Grammar to Get Things Done

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter One: Introduction

Defining Grammar

Grammar

Usage

Mechanics

A Very Short History of Grammar and Usage in the English Language

A Very Short History of Modern Grammar Instruction

Approaches to Grammar: Prescriptive, Descriptive, and Rhetorical

Prescriptive and Descriptive Grammars

Rhetorical Grammar

How We Address Grammar(s) in This Book

Why Definitions?

Form, Function, and Use

Parts of Speech or Lexical Categories?

The Goal For All: Metalinguistic Awareness

References

Chapter Two: Grammar and Power

What is Standard English?

Moralizing Language

Grammar(s) and Power, Society, and Identity

Power

Society

Identity

Critical Awareness and Grammar Instruction

Further Reading

References

Chapter Three: Teaching Grammar Intentionally

Grammar as an Integrated Element of Broader Design

Authority, Control, and Punishment (Sample Integrated Unit #1)

Specific Grammar Concepts for This Unit

Passive (and Active) Voice

Sentence Modifiers: Absolute Phrases

What Counts as Intelligence (Sample Integrated Unit #2)

Specific Grammar Concepts for This Unit

"To Be" Verbs and Sentence Forms

Complex Sentence Structures

How to Plan for Specific Grammar Integration

Correction and Grammar Instruction: Using Student Work Diagnostically

General Issues and What They Mean

Passage- and Paragraph-Level Patterns and What They Mean

Choppy

Awkward or Disorganized

Vague or Underdeveloped

Context Unclear

Redundant

Wordy

Sentence-Level Patterns and What They Mean

Run-Ons, Splices, and Fragments

Agreement Issues

Word Choice

Punctuation Issues

Conclusion

References

Chapter Four: Grammatical Concepts

Introduction: What It Is, and What It Ain't

Structure of Chapter Four

Limitations of Chapter Four

Unit One: Sentences and Sentence Types

The Sentence

Overview

Form and Function

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Sentences are Useful in Actual Communication

Experimenting with the Sentence

Scenario 1: Food Fight

Scenario 2: Gotta Get That Money

Scenario 3: Different Kinds of Bosses

Non-Sentences and Their Uses

Overview

Form

Fragments and Function

Single Words

Phrases and Other Phenomena

Clauses

Fragments in Use

Run-ons and Function

Run-ons in Use

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Non-Sentences are Useful in Actual Communication

Experimenting with Fragments and Run-Ons

Scenario 1: Ghost Stories

Scenario 2: Thirty Seconds of Face Time

Scenario 3: Advertising Your Town

Scenario 4: Remixing the Mocking Run-On

Simple Sentences

Overview

Form

Function

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Simple Sentences are Useful in Actual Communication

Experimenting with Simple Sentences

Scenario 1: Testify

Scenario 2: Honest and Direct

Scenario 3: A Real Apology

Scenario 4: Ending a Relationship

Compound Sentences and Conjunctions

Overview

Form

Function

Yet, For, and Nor

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Compound Sentences are Useful in Actual Communication

Experimenting with Compound Sentences

Scenario 1: Justice For All

Scenario 2: Science Fiction Point-Counterpoint

Scenario 3: Making a Deal

Scenario 4: The Ironic "Yet"

Scenario 5: The Memorable Well-Balanced Line

Scenario 6: The Dramatic Reason or Consequence

Complex Sentences

Overview

Form

Function

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Complex Sentences are Useful in Actual Communication

Experimenting with Complex Sentences

Scenario 1: Friday Night Plans

Scenario 2: Carlee's Concoctions

Scenario 3: Spirit Friday

Scenario 4a: Storybook Summarizer

Scenario 4b: Album Blurbs

Compound-Complex Sentences

Overview

Form

Function

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Compound-Complex Sentences are Useful in Actual Communication

Experimenting with Compound-Complex Sentences

Scenario 1: Junk Food in School

Scenario 2: Whiffleball Guidelines

Scenario 3: Youth Court Judge

Scenario 4: Who's the Winner

Active and Passive Voice

Overview

Form

Verb Form

Function

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Active Voice is Useful in Actual Communication

Focusing on Use: How Passive Voice is Useful in Actual Communication

Avoiding blame or guilt

Emphasizing a different subject for a particular reason

News reporting

Distancing the doer intentionally for political reasons

Experimenting with Passive Voice

Scenario 1: Grandpa's (Formerly) Fine Ride

Scenario 2: Party Post-Mortem

Scenario 3: Fixing Headlines

Scenario 4: Apology or Non-Apology?

