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Focused Free Writing- is a post writing technique in which the writer explores a topic
by writing for a certain period of time without stopping, even if it means repeating the
same ideas.
Brainstorming- is a post writing technique that uses free association to create a list of
whatever words, phrases, or ideas come to mind as a given topic. It can be done alone or
in a group.
Clustering- is the mapping of whatever comes to mind when you think about a topic.
Variations of clustering are called webbing or branching.
Outlining- the most formal method of organizing post writing ideas, distinguishes
between major points and supporting details by using numerals and letters to show the
organization of the planned piece of writing.
Direct Quotation- entails using quotation marks around the exact words of another
writer.
Paraphrasing- entails using your own words to restate each idea from the text of another
writer.
Summarizing- involves using your own words to restate only the main ideas of another
writer.
Chapter 2
What are the main purposes for writing?
1. Entertainment- a writer may want to entertain an audience. One way to do
this is by telling a good story. We all remember how as children it was so
much fun when someone would read us a story. We were being entertained.
Most of the stories we see on television are shown for the purpose of
entertainment. The novels we buy in bookstores were written to entertain us.
What we call narrative writing (the telling of stories) is mostly in this
category of writing for the purpose of entertainment.
2. Information- Presentation of facts- most of writing you will do in college
and in your future career will be informational in nature. In school, you will
take written tests and write papers to explain what you know about a certain
subject; at work, you might find yourself explaining why your companies
profits might have diminished or increased. These explanations in formal
writing can be developed in more than one way, depending on the type of
information required. The methods of development which you will learn in
this book include the following:
Objective
Singular Plural
me
us
you
you
him
them
her
it
Posessive
Singular
Plural
my (mine)
our (ours)
your (yours) your (yours)
his (his)
their (theirs)
her (hers)
its (its)
Indefinite Pronouns
Singular
someone, anyone, no one
everybody, somebody, anybody, nobody
everything, something, anything, nothing
each, another, either, neither
Singular of Plural (depending on meaning)
all, more, none
any, most, some
Plural
both, few, many, several
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Common Prepositions
about, behind except on
above below
for
onto
across beneath from
out
after
beside in
outside
against between inside over
along beyond into
past
among by
like
since
around despite near
through
at
down
of
throughout
before during
off
to
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toward
under
underneath
unlike
until
up
upon
with
within
without
watch
fly
catch
wait
A Linking Verb- is a verb that links the subject of a sentence to one or more
words that describe or identify the subject.
Common Linking Verbs
act
appear
be (am, is, are, was, were, have been)
become
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feel
grow
seem
taste
Helping Verbs- (Also called Auxiliary Verbs) Some verbs can be used to help
the main verb express a special meaning or a particular time.
Common Helping Verbs
can, could
may, might, must
shall, should
will, would
forms of the irregular verbs be , do , and have
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Adverbs- are words that can modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.
Chapter 4
Personal Pronouns
Singular
Plural
I sleep
we sleep
you sleep
you sleep
he, she, it sleeps
they sleep
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Personal Pronouns
Singular
Plural
I sleep
we sleep
you sleep
you sleep
he, she, it sleeps
they sleep
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The Verb To Be
Present Tense
Past Tense
Singular
Plural
I am
we are
you are
you are
he is
they are
she is
she
it is
(never use we was , you was , or they was )
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Singular
I was
you were
he was
she was
it was
Plural
we were
you were
they were
Indefinite Pronouns
everyone
everybody
everything
each
someone
somebody
something
another
anyone
anybody
anything
either
no one
nobody
nothing
neither
both
few
many
Indefinite pronouns taking a singular or plural verb depending on the meaning in the sentence
any
all
more
most
none
some
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Singular
bacterium
datum
medium
stratum
Plural
bacteria
data
media
strata
foot
tooth
child
man
woman
mouse
ox
goose
feet
teeth
children
men
women
mice
oxen
geese
deer
elk
fish
moose
deer
elk
fish
moose
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Chapter 5
Complete Sentence- has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought.
Fragment- is a piece of a sentence.
Phrase- is a group of words belonging together but lacking one or more of the three
elements necessary for a complete sentence.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Participle- is formed from a verb but does not always function as a verb.
