GRAMMAR & RULES & EXERCISES
COLLECTED BY"GUELLIL MABROUK"
Contents (click below links).................................pro. English/high education
I/exercises
Unit One: articles and NounsII/answers key
Unit One: articles and Nouns
Unit Six: Punctuation and Sentence Structure
The following are some of the most important rules about using punctuation in English sentences. In studying
the rules about punctuation, we will also be looking at different ways of forming sentences in English.
Three rules about using commas (,)
1) Use commas with a series (of three or more words or phrases):
At the store (,) I bought milk, eggs (,) and bread.
Note that the commas in parentheses above are “optional.” We can use a comma almost anywhere if we
want to tell the reader to pause while reading a sentence. The only comma that is necessary in the above
sentence is the one before the word “milk.”
After school (,) I go home, change my clothes, and have a snack.
Note that with a series of “phrases” (not single words but groups of words), as in the above sentence, we
usually use a comma before the final “and.”
2) Use a comma with a “beginning adverbial clause or long phrase” (An “adverbial clause” indicates
something about the verb, for example, the time of the action, or the cause, or something that is in contrast to
the action):
When I was young, I used to go to the movies a lot.
Because Yoon studies hard, he gets good grades.
Although I felt sick yesterday, I came to class anyway.
In order to learn English, you need to speak, listen, read, and write it as often as possible.
Note that if the adverbial clause appears at the end of the sentence, we usually do not use a comma, as in “I
used to go to the movies a lot when I was young.”
More about adverbial clauses
English adverbial clauses include the following types:
a) time
After I have dinner, I usually watch TV for a while.
b) place
I want to live where my parents live.
c) reason
Many people come to New York City because there are good job opportunities
here.
d) purpose
Many immigrants come to the U.S. so that their children can have a better life.
e) contrast
Even though teachers often don’t make a lot of money, many people enjoy this
profession.
f) result
So many Asian students are attending Brooklyn College that we have decided to
develop an Asian Studies Program.
g) manner
Many people feel that the U.S. should develop a national health-care system, as
European countries have done.
h) comparison
Men often make more money than women in the same job position do.
i) condition
If wives work outside the home, the family has a better financial situation.
Note that students sometimes mistakenly use a period after an adverbial clause, as in After I have dinner.
This is a serious grammatical error which is called a sentence fragment. An adverbial clause is sometimes
called a “dependent clause,” as it depends on the other clause to make a complete sentence. You must be
sure that you use a period only when you have a complete sentence.
Grammar Exercise One
Make up ten sentences using different types of adverbial clauses. You can write about your life at school, or
your life at home with your family, or about things that are happening in the city or country where you are living
now or where you used to live. You can use the following words in the following types of clauses:
a) time: after, as soon as, at the same time as, before, since, until, when, while
b) place: anywhere, everywhere, every place, any place, where, wherever
c) reason: as, because, since
d) purpose: so that, in order that
e) contrast: although, even though, whereas, while, despite the fact that, in spite of the
fact that
f) result: so . . . that, such a . . . that
g) manner: as, as if, just like
h) comparison: as much as, less than, more than, the same as
i) condition: if, only if, unless
3) Use a comma with a “non-restrictive” adjective clause
In order to understand this rule, you must understand that there are two types of adjective clauses in English,
restrictive and non-restrictive.
Restrictive adjective clauses
Restrictive adjective clauses indicate “which one” I am talking about. The “connecting words” who, which,
that, whose, when, where, and why can be used at the beginning of these clauses, as in the following
examples. Note that we do not use commas with these sorts of adjective clauses:
Women who work usually have fewer children than women who do not work.
( or we can also say “Women that work usually have fewer children.”)
The women’s liberation movement in the 1960s and 70s movement was a thing which
greatly affected the lives of women.
(or we can say “The women’s liberation movement in the 1960s and 70s movement was
a thing that greatly affected the lives of women.
I greatly appreciated the advice that my teacher gave me.
(or we can omit the connecting word and say “I appreciated the advice my teacher gave
me.”)
That is the boy whose father is a teacher at the college.
( His father is a teacher at the college.)
I enjoyed the time when I was growing up.
(or “the time during which I was growing up”)
This is the house where I was born.
(or “the house in which I was born”)
Can you tell me the reason why you did that?
(or “the reason for which you did that)
Note that the connecting words who or that are used with a person, which or that with something that is not
a person, whose is used in place of a possessive form, when is used to refer to a time instead in which,
where to refer to a place instead of in which, why to refer to a reason instead of for which. Note also that
the connecting word can be omitted if it is followed by an object of the verb, as in “I appreciated the advice
my teacher gave me.”
Non-restrictive adjective clauses
Non-restrictive adjective clauses are not needed to identify “which one” I am talking about. They are often
used with the names of specific people, places, or things, as in the following examples. Note that we do use
commas with these types of adjective clauses (two commas, before and after the clause):
Brooklyn College, which is a branch of the City University of New York, has a good
theater program.
Amy Tan, who is one of my favorite authors, has written many books about the lives of
Chinese-Americans in the U.S.
