class="bi x0 y0 w0 h1"
class="bi x0 y0 w0 h2"
Dear Reader,
Did you nod off when
Miss
Nelson was explaining parts of
speech?
Snooze
during the
unit
on punctuation? Go to the bathroom during capitalization?
Still
can't distinguish between "who" and "whom"? Tell when to start a new
paragraph?
Write
an effective business
letter,
resume,
or
letter
of complaint?
Do you sometimes misplace your modifiers? Dangle your participles in
your reader's
face?
Does grammar
give
you the
willies?
I'll bet the rules of
English
usage

business
letters,
resumes,
personal letters, and e-mail
missives.
By
the end of this book, you'll
be using
English
with
confidence and
skill.
You'll be able to write
that
dazzling
proposal to win the
contract—and
finally
get
that
promotion. Remember:
Mastering
the rules of
grammar,
usage,
punctuation, and spelling is well
within your abilities.
Best
wishes,
Laurie

you
whose first
language
is not
English.
These
changes
will make it even easier for you to master the basics of clear
written
and
spoken communication.
About
the
Author
Laurie
Rozakis
earned her Ph.D. in
English
and American Literature
with
"Distinction" from the State University of New York at Stony
Brook.
A full
professor
of
English
and Humanities at Farmingdale State University, Dr.
Rozakis
has published a wide variety of reference books, biographies, young
adult books, articles, and scholarship. In addition to The

Skills
(Scholastic),
and
The
AP
English
Literature
and
Composition
Test
(ARCO).
Dr. Rozakis has
also
written
parts of numerous
language
arts, speech,
social
studies,
literature, reading, science,
math,
consumer education, and spelling
programs for major publishers. These include
Scholastic's
Literacy
Place,
Scott-Foresman's
Literature,
Houghton Mifflin's
Invitations

hard
work,
determination,
and
support.
You
make
teaching
a
privilege.
Special
thanks
to
Tom
Kennedy,
Fred
Church,
and
all
the
other
students
from
years
gone
by
who
stay
in
touch.

permission from the
publisher. No
patent
liability
is
assumed
with
respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although
every
precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsi-
bility
for errors or
omissions.
Neither is any liability assumed for
damages
resulting from the use of information
contained herein. For information, address Alpha
Books,
201
West
103rd Street, Indianapolis, IN
46290.
THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO and Design are registered trademarks of
Penguin
Group
(USA) Inc.
International Standard Book
Number:
1-59257-115-8
Library

covered. It is sold
with
the understanding
that
the author and pub-
lisher
are not engaged in rendering professional services in the book. If the reader requires personal assistance
or advice, a competent professional should be consulted.
The author and publisher
specifically
disclaim
any responsibility for any
liability,
loss,
or
risk,
personal or other-
wise,
which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of
any
of the contents
of
this book.
Most Alpha books are
available
at special quantity discounts for bulk purchases for
sales
promotions, premiums,
fund-raising,
or educational use. Special books, or book excerpts, can

Editor:
Christy
Wagner
Copy
Editor:
Keith
Cline
Illustrator:
Chris
Eliopoulos
Cover/Book
Designer:
Trina
Wurst
Indexer:
Brad
Herriman
Layout/Proofreading:
Becky
Harmon,
Mary
Hunt,
Ayanna
Lacey
Contents
at a Glance
Parti:
No
Uncertain
Terms

own
writing
strengths,
and
find
out how you can
improve
your
writing—right
now!
PartZ:
Under
the
Grammar
Hammer
25
3
Parts of
Speech:
Coming to Terms 21
Play
with
the
building
blocks
of
language
to
grasp
the

5
Altered
States:
Verbs 59
Learn
how to use the
basic
English
tenses—and
why it's so
important
to do so.
Also
untangle
the web of
English
verbs;
learn
how to
form
the
irregular
past
tense.
6 Woe Is I: Pronouns and Case 77
Who
versus
whom.
(Or
should

well?
Learn
which
part
of
speech
to use
when.
9 Reaching an Agreement: Matching Sentence Parts
111
Find
out how to
match
subjects
and
verbs,
pronouns
and
antecedents.
10
Dazed and Confused: Common
Usage
Dilemmas 125
Get
a
grip
on
dangling
and
misplaced

