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<p>Preface and Acknowledgments xix</p> <p>About the Authors xxi</p> <p>Introduction xxiii</p> <p><b>1Grammar 1</b></p> <p>Finding Nouns, Verbs, and Subjects 1</p> <p>Definitions</p> <p>Noun</p> <p>Verb</p> <p>Subject</p> <p>Gerund</p> <p>Using verbs to find subjects</p> <p>Multiple subjects and verbs in a sentence</p> <p>Infinitives</p> <p>You as an understood subject</p> <p>Subject-Verb Agreement 4</p> <p>Singular vs. plural verbs</p> <p>Finding subjects before phrases beginning with of With or, either/or, and neither/nor</p> <p>Two singular subjects</p> <p>One singular and one plural subject</p> <p>With and</p> <p>With interrupting expressions</p> <p>With here or there</p> <p>With distances, periods of time, sums of money, etc.</p> <p>With portion words such as a lot, a majority, percent, some, all</p> <p>With collective nouns such as group, family, staff</p> <p>The subjunctive mood</p> <p>Irregular Verbs 9</p> <p>Clauses and Phrases 9</p> <p>Definitions</p> <p>Clause</p> <p>Independent clause</p> <p>Dependent clause</p> <p>Phrase</p> <p>Pronouns 10</p> <p>Definition: Pronoun</p> <p>Subject pronouns</p> <p>As the subject of the sentence</p> <p>Renaming the subject</p> <p>When who refers to a personal pronoun</p> <p>Object pronouns</p> <p>Subject and verb agreement with who, that, and which</p> <p>Subject and verb agreement with anyone, someone, each, etc.</p> <p>Following than or as</p> <p>Possessive pronouns</p> <p>Its vs. it’s; who’s vs. whose</p> <p>Reflexives: the -self pronouns</p> <p>Consistency with singular pronouns</p> <p>The singular they Pronouns linked with nouns by and</p> <p>Possessive adjectives vs. possessive pronouns</p> <p>Who vs. Whom 16</p> <p>They/Them method</p> <p>Common whom pitfall</p> <p>Whoever vs. Whomever 17</p> <p>Agreement with the verb in the dependent clause</p> <p>Dependent clause as the subject of the verb following the clause</p> <p>Who, That, Which 18</p> <p>Who, that, and which with people, groups, and things</p> <p>That with essential clauses</p> <p><br /> Which with nonessential clauses</p> <p>When which can be used with essential clauses</p> <p>Adjectives and Adverbs 19</p> <p>Definitions</p> <p>Adjective</p> <p>Adverb</p> <p>Adjectives modifying nouns and pronouns</p> <p>Adverbs modifying verbs, adjectives, and adverbs</p> <p>When to add -ly</p> <p>Sense verbs: taste, smell, look, feel, etc.</p> <p>Good vs. well</p> <p>Well as an adjective when referring to health</p> <p>Comparisons, such as -er vs. -est and more vs. most This, that, these, and those</p> <p>Prepositions 22</p> <p>Definition: preposition</p> <p>Ending a sentence with a preposition</p> <p>Avoiding extra prepositions</p> <p>Like As, as if, as though, the way of vs. have Different from vs. different than In vs. into</p> <p>Effective Writing 25</p> <p>Concrete vs. vague language</p> <p>Active vs. passive voice</p> <p>Overuse of there is, there are, it is, it was, etc.</p> <p>Double negatives</p> <p>Parallel construction</p> <p>Dangling modifiers</p> <p>Misplaced modifiers</p> <p>Fragments</p> <p>Dialogue</p> <p><b>2 Punctuation 31</b></p> <p>Spacing with Punctuation 31</p> <p>Periods 31</p> <p>With complete sentences</p> <p>With abbreviations at the end of a sentence</p> <p>Replacing periods with question marks and exclamation points</p> <p>Commas 32</p> <p>To separate three or more items</p> <p>To separate adjectives</p> <p>With two independent clauses</p> <p>Run-on sentences or comma splices</p> <p>Joined by connectors such as and, or, but, etc.