From Harvard Business: "I Won't Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar

Go to this website and read the short article for discussion.

https://hbr.org/2012/07/i-wont-hire-people-who-use-poo/

Adjectives and Adverbs

  More Grammar Rules:  Finding Nouns, Verbs, and Subjects                     Subject-Verb Agreement                     Clauses and Phrases                     Pronouns  Who vs. Whom                     Whoever vs. Whomever  Who, That, Which                     Adjectives and Adverbs  Prepositions                     Effective Writing 

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Definitions

An adjective is a word or set of words that modifies (i.e., describes) a noun or pronoun. Adjectives may come before the word they modify. 

Examples:
That is a cute puppy.
She likes a high school senior.

Adjectives may also follow the word they modify:

Examples:
That puppy looks cute.
The technology is state-of-the-art.

An adverb is a word or set of words that modifies verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.

Examples:
He speaks slowly (modifies the verb speaks)
He is especially clever (modifies the adjective clever)
He speaks all too slowly (modifies the adverb slowly)

An adverb answers how, when, where, or to what extent—how often or how much (e.g., daily, completely).

Examples:
He speaks slowly (answers the question how)
He speaks very slowly (answers the question how slowly)

Rule 1. Many adverbs end in -ly, but many do not. Generally, if a word can have -ly added to its adjective form, place it there to form an adverb. 

Examples:
She thinks quick/quickly.
How does she think? Quickly.

She is a quick/quickly thinker.
Quick is an adjective describing thinker, so no -ly is attached.

She thinks fast/fastly.
Fast answers the question how, so it is an adverb. But fast never has -ly attached to it.

We performed bad/badly.
Badly describes how we performed, so -ly is added.

Rule 2. Adverbs that answer the question how sometimes cause grammatical problems. It can be a challenge to determine if -ly should be attached. Avoid the trap of -ly with linking verbs, such as taste, smell, look, feel, etc., that pertain to the senses. Adverbs are often misplaced in such sentences, which require adjectives instead. 

Examples:
Roses smell sweet/sweetly.
Do the roses actively smell with noses? No; in this case, smell is a linking verb—which requires an adjective to modify roses—so no -ly.

The woman looked angry/angrily to us.
Did the woman look with her eyes, or are we describing her appearance? We are describing her appearance (she appeared angry), so no -ly.

The woman looked angry/angrily at the paint splotches.
Here the woman actively looked (used her eyes), so the -ly is added.

She feels bad/badly about the news.
She is not feeling with fingers, so no -ly.

Rule 3. The word good is an adjective, whose adverb equivalent is well.

Examples:
You did a good job.
Good describes the job.

You did the job well.
Well answers how.

You smell good today.
Good describes your fragrance, not how you smell with your nose, so using the adjective is correct.

You smell well for someone with a cold.
You are actively smelling with your nose here, so use the adverb.

Rule 4. The word well can be an adjective, too. When referring to health, we often use wellrather than good.

Examples:
You do not look well today.
I don't feel well, either.

Rule 5. Adjectives come in three forms, also called degrees. An adjective in its normal or usual form is called a positive degree adjective. There are also the comparative and superlativedegrees, which are used for comparison, as in the following examples: 

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
sweet	sweeter	sweetest
bad	worse	worst
efficient	more efficient	most efficient

A common error in using adjectives and adverbs arises from using the wrong form of comparison. To compare two things, always use a comparative adjective:

Example: She is the cleverer of the two women (never cleverest)

The word cleverest is what is called the superlative form of clever. Use it only when comparing three or more things:

Example: She is the cleverest of them all.

Incorrect: Chocolate or vanilla: which do you like best?

Correct: Chocolate or vanilla: which do you like better?

Rule 6. There are also three degrees of adverbs. In formal usage, do not drop the -ly from an adverb when using the comparative form. 

Incorrect: She spoke quicker than he did.

Correct: She spoke more quickly than he did.

Incorrect: Talk quieter.

Correct: Talk more quietly.

Rule 7. When this, that, these, and those are followed by a noun, they are adjectives. When they appear without a noun following them, they are pronouns. 

