production manager is (real, really) pleased with the current production levels.

Exercise 4 ? Verb Tenses Answers 1. past perfect 2. simple future 3. simple present 4. future perfect 5. present perfect 6. simple past 7. simple present 8. future perfect 9. present perfect 10. past perfect

Part 3 Verb tenses: Since verbs are at the heart of sentences, let?s look closely at how they?re formed. The tense of the verb refers to when something is occurring. Present tense. An action taking place right now. We are distributing accounting reports today. An action that goes on continually. I see Mary every day. A general truth. Holidays are fun. Past tense. An action that occurred in the past. I finished that report yesterday. Future tense. An action that will occur in the future. Will is used to support the action taking place. Mary will attend the meeting on Thursday. Shall is used only in the following ways, and then only in formal situations: 1. When expressing future tense in the first person. Yes, I shall be at the ball on Saturday night. 2. When expressing intent or promise in the second or third persons. The police shall make the perpetrators responsible for their actions. We shall overcome the considerable obstacles against our company?s financial future. Should vs. would: Would is used in all circumstance except in instances that express a possibility, or an obligation/requirement of some kind. In those cases, should is used. Should he call this afternoon, tell him the meeting has been canceled. (Possibility.) I should get that completed form to you by next Tuesday. (Probability.) Bill should stay late this afternoon to make up for his long lunch hour. (Requirement/obligation.) Caution: Do not use shall and should interchangeably. Prefect tenses The perfect tenses indicate that an action was or will be completed before another time or action. The perfect tenses consist of the verb?s past participle by a form of the helping verb have. Present perfect An action that was done in the past, but continues into the present. Form the present perfect by using has or have (singular or plural as determined by the subject) and a past form of the main verb. As of today, Mary has finished only four of the six documents. The feud between Operations and Marketing has gone on for years. Past perfect An action that has finished before a second action, both in the past. Form the past perfect by using had with a past form of the main verb. I had sent the report before I received the request. Linda had already left the office by the time he called. Future perfect An action that will be finished by some specific time in the future, or before some other future event occurs. For the future perfect by combining will have with a past form of the main verb. By the time I see you, I will have finished my master?s degree. Peter will have spoken to Linda before the meeting on Thursday. Verb tense and usage ....Verb tense..............................Is use for...........................Example Simple present.........Actions taking place in the..............write .........................................present Present perfect.........A finished action that is part of.......has written .........................................a continuing series of actions have written Simple past..............A finished past action....................wrote Past perfect.............A finished past action that..............had written ........................................preceded another finished ........................................past action Simple future...........A future action..............................will write Future perfect..........A future action that will be..............will have written .......................................completed before another .......................................future action, or by a specific .......................................future time Subjunctive voice The subjunctive voice is used to express something that is not presently true: a wish, a suggestion, or a condition that is contrary to fact. Use either the past tense or were in the part of the sentence that is not true (often, the part of the sentence with the word if). I wish I were not so run-down with the flu. If Nick insulted people less often, he would have a better relationship with his coworkers. Caution: Do not use would have in place of an if clause. Incorrect: If Nick would have insulted people less often at work, he might still have a job. Correct: If Nick had insulted people less often at work, he might still have a job. After verbs that express desire (demand, insist, require, recommend) use the infinitive form of the verb with the to. I demand that you return the receipts, or you will not be reimbursed. The school recommends that you submit three letters of recommendation. Modifiers The simplest way to expand sentences is to add modifiers to describe or limit the nouns and verbs. Modifying words add detail. Exercise 4 ? Verb Tenses What verb tenses are the bold portions of these sentences in? Write the correct tense for each of the following. 1. I had already spent the money for the copy machine when I remembered that we needed a new desk. _____________ 2. You will find that the atmosphere here is incredibly welcoming to recent college graduates. _____________ 3. Vita is looking for a new hobby, since her old hobby became a multimillion-dollar business. _____________ 4. When the clock strikes 5:30, I will have been here for over twenty-four hours. _____________ 5. Charles has waited for an hour to talk to Annika, but she is still occupied in a closed-door meeting. _____________ 6. I spoke to Human Resources about the lack of soap in the bathrooms, but it did not do much good. _____________ 7. Each year, without fail, Felipe reviews the performance of every employee in February. _____________ 8. Upper management will have made a decision about next year?s budget before we meet again to discuss our departmental plans. _____________ 9. We have found that the best method of recycling paper is to reuse the blank side as scratch paper. _____________ 10. Alva had recruited 15 clients for the business before we realized that he doesn?t always present our services accurately. _____________

Exercise 3 ? Subjects and Verbs 1. is meeting 2. knows 3. yours 4. is 5. were 6. is 7. will 8. It?s 9. were 10. has

