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English Language Guide
ENGLISH GRAMMAR
This glossary provides definitions and explanations of English grammar terms. This is excellent for your grammar understanding of Terms. What is an adjective, verb, noun, preposition?
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OWL Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling
Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling
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In this section of our site, we offer you handouts and exercises on grammar, spelling, and punctuation. We also have PowerPoint presentations related to grammar, and we have an entire section of handouts and resources for English as a Second Language learners that might also prove useful.
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Grammar
Adjectives and adverbs
- A or An?: with exercise and answer key
- Adjective or Adverb?: with 2 exercises and answer keys
- Adjectives with Countable and Uncountable Nouns
- Using Articles (A/An/The): with 2 exercises and answer keys
Nouns
- A Little Help with Capitals
- Count and NonCount Nouns (with Plurals, Articles, and Quantity Words): with 2 exercises and answer keys
- Count and NonCount Nouns (with Articles and Adjectives): with exercise and answer key
- Writing Numbers: with exercise and answer key
Prepositions
- Prepositions of Direction: To, On(to), In(to) with exercise and answer key
- Prepositions of Location: At, In, On with exercise and answer key
- Prepositions of Time, of Place, and to Introduce Objects
- Spatial Relationships of Prepositions
Pronouns
Sentence structure
- Appositives : with exercise and answer key
- Dangling Modifiers
- Independent and Dependent Clauses (definitions)
- Making Subject and Verbs Agree
- Parallel Structure
- Run-ons, Comma splices, and Fused Sentences
- Sentence Fragments: with 3 exercises and answer keys
- Sentence Punctuation Patterns
- Some Strategies for Improving Sentence Clarity
Verbs
- Active/Passive Verbs
- Irregular Verbs
- Sequence of Tenses
- Tense Consistency: with an exercise and answer key
- Two-Part (Phrasal) Verbs- (Idioms)
- Verb Tenses
- Verbs with Helpers (Perfectives and Auxilliaries)
- Verbals: Gerunds, Participles, and Infinitives
- Voice and Mood
Punctuation
Apostrophes and Quotation Marks
- Apostrophes with exercise and answer key
- Quotation Marks: with exercise and answer key
Commas
- Commas after Introductions: with exercise and answer key
- Commas vs. Semicolons in Compound Sentences : withexercise and answer key
- Commas with Essential and Non-essential Elements: with3 exercises and answer keys
- Proofreading for Commas
- Using Commas:with 5 exercises and answer keys
Hyphens
Other punctuation
- Brief Overview of Punctuation: Semicolons, Colons, Parentheses, Dash, Quotation Marks, and Italics: with exercise and answer key
Sentence Punctuation
Spelling
- Spelling: Sound-Alike Words
- Spelling: Accept/Except and Affect/Effect: with 2 exercises and answer keys
- Spelling: i/e rules: with 2 exercises and answer keys
- Spelling: Noun Plurals
- Spelling: Suffixes–-ible vs. —able: with exercise and answer key
Exercises
Try our interactive exercises index for interactive versions of some of these exercises.
- A or An?
- Adjective or Adverb?
- Apostrophes
- Appositives
- Articles (A/An/The):
- Commas:
- Commas after Introductions
- Commas Set Off Nonessential Elements:
- Commas vs. Semicolons in Compound Sentences
- Exercises for Eliminating Wordiness
- Count and NonCount Nouns Exercises
- Quantity Terms with Count and Noncount Nouns
- Writing Numbers:Exercise
- Practice Exercises in Paraphrasing
- Making Subjects and Verbs Agree
- Prepositions of Direction:To, On (to), In (to)
- Prepositions of Location: At, In, On
- Punctuation Exercise 1
- Quotation Marks
- Sentence Fragments
- Spelling: accept/except
- Spelling: i/e rules
- Spelling:Exercises for -ible vs. —able
- Tense Consistency
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This index includes 427 references to both the Guide to Grammar and Writing and Principles of Composition. It does not, however, include references to the interactive Quizzes or to the Grammarlogs (posted responses to ASK GRAMMAR queries). The Frequently Asked Questions page and the Guide's Search Engine will also help you find help on grammatical issues, tips on composition, and advice on English usage.
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The material in this book may be used freely for any non-commercial purpose, however no changes to the content may be made without the express permission of the author. Questions, comments or corrections may be sent to stirling@dbis.ns.ca.