Examples:
This house is for sale.
This is an adjective.

This is for sale.
This is a pronoun.

Exercise : Adjective or Adverb Exercise 1

Choose the correct item:

1. He (correct, correctly) defined the terms. The answer sounded (correctly, correct).

2. She (quickly, quick) adjusted the fees. She adapted (quick, quickly) to any situation.

3. He measured the floor (exact, exactly). They proved to be (perfectly, perfect) (exact, exactly) measurements.

4. The stillness of the tomb was (awfully, awful). The tomb was (awfully, awful) still.

5. It was a (dangerously, dangerous) lake to swim in. The man was (dangerous, dangerously) drunk. The gas smelled (dangerously,dangerous).

6. She performed (magnificent, magnificently). It was a (magnificent, magnificently) beautiful performance.

7. Her voice sounds (beautifully, beautiful). She sang the song (exact, exactly) as it was written. We heard it (perfectly, perfect).

8. He was a very (sensibly, sensible) person. He acted very (sensible, sensibly).

9. Mike wrote too (slow, slowly) on the exam. He always writes (slow, slowly).

10. Talk (softly, soft) or don't talk at all. The music played (softly, soft).

11. Andrea knows the material very (good, well). She always treats us (good, well).

12. You must send payments (regular, regularly). We deal on a (strictly, strict) cash basis.

13. The mechanic's tools were (well, good). The foreman said that his work was (good, well) done.

14. She worked (careful, carefully) with the sick child. She was a very (careful, carefully) worker.

15. He did not pass the course as (easy, easily) as he thought he would.

16. I find this novel very (interesting, interestingly). It was (interesting, interestingly) written.

Question for Reading Analysis Presentation

On the day that you present in front of the class you must also write your response to the questions below and hand in your answers. You must hand in your answers on the day you signed up for.

Reading Analysis Guide for Walter Mosley's Devil In A Blue Dress

Guidelines for Reading Analysis Presentation

Sign-up on the presentation calendar on my desk. Make a note of the chapters and presentation date that you sign up for below.

Reading analysis chapter: __________________________Presentation date: _______________

You will be presenting your analysis in class along with other classmates. The class will be counting on you to be on top of the article you are covering, so please be prepared!

This assignment is worth 40 points – to receive credit, you must participate in the presentation of your analysis. You will be graded primarily on your written analysis (breakdown of scoring below), but outstanding presentations will be rewarded.

Read the chapters or section that you will be analyzing carefully. On your first reading, just try to identify the main idea(s) and get a feel for the writer’s approach and the flow of the chapter. On your second reading, go over the text more carefully; notice how the writer creates characters and tells the story.

To prepare your written analysis:

Identify the author’s name and the title of the chapter(s) you are covering. Answer the following questions, numbering each answer in the way the questions are numbered.

1.     What is the central theme of the selection? Your answer should be a complete sentence in your own words (not a quote!). Be as specific as possible, but remember that the theme of a book refers to the authors overall concerns. The plot is what happens as the book moves ahead. The theme refers to the overall concerns of a book.

2.     What are the concerns of the characters in the chapter(s) you have read? This book is fiction. Do you think the events in the book could happen in real life? Do you think the way the characters act is believable. If the events in the book are exaggerated by the author, does it make the book less effective? If the behavior of the characters are exaggerated, does it make the book less believable or effective?

3.     Is the central theme expressed explicitly or implicitly? The claim is explicit if the writer spells out what it is. The claim is implicit if the writer only implies the claim but does not state it outright.

4.   Did the events and actions in your chapter(s) surprise you or change your mind about the characters in the book?

5.   What is the tone – the feel – of the chapter(s) you read?

6.    What things in the story give the most insight into human nature?

7.   Does the writer leave the opinions and feelings to the readers? If so, why? Is this approach effective?
8. Make up two questions based on the chapters you read that you'd ask the class if you were the teacher.