</p> <p>When the subject does not appear in front of the second verb</p> <p>With because</p> <p>Starting a sentence with a dependent clause vs. an independent clause</p> <p>With nonessential words, clauses, and phrases</p> <p>With sufficiently identified noun</p> <p>With introductory words</p> <p>To set off interrupting expressions</p> <p>With names</p> <p>With dates</p> <p>With city and state</p> <p>With Jr. and Sr.</p> <p>With degrees and titles</p> <p>With quotations</p> <p>To introduce or interrupt quotations</p> <p>Following quotations</p> <p>To separate statements from questions</p> <p>To separate contrasting parts of a sentence</p> <p>With certain introductory words</p> <p>When followed by a series of items</p> <p>When the series of items ends with etc.</p> <p>Semicolons 39</p> <p>To replace a period in two closely linked sentences</p> <p>With such words as namely, however, therefore, etc., when they</p> <p>introduce a complete sentence</p> <p>To avoid confusion where commas already exist</p> <p>With sentences that have multiple clauses</p> <p>Capitalization following a semicolon</p> <p>Colons 41</p> <p>To introduce a series of items</p> <p>Except when a series of items directly follows a verb or preposition</p> <p>With lists</p> <p>With two independent clauses when the second explains the first</p> <p>Capitalization following a colon</p> <p>With long quotations</p> <p>After the salutation in a business letter</p> <p>Quotation Marks 43</p> <p>Use of double quotation marks</p> <p>Capitalization with quotations</p> <p>Commas introducing, interrupting, and ending quotations</p> <p>Periods and commas ALWAYS inside quotation marks</p> <p>—Question marks and exclamation marks with quotation marks follow logic</p> <p>With titles of magazines, books, plays, etc.</p> <p>Use of single quotation marks for quotations within quotations</p> <p>Spacing between single and double quotation marks</p> <p>With nonstandard expressions</p> <p>With technical terms and terms used in an unusual way</p> <p>Avoiding single quotation marks</p> <p>With quoted material of more than one paragraph</p> <p>Question Marks 46</p> <p>With direct questions</p> <p>Replacing periods</p> <p>Capitalization following a question mark</p> <p>Indirect questions</p> <p>Rhetorical questions</p> <p>With sentences that are half statement and half question</p> <p>With quotation marks</p> <p>Parentheses and Brackets 48</p> <p>Not interchangeable</p> <p>Parentheses</p> <p>For clarification and asides</p> <p>With complete sentences</p> <p>Punctuation inside and outside parentheses</p> <p>Subject-verb agreement</p> <p>Comma placement with parentheses</p> <p>Brackets</p> <p>With interruptions</p> <p>Use of [sic]</p> <p>With quotations</p> <p>Apostrophes 50</p> <p>Singular nouns</p> <p>Possession with singular nouns</p> <p>Possession with common nouns ending in s Possession with proper nouns ending in s</p> <p>Possession by inanimate objects</p> <p>Plural nouns</p> <p>Plural possession with regular nouns</p> <p>No apostrophe with plural regular nouns</p> <p>Plural possession with irregular nouns</p> <p>Plural possession with names ending in s</p> <p>No apostrophe with plural names</p> <p>Possession with singular compound nouns</p> <p>To show joint or separate possession</p> <p>Contractions</p> <p>With initials, capital letters, and