21st Century Grammar Handbook



Download 1.09 Mb.
View original pdf
Page166/201
Date17.12.2020
Size1.09 Mb.
#55411
1   ...   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   ...   201
21st century grammar
21st century grammar, transformation, transformation, - - - .pdf;filename*= UTF-8''অনুবাদ চর্চা (প্রথম আলো পত্রিকা থেকে-২৯-০৩-২০২০)-1, 21st century grammar
participle forms.
Seem. A linking verb that takes a predicate nominative (subject complement) rather than a direct object. See nominative.
Seen. See see.
-self. This suffix is added to pronouns to make them re exive pronouns, which refer

back to themselves The committee berated itself in frustration Self forms are also used as intensifiers: I myself will lead the parade But self forms should never be used when simple cases of pronouns will su ce. WRONG Fran will accompany herself and myself on the trip RIGHT Fran will travel with her and me The use of myself in these situations is probably attributable to a desire to avoid guring out the correct objective case form of “I”—easier to say myself than to guess whether it should be I or “me.”
Semicolon. The punctuation mark called semicolon (;) indicates a stronger or more definite break in a sentence than a comma.
When two or more independent clauses are put together to form a sentence, they can be joined by conjunctions (words like “and”) or simply stuck to one another without words of explanation. Such unexplained junctures require punctuation,
which is usually the semicolon The writer likes sports the programmer likes books These two clauses could have been linked by a comma and and or “but.”
However, the choice of no conjunction and the semicolon makes the contrast between the writer’s preferences and the programmer’s a little more forceful or stark. Put another way, the semicolon here plays a rhetorical role in the sentence or its style; it adds emphasis.
If a sentence is built from two or more clauses or phrases that include other punctuation, particularly commas, then a semicolon is the best choice to separate the sentence elements and to make clear what belongs where The programmer likes books like Northanger Abbey, Anna Karenina, and Rabbit Redux; the writer likes sports like swimming, baseball, and biking but the kids like music, and they play CDs morning, noon, and night Without the semicolons dividing the independent clauses in this rambling example, readers would be hard pressed to gure out where the lists
that go with each person end and the next person’s preferences start. Phrases can present the same problem Starting with a cup of our, add two teaspoons of salt;
one cup of smoked, peeled, and grated chiles; and three tablespoons each of chopped onions, peppers, and garlic Again, the lists would jumble together without semicolons marking the segments that belong together.
Each of the example sentences in the previous paragraph could be revised into less
run-on form. The writer and programmer might appear in one shorter sentence with their likes, whereas the kids could be given a sentence of their own, especially since the structure of the sentence changes somewhat to focus on timing of action rather than list of speci cs. Similarly, the recipe could be broken up into a more readable form—each ingredient on a separate line, gures used instead of spelled out
numbers, and soon. In short, use semicolons as a signal that sentences might be running on too long and be in need of rewriting or revision.
When two or more independent clauses are part of a single sentence and one or

more of them includes dependent clauses that require commas to set them o within the independent clause, then a semicolon is used to join the independent clauses even if a conjunction appears Having painted the ceiling, Michelangelo moved onto the walls and all the while he made plans for decorating the floors.”
Even long and rambly sentences need not have semicolons if the elements are clearly distinguished and not listed or joined with commas. In fact, it is a common error to put in semicolons before dependent clauses or to mark the beginning of lists.
Like all punctuation, the semicolon should not be overused or misused in these ways.
Semicolons usually appear outside quotation marks: We don’t use words like ‘damn’
we are above such vulgarity.”

Download 1.09 Mb.

Share with your friends:
1   ...   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   ...   201




The database is protected by copyright ©ininet.org 2024
send message

    Main page