Essentials of English Grammar A Quick Guide To Good English

by Baugh, L.

• ISBN13: 9780071457088
• ISBN10: 0071457089
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-07-15
• Publisher: McGraw Hill

Summary

A quick reference for people with grammar questions and an excellent primer for anyone learning the basics, Essentials of English Grammar features a glossary of grammar terms and updated coverage of stylistic conventions.

Author Biography

L. Sue Baugh is the bestselling author of numerous books on grammar usage and writing.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Acknowledgments	xv
PART I Essentials of Grammar	1	(136)
1 Parts of Speech	3	(42)
Nouns	4	(3)
Proper, Common, and Collective Nouns	4	(1)
Functions of Nouns	4	(1)
Plural Nouns	5	(1)
Possessive Nouns	5	(2)
Pronouns	7	(7)
Personal Pronouns	7	(1)
Case of Personal Pronouns	8	(1)
Indefinite Pronouns	8	(1)
Possessive Pronouns	9	(1)
Relative Pronouns	10	(1)
Interrogative Pronouns	11	(1)
Demonstrative Pronouns	11	(1)
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement	11	(2)
Who or Whom?	13	(1)
Verbs	14	(15)
Basic Verb Forms	15	(1)
Auxiliary Verbs	15	(1)
Verb Tenses	16	(1)
Regular Verbs	16	(2)
Functions of the Six Tenses	18	(3)
Irregular Verbs	21	(1)
Common Errors in Using Verb Tenses	21	(3)
Mood	24	(1)
Active and Passive Voices	25	(1)
Subject-Verb Agreement	26	(1)
Special Subject-Verb Agreement Cases	27	(2)
Adjectives	29	(3)
Demonstrative Adjectives	30	(1)
Limiting Adjectives	30	(1)
Comparisons	31	(1)
Compound Adjectives	32	(1)
Predicate Adjectives	32	(1)
Adverbs	32	(4)
Forming Adverbs	32	(1)
Types of Adverbs	33	(1)
Comparisons	34	(1)
Adverb Position and Meaning	34	(1)
Adjective or Adverb?	35	(1)
Prepositions	36	(3)
Phrasal Prepositions	37	(1)
Common Errors to Avoid	37	(1)
Prepositions Used with Verbs	38	(1)
Conjunctions	39	(3)
Coordinating Conjunctions	39	(1)
Correlative Conjunctions	39	(1)
Subordinating Conjunctions	40	(1)
Linking Adverbs	41	(1)
Interjections	42	(3)
Common Interjections	42	(1)
Punctuation	43	(2)
2 Punctuation and Punctuation Style	45	(22)
End Marks: Period, Question Mark, Exclamation Point	45	(2)
Period	45	(1)
Question Mark	46	(1)
Exclamation Point	47	(1)
Comma	47	(4)
Series Comma	48	(1)
Independent Clauses	48	(1)
Introductory Clauses, Phrases, Expressions	49	(1)
Nonrestrictive Clauses and Nonessential Material	49	(1)
Direct Address	49	(1)
Commas and Clarity	50	(1)
Traditional Comma Uses	50	(1)
Comma Faults	51	(1)
Semicolon	51	(2)
Independent Clauses	52	(1)
Series	53	(1)
Colon	53	(1)
Before a Series or List	53	(1)
Between Independent Clauses	54	(1)
Time	54	(1)
Formal and Business Communications	54	(1)
Quotation Marks	54	(3)
Punctuation with Quotation Marks	55	(1)
Brief and Long Quotations	56	(1)
Single Quotation Marks	56	(1)
Titles	56	(1)
Terms and Expressions	57	(1)
Apostrophe	57	(3)
Possessive of Singular Nouns	57	(1)
Possessive of Plural Nouns	58	(1)
Possessive of Indefinite and Personal Pronouns	58	(1)
Individual and Joint Possession	58	(1)
Units of Measure as Possessive Adjectives	59	(1)
Plural Forms of Symbols	59	(1)
Contractions	59	(1)
Hyphen	60	(2)
Compound Numbers and Fractions	60	(1)
Continuous Numbers	60	(1)
Prefixes and Suffixes	61	(1)
Compound Adjectives	61	(1)
Word Division	61	(1)
Hyphenated Names	62	(1)
To Avoid Confusion	62	(1)
Dash	62	(1)
Parentheses	63	(1)
Brackets	63	(1)
Ellipses	63	(1)
Italics	64	(3)
Emphasis	64	(1)
Foreign Words and Phrases	64	(1)
Titles	65	(1)
Vehicles	65	(2)
3 Sentences and Sentence Patterns	67	(10)
Sentences, Fragments, and Run-Ons	67	(1)
Phrases and Clauses	68	(2)
Phrases	69	(1)
