Grammar & Punctuation

Grammar & Punctuation

Ruth Punton

Copyright 2016 - Ruth Punton

Smashwords Edition

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1

Parts of Speech

Nouns

Verbs

Adverbs

Adjectives

Prepositions

Clauses and Phrases

Pronouns

Chapter 2

Punctuation

Capital Letter

Italics

End Punctuation

Commas

Colons

Dash

Hyphen

Brackets

Ellipse

Slash

Chapter 3

Language Usage

Syntax

Sentences

Figurative language

Metaphor and Simile

Other Figures of Speech

Creativity Exercises

Bibliography

Authors Notes

INTRODUCTION

Grammar & Punctuation is the Fourth book in the series Fiction Writing Workbooks

FICTION WRITING WORKBOOK

The complete set will be called Fiction Writer's Workbooks.

Module 1 Creating Characters

Module 2 Plots & Tension

Module 3 Writing the Story - Story Basics and Rewriting

Module 4 Grammar and Punctuation

Module 5 Writing for Children/ Stage and Screen. Haiku

Please note: I have decided to remove the module on publishing.

For eBook publishing, google Smashwords Style Guide by Mark Coker (free). It is better to format your books for eBook distribution using the Smashwords guide and then they can be uploaded to Amazon without further formatting.

For traditional publishing find the requirements for submissions by googling your publishers of choice.

Grammar and Punctuation is the fourth module in the series. In the first three Modules you will have fully created 3 characters, plotted out your short story and written your story.

Exercises - There are many exercises throughout this module. I have not supplied any answers. Learn to look critically at your own work and make sure you are correct. It is easy to become blasé.

For non-English Speakers:

Keep an English dictionary and Roget's Thesaurus beside you and refer to them continually.

Read everything you read or write aloud. When you are speaking to proficient English speakers repeat what they say to absorb the way the language is used. Speak the news back to the presenter on TV - Warn other people in the room so they don't lock you up.

If you have children, read them heaps of children's stories in English. If you don't have any kids then read them aloud to yourself. Start with the Dr Seuss books: Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. Move on to Winnie the Pooh and then try the Harry Potter series. They will be available from any library.

Chapter 1 - Parts of Speech

Nouns

A noun is a naming word.

The name of:

A person - Guess who? Who? Jane

A place - Physical name. Where? Nannup.

A thing - Physical thing. What? Chair.

An action - Abstract name. How? Laughter.

A quality - an action not perceived by the senses. Emotion.

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Noun Spelling:

Use a capital letter to name a specific noun (a proper noun)

A person - Jane

A place - Nannup

A thing - C.W.A.

A named animal - Fat Cat

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Spelling changes for number: one or many.

Usually a singular noun becomes plural by adding a …s

helicopter - helicopters

-

Words ending in …ch, …sh, …z, …s become plural by adding ...es

lunch - lunches

bush - bushes

fez - fezes, also fezzes

box - boxes

bus - buses

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…y preceded by a vowel becomes plural by adding …s

pay - pays

annoy - annoys

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…y preceded by a consonant, the y becomes i then add es

enemy - enemies

army - armies

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Three nouns become plural in other ways:

brother - brethren

ox - oxen

child - children

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…f or …fe become plural by adding s.

muff- muffs

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…o preceded by a consonant sometimes become plural by adding es.

Hero - heroes

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or just by adding s.

halo - halos

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or by changing f to v and adding es

life - lives

wife - wives

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English is often a stupid language.

Seven nouns have internal changes

woman - women

goose - geese

louse - lice

mouse - mice

man - men

foot - feet

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Compound nouns become plural by adding s to the crucial part of the noun.

father-in-law - fathers-in-law

good-bye - good-byes

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Non-English words become plural according to the traditions of the original language.

Thesis - Theses

Monsieur - Messieurs

Addendum - Addenda

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For plurals of letters, signs and numbers add …'s.

Mind your p's and q's.

Delete all 6's.

Follow the 's to the end

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Nouns – the possessive case (genitive case).

's shows who is the owner.

Jane's bomb.

Dante's inferno.

A month's pay.

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Formation of a possessive.

Add 's to a simple noun

Bill's bad temper.

The cat's collar.

Don't add 's after an s or you speak with a whistle.

The Williams' pet snake

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Add 's after the last word of a group with one idea.

Sister-in-law's kangaroo

Mothers-in-law's strike

C.W.A.'s orgy

* * *

Exercises GP1 - Nouns

Make the following nouns plural.

monkey - piano - self