LESTER KAUFMAN is the publisher of GrammarBook.com. A lifelong public servant, he served first in the Peace Corps, and eventually completed the final years of his federal career with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He married Jane Straus in 1987. After his retirement from the EPA, Kaufman began assisting with the operation of Straus's fledgling website and helped edit previous editions of The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation.

Following Jane Straus's untimely passing in early 2011, Kaufman assumed management of GrammarBook.com, which features an informative and entertaining weekly newsletter that encourages readers to ask grammar questions and offer their views on the state of twenty-first-century English.

Preface and Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Introduction

Chapter 1: Grammar

Finding Nouns, Verbs, and Subjects

Definitions

Noun

Verb

Subject

Gerund

Using verbs to find subjects

Multiple subjects and verbs in a sentence

Infinitives

You as an understood subject

Subject-Verb Agreement

Singular vs. plural verbs

Finding subjects before phrases beginning with of

With or, either/or, and neither/nor

Two singular subjects

One singular and one plural subject

With and

With interrupting expressions

With here or there

With distances, periods of time, sums of money, etc.

With portion words such as a lot, a majority, percent, some, all

With collective nouns such as group, family, staff

The subjunctive mood

Irregular Verbs

Clauses and Phrases

Definitions

Clause

Independent clause

Dependent clause

Phrase

Pronouns

Definition: Pronoun

Subject pronouns

As the subject of the sentence

Renaming the subject

When who refers to a personal pronoun

Object pronouns

Subject and verb agreement with who, that, and which

Subject and verb agreement with anyone, someone, each, etc.

Following than or as

Possessive pronouns

Its vs. it’s; who’s vs. whose

Reflexives: the -self pronouns

Consistency with singular pronouns

The singular they

Pronouns linked with nouns by and

Possessive adjectives vs. possessive pronouns

Who vs. Whom

They/Them method

Common whom pitfall

Whoever vs. Whomever

Agreement with the verb in the dependent clause

Dependent clause as the subject of the verb following the clause

Who, That, Which

Who, that, and which with people, groups, and things

That with essential clauses

Which with nonessential clauses

When which can be used with essential clauses

Adjectives and Adverbs

Definitions

Adjective

Adverb

Adjectives modifying nouns and pronouns

Adverbs modifying verbs, adjectives, and adverbs

When to add -ly

Sense verbs: taste, smell, look, feel, etc.

Good vs. well

Well as an adjective when referring to health

Comparisons, such as -er vs. -est and more vs. most

This, that, these, and those

Prepositions

Definition: preposition

Ending a sentence with a preposition

Avoiding extra prepositions

Like

As, as if, as though, the way

Of vs. have

Different from vs. different than

In vs. into

Effective Writing

Concrete vs. vague language

Active vs. passive voice

Overuse of there is, there are, it is, it was, etc.

Double negatives

Parallel construction

Dangling modifiers

Misplaced modifiers

Fragments

Dialogue

Chapter 2: Punctuation

Spacing with Punctuation

Periods

With complete sentences

With abbreviations at the end of a sentence

Replacing periods with question marks and exclamation points

Commas

To separate three or more items

To separate adjectives

With two independent clauses

Run-on sentences or comma splices

Joined by connectors such as and, or, but, etc.

When the subject does not appear in front of the second verb

With because

Starting a sentence with a dependent clause vs. an independent clause

With nonessential words, clauses, and phrases

With sufficiently identified noun

With introductory words

To set off interrupting expressions

With names

With dates

With city and state

With Jr. and Sr.

With degrees and titles

With quotations

To introduce or interrupt quotations

Following quotations

To separate statements from questions

To separate contrasting parts of a sentence

With certain introductory words

When followed by a series of items

When the series of items ends with etc.

Semicolons

To replace a period in two closely linked sentences

With such words as namely, however, therefore, etc., when they

introduce a complete sentence

To avoid confusion where commas already exist

With sentences that have multiple clauses

Capitalization following a semicolon

Colons

To introduce a series of items

Except when a series of items directly follows a verb or preposition

With lists

With two independent clauses when the second explains the first

Capitalization following a colon

With long quotations

After the salutation in a business letter

Quotation Marks

Use of double quotation marks

Capitalization with quotations

Commas introducing, interrupting, and ending quotations

Periods and commas ALWAYS inside quotation marks

Question marks and exclamation marks with quotation marks follow logic

With titles of magazines, books, plays, etc.

