CAHSEE Grammar/Usage Cheat Sheet

Sample Walking and to jog and to cycle are activities many people can enjoy. A To walk, and jogging and cycle B To walk, to jog, and cycling C Walking, jogging, and cycling D Leave as is. Problem: Parallel structure

Sample While Sara visited with Sam: she finished her science project. A with Sam. She finished B with Sam; she finished C with Sam, she finished D Leave as is.

Problem: Independent and dependent clauses—how to punctuation

Sample My sister a high school freshman, is trying out for the school play.

A sister, a high school freshman,

B sister: a high school freshman

C sister a high school freshman

D Leave as is.

Problen: Appositives—how to punctuate

Sample We’re sorry to bother you, but we need to ask you a question.

A sorry, to bother you but we need

B sorry to bother you, but, we need

C sorry to bother you but we need

D Leave as is.

Problem: Connecting 2 independent clauses with a conjunction—how to punctuate Sample

Tam left the decision up to ______. A we B us C she D they

Problem: Objective pronoun v. subjective pronoun

Sample Akia told us about her safari across the plains of East Africa in our geography class. A In our geography class, Akia told us about her safari across the plains of East Africa. B Akia told us about her safari in our geography class across the plains of East Africa. C In our geography class Akia told about her safari across the plains of East Africa to us. D Leave as is.

Problem: Misplaced modifier

Sample

Walking and to jog and to cycle are activities many people can enjoy.

A To walk, and jogging and cycle B To walk, to jog, and cycling C Walking, jogging, and cycling D Leave as is.

Problem: Parallel structure CAHSEE Cheat Sheet cont.

Phrase—not a sentence, does not contain a subject and a verb

Ex. Prepositional phrase On the chair

Clauses—independent and dependent

Independent clause—subject and verb, can stand alone as a sentence Dependent clause—subject and verb, cannot stand alone as a sentence

Ex. I go to bed early. (independent)

Ex. When I go to bed early. (dependent)

I v. Me

I = we—subject of sentence (doing the action) me=us—object of sentence (being acted upon)

John and Steve went to the store. We went to the store John and I went to the store.

Dad asked John and Steve to go to the store Dad asked us to go to the store. Dad asked John and me to go to the store.

Subjective v. Objective Pronouns

We, she, he, they—subject of a sentence Us, her, him, them—object of a sentence

We love them. v. Us love they.

Misplaced modifiers—causes confusion, awkwardness

Example from above: Where did the safari take place? When did the safari take place? Where did Akia talk about her safari experience? Use of semi-colon—( ; )

Separate 2 independent, related clauses—no conjunction

Gerund

A verb ending in ing used as a noun, subject of a sentence

Cooking can be a social activity. Swimming is my favorite form of exercise.

Subordinate Clauses

After Amy sneezed all over the tuna salad

After = subordinate conjunction; Amy = subject; sneezed = verb.

Once Adam smashed the spider

Once = subordinate conjunction; Adam = subject; smashed = verb.

Until Mr. Sanchez has his first cup of coffee

Until = subordinate conjunction; Mr. Sanchez = subject; has = verb.

Who ate handfuls of Cheerios with his bare hands

Who = relative pronoun; Who = subject; ate = verb

Subordinate + Main clause—separate with comma

Even though the broccoli was covered in cheddar cheese, Emily refused to eat it.

Unless Christine finishes her calculus homework, she will have to suffer Mr. Nguyen's wrath in class tomorrow.

While Bailey slept on the sofa in front of the television, Samson, the family dog, gnawed on the leg of the coffee table. Main + Subordinate—no comma

Tanya did poorly on her history exam Ø because her best friend Giselle insisted on gossiping during their study session the night before.

Jonathon spent his class time reading comic books Ø since his average was a 45 one week before final exams.

Diane decided to plant tomatoes in the back of the yard Ø where the sun blazed the longest during the day.