Rebekah Hendershot

Rebekah Hendershot

Commas

Slide Duration:

Table of Contents

Section 1: Punctuation
End Punctuation

11m 28s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:08
What is End Punctuation?
0:44
End Punctuation Contributes to Tone or Meaning of Sentence
0:53
Period, Question Mark, and Exclamation Point
1:06
Kinds of Sentences
1:28
Three Kinds of Sentences: Declarative, Interrogative, Exclamatory
1:35
Imperative and Subjunctive Sentences Don't Have Single Kind of Punctuation
1:56
Declarative Sentences
2:05
Declarative Sentences State a Fact
2:08
Examples of Declarative Sentences
2:13
Interrogative Sentences
2:42
Interrogative Sentences Ask a Question
3:00
May Have Inverted Subject-Verb Order
3:04
May be Constructed Like Declarative Sentences
3:12
Can be One Word Long
3:30
Examples of Interrogative Sentences
3:35
Exclamatory Sentences
4:25
Exclamatory Sentences Express Strong Emotion
4:30
May be Constructed Like Declarative Sentences
4:33
May be Grammatically Incomplete
4:37
Can be One Word Long
4:40
Examples of Exclamatory Sentences
4:42
Imperative Sentences
5:05
Imperative Sentences Give a Command
5:11
Have No Grammatical Subject, Implied Subject is 'You'
5:16
Examples of Imperative Sentences
5:22
Subjunctive Sentences
5:52
Subjunctive Sentences Describe Events Contrary to Fact
6:04
More on the Subjunctive Mood in Basic Grammar Course
6:14
Examples of Subjunctive Sentences
6:18
Periods
6:47
Period is Used for Declarative, Some Imperative, and Some Subjunctive Sentences
7:04
Examples of Using Periods
7:11
Question Marks
7:16
Question Mark is Used for Interrogative Sentences and Fragments
7:21
Speak Questions with a Rising Inflection at the End
7:33
Examples of Using Question Marks
7:42
Exclamation Points
8:21
Exclamation Point is Used for Exclamatory, Some Subjunctive, and Some Imperative Sentences for Emphasis
8:29
Examples of Using Exclamation Points
8:45
Choose the End Punctuation
9:04
Choose the End Punctuation Answers
9:41
Apostrophes & Quotation Marks

23m 45s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:09
Quotation Marks
0:32
Quotation Marks Indicate that Someone is Speaking
0:35
Examples of Using Quotation Marks
0:44
Rules for Quotation Marks
1:23
When Quoting Within a Quote, Use Double Quotation Marks Outside and Single Quotation Marks Inside
1:28
British Commonwealth Reverse This Custom
1:53
Periods and Commas Go Inside Quotation Marks
2:13
Examples of Using Periods, Commas, and Single Quotation Marks in Double Quotation Marks
2:20
Place a Question Mark Inside or Outside of Quotation Marks
3:00
Use Only One Ending Punctuation Mark
3:16
Examples of Using Quotation Marks and Question Marks
3:40
When You Have a Question Inside and Outside Quoted Material, Put One Question Mark Inside the Quotation Marks
4:08
Set Off a Quotation With Comma(s)
4:24
Question Marks May be Used Only to Set Off a Direct Quotation
4:35
Examples of Commas, Quotation Marks, and Question Marks
4:40
Quoting Paragraphs
5:50
Quoting Spelling or Grammatical Errors with [sic]
6:27
Apostrophes
7:25
Apostrophes Take the Place of Missing Letters in Contractions and Form Possessives
7:28
Examples of Using Apostrophes
7:36
Rules for Apostrophes
8:14
Place an Apostrophe to Replace Missing Letters in Contractions
8:15
Double Contractions
8:30
Examples of Using Apostrophes in Contractions
9:00
Place an Apostrophe to Show Possession
9:57
Showing Possession when the Name Ends in 'S'
10:13
Examples of Using Apostrophes to Show Possession
10:28
Showing Plural Possession
10:57
Examples of Using Apostrophes to Show Plural Possession
11:18
Use Apostrophes where the Noun that should Follow is Implied
12:12
Examples of Using Apostrophes where the Noun that should Follow is Implied
12:20
Don't Use Apostrophes for the Plural of a Name
12:40
Examples of Not Using Apostrophes for the Plural of a Name
12:44
Singular Compound Nouns
13:14
Plural Compound Nouns
13:30
Two People Owning the Same Item vs. Two People Owning Different Items
14:00
Never Use an Apostrophe with a Possessive Pronoun
14:45
It's vs. Its
15:17
Examples of It's vs. Its
15:40
Don't Use Apostrophes for Plurals for Capital Letters and Numbers
16:52
Use Apostrophes with Capital Letters and Numbers when the Meaning would be Unclear Otherwise
17:20
Use Possessive Case in Front of a Gerund
18:09
Use the Possessive Form of Pronouns before Gerunds
19:02
Quotation Mark Practice
19:26
Quotation Mark Practice Answers
20:03
Apostrophe Practice
21:27
Apostrophe Practice Answers
21:59
Commas

