Vitamin Review #25 May 21, 2012
1. His extreme heighth has had an effect on his life, especially when walking in doorways.
2. The problem occured while we were reading out loud in class.
3. What is the English word the means "private"? What about "employees"?
4. Write the following quotation (said by Mrs. Dunlavey) correctly using the rules of writing quotations: Does everyone have their textbooks today?
Vitamin Review #24 May 18, 2012
1. What is the word that means "full of respect"? What about "each in the order indicated"?
2. Using the rules of using an ellipsis, remove "conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal" from the following section of "The Gettysburg Address."
"Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on the continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."
Vitamin Review #23 May 17, 2012
1. Your going to pay down your loan alot more quickly if u pay both principle and interest.
2. If I would of known the pharmacy was closed, I would of picked up my perscription today rather then waiting until tomarrow.
3. I can't help but wonder if correct pronounciation of words like maintainance would have helped me to learn to spell them.
Vitamin #139 May 16,
2012
It is tempting to think that your attention might be aroused to a high
point by “peaking” your curiosity; but in fact,
“pique” is a French word meaning “prick,” in
the sense of “stimulate.” The expression has nothing to do
with “peek,” either. Therefore the expression is “my
curiosity was piqued.”
Correct:
1. Congradulations! You're question has really peaked my curiosity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Vitamin #138
May 15, 2012
Common German words used in English:
Angst= fear without reason; anxiety
ex. Teenagers are known for having a lot of angst.
Doppelganger= double, look-alike, imitation
ex. He was Tom Cruise's doppelganger and was often asked for his autograph.
Kitsch= cheap, sentimental, gaudy items of popular culture
ex. The Applebee's dining room was covered in kitsch.
Zeitgeist= "spirit of the time"
ex. Peace and love was the zeitgeist of the hippie movement in the 1960s.
Vitamin #137
May 14, 2012
Adopt= to accept; to make one's own
ex. The couple adopted a child.
ex. Illinois adopted a new tax code based on Iowa's.
Adapt= to change
ex. It is important to learn to adapt to new surroundings.
Correct:
1. According to Darwin, part of natural selection is learning to adopt to a new enviroment.
Vitamin #136 May 11, 2012
Accept= to consent to receive
Except= to exclude
ex. If you offer me Godiva chocolates, I will gladly accept them—except for the candied violet ones.
NOTE:
Just remember that the “X” in “except” excludes things—they tend to
stand out, be different. In contrast, just look at those two cozy “C’s”
snuggling up together. Very accepting. And be careful; when typing
“except” it often comes out “expect.”
Correct:
1. They all laid prostate on the floor-accept for the one in the chair.
Vitamin #135 May
10, 2012
Everyday is written as one word only when used as an adjective.
ex. We do not use our china every day.
ex. Our everyday dishes were not as expensive as our china.
Correct:
1. Everyday your walking around looking for someone to go with.
Vitamin #134 May
9, 2012
Even more Latin phrases:
Magna Cum Laude= "with great praise" meaning a high honor given to college students with a superior academic record (usually a 4.0 G.P.A. Summa Cum Laude is an honor just under Magna Cum Laude)
ex. He graduated magna cum laude from U of I.
Ad Hoc= "to this" meaning quickly thrown together or improvised
ex. At the last minute, we threw together an ad hoc team for the softball tournament.
Magnum Opus (often shortened to just opus)= "great work" meaning a masterpiece
ex. Many people consider the "Ninth Symphony" to be Beethoven's magnum opus.
Status Quo= "fixed place or thing" meaning things as they are
ex. If one is not happy with the status quo, he should try to change it.
Caveat Emptor= "let
the buyer beware" this is used as a warning to be careful before you
buy because you bear the final responsibility for any purchases you make
ex. Caveat emptor when shopping on the internet.
Vitamin #133
May 8, 2012
More Latin phrases:
Non Sequitur: "does not follow" meaning a phrase that seems absurd because it doesn't make sense within the context
ex. Republicans love our country; Democrats
love our country. Therefore, Republicans must love Democrats.
De Facto= "from the fact" meaning in reality, or in fact
ex. While Mary was recovering from her illness, Bob was the de facto head of the company.
Alter Ego= "other I" meaning one's second self or alternate personality
ex. Superman's alter ego was Clark Kent.
Modus Operandi (M.O.)= "method of operating" meaning a pattern or procedure (often criminal)
ex. The thief's modus operandi was leaving the water on in the houses he robbed.
Persona Non Grata= "person not pleasing" meaning an unwelcome person
ex. She was persona non grata at her ex-boyfriend's wedding.
Vitamin #132
May 7, 2012
Latin phrases commonly used in English:
Bona Fide= "in good faith" meaning genuine or well-intentioned
ex. He was a bona fide millionaire.
Pro Bono= short for pro bono publico "for the public good" meaning work done for free
ex. The lawyer agreed to work pro bono.
Ad Nauseam= "to the point of nausea" meaning doing something until people are sick of it
ex. They sang "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" ad nauseam.
Mea Culpa= "my fault" meaning an admission of guilt
ex. As soon as she knew she was caught, she just said, "Mea culpa."
Vitamin #131 May
4, 2012
More Spanish words commonly used in English:
Embargo= official ban on trade or other commercial act with another country
ex. The oil embargo of the late 1970s hurt the U.S. economy.
Peccadillo= small, relatively unimportant offense or sin; quirk
ex. One of my husband's peccadilloes is snoring.
Siesta= afternoon nap or rest
ex. People in most Mediterranean countries take
a siesta every afternoon.
Vitamin #130 May 3, 2012
Some Spanish words commonly used in English:
Mañana= "tomorrow" meaning in the indefinite future, used to indicate procrastination
ex. I'll finish my paper mañana.
Aficionado=
person who is knowledgeable or enthusiastic about a subject (similar to
connoisseur)
ex. She was an aficionado of gourmet food.
Renegade= one who deserts or betrays a group or organization; rebel
ex. The army sent a search party after the renegades.
Vigilante= self-appointed enforcer of the law
ex. The vigilante ranchers hanged the cattle thieves.
Vitamin #129 May
2, 2012
A dash (—) looks like a double hyphen and is a very useful
punctuation mark. It is used in a similar manner to a
colon—especially for separating parts of a sentence where one
part explains the other (as used in this sentence).
When typing a dash in Microsoft Word (and most other word processing programs), type two hyphens with no space
separating the words on either side; then when you space after the
second word, the program will change it to a dash.
Correct:
1. Its real tempting to constantly yell at kindergardeners-there always running around and making noise.
Vitamin #128 May
1, 2012
In formal academic writing, avoid ending sentences with prepositions. Even
though this has become accepted practice in spoken English, it is still
considered inappropriate in formal writing. To fix this, just rearrange the sentence.
INCORRECT: I did not have anyone to go with. (This sentence could be changed in two different ways)
CORRECT: I did not have anyone to go with me.
-or- I did not have anyone with whom to go.
INCORRECT: Which door do I leave from?
CORRECT: From which door do I leave?
Correct:
1. Who has she ran passed the collage with?
Vitamin #127
April 30, 2012
It is absolutely unnecessary to use more than one exclamation point at
a time. If you are using the exclamation point correctly, it
should convey enough emphasis to get the point across. The
problem occurs when people overuse it, making it seem necessary to use
more than one to convey real emotion. Only use it when you
absolutely need it, and only use one at a time.
CORRECT: Sally fell out of the boat!
INCORRECT: Sally fell out of the boat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Correct:
1. The bell has all ready rang, and the kindergarden class is still missing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Vitamin
#126 April 27, 2012
Past: preposition or adverb meaning “beyond;” noun or
adjective meaning “in a time before the present”
ex. We walked past the barn.
ex. That happened in the past.
Passed: past tense of pass
ex. I passed English this semester.
ex. We passed the barn on our way to the pond.
ex. I passed the peas to Great Aunt Sue.
NOTE: When someone dies, we say he or she “passed away” or “passed on,” NOT “past away.”
Correct:
1. I have swam in the relays at Parkland Collage for the passed four year's.
Vitamin #125 April
26, 2012
Prostate= a gland found in men
ex. He had his annual prostate exam.
