Solutions To Grammar Execises

Parts of Speech
SHORT ANSWER
1. Words that name people, places, and things are called nouns , and their substitutes or
replacements are called pronouns .
2. “Action words” generally describe this part of speech: verbs .
3. Groups of words, such as “has been delayed,” “was swimming,” and “will be studying,” are called
verb phrases .
4. Adjectives are words that describe nouns and pronouns .
5. Expensive, new, and strong are examples of adjectives .
6. Am, is, are, was, were, been, and being are all forms of the verb to be .
7. In the statement “I am sorry,” sorry is a(n) adjective .
8. Words that describe verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are called adverbs .
9. The short words to, for, on, and above are known as prepositions .
10. The joining words and, but, or, and nor are examples of conjunctions .
11. The core or the heart of written communication is the sentence , which has two main parts: the
subject and the predicate .
12. In the statement “You did a superb job,” the word you is the subject .
13. A clause is a group of words with a(n) subject and a(n) predicate .
14. A clause that can stand alone as a complete sentence is called a(n) independent clause .
EXERCISES
Parts of Speech
1. Identify the part of speech of each underscored word on the line provided.
When Angela1 returned to2 the office, she3 immediately4 submitted her Customer Call Report. Angela
describes a number of potential problems5 in her report. For example, she explains that many customers
are complaining6 about our new7 billing system, which customers find cumbersome and8 inaccurate.
In addition, she tells us9 that Acme Industries is gaining10 market share in11 her territory.12
PARTS OF SPEECH 1
1. noun 7. adjective
2. preposition 8. conjunction
3. pronoun 9. pronoun
4. adverb 10. verb
5. noun 11. preposition
6. verb 12. noun
2. Write a word appropriate for the context that matches the part of speech indicated on the line provided.
Do not repeat words.
Solution: Answers may vary.
Nouns
1. a red carpet 3. two new printers
2. several employees 4. many voters
Pronouns
5. for Cary and me 7. Greg and I decided
6. to Jenny and us 8. Mary and she reserved
Verbs
9. Francine drafted 11. All of us participated
10. We evaluated 12. Many people contributed
Adjectives
13. a(n) effective aide 15. my refurbished apartment
14. that laser printer 16. a(n) aggressive company
Adverbs
17. works meticulously 19. manages effectively
18. runs smoothly 20. writes clearly
Prepositions
21. for Jack and me 23. throughout my department
22. among the managers 24. with Lisa and him
Conjunctions
25. Tara completed the assignment quickly but carefully.
26. Michael wrote and produced the entire video.
27. Charles is not in favor of TV advertising or radio commercials.
28. You can call our office, but we are not there Saturdays.
Independent Clause
29. Clarice finally won the Anderson account.
2 PARTS OF SPEECH
Dependent Clauses
30. If I had missed my flight to Chicago
31. When we returned from our sales meeting
32. Because Thomas and I are working overtime tomorrow
Verb Phrases
33. Maryanne has been reading 35. She is reviewing
34. I have been wondering 36. Americans are realizing
Prepositional Phrases
37. to our sales staff 39. for Brenda and me
38. among our top clients 40. between you and me
Editing and Proofreading

1. Underline all errors in word usage in the following message. Rewrite the message with corrections. In
addition, identify the part of speech for each underscored word, and write your answers on the lines
below the message. Use these codes:
Noun (N) Verb (V) Adjective (ADJ) Conjunction (C)

Pronoun (P) Preposition (PREP) Adverb (ADV)
Thank you for request information on1 DayPro franchises. For more than a decade now, DayPro have
been expanding successfully,2 and we is very pleased that you have an interest in join our successful3
family of franchise owners and4 operator.
We have enclosed materials5 that we6 knowed you7 will find both interesting and informative. After
you have review all the materials, you probably will have8 some important question. Within the next
two week, therefore, our account9 executive in your area, Darcy Newton, will call your to arrange an
appointment at your convenience. An experience DayPro representative, Darcy10 sure will help to
clarify any issues or11 resolve any questions that you may had.
Ms. Havermeyer, we real do appreciate your request for information about DayPro, and we hope that
you will enjoys your meeting with12 Darcy. We hope that we may someday welcome you to the
DayPro family on successful franchise owners!
1. PREP 4. C 7. P 10. N
2. ADV 5. N 8. V 11. C
3. ADJ 6. P 9. ADJ 12. PREP
Solution:
Thank you for requesting information on DayPro franchises. For more than a decade now, DayPro has been expanding
successfully, and we are very pleased that you have an interest in joining our successful family of franchise owners and
operators.
PARTS OF SPEECH 3
We have enclosed materials that we know you will find both interesting and informative. After you have reviewed all
the materials, you probably will have some important questions. Within the next two weeks, therefore, our account
executive in your area, Darcy Newton, will call you to arrange an appointment at your convenience. As an experienced
DayPro representative, Darcy surely will help to clarify any issues or resolve any questions that you may have.
Ms. Havermeyer, we really do appreciate your request for information about DayPro, and we hope that you will enjoy
your meeting with Darcy. We hope that we may someday welcome you to the DayPro family of successful franchise
owners.
2. Underline all misspelled words in the following sentences. Write the correct spelling above the word.
familiar technical vocabulary their
a. Employees should be familar with the tecnical vocablary used in there organizations.
language eight
b. The English langauge contains ieght parts of speech.
Pronouns
c. Pronons can be substituted for nouns.
singular
d. He is a singlar pronoun; we is a plural pronoun.
condition
e. Instead of action, some verbs show a conditon or state of being.
chief independent
f. “She is the cheif financial officer” is an independant clause.
Adjectives adverbs
g. Ajectives and averbs give life to effective sentences.
Prepositional prepositions
h. Prepostional phrases begin with prepostions and end with nouns or noun substitutes.
4 PARTS OF SPEECH
Nouns
SHORT ANSWER
1. Nouns are words that name people, places, or things .
2. Two very broad categories for sorting nouns are proper and common .
3. James, Greene County, and J & D Photography are examples of proper nouns ; city, book,
and engineer are examples of common nouns .
4. One form of a noun is the singular; the other three noun forms are plural, singular possessive, and
plural possessive .
5. The most common rule for forming noun plurals is to add s .
6. Latin plurals of singular words that end in um (datum, curriculum, addendum) are formed by
changing um to a ; Greek plurals of singular words that end in is (crisis, basis, parenthesis)
are formed by changing is to es .
7. Compound nouns may be spelled in three ways: as two separate words, hyphenated, or as solid
(unspaced) words .
8. The “signal” for the possessive is the apostrophe .
9. To form the possessive of a singular noun, add ’s .
10. To form the possessive of (a) a plural noun that ends in s, add an apostrophe ; (b) a plural
noun that does not end in s, add ’s .
EXERCISES
Nouns
Write a brief sentence using the specified nouns.
1. attorneys
The two attorneys specialize in real estate law.
2. Hewlett Packard LaserJet 2100

The Hewlett Packard LaserJet 2100 printer works quietly and speedily.
NOUNS 5
3. seminar
Have you attended a seminar on the new computer program?
4. Insurance
Allright Insurance Company sells life insurance primarily to senior citizens.
5. cities’
The three cities’ budgets do not include day care for city employees.
6. City
Atlantic City has a boardwalk that extends for many miles.
7. daughter-in-law’s
His daughter-in-law’s parents are visiting.
8. fathers-in-law
The two men’s fathers-in-law joined them on a fishing trip.
9. chief executive officers’

The chief executive officers’ panel consisted of five administrators.
10. station’s
The station’s clock indicates the wrong time.
Noun Forms
A singular noun form is in parentheses in each of the following sentences. Change that form to plural,
singular possessive, or plural possessive, according to the sentence number as indicated here:
1–3: Plural
4–6: Singular Possessive
7–10: Plural Possessive
1. The Finance Committee has been assigned the responsibility of handling such (crisis) in the future.
crises
2. Several (municipality) have joined forces to help the needy in their (community).
municipalities/communities
3. This new regulation, if approved, will affect many (business) in the downtown area.
businesses
6 NOUNS
4. On Wednesday, we will complete the sale of (Ms. Harris) home.
Ms. Harris’s
5. In the question-and-answer period that followed the presentation, one (woman) comments were
especially insightful.
woman’s
6. (Carol Mendez) recommendation now has been officially approved by our vice president.
Carol Mendez’s
7. Because all the (division) budgets have been slashed, employee training has been cut drastically for the
rest of the year.
divisions’
8. The goal of this survey is to elicit (client) reactions to our policy changes.
clients’
9. Most (employee) benefits forms have been reviewed and forwarded to the Benefits Department.
employees’
10. Perhaps this topic should be discussed at the annual (manager) meeting next January.
managers’
Error Search
Underline all errors in noun usage in the following excerpt from a memo and make a corrected copy.
At the request of several employee’s, we have decided to establish an Employees’ Forum to provide a
means by which management and employees can communicate effectively. In the past few year’s, we
have tried to listen to employees’ suggestions, recommendations, and complaints; however, the results
were unsatisfactory. The Employees’ Forum promises to be effective for several reason’s:
1. It provides confidentiality for all complaints.

2. It ensures that the president will hear every comment aired at the Forum meetings’.
3. Forum comments will be evaluated and reviewed by a special committee of both manager’s and
employees.
Solution:
At the request of several employees, we have decided to establish an Employees’ Forum to provide a means by which
management and employees can communicate effectively. In the past few years, we have tried to listen to employees’
suggestions, recommendations, and complaints; however, the results were unsatisfactory. The Employees’ Forum
promises to be effective for several reasons:
1. It provides confidentiality for all complaints.