20m 17s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:07
Commas
0:21
Commas Indicate Pauses Within Sentences
0:24
Rules for Commas
1:05
Commas Separate Words and Word Groups in a Series of Three or More
1:11
Oxford Commas
1:30
Use Commas Surrounding the Name or Title of a Person Being Addressed
2:02
Use Commas to Separate Two Adjectives when 'and' can be Inserted Between Them
2:35
Use Commas when an -ly adjective is Used with Other Adjectives
3:20
Use Commas to Separate the Day of the Month from the Year
4:10
Use Commas Between City and State
4:47
Use Commas to Surround Degrees or Titles Used with Names
5:18
Use Commas to Set Off Expressions that Interrupt Sentence Flow
6:05
Use Commas After Weak Clauses that Begin Sentences
6:32
Use Commas After Phrases of More than Three Words that Begin Sentences
7:29
Use Commas to Surround Nonessential Descriptions
8:11
Use Commas to Separate Two Strong Clauses Joined by a Coordinating Conjunction
9:10
Use Commas to Separate Two Independent Clauses To Avoid Confusion
9:50
Comma Splices
10:49
Run-On Sentences
11:47
If Subject Doesn't Appear in Front of Second Verb, Don't Use Comma
12:40
Use Commas to Introduce or Interrupt Quotations Shorter than Three Lines
13:02
Use Commas to Separate Statements from Questions and Contrasting Parts
13:40
Use Commas When Beginning Sentences With Introductory Words
14:08
Use Commas to Surround Interrupters
14:35
Use Either Commas or Semicolons before Introductory Words When Followed by Series of Items
14:45
Comma Practice
15:20
Comma Practice Answers
16:11
Colons & Semicolons

13m 49s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:09
Colons vs. Semicolons
0:28
Colons
0:32
Semicolons
0:46
Rules for Colons
1:11
Use Colons after Complete Sentences to Introduce Lists
1:13
Don't Use Colons Unless it Follows a Complete Sentence
1:41
Capitalization and Punctuation are Optional when Listing in Bulleted Form
2:10
Use Colons Instead of Semicolons Between Two Sentences When The Second Explains the First, and There's No Coordinating Conjunction
3:29
Use Colons to Introduce Direct Quotations More Than Three Lines Long
4:44
Use Colons to Follow Salutations of Business Letters
6:06
Rules for Semicolons
6:40
Use Semicolons to Separate Two Independent Sentences Without Conjunctions
6:45
Use Semicolons Before Introductory Words
7:21
Use Either Semicolons or Commas Before Introductory Words When They Introduce Lists
7:55
Use Semicolons to Separate Units in Series When Units Contain Commas
8:49
Use Semicolons Between Two Sentences Joined by Coordinating Conjunctions when Commas Appear in First Sentence
9:48
Colon and Semicolon Practice
11:06
Colon and Semicolon Practice Answers
11:55
Dashes, Hyphens, Ellipses, & Parentheses

