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- Grammar
®
New York
- Copyright © 2007 LearningExpress, LLC.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright
Conventions. Published in the United States by LearningExpress, LLC,
New York.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Express review guides. Grammar.—1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN: 978-1-57685-626-0
1. English language—Grammar—Problems, exercises, etc. I.
LearningExpress (Organization)
PE1112.E97 2007
428'.0076—dc22
2007017305
Printed in the United States of America
98 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First Edition
ISBN: 978-1-57685-626-0
For more information or to place an order, contact LearningExpress at:
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- Contents
v
INTRODUCTION
Pretest 1
CHAPTER 1
Capitalization and Punctuation—First Things First 15
CHAPTER 2
Spelling—Spell Well . . . with a Few Exceptions 51
CHAPTER 3
Verbs—The Movers and Shakers of Language 69
CHAPTER 4
Adjectives and Adverbs—The 5 Ws and 4 Hs
CHAPTER 5
of Good Writing 89
Agreement—A Matter of Compatibility 107
CHAPTER 6
Modifiers—Does It Dangle or Squint or Split? 127
CHAPTER 7
Sentence Structure—From the Simple to the
CHAPTER 8
Complex 143
Paragraphs—As Easy as Announce-Build-Close! 157
CHAPTER 9
Tricky Words—Bee a Wear of Why Lee Words! 171
CHAPTER 10
Posttest 187
CHAPTER 11
201
GLOSSARY
- Introduction
O ur earliest ancestors invented language out of
necessity and the need to improve their quality of life. It could not
have taken long for early humans to come to detest the endless aggravation
of not being able to get their points across to others around them. The
adage Necessity is the mother of invention held true then, as it does even
today, as the complexity of our world increases. Our language constantly
evolves in order to adapt to our needs and to maintain and improve our qual-
ity of life. It doesn’t happen overnight, though, and it didn’t back then either,
but the evolution of language is like clockwork—its change is unswerving.
English is complex, but luckily, it comes with a user’s manual—grammar
and usage—a voluminous set of rules and guidelines that helps you make
sense of the many intricate and dynamic parts of our language. And while
you may be studying grammar right now in school, figuring out the inner
workings of sentence structure and writing can be fun and challenging. The
benefits of your efforts will especially be rewarded in your writing.
You write more often than you think. Essays, notes, e-mail, lists—all
require writing, just in different formats. Sometimes, what you write requires
you to be more formal, and you have to follow certain guidelines for eti-
quette. At other times, your writing may resemble some kind of code or lan-
guage that your friends understand perfectly well, but that an English
teacher would have nightmares about. That’s okay. Really. Flexibility is the
key, and knowing when and where to use proper English is important. No
- viii Express Review Guides: GRAMMAR
one expects you to be a walking grammar book, but having a grounded
understanding in the whys and hows of English will impact your spoken and
written communication skills forever. If you make a concerted and consis-
tent effort to apply some of the skills you have learned in this book, you will
create good habits—habits that will stay with you when you write term
papers, a letter of introduction to a prospective employer, and perhaps even
an acceptance speech for a prestigious award. All of these scenarios hinge
on someone understanding and appreciating what you say and how you say
it, whether written or spoken.
This book will equip you with the basic tools you will need to build an
essay that is clear and logical and that you can be proud of. It also includes
the following helpful hints and exercises to help you further develop your
writing skills.
Fuel for Thought: critical information and definitions that can help you
¯
learn more about a particular topic
Inside Track: tips for reducing your study and practice time—without
¯
sacrificing accuracy
Practice Lap: quick practice exercises and activities to let you test your
¯
knowledge
The chapters, which include lessons, along with examples and practice
questions, are meant to be read in order, so the lessons build upon themselves
as you read. Here’s a brief description of each chapter, so that you get an idea
of the flow.
CHAPTER 1: PRETEST
Take this test to see where you need to focus before you start the book. Any
surprises? This will give you a good idea about your strengths and where you
need to improve. Read through each lesson, do the practice questions along
the way, and you’re bound to strengthen your writing skills.
