5: Grammar and Usage
- Grammar
- Introduction
- Nouns
- Definitions
- 5.4Nouns generally
- 5.5Common nouns
- 5.6Proper nouns
- 5.7Count nouns
- 5.8Mass nouns
- 5.9Mass noun followed by a prepositional phrase
- 5.10Noun-equivalents and substantives
- Properties of Nouns
- Case
- 5.16Function of case
- 5.17Common case, nominative function
- 5.18Common case, objective function
- 5.19Genitive case
- 5.20The “of”-genitive
- Appositives
- Functional Variation
- Pronouns
- Definition and Uses
- 5.26Pronouns defined
- 5.27Antecedents of pronouns
- 5.28Pronouns without antecedents
- 5.29Adjective as antecedent
- Properties of Pronouns
- 5.30Four properties of pronouns
- 5.31Pronoun number and antecedent
- 5.32Exceptions regarding pronoun number
- 5.33Pronoun with multiple antecedents
- 5.34Antecedents of different genders
- 5.35Pronoun case
- 5.36Nominative case misused for objective
- Classes of Pronouns
- Personal Pronouns
- 5.38Form of personal pronoun
- 5.39Changes in form
- 5.40Agreement of pronoun with noun
- 5.41Pronoun and gender
- 5.42Personal pronoun case
- 5.43Pronoun case after linking verb
- 5.44Pronoun case after “than” or “as . . . as”
- 5.45Special uses of personal pronouns
- 5.46The singular “they”
- Possessive Pronouns
- 5.47Possessive pronouns
- 5.48Compound personal pronouns; ‑self forms
- 5.49Reflexive and intensive pronouns
- 5.50Possessive pronouns versus contractions
- Demonstrative Pronouns
- Interrogative Pronouns
- Relative Pronouns
- 5.54Relative pronouns defined
- 5.55Case with relative pronouns
- 5.56Positional nuances with relative pronouns
- 5.57Antecedent of relative pronoun
- 5.58Omitted antecedent of relative pronoun
- 5.59Relative pronoun after “one”
- 5.60Possessive forms of relative pronouns
- 5.61“Whose” and “of which”
- 5.62Compound relative pronouns
- 5.63“Who” versus “whom”
- Other Types of Pronouns
- Adjectives
- Definitions
- Articles as Limiting Adjectives
- 5.68Articles defined
- 5.69Definite article
- 5.70Indefinite article
- 5.71Indefinite article in specific reference
- 5.72Choosing “a” or “an”
- 5.73Articles with coordinate nouns
- 5.74Effect of article on meaning
- 5.75Zero article
- 5.76Omitted article
- 5.77Article as pronoun substitute
- Position of Adjectives
- 5.78Basic rules
- 5.79After possessive pronoun
- 5.80Adjective modifying pronoun
- 5.81Predicate adjective
- 5.82Dates as adjectives
- Degrees of Adjectives
- 5.83Three adjectival degrees
- 5.84Comparative adjectives
- 5.85Superlative adjectives
- 5.86Forming comparatives and superlatives
- 5.87Equal and unequal comparisons
- 5.88Uncomparable adjectives
- Special Types of Adjectives
- Functional Variation
- Verbs
- Definitions
- 5.95Verbs generally
- 5.96Transitive and intransitive verbs
- 5.97Ergative verbs
- 5.98Regular and irregular verbs
- 5.99Linking verbs
- 5.100Phrasal verbs
- 5.101Principal and auxiliary verbs
- 5.102Verb phrases
- 5.103Contractions
- Infinitives
- Participles and Gerunds
- 5.108Forming participles
- 5.109Participial phrases
- 5.110Gerunds
- 5.111Distinguishing between participles and gerunds
- 5.112Dangling participles
- 5.113Dangling gerunds
- Properties of Verbs
- 5.114Five properties of verbs
- 5.115Active and passive voice
- 5.116Progressive conjugation and voice
- 5.117Mood
- 5.118Indicative mood
- 5.119Imperative mood
- 5.120Subjunctive mood
- 5.121Indicative instead of subjunctive
