Grammar for high school admissions tests

HSPT Usage section rules

Comma

does 6 things:

1. combine ICs (w/ cc)

2. combine phrases or DC w/ IC

3. create lists

4. set up quotation

(first word of the equation is capitalized)

5. set aside parenthetical information (appositives, relative clauses, etc.)

ex. "Steve, my neighbor, is not very nice."

  "Steve, who is my neibhbro, is not very nice"

6. separate dates and place names

apostrophe

does 3 things:

1. create possessives

Owen's parents

2. create contractions

Can't, won't, it's

it's v its

they're v their

3. (less commonly) indicate plurality > ex. "1960's"

quotation marks

do 3 things:

1. quotations

2. indicate sarcasm

personal pronoun subjective & objective case

in compound objects, remove the first noun and test the pronoun

> Steve and I went to the park.

> Steve and me went to the park

me went to the park = wrong

> She gave Joey and me a bad grade.

> She gave Joey and I a bad grade

remove "joey"

she gave I a bad grade = wrong

personal pronouns and prepositions

>  prepositions create a prep phrase

> prep prhase contains a

> preoposition + an object

Between you and I, grammar sucks.  x b/c I = subjective

Between you and me, grammar sucks.

The car stopped right in front of the dog and he.

The car stopped right in front of the dog and him.

attributive nouns

nouns that act like adjectives (but are not adjectives)

dog food

wine glass

class government

dog, wine, class = nouns, but they are modifying the 2nd noun .. giving them an "attribute"

the attributive noun is ALWAYS SINGULAR .. bc it's acting like an adjective (which don't change pluraity)

> dog food not dogs food

attributive noun is ALWAYS next to the noun it modifies

big dog bone.

dog big bone  x

-------

cumulative v. coordinate adjectives

cumulative adjectives = no comma

the 1st adjective modifies the 2nd adj + the noun

expensive small gift

= expensive [small gift]

small expensive gift

= small [expensive gift]

coordinate adjectives

= uses a comma

big, red balloon

if you can swtich them, or put "and" in between them, it uses a comma (coordinate)

=

big and red balloon = ok

red, big balloon = ok

may v. please

• Please pass the salt = ok

• May you pass the sale = x

• please = asking permission

• may = instruction/command

lie v. lay:

• lie = to put oneself down

• lay = to put an object down

• past tense

• lie >> lay

• participle lain/lied/lying

• lay > laid

• participle: laid/laying

irregular past participles

go

• simple past (preterite) = went

participle : gone

perfect tenses use the participle!

past perfect : have/has gone

present perfect: had gone

future perfect: will have gone