Garland Greever

“ Such phrases are also useful in linking one paragraph to another.
When a student first learns the art, he is likely to use transition phrases in excess, and produce something like the following: "When I have to write a theme, I first think of my subject. As soon as I have my subject, I take out my paper. On the paper I then make a rough outline." This abuse of transition causes an overlapping of thought, like shingles laid three inches to the weather. An abrupt transition is better than wordiness. ”

“ Common nouns may be concrete (man, windmill) , or abstract (gratitude, nearness) . A noun applied to a group is said to be collective (family, race) . The uses of a noun are: to serve as the subject of a verb, to serve as the object of a verb or a preposition, to be in apposition with another noun (Jenkins, our coach) , to indicate possession (Joseph's coat of many colors) ; and less frequently, to serve as an adjective (the brick sidewalk) or adverb (John went home) , and to indicate direct address (Jehovah, help us!) . Pronoun.A pronoun is a word which takes the place of a noun. ”

“ At this school one can study to be a doctor, dentist, farmer, a lawyer, or an engineer. I like to cross the harbor on the ferry, to dodge in and out among the ships, see the gulls dart among the waves, smell the sharp tang of salty air, and to feel the rocking motion of the boat. ”

“ Reading will broaden the point of view of a student. To visit the plant in operation is indeed a spectacular sight. My plants grew and looked nicer than any I ever saw. I place little truth in that article, since it appeared in a strong partisan paper. The manufacturing of automobiles has gained to quite an extent. Emerson has some real clever thoughts in his essays. I do not mean to degrade our local street car system, for indeed, it is good along some lines. I want to attain a greater per cent of efficiency in my study. Imagination is an important part in the successful writing of themes. ”

“ Through the patience, the courage, the high character of Alfred the country was saved—saved from the rapacities of fortune, saved from the malignancy of its enemies, saved from the sluggish despair of the people of England themselves. ”

“ A faulty idiom is an expression which, though correct in grammar and general meaning, combines words in a manner contrary to usage. Idioms are established by custom, and cannot be explained by logical rules. "I enjoy to read" is wrong, not because the words offend logic or grammar, but merely because people do not instinctively make that combination of words. "I like to read" and "I enjoy reading" are good idioms.
Observe that many idioms are concerned with prepositions. Make sure that a verb or adjective is accompanied by the right preposition. ”

“ A source of confusion between the two words is that the past tense of lie is lay: Like and as or as if.Like is in good use as a preposition, and may be followed by a noun; as is in good use as a conjunction, and may be followed by a clause. "He is tall like his father." "He is tall, as his father is." "It looks as if (not like) it were going to rain." Lose and loose.Lose means to cease having; loose as a verb means to set free, and as an adjective, free, not bound. Majority and plurality.In a loose sense, majority means the greater part. ”

“ In the case of the strike at Lawrence, Massachusetts, the real cause was low wages caused by immigration and child labor. First, a subject must be chosen, and in choosing a subject, choose one that you know something about. There are great opportunities in the field of science, and a scientist who makes a mark in the world of science makes a mark for himself everywhere. While the practical man is learning skill in the practical world, the college man is attaining a development of mentality that will surpass that of the practical man when the college man learns the skill of the practical man. ”

“ Periodic: To have our pursuit of knowledge and happiness rudely broken off, to feel the sting of death and bereavement, to saddle future generations with a burden of debt and national hatred—this is war. ”

“ Adverb.An adverb is a word used to modify a verb, an adjective, another adverb (She played well; unusually handsome; very sternly) ; or, more rarely, a verbal noun (Walking fast is good for the health) , a preposition (The ship drifted almost upon the breakers) , or a conjunction (It came just when we wished) . Certain adverbs (fatally, entirely) do not logically admit of comparison. Those that do are compared like adjectives of more than two syllables (slowly, more or less slowly, most or least slowly) . ”

“ A periodic sentence is doubly emphatic: it has emphasis by position because the important idea comes at the end; it has emphasis by subordination because all ideas except the last one are grammatically dependent. ”

“ Note.—Usage justifies many exceptions, particularly (1) expressions that involve time or measure, a day's work, a hair's breadth, a year's salary, a week's vacation, a cable's length; and (2) expressions that involve personification, explicit or implied, Reason's voice, the law's delay, for mercy's sake, the heart's desire, the tempest's breath.
i. A pronoun agrees with its antecedent in person, gender, and number, but not in case.
Right: I, who am older, know better. Right: Tell me, who am older, your trouble. Right: Many a man has saved himself by counsel. ”

