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Grammar is your friend!

• . . . with welcome help
• from Gramma!

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Basic sentence
Basic sentences are like the bricks of a house.
They support a writers ideas and illustrations..

• Subject verb completed idea

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Learning the basic sentence is important.
Thesis and Topic Sentences, Gramma said, all
the sentences in an essay, must share complete
thoughts. Why, Gramma? her grandson asked.
Because, Gramma smiled, otherwise in job
interviews youd sound like a cave
dweller! Bobbie exclaimed, Thanks, Gramma!
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handsome me!
sleep . .
hard!
hot stick!
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Dont be afraid, Gramma counseled. Practice!
Just try your best!

• Try a few study methods
• Keys for Writers
• coursepack section Basic Grammar
• free drop-in tutoring at the ASC
• tutorials like http//grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/gram
  mar/
• OCC Library website (study guides and links)
  http//www.oaklandcc.edu/Library/

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Grammas shortcut ACTIVE VERBS

• Dogs run with glee.
• Hunters shoot deer in November.
• Gramma cooks with love.

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PASSIVE VERBS use sparingly

• The lawnmower is broken.
• Yesterday was garbage day.
• We had yummy macaroni and cheese.
• The dog has fleas.

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GRAMMAS SHORTCUT Avoid empty pointing with
this and that

• This ???? is for her.
• This new outfit will look really swell on
  Johanna.
• That ??? is too small.
• The outfit that gramma made for me last summer
  doesnt fit anymore.

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Grammas shortcut PRONOUNS

• Have a very good reason to use pronouns.
  Replace unneeded pronouns with nouns. Use I,
  you, and we only when absolutely necessary
  for an essay to work best, or to fit an
  assignment--such as personal narration, which
  needs I.
• Write consistently and maintain narrative
  focus. Avoid narrative pronouns completely and
  thoroughly, OR consistently use the same
  narrative pronoun/s throughout the entire piece.
  Dont misuse or abuse narrative pronouns. (ex. If
  needed, use I and we, not I, you and we
  all in one essay.)

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I
Why I remember when my grandmother taught me to
knit. Did you know that my grandmother was born
during the Civil War? Your great-great-grandfath
er died fighting it! You youngsters dont know
the facts of life and death unless an old person
like me tells you. Ahh, peace is a good thing,
children, remember. Its better than the
alternative!

• Personal narration only!!!!!

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you
I love you, Gramma!

• use with care

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we and us
We spend Thanksgiving together with Gramma every
year. For us, its a wonderful time to eat,
laugh, and share the work cooking and cleaning in
the kitchen. We love Gramma and Mom too much to
expect them to do all the work on a holiday, so
all of us help out and do our part together.

• united audience

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he, she, they
Your brothers and sister are older. They dont
like to cook as much as you do, honey. Brad has
a hockey game, so he must go to practice. Suzy
says her friend needs a hand packing.

• not narrators

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title formats for public proper nouns

• title of book, name of newspaper or magazine,
  movie, television or radio show, name of music
  album
• Use italics or underline
• chapter in book, article in periodical, episode
  of a show, song title , work of art
• Use Quotations

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the endinstructor gina fournieroakland
community college