- ix
Introduction
CHAPTER 2: CAPITALIZATION AND PUNCTUATION—FIRST
THINGS FIRST
There’s more to capitalization than just capitalizing the first word of every
sentence. Learn about the basic dos and don’ts of proper capitalization. As
the “pulse” of the sentence, punctuation leads the reader through a sentence
just as road signs lead a driver. Learn the ins and outs of punctuation, from
apostrophes to dashes to quotations to semicolons.
CHAPTER 3: SPELLING—SPELL WELL . . . WITH A FEW EXCEPTIONS
Learn basic spelling rules (and their exceptions), and learn how prefixes and
suffixes play an important role in our language.
CHAPTER 4: VERBS—THE MOVERS AND SHAKERS OF LANGUAGE
The “movers and shakers” of language, verbs come in many shapes and varieties
and present many vivid pictures. Learn how verbs make a sentence come alive.
CHAPTER 5: ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS—THE 5 Ws AND 4 Hs OF
GOOD WRITING
Like the colors on an artist’s palette, these modifiers brighten and enliven
language to help paint pictures in a reader’s mind. Learn how useful and pow-
erful these words can be.
CHAPTER 6: AGREEMENT—A MATTER OF COMPATIBILITY
Agreement between a sentence’s verbs and nouns is paramount. Learn how
to decide whether to make a verb plural or singular, and how to make your
pronouns compatible with your antecedents. Your what? Find out here!
CHAPTER 7: MODIFIERS—DOES IT DANGLE OR SQUINT OR SPLIT?
Care to know whether your modifiers dangle, squint, or split? Learn about
phrases and clauses and their uncanny ability to throw a curveball or two
when you least expect it.
- x Express Review Guides: GRAMMAR
CHAPTER 8: SENTENCE STRUCTURE—FROM THE SIMPLE TO THE
COMPLEX
Proper sentence structure can make or break your message. Learn how
phrases and clauses improve your sentence structure and how to avoid run-
ons and fragments.
CHAPTER 9: PARAGRAPHS—AS EASY AS ANNOUNCE-BUILD-CLOSE
Identify paragraph components and their proper organization, and then
apply that knowledge to create a sound five-paragraph essay.
CHAPTER 10: TRICKY WORDS—BEE A WEAR OF WHY LEE WORDS!
English is filled with words that sound alike but are spelled differently
(homonyms) and words that are spelled the same but pronounced differently
(homographs). Then there are words that just, well, trick us—better word
choice is just a chapter away.
CHAPTER 11: POSTTEST
Now that you’ve finished the book, how much have you improved? This
posttest will give you a chance to see how much you’ve learned and how far
you’ve come since you took the pretest. Do you still need any improve-
ment? Go back to the relevant chapters and review.
GLOSSARY
This chapter contains an extensive list of important words you may already
know, or you may have learned throughout this book. Refer to it as often as
you need to.
Ready? Let’s get started!
- 1 Pretest
T his pretest contains 70 questions and is designed to
test your knowledge of various topics that are covered in the book.
By taking this test and then checking your answers against the answer key
that follows, you’ll be able to determine what you already know and what you
need to learn. For each question you answer incorrectly, be sure to read the
explanation that accompanies the correct answer in the answer key. Also, the
answer key contains chapter references, so that you know which lesson deals
with that question’s topic. It should take you no more than one hour to com-
plete the pretest. Good luck!
CAPITALIZATION
Correct the words that require proper capitalization.
dean asked, “may i borrow your markers when you’re finished?”
1.
my teacher asked me to write an essay titled “if i could live forever.”
2.
when hailey saw the latest issue of vogue, she eagerly bought it.
3.
brielle said, “there’s a lost cat sitting outside the door.”
4.
- 2 Express Review Guides: GRAMMAR
my dentist, dr. benjamin feldman, always gives me a free toothbrush.
5.
tammy enjoys taking walks in the park.
6.
have you read the biography of queen elizabeth i?
7.
the warm carribbean breeze blew gently across the island.
8.
i traveled to burma, a country northwest of thailand.
9.
I see mrs. alessi on thursdays only.
10.
PUNCTUATION
Insert proper punctuation into the following sentences.
The playful puppy pushed the little girl
11.
Should Polly play outside with her friends or practice her piano
12.
The hungry penguin sat on the ice waiting for its mother
13.