Model work: Composition 1

Grammar Reading For Week October 5: Sentence Types

SENTENCE TYPES
1. SIMPLE SENTENCE
Independent clause: a group of words containing a subject (usually the noun doing the action), a verb (action word or linking
verb, like “is”), and a complete thought (the sentence doesn’t leave you hanging); an independent clause could stand alone as its own complete sentence.

Nina wants to lose weight. She runs three miles a day.

2. COMPOUND SENTENCE
Method A

Method B:

Independent clause +

, for , and , nor , but , or , yet , so

+ independent clause.

Nina wants to lose weight, so she runs three miles a day.

Independent clause + ; + independent clause.

Nina wants to lose weight; she runs three miles a day.

Method C:
Independent clause +

; consequently, ; further,
; however,
; indeed,
; in fact,
; moreover,
; nevertheless, ; then,
; therefore,
; thus,

Nina wants to lose weight; consequently, she runs three miles a day.

+ independent clause.

3. COMPLEX SENTENCE

after until although what
as when because whenever before whereas even though whether if which since while that who though whom unless whose

+ independent clause.

Method A:
Independent clause +

Nina runs three miles a day because she wants to lose weight.

Method B:
Dependent/subordinate clause

+

Dependent/subordinate clause

After Though Although Unless As Until Because When Before Whenever Even though Whereas If Whether Since Whichever That While

independent clause ,

Since Nina wants to lose weight, she runs three miles a day.

4. COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCE
The clauses can be in any order in a compound-complex sentence. independent , for

independent + clause

After Though Although Unless
As Until Because When Before Whenever Even though Whereas If Whether Since Whichever That While

independent clause ,

Dependent/subordinate clause

+ clause

, and , nor , but , or
, yet , so

Since Nina wants to lose weight, she runs three miles a day, and she stopped eating fast food. 

Grammar Reading October 12: Coordinating Conjunction

The Coordinating Conjunction

Recognize a coordinating conjunction when you see one.

And, but, for, nor, or, so, and yet—these are the seven coordinating conjunctions. To remember all seven, you might want to learn one of these acronyms: FANBOYS,YAFNOBS, or FONYBAS

F = for A = and N = nor B = but O = or Y = yet S = so

Y = yet A = and F = for N = nor O = or B = but S = so

F = for O = or N = nor Y = yet B = but A = and S = so

Coordinating conjunctions connect words, phrases, and clauses. Look at the examples that follow:

The bowl of squid eyeball stew is hotand delicious.

The squid eyeball stew is so thick that you can eat it with a fork or spoon.

Rocky, my orange tomcat, loves having his head scratched but hates getting his claws trimmed.

Rocky terrorizes the poodles next dooryet adores the German shepherd across the street.

Rocky refuses to eat dry cat food, norwill he touch a saucer of squid eyeball stew.

I hate to waste a single drop of squid eyeball stew, for it is expensive and time-consuming to make.

Even though I added cream to the squid eyeball stew, Rocky ignored his serving, so I got a spoon and ate it myself.

Understand the difference between coordination and subordination.

Use a coordinating conjunction when you want to give equal emphasis to two main clauses. The pattern for coordination looks like this:

Main Clause + , + Coordinating Conjunction +Main Clause.

Subordination, however, emphasizes the idea in the main clause more than the one in the subordinate clause. Generally, the patterns look like these:

Main Clause + Ø + Subordinate Clause.

Subordinate Clause + , + Main Clause.

Read the pairs of sentences that follow. The first version coordinates the two ideas. The second version subordinates one idea to emphasize the other.

To survive the fetal pig dissection, Rinalda agreed to make all of the incisions, and Frances promised to remove and label the organs.

To survive the fetal pig dissection, Rinalda agreed to make all of the incisions if Frances would promise to remove and label the organs.

Diana stared dreamily at the handsome Mr. McKenzie, but Olivia, who hated economics, furiously jiggled her foot, impatient to escape the boring class.

While Diana was staring dreamily at the handsome Mr. McKenzie, Olivia furiously jiggled her foot, impatient to escape the boring economics class that she hated.

At a red light, Maria jumped out of Gino's car and slammed the door, for she could not tolerate one more minute of the heavy metal music that Gino insisted on blasting from the stereo.

