Introduction

Part 1. You, the Doer

Ch. 1.    Grammar for Being Assertive: The Colon

A Few Basics

Colons... and who you want to be

        Having Your Turn

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Ch. 2.    Grammar for Being Proactive: Active Voice

A Few Basics

Active Voice... and who you want to be

      Living Pro-actively

      Writing and Speaking Pro-actively

      ...Even in the Third Person

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Ch. 3.    Grammar for Being Practical: Prepositions

A Few Basics

Prepositions... and who you want to be

      Prepositions We Owe to Other People

      Those We Owe Ourselves

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Ch. 4.    Grammar for Being In Charge: The Imperative

A Few Basics

Imperatives...and who you want to be

      Emergencies

      Building Up to It

      Gentle Imperatives

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Ch. 5.    Grammar for Being Organized: Commas

A Few Basics

Commas... and who you want to be

      Beyond Doing It By Feeling

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Ch. 6.    Grammar for Being Optimistic: “But”

A Few Basics

But... and who you want to be

    End-Focus

    Alternatives to “But”

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Part 2. You, the Friend

Ch. 7.    Grammar for Being Empathetic: Modifiers

A Few Basics

Modifiers... and who you want to be

    The Failure to Put Oneself in the Reader’s Place

    Examples–Funny and Unfunny

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Ch. 8.    Grammar for Being Respectful: Apostrophes

A Few Basics

Apostrophes... and who you want to be

        What They’re Good For, Really

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Ch. 9.    Grammar for Being Trusting: Cutting Down on Exclamation Points and Intensifiers

A Few Basics

Exclamation Points, Intensifiers... and who you want to be

      Earning a Listener’s Trust

      Developing Trust in Yourself

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Ch. 10.   Grammar for Being “Real”: Contractions, Parentheses, Etc.

A Few Basics

Contradictions, Parentheses, etc.... and who you want to be

      Five Ways to Create Voice

      A Cautionary Note

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Ch. 11.   Grammar for Being Diplomatic: Semicolons

A Few Basics

Semicolons... and who you want to be

      What We and the Semicolon Have in Common

      A Punctuation Mark for This Age

      Doing Without Thanks

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Ch. 12.   Grammar for Being Generous: Cumulative Sentences

A Few Basics

Periodic and Cumulative Sentences... and who you want to be

      The Generous Writer

      Front-Loading and Back-Loading

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Ch. 13.   Grammar for Being Intimate: Ellipses

A Few Basics

Ellipses... and who you want to be

      Everyday Ellipses

      The Secret to the Bonding Power of a Joke

      Love Above All

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Ch. 14.   Grammar for Being Forgiving: Past Tense

A Few Basics

Past Tense... and who you want to be

      The Problem with the Present Tense

      The Past Tense Alternative

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Ch. 15.   Grammar for Being Expressive: Sentence Length, Etc.

A Few Basics

Sentence Length, Etc.... and who you want to be

      The Musical Effect of Placement

      The Musical Effect of Repetition

      The Musical Effect of Sentence Length

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Part 3. You, the Thinker

Ch. 16.   Grammar for Being Open-Minded: Cross-Outs

A Few Basics

Cross-Outs... and who you want to be

     Normal Everyday Inquiry

     Close-Minded vs. Open-Minded

     The Sound of Crossing Out

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Ch. 17.   Grammar for Being Adaptable: Adverbial Provisos

A Few Basics

Adverbial Provisos... and who you want to be

    “Will” as Straitjacket

    A Way Out

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Ch. 18.   Grammar for Being Capable of Dealing with Complexity: The Cues of Complication

A Few Basics

Cues of Complication... and who you want to be

    Tips for Avoiding Simple-Mindedness

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Ch. 19.   Grammar for Being Well-Mentored: A Special Use of the Present Tense

A Few Basics

A Special Use of the Present Tense... and who you want to be

      Grammatical Time Warp

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Ch. 20.   Grammar for Being Honorable: Quotation Marks

A Few Basics

Quotation Marks... and who you want to be

      What They Call It At School

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Ch. 21.   Grammar for Being Modest: “I”

A Few Basics

Saying “I”... and who you want to be

      “Me, Me, Me”

      Striking a Humble Balance

      The I in Storytelling

      A Final Word on I

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Ch. 22.   Grammar for Being Rebellious: Breaking the Rules

A Few Basics

Breaking Rules... and who you want to be

      Using Grammar to Climb Kohlberg’s Hierarchy

      Caveat

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A Grammarian’s Wish

Appendix A: Uses of the Passive Voice 

Appendix B: MLA Citation Style

Common Types of MLA Citation on a Works Cited Page

The Format of a Works Cited Page

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