Wow How did you do that
14.
its time to go home
15.
Rebeccas long blond hair blew in the breeze
16.
The cat chased the mouse into the barn and returned later with a smile
17.
on its face
The lost hiker tired and hungry searched through his bag for food
18.
As Ashley flew to London she thought of her friends and family back
19.
home
- 3
Pretest
Butch a bully popped all of Chelseas balloons and made her cry
20.
The caterpillar crawled over the leaf along the branch and down the
21.
trunk of the tree
After a long talk they decided to go home cook dinner watch TV and
22.
chill
March 17 1993 is Saras birthday she will be 15 years old this year
23.
The midnight sky was still except for one tiny sparkle of a star
24.
You must know how to catch throw hit and slide
25.
They finally reached the far side of the island however help was nowhere
26.
in sight
Amanda placed Martins Encyclopedia Book H in her book bag
27.
Elliott wants to study genetics in college he hopes to become a doctor
28.
That was a good one remarked Tony Do it again
29.
Im hungry Do we have anything to eat whined Brandon
30.
MODIFIERS
Adjectives
In each sentence, circle the adjective(s).
The car got a flat tire.
31.
Tom’s cotton shirt was wrinkled.
32.
The loud music hurts my ears.
33.
- 4 Express Review Guides: GRAMMAR
Southern peaches are exceptionally delicious and juicy.
34.
Adverbs
In each sentence, circle the adverb(s).
The orange ball glowed and sank slowly on the horizon.
35.
Linda completely misunderstood the directions the teacher gave.
36.
Nikki quickly decided to turn right at the corner.
37.
Westerns can be very exciting.
38.
Her fourth-quarter grades had improved slightly.
39.
Twenty minutes too late, she removed the burned tuna casserole from
40.
the oven.
Prepositional Phrases
In each sentence, circle the prepositional phrase(s).
The grandfather clock in the hallway chimed each hour.
41.
The shed in the backyard was covered with English ivy.
42.
Steven cut the grass in the front yard yesterday.
43.
Tricky Words
In each sentence, circle the tricky word(s).
Will ewe please take three dollars and by sum milk?
44.
Joe tries to due his assignments early.
45.
Nell kneads two go two bed.
46.
- 5
Pretest
Hour daughter, Meghan, had the flew.
47.
They’re is only ate scents in my pocket.
48.
The plain arrived with the pear of twins a bored.
49.
Weight here! Aisle get sum stationary for you.
50.
SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Identify each sentence as simple, compound, or complex. Underline the
subject once and underline the predicate twice.
The judges watched the dancers closely and gave prizes to the highest
51.
scorers.
Karen’s sandwich store serves subs, soups, and salads.
52.
Zachary slept well after washing cars for the fund-raiser all day.
53.
Mrs. Milling recorded the test grades, and her student teacher passed
54.
them back to the students.
The nurse gently held the newborn baby, who was crying.
55.
Presidential conventions occur every four years during the summer.
56.
Ivy was afraid to watch horror movies, but she enjoyed comedies.
57.
The bakery, which was built next to the grocery store, was always busy.
58.
Although he was a good student, sometimes Matthew forgot to do his
59.
homework.
The teacher, who taught health and gym, quickly made his way to the
60.
meeting.
- 6 Express Review Guides: GRAMMAR
COMBINING SENTENCES
Choppy sentences in a paragraph are unappealing. Combine the following
sentences, rewriting them when necessary, to create an informative, inter-
esting sentence. Although there are many possible combinations, a sample
sentence of each question is provided for you at the end of the pretest.
My worst trip was not, in fact, the actual vacation.
61.
My worst trip was the plane ride to the vacation spot.
This wasn’t just one of those two-hour trips to Florida.
62.
This was a 16-hour direct flight.
It was a flight across the Atlantic over the North Pole.
I was boarding the plane.
63.
I was anxiously waiting to see how the leg room and the food would be.
I was anxiously waiting to see who would be seated around me.
Naturally, I did not have high expectations on a flight as long as this.
64.
I considered how they can’t expect you to be too comfortable.
I considered how they can’t expect you to not be bored.
- 7
Pretest
Of course, I was not surprised.
65.
I think more things went wrong than right on this flight.