2. It ensures that the president will hear every comment aired at the Forum meetings (or Forum’s meetings).
3. Forum comments will be evaluated and reviewed by a special committee of both managers and employees.
NOUNS 7
Proofread the following draft of an instruction sheet; underline all errors in noun usage, word usage, and
spelling; and make a corrected copy.
Each applicants’ Employee Information Packet include a sample job description, which offer detailed
informations about each position in our headquarter as well as in all are branchs. The sample job
description attach have been labelled by number’s that corresponds to the following discussion. Using
the numbers on that samples, note that the sample job description:
1. Specifies the miminum, the mid-range, and the maximum salary. (Note the three number’s listed
in parenthesis after the job title.)
2. Lists the primary dutys and responsibilitys.
3. Identifies the person to which the jobholder report.
4. Describes how and when a performance will be evaluate.
5. Specifies the positions’ educational requirement’s.
6. Identifies typical communication pattern’s with peoples inside and outside the company.
Anyone who has question’s about the Employee Information Packet should call the Human
Resourses’ Department, or stopped in the office between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday thru
Friday.
Solution:
Each applicant’s Employee Information Packet includes a sample job description, which offers detailed information
about each position in our headquarters as well as in all our branches. The sample job description attached has been
labeled by numbers that correspond to the following discussion. Using the numbers on that sample, note that the
sample job description:
1. Specifies the minimum, the mid-range, and the maximum salary. (Note the three numbers listed in parentheses
after the job title.)
2. Lists the primary duties and responsibilities.
3. Identifies the person to whom the jobholder reports.
4. Describes how and when a performance will be evaluated.
5. Specifies the position’s educational requirements.
6. Identifies typical communication patterns with people inside and outside the company.
Anyone who has questions about the Employee Information Packet should call the Human Resources Department, or
stop in the office between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
8 NOUNS
Pronouns
SHORT ANSWER
1. The three case forms for personal pronouns are nominative, objective, and possessive .
2. Personal pronouns serve as substitutes for nouns.
3. In the sentence “I myself wrote the letter,” myself is a(n) intensive pronoun.
4. In the sentence “Jan gave herself a permanent,” herself is a(n) reflexive pronoun.
5. Your, his, and my are examples of possessive case personal pronouns.
6. I, they, and we are examples of nominative case personal pronouns.
7. Me, us, and them are examples of objective case personal pronouns.
8. In the sentence “Bob and I are partners,” Bob and I functions as the subject of the sentence.
9. A(n) possessive case personal pronoun precedes a gerund in a sentence.
10. In the sentence “There is milk in the refrigerator,” there is used as a(n) expletive to invert the
sentence.
11. A(n) gerund is a form of a verb that ends in -ing and functions as a noun in a sentence.
12. A(n) appositive is a noun, pronoun, or other noun substitute that renames a noun that
immediately precedes it.
EXERCISES
Pronouns
1. Write the requested pronoun form—nominative, objective, or possessive—in the space provided for
each sentence.
a. Jon and she (third person, singular, female) will compile the report.
b. They will give the report to the committee themselves (third person, plural, reflexive).
c. We are sorry that Nelda and he (third person, singular, masculine) were unable to
attend the meeting.
PRONOUNS 9
d. Mr. Wakoma himself (third person, singular, intensive) briefed the members.
e. He and she believe their (third person, plural) working overtime has enabled them to
finish the project on time.
f. Peter will meet his brother and me (first person, singular) at the office at eight o’clock.
g. The members were divided in their (third person, plural) opinions.
h. I will install the new computer for you and her (third person, singular, female).
i. These books are his (third person, singular, masculine) to be used in any way he wishes.
j. Neither Mrs. Ortiz nor he (third person, singular, masculine) could agree with the
majority.
k. I myself (first person, singular, intensive) approve of all the suggestions that were made at
the evening meeting.
l. We gave the new office furniture to ourselves (first person, plural, reflexive) when no one
else requested it.
2. Write the correct pronoun in the space provided in each sentence.
a. He (hisself/himself) himself purchased the supplies for the office party.
b. Agnes rewarded (hersself/herself) herself when she received an A on her report card.
c. (Whom/Who) Whom should I call if an emergency arises?
d. This belongs to (whoever/whomever) whoever was sitting at this desk.
e. (Whom/Who) Who is in charge of the Thompson, Rubens, and Clearfield accounts?
f. (Whomever/Whoever) Whoever wants this opportunity can certainly volunteer.
g. Carlo and (her/she) she , recent law school graduates, will be very successful attorneys
some day.
h. Leave it for (I/me) me to take care of when I can find some spare time.
i. We and (they/them) they are planning to work on the audit the first week in May.
j. It is (we/us) we who have been given the full responsibility of seeing that this project
is completed on time.
k. The accountants (theirselves/themselves) themselves helped the support staff key the material
into the computer.
l. (Whoever/Whomever) Whoever is a nominative case pronoun.
10 PRONOUNS
1. Proofread the following message. Underline all pronoun and spelling errors, and rewrite the message
with corrections.
We enjoy hearing from our customers, and we thank you for you’re recent school supply orders. We
ourself agree with you that our products can make a noticable difference in your classroom. All whom
have ordered our supplies so far have been very pleased.
Due to an unexpectedly high vollume of sales this quarter, the supply of catalog items #5718 and
#5719 is depleted. Thus, your shipment of ten dozen pairs of scisors and ten reams of copy paper will
be delivered to you by your representive, Paul Todd, hisself on August 28.
Ours sale catalog for September through December is enclosed. You will want to look through it
carefully and share it with whomever is interested in purchasing school supplies. Some of the items are
marked down 45 percent.
Solution:
We enjoy hearing from our customers, and we thank you for your recent school supply orders. We ourselves agree
with you that our products can make a noticeable difference in your classroom. All who have ordered our supplies so
far have been very pleased.
Due to an unexpectedly high volume of sales this quarter, the supply of catalog items #5718 and #5719 is depleted.
Thus, your shipment of ten dozen pairs of scissors and ten reams of copy paper will be delivered to you by your
representative, Paul Todd, himself on August 28.
Our sales catalog for September through December is enclosed. You will want to look through it carefully and share it
with whoever is interested in purchasing school supplies. Some of the items are marked down 45 percent.
PRONOUNS 11
2. Underline all errors in pronoun usage, noun usage, and spelling in the following message. Rewrite the
message with corrections.
Mariano, as a freelance journalist, you youself will be pleased with the proposal my editor-in-cheif and
me can offer you. We would like you to interview member’s of the Amish sect in Lancaster,
Pennsylvania, to see how there communitys are withstanding the encroachment of modern technology
and crime in recent year’s.
I meself find the lifes of the Pennsylvania Dutch to be fasinating, especially in todays fast-paced society.
We would appreciate you lending your expertise to are project.
Please let my assistant Michele or I know as soon as possable if you’re schedule allows you to consider
this assignment for the first two week’s of Febuary.
Solution:
Mariano, as a freelance journalist, you yourself will be pleased with the proposal my editor in chief and I can offer
you. We would like you to interview members of the Amish sect in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to see how their
communities are withstanding the encroachment of modern technology and crime in recent years.
I myself find the lives of the Pennsylvania Dutch to be fascinating, especially in today’s fast-paced society. We would
appreciate your lending your expertise to our project.
Please let my assistant Michele or me know as soon as possible if your schedule allows you to consider this assignment
for the first two weeks of February.
12 PRONOUNS
Pronoun-Noun Agreement
SHORT ANSWER
1. Pronouns must agree with their antecedents in these three ways: person, number, and gender .
2. In the sentence “Several should state their opinions,” several is the antecedent of their.
3. An example of a singular gender-neutral pronoun is it .
4. Antecedents such as jury and team are examples of collective nouns that sometimes agree with
singular pronouns and sometimes agree with plural pronouns.
5. In the sentence “He and she enjoy their collection,” he and she is a(n) compound antecedent.
6. If the elements of a compound antecedent are connected by or, the pronoun must agree with the
element closest to the verb .
7. Examples of indefinite pronouns are one, each, and every.
8. Pronouns such as all or any can sometimes be singular and sometimes be plural to
“agree in number” with the noun or object of the preposition that follows them.
9. Pronouns such as who, whom, which, and that are called relative pronouns.
10. Pronouns such as this, these, that, and those are called demonstrative pronouns.
11. To agree with antecedents, the pronouns who, whom, and whose must refer to people .
12. To agree with antecedents, the pronoun which must refer to things .
13. The pronoun this points to a person, place, or thing that is near the speaker.
14. A pronoun is a(n) noun substitute in a sentence.
PRONOUN-NOUN AGREEMENT 13
EXERCISES
Pronoun and Antecedent Agreement
Underline the antecedent of each pronoun that appears in bold.
1. The banker encouraged her support staff.
2. Most of the economists will state their opinions.
3. After Jules and Li composed the lyrics, they asked us to compose the music.
4. The Chinese woman who entertained us was very cordial.
5. A successful entrepreneur consults frequently with his or her accountant.
6. The neighbors donated their extra blankets to the victims.
7. Audrey finished her column two minutes before the deadline.
8. The newly appointed committee drafted its report.
9. Joe or Cary will stay overtime to finish his assignment.
10. Neither Sylvia nor Sue volunteered her time.
11. The students were pleased with their grades.
12. Every one of the professors wanted to question his or her students.
13. Few jog on the track near their community.
14. Cyril, whom we hired to repair our office equipment, is earning a degree in computer science.
15. My piano, which is a family heirloom, is tuned twice a year.
16. The family raved about its new home.
17. Both clowns will perform their routine.
18. Had one known the facts beforehand, one would have handled the situation differently.
19. All taxpayers received their refunds early.
20. Neither David nor June has done his or her homework.
14 PRONOUN-NOUN AGREEMENT
1. Underline all errors in pronouns, spelling, and word usage in the following message. Write a corrected
copy on a separate sheet of paper.
Because we have experience handleing cases such as those, our firm has decided to except Richard
Thompson’s case. One year, who is a great deal of time, may be needed to research the facts and in-
terview all the witnesses theirselves. In edition, many expenses will be incurred from the investigation,
though we do expect the client and ourselves to win the case and make a profit.
Please let me know as soon as possable if anyone of you are not interested in working on that case.
Perhaps you are occupied with other assignments, or perhaps you yourselves do not wish to travel long
distances and be away from you’re home.
I would appreciate you putting in writing you request to be taken of the case, if your so inclined. All
requests of this nature should be on mine desk by Monday.
The partners and me, whom are eager to begin work on the Thompson case, look foreward to work-
ing with each paralegal assistant whom undertakes these assignment.
Solution:
Because we have experience handling cases such as these, our firm has decided to accept Richard Thompson’s case.
One year, which is a great deal of time, may be needed to research the facts and interview all the witnesses themselves.
In addition, many expenses will be incurred from the investigation, though we do expect the client and us to win the
case and make a profit.
Please let me know as soon as possible if any one of you are not interested in working on this case. Perhaps you are
occupied with other assignments, or perhaps you yourself do not wish to travel long distances and be away from your
home.
I would appreciate your putting in writing your request to be taken off the case, if you are so inclined. All requests of
this nature should be on my desk by Monday.
The partners and I, who are eager to begin work on the Thompson case, look forward to working with each paralegal
assistant who undertakes this assignment.
PRONOUN-NOUN AGREEMENT 15
personal
1. Whom and whomever are objective case personnel pronouns.
dependent sentences
2. The relative pronouns who and which begin dependant clauses that relate to other parts of sentence’s.
There demonstrative
3. They’re are four demostrative pronouns in the English language.
antecedent
4. A pronoun-antesedent relationship should be clear and not have more than one meaning.
functions substitute
5. A pronoun function’s as a substitute for a noun or a noun substetute in a sentence.
Do
6. Due not shift from a first-person pronoun to a second-person pronoun in a given sentence.
Careful writing
7. Carefull use of relative pronouns will improve your writting skills.
Separate inventories
8. Seperate inventorys will be conducted by temporary employees.
16 PRONOUN-NOUN AGREEMENT
Verbs
SHORT ANSWER
1. Linking verbs include two types of verbs—condition and state-of-being .
2. Condition verbs refer to a condition or appeal to the senses .
3. The combination of a main verb and helping verbs forms a(n) verb phrase .
4. A state-of-being verb is sometimes called a(n) to be verb .
5. The most common helping verbs are forms of the verb to be .
6. For a verb to be classified as a helping verb, it must have a main verb to help.
7. All verb forms are derived from four principal parts.
8. The principal parts of verbs are present, past, present participle, and past participle .
9. The two groups of verb tenses discussed in this chapter are simple and perfect tenses .
10. The word bought is the past tense of the verb to buy.
11. Add a(n) s to the present tense of a regular verb when it is used with a third-person singular
pronoun or a singular noun.
12. Add ed to the present tense of a regular verb to form the past tense.
13. Form the present participle of a verb by adding ing to the present form.
14. Transitive verbs must have an object to complete the meaning of a sentence.
VERBS 17
EXERCISES
Verb Forms
Underline the correct verb form in each sentence.
1. Please do not (raise/rise) your voice to the children.
2. I will be able to (set/sit) while I am waiting for Troy.
3. Donna worked four years before she (was/were) promoted.
4. The correct information (was/were) given to Tyler.
5. The chicken (lay/laid) its eggs yesterday.
6. The new technology (will be/will have been) helpful in the future.
7. Was that the telephone that (rung/rang)?
8. Janine stated that sales (was/were) high the first quarter.
9. Edward (claims/claim) that he did not receive his overtime pay.
10. By noon tomorrow, I (wrote/will have written) the proposal.
11. Charo (buy/will buy) a new computer next month.
12. They (have eaten/eaten) all the birthday cake.
13. The sales agents (give/gives) incentives to buy their products.
14. On vacation, Mort and Cara (have done/done) and (seen/have seen) everything they wanted.

1. Underline all errors in verb form, spelling, and word usage in the following message. Rewrite the
Because of your companies reputation and because your catalogs are so attractive, I order a gift for my
mother for Mother’s Day. I has selected an ankel bracelet in 14-karet gold with her initials, N.P.B.
Following the instruction’s in your catalog, on April 25th I done called the 800 number, given the infor-
mation requested to the person on the telephone, gave her my credit card number, verified the price of
$39, and mentioning that I wants the bracelet wrap and deliver to my mother by Mother’s Day, May 8.
18 VERBS
May 8 have came and went; I receive my credit card charge, but my mother did not recieve her gift.
It is now May 22, and I are very unhappy about your companys negligence. My mother did not got a
gift from me on Mother’s Day, and I received a bill but have nothing to show for it.
Please call I at 555-1234 as soon as possible to discussed either a credit to my account or a federal
express shippment of my mother’s gift.
Solution:
Because of your company’s reputation and because your catalogs are so attractive, I ordered a gift for my mother for
Mother’s Day. I selected an ankle bracelet in 14-karat gold with her initials, N.P.B.
Following the instructions in your catalog, on April 25 I called the 800 number, gave the information requested to
the person on the telephone, gave her my credit card number, verified the price of $39, and mentioned that I wanted
the bracelet wrapped and delivered to my mother by Mother’s Day, May 8.
May 8 has come and gone; I received my credit card charge, but my mother did not receive her gift. It is now May
22, and I am very unhappy about your company’s negligence. My mother did not get a gift from me on Mother’s
Day, and I received a bill but have nothing to show for it.
Please call me at 555-1234 as soon as possible to discuss either a credit to my account or a Federal Express shipment
of my mother’s gift.
bought brought
a. The past tense of buy is brought and the past tense of bring is bought.
language irregular
b. The English langauge has many iregular verbs.
Intransitive verbs
c. Entransitive verbs are verb’s that do not need an object to complete the meaning of a sentence.
nominatives adjectives
d. Linking verbs have predicate nonimatives or predicate ajectives.
voices passive
e. The two verb voices’ are active and pastive.
assistance accountant
f. Joan received asistance from the accountent.
an adjustment immediately
g. I request that a ajustment be made imediately.
were Hawaii nuts
h. If Charles and Rena where going to Hawai, they would buy us macadamia nut.
VERBS 19
Sentence Composition
1. Write a sentence using the verb congratulate in the past tense.
She congratulated the student yesterday.
2. Write a sentence using the verb cost in the future tense.

