Tài liệu Rozakis - The Complete Idiot''''s Guide to Grammar & Style 2e pptx

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

make you shake in your boots. If
so,
then
this book
is
for you!
Learning
any new skill is daunting and difficult. Learning to use grammar
and
usage
correctly and
with
confidence is no exception. But you've learned
many
other
skills,
and you know how important improving grammar and
writing style can be to your career advancement and ability to communicate.
I'm
going
to take you point-by-point through all the important
English
skills
you need, from parts of speech to phrases,
clauses,
and sentences.
You'll
learn how to
craft
the documents you need, including

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

Rozakis,
Ph.D.
RS.
The
Complete
Idiofs
Guide
to
Grammar
and
Style
has sold more than
100,000 copies since its publication in
1997!
Thank
you,
dear readers, for
recognizing
my ability to make grammar
easy—and
fun—to
learn. I very
much appreciate all the kind e-mails and letters I get about this book, too.
Your support is greatly appreciated.
In
this edition, I've added additional practice
exercises,
more writing models,
and
many tips for those of

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

Complete
Idiofs
Guide
to
Writing
Well,
The
Co?nplete
Idiofs
Guide
to
College
Survival,
and
The
Complete
Idiofs
Guide
to
Creative
Writing,
Dr. Rozakis' latest books
include
The Big
Book
of
Dates
(McGraw-Hill),
Super
Study

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

to
Literacy,
and
Prentice Hall's
Literature.
Grammar and
Style
Second
Edition
by Laurie E.
Rozakis,
Ph.D.
ALPHA
A
member of
Penguin
Group
(USA)
Inc.
To
my
students,
past,
present,
and
future.
Thank
you
for
your

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.

Its
gratifying
to
know
you're
happy,
successful,
and
masters
of
grammar
and
style!
Copyright
©
2003
by
Laurie
E.
Rozakis,
Ph.D.
All
rights reserved. No
part
of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by
any
means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without
written

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

of
Congress
Catalog Card
Number:
2003105471
05
04 03 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Interpretation of the printing code: The rightmost number of the first series of numbers is the year of the
book's printing; the rightmost number of the second series of numbers is the number of the book's printing.
For
example, a printing code of
03-1
shows
that
the first printing occurred in
2003.
Printed
in
the
United
States
of
America
Note: This publication contains the opinions and ideas of
its
author. It
is
intended to provide helpful and
informative material on the subject
matter

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

also
be created to fit specific needs.
For
details, write: Special Markets, Alpha
Books,
375
Hudson Street, New York, NY
10014.
Publisher:
Marie
Butler-Knight
Product
Manager:
Phil
Kitchel
Senior
Managing
Editor:
Jennifer
Chisholm
Acquisitions
Editor:
Gary
Goldstein
Development
Editor:
Tom
Stevens
Senior
Production

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

1
1 Are You
Grammarphobic?
3
Probe
your
feeling
about
grammar
and get
clear
definitions
for
grammar,
usage,
mechanics,
and
style.
2
Conan the
Grammarian
13
Discover
the
most
common
grammar
errors,
assess
your

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

under-
pinnings
of
writing
and
speech.
This
chapter
teaches
you
all
about
nouns,
verbs,
conjunctions,
and
prepositions.
4
Terms of Endearment: More Parts of Speech 47
Master
the
rest
of the
gang,
too:
adjectives,
adverbs,
pronouns,
and
interjections.

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

I
just
shoot
myself
now?)
7
Multiple-Vehicle Wrecks: Pronoun Reference 89
Discover
how the
meaning
of a
pronoun
comes
from
its
antecedent,
the
noun
or
pronoun
to
which
it
refers.
8 How to
Write
and Speak Good: Adjectives
Versus Adverbs 99
Good
or

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

modifiers,
mixed
metaphors,
and
split
infinitives.
Usage
and
Abusage
137
11
Phrases:
Prime-Time
Players
139
Probe
prepositional
phrases,
admire
appositives,
and
visit
with
some
verbals.
12
Clauses:
Kickin'It
Up a
Notch

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

177
Select
the
sentence
patterns
that
best
convey
your
meaning.
Tools
of
the
Trade
191
15
The Writer's Tools: Round Up the Usual Suspects 193
Find
out
which
tools
can
help
you
write
better—and
how.
16
Punctuation: Commas Are Our Friends 203
Learn