Unit Two: Clauses

Dependent Clauses

Overview

Form

Function

Adverbial Clauses

Dependent Clause Relationships

Punctuating Adverbial Clauses

Adjectival Clauses

Punctuating Adjectival Clauses

Nominal Clauses

Subjects

Objects of the Preposition

**A Quick Refresher: Definitions of Direct Objects and Subject Complements**

Subject Complements

Direct Objects

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Dependent Clauses are Useful in Actual Communication

Experimenting with Dependent Clauses

Specific Function: Concession

Scenario 1a: Lucas Needs Help

Scenario 1b: Pleading For Leniency

Specific Function: Contrast

Scenario 2a: You're Wearing That?!

Scenario 2b: Adopting a Role

Specific Function: Reason

Scenario 3: Let's Make a Deal

Specific Function: Condition

Scenario 4: No More Bankrolling

Unit Three: Phrases

Appositive Phrases

Overview

Form and Function

Punctuation and Appositives

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Appositive Phrases are Useful in Actual Communication

Experimenting with Appositive Phrases

Scenario 1: Exposing the Truth

Scenario 2: Condensing the Details

Scenario 3: Piling on the Description

Participial Phrases

Overview

Form

Function

Punctuation and Participial Phrases

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Participials are Useful in Actual Communication

Implication

Specificity

Causation

Experimenting with Participial Phrases

Scenario 1: Game Designer

Scenario 2: Stage Director

Scenario 3: The Impact of Experience

Scenario 4a: Helping People Make the Connection, Part 1

Scenario 4b: Helping People Make the Connection, Part 2

Absolute Phrases

Overview

Form

What to Remember

Function

Explaining a Cause or Condition

Adding Detail or a Focal Point

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Absolute Phrases are Useful in Actual Communication

Experimenting with Absolute Phrases

Scenario 1: Game Designer

Scenario 2: Encounter with Fame (A Celebrity, Politician, or Athlete)

Scenario 3: Moment of Growth

Gerunds

Overview

Form

Function

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Gerunds are Useful in Actual Communication

Experimenting with Gerunds

Scenario 1: Xtreme Adventures

Scenario 2: Viral Meme Creation

Scenario 3: Helping the Noobs

Infinitives

Overview

Form

Dangling Infinitives

Function

Infinitives as Adjectives

Infinitives as Adverbs

Infinitives as Nouns

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Infinitives are Useful in Actual Communication

Experimenting with Infinitives

Scenario 1: Sometimes Tentative is Good

Scenario 2: The Villain's Speech

Scenario 3: The Artist Inside

Prepositions

Overview

Form

The Prepositional Phrase

Common Prepositions

Function

Adverbially and Adjectivally

Prepositions or Subordinating Conjunctions?

Never End a Sentence With a Preposition...

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Prepositions are Useful in Actual Communication

Experimenting with Prepositions

Scenario 1a: The Secret Party

Scenario 1b: The Virtual Reality Challenge

Scenario 2: How to Respond?

Scenario 3: The Suggestive Title

Unit Four: Lexical Categories

Nouns

Overview

Form

Function

Subjects

Objects of the Preposition

Direct Objects

Indirect Objects

Object Complements

Subject Complements

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Nouns are Useful in Actual Communication

Nominalization

Noun Versatility

Adjectives Acting as Nouns

Verbs Acting as Nouns

Experimenting with Nouns

Scenario 1: Titles That Pop

Scenario 2: The Power of Summary

Scenario 3: A Primer for Beginners

Action Verbs

Overview

Form and Function

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Action Verbs are Useful in Actual Communication