Next year the car will cost more to repair.
3. Write a sentence using the verb hit in the present perfect tense.
He has hit every slider I have pitched since yesterday.
4. Write a sentence using the verb stay in the past perfect tense.
Clara had stayed with her parents every day until she left for New York last week.
5. Write a sentence using the verb organize in the future perfect tense.
By next Friday, they will have organized all the files.
20 VERBS
Subject-Verb Agreement
SHORT ANSWER
1. The complete subject encompasses all the sentence that is not part of the complete predicate .
2. The simple subject is the main word in the complete subject that specifically names what the
sentence is about.
3. A(n) compound predicate consists of two or more verbs with the same subject.
4. Good communicators make sure that their subjects and verbs always agree.
5. Third-person singular pronouns require a singular verb that ends in s when the present tense
is used.
6. A sentence is considered to be inverted when the main verb precedes the subject.
7. The phrase “of the rowing team” is an example of a(n) prepositional phrase that may intervene
between the subject and verb.
8. Intervening phrases do not affect subject-verb agreement and should be ignored.
9. The expression “ a number” is considered to be plural and needs a plural verb.
10. The expression “ the number” is considered to be singular and needs a singular verb.
11. Names of companies are usually considered to be singular .
12. An amount that is plural in form takes a(n) singular verb if it is considered to be a single
entity.
13. Usually a compound subject joined by and is plural and requires a plural verb.
14. If words such as each, every, and many a precede a compound noun, always use a(n) singular
verb.
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT 21
EXERCISES
Sentence Structure
Underline the correct verb in each sentence.
1. The audience (like/likes) the musical performance.
2. The students (observe/observes) the drafting operations.
3. The news (were/was) so important that it appeared on the front page.
4. The government employee (are attending/is attending) a lecture in Washington.
5. The condominium, with all its furnishings, (sell/sells) for more than I can afford to pay.
6. They and their teacher (have shown/has shown) an interest in this educational kit.
7. The members of Congress (are voting/is voting) on the health care bill.
8. A number of birds (eat/eats) from our bird feeder every morning.
9. Five dollars (are/is) ample to donate to the Fireman’s Fund.
10. Where (are/is) the CD and the tape of his latest recording?
11. The young lady, one among many, (were/was) waiting patiently.
12. The recruit, rather than the experienced players, (have volunteered/has volunteered) to assist the
trainee.
13. They (have raised/have risen) their averages since January.
14. The presenters (address/addresses) the audience from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the first day of the
conference.
15. The United States (is, are) currently conducting business with many foreign countries.
16. Each of the lessons (was, were) an hour long.
17. All of the mountain (is, are) closed until the avalanche danger passes.
18. Several of the applicants (has, have) experience in supervising work teams.
19. The items listed below (is, are) rules of business etiquette when conducting business.
20. Several of the new ski lifts (was, were) installed at Vail.
22 SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
Error Search
1. Underline all errors in subject-verb agreement, spelling, and word usage in the following message.
Make a corrected copy.
As you requested, I mailed copys of the questionnaire we selected to 95 urban companys to see if
they’re are a need for junior college courses to train information-processing employees. The results of
the survey is very interesting. Although my complete report are not ready, here is some preliminary
findings:
1. The firm’s surveyed has an unparalelled need for information-processing operators.

2. The creation of documents and decision making is done by managers and executives’ who could
use training.
3. Support personall produce final documents, and they also performs other administrative duties.
4. Users of computers acknowleges their lack of expertise when they uses the software, resulting in
many requests in the personnel offices for training at local colleges such as ares.
Feel free to call me if you wishes to discuss the contents of this memo. The full report, with all the
statistics, are to be printed and on your desk by the requested date, Wenesday, Febuary 12.
Solution:
As you requested, I mailed copies of the questionnaire we selected to 95 urban companies to see if there is a need for
junior college courses to train information-processing employees. The results of the survey are very interesting.
Although my complete report is not ready, here are some preliminary findings:
1. The firms surveyed have an unparalleled need for information-processing operators.

2. The creation of documents and decision making are done by managers and executives who could use training.
3. Support personnel produce final documents, and they also perform other administrative duties.
4. Users of computers acknowledge their lack of expertise when they use the software, resulting in many requests in
the personnel office for training at local colleges such as ours.
Feel free to call me if you wish to discuss the contents of this memo. The full report, with all the statistics, is to be
printed and on your desk by the requested date, Wednesday, February 12.
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT 23
2. Underline all misspelled words in each sentence. Write the correct spelling above the word.
subjects predicates
a. Some sentences have both compound subject’s and compound predecates, yet they are simple not
compound sentences.
predicates sentences
b. Locate the simple and complete predicate’s in the sentence’s you compose.
Professional yourselves or yourself
c. Profesional people such as yourselfs seem to accumulate many frequent flyer miles each year.
accommodations televisions
d. Luxury accomodations, including two telavisions, are available in our suites.
manufacturer received
e. The manufacturor recieved the past-due check for the shipment.
accountants supervise
f. All the accountents know how to supervize their assistants.
analysis ones
g. In the final analyses, they are the only one’s that should be considered for the job openings.
transcribers interoffice
h. Each of the three transcriber’s proofreads the intaroffice memos for the company president.
24 SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
Adjectives
SHORT ANSWER
1. A(n) adjective is a word that describes or limits nouns or noun substitutes.
2. Modifiers of nouns answer the following questions: which one, how many, and what kind .
3. The adjectives the, a, and an are called articles .
4. A converts to an when it is used before a noun that begins with the sound of a vowel.
5. Proper nouns that precede and modify other nouns serve as proper adjectives.
6. Two or more hyphenated words that immediately precede and modify nouns are called compound
adjectives.
7. The three degrees of adjectives are positive, comparative, and superlative .
8. Adjectives such as smarter, cleaner, and better are in the comparative degree.
9. Adjectives such as smartest, cleanest, and best are in the superlative degree.
10. Adjectives that do not form their comparisons by adding either -er or more are called irregular
adjectives.
11. More happier is an example of a double comparison and is incorrect.
12. The terms “more nearly” or “most nearly” precede absolute adjectives such as complete and unique.
13. When comparing one member of a group with another member of the same group, insert the word
other after the word any.
14. The adjective less refers to amounts and is used with singular , not plural, nouns.
ADJECTIVES 25
EXERCISES
Adjectives
Use the following adjectives in short sentences.
1. good (comparative degree)

He is better than she.
2. deteriorating (superlative degree)

That house is the most deteriorating of all the homes destined to be torn down.
3. square (comparative degree—absolute adjective)

Jan and Claire’s acreage is more nearly square than Rose and Bud’s acreage.
4. full (superlative degree—absolute adjective)

This jar is the most nearly full.
5. technical (comparative degree)

This edition has more technical language than the first edition.
6. usable (positive degree)

The usable car is in the garage.
7. fancy (comparative degree)

Betty’s prom dress is fancier than Kara’s.
8. thirsty (positive degree)

The thirsty children requested chocolate milk.
9. interesting (superlative degree)

This plot is the most interesting I have read recently.
10. total (comparative degree)