21m 47s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:12
Hyphens
0:32
Hyphens Connect Words together into Compound Nouns, and are Not Dashes
0:37
Rules for Hyphens
1:04
Refer to a Dictionary
1:07
Phrases with Different Forms should be Separate as Verbs and Together as Nouns or Adjectives
1:46
Compound Verbs are either Hyphenated or Appear as One Word
2:32
Hyphenate Between Two or More Adjectives when Before a Noun and are Single Idea
3:35
Hyphenate Adverbs Not Ending in -ly that are Used as Compound Words in Front of Nouns
4:33
Use Commas, not Hyphens, between Two Adjectives when you can Insert 'and' between Them
5:35
Hyphenate Compound Numbers and Spelled-Out Fractions
6:09
Attach Prefixes and Suffixes Without Hyphens
6:38
Hyphenate Prefixes before Proper Nouns
6:56
Hyphenate Prefixes to Avoid Doubled 'a' and 'I'
7:32
Hyphenate All Words Beginning with 'self' except 'Selfish' and 'Selfless'
8:48
Use Hyphens with the Prefix 'ex-'
9:06
Use Hyphens with 're-' when 're-' means 'Again'
9:32
Ellipses
10:34
Ellipses Mark Where Words have been Omitted from Quoted Passages
10:43
Use No More than Three Marks when Omission Occurs in Middle of a Sentence or Between Sentences
11:02
Use Ellipsis Marks after the Last Punctuation Mark when Omitting Paragraphs
11:40
Dashes
12:12
Em Dashes Show Pause or Digression in a Sentence
12:26
En Dashes Show Connections Between Two Equivalent Things
12:37
En Dashes
13:36
Use En Dashes for Periods of Time Instead of 'to'
13:39
Use En Dashes to Combine Open Compounds
14:12
Em Dashes
14:43
Use Em Dashes Sparingly in Formal Writing
14:46
Em Dashes in Informal Writing May Replace Commas, Semicolons, Colons, and Parentheses
14:58
Parentheses
16:18
Use Parentheses to Enclose Words or Figures that are Used as an Aside
16:23
Use Parentheses to Enclose Numbers or Letters Used for Listed Items
17:03
Periods go Inside Parentheses only if an Entire Sentence is Inside the Parentheses
17:21
Practice
17:57
Practice Answers
18:56
Capitalization

12m 26s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:08
Rules for Capitalization
0:24
Capitalize the First Word of a Sentence and the First Word of a Quoted Sentence
0:29
Capitalize Proper Nouns
0:52
Capitalize a Person's Title when it Precedes the Name
1:07
Capitalize a Title when it Appears after a Name in an Address or Signature Line
1:40
Capitalize the Titles of High-Ranking Government Officials When Used with Their Names
1:52
Capitalize Any Title When Used as a Direct Address
2:30
Capitalize Points of the Compass Only when they Refer to Specific Regions
2:50
In Titles of Publications, Capitalize the First and Last Words, Plus Other Words within Titles
3:31
Capitalize 'Federal' or 'State' when Used as part of an Official Agency Name or in Government Documents
5:10
Don't Capitalize Names of Seasons
5:46
Capitalize the First Word of a Salutation and the First Word of a Complimentary Close
6:09
Capitalize Words Derived from Proper Nouns
6:35
Capitalize Names of Specific Course Titles
7:07
After a Sentence Ending with a Colon, Do Not Capitalize the First Word if it Begins a List
7:26
Do Not Capitalize When Only One Sentence Follows a Sentence Ending with a Colon
7:54
Capitalize when Two or More Sentences Follow a Sentence Ending with a Colon
8:14
Practice
8:52
Practice Answers
10:02
Section 2: Spelling
Spelling Basics

