Grammar Goofs

I came across an infographic this morning that I think all of my seventh graders should commit to memory! “15 Grammar Goofs That Make You Look Silly” was created by BlueGlass.com based on various posts found on the Copyblogger website.

Note to my students: Start memorizing! 🙂

Like this infographic? Get more copywriting tips from Copyblogger.

A Veterans Day Grammar Lesson

Ah, the poor apostrophe! So often misused or misunderstood. For example, let’s look at the holiday we just celebrated yesterday. Was it “Veterans Day”, “Veterans’ Day”, or “Veteran’s Day”? I’ll give you a moment to think it over…

Need a hint? Two of these options are correct; one is most definitely incorrect. I’ll give you another minute…

The one that is incorrect is…[insert drumroll here]…”Veteran’s Day” because it’s not just one veteran celebrating his or her day. For an explanation as to why both of the other options are acceptable we turn to the Grammar Girl herself: Why Doesn’t Veterans Day Have an Apostrophe?

This makes me feel a lot better about our decision to call our weekly group the Writers Club! (no apostrophe)

National Grammar Day

“Tis National Grammar Day!”

McTeach announced with a flourish.

Your puny young brains

I feel I must nourish.

So dot every ‘i’

Unless it’s a pronoun.

You know what to do then

So your teacher won’t frown!

Now let us review

Just one time more

All those nouns and pronouns

And prepositions galore.

A noun is a person, a place or a thing.

Unless it’s a gerund,

A verb with an -ing.

And don’t forget pronouns,

Those poor little dears.

They do the heavy lifting,

Have done so for years.

I still have to wonder

With an “Oh ME” and “Oh MY”,

If it’s always an adverb

When it has an -ly.

And where would we be

Without descriptions aplenty?

Adjectives tell us which one,

What kind or how many.

I’d like to continue,

Like, I totally would.

But this one word “like”

Is up to no good.

I hear it so frequently

Throughout all my days,

It’s lost all its meaning

So this thought I must raise.

Be kind to your grammar teach,

She works so darn hard,

That they created this holiday

So you might send her a card.

Just remember when it’s returned to you,

All covered in ink that is red,

That “me and you”

Seriously hurts my head!

Well, that’s my weak attempt at a little grammar poetry for National Grammar Day. So I thought I should also add a little grammar lesson for my seventh graders. I think you’ll particularly enjoy the parenthetical remark!

Often we see commas misplaced in sentences with a complex predicate and a modifying phrase:

Wrong: The dog barked at the cat, and for no apparent reason, ate a cantaloupe.

Correct: The dog barked at the cat and, for no apparent reason, ate a cantaloupe.

(The reason is abundantly clear, of course; the dog is a melon collie.)

from “Comma Chameleon: How It Changes the Color of Your Meaning”
By Rob Reinalda