“ When a person keeps a store, you should remember the names and faces of your customers. An automobile is expensive, and they are liable to become an elephant on your hands. If one studies the market, he would find that prices rise every year. If one went to Europe, he will find everything different. Since these tires were different in construction, the method of repairing will vary. Contentment is a state of mind in which one is satisfied with themselves and their surroundings. ”

“ He traveled a rough road and climbed with his burden the ladder of success, where he is a glowing example and guide to other men. [The suggestion which a reader with a sense of humor may get is, that a man starts out as a traveler, suddenly becomes a hod-carrier, and is then transformed into a bonfire or a lighthouse.] ”

“ In order to convince the reader that the present management of farms is inefficient, I shall give some examples of efficiency in the farm management on some farms with which I am acquainted. When one wishes to learn how to swim one must first become accustomed to the water. The best way to become accustomed to the water is to go into it frequently. After one has become accustomed to the water he may begin to learn the strokes. ”

“ Do not use a verb, conjunction, preposition, or noun in a double capacity when one of the uses is ungrammatical.
Wrong [verb] : An opera house was built in one part of town, and two churches in another. Right: An opera house was built in one part of town, and two churches were built in another. Wrong [verb] : He always has and will do it. Right: He always has done it, and always will do it. Wrong [conjunction] : He was as old, if not older, than any other man in the community. Right: He was as old as any other man in the community, if not older. ”

“ Inexact verb: He had not sufficiently regarded the difficulties of the task [Use considered] . Inexact noun: Promptness is an item which a manager should possess [Use quality] . Inexact adjective: He looked awfully funny when I told him he had made a mistake [Use surprised] . Inexact phrasing throughout: Health is first in every line of activity. A man who has it does not hold it with enough respect, and make efforts enough to keep it. Right: Health is indispensable to success in any work. Even those who have it do not realize its value. ”

“ EXERCISE IN UNITY OF THOUGHT A. The Comma Splice
Rewrite the following material in sentences each of which is a unit of thought. Most of the statements should be summarily cut apart. If you decide that others taken together have unity of thought, combine them (1) by a comma plus a conjunction, (2) by a semicolon, or (3) by reducing one of the statements to a phrase or a subordinate clause.
The canoe is long and narrow, it is made of birch bark. I decided to serve tea, of course cream and sugar would be needed. Some men hunt rabbits for market purposes only, they are the sportsman's enemies. ”

“ The state of mind of a writer is not the state of mind of his reader. The writer knows his ideas, and has spent much time with them. The reader meets these ideas for the first time, and must gather them in at a glance. The relation between two ideas may be clear to the writer, and not at all clear to the reader. Therefore,
8. In passing from one thought to another, make the connection clear. If necessary, insert a word, a phrase, or even a sentence, to carry the reader safely across. ”

“ Give parallel structure to those parts of a sentence which are parallel in thought. Do not needlessly interchange an infinitive with a participle, a phrase with a clause, a single word with a phrase or clause, a main clause with a dependent clause, one voice or mode of the verb with another, etc.
Faulty: Riding is sometimes better exercise than to walk. Right: Riding is sometimes better exercise than walking. [Or] To ride is sometimes better exercise than to walk. ”

“ If, however, the last adjective is closely linked in meaning with the noun, no comma is used before it.
Right: A short, slight, pitiable figure. Right: A shrewd professional man. [Shrewd modifies, not man alone, but professional man.] Right: A bedraggled old rooster. [Old rooster has almost the force of a compound word. Bedraggled modifies the general idea old rooster.]
Note.—The commas in a series of adjectives are used to separate the adjectives from each other. No comma should intervene between the final adjective and the noun. Wrong: He was only a frail, unarmed, frightened, youngster. ”

“ Next the ground should be harrowed. Then you sow the wheat. [The subject changes from ground to you. One verb explains what should be done, the other what somebody does.] Right: Next the ground
is should be harrowed. Then it
is should be sown to wheat. [Or] Next you should harrow the ground. Then you should sow the wheat.
Exercise:
One end of a camera carries the film, and the lens and shutter are in the other end. When an athlete is in training, good healthful food should be eaten. An engineer's time is not devoted to one branch of science, but should include many. ”

“ New-coined words are usually hyphenated; old words are often written solid. The degree of intimacy between the parts of a compound word affects usage; thus we write sun-motor, but sunbeam; birth-rate, but birthday; cooling-room, but bedroom; non-conductor, but nonsense. The ease with which a vowel blends with the consonant of a syllable adjoining it affects usage; thus self-evident, but selfsame; non-existent, but nondescript; un-American, but unwise. Many compounds, however, are still uncontrolled by usage ”