The contents of the book can be seen at a glance from the Table of Contents, which contains links to all of the material covered. There is also an Index.
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To the reader
This book has the following features:
* All of the essential points of English grammar are covered.
* Each point of grammar is clearly explained, and is illustrated by examples.
* For every important point of grammar, one or more exercises are provided, to make it easier to learn and remember the material.
* Answers for the exercises are provided.
* A summary of the uses and formation of the English verb tenses is given for easy reference.
* Grammatically determined rules for spelling, pronunciation, and punctuation are included.
* The grammar of North American English is emphasized.
* Grammatical differences between formal and informal English are pointed out.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
THE USES AND FORMATION OF THE ENGLISH VERB TENSES
THE ACTIVE VOICE OF THE VERB TO SHOW
THE VERB TO BE AND THE PASSIVE VOICE OF THE VERB TO SHOW
COMMON ENGLISH IRREGULAR VERBS
CHAPTER 1. The simple present of the verb to be
1. Grammar
2. Verb forms
3. Uses of the simple present tense
4. The simple present of the verb to be
a. Affirmative statements
b. Questions
c. Negative statements
d. Negative questions
e. Tag questions
Exercises
CHAPTER 2. The simple present of verbs other than the verb to be
1. The formation of the simple present
a. The simple present of the verb to have
2. Spelling rules for adding s in the third person singular
a. Verbs ending in y
b. Verbs ending in o
c. Verbs ending in ch, s, sh, x or z
3. Pronunciation of the es ending
4. The auxiliary do
a. Questions
b. Negative statements
c. Negative questions
d. Tag questions
e. The verb to have
Exercises
CHAPTER 3. The present continuous
1. Uses of the present continuous
2. Formation of the present continuous
3. Spelling rules for the formation of the present participle
a. Verbs ending in a silent e
b. Verbs ending in ie
c. One-syllable verbs ending in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel
d. Verbs of more than one syllable which end in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel
4. Questions and negative statements
a. Questions
b. Negative statements
c. Negative questions
d. Tag questions
5. Comparison of the uses of the simple present and present continuous
Exercises
CHAPTER 4. The present perfect and the present perfect continuous
1. Use of the present perfect
2. Formation of the present perfect: Regular verbs
3. Spelling rules for adding ed to form the past participle
a. Verbs ending in a silent e
b. Verbs ending in y
c. Verbs ending in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel
4. Pronunciation of the ed ending
5. Formation of the present perfect: Irregular verbs
6. Questions and negative statements
a. Questions
b. Negative statements
c. Negative questions
d. Tag questions
7. The present perfect continuous
a. Use
b. Formation
c. Questions and negative statements
Exercises
CHAPTER 5. The simple past
1. Uses of the simple past
2. Formation of the simple past
a. The verb to be
i. Questions and negative statements
b. Other verbs
i. Questions and negative statements
3. The simple past of to use followed by an infinitive
Exercises
CHAPTER 6. The past continuous, the past perfect and the past perfect continuous
1. Summary of the uses of the English tenses
2. The past continuous
a. Use
b. Formation
c. Questions and negative statements
3. The past perfect
a. Use
b. Formation
c. Questions and negative statements
4. The past perfect continuous
a. Use
b. Formation
c. Questions and negative statements
5. Summary of the formation of the English present and past tenses
6. Emphatic statements
Exercises
CHAPTER 7. The future tenses
1. The simple future
a. Use
b. Formation
c. Questions and negative statements
2. The conjugation expressing determination and compulsion
3. The present continuous of to go followed by an infinitive
4. The future continuous
a. Use
b. Formation
c. Questions and negative statements
5. The future perfect
a. Use
b. Formation
c. Questions and negative statements
6. The future perfect continuous
a. Use
b. Formation
c. Questions and negative statements
7. Summary of the formation of the English future tenses
8. Clauses
a. Coordinate clauses
b. Subordinate clauses
c. The past perfect and the simple past
d. The use of the present in subordinate clauses to express future actions
Exercises
CHAPTER 8. Conjugations with the auxiliary would
1. Uses of the auxiliary would
2. Formation of conjugations with the auxiliary would
a. The simple conjugation with the auxiliary would
b. The continuous conjugation with the auxiliary would
c. The perfect conjugation with the auxiliary would