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

of our
language.
18
Guide to
Spelling:
Hooked on Phonics
233
Bee
a
good
speller.
Style:
All
the Write Stuff
2U
19
What
Is Style, and How Do I Get Some?
251
Define
"style"
in
writing
and
learn
why
it
is so
important
to

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

vary
your
sentence
form
and
types
to
create
a
more
polished
and
effective
writing
style.
22
Conciseness: The
Department
of Redundancy
Department
287
Define
"redundancy"
and
learn
how
to
improve
your
writing

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

important
to
avoid
sexist
language,
doublespeak,
and
clichés.
Part
6:
In
Your
Write
Mind
325
25
Business
Writing:
Write
Angles 327
Design
effective
documents
for the
world
of
work.
These
include
resumes,

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

C
Guide
to Grammar and Usage 367
Index 395
Contents
Parti:
No
Uncertain
Terms
I
1
Are
You Grammarphobic?
3
How
Can
You Tell
If
You're
Grammarphobic?
4
Word
Power
5
War of the
Words
5
The
Force

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

Grammarian
13
Sweet Dreams Aren't Made
of
These
13
Puppy
Love
14
Has
It
Come
to
This?
14
Perversity
Rules
15
Let
Me
'Splain
It
to
You,
Lucy
18
Personal
Writing Inventory
20
Damage

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

It! 29
Plural
Nouns:
Two's
Company,
Threes
a
Crowd
31
Too
Much
of a
Good
Thing?
31
Combo
Platter
34
A
Note
on
Nouns
for
Non-Native
Speakers
35
Verbs:
All the
Right Moves
36

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

Fit to Be
Tied
41
Prepositions:
Good Things Come in
Small
Packages
42
Joined
at
the Hip
43
A
Note
on
Prepositions
for
Non
-Native
Speakers
44
4
Terms
of Endearment:
More
Parts
of
Speech
U
Adjectives:

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

Call?
50
Have
Fun
with
Adverbs
51
Conjunctive
Adverbs:
An
Adverb
Disguised
as a
Conjunction
51
Hunt
and
Peck
52
Pronouns:
Pinch Hitters 53
Face
the
Music
55
Interjections:
Zap! Pow! Wow! 56
Just
When
You Thought It Was

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

Past
Tenses
61
Now
Ihayhh
Lay
Me
Down
to
Sleep
64
Party
Pooper:
Test
Time
65
All
Tensed Up:
Using
Verb
Tense Correctly 66
Past
Tense
61
Back
to the
Future
68
A
Note

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

Is
I:
Pronouns
and
Case
77
Why Can't a Pronoun
Be
More Like a Noun? 77
Head
Case:
The
Three
Cases
78
The Rules 79
Sorry,
Wrong
Number
83
Seventh-Inning
Stretch
84
Who Versus
Whom
(or Should I Just Shoot
Myself
Now?)
85
This

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

It 92
Location,
Location, Location: Placement of Pronouns 93
A
Match Made in
Writer's
Heaven 94
Possession
and
Pronouns
94
Its
a
Lock
94
It
and
They
95
It
Mania
96
Who's
on
First?
91
8 How to
Write
and Speak Good: Adjectives
Versus

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

Adjectives
and
Adverbs
104
Keep
Your
Balance
105
Other
and
Else
105
X
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Grammar and Style,
Second
Edition
Tough
Sledding:
Using Adjectives After
Linking
Verbs 106
The
Badlands
106
Good
News;
Well
News
106
Once

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

Subjects
and
Verbs
112
Plural
Subjects
and
Verbs
113
Seventh-Inning
Stretch
114
Collective Nouns 115
Indefinite Pronouns
116
The
Pause
That
Refreshes
118
Walk
This
Way 119
Hide
and
Seek
119
Playing
the
Numbers

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

Way
126
Man
the
Battle
Stations
121
Misplaced
Modifiers: Lost and Found 128
It
Says
What? 129
Quiz
Show
130
Mixed Metaphors: A Dollar Late and a Day Short
131
Split
Infinitives: To
Boldly
Go
Where
Everyone
Else
Goes
133
The Good, the
Bad,
the
Ugly