10m 56s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:07
History of Spelling
0:19
English Uses Roman Phonetic Alphabet Designed to Represent Latin Sounds
0:30
Writers 'Sounded Out' Words and Different Accents Produced Different Spellings
0:59
The Standard for Spelling After the Norman Conquest of 1066
1:31
Advent of Printing in 1400's and An Explosion of Documentation, Reading, and Writing
2:12
London English Became the Basis of Standard Spelling
2:28
The Great English Vowel Shift of the 1500's and The Creation of the Silent E
2:45
Bible Translated to English King James Version of 1611 Had Impact on Spelling
3:24
Nonstandard Spelling Slows Down Silent Reading
4:01
1700's Rise of Dictionaries and The First Dictionary by Samuel Johnson
5:12
Noah Webster Created a Standard Dictionary of American Spellings
5:55
Spelling Reform Movements Have Little Effect After Dictionary
6:26
English Speakers Adopt American Variations of British Spelling in United States
6:38
Languages Change All The Time
7:17
Why Spelling Matters
7:52
Spelling Is a Regional And Cultural Identifier
7:58
Good Spelling is Considered a Mark of Good Education
8:12
Bad Spelling Makes Writing More Difficult to Understand
8:22
Bad Spelling Is Unprofessional
8:54
Ways to Improve Your Spelling
9:06
Read
9:08
Play Word Games
9:33
Use Mnemonics
9:48
Spell-Check
10:12
I Before E

6m 52s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:10
The Rule
0:27
I Before E, Except After C, Or When Sounding Like A As in Neighbor or Weigh
0:34
Examples
1:01
Examples After C
1:09
Examples Sounding Like A
1:25
Exceptions To The Rule
1:59
Loanwords or Words Pronounced Differently Before Great Vowel Shift
2:00
List of Major Exception Words
2:24
Practice
3:22
Practice Answers
4:13
Ways To Improve Your Spelling
5:36
Read
5:38
Play Word Games
5:59
Use Mnemonics
6:15
Spell-Check
6:24
Forming Plurals

9m 23s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:10
Five Rules for English Plurals
0:43
1. Add an 'S' to Most Words
0:46
2. Add an 'es' to Words Ending In 'x', 's', 'sh', or 'ch'
0:56
3. When a Word Ends in a Consonant Plus 'y', Change the 'y' to 'ie' then Add 's'
1:33
4. Add 'es' to Nouns Ending in a Long 'o' Preceded by a Consonant (Except Musical Terms and Loanwords)
1:52
5. For Many Words Ending in 'f' or 'fe' Change 'f' or 'fs' to 'v' then Add 's' or 'es'
2:53
Plurals for Foreign Words
3:22
How English Creates Plurals From Foreign Words
3:23
Most Relevant with Words Derived from Greek and Latin
4:10
Latin Words Ending With 'um' Usually Form a Plural with Ending 'a'
4:15
Latin Words Ending With 'us' Usually Form a Plural with Ending 'i'
4:30
Latin Words Ending With 'a' Usually Form a Plural With The Ending 'ae'
4:50
Greek Words Ending With 'is' Usually Form a Plural With Ending 'es'
5:01
Greek Words Ending With 'on' Usually Form a Plural With Ending 'a'
5:11
Practice
5:23
Practice Answers
6:13
Ways To Improve Your Spelling
8:14
Read
8:19
Play Word Games and Word Puzzles
8:37
Use Mnemonics
8:52
Spell-Check and Dictionary
9:06
Final Consonants and Final Es

8m 38s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:11
Doubling Final Consonants
0:30
Double Final Consonant Before Adding Suffix When Suffix Begins With Vowel
1:27
Double Final Consonant Before Adding Suffix When Last Syllable is Accented and Ends in Single Consonant
2:05
Dealing With Final Es
2:35
1. Adding a Suffix That Starts With a Vowel to Word Ending in a Silent E
2:51
Exceptions
3:19
2. Adding a Suffix That Starts With a Consonant to Word Ending in a Silent E
3:58
Exceptions
4:24
3. Adding a Suffix to Words With Silent E Preceded by Another Vowel
4:34
Practice
5:04
Practice Answers
5:52
Ways to Improve Your Reading
7:04
Read
7:09
Play Word Games
7:34
Use Mnemonics
7:45
Spell-Check
8:07
Writing Numbers

