College Writing

College Writing Study Guide direct object in the v erb phrase, and “carefully” modi�ies the verb “carry.” You can have many modi- �iers in a single sentence as long as you have a noun phrase and a verb phrase. Compound sentences combine two independent clauses – two combinations of a noun phrase and a verb phrase – with a coordinating conjunction . Here are the coordinating conjunctions: • So Notice that the coordinating conjunctions spell the acronymFANBOYS. If you combine two complete sentences with a coordinating conjunction, you should put a comma before the conjunction. For ex- ample, we’ve already established that “I sneezed” and “I carried the �lag” are complete sentences, so if we combine them – “I sneezed, and I carried the �lag” – then we need a comma before the coordi- nating conjunction. There are a few words that seem like conjunctions, but they are not. “However,” “moreover,” and “although” are common subordinating conjunctions , and when you use them in place of coordinat- ing conjunctions, they are punctuated with a semicolon instead of a comma. For example, “I sneezed; however, I was not sick,” is the correct punctuation of a sentence with a subordinating conjunction. Nouns and verbs are the basic parts of speech, and conjunctions are the connective tissue of your sentences, but sometimes nouns and verbs need to be modi�ied , as we discussed above. Usually this means describing how something was done or providing further descriptions about what a noun is. To do this, the parts of speech we use are adjectives and adverbs . Adjectives are normally paired with nouns, and they give a fuller picture of what the author is trying to communicate to the reader. Adjectives are often necessary for good writing; after all, in a language without adjectives, we would have sentences like “She had a face,” instead of “She had a beautiful face.” However, it is easy to get carried away with adjectives, so remember one of the most important rules of writing from the famous style guide The Elements of Style : “omit needless words.” Adverbs are normally paired with verbs, and they describe how an action is performed. For example, we all understand the verb “work,” but sometimes that isn’t enough to convey how someone “works,” so we’ll use the phrases, “work ceaselessly” or “work slowly.” Like adjectives, adverbs can change the meaning of your sentences in dramatic and important ways. The song title “Alone Again, Naturally” demonstrates the power of an adverb to communicate the way the songwriter is feeling. The book title Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close would just be Loud and Close if it weren’t for adverbs, but it’s easy to get carried away with adverbs. When you are looking at your sentences and notice many • For • And • Nor • But • Or • Yet

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