Grammatically Correct: The writer's essential guide to punctuation, spelling, style, usage and grammar

Cover......Page 1
Copyright page......Page 3
Credits......Page 4
Table of Contents......Page 5
Preface......Page 7
Part One – Spelling......Page 10
Commonly mispelled words......Page 12
Interchanging ABLE and IBLE endings......Page 14
Spelling words the way they\'re mispronounced......Page 15
Not recognizing exceptions to familiar letter sequences......Page 16
Omission of one occurrence of a repeated letter......Page 17
\"word stutter\"......Page 18
Frequently Confused Homonyms......Page 19
Spelling Variations......Page 25
American/British differences......Page 26
Dropping/retaining E......Page 27
Other spelling variations......Page 28
Alternate spellings of foreign names......Page 31
Hyphenation......Page 32
Hyphenation of compound words......Page 33
Compound nouns......Page 35
Commonly mishyphenated words......Page 36
When the combination of root word and prefix/suffix is unusual......Page 37
When the addition of the prefix or suffix would create an awkward juxtaposition of the same letters......Page 38
Hyphenation with numbers......Page 39
Part Two – Problem Words......Page 41
Frequently Misused Words......Page 42
With compound words where the principal noun is followed by a modifier, the pluralizing S goes after the noun......Page 51
Words ending in a consonant followed by Y change to IES......Page 52
With words ending in O, some add S, others add ES......Page 53
Latin words ending in A add an E......Page 54
Many French words that end in EAU may add either X or S......Page 55
Some words are the same in both singular and plural form......Page 56
Negative Formations......Page 57
Part Three – Punctuation......Page 62
Subject, predicate, clause......Page 64
Independent clause, dependent clause, conjunction......Page 66
Phrase......Page 67
Sentence fragment......Page 68
Don\'t separate any of the main parts of a clause......Page 69
Don\'t split the two recipients of the action......Page 70
Separating the main elements of a sentence......Page 72
When two independent clauses are joined by a conjunction, put a comma between the......Page 73
Don\'t use a comma to separate independent clauses that are not linked by a conjuncti......Page 74
Dependent clauses......Page 75
Introductory words......Page 76
When an independent.clause is followed by an element that is essential to its meaning, do not put a comma between them......Page 77
When an independent clause is followed by an element that is not essential to its meaning, do put a comma between them......Page 78
Setting off parenthetical elements......Page 80
Use commas to set off words or expressions that are \"interrupters\"......Page 81
If a subject is followed by a nonrestrictive descriptor, use commas to set off the descriptor. if it is followed by a restric......Page 82
If a dependent clause is nonrestrictive, mark it off with commas. if it is restrictive, do not use comma......Page 84
In a dependent clause, use which W the clause is nonrestrictive, and that if it is restrictiv......Page 86
Separating elements in a series......Page 88
Use a serial comma if it makes text clearer or more readable......Page 89
Put a comma between two adjectives that precede a noun, provided those adjectives are of equal weight......Page 91
If dialogue is followed by any text, put a comma before the closing quotation marks......Page 92
Set off nondialogue quotations with commas only if other rules call for it......Page 93
Use a comma to indicate omitted text if the sentence would read ungrammatically without it......Page 94
Separating place names......Page 95
Semicolon......Page 96
Use semicolons to separate elements that are themselves subdivided by commas......Page 97
Use a semicolon to separate independent clauses that are linked by conjunction-like words......Page 98
Recommendation: if you feel a comma would not be strong enough, use a semicolon instead even if it is not technically required......Page 100
Recommendation: consider using the semicolon in place of a conjunction......Page 102
Recommendation: consider using the semicolon to unite two separate sentences......Page 104
Style conventions......Page 105
Use a colon when a sentence contains a \"question/answer\"......Page 106
Use a colon to introduce a list......Page 108
Recommendation: use a colon to make connections clearer......Page 109
Recommendation: use a colon to add emphasis......Page 110
Separating low-level subheadings and figure or table identifiers from the text that follows them......Page 112
Style conventions......Page 113
Ending a sentence......Page 115
Use a comma rather than a period to end a sentence in dialogue when more text follows......Page 116
Be consistent with the use of periods at the end of list items......Page 117
Indicating abbreviations......Page 118
Titles, honorifics......Page 119
Names of companies or organizations......Page 120
Setting off list numbers......Page 121
Representing a decimal point......Page 122
Use it to turn a statement into a query......Page 123
Use it for a statement that ends in a word inflected as a query......Page 124
Use it to achieve a tentative inflection......Page 125
Indicating rhetorical questions......Page 126
Indicating requests......Page 127
Style conventions......Page 128
Indicating importance or emotion......Page 129
Indicating rhetorical questions......Page 131
Cautions about the exclamation point......Page 132
Style conventions......Page 133
Indicating end-of-line word breaks......Page 134
Don\'t break a word if just one letter would be left on a line......Page 135
