Grammar in Action
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/ Class V \ \ \ \ Book_X_1\3>_, fopightN0._ COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. \ Grammar in Action BY J. C. TRESSLER w Head of the Department of English Richmond Hill High School New York City D. C. HEATH AND COMPANY BOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO ATLANTA SAN FRANCISCO DALLAS LONDON Copyright, 1928, By D. C. Heath and Company 2 d 8 APR 18 1928 PRINTED IN U.S.A. ©Cl A10 68980 PREFACE When the pendulum swung away from the teaching of formal grammar, there was danger that it would pass far beyond a sensible motivated teaching of functional or applied grammar to a denunciation of all grammar except usage drills. Now the pendulum is oscillating about the middle point, a mastery of the simple fundamentals of functional grammar as a foundation on which to build all English work, and will doubtless come to rest here. Of course, the boy or girl who grows up in an atmosphere of correct and elegant English — if such a fortunate one is to be found — speaks and writes well without studying gram¬ mar. Usage drills help the less fortunate to eliminate flagrant errors, but do not give “the genuine familiarity with the elementary facts of English grammar, without which,” the department of English of the University of Wisconsin tells us, “under existing conditions it is futile to expect the vast majority of our pupils to acquire the ability to use English correctly either in speech or in writing.” Grammar in Action is built on a belief that the important aims in grammar teaching are to help pupils (1) to write and speak correct sentences, (2) to construct varied, effective sentences, (3) to punctuate correctly, and (4) to extract thought from the printed page. Because, as Randolph found, half the errors in speech and writing are faults in sentence structure other than the choice of forms, a pupil should learn the terminology for a discussion of sentence building and should be given practice in forming, criticizing, and improving sentences. With the exception of a brief systematic preliminary study of the parts of the sentence, analysis and diagraming, which is shorthand analysis or graphic representation of analysis, are taught when needed. Thus the work is motivated; the probability that the study of analysis will function in class iii IV PREFACE and outside of class, increased; and the habit of using analy¬ sis in correcting sentences, building varied, forceful, mature sentences, extracting thought from the printed page, and punctuating correctly, established. Chapter XIX, for ex¬ ample, gives the pupil practice in applying his knowledge of grammar to the improvement of sentences by placing some¬ thing besides adjectives before the subject, building complex sentences, using appositives, series, and participles, -and occasionally using an interrogative, an exclamatory, or an imperative sentence. The criteria for the selection of grammar material and the determination of how much emphasis should be placed on each point selected are the frequency of use and the fre¬ quency, persistency, and social seriousness of errors. There¬ fore the topics were selected, the eliminations were made, and the emphasis on items was determined by a study of the investigations of Lyman, Johnson, Charters and Miller, Earhart and Small, Sears and Diebel, Randolph, Richardson, and Stormzand and O’Shea {How Much English Grammar), and of my own investigation {The English Journal, November and December, 1917). The sentences in the corrective exercises are with few ex¬ ceptions actual pupil sentences. Most of the sentences for analysis and punctuation are typical high-school, college, newspaper, magazine, and book sentences; a few, literary gems; none, childish prattle. In the text there are no grammatical enigmas or lengthy, complicated sentences. Pupils learn nothing about using the language by puzzling over intricate sentences. In the first half of the book complex and compound sen¬ tences are rare. Pupils apply what they learn first in the correction and construction of simple sentences and then in building and improving compound and complex sentences. The explanations are addressed to the pupil, not to the teacher. My use in the classroom of much of the material in the text convinces me that teachers will not need to simplify, develop, clarify, or illustrate the explanations. With few exceptions the terminology of the Joint Com- PREFACE y mittee on Grammatical Nomenclature has been used. When the Joint Committee name is unnecessarily difficult, it has been placed in parenthesis after a simpler old established term. In matters of divided usage the text is liberal, not puristic or pedantic. Certainly there is no value in teaching untruths about the language. True to its name, Grammar in Action has a maximum of examples and practice in functional grammar, and a minimum of theory and rules. This practice includes the building of both sentences and compositions. J. C. T. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. The Simple Sentence Sentence Sense. 1 Simple Predicate . 2 Simple Subject. 4 Complete Subject. 