17m 25s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:08
Two Ways to Write Numbers
0:28
Numerals and Spelled Out Words
0:31
The General Rule is to Spell Out Single Digit Whole Numbers and Use Numerals for Bigger Numbers
0:51
Rules for Writing Numbers
1:20
Be Consistent Within a Category
1:23
If Your Group of Numbers Has a Number Greater Than Nine, Use Numerals for All
1:45
If You Have Numbers in Different Categories Use Numerals for One and Spell Out the Other
1:52
Always Spell Out Simple Fractions and Use Hyphens
4:11
A Mixed Fraction Can be Expressed in Numerals Unless it is the First Word in a Sentence
4:32
The Simplest Way to Express Numbers is Best
5:26
Examples
5:36
Write Decimals in Figures
7:24
Use Commas With Numbers of Four Digits or More
8:04
But Do Not Use A Comma When Writing Out a Number of Four or More Digits
8:29
Writing Dates
8:57
Writing Decades, Spell Them Out and Lowercase Them
9:54
Expressing Decades Using Incomplete Numerals With Apostrophes
10:23
Spell Out the Time of Day in Text
11:05
Use Numerals With Time of Day When Exact Times Are Being Emphasized
11:38
Use Noon and Midnight Rather Than 12:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m.
12:27
Hyphenate All Compound Numbers From Twenty-One to Ninety-Nine
12:58
Write Out a Number if it Begins a Sentence
13:20
Practice
14:00
Practice Answers
14:58
Tips to Improve Your Spelling

8m 41s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:08
Make Your Own Spelling List
0:27
Keep a List of Words You Frequently Misspell and Add Words
0:42
Write Down the Definition of a Troublesome Word Beside It
1:07
Study Your List Often
1:25
Create Mnemonics
1:35
Mnemonics Definition and Examples
1:42
Organize and Reorganize Your List
3:13
Group Words
3:24
Come Up With Different Versions of List and Study Each Version
3:40
Make Flashcards
3:58
Test Yourself
4:02
Take Traditional Spelling Tests
4:08
One-Person Spelling Bee
4:22
Read Actively
6:49
Most of the Spelling We Absorb Comes From Reading
6:55
Focus On the Image of the Typed Words to Reinforce Correct Spelling
7:18
Imagine Sounds of Words or Try to Pronounce In Your Head
7:36
Keep Reading
8:26
Forming Contractions

16m 31s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:08
What is a Contraction?
0:51
Definition of Contraction
0:52
Quicker to Write and Pronounce, Are Considered Less Formal
1:02
Apostrophes Used to Create Possessives Are Not Contractions
1:52
Are Contractions
2:26
Forming a Contraction With the Verb 'Are'
2:30
Using 'Are' Contractions With Nouns or Pronouns in Conversation
2:54
Have Contractions
3:39
Forming a Contraction With the Verb 'Have'
3:40
Using 'Have' Contractions With Nouns or Pronouns in Conversation
3:57
Is/Has Contractions
4:19
Forming a Contraction With the Verb 'Is' and 'Has'
4:21
'Is' and 'Has' Contractions With Nouns and Pronouns in Written and Spoken English
4:56
Not Contractions
5:44
Forming a Contraction With the Adverb 'Not'
5:45
Contraction From 'Will Not' to Special Form 'Won't', and 'Are Not' to 'Aren't'
6:22
Will/Shall Contractions
6:41
Forming a Contraction With the Verb 'Will' or 'Shall'
6:42
Contraction Will/Shall With Nouns and Pronouns
7:03
Would/Had Contractions
7:31
Forming Would/Had Contractions
7:32
Would/Had Contractions With Nouns and Pronouns
8:00
Other Contractions
8:21
Ain't
8:30
Cause
9:18
D' is an Informal Contraction For Do
9:48
Let's
10:06
Ma'am
10:35
O'clock
11:03
Y'all
11:39
Doubling Contractions
12:56
Grammatically Correct but Highly Informal
12:59
Rules For Contractions
13:44
Contractions Are Almost Always Less Formal
13:45
Academic Writing and Professional Writing Prohibits Contractions
14:06
Always Use Contractions With Apostrophes
14:27
Avoid Doubling Contractions
15:01
Practice
15:11
Practice Answers
15:51
Section 3: Problematic Words
Problematic Words (A-B)