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

Phrases
141
Offspring
2:
Adverbial
Phrases
142
Appositives: Something More for Your Money 142
Appositive
Phrases
143
The
Moment
of
Truth 144
Verbal
Phrases:
Talk Soup 145
Part
and
Participle
146
Gerund
Phrases
141
Infinitive
Phrases:
The
Final
Frontier

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

Subordinating Conjunctions
Link
'Em Together
153
Looking
for
Love
in
All
the
Right
Places
154
Adverb
Clauses:
Hot Shots 156
Follow
the
Leader
156
Shape
Up
Your
Sentences
151
Adjective
Clauses:
Paint by Numbers 157
Relative
Clauses:

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

Treasures
161
Sentence Structure: The Fab Four 167
Simple
Sentences:
Simple
Isn
k
as
Simple
Does
168
Compound
Sentences:
Compound
Interest
169
Complex
Sentences:
Not
So
Complex
at All 169
xii The Complete Idiot's Guide to Grammar and Style,
Second
Edition
Compound-Complex
Sentences:
The Big
Kahuna

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

115
\k
Coordination and Subordination:
What
to
Say
When
the
Cops
Come
177
Coordination: All the Right Moves 178
Mix
and
Match
119
Dancing
Cheek-to-Cheek
119
Don't
String
Me
Along
180
Why Not
Give
It a
Shot?
181
Subordination:

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

Parft:
Tools
of
the Trade
191
15
The
Writer's
Tools:
Round
Up
the
Usual
Suspects
193
Pencil
Pusher 193
Using
the Dictionary: You Could
Look
It Up 194
Who
You
Gonna
Call?
195
Read
the
Labels
196

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

Programs
202
Contents xiii
16
Punctuation:
Commas
Are Our
Friends
203
Punctuation Matters 203
Show
Me the Money 204
Period,
Question Mark, Exclamation Mark: The End of
the
Line
205
The
Period:
Do
Not
Pass
Go, Do
Not
Collect
$200
206
The
Question
Mark:

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

211
Dazed
and
Confused
211
Bean
Counters
211
Constant Commas
212
The Semicolon:
Love
Child of the Comma and the Period
213
The Colon:
What
a Party Animal 213
Semi-Tough
214
Quotation
Marks:
Quote/Unquote
215
A Little
Dabba
Do Ya
216
Not Separated at Birth: The Dash and the Hyphen
(and Let's Add the
Ellipsis

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

Once
More,
Dear
Friends
221
17
Capitalization and Abbreviations:
Go
to the Head of the
Class
223
Capitalization: A Capital Idea 223
Capital
Punishment
224
Rules
to
Capitalize
By 225
Capital
Investment
228
Abbreviations: Good Things Come in
Small
Packages
229
xiv
The
Complete Idiot's Guide
to

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

Pieces
237
Attaching
Prefixes:
Front-End
Collision
257
Attaching
Suffixes:
Rear-End
Collision
231
Go
for the
Gusto
241
Contractions: Suck
It In 241
Follow
the
Rules!
Spelling Rules
242
ieeeeeeeeeeeee!
244
See
and
Say
244
Silent

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

Style,
and
How
Do
I
Get
Some?
2SI
Style:
Write On! 251
The 3C's: Consistency, Coherence, Clarity
253
Consistency
253
Coherence
255
Clarity
251
I'll
Have
What's
on His
Plate
258
Lie
Like
a Rug 261
20
In Style
263

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

Your
Own
210
Contents
xv
Four
Play
270
Exposition:
Writing
That
Explains
271
Narration:
Writing
That
Tells
a
Story
272
Argumentation:
Writing
That
Persuades
272
Description:
Writing
That
Describes
275

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

Invert
Word
Order
283
Play
with
Pronouns
283
Between
a
Rock
and a
Hard
Place
284
Punctuation
and
Style:
Little Things
Matter
a Lot 284
22 Conciseness:
The
Department
of
Redundancy
Department
287
Slash
and

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

Make
Passive
Sentences
Active
291
23
Diction:
Find
the
Right
Word,
Not
Its
First
Cousin
299
Diction: Proper
Words
in
Proper
Places
300
Elevated
Diction
301
Edited
American
English
301
Colloquial

