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Modifiers can be slippery, watch out! Quiz

19
Oct   2011
Posted Under - Good Writing, Grammar 101, Home-work Help for School, Home-work Help for Under-graduates / Graduates, Quiz Time, Which one is right?
Modifiers (or descriptors), as I have said again and again, can be slippery. Among single words, these are the most dangerous: only, almost, already, even, just, nearly, merely, always. Read this example to see how the meaning changes with change in modifier placement. Only he could have committed the crime. As against He could have committed only this crime. See what I mean? Again, They almost worked five years on
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2 Comments »

Errors in Headlines – Quiz, take it!

17
Oct   2011
Posted Under - Grammar 101, Quiz Time, Which one is right?
This is a post I wrote a few years ago. Now when I teach, I hear students several years down the line seeking clarification about the same errors. That brings us to a rather unpleasant reality. Somehow, the school system keeps missing opportunities for correction. It simply follows the same old methods letting students learn the same old stuff. And that results in students making the same old mistakes. I stick with
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2 Comments »

Modifier fun – Enjoy it! Answer the Quiz

15
Oct   2011
Posted Under - Good Writing, Grammar 101, Quiz Time
The more I write about them, the more they come to haunt me. Why do I get to see modifier errors all the time? Does it happen to you? Is it that my ESP goes into overdrive when a modifier error appears in a nearby page? Anyway, here is a collection of modifier gems. Can’t remember where I found them, but they are worth repeating. Care to spot and correct the errors? [1] Princess Beatrice, who is starting a histo
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2 Comments »

Which one is right? – “Past” or “Passed”? 2 – Quiz

1
Oct   2011
Posted Under - Good Writing, Grammar 101, Quiz Time, Which one is right?
“Passed”, as I said earlier, is a verb. It is the past tense and the past-participle of “pass”, as in going from one place to another. I passed the bus-stand and didn’t see you waiting there. Have you passed the test? “Pass” can be used transitively, needing an object. Pass the salt, please. (Pass what?) It can be an intransitive verb, needing no object. Days passed, and her memory began to fade slowl
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9 Comments »

Is it “past” or “passed”? Clarification

30
Sep   2011
Posted Under - Good Writing, Grammar 101, Quiz Time, Which one is right?, Words
“The afternoon past as we waited anxiously for the results,” wrote a student in the essay. You see the confusion here? You need a verb in the first part of the sentence, “The afternoon ____” and “past” is not a verb. Let’s take a closer look at this word. ”Past” refers to a certain time gone by. It can also refer to a certain space. But it cannot describe an action. Unless, of course, a techie fin
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Quiz time – bloopers from the press

28
Sep   2011
Posted Under - Good Writing, Grammar 101, Quiz Time
I thought we could take time off for a few bloopers from well-known newspapers. Actually, I’ve asked my class to find at least one and read it out to us. It is my considered opinion that if you develop a keen eye for errors in what you read, your own writing will move towards being error-free. So, here are a few problems involving words that sound alike, or nearly so. [1] “People think when they buy a house the
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2 Comments »

The best answers in test papers – collected

15
Sep   2011
Posted Under - General, Grammar 101, Let's Talk, Which one is right?
One of the unexpected – but absolutely thrilling – part of teaching is going through answer papers. Teachers constantly complain how boring it can be to go through the same answers in a thousand papers, year after year. While a lot of information evolves and is upgraded, there are somethings that don’t change – take adjectives. What has been discovered about them in the last twenty years? So
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2 Comments »

Help those dangling modifiers!

3
Sep   2011
Posted Under - Good Writing, Grammar 101, Quiz Time
Grammarly has two more sentences. We’ll see how they go and then I’ll add one of my own. [1] Sounding like a chainsaw, I was awakened by my wife’s snoring. The modifier is clear – “Sounding like a chainsaw”. Its nearest noun (pronoun in this case) is “I”. Is it “I” who sounds like a chainsaw? No, it can’t be, because “I” is followed by a verb in the passive voice (was awakened). So the mai
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2 Comments »

Dangling modifiers – the headache

2
Sep   2011
Posted Under - For Parents, For Teachers, Grammar 101, Let's Talk
“Grammarly”, is a grammar-correcting software that its promoters say can fix all your grammar problems. You log on, paste a write-up and register yourself and the software will provide an analysis of the errors, if any. On its promo page, I found these sentences with dangling modifiers and their analyses. Sentence: After reading the original study, the article remains unconvincing. Correction: The subject of th
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No Comments »

Quiz: Find the modifier and put it back in place.

31
Aug   2011
Posted Under - For Parents, For Teachers, Good Writing, Grammar 101, Quiz Time
Here is the quiz from the same website. See if you can identify the modifiers that are misplaced and set them right. Write your answers in the comment box. Note: Modifiers give added information. Without them, the sentence would make complete sense. Modifiers should be placed close to the noun, pronoun or verb they modify. The questions: [1] The writer read from his new book wearing glasses. [2] You are welcome to
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