Prostrate= lying flat
ex. She lay prostrate on the floor.
Correct:
1. He was so traumatized by his prostrate exam that he has laid prostate on the floor for hours.
No Vitamin April 24-25 for ACT Testing
Vitamin #124 April
23, 2012
Are is the present tense form of the verb to be. Our is a plural possessive pronoun. Don’t mix them up.
ex. We are going to the store.
ex. Our (not are) store does not carry that brand.
NOTE: Spell check and grammar check won't catch this mistake.
Correct:
1. Are dog likes to lay on everybodys coats so that they have to move him when its time to go.
Vitamin Review #22 April 20, 2012
Choose the three verbs from the ones we have studied this week. Write two sentences for each one, using the form of the verb that gives you the most trouble. We will read these in class to check on whether people are using the verbs correctly or not.
Vitamin #123 April
19, 2012
Even more verb confusion:
Run:
ex. I run every day. (present)
ex. I ran yesterday. (past)
ex. I have run three days this week. (present perfect)
Swim:
ex. I swim. (present)
ex. I swam. (past)
ex. I have swum. (present perfect)
Again, this is correct. You can look it up.
Correct:
1. I have swam every day this week, but I have only ran one day.
Vitamin #122 April 18, 2012
More verb confusion:
Ring:
ex. The bell rings. (present)
ex. The bell rang. (past)
ex. The bell has rung. (present perfect)
Sing changes the same way.
Drink undergoes a similar change: drink, drank, has drunk.
Sink follows the pattern of drink: sink, sank, has sunk.
Correct:
1. The bell rung to seperate english from advanced biology.
Vitamin #121 April 17, 2012
Memorize the different forms of the following verbs to avoid mixing them up:
Lay (transitive verb meaning “to put or set”)
ex. I lay the book on the table. (present)
ex. I laid the book on the table. (past)
ex. I have laid the book on the table. (present perfect)
Lie (intransitive verb meaning “to rest oneself”)
ex. I lie on the bed. (present)
ex. I lay on the bed. (past)
ex. I have lain on the bed. (present perfect)
Yes, this is correct. You can look it up. The problem is
that we have heard these verb forms used incorrectly so many times that
the correct forms sound off to us.
Correct:
1. He has laid on the couch every night this week watching South Park reruns.
Vitamin #120 April 16, 2012
Moral differs from morale in only one letter, but the meanings are
totally different. Moral pertains to a sense of right and
wrong. Morale pertains to a person’s mood or level of
spirits.
ex. Capital punishment is a moral issue.
ex. The morale of the class was high after the test.
Correct:
1. The moral of the kindergarden class was high after they recieved there Christmas gifts.
Vitamin Review #21 April 13, 2012
1. Excuse me Senator have you guys met Professor Smith, the imminent sientist?
2. We have homework in Algebra all of the time.
3. I hope he decides to loan me the money; its not like I'm never going to pay him back.
Vitamin #119 April
12, 2012
Kindergarten comes from two German words: kinder (“children”) and garten (“garden”).
NOTE: kindergarten has a t, not a d, in the last syllable.
Correct:
1. An easily-frustrated teacher should not teach kindergarden,
especially one who likes to wear light colored clothes.
Vitamin #118 April 11,
2012
Use try to, not try and. Try means “attempt.”
When a person tries to do something, he “attempts” to do
it. He does not know if he will succeed.
ex. Try to finish during the class period.
Correct:
1. Your going to try and make it to there house by five?
Vitamin #117 April
10, 2012
Use all of with pronouns.
ex. all of them
ex. all of us
Use just all before nouns
ex. all the people
ex. all the time
ex. all his property
Correct:
1. You guys need to always be sure to pay attention in class all of the time.
Vitamin #116 April
5, 2012
Many languages have separate singular and plural forms for the second
person (ways of saying you), but standard English does
not. You can be addressed to an individual or a whole
room full of people.
In casual speech, Americans have evolved the slangy expression “you guys” to function as a second-person plural, formerly used for males only but now extended to both sexes; but this is not appropriate in formal contexts.
Diners in fine restaurants are often
irritated by clueless waiters who ask, “Can I get you guys
anything?”
The problem is much more serious when extended to the possessive:
“You guys’s dessert will be ready in a minute.”
Some people even create a double possessive by saying “your guys’s dessert.” This is extremely clumsy.
When
dealing with people you don’t know intimately, it’s best to
stick with you and your no matter how many
people you’re addressing.
DEFINITELY leave any form of "you guys" out of all but the most informal writing.
NOTE I was once marked down on a teaching evaluation in college for using "you guys." (True
story)
Correct:
1. We have put your guys's work in a seperate pile for you're convienience.
Vitamin #115 April
4, 2012
Capitalize school subjects that are languages, that are followed by a number, or that are proper names of the course.
English, French, Algebra I, Biology II, and World History are subjects.
Typing, biology, science, algebra, and history are areas of study.
Correct:
1. The sophmores are so excited being that they get to take english, Math, and advanced biology next year.
Vitamin #114 April
3, 2012
Do not use when or where as a substitute for a noun when writing a
definition. Note below how much more mature the second and third
examples sound.
Weak: A faux pas is when one makes a social blunder.
Improved: A faux pas is a social blunder.
A faux pas is a time when one makes a
social blunder.
Note the last two examples use nouns as predicate nominatives.
Correct:
1. Joie de Vivre is when you have a carefree attitude about life.
Vitamin #113 April 2, 2012
An interrupter is a word, phrase, or clause that significantly interrupts the flow of the sentence. Common interrupters include words like however, therefore, thus, etc. Most of the time interrupters could be taken out of the sentence without changing the meaning. Therefore, they MUST BE SET OFF WITH COMMAS. If an interrupter such as however is used to join two independent clauses, then one must use a semicolon before and a comma after the interrupter.
ex. I was excited to see the movie; however, no one else wanted to go.
ex. The movie, however, turned out to be very good.
ex. The movie, which was based on a best-selling novel, grossed in the billions at the box office.
Correct:
1. Alot of people tend to get lazy in the Spring in fact people are usually more productive when the weather is bad.
Vitamin Review #20 March 30, 2012
Write three vitamin correction sentences incorporating at least three mistakes in each one. Switch with a partner and correct each other's sentences.
Vitamin #112
March 29, 2012
Imply means “to suggest.”
ex. The speaker’s tone implied that he found the question annoying.
Infer means “to interpret” or “to get a certain meaning from a remark or action.”
ex. From the speaker’s tone of voice, I inferred that he was angry.
Usually the speaker implies and the listener infers.
Correct:
1. He inferred that he thinks that everyone that talks on a cell phone constantly is wasting their life.
Vitamin #111 March 28, 2012
Avoid the use of would have in “if” clauses. Use the past perfect tense
instead.
ex. If I had (not would have) known, I would have volunteered my help.
Common sense should tell us we cannot express a difference in time by using the same tense.
Correct:
1. If I would have known that the storm was eminent, I would of moved my car.
Vitamin #110 March 27, 2012
Eminent= distinguished, outstanding, noteworthy
ex. An eminent judge was selected for the trial.
Imminent= threatening to occur soon
ex. The sudden change in temperature signaled an imminent storm.
Memory clue: Imminent has a negative connotation. Whatever
is going to happen when the word is used is unpleasant. Think of
the double m as double trouble.
Correct:
1. The imminent sientist
made a breakthrough in his expriments on the enviroment.
Vitamin #109
March 26, 2012
Lend is the verb; loan is the noun.
ex. If
Dad will lend me the money, I will repay the loan on Saturday.
ex. Yesterday, Dad lent me a dollar. (past tense of lend is lent)
Correct:
1. Someone loaned me their phone so I could call a cab.
Vitamin Review #19 March 16, 2012
1. Hey Bill did you get any good pictures when you visited the U.S.S. Arizona?
2. The counsel voted to table the issue; it was like they could not make up there minds on how to vote.
3. She was to nauseous to continue the program.
Vitamin #108 March 15, 2012
In the next
few days, watch for allusions to “the Ides of March.” Cartoons, newspaper
articles, television and radio commentators allude to it frequently. March
15 is a day to be careful.