Recommendation: break closed compound words between the words......Page 136
Linking the parts of a compound adjective......Page 137
Use hyphens to link the words of a compound adjective that precedes a noun if ambiguity or uncertainty might otherwise result......Page 139
Do NOT link the words of a compound adjective with hyphens when they come after the noun......Page 141
Do not use a hyphen when the first word of a compound adjective is an adverb ending in LY......Page 142
In most cases, do use a hyphen for adverbs that do not end in LY......Page 143
Acting as a \"stand-in\" for a repeated word......Page 144
Spelling a word out......Page 145
A lilting or singsong intonation......Page 146
Stuttering, stammering or teeth-chattering......Page 147
Indicating \"and\" or \"or\" relationships......Page 148
Separating elements that are being compared......Page 150
Separating lines of poetry......Page 151
Parentheses......Page 153
Working in digressions......Page 154
Making text easier to follow......Page 156
Numbers or letters used for listing items......Page 158
Style conventions......Page 159
Dashes......Page 162
Marking off a descriptive element or digression......Page 163
Marking a break in structure or turn in content......Page 165
Dash or colon?......Page 166
Indicating interrupted dialogue......Page 167
Style conventions......Page 169
Substituting for a hyphen to link compounds......Page 171
Style conventions......Page 172
2-Em (——) and 3-Em Dashes (———)......Page 173
Style conventions......Page 174
Identifying changes to quoted material......Page 175
Other uses of brackets......Page 179
Style conventions......Page 180
Setting off dialogue......Page 181
Setting off citations......Page 184
Altering a citation......Page 185
Coined or unusual words......Page 186
Words used in a special sense......Page 187
Words used ironically......Page 188
Shape and number......Page 189
Position......Page 191
Indicating omissions......Page 193
Indicating hesitation or trailing off of speech......Page 195
Imparting extra significance to words......Page 197
Style conventions......Page 198
Two-word contractions......Page 200
Single-word contractions......Page 201
Numerical contractions......Page 202
For plural nouns that don\'t end in S, add an apostrophe plus S......Page 203
For joint possession, make only the last noun possessive; for separate possession, make each noun possessive......Page 204
Sibilants......Page 205
Inanimate possession......Page 206
Pluralizing numerals or letters......Page 207
When NOT to use a pluralizing apostrophe......Page 208
Part Four – Grammar......Page 210
Agreement Between Subject and Verb......Page 212
Compound subjects......Page 214
Alternative subjects......Page 216
Distracting parenthetical nouns......Page 217
Distracting modifying nouns......Page 218
Inverted subject-verb order......Page 220
Some are singular when used in one sense, and plural in another......Page 223
Be consistent with collective nouns......Page 224
Terms of quantity......Page 225
Problem pronouns......Page 226
Problem phrases......Page 227
Unusual plurals and singulars......Page 228
Achieving Parallel Structure......Page 232
Avoiding faulty parallelism......Page 233
Parallelism as a literary device......Page 239
Dangling modifiers......Page 241
Squinting modifiers......Page 242
Using the correct form......Page 247
Personal pronouns......Page 248
When do you use I and when me?......Page 249
Personal pronouns with elliptical constructions......Page 250
Relative pronouns......Page 253
When do you use who and when whom?......Page 254
When do you use that and when which?......Page 255
Reflexive pronouns......Page 256
Possessive pronouns......Page 257
Referring to the right antecedent......Page 258
Missing antecedents......Page 259
Intervening antecedents......Page 260
Ambiguous antecedents......Page 261
Agreement in number......Page 262
Agreement in person......Page 265
Splitting infinitives......Page 268
Starting a sentence with a conjunction......Page 271
Ending a sentence with a preposition......Page 272
Part Five – Style......Page 274
Creative uses of capital letters......Page 275
Starting a sentence......Page 277
Titles and identifiers......Page 279
Abbreviations......Page 281
Headings......Page 282
Lists......Page 283
All caps and small caps......Page 284
Highlighting significant words......Page 286
Emphasizing a speaker\'s words......Page 287
Setting off non-English words......Page 289
Titles......Page 291
Stage directions......Page 292
Underscoring a point in a quote......Page 293
Style conventions......Page 294
Advantages of the active voice......Page 295
Advantages of the passive voice......Page 296
Writing With Sensitivity......Page 299
Avoiding loaded words......Page 300
Avoiding male-only pronouns......Page 305
Using he/she, s/he, or they......Page 306
Using he or she......Page 307
Using the plural......Page 308
Using the second person......Page 309
Avoiding pronouns......Page 310
Writing With Finesse......Page 312
Ensuring that reading level is appropriate......Page 313
Ensuring that sentence length is appropriate......Page 315
Chunking information appropriately......Page 317
Organizing information appropriately......Page 320
Avoiding redundancy......Page 322
Avoiding overuse of a word......Page 324
Using jargon appropriately......Page 326
Capturing accents and speech patterns appropriately......Page 327
Avoiding a heavy-handed style......Page 328
Read your text aloud to yourself......Page 330
Put your work aside for a while and then come back to it......Page 331
Have someone else look your work over......Page 332
Index......Page 333
Back Cover......Page 338