GP_Grammar

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well.
He could run 10 miles.
may, might + possibility My manager may reassign
might have + me to another
past department.
participle The revolution might not
have succeeded without
their support.
may, could, permission You may borrow my car for
might, might the weekend.
can, We could leave now if we
could want to.
must, had (to) necessity Hank must have his
have (to) cholesterol level checked
once a year.
She had to take a science
course in order to graduate.
should should + recommen- The nurse said I should lie
have + dation down and rest.
past I should have known that
participle the store was closed today.
should should + expectation The doctor should have sent
have + you a copy of his report.
past They should have finished at
participle the bank by now.
resources 87
PRESENT PAST MEANING EXAMPLES
& FUTURE
will, shall would intention I will run in the race on
Saturday.
She said she would bring the
kittens to a no-kill shelter.
The Most Common Prepositions
about by outside
above down over
across during since
after except through
against for throughout
around from till
at in to
before inside toward
behind into under
below like until
beneath near up
beside of upon
besides off with
between on without
beyond out
88 goof-proof
GRAMMAR
Commonly Confused Words
The list provided here contains some of the most commonly con-
fused words, along with a brief definition of each.
CONFUSING WORDS QUICK DEFINITION
Accept: Recognize
Except: Excluding
Access: Means of approaching
Excess: Extra
Adapt: To adjust
Adopt: To take as one s own
Affect: To influence
Effect (noun): Result
Effect (verb): To bring about
All ready: Totally prepared
Already: By this time
Allude: Make indirect reference to
Elude: Evade
Illusion: Unreal appearance
All ways: Every method
Always: Forever
Altar: A sacred table
Alter: To change
Among: In the middle of several
Between: In an interval separating (two)
Appraise: To establish value
Apprise To inform
Assure: To make certain (assure someone)
Ensure: To make certain
Insure: To make certain (financial value)
Beside: Next to
Besides: In addition to
resources 89
CONFUSING WORDS QUICK DEFINITION
Bibliography: List of writings
Biography: A life story
Breath: Respiration
Breathe: To inhale and exhale
Breadth: Width
Capital (noun): Money
Capital (adjective): Most important
Capitol: Government building
Complement: Match
Compliment: Praise
Continual: Constantly
Continuous: Uninterrupted
Decent: Well-mannered
Descent: Decline, fall
Disburse: To pay
Disperse: To spread out
Disinterested: No strong opinion either way
Uninterested: Don t care
Elicit: To stir up
Illicit: Illegal
Eminent: Well known
Imminent: Pending
Envelop: Surround
Envelope: Paper wrapping for a letter
Farther: Beyond
Further: Additional
Immigrate: Enter a new country
Emigrate: Leave a country
Imply: Hint, suggest
Infer: Assume, deduce
Incredible: Beyond belief, astonishing
Incredulous: Skeptical, disbelieving
90 goof-proof
GRAMMAR
CONFUSING WORDS QUICK DEFINITION
Loose: Not tight
Lose: Unable to find
May be: Something may possibly be
Maybe: Perhaps
Overdo: Do too much
Overdue: Late
Persecute: To mistreat
Prosecute: To take legal action
Personal: Individual
Personnel: Employees
Precede: Go before
Proceed: Continue
Proceeds: Profits
Principal (adjective): Main
Principal (noun): Person in charge
Principle: Standard
Stationary: Still, not moving
Stationery: Writing material
Than: In contrast to
Then: Next
Their: Belonging to them
There: In a place
They re: They are
To: On the way to
Too: Also
Weather: Climate
Whether: If
Who: Substitute for he, she, or they
Whom: Substitute for him, her, or them
Your: Belonging to you
You re: You are
resources 91
BUSINESS LETTER BASICS
Style
A business letter is a form of correspondence that is serious and
formal. While you may scrawl off quick, social notes to your
friends that do not follow a set style or format, a business letter
requires you to impart a serious tone. One way to do this is to lay
out your letter in a conventional style.
There are two main styles from which you can choose for your
letter. One is a block paragraph style and the other is an indented
paragraph style. The block style simply requires that each para-
graph is left-justified. This includes the date, address, salutation,
closing, and signature.
If you choose the indented paragraph style, you will start each
paragraph indented approximately five spaces (one tab) from the
left margin. The address and salutation will be left-justified but
the date, closing, and signature will begin in the center of the
page.
General Punctuation
When you write a business letter, the salutation is followed by a
colon. This is in contrast to a social letter, wherein the salutation
is followed by a comma. The closing for both types of letters is
followed by a comma. The difference here is that a business let-
ter should close formally with Sincerely, Sincerely yours, Cor-
dially, Cordially yours, and the like.
Proofreading
When you finish writing your letter, proofread it carefully. Check
the spelling of every tricky or difficult word, but do not rely solely
on your spell-checker. If you are not sure about the spelling of a
word, even if your spell-checker says it is OK, look it up in a dic-
tionary. Review your punctuation. You may want to pay special
92 goof-proof
GRAMMAR
attention to the use of dashes and commas because these are
often overused.
Once you are convinced that you have spotted all errors, proof-
read your letter again. This time, read it aloud. By reading your
letter aloud, you may hear mistakes that you did not notice when
you proofread it silently.
If your letter is of special importance, you may want to enlist
a friend or family member to proofread it for you. Any error that
catches your intended business letter reader s eye may lead him
or her to believe that you didn t care enough to give it a proper
looking-over before you sent it.
Remember, what happens to correspondence after it s sent is
usually out of your control; one thing you can control is present-
ing the recipient with an error-free letter. It s always worth the
time!
BOOKS
Chesla, Elizabeth. Improve Your Writing for Work, 2nd edition
(New York: LearningExpress, 2000).
Follett, Wilson and Wensberge, Erik. Modern American Usage: A
Guide (New York: Hill & Wang, 1998).
Immel, Constance and Sacks, Florence. Better Grammar in 30
Minutes a Day (Franklin Lakes: Career Press, 1995).
Johnson, Edward D. The Handbook of Good English (New York:
Washington Square Press, 1991).
Kane, Thomas S. The New Oxford Guide to Writing (New York:
Oxford University Press, 1994).
LearningExpress. 501 Grammar and Writing Questions (New
York: LearningExpress, 1999).
Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster s Guide to Punctuation and
Style (Springfield: Merriam-Webster, 1995).
O Conner, Patricia T. Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe s Guide to
Better English in Plain English (New York: Riverhead Books,
1998).
Olson, Judith F. Grammar Essentials, 2nd edition (New York:
LearningExpress, 2000).
resources 93
Princeton Review, Grammar Start: A Guide to Perfect Usage,
2nd edition (New York: Princeton Review, 2001).
Sabin, William A. The Gregg Reference Manual, 9th edition
(New York: Glencoe McGraw-Hill, 2000).
Scrampfer Azar, Betty. Understanding and Using English
Grammar (Pearson ESL, New Jersey, 1998).
Shertzer, Margaret. The Elements of Grammar (Needham
Heights: Longman, 1996).
Straus, Jane. The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation, 7th
edition (Mill Valley: Jane Straus, 2001).
Strunk, White, Osgood, Angell. The Elements of Style, 4th
edition (Needham Heights: Allyn & Bacon, 2000).
Tarshis, Barry. Grammar for Smart People: Your User-Friendly
Guide to Speaking and Writing Better English (New York:
Pocket Books, 1993). [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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