TOP 10 GRAMMAR RULES

RULE 1

• Less is more
• Go with the shortest answer unless it is horrible

RULE 2

• Honor thy commas
• Exxagerate the pause and inflection change

RULE 3

• A full sentence has three components
• 1. A subject
• 2. A verb
• 3. A complete thought

RULE 4

• Subject--Verb agreement
• Subjects agree with their verbs in number
• Ex) The butterfly is colorful.

RULE 5

• Contractions
• Always say both words
• Ex) It's, you've, we've, he's

RULE 6

• How to put two sentences into one sentence
• A. Full sentence; full sentence
• B. Full sentence, and full sentence

RULE 7

• Pronouns
• A. It must be clear what the pronoun refers to
• B. Must agree in number and gender with antecedent
• C. Get rid of names around pronoun
• D. Think of something identical that you understand

RULE 7 CONTINUED

• E. Comparisons with a pronoun at the end
• F. The verb 'to be'
• G. Who vs. Whom

RULE 8

• A descriptive clause modifies only what immediately comes before or after
• Ex) Driving home after dark, he proceeded cautiously.

RULE 9

• Voice cannot change within a sentence
• Ex) One will find that the library is a great place for you/one to learn.

RULE 10

• When torn between two answers, cross out the gunk
• Ex) prepositional phrases, adjectives, adverbs, extra info.