She gives more total concentration to her studies than does Perry.
26 ADJECTIVES
Adjective Comparisons
Underline the correct adjective in each sentence.
1. Rand is the (brightest/brighter) of the twins.
2. Their room is the (most cleanest/cleanest) I have ever seen.
3. My senior advisor’s bark is (worst/worse) than her bite.
4. Your wastebasket is (fuller/more nearly full) than it was yesterday.
5. The event is (a/an) historic occasion.
6. Gilda is the (dependabler/more dependable) of the two.
7. Ken’s response was (more perfect/more nearly perfect) than his classmate’s.
8. Her grandfather is the (most proud/proudest) person I have ever met.
9. He is the (littlest/least) baby I have ever seen.
10. The new garden is (more beautiful/beautifuller) than the old one.
Error Search
1. Underline all errors in adjectives, spelling, and word usage in the following message. Write or key a
corrected copy on a separate sheet of paper.
Because of are passed experience eating at you’re restaurant, we planned my parent’s anniversary
dinner at The Blue Eatery on Sunday, June 6. The celebration is over, but the food and service where
more unsatisfactory.
We received slowest and uncaringest service, luke warm and taste less food, and the worse private
room in your establishment. Everyone in our party commented that you restaurant appears to be the
wrongest place to celebrate a most specialest occasion. It is existing on it’s reputation.
I am requesting four free dinners in your mane dinning room for my parents and us. We want to see
if your once very highly reputablest restaurant still can provide the finer service and gooder food that
we remember.
Solution:
Because of our past experience eating at your restaurant, we planned my parents’ anniversary dinner at The Blue
Eatery on Sunday, June 6. The celebration is over, but the food and the service were most unsatisfactory.
ADJECTIVES 27
We received slow and uncaring service, lukewarm and tasteless food, and the worst private room in your establishment.
Everyone in our party commented that your restaurant appears to be the wrong place to celebrate a most special
occasion. It is existing on its reputation.
I am requesting four free dinners in your main dining room for my parents and us. We want to see if your once very
highly reputable restaurant still can provide the fine service and good food that we remember.
comparative
a. Do not combine -er and more in the comparitive degree.
comparison
b. Most quietest is an example of double conparison.
unique absolute
c. Words such as uniqeue and complete are called obsolete adjectives.
d. When comparing one member of a group with another member of the same group, insert the
anyone
word else after any one.
adjective, nouns
e. The word fewer, an ajective, refers to number; it is used with plural noun’s.
Demonstrative, frequently
f. Demonstretive pronouns such as this and that frequentley function as adjectives.
effective precede
g. Adjectives are often most affective if they immediately preceed nouns in sentences.
interspersing writing
h. By intraspersing adjectives in your writting, you will enliven your communications and give them
meaning.
28 ADJECTIVES
Adverbs
SHORT ANSWER
1. Adverbs modify other adverbs, action verbs, and adjectives .
2. Adverbs answer the questions how, when, where, how often, and to what extent about
the words they modify.
3. Adverbs modify action verbs but not linking verbs, such as the verb to be.
4. In the sentence, “We plan to meet tomorrow,” the adverb is tomorrow .
5. In the previous sentence, the adverb answers the question when .
6. The adverb quickly is the positive degree.
7. The adverb more speedily is the comparative degree.
8. The adverb least accurately is the superlative degree.
9. Words such as moreover and therefore are called conjunctive adverbs.
10. Determine whether bad or badly belongs in the following sentence: “The accident victims look
bad .”
11. Determine whether never or not belongs in the following sentence: “I have never smoked,
and I am glad that I was never tempted.”
12. The adjective real means genuine in this sentence, “This sculpture from China is made out of
real jade.”
13. The word surely is an adverb; the word sure is a(n) adjective .
14. The word well may be used as an adjective when referring to health .
ADVERBS 29
EXERCISES
Write a brief sentence using the specified adverbs.
1. efficiently (positive)
The maintenance crew worked efficiently.
2. temporarily (positive)
We were temporarily affected by the storm.
3. slyly (comparative)
The salesperson peered more slyly at the customer than he should have.
4. improperly (positive)
The facts were improperly stated.
5. Saturday
We will arrive Saturday.
Adverbs
Underline the correct word in each sentence.
1. He stared (suspiciously/suspicious) at the activists.
2. She feels (well/good) about her raise in pay.
3. The members of the club had (never/not) arrived by 8:30.
4. Jules is (exceedingly/more exceedingly) brave.
5. Ivy worked (most slowly/more slowly) than Isaac.
6. Alfredo is (surely/sure) the right person for the job.
7. Milk appears to be (badly/bad) for her stomach condition.
8. Is that (real/really) the situation?
9. Come (most early/early) to get an orchestra seat.
30 ADVERBS
10. That project is (quite/quitely) expensive.
11. Speak (most softly/more softly) in the library than you do in the cafeteria.
12. The music is (extreme/extremely) loud at this concert.
13. Did Lana dance (more lively/most lively) this time than she did last time?
14. They saw on television (where/that) the Phillies have won five games in a row.
Error Search
1. Underline all errors in adverbs, spelling, and word usage in the following message. Write or type a
Because you realty company appears to have a really interest in your client’s, I want to tell you
emphatic that our rental these passed summer was complete unsatisfactorily.
First, your agent, Ms. Barton, high recommended a four-bed room house one block from the beach.
Than, she quick changed her mine and recommended the house we rent on Sassafras Street. Her first
recommendation was a well one; her second recommendation was a seriously mistake. It clear turn out
that we paid $1,000 to stay in a dirty house with rickety furnitures and poorly plumbing. The only
best part about the place was its’ location.
We requests fastest action on your part to show us that your real due care about your clients as you
advertize. We expect a refund of 20 per cent ($200), a apology, and an statement saying if we or are
friend’s every want another rental from you, we will be advised proper and only top notch houses will
be recomended.
Solution:
Because your realty company appears to have a real interest in your clients, I want to tell you emphatically that our
rental this past summer was completely unsatisfactory.
First, your agent, Ms. Barton, highly recommended a four-bedroom house one block from the beach. Then, she
quickly changed her mind and recommended the house we rented on Sassafras Street. Her first recommendation was a
good one; her second recommendation was a serious mistake. It clearly turned out that we paid $1,000 to stay in a
dirty house with rickety furniture and poor plumbing. The only good part about the place was its location.
We request fast action on your part to show us that you really do care about your clients as you advertise. We expect
a refund of 20 percent ($200), an apology, and a statement saying if we or our friends ever want another rental from
you, we will be advised properly and only top-notch houses will be recommended.
ADVERBS 31
An modifies
a. A adverb usually answers the question to what extent? about an adjective that it modifys.
always phrases
b. Adverbs such as never or all ways are frequently found in the middle of verb phrase’s.
conjunctive moreover
c. An example of a conjuntive adverb is more over.
Superlative degrees
d. Superlitive is one of the three degrees’ of adverb comparison.
really problems communicators
e. Troublesome adverbs like realy cause problem’s for communicaters.
negative
f. Although the words never and not both denote a negitive situation, they should not be used
interchangeably
intrachangeably.
adjective diamonds
g. The ajective real means genuine and often is used to describe diamends and antiques.
of tomorrow
h. Two examples off nouns that may be used as adverbs are yesterday and tomorow.
32 ADVERBS
Prepositions
SHORT ANSWER
1. Prepositions usually indicate direction, position, or time .
2. Prepositions are usually short in length.
3. Prepositions introduce phrases called prepositional phrases.
4. In phrases that begin with prepositions, the noun or noun substitute serves as the object of
the preposition.
5. A phrase that begins with a preposition functions as an adjective or a(n) adverb .
6. Between is used when referring to two nouns, and among is used to refer to three or more nouns.
7. The preposition in refers to position ; the preposition into refers to movement.
8. The preposition beside means “by the side of ”; the preposition besides means in addition to .
9. Do not use the preposition with after over in a sentence such as “We are glad this project
is over.”
10. Sentences should not end with a(n) preposition , such as at or to.
11. The word to should be omitted after the word opposite.
12. Some writers incorrectly insert the word for after the word like.
13. Insert the preposition to after the word agree when referring to rules and procedures.
14. The preposition with should follow the word identical, not the preposition to.
PREPOSITIONS 33
EXERCISES
Write a brief sentence using the specified prepositions.
1. without
I cannot complete the assignment without her help.
2. beyond
Beyond the hill, you will find the post office.
3. concerning
Concerning your question, I have no knowledge of the matter.
4. against
She holds a grudge against Joe and me.
5. until
Let’s wait until tomorrow to decide.
6. among
He is among the children on the corner.
7. within
I can let you do that within certain bounds.
8. toward
Go toward Main Street and turn left.
9. beneath
Why did you place the glasses beneath the oven?
10. like
Teresa is certainly not like Jane.
34 PREPOSITIONS
Prepositions
Underline the correct word in each sentence.
1. We may not be able to agree (with/upon) the plan they suggested.
2. I try not to be angry (with/at) my supervisor when I have to work overtime.
3. They are no different (than/from) other auditors at the end of the fiscal year.
4. Did you detect a discrepancy (between/in) her facts and his?
5. The teenager did not want to part (from/with) the torn jeans.
6. Do not plan (to go/on going) with your friends Friday night.
7. I hope our benefits are retroactive (from/to) the first of last month.
8. Let’s speak (with/to) each other soon to discuss our points of view.
9. They would (like/like for) you to join them in Seattle.
10. Is this problem finally (over with/over)?
Error Search
1. Underline all errors in preposition usage, spelling, and word usage in the following message and write
a corrected copy.
Like we discussed at the telephone Tuesday, the new office being considered is opposite to the
courthouse. You commented that as soon as you’re present project is over with, you and your partners
also will be looking for a new location. Where are you looking at?
You may want to consider relocating to the office besides ours upon the third floor at 123 Main
Street. We could share the law liberry into the conference room and also the word-processing facilitys
and message service to City Hall. Accept for the usual headaches connected with moving, relocating to
the new location has significant advantages.
Please seriously consider this suggestion, for both firms would find the move to be considerable
advantageous. Among your expertise in estates and our expertise in contracts, we could compliment
each other in our law practices.
Beside the professional advantages, working closely with you and your partner’s once again would be
socially beneficial for all the attorneys. Please let me hear by you when you have an oportunity.
PREPOSITIONS 35
Solution:
As we discussed on the telephone Tuesday, the new office being considered is opposite the courthouse. You commented
that as soon as your present project is over, you and your partners also will be looking for a new location. Where are
you looking?
You may want to consider relocating to the office beside ours on the third floor at 123 Main Street. We could share
the law library in the conference room and also the word-processing facilities and message service to City Hall. Except
for the usual headaches connected with moving, relocating to the new location has significant advantages.
Please seriously consider this suggestion, for both firms would find the move to be considerably advantageous.
Between your expertise in estates and our expertise in contracts, we could complement each other in our law practices.
Besides the professional advantages, working closely with you and your partners once again would be socially beneficial
for all the attorneys. Please let me hear from you when you have an opportunity.
prepositions
a. The following words are prepostions: beneath, between, and through.
applicant’s interview
b. The sentence “Between you and me, the applicants interveiw was unsuccessful” has one
prepositional phrase.
substitute may be
c. In a prepositional phrase, the noun or noun substiute maybe modified by an adjective.
using unnecessary
d. Avoid useing unneccessary prepositions in your sentences.
sentences grammatically
e. Ending sentence’s with prepositions is not considered to be gramatically correct.
two misused
f. The words between and among are too prepositions that are frequently missused.
specific paired
g. Through frequent use, spesific prepositions have been peared with designated words.
rationalize
h. Do not insert the word for after like in this sentence: “We would like you not to rationolize the
inaccuracies
reasons for your inacuracies.”
36 PREPOSITIONS
Conjunctions and
Interjections
SHORT ANSWER
1. A(n) conjunction is a word that joins two or more words, phrases, or clauses.
2. The connecting word for is used when the second independent clause explains the first
independent clause in a compound sentence.
3. The coordinate conjunctions but and yet are used in opposing situations.
4. Correlative conjunctions are used in pairs mainly for emphasis.
5. A(n) subordinate conjunction joins elements of unequal grammatical rank.
6. The words after and since are examples of subordinate conjunctions.
7. The word for is either a conjunction or a(n) preposition .
8. In the sentence “The reason is because we arrived early,” the word that should be substituted
for the word because.
9. In the sentence “Being that we’re hungry, let’s eat,” the word because should be substituted for
the words being that.
10. The word Help! is an example of a(n) interjection .
11. Either . . . or is an example of a(n) correlative conjunction.
12. A(n) interjection is a word used to express strong emotion and is usually followed by an
exclamation point.
13. In the sentence “The craftsman carves quickly and with accuracy,” the construction is not
parallel .
14. The connecting words nor and or are examples of coordinate conjunctions.
CONJUNCTIONS AND INTERJECTIONS 37

EXERCISES
Write a brief sentence using the specified conjunctions.
1. not only . . . but also

Not only Gena but also Mark is paying for the party.
2. either . . . or
Either you or I can drive the van.
3. neither . . . nor
People are neither polite nor correct when they interrupt conversations.
4. both . . . and
Both Louise and Craig are invited to the party.
5. yet
I trained diligently, yet I did not make the varsity team.
Conjunctions
Underline the correct words.
1. (Unless/Because) it didn’t matter, Josie put the problem out of her mind.
2. (Because/Provided) of the inconvenience, Sheldon decided not to invite weekend company.
3. Walking is a good form of exercise (but/and) is good for your heart.
4. You can find answers more readily (if/while) you know what questions to ask.
5. When she is on vacation, Bebe likes both swimming and (to play/playing) golf.
6. You not only should thank him (but/but also) should reciprocate.
7. The project has been fairly successful, (but/for) it has had its share of trouble.
8. Decision making is an accomplishment (though/when) you follow the problem-solving steps one-by-
one.
9. Neither the accountant (nor/or) the attorney kept the appointment.
10. (Although/When) Linda returned to her computer, she decided to back up her files on disk.
38 CONJUNCTIONS AND INTERJECTIONS

11. Both the municipal court cases (and/or) the common pleas court cases kept the law firm busy.
12. My goal is to work in either a hospital (or/nor) a small medical clinic.
13. (As though/Before) the orientation started, the crowd congregated outside the auditorium.
14. I wanted to buy new furniture, (yet/and) I knew that money was not available for the purchase.
15. They packed lightweight clothing (although/because) Florida is hot and steamy in the summer.
Error Search
1. Underline all errors in conjunctions, interjections, spelling, and word usage in the memo. Write or
type a corrected copy on a separate sheet of paper.
TO: All Systems Analysts

FROM: A. C. Grossback
DATE: August 11, 20—
SUBJECT: Availability of Over Time
Being that I have overheard many remarks and also have recieved many inquiries about the lack of
overtime opportunities, the company’s present policy about over time is presented here. Overtime has
been suspended until further notice. The reason is because the overtime budget have been slashed
severely this fiscal year.
We realize that this is not a good situation for you when most of your count on overtime pay to help
take care of your many expenses. Both annual salary or overtime pay are important these day’s.
Unfortunately, however, not only overtime but salary raises may be affected in the near future. Know!
No one is being fired, and the company must hold the line or it will be in really finansial trouble.
Let’s hope that Americans will once again buy products made in America yet help company’s such as
ours to grow steadily and with force. We are confidant that before long overtime opportunities will be
reinstated.
Solution:
TO: All Systems Analysts
FROM: A. C. Grossback
DATE: August 11, 20—
SUBJECT: Availability of Overtime
Because I have overheard many remarks and also have received many inquiries about the lack of overtime opportunities,
the company’s present policy about overtime is presented here. Overtime has been suspended until further notice. The
reason is that the overtime budget has been slashed severely this fiscal year.
CONJUNCTIONS AND INTERJECTIONS 39

We realize that this is not a good situation for you because most of you count on overtime pay to help take care of
your many expenses. Both annual salary and overtime pay are important these days. Unfortunately, however, not only
overtime but also salary raises may be affected in the near future. No! No one is being fired, but the company must
hold the line or it will be in real financial trouble.
Let’s hope that Americans will once again buy products made in America and help companies such as ours to grow
steadily and forcefully. We are confident that before long overtime opportunities will be reinstated.
Coordinate prepositional
a. Cordinate conjunctions may join two prepostional phrases.
used addition
b. The conjunction and should be use when you mean in edition to.
negative positive
c. Use the conjunction nor in negitive situations; use the conjunction or in postive situations.
Correlative emphasis
d. Corelative conjunctions are used in pairs mainly for emphases.
subordinate unequal
e. A subordinent conjunction joins elements of unnequal grammatical rank.
interjection grammatical
f. An interjecion is a word or expression that has no gramatical relationship with other words in a
sentence.
parts effective
g. A study of part’s of speech provides a solid base for creating affective letters, memos, and reports.
their
h. Writers avoid trouble spots in there communications by ensuring that all their constructions are
parallel
paralell.
40 CONJUNCTIONS AND INTERJECTIONS