New York University, where I studied teaching English as a second language, is located
in Greenwich Village.
Two rules about using semi-colons (;)
1) Use semi-colons between two sentences that are closely related in meaning, to
indicate a short pause, as in the following example:
John is a good friend; I can always count on him.
Note that students sometimes mistakenly use a comma in this situation. This is a serious grammatical error
which is called a comma splice. You must never use a comma between two complete sentences - this is
confusing to the reader, who cannot tell where one sentence ends and another begins. Using a semi-colon is
however a skillful use of punctuation, which indicates that you know you have two sentences, but want to
connect them by indicating only a very short pause between them.
2) We may use semi-colons with “sentence connectors.”
a) addition
We can use the word and between two sentences when the second sentence is similar in meaning. We
generally use a comma before and in this situation. We can also use certain sentence connectors which
have the same meaning as and, such as the word moreover:
Maria is a good student; moreover, she is a good athlete.
Note that we can also use a period before the word moreover, as in “Mary is a good student. Moreover, she
is a good athlete.”
b) contrast
We can use the word but between two sentences when the second sentence is in contrast with the first
sentence. We generally use a comma before but in this situation. We can also use certain sentence
connectors which have the same meaning as but, such as the word however:
Jane did not study for this test; however, she got a good grade anyway.
c) result
We can use the word so between two sentences when the second sentence is a result of the first sentence.
We generally use a comma before so in this situation. We can also use certain sentence connectors which
have the same meaning as so, such as the word therefore:
John wants to go to medical school; therefore, he has to get good grades in his science
courses.
The above sentence connectors indicate a) addition, b) contrast, and c) result. The following are some other
types of sentence connectors:
d) time
There are many things you have to do if you want to learn English well. First, you
should read a lot.
e) comparison
Women are entering many professions that used to be considered for men only;
similarly, women are being promoted to high positions that used to be reserved for
men.
f) illustration
There is a lot of educational opportunity in New York City; for example, it is possible to
attend a branch of City University of New York and get financial aid from the
government.
g) explanation
Many working mothers do not wish to interrupt their careers; that is, they return to work
after taking only a short maternity leave.
h) emphasis
A lot of people don’t like to live in cities; in fact, a lot of the population growth
occurring in the U.S. is taking place in the suburbs.
Grammar Exercise
Make up ten pairs of sentences using different types of sentence connectors. You can write about your life at
school, or your life at home with your family, or about things that are happening in the city or country where you
are living now or where you used to live. You can use the following types of sentence connectors:
a) addition: moreover, furthermore, additionally, also, besides, besides that, in addition, in addition to that
b) contrast: however, nevertheless, despite that, in spite of that, even so, in contrast, nonetheless, on the
contrary, on the other hand, regardless of that, still , yet
c) result: therefore, accordingly, as a consequence, as a result, as a result of that, because of that,
consequently, due to that, for this reason, hence, thus, this being so
d) time: first, second, first of all, third, finally, after all, afterward, at last, in the end, at the same time, in the
meantime, meanwhile, in conclusion, lately, recently, later, next, subsequently, then
e) comparison: similarly, apart from this, aside from this, in the same manner, in the same way, instead,
instead of that, likewise
f) illustration: for example, as a case in point, as an example, as an illustration, for instance, specifically, to
illustrate, to show what I mean, e.g. (short for the Latin …
g) explanation: that is, in fact, in other words, namely, what I mean is, i.e.(short for the Latin …
h) emphasis: in fact, actually, as a matter of fact, frankly, honestly, indeed, really, to be frank, to be honest, to
tell the truth, truly
Two rules about using colons (:)
1) Use a colon at the end of a complete sentence followed by a list (instead of a period, to attach a list
to the end of the sentence), as in the following example:
At the store, I bought many things: cheese, bread, milk, etc.
2) Use a colon at the end of a complete sentence followed by an “explanatory” word phase or
sentence, as in the following examples:
There is one thing that everybody needs: love.
There is one thing that everybody needs: to be loved.
There is one thing that everybody needs: Everyone needs to be loved.
Note that when a colon is followed by a complete sentence, we start the sentence with a capital letter (unlike
with semi-colons, where we do not capitalize the first word in the second sentence).
Proofreading Exercise One
Correct the errors in the use of punctuation and sentence structure in the following sentences:
1. Jamaica Kincaid in “Girl” and Amy Tan in “Two Kinds” discuss mother-daughter relationships. The attitude
of the mothers to their daughters and the things that the mothers want their daughters to do.
2. One day, the mother and daughter got into a conflict, the daughter says, “I wish I wasn’t your daughter!”
3. In “Two Kinds,” the family is an immigrant family, maybe that’s why the mother has a lot of disagreements
with her daughter.
4. It didn’t happen in one day it took some time.
5. Even if they didn’t love their husbands. Women couldn’t get away from their
husbands.
6. If you aren’t ready to face some difficulties; you’d better prepare yourself.
7. All she can do is hide in herself; hide in her own world.
8. Although the mother had the best wishes for her daughter; the mother was wrong.
9. It was the same kind of day what I had in my country.
10. Jing Mei’s mother wants her daughter to do everything her way, she never asks Jing
Mei what she is interested in.