When it comes to political correctness, I believe it has its place in formal and/or business writing. When it comes to writing stories, if the author uses waiter/waitress, then that's what it should be. I can't see changing it to waitstaff/server. I believe that would solve the probem, remove the gender language and make it about the grievances of the tenant and the owner. Jan

Verbs Verbs are the action of the sentence and tell us what is happening or taking place. You often will find more than one verb in a sentence because several different actions are taking place. Verbs generally show action, possession, and being. Action: To write, to sing, to walk, to think, to run, to know. John will walk in the annual charity walk-a-thon. Mary knows every punctuation rule. Possession: To have. The office has new carpeting. Bill and Ellen have a home they are remodeling. Being To be has many common forms, am, is, are, was, were, will be, has been, had been, have been, is being, will have been. It is often called a ?linking verb? because it connects a subject to other nouns or adjectives that describe it. Nouns describing a subject are called ?predicate nominatives,? and adjectives describing a subject are called ?predicate adjectives.? Bill is nice. (nice is a predicate adjective.) Arthur will be the fourth president to receive the Leadership Award. (President is a predicate nominative.) Subject and verb agreement: Since subjects and verbs together provide the main idea or content of a sentence, they must have the right relationship, which is called ?agreement.? Singular subjects require singular verbs, and plural subjects require plural verbs. One person out of several hundred applicants is to be awarded the prize. Several people out of 300 applicants are to be awarded the prizes. If two subjects both identify the same person or thing, the verb is singular. The winner and new ?Customer Service Representative of the year is Ms. Trisha Carlson. Macaroni and cheese is a low-cost and healthy dinner choice. Several words are always singular: anyone ..........each ............anybody .................every everyone .......either ...........everybody ..............neither someone ........none ............somebody ..............another one ................nobody Caution: Two subjects joined by or or nor take a singular verb. Incorrect: Either the tenant or the owner must present their grievances. Correct: Either the tenant or the owner must present his grievances. Accuracy tips for agreement Mentally omit prepositional phrases (starting with: in, of, for, with, by, from, to) immediately following the subject and preceding the verb. Each (of the programmers) has 10 or more years of experience. Either (of the supervisors) is able to answer you question. Ignore expressions beginning with as well as, in addition too, accompanied by, and other explanatory phrases. They always follow the subject and precede the verb. The paper, as well as the pens and pencils, has been counted. Look to the meaning rather than the spelling to decide where the subject is singular or plural. The World Series is almost over. Economics is a required subject. Collective nouns A collective noun is a singular word that refers to a number of people of things acting as a unit. While they may occasionally be plural when indicating separate actions, most collectives are singular. The class of new supervisors is scheduled to begin training on hiring and firing practices soon. The committee hopes to meet at 1 p.m. Completers: Completers finish the thoughts of subjects and verbs. An adjective or a noun may ?complete? the thought begun by the subject and verb. Objects Objects tell your reader what the verb is doing. They answer the questions ?what or whom?? and are always nouns or pronouns. Linda gave the report to the Purchasing Department. (Linda gave. . . .what?) John saw Mary at the meeting. (John saw . . . whom?) ... S........V......................C Ellen completed the reports before her deadline. Predicate adjectives and nominatives An adjective completing the subject and verb is called a ?predicate adjective? and a noun completing the subject and verb is called a ?predicate nominative.? They both always follow some form of the verb to be, often called a ?linking verb? because it links the subject to the completed thought. Verbs such as looks, seems, and feels are also linking verbs when they could be replaced by is. ...S....V..........C Ellen is very tall. (Tall is a predicate adjective.) ..S....V.........C John is the winner of the ?employee-of-the-month? contest. (Winner is a predicate nominative.) Exercise 3 ? Subjects and Verbs Choose the correct word(s) to finish each of the following sentences. 1. Maggie, along with Jack and Jose, __________________(is, are) meeting Bob and Hilda at the restaurant. 2. Everyone ____________(know, knows) the outcome of the vote. 3. That dog is __________(your?s, yours). 4. Either of the two choices _________(is, are) fine. 5. If I _________________________ (was, were) to go, I would need to pack my laptop. 6. Sara, as well as several other employees, _____________________(is, are) familiar with the policy. 7. I ___________________ (shall, will) call Mrs. King tomorrow. 8. _____________________ (Its, It?s) good vendor management to hold the supplier accountable. 9. The reasons for the problem __________________________ (was, were) too numerous. 10. The group _________________________ (have, has) left the conference room. Edited to add a missed sentence.

Thanks, Des. There's a lot of truth in that. I was born in the early 50's and I don't think I turned out half bad from it. Jan

Well done, Sharon. And thanks to you Wibby, for demonstrating how to work it out. Jan

If it's a typo, it's on the publisher of the book and not me.