numbers used as nouns</p> <p>With time or money</p> <p>With personal pronouns</p> <p>Apostrophes vs. single quotation marks</p> <p>False possessives</p> <p>With nouns ending in y</p> <p>Hyphens 56</p> <p>No spaces around hyphens</p> <p>Not the same as dashes</p> <p>Hyphens between words</p> <p>With compound adjectives</p> <p>Suspended hyphens</p> <p>With compound verbs</p> <p>With compound nouns</p> <p>With very and -ly adverbs</p> <p>With ages</p> <p>For clarification</p> <p>With spans of time, distance, or other quantities</p> <p>With units, abbreviations, or symbols</p> <p>With compound numbers</p> <p>With spelled-out fractions</p> <p>With double last names</p> <p>Avoiding overuse</p> <p>Proper nouns of more than one word as compound adjectives</p> <p>Well-known expressions</p> <p>Look it up</p> <p>Hyphens with prefixes and suffixes</p> <p>Prefixes with proper nouns or proper adjectives</p> <p>With family relations</p> <p>Prefixes with double vowels</p> <p>With self-, ex-, and all- With re-</p> <p>To avoid confusion</p> <p>Suffixes not usually hyphenated</p> <p>Suffixes and double letters</p> <p>Using discretion and a dictionary</p> <p>Dashes 63</p> <p>Em dashes</p> <p>Em dashes and subject agreement</p> <p>In place of other punctuation</p> <p>Spacing</p> <p>En dashes</p> <p>With number ranges</p> <p>With open compound adjectives</p> <p>Forming dashes</p> <p>Ellipses 65</p> <p>Definition and three-dot method</p> <p>Spacing</p> <p>With omitted words or sentences</p> <p>To express hesitation, changes of mood, etc.</p> <p>Exclamation Points 66</p> <p>To show emotion, emphasis, or surprise</p> <p>Replacing periods and mid-sentence commas</p> <p>Avoidance in formal business writing</p> <p>Justifiable use</p> <p>Slashes 66</p> <p>Technical term: virgule</p> <p>In formal writing use hyphen or the word or</p> <p><b>3 Capitalization 69</b></p> <p>First word of a document and after a period</p> <p>Proper nouns and adjectives derived from proper nouns</p> <p>Reference list of capitalized categories</p> <p>Reference list of lowercase categories</p> <p>Thorny aspects of capitalization</p> <p>Titles</p> <p>Titles vs. occupations</p> <p>Titles in direct address</p> <p>Kinship names</p> <p>Nicknames</p> <p>Geographic regions vs. points of the compass</p> <p>The before proper nouns</p> <p>City, town, county, etc., before a proper name</p> <p>First word of a quotation</p> <p>Midsentence independent clauses or questions</p> <p>Course titles vs. academic subjects</p> <p>Art movements</p> <p>Lists following colons</p> <p>Lowercase the national anthem</p> <p>Titles of books, plays, films, songs, etc.</p> <p>Subtitles</p> <p>Gray areas</p> <p><b>4 Writing Numbers 79</b></p> <p>Using figures vs. spelling out numbers</p> <p>Numbers beginning a sentence</p> <p>Hyphenating compound numbers</p> <p>Hyphenating fractions</p> <p>Figures of four or more digits</p> <p>Sums less than a dollar</p> <p>Noon and midnight</p> <p>Time of day</p> <p>Mixed fractions</p> <p>Large numbers</p> <p>Decimals</p> <p>Writing out numbers of three or more digits</p> <p>When to use and</p> <p>Do not use commas</p> <p>Dates</p> <p>Decades</p> <p>Use lowercase when spelling out</p> <p>Using apostrophes with incomplete numerals</p> <p>Avoiding apostrophe + s with complete numerals</p> <p>Apostrophes with numbers</p> <p><b>5 Confusing Words and Homonyms 85</b></p> <p>Good vs. well</p> <p>Imply vs. infer</p> <p>Its vs. it’s</p> <p>Lay vs. lie</p> <p>Their