At a red light, Maria jumped out of Gino's car and slammed the door because she could not tolerate one more minute of the heavy metal music that Gino insisted on blasting from the stereo.

Making an A in Anatomy and Physiology has not helped Sima choose a career. She might decide to make her parents happy and go to medical school, or she might use her knowledge of the human body to become a sculptor.

Making an A in Anatomy and Physiology has not helped Sima choose a career. Although she might decide to make her parents happy and go to medical school, she might also use her knowledge of the human body to become a sculptor.

Kyle refused to eat the salad served with the meal, nor would he touch any green vegetable put on his plate.

After Kyle refused the salad served with the meal, he then would not touch the green vegetables put on his plate.

Joe spent seven hours studying calculus at the Mexican diner, so now he can set his math book on fire with his salsa breath.

Since Joe spent seven hours studying calculus at the Mexican diner, he can now set his math book on fire with his salsa breath.

Because she gets seasick, Danielle is dreading the spring break cruise, yet she might enjoy herself once she realizes how many cute guys in skimpy bathing suits parade the decks.

Even though Danielle is dreading getting seasick on the spring break cruise, she will probably enjoy herself once she realizes how many cute guys in skimpy bathing suits parade the decks.

Punctuate coordinating conjunctions correctly.

Three patterns in writing use coordinating conjunctions. Add commas when required.

Pattern 1 — Connecting two main clauses

When you connect two main clauses with a coordinating conjunction, use a comma. The pattern looks like this:

Main Clause + , + Coordinating Conjunction + Main Clause.

Here is an example:

While I am at work, my dog Floyd sleeps on the bed , and my cat Buster naps in the bathtub.

Pattern 2 — Connecting two items

You can also use a coordinating conjunction to connect any two items. These items can be any grammatical unit except main clauses. The pattern looks like this:

Item + Ø + Coordinating Conjunction + Item

Here are some examples:

My dog Floyd has too many fleasand too much hair.

My cat Buster has beautiful blue eyes but a destructive personality.

Pattern 3 — Connecting three or more items in a series

When you have three or more items in a series, you generally use a comma before the coordinating conjunction. Some handbooks and style guides will tell you that this comma is optional, but my advice is to put it in. The pattern looks like this:

Item + , + Item + , + Coordinating Conjunction + Item

Here is an example:

Swatting olives off the kitchen counter, dragging toilet paper streamers through the house, andterrorizing Jacques Cousteau, the parakeet, have consumed another of Buster's days.

Yes, you can begin a sentence with a coordinating conjunction!

Some teachers warn that beginning a sentence with a coordinating conjunction is wrong. Teachers will typically tell you this because they are trying to help you avoid writing fragments. Other times teachers give this advice because their preference is that a sentence not begin with a coordinating conjunction.

What you should remember is that you break no grammarrule if you begin a sentence with a coordinating conjunction. Because you might be breaking your instructors' rules, however, you should ask what theirpreferences are.

If you decide to begin a sentence with a coordinating conjunction, keep these three things in mind:

• Be sure that a main clause follows the coordinating conjunction.
• Do not use a coordinating conjunction to begin everysentence. Use this option only when it makes the flow of your ideas more effective.
• Do not use a comma after the coordinating conjunction. Coordinating conjunctions are not transitional expressions like for example or first of all. You will rarely use punctuation after them.

Here are some examples:

While I was answering the telephone, Buster, my cat, jumped onto the kitchen counter and swatted all of my jalapeño-stuffed olives onto the dirty kitchen floor. So I had to rinse off the cat hair and crumbs sticking to these delicacies before I could add them to the salad.

Flying down the bumpy path, Genette hit a rock with the front wheel of her mountain bike, flew over the handlebars, and crashed into a clump of prickly palmetto bushes. Yet even this accident would not deter her from completing the race.

Only when an interrupter immediately follows the coordinating conjunction do you need to use commas. Read this example:

We hoped that decorating the top of Christine's cupcake with a dead grasshopper would freak her out. But, to our amazement, she just popped the whole thing in her mouth, chewed, and swallowed.