Use of single quotation marks for quotations within quotations

Spacing between single and double quotation marks

With nonstandard expressions

With technical terms and terms used in an unusual way

Avoiding single quotation marks

With quoted material of more than one paragraph

Question Marks

With direct questions

Replacing periods

Capitalization following a question mark

Indirect questions

Rhetorical questions

With sentences that are half statement and half question

With quotation marks

Parentheses and Brackets

Not interchangeable

Parentheses

For clarification and asides

With complete sentences

Punctuation inside and outside parentheses

Subject-verb agreement

Comma placement with parentheses

Brackets

With interruptions

Use of [sic]

With quotations

Apostrophes

Singular nouns

Possession with singular nouns

Possession with common nouns ending in s

Possession with proper nouns ending in s

Possession by inanimate objects

Plural nouns

Plural possession with regular nouns

No apostrophe with plural regular nouns

Plural possession with irregular nouns

Plural possession with names ending in s

No apostrophe with plural names

Possession with singular compound nouns

To show joint or separate possession

Contractions

With initials, capital letters, and numbers used as nouns

With time or money

With personal pronouns

Apostrophes vs. single quotation marks

False possessives

With nouns ending in y

Hyphens

No spaces around hyphens

Not the same as dashes

Hyphens between words

With compound adjectives

Suspended hyphens

With compound verbs

With compound nouns

With very and -ly adverbs

With ages

For clarification

With spans of time, distance, or other quantities

With units, abbreviations, or symbols

With compound numbers

With spelled-out fractions

With double last names

Avoiding overuse

Proper nouns of more than one word as compound adjectives

Well-known expressions

Look it up

Hyphens with prefixes and suffixes

Prefixes with proper nouns or proper adjectives

With family relations

Prefixes with double vowels

With self-, ex-, and all-

With re-

To avoid confusion

Suffixes not usually hyphenated

Suffixes and double letters

Using discretion and a dictionary

Dashes

Em dashes

Em dashes and subject agreement

In place of other punctuation

Spacing

En dashes

With number ranges

With open compound adjectives

Forming dashes

Ellipses

Definition and three-dot method

Spacing

With omitted words or sentences

To express hesitation, changes of mood, etc.

Exclamation Points

To show emotion, emphasis, or surprise

Replacing periods and mid-sentence commas

Avoidance in formal business writing

Justifiable use

Slashes

Technical term: virgule

In formal writing use hyphen or the word or

Chapter 3: Capitalization

First word of a document and after a period

Proper nouns and adjectives derived from proper nouns

Reference list of capitalized categories

Reference list of lowercase categories

Thorny aspects of capitalization

Titles

Titles vs. occupations

Titles in direct address

Kinship names

Nicknames

Geographic regions vs. points of the compass

The before proper nouns

City, town, county, etc., before a proper name

First word of a quotation

Midsentence independent clauses or questions

Course titles vs. academic subjects

Art movements

Lists following colons

Lowercase the national anthem

Titles of books, plays, films, songs, etc.