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

Grin
and
Bare
Bear
It 309
xvi The Complete Idiot's Guide to Grammar and Style,
Second
Edition
Z*t
Don't
Go
There:
Words and
Expressions
to Avoid
311
Sexist
Language:
Political Roadkill 312
On
Thin
Ice
313
Nonsexist
Language:
Level
the
Playing
Field
314

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

320
Search
and
Destroy
321
The
Cliché
Expert
321
Gorgeous
George
323
A
Note
on
Words
and
Expressions
to
Avoid
for
Non-Native
Speakers
324
Part
6:
In
Your
Write
Mind

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

333
Cover
Letters
336
Bread-and-Butter
Notes 338
Good News, Bad News 339
Good
News
340
Bad
News
340
26 Personal
Writing: In Your
Write
Mind
3ti
Friendly
Letters: My
Baby,
She
Wrote
Me a Letter 346
Signed,
Sealed,
Delivered:
Vm
Yours
346

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

Flame
355
Appendixes
A
Glossary
3S7
B
Model
Documents
361
C
Guide to Grammar and Usage
367
Index
395
Foreword
According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking.
Number
two is death. Death is number two. Does
that
seem right?
That
means to the
average
person, if you have to go to a funeral, you're
better
off in the casket
than doing the eulogy.
—-Jerry

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

grammar—wait,
make
that
proper
grammar—when
you start speaking, or
that
somehow you've messed up the writing in the 60-page
report
you've just handed
out. You don't have a run in your panty
hose—you
checked—but
your infinitives might
be split wide open. You can tell
that
your zipper's not down, but you've got this irra-
tional fear
that
your participles are
dangling.
You're a smart dresser, for
certain—but
are
you just plain smart?
In a word,
yes.
You are.
The most common myth about grammar is
that

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

C,
then
for the
next
few
days
kept
getting into trouble for
signing
a cuss word
next
to the date on his homework papers?
This is how many people feel about
grammar—that
they were absent when their
teachers taught the basic rules and have been paying for it ever since. The
truth
is,
you were probably
there
when your teacher taught grammar. So why didn't you learn
the proper rules? Well, honestly, it could
be—at
least
partially—your
teacher's fault.
If
you were like almost every other unfortunate elementary school student, your teacher
probably sat in front of the room carefully
explaining—in

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

now it feels impossible to go back
and set things straight.
But
it's not impossible, because the circumstances have just changed. Laurie Rozakis is
your teacher now. Trust me, you're in good hands. I've been teaching
with
Dr. Rozakis
for
several years now, and
what
always amazes me is how she makes grammar fun.
Her students laugh while they
learn—and
they definitely learn. She has a knack for
making even the most complex concepts simple, understandable, and memorable.
Her students love her.
They
also
respect
her—she's
not only an entertaining teacher, but a wise one. As far as I
can
tell, Laurie Rozakis knows everything
there
is to know about grammar and style.
This book is the
next
best thing to being in her classroom yourself. You'll remember
what
she teaches you and start using it in your daily life almost immediately. You'll

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

You know you have the intelligence, ambition, and resilience to succeed, but one
problem holds you back. "I'm afraid of making embarrassing errors when I speak and
write," you say to yourself.
When
it comes to expressing ideas or communicating your
opinion, you're afraid your message is garbled or just plain incorrect.
Having
washboard abs and a body-fat count lower than the inflation rate will get you
only
so far in
life.
You know you need to know the basics of good
writing—grammar,
usage,
punctuation, capitalization, and
spelling—to
get where you want to go. That's
why you bought this book.
Memorizing lists of grammar rules isn't the answer. Wading through dictionaries and
grammar books is about as exciting as watching reruns of
Gilligans
Island
or
Green
Acres.
Besides,
you can never find
what
you need;
there

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

Book
Success-conscious
people are grammar-conscious people for many good reasons. You
know
that
if you want to get ahead in almost any business or profession, you must
speak
and write reasonably correct
English.
That's
what
this book can help you achieve.
You'll learn
that
business and personal writing is not a mysterious activity at which
only
a few people can succeed. Rather, writing is a craft, like barefoot aluminum foil
dancing
or cooking
that
can be learned by almost anyone willing to invest the required
time and energy.