Tag: verb
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December 28, 2007 11:15 PM EST --
Writers are as different a lot as any other profession. We have similarities (we enjoy a good tale), but are each unique individuals.
An example: I write a novel in snippets and not in any . . .
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June 16, 2008 10:20 AM EDT --
Earlier I promised a long-awaited distinction between passive voice and passive writing —or more specifically, passive verbs . Passive voice describes a sentence in which the subject receives . . .
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June 16, 2008 11:23 AM EDT --
I ended my last post with a curious sentence:
But was and were , along with all the to-be verbs, are the source of many grammatical misunderstandings.
Or, simplified: . . .
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July 29, 2008 10:04 AM EDT --
Here's a quick overview of the helpful articles on grammar and writing now available at The Grammar Weasel :
Dangling Participles (series of 2 articles)
Participial Phrases
Absolute . . .
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January 28, 2007 10:26 AM EST --
What is love:
St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:4-13:
Love is patient, love is kind.
It is not jealous, it is not pompous,
it is not inflated, it is not rude,
it does not seek its own interests,
it . . .
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June 19, 2008 02:45 PM EDT --
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No other part of speech causes as much confusion-and demonstrates . . .
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March 27, 2008 12:49 PM EDT --
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Today we're going to dig into the definitions and etymologies of two words that often get confused and used interchangeably: upside . . .
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July 17, 2008 01:16 PM EDT --
Most beginning writers use far more words than necessary. It's probably because we all had some junior high English teacher who demanded x-hundred-word essays ("Shakespeare was a very, very, . . .
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August 03, 2006 10:17 PM EDT --
When I was six
and my brother was seven,
he made me cry today.
"You pansy," he said.
"You're the pansy," . . .
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June 16, 2008 10:28 AM EDT --
Last post we discussed the evils of the unofficial passive verbs was and were . We've already seen how to dispense with these verbs in association with the passive voice . . .
Miss . . .
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June 16, 2008 10:56 AM EDT --
Last post I asked you to evaluate the verb usage in the following sentence:
After capturing Dr. Maybe, Agent Pi was being a self-centered jerk.
Maybe you noticed that per the . . .
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October 05, 2007 03:38 PM EDT --
I Am Not (A)muse(d)
by Marilyn Mackenzie
Okay. Strange title. Let me explain.
I have been on the internet since 1999 and chatting and networking online with others who write ever . . .
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January 24, 2008 03:36 PM EST --
Today we tackle one of the most confusing bits of word choice in common language; lay versus lie . Usage for these words is difficult for lots of reasons: They sound alike. They mean similar things. . . .
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June 30, 2008 06:04 PM EDT --
Bad Comma
The previous post ended with a challenge: decide which of the following asterisks should be replaced with commas.
My wife* Mary* and my son* Thomas* stayed home, . . .
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July 14, 2008 03:46 PM EDT --
In my last post I asked what made a truly bad opening sentence for a novel. Not intentionally bad, like the Bulwer-Lytton contest gems. I'm talking about the bad that most writers are familiar with. . . .
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September 12, 2008 01:35 PM EDT --
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Today we're discussing contractions. Rather, we're discussing contractions that are often misspelled . . .
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July 09, 2008 06:21 PM EDT --
Here's a quick overview of the helpful articles on grammar and writing now available at The Grammar Weasel :
Dangling Participles (series of 2 articles)
Participial Phrases
Absolute . . .
more
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November 06, 2008 04:35 PM EST --
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Today we're putting to rest another long-held grammar myth. In an effort to keep writing clean . . .
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