- 5.122Tenses generally
- 5.123Present tense
- 5.124Past tense
- 5.125Future tense
- 5.126Present perfect tense
- 5.127Past perfect tense
- 5.128Future perfect tense
- 5.129Person
- 5.130Number
- 5.131Agreement in person and number
- 5.132False attraction to predicate nominative
- 5.133Misleading connectives: “as well as,” “along with,” “together with,” and so forth
- Conjugation of Verbs
- 5.134Conjugation defined
- 5.135Verb stem (present indicative)
- 5.136Forming present participles
- 5.137Present subjunctive
- 5.138Past indicative
- 5.139Forming past participles
- 5.140Past subjunctive
- 5.141Imperative
- Auxiliary Verbs
- 5.142Auxiliary verbs defined
- 5.143“Can”
- 5.144“Do”
- 5.145“Have”
- 5.146“May” and “might”
- 5.147“Must”
- 5.148“Ought”
- 5.149“Shall” and “should”
- 5.150“Will” and “would”
- “Be”-Verbs
- Adverbs
- Definition and Formation
- 5.153Adverbs defined
- 5.154Adverbs with suffixes
- 5.155Adverbs without suffixes
- 5.156Adverbs distinguished from adjectives
- Simple versus Compound Adverbs
- Adverbial Degrees
- 5.159Three adverbial degrees
- 5.160Comparative forms
- 5.161Superlative forms
- 5.162Irregular adverbs
- 5.163Uncomparable adverbs
- 5.164Intensifiers
- Position of Adverbs
- Prepositions
- Definition and Types
- 5.169Prepositions defined
- 5.170Simple and compound prepositions
- 5.171Participial prepositions
- 5.172Phrasal prepositions
- Prepositional Phrases
- 5.173Prepositional phrases defined
- 5.174Prepositional function
- 5.175Placement of prepositional phrases
- 5.176Ending a sentence with a preposition
- 5.177Clashing prepositions
- 5.178Elliptical prepositional phrases
- 5.179Effect of prepositional phrase on pronoun
- Other Prepositional Issues
- 5.180Prepositions and functional variation
- 5.181Use and misuse of “like”
- 5.182Use and misuse of “only”
- Limiting Prepositional Phrases
- 5.183Avoiding overuse of prepositions
- 5.184Cutting prepositional phrases
- 5.185Cutting unnecessary prepositions
- 5.186Replacing prepositional phrases with adverbs
- 5.187Replacing prepositional phrases with genitives
- 5.188Using active voice to eliminate prepositions
- Prepositional Idioms
- Conjunctions
- 5.192Conjunctions defined
- 5.193Simple versus compound conjunctions
- 5.194Coordinating conjunctions
- 5.195Correlative conjunctions
- 5.196Copulative conjunctions
- 5.197Adversative conjunctions
- 5.198Disjunctive conjunctions
- 5.199Final conjunctions
- 5.200Subordinating conjunctions
- 5.201Special uses of subordinating conjunctions
- 5.202Adverbs as conjunctions
- 5.203Relative pronouns as conjunctions
- 5.204Expletive conjunctions
- 5.205Disguised conjunctions
- 5.206Beginning a sentence with a conjunction
- 5.207Beginning a sentence with “however”
- Interjections
- 5.208Interjections defined
- 5.209Interjections as informal and colloquial
- 5.210Interjections and functional variation
- 5.211Words that are exclusively interjections
- Parallel Structure
- Word Usage
- Introduction
- Glossary of Problematic Words and Phrases
- Bias-Free Language
- 5.221Maintaining credibility
- 5.222Gender bias
- 5.223Other biases
- 5.224Bias and the editor’s responsibility
- 5.225Nine techniques for achieving gender neutrality
- 5.226Sex-specific labels as adjectives
- 5.227Gender-neutral singular pronouns
- 5.228Problematic suffixes
- 5.229Necessary gender-specific language
- 5.230Avoiding other biased language