Grammar: A Pocket Guide

• Main Author: Behrens, Susan J.
• Format: eBook Book
• Language: English
• Published: London Routledge 2010; Taylor and Francis
• Subjects: Creative Writing; English Language; English language > Grammar > Problems, exercises, etc; General Language Reference; Grammar; Study Skills; Vice Versa; Infinitive Verb; Odd; Comma Splice; Main Verb; Past Participle Form; Split Infinitive; Follow; Present Participle Form; Subject Verb Pair; Subordinating Conjunction; Bare Infinitive; Holding; Past Participle; Relative Pronouns; English Grammar; Subject Verb Agreement; Prepositional Phrase; Wo; Independent Clause; Non-restrictive Relative Clause; Restrictive Relative Clause; Misplaced Modifier; Relative Clause; Subject Slot
• ISBN: 9780415493598; 0415493595; 1138470813; 9781138470811
• DOI: 10.4324/9780203842867

If you've ever wanted a quick and easy guide to verbs and adverbs, commas and apostrophes, clauses and prepositions, then this is a must-have book for you. Easing readers gently into the study of the structure of English, Grammar: A Pocket Guide covers common questions such as: Is it "10 items or less" or "10 items or fewer"? Should I say "If I were you" or "if I was you"? Can you start a sentence with "And" or "Because"? When do you use "whom"? What is the difference between "lie" and "lay"? Is it "I feel bad" or "I feel badly"? Using examples from everyday speech and writing, this handy book "cracks the code" of off-putting grammatical jargon so that readers can enjoy learning how to think and talk about grammar. With practice exercises, a glossary, and suggestions for further reading, Grammar: A Pocket Guide is the perfect foundation for anyone wanting to improve his or her writing and communication. "Behren's book clearly shows that the study of language should not be a 'joyless censoriousness' (Dick Veit's expression) but an inquiry into language questions we encounter daily in writing, ranging from syntactic issues to punctuation concerns... [Her] linguistic training is evident throughout." - The ATEG Journal Susan J. Behrens is Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Marymount Manhattan College, and an associate of the Institute for Writing and Thinking at Bard College. She is co-editor of Language in the Real World with Judith A. Parker (Routledge, 2010). Introduction. 1. The Great Subject-Predicate Divide. 2. All Types of Verbs: Beyond "Action". 3. Verb Forms Telling Time (and More). 4. Subjects and Verbs Agreeing. 5. Nouns and Their Determiners. 6. Objects and Complements. 7. Verb Transitivity. 8. The Subjunctive: In the Right Mood. 9. The Passive (and Active) Structure: Watch Your Voice. 10. The Case of Pronouns. 11. Adjectives and Adverbs Modifying. 12. Prepositional Phrases and Verb Particles. 13. Conjunctions at Junctions. 14. Relative Clauses (and More Clauses and Phrases). 15. Misaligned Modifiers. 16. Commas: More Than Pauses. 17. Apostrophes: Dueling Functions. 18. Applying the Knowledge. Appendices: Further Reading. Answer Key to Chapter Questions. Cheat Sheet Tables. Glossary