Final exam prep, finally

Lecture 5-7
1051

Prep for final exam.

The final exam will cover mechanical issues: grammar, sentence structure, pronouns, etc.
The things we have talked about in class.

For instance, does a compound sentence have two independent clauses or two dependent clauses?

Let’s go over a few things and then try a quick quiz:

Dan’s three favorite sentence problems:

Run-on sentence:
Two independent clauses that are joined with no punctuation or incorrect punctuation.
Example:
I went to the store.
I bought a Coke.
Incorrect: I went to the store, I bought a Coke.
Incorrect: I went to the store I bought a Coke.

Correct: I went to the store, and I bought a Coke. (comma and conjunction “and”)
I went to the store; I bought a Coke. (semicolon)
I went to the store. I bought a Coke. (two separate sentences)
Having gone to the store, I bought a Coke. (make one clause dependent)

Sentence fragment (usually tied to another sentence):
I went to the store. Which sold Coke.
Fragments don’t have to be short:
Whenever the climber hiked up to the top of the mountain where he lost his girlfriend one year ago.

Mixed constructions: (using prepositional or other phrases incorrectly as subjects)
By living in America is the way an immigrant can earn a good living.

Robert Duvall playing Bull Meechum is the reason “The Great Santini” was such a popular movie.

The best actor in the movie “Rio Bravo” is the role played by John Wayne.

Commonly confused words:

There/their/they’re

They’re not clapping their hands.
Their not clapping there hands.
They’re not clapping there hands.
Their not clapping they’re hands.

Remember: there=where
their=something belonging to ‘them’
they’re=they are

It’s caught in its own spider web.
Its caught in it’s own spider web.
Remember: If you can say “it is,” use the apostrophe.
If not, it is a possessive pronoun.

Then/than

I am older then my brother.
I am older than my brother.
Remember: then=time (when)
than=comparison

to/too/two
to either means
direction (California to New York)
infinitive (to do, to make, to see)
too either means
also (I want one, too.)
more than necessary (Don’t push too hard.)
two is always the number.

everyday/every day
everyday = commonplace (my everyday dishes)
every day = every single day (if you can use “single,” it’s two words)

Their with a singular subject (the following are all wrong)
The student went home to their parents’ house.
Somebody left their backpack on the floor.
The baseball team won their game against Castleton.


Verb-subject agreement:

If anyone else is interested and want to volunteer, please let me know.