Daily Grammar

 

Daily Dose # 9

Nouns can be made by simply adding -ing to a verb. The result is a gerund, or a verb functioning as a noun.

·        Swimming is a healthy exercise

·        Healthy exercise includes swimming.

 

Daily Dose # 10

Similarly, an infinitive, a verb in its infinitive form (the base verb plus to), can be a noun:

·        To swim is healthy

·        Her goal is to become a veterinarian.

 

 

When reading or hearing an unfamiliar word, or working with words, it might be helpful to remember that some nouns have distinct

endings; here are some of them:

-ment (resentment, government, parliament)

-ism (communism, liberalism)

-ness (happiness, wellness)

-tion (multiplication, domestication)

-ty (equality, fraternity)

-ence or ance (independence, indifference, temperance, deliverance)

 

Daily Dose # 11

Define a noun.

 

  

A noun designates or names a person, place, or thing; a quality, idea or action; an event or point in time.

 

Daily Dose # 12

 

Write down the nouns in the following sentence:  Albert met his sisters’ best friend, a pretty girl.

 Albert met his sisters’ best friend, a pretty girl.  (Persons)

 

 

Daily Dose # 13

Write down the nouns in the following sentence:  Her pride suffered because of her forgetfulness, but his courtesy brought her happiness. (Qualities)

 

  

Daily Dose # 14

 

Write down the nouns in the following sentence: She sold her car to the man from Detroit on Saturday. (Combo)

 

 

 

Daily Dose # 15

 

Define the semicolon and describe its uses.

 

The semicolon is a mark of separation; it is never used to introduce, enclose or terminate a statement. Uses are: to separate independent clauses not joined by a simple conjunction; to separate clauses joined by a conjunctive adverb (also, besides, however, for example, otherwise, thus, therefore, still); between independent clauses that are lengthy or contain internal punctuation; to separate phrases and clauses of considerable length and also series of words that need complete clarity.

 

 

Conjunctive adverb example: We regret selling all of the blue shirts; however, we still have some white ones.

 

In a series: Here is what you need in life; money, health, and ambition.

 

Daily Dose # 16

 

Define the colon and describe its uses.

 

The colon is a mark of expectation or addition. Major uses are to: introduce lists or tabulations; introduce a word or phrase; precede an example or clarification of an idea suggested before the colon; to introduce a long or formal quotation; act as a separating mark in special situations (letters, time, stating proportions, titles of books, acts verses, etc.)

 

Daily Grammar

 Daily Grammar Questions we have done thus far.

#1

 

Sentences

 

Every sentence contains a noun and a verb; that is, a sentence must have a subject and a predicate.

 

A sentence is a group of words that express a complete thought, begins with a capital letter, and ends with a period or other punctuation.

 

Daily Dose # 2 

Parts of speech are the building blocks of sentences:

The subject is a noun and everything attached to that noun.	The predicate is a verb and everything attached to that verb.
Cattle	graze.
A tall girl	ran to the gate.
Penelope, the faithful wife of Odysseus,	slowly wove an intricate tapestry.

 

 

 Daily Dose # 3

·        Sometimes a complete sentence seems to be missing a necessary part. Stop! is an example, since it seems to have no subject. However, the subject, you, is understood. Similarly, some sentences contain parts of speech that are understood and are omitted.

·        Here is a copy of the assignment I gave you. (that I gave to you)

·        Write me when you find work. (Write to me)

 

 

 

Daily Dose # 4

As a general rule, do not write sentence fragments (incomplete sentences). When you edit, look for fragments and rewrite them into complete sentences.

You are not likely to write:

·        While watching television

However, you may lose track of a complicated sentence:

·        While watching television and keeping an eye on the clock, Emma began to wonder if, despite what she had been told and in spite of what she had promised, that she was already late.

Something happened on the way to the period. The sentence needs rewriting.

 

 

 

Daily Dose # 5

Of the eight parts of speech that combine to make a sentence, at least two are required to make a sentence: a noun (the subject) and a verb (the predicate).

 

Phrases

·        groups of words that belong together

 

Clauses

·        a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate

 

Daily Dose # 6

Nouns

Nouns name things: soil, tree, liberty, unicorn, country, William Shakespeare.

Nominals are words or phrases that act like nouns:

·        That red one is the one I want.

·        Choosing the right word can be hard.

 

Appositives are words and phrases that rename a noun.

·        Abigail Moriarty, the notorious swindler, is back in town.

·        Jane, the friend I told you about, is going to visit.

 

Daily Dose # 7

An appositive must have the same grammatical relationship to the other parts of the sentence as the noun it renames. In other words, if you were to cross out the original nouns

and the extra commas, then you would still have a perfectly good sentence.

·        The notorious swindler is back in town.

 

Daily Dose # 8

From these examples we see that appositives are also nominals. Remember that a word or group of words can act as more than one part of speech. It all depends on how the word is used.