A Grammar Review I
SHORT ANSWER
1. Family and friends usually will forgive any routine errors that you make in speaking and
writing .
2. In the business world, you should use communication skills, including grammar skills, to
enhance your message.
3. Be careful how you spell words such as manager’s, managers’, and managers, which are pronounced
alike.
4. A(n) period is used after an indirect question.
5. The verb forms seen and spoken are past participle forms of the verbs to see and to speak.
6. The verb forms saw and spoke are past tense forms of verbs.
7. Two singular subjects joined by or create a(n) singular construction.
8. Two singular subjects joined by and create a(n) plural construction.
9. Interrupters, such as prepositional phrases, do not affect subject /verb agreement.
10. The ’s in the word here’s substitutes for the word is .
11. The specific person, place, or thing to which a pronoun refers is called a(n) antecedent .
12. The singular pronoun used to refer to a gender-neutral noun, such as table, is it .
13. Pronouns such as me, him, and her are objective case pronouns.
14. Pronouns such as I, he, and she are nominative case pronouns.
A GRAMMAR REVIEW I 41
EXERCISES
Write a brief sentence using the specified word(s).
1. executives’
Where should we place the executives’ desks?
2. Cassidys
The Cassidys live next door to us.
3. attorneys
The two attorneys will handle the case.
4. seen
She had seen him twice in two days.
5. neither . . . nor
Neither the man nor the woman was qualified.
Grammar Review
Underline the correct choice in each sentence.
1. Several (employees’/employees) are on vacation.
2. (Mens’/Men’s) sportswear is sold in this department.
3. (Cassies/Cassie’s) office is in the next corridor.
4. They (have wrote/wrote) their wills on July 5.
5. You certainly have (groan/grown) since last year.
6. Louis and Gerta (have taken/has taken) too long.
7. If I (has known/had known) about it, I would have handled the situation differently.
8. Either Carl or Marta (are/is) to arrive before noon.
9. Neither he nor his assistants (is/are) ready to finish the project.
10. The landlord or the tenant (was/were) responsible for the damage.
11. The newly written documents in the file (were/was) damaged by the virus.
42 A GRAMMAR REVIEW I
12. Public television, which helps to educate children, (are/is) supported by our organization.
13. (There are/There’s) a rose and a dahlia in this vase.
14. (Who’s/Who are) the victims of this tragedy?
15. The police force announced that (it/they) will be on the alert for the criminal.
Error Search
1. Underline all errors in word usage and spelling in the following message. Write a corrected copy on a
separate sheet of paper.
When we seen you’re special spring sale notice, we took advantage of some freetime and had gone to
your department store to purchase a few needed item’s. My family and me was looking for some
clothes’, a set of pots, and accesories for are den.
The pots and item’s for the den that was purchased was very satisfactory. The clothes’ purchases,
however, turned out to be a dissaster. My sons two pairs of jeans had a hole in it, which was not
obvious at the store. My daughters’ cotton blouse no longer fit her after it were washed. The baddest
thing that happened, however, is that the two sport out fits that I brought for myself, which were
marked washible in cold water, faded so bad that they cannot be worn.
Either returning our money and replaceing all the damaged merchandise if you want to keep us as
customer’s. We written this letter to you to let you knew that, if you wish, we will give you one more
chance before our friends and us boycott your store all together.
Please tell us by next weak in a letter or on the telephone how you plan to handle this very serious
problem. For your convenience here are our telephone number—555-1234.
Solution:
When we saw your special spring sale notice, we took advantage of some free time and went to your department store
to purchase a few needed items. My family and I were looking for some clothes, a set of pots, and accessories for our
den.
The pots and items for the den that were purchased were very satisfactory. The clothes purchases, however, turned
out to be a disaster. My son’s two pairs of jeans had holes in them, which were not obvious at the store. My daughter’s
cotton blouse no longer fit her after it was washed. The worst thing that happened, however, is that the two sport
outfits that I bought for myself, which were marked washable in cold water, faded so badly that they cannot be worn.
Either return our money or replace all the damaged merchandise if you want to keep us as customers. We have written
this letter to you to let you know that, if you wish, we will give you one more chance before our friends and we boycott
your store altogether.
Please tell us by next week in a letter or on the telephone how you plan to handle this very serious problem. For your
convenience, here is our telephone number—555-1234.
A GRAMMAR REVIEW I 43
2. Underline all misspelled words in the following sentences. Write the correct spellings above the word.
Pronouns nouns
a. Pronoun’s should agree with the nouns’ to which they refer in both number and gender.
nominative possessive
b. Would you use nomnative, objective, or possesive case nouns as the subject of a sentence?
participle accompanied
c. Past partlcipal verb forms must be acompanied by helping verbs, but past tense forms do not
need help.
excellent skills
d. People need excellant communication skill’s to succeed in the businessworld.
guidelines plurals
e. Follow the guide lines for spelling noun plurals’ and possessives.
Misspelled acceptable
f. Mispelled words are not exceptable in a business office.
software your software
g. The computer has softwear to check the spelling of you’re document, but the softwear usually
cannot recognize the misuse of homonyms.
grammar always
h. A grammer review all ways helps students and professionals.
44 A GRAMMAR REVIEW I
A Grammar Review II
SHORT ANSWER
1. Use objective case pronouns after prepositions and action verbs.
2. In the sentence, “Mae keys better than I,” the pronoun I functions as the subject of the missing
verb do.
3. In spoken English, the word like gradually is becoming established as a conjunction.
4. In written English, use the word like as either a preposition or a(n) verb .
5. The word as should be substituted for the word like in this sentence: “Like he predicted,
the rain has stopped.”
6. The words as if should be substituted for the word like in this sentence: “She acts like she
owns the company.”
7. The words there’s and theirs are homonyms.
8. The word you’re should be substituted for the word your in this sentence: “Your being
considered for a promotion.”
9. The word good is an adjective; the word well is a noun or a(n) adverb ; the word well is an
adjective when describing health.
10. Adjectives describe nouns and noun substitutes.
11. Use the singular adjective this with the singular noun kind or a similar word.
12. A gerund, such as running, is a verb that ends in ing and functions as a noun.
13. Precede a gerund with a(n) possessive case pronoun or noun.
14. In the sentence “If only I were a millionaire, I’d be happy,” the verb were shows a wish or
something contrary to fact.
A GRAMMAR REVIEW II 45
EXERCISES
Write a brief sentence using the specified word(s).
1. between you and her

The decision is between you and her.
2. better than he
She draws portraits better than he.
3. as if we were
They behave as if we were their pals.
4. theirs
The idea was theirs from the beginning.
5. well (describing health)

He felt well after a touch of the flu.
Grammar Review
1. Sandra said that if she (was/were) the advertising manager, she would cancel the ads.
2. Please tell Lorne that (its/it’s) necessary to have approval for such purchases.
3. Are you sure that Michelle wants (this/these) kind of stationery?
4. In my opinion, Ben markets his products very (good/well).
5. In the past, (theirs/there’s) been a need for those supplies.
6. More recently, she has been feeling (well/good).
7. Barry said that we need more of those (kinds/kind) of samples.
8. Both Alyson and Bob appreciated (us/our) helping them coordinate the seminar.
9. (Like/As) the president warned, layoffs are about to occur.
10. (It’s/Its) priority is a matter of fact, not emotion.
11. They wanted Xena and (I/me) to join the team in Omaha.
46 A GRAMMAR REVIEW II
12. Because Melanie interviews people so (good/well), she always recommends successful computer
programmers.
13. Between you and (he/him), which person should serve as a delegate to the convention?
14. Ken is a good speaker, but Nancy also speaks very (good/well).
15. Do you prefer to watch (this/these) type of screen saver?
Error Search
1. Underline all errors in word usage and spelling in the following message. Write a corrected copy on a
Between you and I, the company is sorry to here that your dissatisfied with the alarm system it in-
stalled in your residents. These kind of problems are rare, and no installers are more capable than us.
Like I told you earlier, Alarm, Inc., is not pleased unless it’s customers are pleased, and its eager to
procede as you wish. It wants your alarm system to work good and for you to be 100 per cent
satisfied.
You calling and letting us know of you’re alarm system problem enables us to send our maintenance
people right a way. If we was the biggest alarm system company in the country, we would not be
more concerned about catering to our customers need’s.
Mr. Walter Sheng, our supervisor, will be calling you tommorrow to discuss the system and your ulti-
mate satisfaction with it’s operation.
Solution:
Between you and me, the company is sorry to hear that you’re dissatisfied with the alarm system it installed in your
residence. These kinds of problems are rare, and no installers are more capable than we.
As I told you earlier, Alarm, Inc., is not pleased unless its customers are pleased, and it’s eager to proceed as you wish.
It wants your alarm system to work well and for you to be 100 percent satisfied.
Your calling and letting us know of your alarm system problem enables us to send our maintenance people right away.
If we were the biggest alarm system company in the country, we would not be more concerned about catering to our
customers’ needs.
Mr. Walter Sheng, our supervisor, will be calling you tomorrow to discuss the system and your ultimate satisfaction
with its operation.
A GRAMMAR REVIEW II 47
statements contrary
a. In statements that indicate a wish or something contary to fact, use were instead of was.
homonyms your
b. Use hominyms such as fare and fair wisely in you’re writing.
communicators errors
c. Good comunicators should always avoid grammar error’s.
precede gerunds
d. Possessive case pronouns should preceed all gerrunds in speaking and writing.
e. A grammar review such as the one you have just completed should provide a solid foundation
your messages
toward you developing error-free messages’.
f. Communicators who incorrectly use the phrase “between you and I” do so either from habit or
impress
from a desire to inpress.
comparisons especially
g. Pronoun choice in comparesons is especialy challenging; the “trick” is to fill in the missing words.
using conjunction
h. Avoid useing the word like as a conjuction that means as or as if.
48 A GRAMMAR REVIEW II
Periods, Question Marks,
and Exclamation Points
SHORT ANSWER
1. Punctuation may include external marks such as periods or internal marks such as commas.
2. A period is used after most sentences, after many abbreviations , and after numbers and letters in
enumerations.
3. The types of sentences that end with periods include declarative sentences, mild commands,
indirect questions , and courteous requests.
4. The following sentence is a(n) declarative sentence: “She is attending the meeting.”
5. The following sentence is a(n) mild command : “Turn out the lights when you leave.”
6. The following sentence is a(n) indirect question: “He asked me when you planned to arrive.”
7. The following sentence is a courteous request : “May I have an interview with your company.”
8. Periods are placed after many commonly used abbreviations to indicate that the words are shortened
forms of longer words.
9. The abbreviation Ltd. stands for Limited ; Inc. stands for Incorporated .
10. When numbers are used in a list, periods are placed after each number.
11. A(n) question mark is used after a direct question.
12. Place a(n) question mark at the end of the following sentence: “Where are you going”
13. A(n) exclamation point is a mark of punctuation that follows a word, a group of words, or
a sentence that shows strong emotion.
14. Use exclamations and exclamation points sparingly in all writing, but especially in business
communications.
PERIODS, QUESTION MARKS, AND EXCLAMATION POINTS 49

EXERCISES
Write a brief sentence using the type of sentence requested.
1. declarative sentence
The accountants finished the audit in time.
2. mild command
Put the switch in the “on” position.
3. indirect question
They inquired about my supervisor’s health.
4. direct question
Where is your new office located?
5. exclamation
Get the candles! The power went out!
External Punctuation
Insert the correct external punctuation in the following sentences and underline all misspelled words.
Write the correct spelling above the word.
occurring than
1. Office automation is ocurring faster then we might choose.
smoking
2. Did he ask if we are against a no-smokeing policy?
3. Would you please close the front door and the side window.
pickup
4. You have won a new pick up truck! Great!
independent
5. A compound sentence contains two independant clauses.
season
6. When does the opera seasen begin in Santa Fe?
50 PERIODS, QUESTION MARKS, AND EXCLAMATION POINTS

interviewed
7. May I be interveiwed before next Friday when I leave town.
convenient
8. Mr. Smith asked Miss Jones when the meeting would be conveinent for her.
everyone
9. Does every one have to rise when the judge enters the courtroom?
possible
10. Will you send me the information as soon as possable.
11. Are you taking a change of clothes? your swimsuit? a camera? your shaver?
coming
12. He asked if you were comeing directly to the dinner meeting.
believe
13. Do you beleive the qualifications we have set are fair to the applicant?
business
14. Exclamation points are used infrequently in bussiness writing.
15. Take over now!
Error Search
1. Correct all errors in external punctuation, spelling, and word usage in the following message. Write a
Thank you for your recent inquiry about instaling a voice-mail system in your office! I am pleased to
help you in anyway that I can?
By now you should have had a opportunity to speak with Rita Cheng, the executive who suggested
that you called me, and also to observe the system that we placed in her office last year it is a user-
friendly system that works good, is easily to operate, is comparitively inexpensive, and is approved by
her companys clients who call frequently
Before we meat on Wensday, Febuary 4, please take time to jot down all your question’s and concerns
about the installation of a new voice-mail system! Some systems the public is exposed to are quite cumber
some, and I am confident that you want to keep your existing and prospective customers satisfied?
You dont want to expose them to a telephone system that does not meet either there needs or your’s
PERIODS, QUESTION MARKS, AND EXCLAMATION POINTS 51