Verbs for Precision and Connotation

Atypical Verbs and Their Possibilities

Proper Nouns Used as Verbs

Experimenting with Action Verbs

Scenario 1: Communicating the Intangibles

Scenario 2: Degrees of Exaggeration and Understatement

Scenario 3: Meme Hunting

Scenario 4: Energetic Film Titles

Scenario 5a: Sports Writing

Scenario 5b: Reporting on a Sporting Event

Scenario 5c: Researching Sports Reporting Language

Other Verbs

Overview

Form

Active Verbs: Transitive and Intransitive

Transitive Verbs and Direct Objects

Transitive Verbs and Indirect Objects

Intransitive Verbs

Linking Verbs

Modals (one type of Helping Verb)

Function

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Verbs are Useful in Actual Communication

Experimenting with Other Verbs

Scenario 1: Remixing Slogans

Scenario 2: Careful with Advice

Scenario 3: Softening the Criticism

Adjectives

Overview

Form

Comparative and Superlative Forms of Adjectives (Gradable Adjectives)

Funner, or More Fun?

Function

Subject Complements

Object Complements

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Adjectives are Useful in Actual Communication

Moving from Adjectives to Participles (Academic Language)

Converting Adjectives to Action Verbs

Getting More Precise

Proper Nouns as Adjectives

Experimenting with Adjectives

Scenario 1: Wild Water

Scenario 2: Family Style

Scenario 3: Saucy Business

Adverbs

Overview

Form and Function

Adverbs of Manner

Adverbs of Place

Adverbs of Frequency

Adverbs of Time

Adverbs of Purpose

Adverbs of Condition

Modifying More Than Verbs

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Adverbs are Useful in Actual Communication

Experimenting with Adverbs

Scenario 1: Science Lab with Chet

Scenario 2: Refining Your Career Interests

Scenario 3: Kebe is So Mysterious

Scenario 4: It's Over

Pronouns

Overview

Form

Personal Pronouns

Its and It's, Me and I

Demonstrative Pronouns

Reciprocal Pronouns

Interrogative Pronouns

Indefinite Pronouns

Reflexive Pronouns

Relative Pronouns

The Trouble with Whom

Function

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Pronouns are Useful in Actual Communication

Repetition, Tone, and Voice

Determiners

Experimenting with Pronouns

Scenario 1: Bringing the People Together

Scenario 2: Updating the Creed

Scenario 3: Shaping the Scene

Unit Five: Punctuation

Colons

Overview

Form and Function

Colon Function #1

Colon Function #2

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Colons are Useful in Actual Communication

Experimenting with Colons

Scenario 1: The Power of Lists

Scenario 2: Defining a Term

Scenario 3: The Final Reason

Semicolons

Overview

Form and Function

Semicolon Function #1

Semicolon Function #2

Semicolon Function #3

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Semicolons are Useful in Actual Communication

Experimenting with Semicolons

Scenario 1: Deep Dive Into Detail

Scenario 2: Defending Your Honor

Scenario 3: Elaborating on an Idea

Scenario 4: Analyzing Political Posturing

Dashes

Overview

Form

Dashes and Parentheses

Dashes and Dialogue

Dashes vs Hyphens

Function

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Dashes are Useful in Actual Communication

Experimenting with Dashes

Scenario 1: Recreating the Moment

Scenario 2: It's All in the Details

Scenario 3: Defending Donnie

Hyphens

Overview

Form

Function

Modifying Nouns

Connecting Numbers

Describing Age

Joining Words to Create a New Concept

Adding Affixes

Hyphen Caveats

Typical Form Exercises

Focusing on Use: How Hyphens are Useful in Actual Communication

Experimenting with Hyphens

Scenario 1: Harry Hates Hyphens

Scenario 2: Destroying Some Stereotypes

Scenario 3: Gaming Lingo

Commas

Overview

Form and Function

Specific Comma Functions

References

Appendix

Innate Understandings

Suffixes

Grammar Rants

Language and Power

Language and Society/Language and Identity

Grammar(s) of Their Worlds

Open and Closed Word Classes

Analyzing Grammar in Chunks

Punctuation

More Thematic Units

References