“Beware the Ides of March” stems from Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. The soothsayer (prophet) warned Caesar not to go to the Senate on March 15, the ides or “middle” of the month. Caesar ignored him. Caesar died after twenty-plus knife gashes.
Vitamin #107 March
14, 2012
There is no shortened form of enthusiastic. There is no such creature as enthused.
ex. An enthusiastic person is a happy person.
Correct:
1. Everyone was real enthused when they found out what there grades were.
Vitamin #106 March
13, 2012
When writing, make
pronouns agree with their antecedents (the antecedent is the word the pronoun refers to
in the sentence). DO NOT use they or their with a singular antecedent, instead use he or she
or some other singular pronoun. If you are worried about
using
sexist language, change your antecedent to a plural or reword the sentence to
get rid of the problem.
ex. A person has to watch out for his belongings.
ex. A person has to watch out for his or her belongings.
ex. People have to watch out for their belongings.
NOT: A person has to watch out for their belongings.
Notice that the last example doesn't even make sense if one looks at it closely.
Correct:
1. Everyone has to seperate their whites from their colors when doing laundry.
Vitamin #105 March 12, 2012
When like is a preposition, use it before a noun. Avoid like if a clause follows. Use as if instead.
ex. It looks like rain.
ex. It looks as if it might rain.
Notice as if is a conjunction and can handle the clause following it.
Correct:
1. Its almost like she is so concerned about
the party being a suprise that she didn't take the time to plan it good.
2. Sophie he looks alot like his sister.
Vitamin Review #18 March 9, 2012
Vitamin #104 March 8, 2012
Council= governmental group (associate the c
with “circle”—the form usually used for
seating this
group)
ex. A student council is supposed to oversee school regulations and student concerns.
Counsel= to advise (verb) or advice (noun)
ex. I tried to counsel my little brother.
Correct:
1. She likes to always give council to her friends.
Vitamin #103 March
7, 2012
Nauseated= feeling of sickness in the stomach
ex. The nauseated student dashed to the restroom.
Nauseous= sickening, disgusting, bothersome
ex. Picking one’s nose in public is a nauseous act.
Correct:
1. He was feeling so nauseous that he had to
seperate from his friends and run in the convienience store to use the
restroom.
Vitamin #102 March
6, 2012
Hanged is used in past tense when taking a life.
ex. In the Old West, cattle rustlers were hanged.
Hung is used in past tense to suspend an object.
ex. The teacher hung many things on the wall.
ex. The captain was hung by his thumbs.
Correct:
1. The view between the members of the group is that the criminal should not be hung.
Vitamin #101 March
5, 2012
Advise is a verb. Advice is a noun.
ex. She will advise me on how to proceed.
ex. She gave good advice.
Correct:
1. I was able to handle the situation real good being that she gave me such good advise.
2. He adviced me on how to site the book in my paper.
Vitamin Review #17 March 2, 2012
1. All the woman in my book club that read One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez enjoyed it.
2. I use to be able to completely recite the poem Casey at the Bat in Junior High.
3. Between the five of us, we were able to come up with the 10 dollars we needed for the movie.
4. What is the French phrase meaning "all together (in a body)"?
5. What is the English word that means "a special right or privilege based on age, rank, class, etc."?
Vitamin #100 March 1, 2012
Accent the first syllable of mischievous. Drop the f from mischief and add –vous to make mischievous.
NOTE the pronunciation correlates with the spelling—‘mis-che-vas.
Correct:
1. If she swam to much further from the dock, she could of
drowned.
Vitamin #99
February 29, 2012
Further refers to quantity, additional times, or degree.
ex. Further investigation will not be necessary.
Farther refers to distance.
ex. Joe lives farther from school than I do.
Correct:
1. Sally does mother live further from the High School than you do?
2. She is an alumni of PBL and its her perogative to attend the games.
Vitamin #98
February 28, 2012
If introduces a condition.
ex. If I win the lottery, I will lose friends.
Whether introduces a choice.
ex. My employer asked me whether I wanted
family or single health insurance
coverage.
Correct:
1. Alot of people ask if I drive thru the cematery or around it.
Vitamin #97 February 27, 2012
Avoid the use of beings as and being that for since or because.
ex. Because my ankle was sprained, I will not participate.
ex. Since my ankle was sprained, I did not participate.
Correct:
1. Beings as he was so mischievous, its real suprising that he does so good in school.
Vitamin #96
February 24, 2012
Words like high school, senior, bank, river, etc., are capitalized only when used as part of or in place of a proper noun.
ex. The juniors and seniors set the pace in most schools.
ex. John is a senior.
ex. The Senior Class at PBL is taking a trip.
ex. First place in skits this year went to the Senior Class.
ex. Busey Bank is one of the leading banks in the area.
Correct:
1. Alot of people look back on High School fondly.
Vitamin #95
February 23, 2012
Watch the endings of alumni (meaning “graduates”) to determine which form to use.
alumni (long i)= plural for both men and women or plural for men
alumna (long a)= single female
alumnae (long e)= plural female
alumnus= single male
Correct:
1. It de rigueur for all new alumnus to move there tassels at the end of the graduation ceremony.
Vitamin #94 February 22, 2012
A person’s alma mater is the school from which he graduated or the school song. The Latin phrase means “fostering mother.”
Correct:
1. U of Is alma mater could also be called Hail to the Orange.
Vitamin #93 February 21, 2012
When typing words or phrases from another language, be sure to include any pronunciation symbols used in that language. To do that in Microsoft Word, highlight the letter needing the symbol, go to “insert,” “symbol,” click on the appropriate symbol, and click “insert.” When using other word processing programs, consult the manual to find out how to do this. By the way, this also works for a number of other types of symbols, such as those used in math. You can also insert letters from other alphabets, such as Cyrillic, Greek, and Arabic.
Vitamin Review #16 February 17, 2012
1. 15 miles down the road to Rantoul Illinois is all the farther we go today.
2. She felt that the necklace complimented her outfit and it was her perogative to wear it.
3. Due to the countrys ongoing war, the need to constantly be hiding led many of its citizens to immigrate from the capitol city into neighboring country's.
Vitamin #92 February 16, 2012
Even more French Phrases:
1. coup d’état= a sudden, decisive exercise of authority in politics ("strike of state")
ex. The coup d’état brought many changes.
NOTE: this phrase is often shortened to just one word—coup (pronounced ku)
2. en masse= all together ("in a body")
ex. Our family attended the funeral en masse.
3. bon mot= a clever turn of phrase ("good word")
ex. His speech was peppered with enough bon mots to keep the audience engaged.
Vitamin #91 February 15, 2012
More French phrases (ones dealing with food):
au jus= served in the juice obtained from roasting ("with juice")
ex. We ordered our prime rib au jus.
a la mode= fashionable, stylish, topped with ice cream ("according to fashion")
ex. We ordered cherry pie a la mode.
a la carte= according to a menu that prices each item separately ("by the bill of fare")
ex. A la carte gives a person more choices.
4. filet mignon= thick slice of beef cut from narrow end of tenderloin ("dainty thread")
ex. A filet mignon is one of the more expensive meat selections.
Vitamin #90 February 14, 2012
Common French expressions that we have borrowed and their literal meanings as follows:
faux pas= social blunder (“false step”)
ex. The speaker committed a faux pas when he belched during his opening comments.
Tête-à-tête= private conversation between two (“head to head”)
ex. We will arrange a tête-à-tête to settle the issue.
dèja vu= something overly or unpleasantly familiar (already seen)
ex. Neo got dèja vu when there was a glitch in the Matrix.
Vitamin #89 February 13, 2012
When using a phrase that comes from another language and is not part of our general English vocabulary, it is necessary to underline or italicize it.
ex. She has a great deal of joie de vivre (or joie de vivre).
Joie de vivre is a French expression meaning “joy of living.” It refers to a hearty, carefree enjoyment of life.