Please call me when you recieve this letter? We then can establish a meeting time that is convenient
for both of us? Would you like some of your staff to join us. If so, Mr Gleason, fill free to invite
you’re office manger and two department manager’s to join us Wensday!
Solution:
Thank you for your recent inquiry about installing a voice-mail system in your office. I am pleased to help you in any
way that I can.
By now you should have had an opportunity to speak with Rita Cheng, the executive who suggested that you call me,
and also to observe the system that we placed in her office last year. It is a user-friendly system that works well, is easy
to operate, is comparatively inexpensive, and is approved by her company’s clients who call frequently.
Before we meet on Wednesday, February 4, please take time to jot down all your questions and concerns about the
installation of a new voice-mail system. Some systems the public are exposed to are quite cumbersome, and I am
confident that you want to keep your existing and prospective customers satisfied. You don’t want to expose them to a
telephone system that does not meet either their needs or yours.
Please call me when you receive this letter. We then can establish a meeting time that is convenient for both of us.
Would you like some of your staff to join us? If so, Mr. Gleason, feel free to invite your office manager and two
department managers to join us Wednesday.
exclamation marks
a. The period, the exclamaton point, and the question mark are examples of external mark’s of
punctuation.
series
b. A question mark follows each part in a series’ of questions.
sparingly communications
c. Exclamations should be used sparingley in business comunications because they lose their impact
when they are overused.
cannot
d. Some people can not understand why a question mark is not placed after an indirect question.
hear tomorrow
e. The following sentence: “May I here from you tommorrow” should end with a period, not a
question mark.
Although than
f. All though all punctuation marks are important, the period is used more frequently then most of
the other marks.
incorrectly
g. Some readers incorectly place an exclamation point instead of a period after a mild command.
abbreviations respectively
h. The abreviations Sr. and Jr. stand for Senior and Junior, respectivly.
52 PERIODS, QUESTION MARKS, AND EXCLAMATION POINTS

Commas
SHORT ANSWER
1. The period is an external punctuation mark, and the comma is a(n) internal punctuation mark.
2. The word however in the following sentence is a(n) introductory element: “However, we will call you.”
3. The conjunctions and, but, and or are coordinate conjunctions.
4. A comma is inserted before the conjunction that joins two independent clauses in a
compound sentence.
5. The sentence “Anne will visit today, but Jill is waiting until next week,” is a(n) compound
sentence.
6. When the independent clauses are separated by a coordinate conjunction in a compound sentence in
which each has less than four words, the comma should be omitted .
7. Interrupting expressions and nonrestrictive clauses are examples of nonessential elements.
8. To determine whether information is necessary to the meaning or structure of a sentence, temporarily

omit the information.
9. An expression that is not needed and affects the flow of a sentence is called a(n) interrupting
expression.
10. A(n) nonrestrictive phrase adds additional information that is not essential to the meaning of a
sentence.
11. A(n) restrictive clause clarifies or is essential to the meaning of a sentence and is not set off with
commas.
12. A noun that renames and refers to a preceding noun and is set off with commas is called a(n)
appositive .
13. When the writer mentions the reader’s name in the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence, the
writer is using direct address.
14. Do not use commas to separate the parts of one measurement or weight.
COMMAS 53
EXERCISES
Write brief sentences, inserting commas in accordance with requested comma use.
1. With introductory phrase

On the surface, the plan is workable.
2. In a compound sentence
Jane studied hard for the test, and she looked forward to taking it.
3. With an appositive
Fred Lang, my neighbor, just left for a conference.
4. With direct address

Hannah, have you seen those papers?
5. In a series
The fruit, cheese, and dessert were especially delicious.
Punctuation
Insert commas, periods, question marks, and exclamation points in the following sentences.
1. The hard-working, contented assistant complimented her supervisor.
2. Corn, wheat, and soybeans interest commodity brokers.
3. We went to the theater on Saturday, and we sat in front of Tom and Vera.
4. Do you realize that both Sara and Norm just received promotions?
5. Please review their proposal, and return it to them Monday, May 26.
6. The car that cost $10,000 has 5,700 miles on it.
7. The chief financial officer, Isaac Muti, has worked here five years.
8. Our itinerary includes Dayton, Ohio, and Scranton, Pennsylvania.
9. The paint we purchased at Gladd’s is light beige and pale lavender.
10. Jim Thompson, who plays in the American League, gives 10 percent of his income to charity.
11. Listen! Someone is banging on the front door!
54 COMMAS
12. Shortly after, the printer needed a new cartridge.
13. Put your blue jeans, sneakers, a sport shirt, etc., in your duffle bag.
14. She awakens at 6:30 and starts the coffee and prepares the toast.
15. Gil’s driving him to the office saved commuting expense for John.
Error Search
Correct all errors of insertion or omission in the use of commas, periods, and question marks in the fol-
lowing message. Also, correct errors in word usage in the following message. Write a corrected copy on a
Ken as a recently hire employee you will won’t to know that you will be receiving a new office
assignment the new assignment have nothing to due with the fact that you where hired Tuesday
May 4 just one month ago let me explain
As you may have heard our company is expanding so rapidly that we have just about run out of office
space we are therefore going to partition off the extra conference room on the second floor and we
plan to make four new offices for the most recently hired staff members you will occupy one of these
new offices because a new computer a laser printer and modern furniture will be placed in your office
I know that you will find the facility suitable in ever respect. In edition the new office is well located,
and convenient to the front elevator what more could you ask.
Please call me, or stop in to see me if this new arrangement present a problem for you if I do not hear
from you by Friday I will notify the personal department of your move. It will take place the week of
September 1?
Solution:
Ken, as a recently hired employee, you will want to know that you will be receiving a new office assignment. The new
assignment has nothing to do with the fact that you were hired Tuesday, May 4, just one month ago. Let me explain.
As you may have heard, our company is expanding so rapidly that we have just about run out of office space. We are,
therefore, going to partition off the extra conference room on the second floor, and we plan to make four new offices
for the most recently hired staff members. You will occupy one of these new offices. Because a new computer, a laser
printer, and modern furniture will be placed in your office, I know that you will find the facility suitable in every
respect. In addition, the new office is well located and convenient to the front elevator. What more could you ask?
Please call me, or stop in to see me, if this new arrangement presents a problem for you. If I do not hear from you by
Friday, I will notify the personnel department of your move. It will take place the week of September 1.
COMMAS 55
Occasionally
a. Ocasionally, a sentence requires a comma for no reason other than to ensure clarity.
Writers familiar
b. Writer’s should be familar with comma rules that pertain to abbreviations.
emphasize sometimes
c. To impress and emphasise, writers some times repeat identical words in a sentence.
coordinate precede
d. If cordinate conjunctions preceed each item in a series, omit commas.
circumstances separate
e. Under no circumstanses should you seperate subjects and verbs with commas.
independent clauses
f. Incorrectly inserting a comma between two independant clause’s results in a comma splice.
than punctuation
g. The comma, used more frequently then any other internal puncuation mark, has many uses.
guidelines writing
h. Learning the guide lines that cover comma use and applying them in your writting will provide
clarity to your communications.
56 COMMAS
Semicolons, Colons, Dashes,
and Hyphens
SHORT ANSWER
1. A semicolon is a form of punctuation used to denote a(n) pause .
2. Use a colon before a series.
3. A dash is formed by typing two unspaced hyphens .
4. Use a semicolon between two related independent clauses.
5. Words such as moreover and however are called conjunctive adverbs when used between
independent clauses.
6. Use a(n) semicolon before an expression such as for instance when the expression introduces a list
of examples.
7. Use a semicolon before the conjunction in a compound sentence when either or both clauses have
internal commas.
8. A(n) colon directs the reader’s attention to the material that follows it.
9. Use a colon when the words the following are near the end or at the end of a
sentence that introduces a series of items.
10. Use a colon to introduce a(n) long quotation.
11. Although dashes enliven sentences, they should be used sparingly in business writing.
12. For emphasis, use a dash to set off appositives and other nonessential elements from the rest of a
sentence.
13. A(n) hyphen is used in word division and in the formation of some compound words.
14. In the word ex-president, a hyphen appears after the prefix ex.
SEMICOLONS, COLONS, DASHES, AND HYPHENS 57

EXERCISES
Write a brief sentence using the specified punctuation marks.
1. a dash and an exclamation point

I will forgive him—or, better yet, I’ll forget the whole thing!
2. a hyphen and a question mark

Have you double-checked the figures on the statistical sheet?
3. a semicolon and a period

This heat is even too much for baseball fans; the stadium seats at the afternoon game were only
one-third full.
4. a colon and a list of three items

Follow these three steps:
1. Set goals.
2. Make requests.
3. Prepare for next year.
5. a hyphen and a comma

Is your printer, a color laser, a good example of user-friendly equipment?
Punctuation
Insert semicolons, colons, dashes, or hyphens where needed in the following sentences.
1. The company is experiencing a slower-than-expected recovery.
2. He believes that the program—the one scheduled to run tonight—will be a success.
3. The dollar is getting stronger; the Japanese yen is getting weaker.
4. The breakfast meeting on Monday will begin at 6:45.
5. Consider the most basic investment decision: Are the company’s profits increasing or decreasing?
6. We are awaiting the ex-president’s input.
7. Have you ever been to Portland, Oregon; Salt Lake City, Utah; or Santa Fe, New Mexico?
8. They agree with management’s decision—or do they simply have no other choice?
9. The mother should warn the teacher of a possible problem; the teacher should watch the child
carefully.
58 SEMICOLONS, COLONS, DASHES, AND HYPHENS

10. Here’s a photo of the CEO—he looks presidential and exudes confidence.
11. The impatient actor is suffering from preproduction anxiety.
12. The following items should be faxed:
a. A copy of the letter
b. Your receipt
c. A chronological list of events
13. The victim is afraid and panicky—but who wouldn’t be in this situation?
14. Cleo, the young pitcher, excelled the entire season; furthermore, he was considered for the Cy Young
Award.
15. The time has come for us to have a heart-to-heart talk.
Error Search
1. Underline all errors in spelling and word usage. In addition, insert semicolons, colons, dashes, and
hyphens where needed. Write a corrected copy on a separate sheet of paper.
Starting August 16, 20—, PQB will be makeing the following changes
1. ajustments in interest checking accounts

2. ajustments in savings accounts
3. ajustments in money market accounts
You, Ms. Adams, has an interest bearing checking account with PQB therefore, you will won’t to be
a ware of several change’s pertaining to you’re account.
Here is the changes
1. The miminum balance require will increase from $1,200 to $1,500.

2. All MAC with drawals from banks other then PQB will cost 50 cents.
The economy have slowed, our profits’ have decrease, and we are planning for a upturn these
conditions explain the changes in handleing our account’s. If you has any questions, Ms. Adams, feel
free to call our branch and Claire Burns, the head teller Mary Ellen Greene, the senior account
representive or me will be glad to help you.
SEMICOLONS, COLONS, DASHES, AND HYPHENS 59

Solution:
Starting August 16, 20—, PQB will be making the following changes:
1. adjustments in interest checking accounts

2. adjustments in savings accounts
3. adjustments in money market accounts
You, Ms. Adams, have an interest-bearing checking account with PQB; therefore, you will want to be aware of several
changes pertaining to your account.
Here are the changes:
1. The minimum balance required will increase from $1,200 to $1,500.

2. All MAC withdrawals from banks other than PQB will cost 50 cents.
The economy has slowed, our profits have decreased, and we are planning for an upturn—these conditions explain
the changes in handling our accounts. If you have any questions, Ms. Adams, feel free to call our branch; and Claire
Burns, the head teller; Mary Ellen Greene, the senior account representative; or I will be glad to help you.
independent conjunctive
a. Semicolons are frequently used with independant clauses and conjuntive adverbs.
Expressions enumeration
b. Expresions such as for example usually indicate that an enumerration will follow.
reader’s material
c. One use of a colon is to direct the readers attention to the materail following the punctuation mark.
Another quotation
d. An other use of a colon is to introduce a long quotaion.
precede summarizing
e. A dash may procede a sumarizing statement.
flair writing
f. Also, a dash can give a creative flare to your writting.
indicate syllables
g. A hyphen is used to indecate word division between sylables.
60 SEMICOLONS, COLONS, DASHES, AND HYPHENS

Quotation Marks,
Parentheses, Underscores,
and Apostrophes
SHORT ANSWER
1. Quotation marks are placed around direct quotations.
2. Use single quotation marks to enclose a quotation within a quotation.
3. Place periods and commas within ending quotation marks.
4. Place semicolons and colons outside ending quotation marks.
5. Use quotation marks to enclose slang words such as ain’t.
6. Use quotation marks to enclose the title of a magazine article.
7. Use the underscore to indicate the title of a book.
8. More than one parenthesis are called parentheses .
9. To de-emphasize nonessential elements, place them in parentheses.
10. If a list of items is included within a sentence, parentheses may be used to enclose the
numerals or letters .
11. Underscores or all capital letters are used if italics are not available.
12. To indicate a contraction, insert a(n) apostrophe in the space where the missing letters belong.
13. Add a(n) ’s to an indefinite pronoun such as someone to form the possessive.
14. In compound words, add the apostrophe to the last word to indicate possession.
QUOTATION MARKS, PARENTHESES, UNDERSCORES, AND APOSTROPHES 61

EXERCISES
Write a brief sentence using the specified words and the specified punctuation.
1. Use quotation marks to indicate spoken words.