vs. there vs. they’re</p> <p>Hundreds more words and homonyms that perplex and confound</p> <p><b>6 Quizzes 155</b></p> <p>Grammar Pretest 155</p> <p>Finding Nouns, Verbs, and Subjects Quiz 1 157</p> <p>Finding Nouns, Verbs, and Subjects Quiz 2 157</p> <p>Subject and Verb Agreement Quiz 1 158</p> <p>Subject and Verb Agreement Quiz 2 159</p> <p>Irregular Verbs Quiz 1 160</p> <p>Irregular Verbs Quiz 2 160</p> <p>Pronouns Quiz 1 160</p> <p>Pronouns Quiz 2 161</p> <p>Who, Whom, Whoever, Whomever Quiz 1 162</p> <p>Who, Whom, Whoever, Whomever Quiz 2 163</p> <p>Who, Whom, That, Which Quiz 1 163</p> <p>Who, Whom, That, Which Quiz 2 164</p> <p>Adjectives and Adverbs Quiz 1 164</p> <p>Adjectives and Adverbs Quiz 2 165</p> <p>Prepositions Quiz 1 166</p> <p>Prepositions Quiz 2 166</p> <p>Affect vs. Effect Quiz 1 167</p> <p>Affect vs. Effect Quiz 2 167</p> <p>Lay vs. Lie Quiz 1 168</p> <p>Lay vs. Lie Quiz 2 168</p> <p>Advice vs. Advise Quiz 1 169</p> <p>Advice vs. Advise Quiz 2 169</p> <p>Their vs. There vs. They’re Quiz 1 170</p> <p>Their vs. There vs. They’re Quiz 2 170</p> <p>More Confusing Words and Homonyms Quiz 1 171</p> <p>More Confusing Words and Homonyms Quiz 2 171</p> <p>Effective Writing Quiz 1 172</p> <p>Effective Writing Quiz 2 172</p> <p>Grammar Mastery Test 173</p> <p>Punctuation, Capitalization, and Writing Numbers Pretest 175</p> <p>Commas and Periods Quiz 1 177</p> <p>Commas and Periods Quiz 2 178</p> <p>Semicolons and Colons Quiz 1 179</p> <p>Semicolons and Colons Quiz 2 180</p> <p>Question Marks and Quotation Marks Quiz 1 181</p> <p>Question Marks and Quotation Marks Quiz 2 181</p> <p>Parentheses and Brackets Quiz 1 182</p> <p>Parentheses and Brackets Quiz 2 182</p> <p>Apostrophes Quiz 1 183</p> <p>Apostrophes Quiz 2 184</p> <p>Hyphens Between Words Quiz 1 184</p> <p>Hyphens Between Words Quiz 2 185</p> <p>Hyphens with Prefixes and Suffixes Quiz 1 186</p> <p>Hyphens with Prefixes and Suffixes Quiz 2 186</p> <p>Capitalization Quiz 1 187</p> <p>Capitalization Quiz 2 187</p> <p>Writing Numbers Quiz 1 188</p> <p>Writing Numbers Quiz 2 188</p> <p>Punctuation, Capitalization, and Writing Numbers Mastery Test 189</p> <p><b>7 Answers to Quizzes 193</b></p> <p>Grammar Pretest Answers 193</p> <p>Finding Nouns, Verbs, and Subjects Quiz 1 Answers 195</p> <p>Finding Nouns, Verbs, and Subjects Quiz 2 Answers 195</p> <p>Subject and Verb Agreement Quiz 1 Answers 196</p> <p>Subject and Verb Agreement Quiz 2 Answers 196</p> <p>Irregular Verbs Quiz 1 Answers 197</p> <p>Irregular Verbs Quiz 2 Answers 197</p> <p>Pronouns Quiz 1 Answers 198</p> <p>Pronouns Quiz 2 Answers 199</p> <p>Who, Whom, Whoever, Whomever Quiz 1 Answers 199</p> <p>Who, Whom, Whoever, Whomever Quiz 2 Answers 200</p> <p>Who, Whom, That, Which Quiz 1 Answers 201</p> <p>Who, Whom, That, Which Quiz 2 Answers 201</p> <p>Adjectives and Adverbs Quiz 1 Answers 202</p> <p>Adjectives and Adverbs Quiz 2 Answers 202</p> <p>Prepositions Quiz 1 Answers 203</p> <p>Prepositions Quiz 2 Answers 204</p> <p>Affect vs. Effect Quiz 1 Answers 204</p> <p>Affect vs. Effect Quiz 2 Answers 205</p> <p>Lay vs. Lie Quiz 1 Answers 205</p> <p>Lay vs. Lie Quiz 2 Answers 206</p> <p>Advice vs. Advise Quiz 1 Answers 206</p> <p>Advice vs. Advise Quiz 2 Answers 206</p> <p>Their vs. There vs. They’re Quiz 1 Answers 207</p> <p>Their vs. There vs. They’re Quiz 2 Answers 207</p> <p>More Confusing Words and Homonyms Quiz 1 Answers 208</p> <p>More Confusing Words and Homonyms