14m 6s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:13
Problematic Words
0:45
Affect Vs. Effect
0:46
Adverse Vs. Averse
2:06
Advice Vs. Advise
3:01
Allot Vs. A Lot
3:25
Already Vs. All Ready
4:32
Among Vs. Between
5:33
Amount Vs. Number
6:20
Assure/Ensure/Insure
7:13
Been Vs. Bin
7:58
Buy/By/Bye
8:51
Because Vs. Since
9:32
Practice
10:56
Practice Answers
11:48
Problematic Words (C-E)

10m 20s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:12
Problematic Words
0:44
Cannon Vs. Canon
0:45
Capital Vs. Capitol
1:29
Complement Vs. Compliment
2:12
Connote Vs. Denote
2:44
Desert Vs. Dessert
3:40
Different From Vs. Differently Than
4:34
Elicit Vs. Illicit
5:34
Emigrate Vs. Immigrate
6:50
Every Day Vs. Everyday
7:31
Practice
8:03
Practice Answers
8:52
Problematic Words (F-J)

9m 34s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:14
Fewer/Less/Under
0:45
For/Fore/Four
1:55
Foreword Vs. Forward
2:37
Gone Vs. Went
3:19
Hole/Whole
3:58
Holy/Wholly
4:43
Imply Vs. Infer
5:14
Irregardless Vs. Regardless
6:10
Practice
6:55
Practice Answers
7:40
Problematic Words (K-P)

16m 10s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:09
Problematic Words
0:54
Lay/Lie
0:55
Lay/Lie/Lying/Lain to Recline
1:05
Lay/Laying/Laid to Put or Place
2:08
Lie/Lied/Lying/Lied to Tell Falsehoods
3:15
Lightning/Lightening
3:52
Lightning/Lightening Examples
4:49
Loose/Lose
5:03
Medal/Meddle
5:42
Metal/Mettle
6:09
Of Vs. Have
6:58
On to Vs. Onto
7:51
Pair/Pare/Pear
8:40
Passed Vs. Past
9:11
Peak/Peek/Pique
9:37
Perpetrate Vs. Perpetuate
10:40
Pi Vs. Pie
11:17
Praise/Prays/Preys
11:36
Precedence/Precedents/Presidents
12:02
Principal/Principle
12:50
Profit/Prophet
13:38
Practice
14:11
Practice Answers
14:55
Problematic Words (Q-U)

10m 43s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:12
Problematic Words
0:46
Rain/Reign/Rein
0:47
Read/Read/Red
2:03
Right/Rite/Write
2:36
Role Vs. Roll
3:19
Root/Rout/Route
4:08
Set Vs. Sit
4:47
Stationary Vs. Stationery
5:23
Take Vs. Bring
5:50
Than Vs. Then
6:24
Threw Vs. Through
6:47
To/Too/Two
7:19
Their/There/They're
8:03
Practice
8:44
Practice Answers
9:26
Problematic Words (V-Z)

13m

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:12
Problematic Words
0:59
Vary Vs. Very
1:00
Verses Vs. Versus
1:22
Vice Vs. Vise
2:12
Wail Vs. Whale
2:50
Warrantee Vs. Warranty
3:34
Wear Vs. Where
4:00
Weather Vs. Whether
4:42
Were Vs. We're
5:13
While Vs. Wile
5:52
Who's Vs. Whose
6:37
Who Vs. Whom
7:05
Won/Won't/Wont
8:45
Yore/Your/You're
9:45
Practice
11:12
Practice Answers
11:48
Latin Terms & Abbreviations