“Let’s try it,” said April.
2. Use parentheses to set off directions.

You won’t have any trouble finding the restaurant (see the enclosed map) in Akron.
3. Use an underscore with a foreign expression.

The French girls bid each other au revoir.
4. Use an apostrophe to indicate possession in a compound word.

Their father-in-law’s boat is moored in the bay.
5. Use the word else’s in a question.

Is this your coat or someone else’s?
Punctuation
Insert quotation marks, parentheses, underscores, and apostrophes in the following sentences.
1. His file cabinets held many clients’ records.
2. Louis and Farrah’s father just took the bar examination.
3. A school’s principal should be respected by all students.
4. The anthropologist’s lecture “The Bones of Ancient Warriors” was extremely boring.
5. President Clark stated, “Everyone should be aware of Mamelak’s words, ‘Stand up and fight for your
rights.’ ”
6. The article “Studying Foreign Languages” in the latest issue of Foreign Language Quarterly could help
your class.
7. “I believe,” said the bank teller, “that your printed checks will be sent directly to your home.”
8. They said that they couldn’t join the group on Friday.
9. The expression par avion means to go by airplane in French.
62 QUOTATION MARKS, PARENTHESES, UNDERSCORES, AND APOSTROPHES

10. The political aspirant heard from some (nine) of her backers.
11. See Appendix A (page 212) for the listing you requested.
12. Our client has been awarded the sum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) in settlement.
13. Give the proposal to Celia (she will proofread it); when it’s placed on my desk, I will call you.
14. “You are both correct,” stated Kunio. “We will fly to Japan either Tuesday or Wednesday.”
Error Search
1. Edit the following message. Correct errors in grammar and insert necessary punctuation. Write a
Because all my past purchases at your store has been very satisfactory I decided to purchase see the
enclosed sales receipt a pair of Rockland ProWalkers in your shoe department on Wednesday April 7
They seemed to fit me in the store but they rubbed blisters on the back of both feet after I walked on
the track in a nearby park
When I tried to exchange them for another style that did not come up as high on the foot your
salesclerk said We cant exchange them you have already wore them. I answered I wore them one half
hour each of two days and that is how I found out that the ProWalkers are not for me She kept me
waiting a long time 15 minutes and then told me that she couldnt allow me to return the shoes
An article that I just read titled If Your Feet Hurt, Nothing Else Matters strengthens my argument
Ms Merriweather that your store should allow me to exchange the ProWalkers for another companys
better fitting shoes. I dont want to have to resort to the guidelines mentioned in the pamphlet Ten
Ways to Get Satisfaction When Youre in the Right. Please call me at 555-1243 when you receive this
letter to tell me how to solve this problem
Solution:
Because all my past purchases at your store have been very satisfactory, I decided to purchase (see the enclosed sales
receipt) a pair of Rockland ProWalkers in your shoe department on Wednesday, April 7. They seemed to fit me in the
store, but they rubbed blisters on the back of both feet after I walked on the track in a nearby park.
When I tried to exchange them for another style that did not come up as high on the foot, your salesclerk said, “We
can’t exchange them; you have already worn them.” I answered, “I wore them one-half hour each of two days, and
that is how I found out that the ProWalkers are not for me.” She kept me waiting a long time (15 minutes) and then
told me that she couldn’t allow me to return the shoes.
An article that I just read titled “If Your Feet Hurt, Nothing Else Matters” strengthens my argument, Ms. Merriweather,
that your store should allow me to exchange the ProWalkers for another company’s better-fitting shoes. I don’t want
to have to resort to the guidelines mentioned in the pamphlet Ten Ways to Get Satisfaction When You’re in the Right.
Please call me at 555-1243 when you receive this letter to tell me how to solve this problem.
QUOTATION MARKS, PARENTHESES, UNDERSCORES, AND APOSTROPHES 63

someone’s closing
a. When stating someones exact words, enclose them within opening and closeing quotation marks.
unconventional
b. Use quotation marks around words used in a special or an uncoventional manner.
used poems
c. Quotation marks also are use to enclose titles of lectures, songs, sermons, and short pomes.
parenthesis nonessential
d. A parentheses is a punctuation mark that is used in pairs to set off non-essential elements.
intentionally capitalize
e. If a statement in parentheses is intentionly a complete sentence, capitalise the first word and end
the statement with an external punctuation mark.
references minimize
f. Use parentheses to set off both reference’s and directions to miminize their importance in a
sentence.
underscore expression
g. The under score calls attention to a word or expresion.
individual items
h. Use an underscore with titles of complete works that are published as individuel item’s.
distinguish foreign
i. An underscore should be used to distinquish foriegn expressions from standard English vocabulary.
primarily contraction
j. The apostrophe is used primaraly to indicate the omission of a letter in a contration.
indefinite possession
k. Add an ’s to an indefanite pronoun to show possesion.
lowercase their
l. Add an ’s to lower case letters and some abbreviations to form they’re plural.
64 QUOTATION MARKS, PARENTHESES, UNDERSCORES, AND APOSTROPHES

Abbreviations
SHORT ANSWER
1. An abbreviation is a(n) shortened form of a word or a group of words.
2. Titles such as Mr. and Mrs. are called courtesy titles.
3. The personal title Messrs. is the plural of Mr .
4. A title for a woman that omits reference to marital status is Ms .
5. A family designation such as junior that appears after a person’s name should be abbreviated .
6. The first letter of a person’s first or middle name, which is called a(n) initial , is sometimes
used instead of a full first or middle name.
7. An abbreviated professional title for a neurosurgeon is Dr .
8. An abbreviated professional title that follows an attorney’s name is Esq .
9. The abbreviation for the Doctor of Philosophy academic degree is Ph.D .
10. After a street name, the compass designation northwest should be written NW .
11. The two-letter postal abbreviation for the state of Montana is MT .
12. The correct abbreviation for International Business Machines Corp. is IBM .
13. The British abbreviation Ltd. means Limited .
14. The abbreviation a.m. comes from the Latin words ante meridian .
EXERCISES
Write a brief sentence using the specified abbreviations.
1. p.m.
Our reservations are for 7:30 p.m.
ABBREVIATIONS 65
2. C.O.D.
You must prepay; C.O.D. shipments are not acceptable.
3. CEO
The CEO of the corporation is a Harvard graduate.
4. vs.
My attorney represented Clark in the lawsuit Clark vs. Brown.
5. EST
When the time is 5 p.m. EST in New York, the time is 2 p.m. in Los Angeles.
Abbreviations
Substitute abbreviations for spelled-out words where necessary, spell out words that should not be abbrevi-
ated, and correct all abbreviation misspellings in the following sentences.
Jr.
1. Harry A. Crouse, Junior, is managing his father’s business.
The Misses
2. Messrs. Gloria and Anne White are delegates to the convention.
Governor
3. Gov. Ferndale does not support the death penalty in her state.
south Street west Avenue
4. She lives S. of Broad St. but W. of Sixth Ave.
New Jersey Michigan
5. We take our boat either to the NJ shore or to a lake in MI.
boulevard
6. The tree-lined blvd. they live on is very wide and very beautiful.
FBI
7. Getting a job with the F.B.I. is very difficult.
company limited
8. The co. I work for is doing ltd. hiring at this time.
merchandise wholesale
9. He sells mdse. whlse. not retail.
radar
10. The acronym r.a.d.a.r. is short for radio detecting and ranging.
66 ABBREVIATIONS
Error Search
l. Identify all errors in abbreviation usage, word usage, and spelling in the following letter. Write a
Because of the fine beach location of youre inn, my sister and me chose to stay at your establishment
over the Jul. 4 weekend beg. on Thurs. and ending on Tues. Although much of are stay were very
gd., a few problems arose that I thought you should know about.
The man at the reception desk, Charles O. Jackson, Senior was very abrupt to all person checking in.
Check-in time was 4 pm, but he told us that we would has to wait until 5 pm. He address I as
Missus Lopez several times; my name is Lomax. My sister, who is an DR., has stayed in inns in CT,
GA, LA, and PA and have never before saw such a rude receptionist. She told other guests, some
whom works for the Y.W.C.A. and others who work for the I.R.S., that she hope all Cape May inn
employees are not like Mister Jackson.
FYI, we pd. for the full five days in order to leave a zero bal. even before our stay begun. You
probably asked for the prepayment because your plastic glasses, one bar of soap, skimpy bath towel’s,
and insistence on leaving a deposit for the TV remote and beach tags may scare your patrons’ a way
for $200 a night. We thought that you may want to know that next yr. a no. of your customer’s is
going to E.P.C.O.T. instead.
Solution:
Because of the fine beach location of your inn, my sister and I chose to stay at your establishment over the July 4
weekend beginning on Thursday and ending on Tuesday. Although much of our stay was very good, a few problems
arose that I thought you should know about.
The man at the reception desk, Charles O. Jackson, Sr., was very abrupt to all people checking in. Check-in time was
4 p.m., but he told us that we would have to wait until 5 p.m. He addressed me as Mrs. Lopez several times; my
name is Lomax. My sister, who is a doctor, has stayed in inns in Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania,
and had never before seen such a rude receptionist. She told other guests, some who work for the YWCA and others
who work for the IRS, that she hopes all Cape May inn employees are not like Mr. Jackson.
For your information, we paid for the full five days in order to leave a zero balance even before our stay began. You
probably asked for the prepayment because your plastic glasses, one bar of soap, skimpy bath towels, and insistence on
leaving a deposit for the TV remote and beach tags may scare your patrons away for $200 a night. We thought that
you may want to know that next year a number of your customers are going to EPCOT instead.
ABBREVIATIONS 67
personal precedes
a. A personnel title such as Mr. that preceeds a person’s name should be abbreviated.
correspondence recipient
b. An initial may be used in business corespondence if the recipeint of a letter uses initials as part of
his or her name.
professional Senator
c. A proffessional title such as Senater may be abbreviated if both the first and last name of a person
are used.
academic
d. Do not precede a name with Dr. if an academmic degree appears after the name.
business boulevard
e. In bussiness correspondence, do not abbreviate words such as boulavard.
Massachusetts Louisiana
f. The two-letter postal abbreviation for Massachusets is MA; it is LA for Louisana.
68 ABBREVIATIONS
Capitalization
SHORT ANSWER
1. The first letter of a word may be capitalized to distinguish between a proper noun and a(n)
common noun.
2. A(n) proper adjective such as Turkish in Turkish rug is usually capitalized.
3. A capital letter is used to indicate the beginning of the following direct quote : “The group will
meet as soon as possible.”
4. When a complete sentence that states a rule or emphasizes a statement is preceded by a colon, begin
the sentence with a(n) capital letter.
5. Do not capitalize the second part of a(n) interrupted direct quotation.
6. Capitalize only the first word in the complimentary close Yours truly.
7. Capitalize the first word of each line of a poem unless the poet uses a different form.
8. Capitalize titles used without a proper name that refer to a specific, well-known individual.
9. The articles (the, a, an) are not capitalized in a heading unless they appear first or
last .
10. In the title of the magazine article “Decorating With Flowers and Bushes,” the short conjunction
and is not capitalized.
11. Do not capitalize words referring to relatives when they are preceded by a(n) possessive noun or
pronoun.
12. Capitalize the name of a(n) document such as The Declaration of Independence.
13. Capitalize most nouns that precede numbers or letters (Flight 43 or Vitamin C).
14. Capitalize compass points when they refer to a(n) geographical area.
CAPITALIZATION 69
EXERCISES
Write a brief sentence using the specified words.
1. College
Boston College is a fine institution.
2. college
She will be attending college in January.
3. Theater
The Schubert Theater is in the city.
4. theater
Have you taken any theater classes with Dr. Fox?
5. City
The beach at Ocean City is clean and wide.
6. city
Tourists in the city of Seattle may have need for an umbrella.
Capitalized or Uncapitalized Words

Underline the correct word choice in each sentence.
1. Atsuko resembles a (japanese/Japanese) woman who worked with me last year.
2. He prefers to use Tide (laundry detergent/Laundry Detergent) when he washes his work clothes.
3. The new project is titled (overload 2000/Overload 2000).
4. Do you concur with (Senator/senator) Jackson’s recommendation?
5. Amelia has enrolled in the local (Community College/community college) for the fall semester.
6. The new (spring/Spring) merchandise will be delivered this week.
7. Some schools are closed on (good Friday/Good Friday).
8. Remember to drive (north/North) after you go around the circle.
70 CAPITALIZATION
9. Members of the (department of defense/Department of Defense) are working on the budget.
10. James is studying (accounting/Accounting) as he plans to start his own business.
11. I used to wear (size/Size) 16, but I lost 20 pounds and now wear a smaller size.
12. On Alicia’s next vacation, she is going to a foreign (Country/country).
13. An appropriate gift for Leonardo’s supervisor is a Parker (pen/Pen).
14. The (City/city) of Newark has a modern airport facility.