Correct:
1. Basketball is there raison d'être.
Vitamin Review #15 February 10, 2012
1. I payed for the T-shirts that we used for our intramural team it is my perogative to be reimbursed for them.
2. Its important to always honor you're debts.
3. The capital building was all the farther that i could run i had a stitch in my side by the time i got their.
Vitamin #88 February 9, 2012
Prerogative= special right or privilege because of age, rank, class, etc. Notice the spelling. It is not perogative.
ex. It is a woman’s prerogative to change her mind.
ex. It is a teacher’s prerogative to assign the seating arrangement, alter an assignment, delay a test, etc.
Correct:
1. I all ready knew your aunt Jenny was visiting for the weekend; its my perogative to decide whether I will visit or not.
Vitamin #87 February 8, 2012
There are two past tense forms of pay—paid and payed.
ex. The man paid (settled financially) his debt on time.
ex. As tests were distributed, the nervous freshman was wishing he had paid more attention to details.
ex. The fisherman payed out (uncoiled) the rope as he prepared to enter the dock.
Correct:
1. Between the three of us its well-known that he has not yet payed that bill.
Vitamin #86 February 7, 2012
Use as far as and as fast as—Not all the farther and all the faster.
When people are asked what they mean by all the farther, for example, they resort to as far as to explain it. It is easier just to use the obvious form in the first place.
ex. Page twelve is as far as we read today.
ex. When I heard we were going to have a quiz, I read as fast as I could.
Correct:
1. Route 41 is all the farther I was able to drive that is 4 miles from my parents house.
Vitamin #85 February 6, 2012
Fiancée (woman) and fiancé (man) are spelled differently but pronounced the same.
Correct:
1. His fiancé is French therefore he knows how to spell fiancée.
Vitamin Review #14 February 3, 2012
1. 347 people out of 500 believe it is the schools prerogative to search students lockers, according to a recent poll.
2. The potato famine caused alot of people to emigrate to the United States.
Answer the following questions:
3. If the following numbers were written as a list in formal writing, would they be written as words or numbers? 3, 74, 12, 99, 104__________________
Why?
4. Which of the following types of titles is NOT underlined?
Pamphlet ship opera chapter satellite T.V. show painting
Vitamin #84 February 2, 2012
Use between when referring to two people, things, or groups. Use among for more than two.
ex. We split the pizza between the two of us.
ex. We split the pizza among the five of us.
Correct:
1. Once the money was divided up between everyone, their wasn't much left for each of us.
Vitamin #83
February 1, 2012
Sight= the power of seeing
ex. He was losing his sight.
Site= place of a building, event, or cache of information
ex. They surveyed the site of the new school.
ex. This was the site of a famous battle.
ex. I found the answer on the History Channel site.
Cite= to document or make allusion to
ex. It is necessary to cite sources when doing research.
ex. The lawyer cited a precedent when arguing her case.
Correct:
1. That web sight has alot of great recipes for desert.
Vitamin #82 January 31, 2012
Avoid split infinitives unless essential for meaning. A split infinitive is a to separated from its verb.
WEAK CONSTRUCTION (split infinitives)------CORRECTED USAGE
to instantly be killed------to be killed instantly
to efficiently do his work------to do his work efficiently
Example of a necessary split infinitive—We expect to more than double our profit next year. Placing the “more than” elsewhere would change the meaning.
Correct:
1. Its important to constantly be checking for errors.
2. Is is alright if I change the channel? Steve and myself all ready seen When Harry Met Sally.
Vitamin #81 January 30, 2012
The difference between emigrate and immigrate lies within the prefixes. Emigrate means “to leave one’s country for another.” Immigrate means “to enter another country.”
ex. Famines cause people to emigrate.
Many people feel our country needs tougher immigration laws.
Correct:
1. People that emigrate to the United States sometimes have tough time adapting.
Vitamin Review #13 January 27, 2012
My favorite T.V. shows include the following The Big Bang Theory How I Met Your Mother The Middle and ect.
I seen that Bobby and myself had been invited to Tulsa Oklahoma to the opening of there new busness.
We are kind of hesitant to travel to the capitol city to give our presentation; it may not go real good.
Vitamin #80 January 26, 2012
Capital= the city, wealth, chief in importance
ex. Paris is the capital of France.
ex. Paris begins with a capital letter.
ex. A business needs capital to operate.
ex. The capitol has a rounded dome on top.
Memory clue: the o is shaped like the dome on top of the building.
Correct:
1. The first graders are doing a real good job learning to write there capitol letters, but there lowercase letters are still sort of ilegible.
Vitamin #79 January 25, 2012
Kind, sort, and type are handled the same. They are all singular, meaning they will all take a singular verb or adjective. Remember also:
Avoid using kind of (sort of, type of ) to mean “somewhat.” Instead, try alternatives: slightly, a little, rather, somewhat.
ex. The meeting was rather disorganized.
Avoid adding an a after kind of (type of, sort of). It is simply not needed, just as at and of are often not needed.
ex. That kind of (NOT kind of a) meeting can be dull.
Correct:
1. That kind of a chocolate can be sort of difficult to use in this recipe.
Vitamin #78 January 24, 2012
Good is an adjective; well is generally an adverb.
Memory clue: something may BE good, but it is always DONE well.
ex. I do a good job when I spell, but I do not sing well.
Well is used three times as an adjective.
ex. He acts as if he feels well (health).
ex. The color of red looks well on him (appearance).
ex. All is well on our streets tonight (satisfactory).
Correct:
1. In my lifetime, I have done many jobs detassle, bail hay, babysitting, working in restarants, ect.
2. I have done most of them real good.
Vitamin #77 January 23, 2012
For business letters and resumes from this area especially, the following are needed for spelling:
detassel bale hay (not bail) baby-sitter sincerely restaurant
Correct:
1. We were especially disatisfied with the person that waited on us.
2. Alot of people run thru the hallway when they are not suppose to.
Vitamin #76 January 20, 2012
through= a preposition used to indicate movement into and out.
ex. Driving through a red light can be fatal.
threw= past tense of throw, which means to “propel through the air”
ex. The horse threw his rider.
ex. I threw the ball.
thru= a colloquial variation of through.
AVOID use of thru in all academic and business writing.
Correct:
1. The sign was not in a convienient location, so alot of people drove thru it.
2. Its real easy to mispell words like seperate, recieve, and suprise.
Vitamin #75 January 19, 2012
When a prefix is added to a word, the spelling of the word is NOT changed.
ex. mis+spell=misspell
il+legible=illegible
dis+satisfied=dissatisfied
re+commend=recommend
Correct:
1. These kind of honey are neither the sweeter or the smoother when compared to all the other kinds.
2. Zac, Lee, and myself have all ready eaten our desert.
Vitamin #74 January 18, 2012
Use the comparative form for two, the superlative form for more than two.
ex. Timmy is the taller of the two.
ex. Tom is the tallest of the three brothers.
Correct:
1. Your going to do a real good job working at your fathers restaurant tomarrow.
Vitamin #73 January 17, 2012
Be sure to use a singular adjective with a singular noun.
ex. This kind these kinds that kind those kinds
Many people think of kind as a plural word and thus use these or those with kind. Since we do not say “these book,” we do not say “these kind.” Type, sort, and kind are all singular words.
Correct:
1. The maintainance problem occured before you got here Bill.
Vitamin #72 January 13, 2012
Use nor with neither, or with either. Do not mix them; they work as pairs.
ex. We will either read or write.
ex. We will neither read nor write.
NEVER: We will neither read or write.
Correct:
1. Last Fall was neither wet or cold.
2. Alot of people wondered who's dog it was; it belonged to the Jones.
Vitamin #71 January 12, 2012
Names (or any nouns) that end in sh, s, z, x, or ch (when pronounced ch and not k) add -es to become plural.
ex. Mr. Fox—the Foxes
ex. Mr. Hatch—the Hatches
ex. Mr. Williams—the Williamses
Correct:
1. The problem with the tests will effect less sophomores at PBL than at other schools'.
2. The house belongs to the Jones'.
Vitamin #70 January 11, 2012
Memorize this list of words that are already possessive—thus not needing an apostrophe.
my—mine our—ours your—yours their—theirs
his, hers, its, whose
Its, their, your, and whose sound like the contractions it’s, they’re, you’re, and who's. Note that only the contractions use apostrophes.
