Author: Sharon Porterfield
192. Common Nouns
Common nouns name people, places, and things that don’t need to be capitalized. Proper nouns are names for actual people, actual locations and buildings. Common nouns are names for plain, unspecific people, places, and things. A proper noun is Chicago,… Read more192. Common Nouns
189. Use Italics to Emphasize Words
Italics are most often used for titles and names. However, we sometimes use italics when we want to emphasize certain words in our writing. Italicizing the words makes them stand out to the reader. Here is an example of using… Read more189. Use Italics to Emphasize Words
183. Pronoun Problem
Look at this sentence: He likes ice cream more than me. Do you know what the writer is trying to say? Here are two possibilities: He likes ice cream more than he likes me.He likes ice cream more than I… Read more183. Pronoun Problem
179. Using Hard and Hardly
The word hard works as an adjective when it modifies a noun.That was a hard test.You took a hard fall down the stairs. The word hard acts as an adverb when it modifies a verb.The team played hard but they… Read more179. Using Hard and Hardly
177. Mistakes with Using Adverbs
An adverb modifies a verb by telling more about the action. Be sure to put the adverb as close to the verb as possible. Sam walked to his room dejectedly. In this sentence, the adverb dejectedly is separated from the… Read more177. Mistakes with Using Adverbs
172. Parentheses
Parentheses ( ) are a type of punctuation. Parentheses always come as a pair – in twos. We put parentheses around words and information that are not of major importance. The words in a parentheses can be left out and… Read more172. Parentheses
469. Sentences with More than One Subject
Each sentence must have a subject. The subject of a sentence is the person or thing that the sentence is about. The subject of a sentence is usually doing something. The dog chewed on a bone.In this sentence, the subject… Read more469. Sentences with More than One Subject
299. Past Tense Linking Verbs
Linking verbs show existence, not action, and they link the subject to another name for the subject. Here are two past tense linking verbs: was and were Use was with subjects that are singular – one person.I was a good… Read more299. Past Tense Linking Verbs
470. Practice with Sentence Subjects
Section A: Sentence or fragment? Write S for sentence and F for fragment.1. Sitting on the back porch.2. The three dogs of my brother’s friend.3. Mary and Jane walked to the park.4. The large dog broke his leash.5. After watching… Read more470. Practice with Sentence Subjects