151
Learn
about
independent
clauses,
dependent
clauses,
adverb
clauses,
adjective
clauses,
and
noun
clauses.
13
Sentence and Sensibility 165
Discover
how to
avoid
fragments,
run-ons,
and
comma
splices.
14
Coordination and Subordination:
What
to Say
When
the Cops Come

the
nuts
and
bolts:
end
marks,
commas,
semicolons
and
colons,
apostrophes,
and the
rest
of the
gang
(quotation
marks,
slash
and
dash,
parentheses,
brackets,
and
ellipses).
17
Capitalization and Abbreviations: Go to the
Head of the Class 223
Master
the
guideposts

crafting
clear,
effective
prose.
20
In Style 263
First,
analyze
the
importance
of
audience
to
writing.
Then
discover
the
four
kinds
of
writing:
exposition,
narration,
argumentation,
and
description.
21
Stylish Sentences 275
Discover
how to

style
by
simplifying your
sentences.
23
Diction: Find the Right
Word,
Not Its First Cousin 299
Learn
the
different
levels
of
diction
and
how to
distinguish
between
confusing
words.
24
Don't
Go There:
Words
and Expressions to Avoid
311
Find
out why
its
so

cover
letters,
thank
you
notes,
and
good
news
and
bad
news
letters.
26
Personal Writing: In Your
Write
Mind 345
Write friendly
letters,
social
notes,
and
letters
of
opinion.
Appendixes
A Glossary 357
B
Model
Documents
361

Be
with
You
6
Term Limits
7
What
Is
Grammar?
7
What
Is
Usage?
7
What
Is
Mechanics?
10
What
Is
Style?
10
A
Civil Tongue: Standards
for
Effective Communication
11
2
(onan
the

Control
23
Mission
Possible
23
Part
2:
Under
the Grammar
Hammer
25
3
Parts
of
Speech:
Coming
to
Terms
27
Nouns: Prime-Time
Players
27
Possessive
Nouns:
9
/w
of the
Law
29
Possess

Action
Verbs:
Jumping
Jack
Flash
36
Chain
Gang:
Linking
Verbs
31
viii The Complete Idiot's Guide to Grammar and Style,
Second
Edition
Mothers
Little
Helper:
Helping
Verbs
31
Verb-O-Rama
31
Conjunctions:
The Ties That
Bind
39
All
Tied
Up
39

Happy Little Clouds 47
Spice
Up
Your
Sentences
with
Adjectives
48
A
Note
on
Adjectives
for
Non-Native
Speakers
49
Have
Fun
with
Adjectives
49
And
in
This
Corner
49
Adverbs:
Who
Ya
Gonna

Safe
to Take a Shower 56
Seventh-Inning
Stretch
51
5
Altered
States:
Verbs
59
Shape
Shifters 60
Verb
Tense:
Nothing a Little
Prozac
Wouldn't Cure 60
I
Feel
Your
Pain:
Principal
Parts
of
Verbs
61
A
Class
Act:
Forming

on
Verbs
for
Non-Native
Speakers
68
It
s
All
in
the Timing 10
Person,
Number,
and Mood 71
Person
12
Number 12
Mood
12
Active and
Passive
Voice: A Mistake Has
Been
Made 73
Not
So
Fast
14
6
Woe

Hurts
You
More
Than
It
Hurts
Me 86
I
Dare
You
86
Seventh-Inning
Stretch
81
7
Multiple-Vehicle
Wrecks:
Pronoun Reference
89
How's
That
Again?
90
It Just Proves There's Someone for Everyone 91
The
Numbers
Game
91
Tag,
You're

Adverbs
99
They Walk
Alike,
They Talk
Alike:
You Could
Lose
Your
Mind 100
Graphic
Proof
100
Fm
Ready
for
My
Close-Up
Now,
Mr.
DeMille
101
Three
Degrees of Separation 102
Size
Does Matter 103
Good,
Gooder,
Goodest:
Irregular

More
into
the
Breach,
Dear
Friends
107
A
Note
on Adjectives and Adverbs for Non-Native
Speakers
108
Don't
Use No Double Negatives 108
Don't
Be
Making
No
Mistakes
109
9
Reaching
an
Agreement:
Matching
Sentence
Parts
III
Anyone Got a Match? 112
Singular

