English Composition

English Composition Study Guide Expletive constructions occur when a writer begins a sentence with there or this means. Essentially, these constructions add unnecessary words to the sentence. Good writing avoids the use of extra words. • There were two people in town who spoke French fluently. • Two people in town spoke French fluently. The second sentence is more clear and direct than the first sentence. Adjectives and Adverbs Indicating degree: The chart below describes a quality that adjectives and adverbs share: degree. Degree Definition Example Positive Describes one item; uses standard form of the word He yelled loudly. He had a loud voice. Comparative Contrasts two items; adds –er or uses more/less. He yelled louder than Mike. His voice is louder than Mike’s. Superlative Compares three or more items; adds –est or uses most/least. Out of all of us, he yelled the loudest. He had the loudest voice of any of us. Mistakes happen when writers combine methods of indicating degree. • He yelled more louder than Mike. • He had the most loudest voice of any of us. The rule of thumb is to add an ending to one syllable words and add a prefatory word in front of words of three syllables. Adverb versus adjective after a linking verb: To decide which to use, consider the meaning of the sentence. In some cases, the adverb might make the most sense, but in others, the sentence will be clearer if you use an adjective. • Sarah felt badly about her comments. • Sarah felt bad about her comments. Was Sarah bad at feeling or were her feelings bad ones? Consider the meaning you wish to convey to determine which word to use. Prepositions and Conjunctions Can you end a sentence with a preposition? The correct answer is rarely . Most grammar textbooks will tell say that writers should never end a sentence with a preposition. In most cases, this is correct. Expletive constructions: are

©2018

Achieve

Page 9

of 84