5 Complete Predicate. 7 Compound Subject or Predicate .... 9 II. Recognition of the Parts of Speech Nouns. 13 Pronouns. 14 Verbs. 15 Adjectives and Adverbs. 15 Prepositions. 20 Conjunctions. 22 Interjections . 25 The Same Word as Different Parts of Speech. 25 III. Parts of the Simple Sentence Predicate Adjective. 30 Predicate Nominative. 31 Object of a Verb. 32 Indirect Object. 34 Appositive. 36 Nominative of Address. 38 IV. Analysis and Diagraming of Simple Sen¬ tences Subject and Predicate. 40 Adjective . 40 Adverb. 41 Prepositional Phrase . 42 Predicate Nominative and Predicate Adjec¬ tive . 44 Object of a Verb. 46 vii viii CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE Indirect Object. 47 Appositive. 48 Direct Address. 49 Other Independent Elements. 49 V. Punctuation of Simple Sentences Ends of Sentences. 51 The Period after Abbreviations. 52 Comma. 53 Quotation Marks. 60 VI. Nouns Capitalization of Proper Nouns. 63 Formation of Plural. 66 Gender. 70 Case. 71 Habits. 73 VII. Forms and Uses of Pronouns Good Use. 76 Literary English and Colloquial English . 76 Personal Pronouns. 77 Agreement with Antecedent . 79 Word Order. 83 Compound Personal Pronouns . 83 Interrogative Pronouns. 85 Relative Pronouns. 86 Demonstrative Pronouns. 86 Indefinite Pronouns. 87 VIII. Forms and Uses of Verbs Transitive and Intransitive. 90 Active and Passive. 92 Tense . 93 Mood . 94 Conjugation and Synopsis. 95 Principal Parts of Verbs.100 Sit, Set, Lie, Lay, Rise, Raise .103 Shall, Will, Should, Would.106 Verb Phrases.109 Ain’t and Other Errors .110 CONTENTS ix CHAPTER PAGE Agreement of Verb and Subject .... Ill IX. Simple Sentences Containing Partici¬ ples, Infinitives, and Gerunds Conjugation Completed .121 Participle.122 Gerund.126 Infinitive.128 Punctuation.131 Tense .133 Dangling Phrases.134 X. Correction of Simple Sentences Syntactical Redundance. 139 Omission.140 Misplaced Modifier.142 Parallel Structure.144 XI. Compound Sentences How to Recognize Compound Sentences . 147 Analysis and Diagraming.148 Punctuation.150 XII. Complex Sentences Containing Adjective Clauses Relative Pronoun.154 Meaning of Adjective Clause.155 How to Recognize an Adjective Clause . 155 Analysis or Diagraming.157 Case of Pronouns.160 Agreement of Verb with Subject .... 162 Syntactical Redundance.163 Arrangement.164 Correct Pronouns.164 Punctuation.166 XIII. Adverb Clauses What an Adverb Clause Is.171 How to Recognize an Adverb Clause . 171 Analysis or Diagraming.172 Punctuation.175 The Upside-down Sentence.177 x CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE XIV. Complex Sentences Containing Noun Clauses How To Recognize a Noun Clause . 180 Analysis or Diagraming.181 Case..184 Punctuation of Quotations.185 Word Order in Indirect Quotation . 187 Using Noun Clauses.187 XV. Correct Verbs and Pronouns in Sentences Chiefly Complex Tense .190 , Shall, Will, Should, Would.196 Subjunctive Mood.197 Agreement of Verb and Subject .... 198 Agreement of Pronoun and Antecedent 199 XVI. Compound-complex and Complex-complex Sentences Compound-complex Sentences . ... 205 Complex-complex Sentences.206 Punctuation.208 Building Sentences.209 Silent Reading .211 XVII. Simple, Compound, and Complex Sen¬ tences Elliptical Sentences.213 Syntactical Redundance.215 Incorrect Omissions.216 Parallel Structure.218 Arrangement.220 Punctuation.221 Silent Reading .227 XVIII. Sentence Sense Phrase, Subordinate Clause, and Sentence . 231 Half-sentence and Comma Blunder ... 231 XIX. Better Sentences Something beside Adjectives before the Subject.245 CONTENTS xi CHAPTER PAGE Complex Sentence.248 Appositive .250 Series.251 Participle.253 Interrogative, Imperative, and Exclamatory Sentences.. 254 XX. Forms and Uses of Adjectives and Ad¬ verbs Comparisons of Adjectives.257 Comparisons of Adverbs.258 Use of Comparative and Superlative . 259 Double Negative .260 This, That, These, Those.261 A, An, The.262 Demonstrative Adjective and Personal Pro¬ noun .263 Confusion of Adjective and Adverb . 263 XXI. Use of Prepositions and Conjunctions Correct Preposition.267 Overuse of Coordinate Conjunctions . 269 Confusion of Prepositions and Conjunc¬ tions .270 Correct Conjunctions .271 Appendix — Less Important Case Uses . 277 Index.279 ' . - GRAMMAR IN ACTION CHAPTER I THE SIMPLE SENTENCE Sentence Sense Which of these groups of words express complete thoughts? 1. Father sat in the shade of the old apple tree. 2. In time of trouble Fred was a true friend. 3. Marconi invented the wireless in 1895. 4. In the shade of the old apple tree. 5. A true friend in time of trouble. 6. The remarkable inventions of the last fifty years. Numbers 1, 2, and 3 are sentences, because they express complete thoughts. In each, the italicized word makes a statement about a person, place, or thing. In 4, 5, and 6 we do not know what the thoughts of the writer are. These word-groups do not express complete thoughts, do not make statements, do not say anything, are half-sentences. Practice 1 Five of the following are sentences and five are half-sentences. Which are the sentences? In each sentence point out the word which makes a statement about a person, place, or thing. 1. Prince Otto is now in exile.