Correct:
1. I drug my husband to see Hairspray; Jane & Susan seen it last week.
2. The dog sat next to it's bowl whining to be fed.
Vitamin #69 January 10, 2012
Capitalize seasons only when personified.
ex. Old Man Winter arrived last night with freezing rain.
ex. The first day of spring is March 21. (not personified)
Correct:
I seen spring come dancing down the road and it made me very happy.
Vitamin #68 January 9, 2012
President and precedent look and sound similar, but they differ greatly.
President=(prez-ed-ant) is the leader of an organization or country
Precedent=(pres´-ed-ant) is something done or said that may serve as an example to justify a subsequent act of a similar kind
ex. The attorney searched the records for a precedent to use in his argument.
NOTE the s sound, not a z sound, in precedent.
Correct:
1. Its real important for lawyers to cite presidents in order to win there cases.
Vitamin Review #12 January 6, 2012 (101 and 102 5th only)
Go through your vitamin notebook and make a list of at least ten vitamins with which you are having trouble.
Vitamin #67 January 5, 2012
Complement= (noun) something that completes
(verb) to complete or accentuate
ex. One slice of pie is a complement to the whole pie.
ex. A blue shirt complements a brown sweater.
Compliment= (noun) praise
(verb) to praise
ex. I like compliments because they make me feel better.
ex. I complimented him on his appearance.
Memory Clue: I like compliments.
Correct:
1. I complemented him on his performance in the T.V. show Everybody Loves Raymond.
Vitamin #66 January 4, 2012
Rules for use of numbers in Academic writing:
If you can say it in one or two words, write as a word
ex. We had to buy two books, fifteen notebooks, and twenty-one pencils.
If it takes three or more words to say it, write as a numeral
ex. For the fundraiser, we sold 423 sandwiches.
DO NOT MIX NUMBERS AND WORDS (at least within the same sentence). If you must use any numbers, use all numbers.
ex. For lunch we packed 7 cans of soda, 14 sandwiches, and 101 cookies.
If a sentence begins with a number, spell out the number or reword the sentence.
ex. Three hundred, twenty-two is our biggest class.
ex. Our biggest class is 322.
5. Decades are usually written without capitalization (the nineties); however, it is acceptable to use numerals (the 1990s). Be consistent in form used.
6.For large numbers, use a combination of numerals and words
ex. 3.5 million.
7. If a number is part of a proper noun, leave it the way it is.
ex. Studio 54 was a hot nightclub in the seventies.
ex. I used to live on 4th street.
8. Dates can be left in number form.
Vitamin Review #11 December 19, 2011
My favorite T.V. shows include the following Freaks and Geeks How I Met Your Mother My Name is Earl and ect.
I seen that Bobby and myself had been invited to Tulsa Oklahoma to the opening of there new busness.
I wish I were able to raise enough money to start a new busness my Mother & I have a great idea for a pie shop.
The bill on sematery maintainance will go before the House on April 3 2008 and will require a two thirds majority to pass.
Vitamin Review #10 December 16, 2011
Contest: Write a vitamin correction sentence. The person who can incorporate the most errors will receive five points of extra credit. Your sentence must still make sense.
Vitamin #65 December 15, 2011
Substitute he for who and him for whom when in doubt about which form to use. The crutch works as long as you know how to use he and him.
ex. I called whom (him)? Who (he) helped me?
In a more complex example, you must determine which clause the who or whom belongs to.
ex. Who does the teacher think helped me?
(Who is the subject of “helped me”)
ex. The candidate for whom she had worked was defeated.
(She had worked for whom (him))
Correct:
1. She made the desert especially for who?
Vitamin #64 December 14, 2011
Dessert (pronounced di zert´)= final course of a meal. Memory clue: think of the double s as a second helping.
Desert (pronounced same as above)= to abandon. ex. I will not desert anyone in their time of need.
Desert (pronounced dez´ ert)= arid area ex. Cactus thrives in the desert.
Correct:
1. If only Chicago was in the dessert, they wouldn't have such harsh winters.
Vitamin #63 December 13, 2011
Use which or that to refer things and who for people.
ex. English II is a course that requires all sophomores to master certain writing skills.
ex. Mr. Qualls is the teacher who is coaching the baseball team.
DO NOT use which to refer to people.
That may be used to refer to people considered as a group or class of people.
ex. The class that sells the most oranges will get a bowling trip.
Correct:
1. A person that has ilegible handwriting has no room to be disatisfied with other peoples penmanship.
2. I through the ball to the person that was playing first base.
Vitamin #62 December 12, 2011
Stay away from such substandard forms as hisself, theirself, theirselves, and ourself.
SINGULAR—myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself
PLURAL—ourselves, yourselves, themselves
Correct:
1. They mowed the cematery theirselves for thirty two years; now there son does it by hisself.
2. Venus de Milo, The Thinker, and Winged Victory are three of the most well known sculptures in the world; the Mona Lisa is a painting that is very well-known also.
Vitamin Review #9, December 9, 2011
1. It was mother, aunt Janet, and myself who helped out with chores at the Carlsons house.
2. Carl Sandburg was a famous midwestern poet who became well-known for the following works Chicago, Fog, and Phizzog, which were collected in books like "Chicago Poems".
3. Sally Garcias string of As on her report card made her Father and Mother real proud.
Vitamin #61 December 8, 2011
The –self words must have a subject to refer to in the sentence. A –self word cannot be used alone.
ex. Petunia, Sally, and I (NOT myself) decorated the gym ourselves.
NOTE myself must refer to a subject.
Correct:
1. Katie and myself recieved new copies of Katherine, a book we both love, for Christmas.
Vitamin #60 December 7, 2011
The final three uses of the colon:
Use a colon between biblical chapter and verses.
ex. Proverbs 3:3
Use a colon between independent clauses when the second one explains the first.
ex. “A cutting word is worse than a bowstring: a cut may heal, but the cut of the tongue does not.”
NOTE that the second independent clause may or may not start with a capital letter.
Use a colon before a long statement or quotation.
ex. The Gettysburg Address begins with these famous words:
"Four score and seven years ago . . . "
Vitamin #59 December 6, 2011
Six uses of the colon (first three):
Use a colon before a list.
ex. We will need the following: tents, chairs, and tables.
If a list follows directly after a verb or preposition, AVOID the colon.
ex. All campers will need blankets, towels, and poison ivy lotion.
ex. All campers will be provided with blankets, towels, and poison ivy lotion.
Use a colon after a salutation in a business letter.
ex. Dear Mr. Smith:
Vitamin #58 December 5, 2011
Capitalize a title of relationship if it takes the place of a person’s name or is used with a name.
ex. My father and I did not know Mother and Aunt Sally were planning to visit my youngest aunt.
NOTE when titles are preceded by such words as my, a, an, the, their,etc., the titles are not capitalized.
ex. I favor my aunt, Sandra.
ex. I favor my father.
ex. I favor my Aunt Sandra. (title used with name)
Correct:
1. When my Uncle comes too town, the Chancellor Hotel on the West side of town is his favorite place to stay at.
Vitamin Review #8 December 2, 2011
1. We've all ready been to Mr. Simpkins house it is bigger then Mr. Smiths house.
2. The hungry dog lead us too the food bowl.
3. Regardless of how excited you are, it is far to early to open Christmas gifts.
Vitamin #57 December 1, 2011
Directions are capitalized only when they refer to a particular section of the country.
ex. Autumn is a pretty season in the East. (geographical area)
ex. We live west of town. (direct only)
Correct:
1. Dr. Jones favorite region is the south but he hasn't lived there since the 1970s.
Vitamin #56 November 30, 2011
Than shows contrast.
ex. He was taller than she was.
Then shows a difference in time.
ex. First we went to the park, then to the beach.
Don't get the two mixed up.
