Comprehensive Review.Grammar and Style

As an educated individual, it is important to avoid using fragments, fused sentences (runons), and comma splices in your writing.  Please match each term to its definition.

• fragment

• This is an inomplete sentence. It can take the form of a dependent clause (Before I drove home....), or it can take the form of a phrase (around the bend).

• fused sentence

• A mistake that happens when two or more independent clauses (also known as complete sentences) are pushed togehter with no punctuation in between. Example: I love to write papers I would write one every day if I had the time.

• comma splice

• A mistake that happens when you use a comma to join two independent clauses. Here’s an example: Koala bears are not actually bears, they are marsupials.

As an educated individual, improve your writing style by using a variety of sentence types: simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences.  Match each sentence type to its definition and example.

• simple sentence

• (2 independent clauses) I am fully prepared for my exams, and I am relieved this semester is over.

• compound-complex sentence

• (1 dependent clause and 1 independent clause)Although I am not prepared for Christmas vacation, I am relieved this semester is nearly over.

• compound sentence

• (1 dependent clause and 2 independent clauses)Since it is nearly Christmas, I must do my Christmas shopping, and I must prepare for my out-of-town relatives.

• complex sentence

• (1 independent clause) I am relieved this semester is nearly over.

One error that writers often make is to make inappropriate shifts in verb tense.  This happens when the writer shifts tenses for no reason.  Select the sentence below which has NO ERRORS regarding verb tense.

• I climbed out of the car, walked through the door, and prepared to meet “the parents,” but instead a large, honey-colored dog runs to meet me at the door.

• I climbed out of the car, walked through the door, and prepared to meet “the parents,” but instead a large, honey-colored dog ran to meet me at the door.

A common error in writing is the presence of misplaced and dangling modifiers.  A modifier is a phrase that modifies or describes something else in the sentence.  When these are misplaced, they can confuse the reader.  

Select the sentence in which the modifiers are correctly placed.

• The patient was referred to the physician with stomach pains.

• The patient with stomach pains was referred to the physician.

Subjects and verbs must AGREE with one another in number (singular or plural). Thus, if a subject is singular, its verb must also be singular; if a subject is plural, its verb must also be plural. Which is correct?

• She eat custard pie.

• She eats custard pie.

To improve your overall style, practice techniques to make your writing both precise AND concise.  Though these terms seem at odds, they are not.  A writer should use precise and accurate language while using as few words as possible.  This is done in the revising, editing, proofing step of the writing process.  Match each word to its definition:

• concise language

• writing that is exact and accurate

• diction

• writing that avoids extra words that add no additional meaning

• precise language

• means "word choice" or language

Unless you are writing a scientific paper or particularly trying to avoid blame, you should strive to write in _________________________________voice, as it is generally more concise and clear.

• active voice

• passive voice

_______________________________________means using the same pattern of words in a sentence (whether it be a word, phrase, or clause).  This technique can empower your writing, and it can also improve readability.

Below are some famous examples of this technique:

• "For the end of a theoretical science is truth, but the end of a practical science is performance." -Aristotle

• "My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors." -Barack ObamaLinks to an external site.

• "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." -Neil Armstrong

• "We've seen the unfurling of flags, the lighting of candles, the giving of blood, the saying of prayers." -George W. BushLinks to an external site.

• parallelism

• passive voice

Many elements of writing contribute to an author's style, but three of the most important are diction, sentence fluency, and voice.  Match each term to its definition.

• sentence fluency

• The flow and rhythm of phrases and sentences (using different lengths and rhythms to achieve different effects.

• voice

• The specific type of language that we use, depending on the purose of our writing.

• diction

• The essential element of style that reveals the writer's personality.

When writing one can use different points of view, and you should select the point-of-view most appropriate for the purpose of your writing.  Please match the point of view to its appropriate description.

• first person

• (you, your) This point of view is often used in letters, social media posts, directions, and instructions. This point of view is not appropriate in college courses where more formal, less conversational writing is called for.

• second person

• him, her, them, one) This point of view is by far the most common in academic writing. It conveys the stance of an outsider or third person observing and reporting on matters of primarily of public rather than private importance.

• third person

• (I, me, mine, we, us, our) This point of view focuses on the writer and is appropriate in narrative and descriptive essays based on personal experience.