Writing - More Fun with the English Language

Here are some rules to remember when writing:

1. Don't use no double negatives.
2. About them sentence fragments and pronouns.
3. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
4. Correct spelling is esential.
5. When dangling your participles are in the wrong place.
6. Use your apostrophe's correctly.
7. Don't use commas, that aren't necessary.
8. Proofread you writing.
9. i think case is important.

Remember, you must first know the rules before you can break them!

Writing - The English Language is Difficult!

Did you know that the English language is one of the most difficult languages to learn to read and write? The reason is that, although we have rules, we also have many, many exceptions to those rules. We also have tons of homophones, or words that sound the same, but are spelled differently or that have different meanings. And then there are homonyms, or words that are spelled the same, but have different meanings.

Keep in mind that because our language is so crazy, we are able to have a lot of fun with it!

The bandage was wound around the wound.

The farm was used to produce produce.

The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

We must polish the Polish furniture.

He could lead if he would get the lead out.

The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

I did not object to the object.

The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

Since there is no time like the present, it is time to present the present.

There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

They were too close to the door to close it.

The buck does funny things when the does are present.

A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

To help with the planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

After a number of injections, my jaw got number.

Upon seeing the tear in the painting, I shed a tear.

I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Writing Tip of the Day -- Conjunctions

A conjunction is a connecting word. It connects two thoughts. The easy way to remember the conjunctions is to remember FANBOYS.

For (when it means "because")
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So (when it means "as a result")

Writing Tip of the Week: Run-On Sentences

A run-on sentence doesn't know when to stop. It goes on and on, combining two or more ideas with no, or incorrect punctuation.

For example: I had pizza for lunch it was good. This type of run-on is called a fused sentence because there are two complete thoughts here, but no punctuation.

The easiest way to correct this run-on is to add a period and separate the two thoughts into individual sentences: I had pizza for lunch. It was good.

We could also fix it with a comma that separates the thoughts, but does not create a separate sentence. If we do this, we must also use a conjunction, or connecting word. For example, I had pizza for lunch, and it was good.

Remember that 1 comma + 1 conjunction= one period.

Writing Tip of the Week - Subject-Verb Agreement

If you have a hard time remembering how to make your subjects and verbs get along with each other, this chart might be useful.

There are 6 types of subjects. Let's look at them.

The left column on the chart shows the singular subects and the column on the right shows the plural subjects.

The rows show first person, second person and third person points-of-view.

Every subject has two parts: point-of-view and singular/plural. For example, the word "I" is first person singular, while the word "they" is third person plural.

Let's take a closer look at the word "you." It's both singular and plural. For example, if I'm talking to one friend, I might say, "You are my friend." If I'm talking to two or more friends, I would still say, "You are my friends."

There are many slang ways to differentiate between the singular and plural "you." In the South, they say "you all" or "y'all." In New York, they say "yous." We Pennsylvanians usually say "you'uns or "y'uns," depending on which said of the state you live! Those are all forms of slang. You should avoid slang when writing, and use "you" whether your subject is singular or plural.

I've conjugated the regular verb "walk" on this chart so that you can see the different forms. Note how they change depending on the subject.

On this chart, I've conjugated the irregular verb "to be." Part of what makes this verb irregular none of the present tense (happening right now) forms of the verb is "be." Again, note how the verb changes with the subject.

And on this chart, I've combined the two verbs to create the infinitive verb "to be walking," so you can see how the verb changes again. The infinitive form just means "a state of being," and usually involves the verb "to be" in one of it's many forms.