11. There is a big responsibility falls on the father’s shoulders with the first baby.
12. We all carry naïve ideas throughout the years; ideas that say, for example, a man and
wife must be in love.
13. I read an article in the newspaper, there talked about some people who used illegal tricks
to make money.
14. Perfection does not exist in humans, and because of this; we need to accept ourselves
the way we are.
15. There are some parents make their daughters marry someone the daughters do not love.
16. In ancient China, there were some governors would punish parents who did not let their daughters marry
them.
17. She has to do all what her mother says.
18. A new mother would think about necessary stuff to buy. A carriage, diapers, swaddling cloths, and so on.
19. A mother would think about necessary stuff; while a father would think about how he and his son would
go fishing.
20. Jing Mei wants her daughter to become famous. So that she can brag to her friends.
Proofreading Exercise Two
Correct the errors in the use of articles, nouns, verbs, and punctuation and sentence structure (indicated in
the margin) in the following essay:
v-2 Everybody want to have a good father. However, “good father” have different
pl meaning for different people. Some people believe that a good father must be
p, v very kind, the father never punish the children; the father never orders the
children to do things. The relationship between father and child is friendship.
a Some people believe that a good father must provide good living environment for
p, a his children, therefore, the children can have good material life.
In my mind, father is father, I never think about if my father is good or bad. I
believe that no matter if my father is good or the best, he is my father. When I
v-2, p was born, I am my father’s daughter. I have no choice, also, I believe most
v fathers, including my father, are love their children, even though they treat their
pl children in many different way.
v-2 When I am a child, I have a lot of time to stay with my father. At that time, my
v-2,a,sg father is normal workers. Like other workers, he always arrives home on
v-2 time. As a result, my father has a lot of time to stay at home. My father loves to
v play with me, but before that, I must finish my homework correctly. When my
v-4 father arrives home, the first thing he do is check my homework, if he finds some
v mistakes in my homework because I was careless, I need to redo those problems
v, a ten times without excuse. But if I do well on my tests, he would get me gift to
v praise me. In his free time, my father loves to hang out with us. As I can
remember, my family always hangs out with his friends’ families on the
v weekend. Therefore, I can go to many different places and make many new
friends.
v-2 Time passed. I become a fourth grade student, and my father has his own
v business. At that time, the time for my father to stay at home become less and
v-2 less. He doesn’t have time to play with me; he doesn’t have time to check my
v homework; he doesn’t have time to hang out with me. He becomes very busy.
v-3 When I get up in the morning, my father is sleeping; when my father gets home,
v-2 I am sleeping. As a result, I haven’t seen my father for a long time, therefore, in
v-3 my mind, I always think that my father doesn’t love me anymore so he doesn’t
v like to play with me. Little by little, my father becomes very strange to me, I
v-2 don’t know how to communicate with him. When I stay alone with my father, I
v couldn’t find any topic to talk to him about. I remember that when I am a 7th
v-2 grade student, I can’t see the blackboard clearly. My father decides to bring me
a, v-2 to take the eye exam. I have a long time that I doesn’t stay alone with my father.
v-4 When I see my father, I am scare. I just call him “Papa.” And then I don’t know
v-3,ss what I can say. My father says, “What happen to you? Why you treat me like
v a stranger? You don’t like to talk to me now. I know I have not talk to you for a
v, p long time, but it don’t mean I don’t love you. I care about you, I am your father.”
v-2, p Even though my father says it to me. I still don’t know how to communicate with
v my father. On that day, I just keep quiet.
p Time passed, I am college student now. The relationship between my father
v and me become closer than before. At last, I understand the reason my father
v-4, p doesn’t play with me is not because he doesn’t like me, in fact, he is very busy.
v, a In his mind, he just want to try his best to provide better life for our family.
v, a Moreover, I discover that my father is one of people that understand my
pl difficulty in my college studies. Most of my friends tell me that their parent
v doesn’t understand their difficulty. All they can do is try their best to solve their
p problems for themselves, their parents can’t give any suggestions to them. At the
v-2, a beginning, I have same idea as my friends. However, one thing happen that
v-2 changes my mind. Last semester, one day, when I am reading my accounting
v-3 textbook, my father comes into my bedroom. He asks me what I am reading. I
v, p tell him,” I am reading my accounting book; it is very difficult, I can’t
v understand it.” After he heard that, he points out the general ideas for me, and
v, pl then he gives me some suggestion about how to learn accounting. At that time,
v-4 I am very surprised, and I am very happy. I am happy that I am not alone. My
v-2 father can give me some tips for my studying. My father is care about me. After
v-2 that, we have one more topic to discuss. Even though my father can’t tell me the
p, v-2 details for my accounting class. I think that is good enough for me.
a Now, I still don’t have the definition of good father. But I think the
ss-2 fathers never punish their children and the fathers can only provide a good
a, pl material life for their children are not the good father. However, in my mind, my
father is a good father.
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