Learn Your Damn Homophones. A Picture of Language. Joe Mortis Draft is a series about the art and craft of writing.
The curious art of diagramming sentences was invented 165 years ago by S.W. Clark, a schoolmaster in Homer, N.Y. [1] His book, published in 1847, was called “A Practical Grammar: In which Words, Phrases, and Sentences Are Classified According to Their Offices and Their Various Relations to One Another.” His goal was to simplify the teaching of English grammar. It was more than 300 pages long, contained information on such things as unipersonal verbs and “rhetorico-grammatical figures,” and provided a long section on Prosody, which he defined as “that part of the Science of Language which treats of utterance.”
Before diagramming, grammar was taught by means of its drabber older sibling, parsing. Put simply, parsing requires the student to break down a sentence into its component words, classifying each in terms of its part of speech, as well as its tense, number and function in the sentence. But there are differences. To vs. too - Usage. The KISS Grammar Site. Grammar. This is a grammar comic about the proper usage of who versus whom.
A look at the meaning of "flushing out an idea. " This comic will LITERALLY make butterflies explode out of your underpants. A guide explaining when to use i.e. instead of e.g. A little bit ironic, dontcha think? The most feared punctuation on earth. The right way to use an apostrophe (in illustrated form). All artwork and content on this site is Copyright © 2016 Matthew Inman.
10 Words You Need to Stop Misspelling. I Won't Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here's Why. Parallel Structure. Summary: This handout describes and provides examples of parallel structure (similar patterns of words).
Contributors:Dana Lynn DriscollLast Edited: 2013-03-22 09:01:32 Parallel structure means using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance. This can happen at the word, phrase, or clause level. The usual way to join parallel structures is with the use of coordinating conjunctions such as "and" or "or. " Words and Phrases With the -ing form (gerund) of words: Parallel: Mary likes hiking, swimming, and bicycling. With infinitive phrases: Mary likes to hike, to swim, and to ride a bicycle.
(Note: You can use "to" before all the verbs in a sentence or only before the first one.) Do not mix forms. Example 1 Not Parallel: Mary likes hiking, swimming, and to ride a bicycle. Parallel: Mary likes hiking, swimming, and riding a bicycle. Example 2 Not Parallel: The production manager was asked to write his report quickly, accurate ly, and in a detailed manner. Subject/Verb Agreement. Summary: Ever get "subject/verb agreement" as an error on a paper?
This handout will help you understand this common grammar problem. Contributors:Joshua M. Paiz, Chris Berry, Allen BrizeeLast Edited: 2014-04-01 10:34:43 This handout gives you several guidelines to help your subjects and verbs agree. 1. She and her friends are at the fair. 2. The book or the pen is in the drawer. 3. The boy or his friends run every day.