13m 10s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:09
The Big Three
1:07
Etc./Et Cetera
1:08
Use a Comma Before Etc. at the End of a List
1:40
Never Use Etc. More Than Once in a Row
1:48
When Using Etc. Make Sure All Items Are of the Same Kind
2:19
E.g./Exempli Gratia
2:42
I.e./Id Est.
3:07
I.E. or E.G.?
3:35
Use E.g. to Give Examples Not Necessarily the Only Example
3:36
Use I.e. to Demonstrate Equivalency
4:20
Some Situations Can Use Either I.e. or E.g.
4:58
More Latin Terms
5:53
Sic
5:54
Circa
6:49
Et Al.
7:39
Viz.
8:09
Problematic Words
8:55
Versus
8:56
Practice
9:49
Practice Answers
10:30
Section 4: Improving Your Grammar
The Essential Sentence

13m 22s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:08
A Complete Sentence
0:32
A Complete, Grammatical English Sentence Only Needs Two Elements
0:33
A Complete, Grammatical English Sentence Needs a Subject
0:47
A Complete, Grammatical English Sentence Needs a Predicate
1:18
Subject and Verbs Must Agree in Number
1:44
The Other Stuff
1:58
Other Stuff That Can Show Up in a Sentence: Phrases, Clauses, Parenthetical Statements and Interjections
1:59
A Few Examples
2:44
Rules for Subjects
4:33
A Subject Will Come Before a Phrase Beginning With Of
4:34
Sentences May Have Multiple Subjects
5:23
A Request or Command Has an Implied Subject
5:50
Rules for Verbs
6:57
An Infinitive
6:58
To Find a Subject and Verb, Look for the Verb First
8:02
Multiple Verbs in One Sentence
8:58
Practice
9:36
Practice Answers
10:40
Problems With Subjects and Verbs

14m 32s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:10
Singular Vs. Plural Verbs
0:43
Singular Subjects with Singular Verbs and Plural Subjects With Plural Verbs
0:44
Singular and Plural Subjects
2:14
Two Singular Subjects Connected by 'Or' or 'Nor' Require a Singular Verb
2:15
Two Singular Subjects Connected by 'Either/Or' or 'Neither/Nor' Require a Singular Verb
2:42
'I' as One of the Subjects
3:08
Singular and Plural Subjects Connected by 'Either/Or' or 'Neither/Nor'
4:06
Plural Verb for Two or More Subjects Connected by 'And'
4:37
Subject Separated from Verb
5:07
Words Indicating Portions
5:43
Singular Pronouns Require Singular Verbs
8:06
Subjects 'Either' and 'Neither' Take a Singular Verb
8:45
Adverbs Here and There
9:07
Singular Verbs With Sums of Money or Periods of Time
9:43
Collective Nouns May be Singular or Plural
10:10
Pronouns That Become Plural According to Noun: Who, That, Which
11:10
Practice
11:42
Practice Answers
12:33
Problems With Pronouns

15m 36s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:09
Pronouns and Pronoun Cases
0:36
Pronoun Definition and The Three Cases
0:37
Subject/Nominative
0:56
Object/Objective
1:02
Possessive
1:06
Rules for Pronouns
1:15
Subject Pronouns as the Subject of a Verb
1:16
Subject Pronouns Used to Rename the Subject, Following To Be Verbs
1:37
Object Pronouns Following 'To Be' Verbs in Spoken English
2:09
Object Pronouns Everywhere Else
2:40
Weak Clauses Versus Strong Clauses When Using Pronouns
3:19
Strong Clauses
3:29
Weak Clauses
3:36
Deciding What Kind of Pronoun to Use
4:12
Completing The Sentence Differently Changes the Meaning
4:48
Possessive Pronouns Do Not Need Apostrophes
5:43
Using Reflexive Pronouns; The 'Self' Pronouns
6:38
When to Use Who or Whom
8:17
Choosing Between Whoever and Whomever
9:08
Who Refers to People, That or Which Refer to Groups or Things
9:38
That and Which, Essential and Nonessential Clauses
10:04
Practice
12:32
Practice Answers
13:17
Problems With Adjectives and Adverbs