Subtitles

Gray areas

Chapter 4: Writing Numbers

Using figures vs. spelling out numbers

Numbers beginning a sentence

Hyphenating compound numbers

Hyphenating fractions

Figures of four or more digits

Sums less than a dollar

Noon and midnight

Time of day

Mixed fractions

Large numbers

Decimals

Writing out numbers of three or more digits

When to use and

Do not use commas

Dates

Decades

Use lowercase when spelling out

Using apostrophes with incomplete numerals

Avoiding apostrophe + s with complete numerals

Apostrophes with numbers

Chapter 5: Confusing Words and Homonyms

Good vs. well

Imply vs. infer

Its vs. it’s

Lay vs. lie

Their vs. there vs. they’re

Hundreds more words and homonyms that perplex and confound

Chapter 6: Quizzes

Grammar Pretest

Finding Nouns, Verbs, and Subjects Quiz 1

Finding Nouns, Verbs, and Subjects Quiz 2

Subject and Verb Agreement Quiz 1

Subject and Verb Agreement Quiz 2

Irregular Verbs Quiz 1

Irregular Verbs Quiz 2

Pronouns Quiz 1

Pronouns Quiz 2

Who, Whom, Whoever, Whomever Quiz 1

Who, Whom, Whoever, Whomever Quiz 2

Who, Whom, That, Which Quiz 1

Who, Whom, That, Which Quiz 2

Adjectives and Adverbs Quiz 1

Adjectives and Adverbs Quiz 2

Prepositions Quiz 1

Prepositions Quiz 2

Affect vs. Effect Quiz 1

Affect vs. Effect Quiz 2

Lay vs. Lie Quiz 1

Lay vs. Lie Quiz 2

Advice vs. Advise Quiz 1

Advice vs. Advise Quiz 2

Their vs. There vs. They're Quiz 1

Their vs. There vs. They're Quiz 2

More Confusing Words and Homonyms Quiz 1

More Confusing Words and Homonyms Quiz 2

Effective Writing Quiz 1

Effective Writing Quiz 2

Grammar Mastery Test

Punctuation, Capitalization, and Writing Numbers Pretest

Commas and Periods Quiz 1

Commas and Periods Quiz 2

Semicolons and Colons Quiz 1

Semicolons and Colons Quiz 2

Question Marks and Quotation Marks Quiz 1

Question Marks and Quotation Marks Quiz 2

Parentheses and Brackets Quiz 1

Parentheses and Brackets Quiz 2

Apostrophes Quiz 1

Apostrophes Quiz 2

Hyphens Between Words Quiz 1

Hyphens Between Words Quiz 2

Hyphens with Prefixes and Suffixes Quiz 1

Hyphens with Prefixes and Suffixes Quiz 2

Capitalization Quiz 1

Capitalization Quiz 2

Writing Numbers Quiz 1

Writing Numbers Quiz 2

Punctuation, Capitalization, and Writing Numbers Mastery Test

Chapter 7: Answers to Quizzes

Grammar Pretest Answers

Finding Nouns, Verbs, and Subjects Quiz 1 Answers

Finding Nouns, Verbs, and Subjects Quiz 2 Answers

Subject and Verb Agreement Quiz 1 Answers

Subject and Verb Agreement Quiz 2 Answers

Irregular Verbs Quiz 1 Answers

Irregular Verbs Quiz 2 Answers

Pronouns Quiz 1 Answers

Pronouns Quiz 2 Answers

Who, Whom, Whoever, Whomever Quiz 1 Answers

Who, Whom, Whoever, Whomever Quiz 2 Answers

Who, Whom, That, Which Quiz 1 Answers

Who, Whom, That, Which Quiz 2 Answers

Adjectives and Adverbs Quiz 1 Answers

Adjectives and Adverbs Quiz 2 Answers

Prepositions Quiz 1 Answers

Prepositions Quiz 2 Answers

Affect vs. Effect Quiz 1 Answers

Affect vs. Effect Quiz 2 Answers

Lay vs. Lie Quiz 1 Answers

Lay vs. Lie Quiz 2 Answers

Advice vs. Advise Quiz 1 Answers

Advice vs. Advise Quiz 2 Answers

Their vs. There vs. They’re Quiz 1 Answers

Their vs. There vs. They’re Quiz 2 Answers

More Confusing Words and Homonyms Quiz 1 Answers

More Confusing Words and Homonyms Quiz 2 Answers

Effective Writing Quiz 1 Answers

Effective Writing Quiz 2 Answers

Grammar Mastery Test Answers

Punctuation, Capitalization, and Writing Numbers Pretest Answers

Commas and Periods Quiz 1 Answers

Commas and Periods Quiz 2 Answers

Semicolons and Colons Quiz 1 Answers

Semicolons and Colons Quiz 2 Answers

Question Marks and Quotation Marks Quiz 1 Answers

Question Marks and Quotation Marks Quiz 2 Answers

Parentheses and Brackets Quiz 1 Answers

Parentheses and Brackets Quiz 2 Answers

Apostrophes Quiz 1 Answers

Apostrophes Quiz 2 Answers

Hyphens Between Words Quiz 1 Answers

Hyphens Between Words Quiz 2 Answers

Hyphens with Prefixes and Suffixes Quiz 1 Answers

Hyphens with Prefixes and Suffixes Quiz 2 Answers

Capitalization Quiz 1 Answers

Capitalization Quiz 2 Answers

Writing Numbers Quiz 1 Answers

Writing Numbers Quiz 2 Answers

Punctuation, Capitalization, and Writing Numbers Mastery Test Answers

Index

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.