As I was sitting down, the first thing I noticed was two babies.
66.
I noticed the babies seated within three rows of me.
I thought that wasn’t a good sign.
The babies weren’t the only things I became aware of as I took my seat.
67.
I realized how close the back of the seat in front of me was to my knees.
By then, I was already telling my sister she could have the window seat.
68.
I was supposed to have the window seat.
I knew I would need the aisle for extra leg room.
I settled in.
69.
Eventually, I started dozing off.
I would be interrupted by the flight attendants.
They were kicking my feet, which were in the aisle.
I can’t complain, though, because they weren’t supposed to be there
anyway.
- 8 Express Review Guides: GRAMMAR
The food was actually quite good.
70.
The tray holder that comes out of the back of the seat in front of you was
not.
It was like trying to balance your meal on the head of a needle.
I ended up spilling my soda and dinner all over my lap.
ANSWERS
Capitalization
We capitalize (1) the first word of every sentence, (2) the first word of a direct
quotation, (3) the pronoun I and all contractions made using the word I, (4)
proper nouns, (5) proper adjectives, and (6) the first word and all key words
in titles. (To better understand capitalization, please see Chapter 2.)
1. Dean asked, “May I borrow your markers when you’re finished?”
2. My teacher asked me to write an essay titled “If I Could Live Forever.”
3. When Hailey saw the latest issue of Vogue, she eagerly bought it.
4. Brielle said, “There’s a lost cat sitting outside the door.”
5. My dentist, Dr. Benjamin Feldman, always gives me a free toothbrush.
6. Tammy enjoys taking walks in the park.
7. Have you read the biography of Queen Elizabeth I?
8. The warm Caribbean breeze blew gently across the island.
9. I traveled to Burma, a country northwest of Thailand.
10. I see Mrs. Alessi on Thursdays only.
Punctuation
(1) Periods signify the end of declarative and imperative sentences; (2)
question marks are used after a question; and (3) exclamations signify
strong feelings or emotion. (To better understand punctuation, please see
Chapter 2.)
11. The playful puppy pushed the little girl.
12. Should Polly play outside with her friends or practice her piano?
13. The hungry penguin sat on the ice waiting for its mother.
- 9
Pretest
Wow! How did you do that?
14.
15. It’s time to go home.
16. Rebecca’s long, blond hair blew in the breeze.
17. The cat chased the mouse into the barn and returned later with a smile
on its face.
Use commas (1) to separate series of three or more items or phrases in a sen-
tence, (2) with an introductory word or phrase, (3) before and after a word
or phrase that is meant to rename or describe a noun that precedes it (an
appositive), and (4) in dates and addresses.
18. The lost hiker, tired and hungry, searched through his bag for food.
19. As Ashley flew to London, she thought of her friends and family back
home.
20. Butch, a bully, popped all of Chelsea’s balloons and made her cry.
21. The caterpillar crawled over the leaf, along the branch, and down the
trunk of the tree.
22. After a long talk, they decided to go home, cook dinner, watch TV,
and chill.
23. March 17, 1993, is Sara’s birthday. She will be 15 years old this year.
24. The midnight sky was still, except for one tiny sparkle of a star.
Use colons to (1) introduce a list, (2) introduce the subtitle of a movie or
book, (3) separate hours from minutes when writing the time. Use a semi-
colon (4) to separate two related sentences and (5) between two complete
sentences that are separated by transitional words or phrases.
25. You must know how to do all of the following: catch, throw, hit, and slide.
26. They finally reached the far side of the island; however, help was
nowhere in sight.
27. Amanda placed Martin’s Encyclopedia: Book H in her book bag.
28. Elliott wants to study genetics in college; he hopes to become a doctor.
Direct quotations require the use of opening and ending quotation marks.
29. “That was a good one,” remarked Tony. “Do it again.”
30. “I’m hungry. Do we have anything to eat?” whined Brandon.
- 10 Express Review Guides: GRAMMAR
Modifiers
Adjectives (1) modify only nouns; (2) answer What kind? Which one? and How
many? about the nouns they are modifying; (3) imply something belongs to
someone; and (4) are sometimes proper nouns that behave like adjectives.
(To better understand adjectives, please see Chapter 5.)