11m 9s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:10
Adjectives Vs. Adverbs
0:30
What Are Adjectives and When to Use Adjectives?
0:31
What are Adverbs and When to Use Adverbs?
0:58
General Rules
2:03
If a Word Answers the Question 'How?', it is an Adverb
2:05
Rule Change: If a Verb is Being Used Actively, Use an Adverb
2:38
If a Verb is Not Being Used Actively, Use an Adjective
3:21
Good Vs. Well
3:59
Good is an Adjective, Well is an Adverb
4:00
Well When Referring to Health, Good When Referring to Emotional State
4:58
Comparisons
5:24
The Comparative, and the Superlative
5:25
Making a Comparison Using -ly Adverbs
6:21
This/That/These/Those
6:54
Adjectives or Pronouns?
6:55
This and That Are Always Singular, This is Nearer Than That
7:24
These and Those Are Always Plural, These are Nearer Than Those
7:41
Than Vs. Then
7:51
Use Than to Show Comparison, Use Then to Answer the Question When
7:52
Practice
8:21
Practice Answers
9:06
Problems With Prepositions

7m

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:10
What is a Preposition?
0:22
Defining a Preposition
0:23
The Log
0:29
Rules for Prepositions
1:40
Ending a Sentence With a Preposition
1:41
Do Not Use Extra Prepositions
2:12
Indicating Dates With a Preposition
2:43
'Of' Versus 'Have'
2:59
Between Versus Among
3:27
The Word Like as a Preposition
4:06
Practice
4:43
Practice Answers
5:32
Section 5: Effective Writing
Concrete Language

10m 39s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:08
What is Concrete Language?
0:26
Concrete language is Not Abstract
0:27
Concrete Language is About the Real World
0:54
Specificity
1:50
The First Rule of Concrete Language is Specificity
1:51
Sensory Details
3:11
Concrete Nouns
3:12
Sensory Details Can be Applied to Abstract Concepts
3:47
Vivid Verbs
4:31
Vivid Verbs Can Make Sentences Come Alive!
4:32
Use a Thesaurus to Find Vivid Verbs
5:38
Do Not Overuse Vivid Verbs
5:46
Active Voice
6:35
What is the Active Voice?
6:36
Fun Tip
7:18
Practice
7:51
Practice Answers
8:37
Clumsy Sentences & Double Negatives

6m 29s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:09
What Makes a Sentence Clumsy?
0:23
English Includes a Tremendous Variety of Sounds
0:24
Clumsy Sentences
0:44
What is a Double Negative?
1:02
In English, Two Negative Words Make a Positive
1:03
Avoiding Clumsy Sentences
2:11
Use Active Voice Whenever Possible
2:12
Fun Tip
2:48
Avoid These Phrases
3:17
Practice
4:32
Practice Answers
5:02
Parallel Structure & Flow

12m 12s

Intro
0:00
Lesson Overview
0:09
What is Flow?
0:30
Writers and Teachers Use of the Term Flow
0:31
Flow is a Matter of Practice but Has Several Key Elements
1:04
Parallel Structure
1:22
Parallelism (Word Lists, Phrases, Clauses, Etc.)
1:23
Modifiers
4:04
What is a Modifier?
4:05
If You Start a Sentence With an Acton, Follow it Up Immediately With an Actor
4:33
Place Modifiers as Close as Possible to the Thing Being Modified
5:37
Fragments
7:05
What is a Sentence Fragment?
7:06
Practice
8:23
Practice Answers
9:03
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