Correct:
1. It takes longer too drive too Champaign then it does too Rantoul.
Vitamin #55 November 29, 2011
To make words, numbers, letters, and signs DISCUSSED as such plural, add either s or ‘s. The ‘s is preferred after all lower-case letters and all the capital letters that might be confusing if s alone is added.
ex. the 1970’s or 1970s
ex. received all A’s (not “all As”—too close to as)
ex. too many and’s
NOTE: If you use just ‘s you don’t need to be concerned about confusion. However, you need to be aware just the s is permissible where not misleading.
NOTE: This is the ONLY time you use an apostrophe to make something plural.
Correct:
1. The Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland is a popular destination for tourists to stop at.
Vitamin #54 November 28, 2011
The key to forming possessives is to ask the question “To whom does it belong?” If the answer does not end in s, add an apostrophe and an s.
ex. man’s hat (man)
ex. men’s hat (men)
ex. Mr. Black’s house (Black)
If the answer ends in s, add an apostrophe only. One cannot go wrong when using this crutch.
ex. The Blacks’ home (Blacks)
ex. Mr. Jones’ house (Jones)
Correct:
1. The teacher lead the children off the bus too the Simpsons farm.
Vitamin #53 November 23, 2011
The past tense of the verb lead is led.
ex. Jeff led the choir in singing carols.
Correct:
1. Their are only twenty one days left until Christmas; that is not alot of time for shopping.
Vitamin #52 November 22, 2011
Memorize the difference among these three words:
too= "also" or intensifier
ex. I want to go too.
ex. You are too funny.
to= preposition or part of an infinitive
ex. I want to go to the store.
ex. I like to swim.
two= written form of 2
ex. I need two gallons of milk.
Correct:
1. I would like you two know that we have recieved the following gifts: to new coffee makers several toaster ovens a large amount of candlesticks and ect..
Vitamin Review #7 November 18, 2011
1. The officer on scene stated "The accident could of been avoided if she wouldn't of run the red light".
2. The problem occured when he forgot to pick up his perscription.
3. I can't help but wonder if maintainance and pronounciation will be on next week's quiz.
4. We were all ready to leave for Wisconsin, where we will do some water skiing, buying some cheese, and saw the House on the Rock.
Vitamin #51 November 17, 2011
An easy way to distinguish between already and all ready is to substitute ready. If it fits, use all ready.
ex. We were all ready to go.
ex. We had already left.
Correct:
1. We have all ready read Angela Carter's short story The Werewolf.
2. Your already to go tomarrow?
Vitamin #50 November 16, 2011
Tomorrow has one m and two r’s.
Memory Clue: “to the night” (tonight)
“to the day” (today)
“to the morrow” (tomorrow)
Correct:
1. Tommorrow would be alright 4 u & me to get alot of work done.
2. The Night Cafe is one of my favorite paintings.
Vitamin #49 November 15, 2011
Avoid using at and of unnecessarily.
ex. Where do I park at? (no at)
ex. Keep your feet off of the furniture. (no of)
Correct:
1. Walking in the room for the meeting, I couldn't help wondering where I should sit at.
Vitamin #48 November 14, 2011
To omit material within a sentence, use three periods with a space before and after each period. This is called an ellipsis.
ex. “Oh say can you see . . . at the twilight's last gleaming.”
ex. We saluted the flag " . . . at the twilight's last gleaming."
To omit material at the end of a sentence, use four periods with no space before the first period and none after the last period.
ex. “In the souls of the people, the grapes of wrath are. . . ."
The ellipsis should be regarded as a single unit and not broken up at the end of a line.
Be careful when using an ellipsis to indicated something trailing off. This would be appropriate only in the most informal writing and should only be used sparingly.
Do not use an ellipsis when writing a long quote that ends with a complete sentence.
The MLA Handbook recommends using square brackets on either side of the ellipsis points to distinguish between an ellipsis that you've added and the ellipses that might have been in the original text. Such a bracketed ellipsis in a quotation would look like this:
"Bohr […] used the analogy of parallel stairways […]" (Smith 55).
Vitamin #47 November 11, 2011
Principal means “main.” Both principal and main have an a.
ex. The principal of the school is absent today (main teacher).
ex. The principal problem (main difficulty) is money.
ex. Apply the payment to the principal (main money).
Principle means “rule.” Memory clue: both words end in –le.
ex. I object to the principle (rule) of the matter.
ex. He is a man of high principles (rules).
Correct:
1. So far this morning, I have spoken to my teacher, the secretary, and the principle, respectfully.
Vitamin #46 November 10, 2011
Respectfully= full of respect
ex. One should act respectfully toward parents.
Respectively= each in the order indicated
ex. I was questioned by the police, my parents, and then my friends—respectively.
Correct:
1. I don't know where people got the idea that it is alright to not treat there elders respectively.
Vitamin #45 November 9, 2011
It is a prescription, NOT a perscription, that the doctor gives us before we can get medicine from a pharmacy. Pre means “before” and script means “to write.”
Correct:
1. Alot of people take perscriptions for maintainance of medical conditions.
2. The doctor said "I can't help but think that we should of written a different perscription".
Vitamin #44 November 8, 2011
When maintain (verb) transforms into the noun form, it undergoes a spelling change—maintain to maintenance (not maintainance).
Pronounce to pronunciation is a similar change.
Memory clue: We could use ten people for maintenance of our campus.
NOTE: proper pronunciation of maintenance and pronunciation will improve spelling.
Correct:
1. I seen that pronounciation and maintainance were spelled incorrectly on last week's test.
Vitamin #43 November 7, 2011
Of should not be used to replace have. Temptation to do so comes from slurring our words.
ex. could have (not could of)
should have (not should of)
must have (not must of)
Correct:
1. He should of not allowed the child to see the movie Hostel; the nightmares occured only because she seen the movie.
Vitamin Review #6 November 4, 2011
Write three vitamin correction sentences with at least three mistakes in each. Switch with a partner and correct.
Vitamin #42 November 3, 2011
When using verbs in a list, remember to use parallel structure. This simply means putting all the verbs in the sentence into the same form.
Correct: On our vacation we were sure to ride the Rockin' Rollercoaster, to eat at Ohana, and to visit the Magic Kingdom.
Correct: On our vacation we enjoyed riding the Rockin' Rollercoaster, eating at Ohana, and visiting the Magic Kingdom.
Incorrect: On our vacation we enjoyed riding the Rockin' Rollercoaster, to eat at Ohana, and visit the Magic Kingdom.
Note: If one verb ends in -ing, make sure that they all do. If one verb includes to, make sure they all do, and so on.
Vitamin #41 November 2, 2011
personal (adj.)= private
personnel (noun) = employees
ex. The school personnel have their own personal lockers.
Correct:
1. The company personal are real excited to see the affects of the new computer system.
2. There idea is that seperating there file systems will really help them keep track of there busness.
Vitamin #40 November 1, 2011
In= within
ex. We are not supposed to run in the halls.
Into=from the outside to the inside
ex. Go into the house.
Correct:
1. As we walked in the well lit room, our eyes struggled to adjust.
2. Your going to have to go to the store; the sophmores are required to have business stationary.
Vitamin #39 October 31, 2011
When writing quotations, keep a few simple rules in mind:
1. Always use a comma before the start of the quotation unless the word preceding the quote is that or the quote is short enough to fit naturally into the sentence.
ex. She said, "I like it."
ex. It is clear that "Houston, we have a problem."
2. Commas and periods always go inside the quotation marks. Question marks and exclamation points go inside the quotation marks if the quote IS the question or exclamation and outside if the quote is just a part of the question or exclamation.
ex. She said, "Do you like it?"
ex. Do you like the poem "It"?
3. When using a quote within a quote, use single quotation marks inside the double quotation marks to avoid confusion.
ex. She said, "I really liked it when the character said, 'Houston, we have a problem.'"
4. Unless writing dialog in fiction, never change a quote. If there is a mistake in a quote, put the Latin abbreviation sic in brackets at the end of the quote to show that the mistake is not yours.
ex. According to Mr. Jones, "Alot of people like pizza [sic]."
Vitamin Review #5 October 27, 2011
1. He was a real tall kid, reaching a heighth of six feet in junior high.
2. Alot of people prefer to use out loud, when the correct form would be aloud.
3. The lightly-scented perfume was so popular that the store sold forty two units in one day.
Vitamin #38 October 26, 2011
Instead of the double negative “can’t help but,” use “can’t help” and an –ing form of the verb following it.
ex. I can’t help wondering (not "can’t help but wonder") what he is thinking.