Clauses	69	(1)
Subject and Predicate	70	(4)
Forms of the Subject	70	(2)
Forms of the Predicate	72	(2)
Sentence Constructions	74	(3)
Simple Sentence	74	(1)
Compound Sentence	74	(1)
Complex Sentence	75	(1)
Compound-Complex Sentence	75	(1)
Modifiers in Sentences	75	(2)
4 Capitalization, Abbreviations, and Numbers	77	(38)
Capitalization	77	(9)
Proper Nouns and Adjectives	77	(1)
Hyphenated Names and Prefixes	78	(1)
Family Relationships	78	(1)
Nationalities and Races	79	(1)
Languages and School Subjects	79	(1)
Religious Names and Terms	79	(2)
Academic Degrees and Personal Titles	81	(1)
Historic Events, Special Events, and Holidays	81	(1)
Historical Monuments, Places, and Buildings	82	(1)
Calendar Days, Months, and Seasons	82	(1)
Documents	82	(1)
Titles of Publications	82	(1)
Compass Points	83	(1)
Geographic Names and Regions	83	(1)
Scientific Terms	84	(2)
Capitals with Numbers	86	(1)
Abbreviations	86	(14)
General Guidelines	86	(1)
Personal Names and Titles	87	(3)
Company Names	90	(1)
Agencies and Organizations	90	(1)
Geographic Terms	91	(3)
Time	94	(2)
Scholarly Abbreviations	96	(1)
Measures	97	(1)
Science and Technology	98	(1)
Commercial Abbreviations	99	(1)
Numbers	100	(15)
Arabic Numbers and Roman Numerals	100	(1)
Figures or Words	101	(2)
Ages	103	(1)
Names	104	(1)
Governmental Designations	104	(1)
Organizations	105	(1)
Addresses and Thoroughfares	106	(1)
Time of Day	106	(1)
Dates	107	(2)
Money	109	(1)
Percentages	110	(1)
Fractions and Decimals	110	(1)
Measures	111	(1)
Temperature	112	(1)
Parts of a Book	112	(1)
Inclusive Numbers	113	(2)
5 Spelling and Word Division	115	(22)
Spelling Guidelines	115	(17)
Prefixes	115	(3)
Suffixes	118	(8)
Plurals	126	(5)
The i and e Rules	131	(1)
Word Division	132	(7)
General Rules	132	(1)
Syllables and Word Division	132	(1)
Single-Letter Syllables	133	(1)
Final and Double Consonants	134	(1)
Hyphenated Words	134	(1)
Proper Names	135	(1)
Figures and Abbreviations	135	(2)
PART II Style Considerations	137	(30)
6 Sentences	139	(6)
Use Clarity and Meaning as the Criteria for Good Sentences	139	(1)
Include Only One to Two Ideas in Each Sentence	140	(1)
Vary Sentence Patterns to Avoid Monotonous Use of Any Particular Construction	141	(4)
7 Brevity	145	(4)
Avoid the Phrases There Is and There Are	145	(1)
Condense Clauses Beginning with Which, That, or Who into Fewer Words	145	(1)
Strike Out the Article the Wherever Possible	146	(1)
Eliminate Wordy and Redundant Phrases and Expressions	146	(3)
8 Clarity	149	(8)
Keep Words Fresh	149	(2)
Jargon	149	(1)
Buzzwords	150	(1)
Clichés	151	(1)
Keep Words Specific and Concrete	151	(1)
Keep References Clear	152	(3)
Keep Modifiers Close to Words They Modify	153	(1)
Place Adverbs Close to Words They Modify	153	(1)
Keep Subject and Verb Together	153	(1)
Make Sure That Antecedents Are Clear	154	(1)
Keep Structures Parallel	155	(2)
9 Accuracy	157	(2)
Double-Check Figures, Dates, Specifications, and Other Details	157	(1)
Be Sure That All Names, Titles, and Abbreviations Are Spelled Properly	157	(1)
Verify the Accuracy of Direct Quotations	157	(1)
Make Sure That Ideas Are Presented Clearly	158	(1)
Make Sure Your Work Is Neat and Legible	158	(1)
10 Gender-Inclusive Language	159	(8)
Nouns and Pronouns	159	(2)
Alternative Noun Forms	161	(1)
Suffixes ess, ette, ix, and ienne/ine	162	(2)
Social Titles	164	(1)
Salutations	164	(1)
Occupational Titles	165	(2)
Appendix A: Principal Parts of Irregular Verbs	167	(2)
Appendix B: Verb-Preposition Combinations	169	(6)
Appendix C: Frequently Confused Words	175	(8)
Appendix D: Frequently Misspelled Words	183	(6)
Glossary	189	(6)
Index	195