This post builds on the previous post, “Reviewing simple sentences.” As we saw, ”simple” does not mean short or uninteresting. Simple sentences have several patterns: I. Subject — Action Verb II. Subject — Action Verb —> Direct Object II. Subject — Action Verb — Indirect Object —> Direct Object IV. Subject — Linking Verb <— Subject …
In this blog, we’ve discussed how native speakers of English have an unconscious knowledge of the language’s grammar – this is true of native speakers of all languages. Nonnative speakers and English language learners have to learn the grammar, and they invariably study that of Standard English, the variety that is in power and used …
In the previous post on sentence variety with adverbial modifiers, we saw how switching up word order and sentence patterns can create both emphasis and more interesting writing. There were quite a number of devices that can be used with adverbial modifiers because they include a single adverb, an adverb phrase, and an adverb clause …
Sentence variety with adjectives & other constituent parts Read More »
Sentences are rarely used in isolation, but rather are usually part of a paragraph with other sentences. In addition to relating the ideas they convey, it’s also helpful to consider their patterns when combining them into a paragraph. Sentence variety is an important tool for writers not only in making their point but also in …
An earlier post on parsing the English sentence played on the definition of parse (pars) v. tr. 1. To break (a sentence) down into its component parts of speech with an explanation of the form, function, and syntactical relationship of part. 2. To describe (a word) by stating its part of speech, form, and syntactical relationships in a sentence. (The American …
In my blog and newsletter, I have written about my preoccupations, not only about writing essentials and English fundamentals, but also about the social unrest and civil discourse around racial, economic, and sexual inequalities. Earlier posts focused on rhetoric, especially on how African American rhetoric developed not only for speaking well in public and legal …
Exhortation and Eulogy – African American Rhetoric Revisited Read More »
Disgruntled, like unkempt, discombobulate, and nondescript, is a part of a category of words with a “lost positive” – “one of those interesting negatives without a corresponding positive word” (Garner’s 806). This fact has led to discussions in print and online about whether gruntled is a word. In 1999, William Safire asked in his NY …
In the field of languages, graphics means the devices that are used only in writing, not speech. As discussed in the post on mechanical errors with quotations, grammar is the structure of written and spoken language, but mechanics covers the rules of written language, such as spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. When one is speaking, it …
Using like as a conjunction is ranked as #7 in a list on onlinecollege.org of the 20 most controversial rules in the grammar world. In Traditional grammar and usage, like is used as a preposition, while as is used as a conjunction. However, the online Cambridge Dictionary asserts that like and as can function as …
The Writingessentialsbyellen.com blog has a new “look”: posts will be shorter so that readers can get the essential questions answered quickly. When appropriate, links will be provided to previous and new essays that go deeper into the language usage and controversy points. Reply to the post to let me know how you like the new …