Correct:
1. Marvin stated "I can't help but wonder if the school personal will be allowed in the building after the strike".
Vitamin #37 October 25, 2011
All forms of occur (except for occurs) double the r—occurred, occurring, occurrence.
Correct:
1. It is alright to try to affect a change, but it is easy to feel down when something you planned hasn't occured.
Vitamin #36 October 24, 2011
Height (how “tall” or “high” something is) contains an easy memory clue. It has an eight in it; eight feet is TALL. There is no h at the end of the word. Because width is a form of wide, people mistakenly assume high will change the same way. It does not.
Correct:
1. Three-fourths of the team members had reached a heighth of over six feet; overall, it was a real tall team.
Vitamin Review #4 October 21, 2011
1. The amount of blisters caused by my new shoes is more than I am willing to tolerate therefore I'll have to stop wearing them.
2. The cleverly-written story Tangled was based on an old fairy tale by the creative minds at Disney and Pixar.
3. The side affects from the medicine were real bad the doctor recommended I stop taking it.
Vitamin #35 October 20, 2011
Use really or extremely to replace very. Very tends to be overused. Avoid using real to replace very. Real is an adjective. Do not use an adjective when you need an adverb or vice versa.
ex. He was very nervous about giving his speech. (really, extremely)
NOT: He was real nervous about . . .
Correct:
1. It was real clear that the success of The Illini in football this season was effecting our sales of Illini merchandise.
Vitamin #34 October 19, 2011
When writing, always use as many active verbs as possible. Passive, or "to be" verbs are boring and vague.
Active verbs are verbs that show action (mental or physical), such as run, think, believe, jump, etc.
Always avoid passive voice construction unless you have a very good reason for doing so.
Passive voice: Why was the road crossed by the chicken?
The fire was started by me.
Active voice: Why did the chicken cross the road?
I started the fire.
Note: Only use passive voice when it cannot be avoided or when the person or thing doing something is unidentified or unimportant.
ex. Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809.
Correct:
The store was visited by me to buy a large amount of items.
Vitamin #33 October 18, 2011
Memorize the meanings of these three demons so that you can distinguish them:
affect (verb)= influences
effect (verb)= to cause to happen; to accomplish
effect (noun)= result
ex. Our sinuses are affected (influenced) by changing weather.
ex. Changing weather will effect (cause) a cold.
ex. Medication can have side effects (results).
Correct:
1. Your going to be alright unless the medication has alot of side affects.
2. I am going to expriment with exercising on the stationery bike.
Vitamin #32 October 17, 2011
Stationery (noun)=writing materials
ex. Bring business stationery to class.
Memory clue: a writer uses stationery
Stationary (adjective)= unmovable; fixed; in a rigid position
ex. Classrooms used to have stationary desks that were very unhandy for group work.
Vitamin #31 October 14, 2011
When a fraction is used as an adjective, hyphenate it.
ex. a two-thirds majority (adjective)
ex. Two thirds of the members (noun)
Correct:
1. A Constitutional amendment requires a three fourths vote of all the states.
2. Three-fourths of the states would be approximately thirty nine states.
Vitamin #30 October 13, 2011
If a compound contains an –ly word, DO NOT hyphenate.
ex. the heavily loaded wagon
the lightly scented cologne
the beautifully prepared dinner
Correct:
1. Alot of people wear hastily-prepared Halloween costumes for last minute invites to parties.
Vitamin #29 October 12, 2011
Hyphenate a compound modifier (two or more words used as an adjective) that PRECEDES a noun.
ex. a grin-and-bear-it attitude
ex. a light-green sweater
ex. The sweater was light green. (no hyphen)
Correct:
1. The age old dilemma confronted the bride and groom at there wedding.
2. Would it be alright to use Miracle to Me, a song that a small amount of people know, or should they choose a song that is more well-known?
Vitamin #28 October
11, 2011
Hyphens are used in compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine.
ex. Twenty-five students would be very crowded in this classroom.
Correct:
1. A cematery in Lewistown Illinois was the inspiration for Spoon River Anthology, a book of poems by Edgar Lee Masters.
Vitamin #27
October 6, 2011
Note the use of commas before and after the year and the state.
ex. Bob and June were married June 6, 1992, in Reno.
ex. They moved to Houston, Texas, last month.
Correct:
1. I seen that your moving to Peoria Illinois next month.
2. Peoria is different than Paxton; there are alot less busnesses in Paxton.
Vitamin #26 October 5, 2011
A run-on sentence is two or more complete thoughts joined together without correct punctuation. There are many ways to fix a run-on sentence. Just remember that a comma or a conjunction alone is not strong enough to hold the parts of the sentence together. A semi-colon is, however.
ex. The new student found her locker easily she could not operate the lock.
Corrected: The new student found her locker easily; she could not operate the lock.
ex. The new student found her locker easily but she could not operate the lock. (no comma)
ex. The new student found her locker easily, she could not operate the lock. (comma splice)
Corrected: The new student found her locker easily, but she could not operate the lock.
ex. The new student found her locker easily however she could not operate the lock. (conjunctive adverb)
Corrected: The new student found her locker easily; however, she could not operate the lock.
Since run-ons can be fixed in so many ways, there is no excuse for having them in a paper.
Vitamin #25
October 4, 2011
Fewer and number are used with plural words (items that can
be counted).
ex. It takes fewer gallons of gas for small cars.
The gym holds a large number of people.
Less and amount are used with singular ideas.
ex. It takes less gas for small cars.
The amount of gas used is less for small cars.
Correct:
1. It's alright that there are less people on the team this year.
Vitamin #24
October 3, 2011
If in doubt about using a comma between two words in a series, use the
and test. If and can be substituted between each word, use a comma.
ex. It was a dark, dreary, cold day in January as final exams began. (It was a dark and dreary and cold
day . . . )
Correct:
1. There new convienience store sells snacks sodas etc.
Vitamin Review #3
September 30, 2011
1. Sally I seen that the sophmores did an alright job choosing their
attendent.
2. For Christmas this year, I recieved a subscription to Taste of Home
magazine, a poster of Renior's painting Luncheon of the Boat Party, a DVD set of
the T.V. show Northern Exposure, a CD that includes songs like Don't Worry Be
Happy and Nothin' But a Good Time, and ect. from my parents.
3. I was suprised when I seen Terry at the convienience store Sue.
Vitamin #23 September
29, 2011
Use from with different, not than.
ex. Sam is very different from his siblings.
Correct:
1. Bob sophmore year is very different than freshman year.
2. I seen that there making a movie based on East of Eden; that is one of my favorite books.
Vitamin #22 September 28,
2011
Master these three headaches:
their= possessive pronoun
spelling memory clue: their has a the in it.
ex. The wise students daily brought donuts to their teacher.
there= filler word or adverb (usually denotes a place)
ex. There are many kinds of donuts.
Set the donuts there.
they're= they + are
Correct:
1. There car is parked legally in front of the busness.
2. Your going to have to move your car.
Vitamin #21 September 27, 2011
Sophomore
has an o in the middle. The word comes from two Greek words—sophos
(“wise”) and moros (“moron”). People who are sophomoric are those who
are immature and think they know more than they actually do.
Correct:
1. The sophmores are using newspaper trash bags and spray paint on their homecoming float.
2. Alot of people don't realize that the song Take It Back by Pink Floyd is about the enviroment.
Vitamin Review #2 September 23, 2011
1. Would it be alright if I threw a suprise party for Bob at the convienience store?
2. Sometimes it is difficult to seperate fact from allusion.
3. Your going to have to remember how to spell recieve, busness, enviroment, and ect.
4. He drug me to see the movie Transformers, and you should give me congradulations for sitting through it.
Vitamin #20 September 22, 2011
Attendant is spelled with an ant at the end. Remember that
attendants scurry around like ants during the busy homecoming week.
