English Grammar Book

Study Guide Checklist.

Introduction.

Pretest.

Chapter 1: Nouns and Articles.

Types of Nouns.

Proper Nouns.

Collective Nouns.

Count versus Noncount Nouns.

Plural Nouns.

Showing Possession with Nouns.

Unusual Constructions.

Joint Ownership.

Noun-Verb Agreement.

Articles.

Indefinite Articles.

Gray Area: Articles and the Letter H.

Definite Articles.

Gray Area: British versus American Article Usage.

Chapter Problems.

Problems.

Answers and Solutions.

Supplemental Chapter Problems.

Problems.

Answers.

Chapter 2: Pronouns.

Personal Pronouns.

Common Pitfall: Multiple Pronouns and What Case to Use.

Common Pitfall: “We” and “Us” as Appositives.

Common Pitfall: Pronouns as Complements (or “It is I!”).

Agreement of Pronouns with Antecedents.

Relative Pronouns.

Gray Area: Restrictive “That” versus Nonrestrictive “Which”.

Common Pitfall: “Who” versus “Whom”.

Demonstrative Pronouns.

Common Pitfall: “This Kind,” “Those Sorts”.

Possessive Pronouns.

Common Pitfall: Possessive Pronouns and Apostrophes.

Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns.

Reciprocal Pronouns.

Indefinite Pronouns.

Gray Area: Sexist Language and Indefinite Pronouns.

Interrogative Pronouns.

Chapter Problems.

Problems.

Answers and Solutions.

Supplemental Chapter Problems.

Problems.

Answers.

Chapter 3: Verbs.

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs: Direct Objects.

Indirect Objects.

Linking Verbs.

Verb Tenses.

Simple Present Tense.

Simple Past Tense.

Simple Future Tense.

Present Progressive Tense.

Past Progressive Tense.

Future Progressive Tense.

Present Perfect Tense.

Past Perfect Tense.

Common Pitfall: “Lie” versus “Lay”.

Future Perfect Tense.

Present Perfect Progressive Tense.

Past Perfect Progressive Tense.

Future Perfect Progressive Tense.

Voice.

Common Pitfall: Passive Voice.

Mood.

Phrasal Verbs.

Gray Area: The Particle at the End of the Sentence.

Modal Auxiliaries.

Gray Area: “Can” versus “May”.

Gray Area: “Will” versus “Shall”.

Gerunds.

Gray Area: Possessives with Gerunds.

Infinitives.

Gray Area: Split Infinitives.

Participles.

Chapter Problems.

Problems.

Answers and Solutions.

Supplemental Chapter Problems.

Problems.

Answers.

Chapter 4:Conjunctions.

Coordinating Conjunctions.

Gray Area: Beginning a Sentence with “And”.

Correlative Conjunctions.

Subordinating Conjunctions.

Gray Area: Using “Than” with Personal Pronouns.

Gray Area: “As” versus “Like”.

Common Pitfall: “Than” versus “Then”.

Conjunctive Adverbs.

Chapter Problems.

Problems.

Answers and Solutions.

Supplemental Chapter Problems.

Problems.

Answers.

Chapter 5: Prepositions.

Prepositions and Compound Prepositions.

Common Pitfall: Misused Prepositions.

Common Pitfall: The Double Preposition.

Gray Area: Prepositions at the End of a Sentence.

Prepositional Phrases.

Chapter Problems.

Problems.

Answers and Solutions.

Supplemental Chapter Problems.

Problems.

Answers.

Chapter 6:Modifiers.

Adjectives and Adverbs.

Adjectives.

Adverbs.

Adverbs at Work.

Intensifying Adverbs.

Common Pitfall: Unnecessary Adverbs.

Adjective and Adverbial Phrases.

Comparatives and Superlatives.

Common Pitfall: Irregular Endings of Comparison Words.

Common Pitfall: Double Comparisons and Superlatives.

Common Pitfall: Adjectives and Adverbs That Should Not Be Compared.

Emphasis Words.

Misplaced Modifiers and Dangling Participles.

Chapter Problems.

Problems.

Answers and Solutions.

Supplemental Chapter Problems.

Problems.

Answers.

Chapter 7:Sentences.

Phrases and Clauses.

Subjects.

Special Types of Subjects.

Predicates.

Objects.

Phrases.

Special Types of Phrases.

Clauses.

Special Types of Clauses: “That” Clauses.

Special Types of Clauses: “If” Clauses.

Sentence Types: Compound and Complex.

Punctuating Clauses Within Sentences.

Sentence Types: Declarative, Imperative, and Interrogative Moods.

Sentence Types: Passive and Active Voice.

Common Pitfall: Frequently Encountered Sentence Problems.

Run-on Sentences.

Comma Splices.

Sentence Fragments.

Misplaced or “Dangling” Modifiers.

Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Elements.

Unclear Antecedents.

Lack of Agreement.

Lack of Parallelism.

Inconsistent Use of Tenses or Pronouns.

Chapter Problems.

Problems.

Answers and Solutions.

Supplemental Chapter Problems.

Problems.

Answers.

Chapter 8: Punctuation, Capitalization, and Other Issues.

Periods.

Commas.

Gray Area: The Serial Comma.

Semicolons.

Colons.

Question Marks.

Exclamation Points.

Apostrophes.

Gray Area: Handling ’S Situations.

Common Pitfall: “It’s” versus “It is”.

Quotation Marks.

Hyphens.

Dashes.

Parentheses.

Brackets.

Ellipses.

Slashes.

Capitalization.

Abbreviations and Acronyms.

Abbreviations and Acronyms in Writing.

Common Pitfall: Latin Abbreviations.