d. The perfect continuous conjugation with the auxiliary would
3. Summary of the formation of the conjugations with the auxiliary would
4. The "future in the past"
Exercises
CHAPTER 9. The subjunctive
1. Uses of the subjunctive
2. Formation of the subjunctive
3. Formal commands and requests
4. Wishes
a. An earlier time
b. The same time
c. A later time
d. Summary
e. Use of the auxiliary could in expressing wishes
5. Conditions which are false or improbable
a. Forms of the verb used in the main clause
i. Referring to present or future time
ii. Referring to past time
iii. Summary
iv. Use of the auxiliary could in sentences containing false or improbable conditions
b. Forms of the verb used in the subordinate clause
i. Referring to present or future time
ii. Referring to past time
iii. Summary
c. Changing a statement containing a probable condition into a statement containing an improbable condition
6. The imperative mood
Exercises
CHAPTER 10. Modal verbs
1. Formation of the modal conjugations
a. Questions
b. Negative statements
c. Negative questions
d. Tag questions
2. Relationships among the modal auxiliaries
3. Can and could
4. May, might and must
5. Should
6. Expressions Which are synonymous with the modal auxiliaries
a. The pronunciation of have to
7. The use of auxiliaries in tag questions, short answers and ellipsis
a. Negative tag questions
b. Affirmative tag questions
c. Short answers
d. Ellipsis
Exercises
CHAPTER 11. Transitive and intransitive verbs
1. Direct objects
2. Lay and lie, raise and rise and set and sit
a. To lay and to lie
b. To raise and to rise
c. To set and to sit
3. Indirect objects
Exercises
CHAPTER 12. The passive voice
1. Use of the passive voice
2. Formation of the indicative mood of the passive voice
a. The Simple Present indicative
b. The other indicative tenses
c. Summary of the formation of the indicative tenses of the passive voice
3. Questions and negative statements
a. Questions
b. Negative statements
c. Negative questions
4. Changing the voice of a verb
5. Changing the voice of a verb while preserving the meaning of a sentence
a. Changing the verb from the active voice to the passive voice
b. Changing the verb from the passive voice to the active voice
c. Changing the voice of a verb which takes both a direct object and an indirect object
6. The subjunctive mood of the passive voice
a. Use of the simple present subjunctive
b. Use of the past forms of the subjunctive
Exercises
CHAPTER 13. Nouns: The formation of plurals
1. Proper nouns
2. Countable nouns
3. The formation of plurals
a. Nouns ending in ch, s, sh, x or z
b. Nouns ending in y
c. Plurals of proper nouns
d. Nouns ending in f or fe
e. Nouns ending in o
f. Foreign words
g. Hyphenated nouns
h. Numbers and letters
i. Irregular plurals
Exercises
CHAPTER 14. Singular countable nouns
1. The use of determiners with singular countable nouns
2. A and an
3. The use of a and an before singular countable nouns
a. A weakened form of one
b. Naming a profession
c. Making a general statement
d. Referring to something not mentioned before
e. A or an with the meaning of per
4. The use of the before singular countable nouns
a. Referring to something mentioned before
b. Referring to something unique
c. Referring to something when it is considered obvious what is meant
d. Referring to something as a class
Exercises
CHAPTER 15. Plural countable nouns
1. The absence of a determiner before plural countable nouns
a. Making a general statement
b. Referring to something not mentioned before
c. Naming a profession
2. The Use of The Before plural countable nouns
a. Referring to something mentioned before
b. Referring to something when it is considered obvious what is meant
c. Names of nationalities
d. Adjectives referring to classes of people
3. The use of the with proper nouns
a. Names of people
b. Names of places
4. Nouns used only in the plural
Exercises
CHAPTER 16. Uncountable nouns
1. The absence of a determiner before uncountable nouns
a. Making a general statement
b. Referring to something not mentioned before
2. The use of the before uncountable nouns
a. Referring to something mentioned before
b. Referring to something when it is considered obvious what is meant
3. The use of uncountable nouns to refer to individual things
4. Nouns which can be either countable or uncountable
a. Differences in meaning
b. Referring to a type of something
c. Referring to places used for specific activities
d. Names of meals
5. Infinitives used in the place of nouns
6. Gerunds
7. Specific verbs followed by infinitives and gerunds
a. Verbs followed by infinitives
b. Verbs followed by either infinitives or gerunds
c. Verbs followed by gerunds
Exercises
CHAPTER 17. Nouns indicating possession and compound subjects
1. Ways in which possession is indicated
a. The ending s
b. The ending s'