120
Matchmaker, Matchmaker,
Make
Me a
Match
120
Mix
and
Match
121
Agree
to
Disagree
122
Nose to the Grindstone 124
10
Dazed
and
Confused:
Common
Usage
Dilemmas
125
Dangling
Modifiers:
Counterintelligence 126
Help
Is
on
the

134
Hopefully
134
Like/As 134
Ending
with
a
Preposition
135
Contents
xi
Usage and Abusaqe
137
Phrases:
Prime-Time
Players
139
Phrases
of the Moon 139
Prepositional
Phrases:
The
Big
Daddy of
Phrases
140
Offspring
1
:
Adjectival

148
Clauses:
Kickin'It
Up a Notch
151
Clauses:
Phrases
on Steroids 151
Independent
Clauses:
Top
Dogs
152
Dependent
Clauses:
I
Get by
with a Little Help
from
My
Friends
153
I
Know
'Em
When
I
See
'Em
153

Its
All
Relative
158
Clauses
Make
the
Sentence
159
Noun
Clauses:
What's in a Name? 159
Connect the Dots 160
Getting
Down
and
Dirty 160
Sentence and Sensibility
165
I
Know It
When
I See It: The Sentence 166
Seek
and
Ye
Shall
Find
166
Hidden

110
The
Choice
Is
Yours
110
Face
the
Music
Ill
Sentence Functions: The Four Tops 172
Alley
Oops 172
Fragments:
Lost
in
Place
113
Run-Ons
and
Comma
Splices:
It
Could
Be
a
Stretch
114
Seventh-Inning
Stretch

What
I Did for
Love
182
Follow
the
Leader
183
Dice
V
Slice
184
Double
Dare
184
Duke It Out: Coordination Versus Subordination
185
Parallel
Structure: Trod the Straight and Narrow
186
Make
It
So
181
Time
to
Face
Old
Sparky
181

Shop
Till
You
Drop
196
Specialized
Dictionaries:
Everyone
s
an
Expert
198
Computer
Spell
Checkers:
Marvels
of
Technology
199
Electronic Grammar
Software:
Help Is Only a Button
Away 200
The Thesaurus: War of the Words 201
Lets
Go
Shopping
202
Whiz-Bang
Thesaurus

Inquiring
Minds
Want
to
Know
206
Exclamation
Marks:
Gosh
and
Golly!
201
The
Pause
That
Refreshes
201
The Comma: A Major
Player
209
First
Impressions
Count
209
Sentence
Interruptus
210
In
Media
Res

for Fun) 217
The
Dash:
Long
and
Lean
211
The
Hyphen:
Short
and
Sweet
218
The
Ellipsis:
Dot,
Dot, Dot 218
Parentheses and
Brackets:
Bosom
Buddies
218
(Parentheses)
219
[Brackets]
219
Slash
and Burn
219
Apostrophes 220

Grammar and Style,
Second
Edition
18
Guide
to
Spelling:
(looked on
Phonics
23}
Bee
a
Good
Speller
234
If
U Cn
Reed This
235
Quick
and
Dirty Tricks
of the
Trade
235
Attaching Prefixes
and
Suffixes:
Bits
and

Letters
245
Tricky-Dickie
Word
Endings
245
Y/IUse
246
Spelling
Demons
246
Ten
Tough
Spelling
Words—and
Ways
to
Make
Them
Tender
246
Part
5:
Style:
All
the Write Stuff
2W
19
What
Is

Audience: People
Who
Need
People
263
Inquiring
Minds
Want
to
Know
264
I
Share
Your
Tain
264
Who's
Who
266
Culture
Vulture
268
Model Behavior
269
Live
and
Learn
210
Make
It

21
Stylish Sentences
27S
Flexible
Flyers
276
Vary
Sentence
Types
216
Vary
Sentence
Lengths
277
Add
Questions
and
Commands
219
Focus
on the
Subject
219
Add
Details
280
Use
Vivid
Verbs
283

Burn
287
Thrift, Thrift,
Thrift
290
Eliminate
Unneeded
Words
and
Phrases
291
Revise
Sentences
That
Begin
with
Expletives
294
Combine
Sentences
That
Repeat
Information
295
Don't
Say the
Same
Thing
Twice
296