1. Underline all errors in capitalization, spelling, and word usage in the following letter. Rewrite the
dear ms. Dawson:
we are pleased to comply with your request for information about a caribbean island vacation. We are
happy that your extend stay in the middle east was enlightened and can understand why you are now
ready for a relaxing Vacation.
We suggest that you consider either nevis or dominica at this time. They are both comparitively small
Islands and have much to offer Tourists who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the City.
A journalist in a travel magazine states, “a visit to nevis will stayed in your memory forever.” As for
dominica, it have the best Fruit and Vegetable market in the caribbean so you know that the produce
will be delicious. The President of our Agency just return from both Islands and highly recommend
them.
Feel free, ms. Dawson, to stop in with your Sister Annabelle to discuss your travels to the Islands
before you’re Sabbatical Leave at the university of Pennsylvania is over this year. Before you come,
however, you may want to read the magazine article “everything you should know about the
caribbean and are afraid to ask” in the august issue of the Traveler’s Agenda. as all ways, we are happy
to have an opportunity to assist you.
Sincerely Yours,
Solution:
Dear Ms. Dawson:
We are pleased to comply with your request for information about a Caribbean Island vacation. We are happy that
your extended stay in the Middle East was enlightening and can understand why you are now ready for a relaxing
vacation.
CAPITALIZATION 71
We suggest that you consider either Nevis or Dominica at this time. They are both comparatively small islands and
have much to offer tourists who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. A journalist in a travel
magazine states, “A visit to Nevis will stay in your memory forever.” As for Dominica, it has the best fruit and
vegetable market in the Caribbean so you know that the produce will be delicious. The president of our agency just
returned from both islands and highly recommends them.
Feel free, Ms. Dawson, to stop in with your sister Annabelle to discuss your travel to the islands before your
sabbatical leave at the University of Pennsylvania is over this year. Before you come, however, you may want to read
the magazine article “Everything You Should Know About the Caribbean and Are Afraid to Ask” in the August
issue of The Traveler’s Agenda. As always, we are happy to have an opportunity to assist you.
Sincerely yours,
capitalize quotation
a. Writers should remember to capitilize the first word of a direct quotion.
salutations complimentary
b. Specific guidelines apply to salutions and complementary closes in business letters.
exceptions
c. Be aware of acceptions to the rule for capitalizing headings and titles.
nouns commercial
d. Capitalize the proper noun’s in the names of commerical products.
parks countries
e. Capitalize the proper names of park’s, buildings, and country’s.
historical
f. Capitalize the name of an histerical event such as World War I.
autumn
g. Seasons of the year such as autuumn and spring should not be capitalized unless a specific
accompanies
designation accompanys them.
Caucasian, Catholicism
h. Capitalize the name of a nationality such as Cacasian and the name of a religion such as Catholisism.
72 CAPITALIZATION
Number Expression
SHORT ANSWER
1. In number expression, writers must select either words or numerals to present the numbers to
the reader.
2. Some situations require numbers to be expressed in words , not numerals.
3. Generally, quantities of ten and under are written in words.
4. For the most part, quantities of eleven and over are written in numerals.
5. To express approximate numbers, use words .
6. When two related numbers appear next to each other in a sentence, write the shorter one in
words.
7. If two unrelated numbers appear next to each other in a sentence, separate them with a(n)
comma .
8. Use words to express a number that begins a sentence.
9. If a number that begins a sentence is overly long, then rewrite the sentence.
10. To express numbers in dates when the day follows the month, write the day in numerals .
11. Use ordinals with the day when it precedes the month.
12. Use numerals to express house numbers in ordinary text except for the number one .
13. If a street name is written in numerals and a direction such as West does not separate the house
number from the street name, insert a(n) dash between them so readers do not misread
the address.
14. Sums of one dollar or more are written in numerals preceded by a(n) $ (symbol).
NUMBER EXPRESSION 73
EXERCISES
Write a brief sentence using the specified number expressions.
1. 200 one-inch connectors

The electrician stocked 200 one-inch connectors in the storeroom.
2. 16 bags of peanuts, 17 hot dogs, and 16 bags of chips

The team devoured 16 bags of peanuts, 17 hot dogs, and 16 bags of chips after winning the game.
3. your order dated the first

We were pleased to receive your order dated the first of May.
4. 1653—83d Avenue
The office is relocating to 1653—83d Avenue in Youngstown.
5. $181.5 million
First National Bank bought the other bank for $181.5 million last year.
6. 600,000-square-foot building
The 600,000-square-foot building cost the computer manufacturer $8,000 a day in rent.
Number Expression
1. The (eighteen-year-old/18-year-old) graduate traveled to Europe before he began college.
2. The country’s deficit with Japan swelled to (26 percent/twenty-six percent) by the end of the year.
3. (150/One hundred and fifty) manufacturers provided the requested data.
4. The negotiators hoped to reach an agreement by September (30/30th).
5. On the formal invitation, the year was expressed as (2002/two thousand two).
6. The Dow Jones industrial average went down (21/twenty-one) points yesterday.
7. With her raise, Luisa will earn (thirty-five thousand dollars/$35,000) annually.
8. The wall will require (four/4) 8-foot-high panels.
9. The information is on (Page nine/page 9)in your textbook.
74 NUMBER EXPRESSION
10. Most likely (half/1/2) the team will be girls under ten.
11. Approximately (150/one hundred and fifty) guests will attend the dinner.
12. The store that sells everything for no more than (99 cents/$0.99) is the most popular store in the mall.
13. If emergency action is not taken soon, the institute will lose ($20 million dollars/$20 million) before
declaring bankruptcy.
14. (Three and one-half/3 1/2) pounds is just right for the brisket of beef.

1. Underline all errors in number expression, spelling, and word usage in the message. Rewrite the
Here is the information about our planned trip to Vancouver begining July 9th; we hope you can join
us in our two thousand one mazda van.
We plans to travel no more than two hundred and fifty miles a day and to keep our gas and toll
expense to $25. Generally, $35.00 a day for meals should suffice, accept for special locations where
the food is more expensive. AARP members receive a 5 to 10% discount at many motel’s and hotel’s,
and AARP offers discount coupons for sightseeing events after the 4 of July.
We are enclosing copies of pages thirty-four and thirty-five of Traveling to Vancouver so that you can
see the places of interests in and around Vancouver. We plan to travel lite, taking 2 suitcases each, 1
golf bag apiece, and our medicines and toiletries. In 1999, 11 of us taked a trip across country using
several vehicles; the trip was a great success.
Please call me or write before the 3rd; we are temporarally staying at our cousin’s home at 1 East
Flower Lane. Her telephone number is (610) 555-1234. About 1/2 the telephone calls seem to be for
us, so you wont be intruding if you call instead of write. Just don’t call after 10 p.m. o’clock or before
8:00 a.m. Dinner is at 6, so that wouldn’t be a good time either.
Please try to join us; now that we is semi-retired and fifty-five years of age, we would love to travel
with you.
Solution:
Here is the information about our planned trip to Vancouver beginning July 9; we hope you can join us in our 2001
Mazda van.
We plan to travel no more than 250 miles a day and to keep our gas and toll expense to $25. Generally, $35 a day for
meals should suffice, except for special locations where the food is more expensive. AARP members receive a 5 to 10
percent discount at many motels and hotels, and AARP offers discount coupons for sightseeing events after the 4th of
July.
NUMBER EXPRESSION 75
We are enclosing copies of pages 34 and 35 of Traveling to Vancouver so that you can see the places of interest in and
around Vancouver. We plan to travel light, taking two suitcases each, one golf bag apiece, and our medicines and
toiletries. In 1999, 11 of us took a trip across country using several vehicles; the trip was a great success.
Please call me or write before the third; we are temporarily staying at our cousin’s home at One East Flower Lane.
Her telephone number is (610) 555-1234. About half the telephone calls seem to be for us, so you won’t be intruding
if you call instead of write. Just don’t call after 10 p.m. or before 8 a.m. Dinner is at six, so that wouldn’t be a good
time either.
Please try to join us; now that we are semiretired and 55 years of age, we would love to travel with you.
a. Eliminate a decimal with dollar amounts that include no cents, unless other amounts in the same
cents
sentence include cent’s.
b. In a series of amounts—some with just dollars, some with dollars and cents, and some with just
consistent within
cents—be consistant with in a sentence.
Approximate written
c. Aproximate amounts should be writtened in words not numerals.
combination express
d. Use a comination of words and numerals to exppress very large amounts of money.
percent percentages
e. Use numerals followed by the word per cent to express precentages.
Always
f. All ways express decimals in numerals.
mixed appears
g. Use numbers to express a mix number in either a fraction or a decimal, unless the number apears
first in a sentence.
a.m. p.m. o’clock
h. Use numerals before am and pm, but use words before oclock.
76 NUMBER EXPRESSION

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Parts of Speech

2. “Action words” generally describe this part of speech: verbs .

4. Adjectives are words that describe nouns and pronouns .

5. Expensive, new, and strong are examples of adjectives .

7. In the statement “I am sorry,” sorry is a(n) adjective .

Solution: Answers may vary.

Editing and Proofreading

Noun (N) Verb (V) Adjective (ADJ) Conjunction (C)

5. The most common rule for forming noun plurals is to add s .

8. The “signal” for the possessive is the apostrophe .

9. To form the possessive of a singular noun, add ’s .

2. Hewlett Packard LaserJet 2100

9. chief executive officers’

1. It provides confidentiality for all complaints.

1. It provides confidentiality for all complaints.

2. Personal pronouns serve as substitutes for nouns.

5. Your, his, and my are examples of possessive case personal pronouns.

6. I, they, and we are examples of nominative case personal pronouns.

9. A(n) possessive case personal pronoun precedes a gerund in a sentence.

g. The members were divided in their (third person, plural) opinions.

2. Write the correct pronoun in the space provided in each sentence.

a. He (hisself/himself) himself purchased the supplies for the office party.

c. (Whom/Who) Whom should I call if an emergency arises?

d. This belongs to (whoever/whomever) whoever was sitting at this desk.

e. (Whom/Who) Who is in charge of the Thompson, Rubens, and Clearfield accounts?

f. (Whomever/Whoever) Whoever wants this opportunity can certainly volunteer.

l. (Whoever/Whomever) Whoever is a nominative case pronoun.

3. An example of a singular gender-neutral pronoun is it .

7. Examples of indefinite pronouns are one, each, and every.

14. A pronoun is a(n) noun substitute in a sentence.

1. The banker encouraged her support staff.

2. Most of the economists will state their opinions.

4. The Chinese woman who entertained us was very cordial.

5. A successful entrepreneur consults frequently with his or her accountant.

6. The neighbors donated their extra blankets to the victims.

7. Audrey finished her column two minutes before the deadline.

8. The newly appointed committee drafted its report.

9. Joe or Cary will stay overtime to finish his assignment.

10. Neither Sylvia nor Sue volunteered her time.

11. The students were pleased with their grades.

13. Few jog on the track near their community.

15. My piano, which is a family heirloom, is tuned twice a year.

16. The family raved about its new home.

17. Both clowns will perform their routine.

19. All taxpayers received their refunds early.

2. Condition verbs refer to a condition or appeal to the senses .

4. A state-of-being verb is sometimes called a(n) to be verb .

5. The most common helping verbs are forms of the verb to be .

7. All verb forms are derived from four principal parts.

1. Please do not (raise/rise) your voice to the children.

2. I will be able to (set/sit) while I am waiting for Troy.

3. Donna worked four years before she (was/were) promoted.

4. The correct information (was/were) given to Tyler.

5. The chicken (lay/laid) its eggs yesterday.

7. Was that the telephone that (rung/rang)?

8. Janine stated that sales (was/were) high the first quarter.

9. Edward (claims/claim) that he did not receive his overtime pay.

10. By noon tomorrow, I (wrote/will have written) the proposal.

11. Charo (buy/will buy) a new computer next month.

12. They (have eaten/eaten) all the birthday cake.

13. The sales agents (give/gives) incentives to buy their products.

Editing and Proofreading

2. Write a sentence using the verb cost in the future tense.

8. Intervening phrases do not affect subject-verb agreement and should be ignored.

9. The expression “ a number” is considered to be plural and needs a plural verb.

11. Names of companies are usually considered to be singular .