Quiz 2 Answers 208</p> <p>Effective Writing Quiz 1 Answers 209</p> <p>Effective Writing Quiz 2 Answers 210</p> <p>Grammar Mastery Test Answers 211</p> <p>Punctuation, Capitalization, and Writing Numbers Pretest Answers 213</p> <p>Commas and Periods Quiz 1 Answers 215</p> <p>Commas and Periods Quiz 2 Answers 216</p> <p>Semicolons and Colons Quiz 1 Answers 216</p> <p>Semicolons and Colons Quiz 2 Answers 217</p> <p>Question Marks and Quotation Marks Quiz 1 Answers 218</p> <p>Question Marks and Quotation Marks Quiz 2 Answers 219</p> <p>Parentheses and Brackets Quiz 1 Answers 219</p> <p>Parentheses and Brackets Quiz 2 Answers 220</p> <p>Apostrophes Quiz 1 Answers 220</p> <p>Apostrophes Quiz 2 Answers 221</p> <p>Hyphens Between Words Quiz 1 Answers 222</p> <p>Hyphens Between Words Quiz 2 Answers 222</p> <p>Hyphens with Prefixes and Suffixes Quiz 1 Answers 223</p> <p>Hyphens with Prefixes and Suffixes Quiz 2 Answers 223</p> <p>Capitalization Quiz 1 Answers 224</p> <p>Capitalization Quiz 2 Answers 224</p> <p>Writing Numbers Quiz 1 Answers 225</p> <p>Writing Numbers Quiz 2 Answers 226</p> <p>Punctuation, Capitalization, and Writing Numbers Mastery Test Answers 226</p> <p>Index 229</p>

<p><b>LESTER KAUFMAN</b> is the author of <i>The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation</i> and publisher of GrammarBook.com. A lifelong public servant, he served first in the Peace Corps, and eventually completed the final years of his federal career with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He married Jane Straus in 1987. After his retirement from the EPA, Kaufman began working with Jane on <i>The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation</i> and the <a href="http://grammarbook.com/" target="_blank">GrammarBook.com</a> website.</p> <p>Following <b>Jane Straus</b>'s untimely passing in early 2011, Kaufman assumed the role of author of new editions of <i>The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation</i> and continued the publication of GrammarBook.com, which features an informative and entertaining weekly newsletter that encourages readers to ask grammar questions and offer their views on the state of twenty-first-century English.</p>

<p>THE AWARD-WINNING WORKBOOK AND GUIDE—UPDATED!</p><p><i>The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation</i> is all it takes to master English usage! With hundreds of thousands of copies sold, this is one of the most trusted English language resources in existence. Inside, you’ll find concise, easy-to-understand explanations of even the most confusing grammar points, appropriate for middle school students through adult learners.</p><p>From the very basics—parts of speech and subject-verb agreement—to more advanced topics like the subjunctive mood, <i>The Blue Book</i> covers it all. You’ll also learn how to properly use <i>lay</i> and <i>lie</i>, how to correctly spell out numbers, when to capitalize northwest, and hundreds more subtleties of the language.</p><p>Filled with new examples and self-assessment quizzes, this reliable resource allows you to test your knowledge and practice what you learn. Additionally, dozens of reproducible exercises make <i>The Blue Book</i> a teaching goldmine. For anyone who wants to understand the rules and conventions of English grammar and usage, this classic reference offers comprehensive, straightforward instruction.</p>

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