31. The car got a flat tire.
32. Tom’s cotton shirt was wrinkled.
33. The loud music hurts my ears.
34. Southern peaches are exceptionally delicious and juicy.
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs, and answer Where?
When? How? How much? How often? and How long? (To better understand
adverbs, please see Chapter 5.)
35. The orange ball glowed and sank slowly on the horizon.
36. Linda completely misunderstood the directions the teacher gave.
37. Nikki quickly decided to turn right at the corner.
38. Westerns can be very exciting.
39. Her fourth-quarter grades had improved slightly.
40. Twenty minutes too late, she removed the burned tuna casserole from
the oven.
A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and
ends with a noun or pronoun. (To better understand prepositional phrases,
please see Chapters 6 and 7.)
41. The grandfather clock in the hallway chimed each hour.
42. The shed in the backyard was covered with English ivy.
43. Steven cut the grass in the front yard yesterday.
Words that are spelled differently and have dissimilar meanings, but are pro-
nounced exactly the same, are called homonyms. (To better understand
tricky words, please see Chapter 10.)
44. Will you please take three dollars and buy some milk?
45. Joe tries to do his assignments early.
46. Nell needs to go to bed.
47. Our daughter, Meghan, had the flu.
48. There is only eight cents in my pocket.
- 11
Pretest
The plane arrived with the pair of twins aboard.
49.
50. Wait here! I’ll get some stationery for you.
Sentence Structure
(1) A simple sentence must have a simple subject (one word) and a simple
predicate (one word); (2) a compound sentence is two complete sentences
joined by a conjunction; (3) a complex sentence is made up of at least one
independent clause and one subordinate (dependent) clause. (For more help
with sentence structure, please see Chapter 8.)
51. The judges watched the dancers closely and gave prizes to the highest
scorers.
compound
52. Karen’s sandwich store serves subs, soups, and salads.
simple
53. Zachary slept well after washing cars for the fund-raiser all day.
simple
54. Mrs. Milling recorded the test grades, and her student teacher passed
them back to the students.
compound
55. The nurse gently held the newborn baby, who was crying.
complex
56. Presidential conventions occur every four years during the summer.
simple
57. Ivy was afraid to watch horror movies, but she enjoyed comedies.
compound
58. The bakery, which was built next to the grocery store, was always busy.
complex
59. Although he was a good student, sometimes Matthew forgot to do his
homework.
complex
60. The teacher, who taught health and gym, quickly made his way to the
meeting.
complex
- 12 Express Review Guides: GRAMMAR
Combining Sentences
(For more help with combining sentences, please see Chapters 8 and 9.)
61. My worst trip was not, in fact, the actual vacation, but the plane ride to
the vacation spot.
The choppiness of these sentences is obvious because the subjects
are repeated. Combine the subjects to make one sentence.
62. This wasn’t just one of those two-hour trips to Florida but a 16-hour
direct flight across the Atlantic over the North Pole.
Again, the choppiness is evident with the repetition of the words
this and flight. Combine for fluidity.
63. As I was boarding the plane, I anxiously waited to see how the leg
room and the food would be, and to see who would be seated around me.
The subject, I, is written three times, which means the sentences
can be combined. Also, notice the word anxiously being used twice.
Avoid repetition.
64. Naturally, I did not have high expectations on a flight as long as this; I
considered how they can’t expect you to be too comfortable and to not
be bored.
The sentence topics are directly related, so they can be joined using
a semicolon. The last two sentences need combining for fluidity.
65. Not to my surprise, I think more things went wrong than right on this
flight.
Just a little rewording brings the two sentences together.
66. As I was sitting down, the first thing I noticed was two babies within
three rows of me, and I immediately thought that wasn’t a good sign.
Notice some of the repetition avoided with combining and a little
rewording.
67. The babies weren’t the only things I became aware of as I took my seat;
I realized how close the back of the seat in front of me was to my knees.
The semicolon joins the sentences, as they complement each other.
68. By then, I was already telling my sister she could have the window seat,
even though I was supposed to. I knew I would need the aisle for extra
leg room.
Combining the first two sentences makes sense. Leave the last one
alone for the added emphasis.
nguon tai.lieu . vn