Chapter 6
A Clause- is a group of words that has a subject and a verb.
Coordination- is combining of two or more independent clauses (you may think of them
as simple sentences) that are related and contain ideas of equal importance. The result is a
compound sentence.
First Method Of Coordination
Independent Clause (IC)
Comma and Coordinating Conjunction
He spoke forcefully
,and
Independent Clause (IC)
I felt compelled to listen.
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and
nor
but, yet
for
or
so
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Likeness
Llikewise
similarly
Emphasis
indeed
in fact
Chapter 7
Subordination- is the method of combining two clauses that contain ideas not equally
important idea is in the independent clause and the less important idea is in the
dependent clause. The result is a complex sentence.
after
although
as, as if
because
before
even though
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Second Method:
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Relative Pronouns
who
whose
whom
which
that
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refer to people
refers to things
refers to people and/or things
The relative pronoun and its clause must immediately follow the word to which it is
related.
Difference Between Restrictive And Nonrestrictive Clauses
Name of Relative Clause
Are Commas Required? Information
Pronoun Often Used
Restrictive Clause
no commas
essential
that
Nonrestrictive Clause
commas
not essential which
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Chapter 8
Fragment- is a piece of a sentence.
Run-Ons- are independent clauses that have been combined incorrectly.
Chapter 9
Case- refers to the way some nouns or pronouns change their forms
depending on how they are used in a sentence.
Pronouns And Case
Pronuns Used
Pronouns Used
Pronouns Used
as Subjects
as Objects
as Possessives
Singular
I
me
my, mine
you
you
you, yours
he
him
his
she
her
hers
it
it
its
Plural
we
us
our, ours
you
you
your, yours
they
them
their, theirs
Singular Plural
who
whom
whose
Note: There is no such forms as hisself or theirselves.
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Pronouns Used
as Reflexives
myself
yourself
himself
herself
itself
ourselves
yourselves
themselves
Antecedent- is a word (or words) that is replaced by a pronoun later in a piece of writing.
Chapter 10
Modifiers- are words in a sentence that function as adjectives and adverbs. A modifier
must be placed close to the word, phrase, or clause that it modifies in order to be
understood by the reader.
almost
even
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scarcely
simply
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Chapter 11
Eight Verbs That Do Not Change Their Forms
(Notice They All End In -T Or -D)
Past Tense
Past Participle
Simple Form
(Used with perfect tenses after
(Also called Dictionary Form,
"has," "have," "had," "will have"
Infinitive Form,or Base From)
or with passive voice
after the verb "to be.")
bet
bet
bet
cost
cost
cost
cut
cut
cut
fit
fit
fit
hit
hit
hit
hurt
hurt
hurt
quit
quit
quit
spread
spread
spread
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Simple Form
come
become
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Two Verbs With The Same Simple Form And Past Participle Form
Past Tense
Past Participle
came
come
became
become
Twenty Verbs With The Same Past Tense Past Participle Forms
Simple Form
Past Tense
Past Participle
bend
bent
bent
lend
lent
lent
send
sent
sent
creep
crept
crept
keep
kept
kept
sleep
slept
slept
sweep
swept
swept
weep
wept
wept
teach
taught
taught
catch
caught
caught
bleed
bled
bled
feed
fed
fed
lead
led
led
speed
sped
sped
bring
brought
brought
buy
bought
bought
fight
fought
fought
think
thought
thought
seek
sought
sough
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11
Simple Form
blow
fly
grow
know
throw
begin
drink
ring
shrink
sink
sing
spring
swim
bite
hide
drive
ride
stride
rise
write
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Present Perfect Tense- describes an action that started in the past and continues to the
present time.
Present Perfect Tense- can also describe an action that has just taken place, or an action
where the exact time in the past is indefinite.
Past Perfect Tense- describes an action that occurred in the past before another activity
or another point of time in the past.
Sequence of Tenses- refers to the proper use of verb tenses in complex sentences
(sentences that have an independent clause and a dependent clause).
12
Verb To Be
was
was
are
By Phrase Optional
(by the runner)
(by the chef)
(by the artist)
The Subjunctive Mood- the most limited of the three moods for English verbs, uses
special verb forms to express certain statements contrary to fact, or to express demand or
urgency after certain verbs.
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