English Grammar Flashcards
Who is replacing Whom. Like “Thee”, “Thy” and “Thou” have become arcane, so is Whom.
It is not bad grammar to use “Who” for “Whom”. Who is considered general grammar and Whom is considered formal grammar. The rules for Whom are numerous and full of exceptions, therefore you cannot mentally diagram a sentence in your head before you are speaking it. Therefore Whom is being phased out.
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Remember the correct choice is “Who” if the pronoun is the subject of the verb.
“The press asked “who” would be chosen.”
“Who shall I say is calling?”
“Who” is always used in a question.
In general usage, “Whom” is used only immediately after a preposition. Except when the pronoun is the subject of a following verb. Who is used in all other uses. This is the way newspapers use it.
Ways to avoid “Who” and “Whom”.
You can substitute a definite article for it.
“Give the book to THE PERSON you have selected.”
You can substitute “that” for who or whom.
“It is the customer THAT is always right.” Here we used “that” instead of who.
What is a proper noun?
A proper noun is the name of a specific person, place or object. They begin with an uppercase letter.
- John
- Mercury
- California
What is a Gerund?
A Gerund is the -ing form of a verb. Like, eating, walking, speaking.
What is an infinitive?
An infinitive is the [to + the verb]
To read a book.
To travel by train.
What is a verb predicate?
What a subject is doing; what is being done to it; a state of being.
Person.
- first person: I am hoping for rain.
- Second person: You are hoping for rain.
- Third person: He is hoping for rain.
Voice.
- Active voice: Subject is acting. Lightning struck the barn.
- Passive voice: Subject is acted upon. The barn was struck by lightning.
Objects:
Direct object.
Indirect object.
Object of a preposition.
Direct object: Noun, pronoun that receives the action expressed in the verb. “I have read the book.”
Indirect object: Noun, pronoun for or to whom or to what the action in the verb was done. “I read the class the entire book.”
Object of a preposition: Answers the question whom or what after the prepositon. “John traveled to the country in his car.”
Connectors.
Conjunctions: Joining words that link parts of sentences.
- Joe and Mary went to the show.
- You will find it in the cupboard or under the counter.
- Jim shut the door, but he did not lock it.
Correlative conjunctions join like parts and come in pairs.
- Not Tom but his brother won the tournament.
- Neither Mary nor Jane was impressed by this.
Semicolons.
Join related main clauses when a coordinating conjunction is not used.
- I will not paint the house; you cannot make me.
- Sally built a tree house; she painted it blue.
Semicolon.
Separate items in series that contain commas.
- I packed my suitcase with old, comfortable jeans; rugged warm sweaters; and new, freshly starched shirts.
Colons:
End main clauses and introduce additions and modifications.
- The colors available are as follows: red, blue, yellow and green.
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Apostrophes. Show possession.
Add ‘s to singular and plural nouns.
Add ‘s to singular noun ending in s. ex: Chris’s
Add only the apostrophe [’] if the extra “s” creates an awkward pronunciation. ex: Moses’
Make only the last noun possessive to show joint possession. James and Susan’s dog chased our cat.
Make both nouns possessive to show individual ownership. Julie’s and Susan’s cars were both vandalized. Kevin’s and Mark’s backpacks are blue.
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Quotation marks.
Capitalize the first word of a direct quotation. ex: She said, “BOB, what is wrong with you?”
The comma and period are placed within the quotation marks.
Indirect quotations do not require quotation marks.
Father said that we should be frugal with our money.
Indented quotes.
Direct quotations longer than four typed lines are set off as block quotations by indenting 10 spaces from the left margin and double-spacing.