Correct:
1. When we went to see the U.S.S. Arizona in Hawaii, the attendent gave us a private tour.
2. I was suprised when I seen that the submarine was not nucular.
Vitamin #19 September 21, 2011
It is not I seen. Seen requires a helping verb and cannot
function on its own. Use I saw or I have seen.
ex. I saw a movie last night.
ex. I have seen three movies this week.
Correct:
1. I seen a great movie last night Sally called Risky Biusness.
Vitamin #18
September 20, 2011
Set off a noun of direct address regardless of position in the sentence.
ex. Take pride, Panthers!
ex. Panthers, take pride!
ex. Take pride, Panthers, in your school!
Correct:
1. Joe alot of people think it is alright to do their grocery shopping in the convienience store.
Vitamin #17 September 19, 2011
Allusion=
reference
ex. Poets make many allusions to myths.
Illusion= false impression
ex. Make-up can create an illusion of youth.
Correct:
1. The Simpsons includes many illusions to popular culture, classical myths, canonical literature, and etc.
Vitamin Review #1 September
16, 2011
1. I recieved alot of new DVDs for my birthday--they
included A League of Their Own, When Harry Met Sally, Walk the
Line & ect.
2. Your suppose to give congradulations when someone graduates from collage.
3. Life Is a Highway is a song i use to listen to in high school.
4. He drug me to the News-Gazette office to complain about the mistake in Wednesday's paper.
Vitamin #16 September 15, 2011
All right is
always two words. We would not think of writing alwrong; for the same
reason we would not use alright.
Correct:
1. In the Romantic Period of literature, making illusions to medieval poetry and legends was not only alright, it was expected.
2. The poets of this era included Byron, Shelley, Keats ect. It is no suprise that they are all in the sematery by now.
Vitamin #15 September 14, 2011
It is man to men, woman to women, and
freshman to freshmen. They all change the same
way.
ex. The Freshman Class has twenty-seven freshmen.
ex. The women in the class
outnumber the men by one woman.
Correct:
1. The Freshman will be called as a class to
go to the eniromental seminar.
Vitamin #14 September 13, 2011
Rules for using etc.:
1. Have at least three items in the list preceding etc.
2. Use a comma after the last item.
3. There is no and immediately before etc. The etc. means “and other things.”
4. Spell etc. correctly (abbreviation for et cetera).
5. If the etc. comes before the end of the sentence, use a comma after the period following etc. If the etc. comes at the end of the sentence, there is no extra period needed.
ex. We found nails, marbles, string, etc., in his pockets.
ex. We found nails, marbles, string, etc.
Correct:
1. Your going to need tents, sleeping bags, firewood, and ect on our camping trip.
Vitamin #13 September 12, 2011
Master these 5 spelling headaches:
surprise- two r’s, two s’s
business- ride a "bus" if in business
cemetery- has three e’s, as in eeek!
separate- has "a rat" in it
convenience- derived from the Latin venio (“to come”) con means together
Correct:
1. Your going to have to seperate into two groups for the sake of convienience.
2. Alot of people were suprised to learn that I use to live next to a sematery.
Vitamin #12 September 9, 2011
Receive follows
the rule of “i before e, except after c.”
NOTE that receive pertains to the last part of the rule.
Correct:
1. Did you recieve Nevermind, Nirvana's most popular C.D., for Christmas?
Vitamin #11 September 8, 2011
Remember that formal writing is a completely different situation from texting and Facebook.
In formal writing (schoolwork, business correspondence, formal letters, etc.) ALWAYS spell out words. For example, do not use the number 4 to take the place of the word four. Also, do not use the letter u to take the place of the word you. Do not use the ampersand (&) in place of and. Capitalize all letters that should be capitalized (such as I). Save this for the internet and text messaging. Also, try to stay away from using contractions unless it is a stylistic device.
Correct:
1. He is very different from u & me, i think.
2. Dark Side of the Moon would have been a great album to have with us 4 the trip.
Vitamin #10 September 7, 2011
Underline the following types of titles:
Magazine, book, newspaper, movie, academic journal, TV or radio show, album, pamphlet, airplane, ship, spacecraft, painting, sculpture, satellite, play of 2 or more acts, opera, long musical composition, dance performance, book-length poem, website, online database, *video game
Place quotation marks around the following titles:
short stories, poems, articles, songs, one-act plays, chapters, episodes of T.V. or radio shows, commercials, essay in book, lecture
NOTE: titles placed in quotation marks are usually parts of the ones underlined.
NOTE ALSO: Other proper nouns not on this list are capitalized only ex. Buildings, monuments, religious books
*Not actually mentioned in the MLA stylebook, but follows the rules given
Correct:
1. Your going to love your new job at Newsweek; Bob use to work there.
2. One of my favorite songs, Closer to Free, was the title song to the T.V. series Party of Five.
Vitamin #9 September 6, 2011
Congratulations has a t, not a d, in it.
ex. Congratulations, Joe, on your promotion.
Correct:
1. I'm suppose to give you my congraduations on you're graduation.
Vitamin #8 September 2, 2011
Remember the d on used to and supposed to. We do not hear the d, but it is present.
ex. We used to initiate freshmen, but now we are not supposed to do so.
Correct:
1. We drug the bags through the house, even though we weren't suppose to.
2. Your sister use to have trouble pronouncing nuclear.
Vitamin #7 September 1, 2011
The past tense of drag is dragged, not drug. (pertains only to medicinal or narcotic items)
ex. The tired scholar dragged his bookbag behind him as he headed for his first class.
Correct:
1. Your going to be charged for you're grammer book; it is damaged from being drug around too much.
Vitamin #6 August 31, 2011
Here are some words you should know how to spell:
Grammar: I got an A in grammar.
Writing: only one t in writing (not writting)
College: has an e; collage is the picture you make by
gluing lots of different objects on paper
Correct:
1. Your going to have to take alot of writting classes in collage.
2. Grammer is important in all subjects, even sience.
Vitamin #5 August 30, 2011
Memorize these two headaches:
your = possessive form of you
you’re = contraction of you and are
ex. Your car is on its last legs. (car belongs to you)
ex. If your car doesn’t start running better, you’re going to need to take it to the mechanic.
(You are going to . . . )
Correct:
1. Like alot of people, your against nucular weapons.
2. The correct answer was 42; if you got that, you're grade should be an A.
Vitamin #4 August 29, 2011
Use underlining or italics for words, letters, and figures referred to for their form, NOT their meaning.
ex. The most common English word is the; the most frequently used letters are e and t.
ex. Frequently confused numbers are 9, 1, and 7.
ex. Mississippi has four s’s and four i’s.
Correct:
1. Expriment is a difficult word to spell; alot of people have trouble with it.
Master these science spelling headaches:
Experiment: it’s an “experience”
Environment: “Ron” loves to learn about the environment.
Science: spelled like it’s pronounced (sci ence)
Nuclear: Stay “clear” of nukes (Proper pronunciation helps here. The word is NOT nucular)
Correct:
1. Alot of people are very concerned about the enviernment right now.
2. Nucular energy is being studied very closely by sience.
A lot is always two words. There is no such creature as alot.
ex. A lot of people try to make a lot into one word.
Correct:
We really did alot of work today.
Grading Vitamins
1. Every vitamin must be included (even if you are absent) 2 points per entry
2. Items must be in order
3. Use the whole page and the back—leave a space between days
4. Legible—points will be deducted if they can’t be read
5. Must be accurate—points will be deducted if you are not copying the whole vitamin (including the examples and correction sentences) or not copying correctly
6. Must be brought to class
7. Name on first page
8. Nothing else in notebook—don’t tear out pages
9. No loose pages—no tape, staples, or other unless approved by me
10. Keep your notebook all year
Vitamin Pre-test
Copy the following sentences onto a piece of notebook paper, making the necessary corrections.
1. Alot of people practice there own time honored traditions.
2. Everyone was real suprised when you're sister spoke to them at the party.
3. The Princess Bride is one of my all time favorite movies; however, the song All for Love was the theme to The Three Musketeers.
4. Your going to have to really help me learn the difference between the words accept and except.
5. We had chips pop pizza ect. while watching the movie.