Language
301
Slang
301
Vernacular
302
Tone-on-Tone
302
Ten Distinctions
Worth
Making
(or at
Least
Worth
Being
Able
to
Make!)
303
Twenty-Five Headaches
305
¥mr
You're
On
301
Homophones:
Give Piece
a
Chance
308

Top of
Your
Game 316
Spin
Doctors
317
Jargon:
u
Phasers
on
Stun,
Cap'n"
318
Bureaucratic
Language:
Piled
Higher
and
Deeper
319
Inflated
Language:
Full
of Hot
Air 320
Euphemisms:
Sleeping
with
the
Fishes

32S
25
Business
Writing:
Write
Angles
327
Letter Perfect 328
Form
and
Function
328
Kissing
Cousins
330
Resumes
and Cover Letters: Get on the Fast Track 330
Resumes
331
Shooting
Yourself
in
the
Foot
332
Chronological
Resume
332
Skills
Resume

Model
Letter
341
B
& B Revisited 348
I
Feel
Your
Pain:
Letters
of
Condolence
348
Contents xvii
Letters of Opinion 350
Complain, Complain,
Complain
350
My
2c
Worth
352
E-Mail:
Instant Gratification 353
Boot
Up
354
Think
Before
You

Seinfeld,
SeinLanguage
Picture this: You're standing in front of
a
large
conference room full of
business
associ-
ates.
You've put on your best new clothes for a special
occasion:
You're about to present
the project you've been working on for six hard months. You know it's a good
idea—
you've considered it from every
angle
and you're sure it can't
fail—but
you're not sure
you can
sell
everybody on it. In fact, you're scared to death of embarrassing yourself.
Why?
If
you're like most people,
part
of your fear comes from the worry
that
you might not
use good

people who don't use it correctly are
somehow
less
intelligent than those who do. Wrong! Intelligence and grammar are
unrelated. Consider Jerry Seinfeld, who is quoted at the start of this foreword. He's
an
incredibly clever comedian whose jokes are always built around insightful observa-
tions of the human condition. Now consider the quote itself. Frankly, if his grammar
were a car, they'd be towing it away to the junkyard right about now. It's a lemon for
sure—but
that
doesn't mean Jerry Seinfeld can't parallel park,
if
you know
what
I mean.
His sentences have a style that's appropriate for his
audience—and
he's been so suc-
cessful
at it
that
people have been copying him for
years.
Have you ever heard the joke about the boy named Cass who was absent for a few
days
in
first
grade, missed the lesson about the
letter

a voice dull enough to make
rocks start to fidget—how to parse sentences, how to conjugate irregular verbs,
what
past perfect tense means,
what
a gerund is, etc. Maybe you
also
got to read from a
textbook—oh
boy!—full
of
snappy,
interesting sentences about Tom and Sue and
Bob's
plain brown dog. It was a recipe for failure. Somehow you passed the
class,
of course,
but did you really take anything in? Did you master the
English
language?
Of course
not; nobody
could—not
in an environment like
that.
Your teachers were crazy to
expect
those lesson plans to work.
You did your best, under the
circumstances—and

look
forward to reading this book just as much as you used to look forward to avoid-
ing
your homework. You'll be amazed at how
easy
it
is.
The conference room will
never be quite as intimidating
again,
either—and,
if you're lucky, you could pick up a
joke for the lunchroom, too.
Read
on and enjoy.
Gwydion Suilebhan
Gwydion Suilebhan is writing program coordinator and Curriculum
Content
Specialist
for the Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth at
Johns
Hopkins
University. He
also
works as a freelance writer, teacher, and curriculum designer. A
collection of his poems, Inner
Harbor,
was published in 1997 by Woods House
Press.
Introduction

are so many words! Your online
spell
checker drives you mad; the grammar checker buzzes like a pinball machine.
You know you need to do the following:
•
Understand how to use the different writing
aids,
including dictionaries,
thesauruses, style guides, reference books, and computer programs.
•
Identify the parts of speech and know when to use each kind.
•
Make
English
grammar work for you.
•
Write
logical,
complete, and graceful sentences.
•
Use correct capitalization and punctuation.
•
Write
effective letters, memos, and electronic
messages.
What
You'll
Learn
in
This