Business Communication - Tipton County Schools, TN

Business Communication Chapter 4 Basics of English Grammar

Copyright 2010 South-Western Cengage Learning

TN State Objectives:  8) Evaluate, create, and revise business

correspondence, short contracts and reports, electronic forms, and small legal documents for a business in standard English using the following:  b). Using proper grammar essentials, including parts

of speech, vocabulary, punctuation, sentence structure.

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Parts of Speech  Noun – names a person, place or thing.  ex:  Pronoun – takes the place of a noun.  ex:  Adjective – describes a noun or pronoun.  ex:  Verb – a word or phrase that describes the action,

state of being, or condition of a person, place or thing.  ex: 4.1 Parts of Speech and Sentences

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Parts of Speech  Adverb – describes a verb, adjective, or another

adverb.  ex:

 Preposition – connects a noun or pronoun to other

words to form a phrase.  ex:

 Conjunction – joins words or phrases, or clauses.  ex:  Interjection – expresses surprise or strong feeling.  ex: 4.1 Parts of Speech and Sentences

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Parts of Speech Activity

“Using well-structured sentences will help you communicate clearly” 5

Sentence Parts  Subject

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 is the person who is speaking, the person who is spoken to, or the person,

place or thing about whom is spoken.  A simple subject is the main word in the complete subject that identifies specifically who or what the sentence concerns.  The simple subject of a sentence is never in a prepositional phrase.  A complete subject includes the simple subject plus all the sentence that is not part of the complete subject  Examples:  

John writes articles for a newspaper. John, the young journalist, has written articles for a newspaper.

 A compound subject is two or more simple subjects joined by

conjunctions. 

Ex: John and Hallie work for our company.

4.1 Parts of Speech and Sentences

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Sentence Parts  Predicate

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 The complete predicate is everything in the sentence said by, to, or about the    

subject. It includes the main verb of the sentence. Whatever is not included in the complete subject of a sentence belongs in the complete predicate. The simple predicate is the verb in the complete predicate. Examples:  

John writes articles for the newspaper. John, the young journalist, has written articles for the newspaper.

 A compound predicate consists of two or more verbs with the same subject.  Ex: John and Hallie discussed the matter and concluded that we are handling this situation incorrectly.

4.1 Parts of Speech and Sentences

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Creating Sentences Activity

“Using well-structured sentences will help you communicate clearly” 8

QUIZ

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Sentence Parts  Objects and subject

complements  Direct objects  Indirect objects  Subject complements

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Using well-structured sentences will help you communicate clearly.

4.1 Parts of Speech and Sentences

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Clauses, Phrases, and Fragments  Clause: a group of words with a subject and a

predicate  Phrase: a group of related words with no subject or predicate  Fragment: an incomplete sentence that may or may not have meaning

4.1 Parts of Speech and Sentences

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Sentence Structure  Simple sentences Example: Theodore sings and acts.  Compound sentences Example: Erin loves to ride horses; Manuel loves to draw horses.  Complex sentences Example: Although it is important to proofread a written message, many people feel they do not have the time. 4.1 Parts of Speech and Sentences

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Nouns  Noun: a word used to name people, places, or things  Common nouns  Proper nouns

 Singular and plural nouns  Collective nouns  Possessive nouns

4.2 Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives

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Pronouns  Pronoun: a word used in the place of a noun  Personal pronouns  Nominative case  Objective case  Possessive case  Intensive and reflective pronouns  Interrogative and demonstrative pronouns

4.2 Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives

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Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement  Pronoun antecedent: a noun or phrase that is

replaced by a pronoun  Pronouns and antecedents should agree in:  Person  Number  Gender

 Compound antecedents

 Indefinite pronoun agreement

4.2 Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives

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Adjectives  Adjective: a word that describes or limits nouns and

pronouns  Articles  Nouns and pronouns used as adjectives  Compound adjectives

4.2 Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives

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Adjectives  Comparison of adjectives  Positive degree  Comparative degree  Superlative degree  Absolute adjectives

4.2 Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives

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Verbs  Verb: a word that expresses action, a state of being,

or a condition  Types of verbs  Action verbs  Linking verbs  State of being verbs

4.3 Verbs and Adverbs

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Verbs Tenses  Simple tenses  Present  Past  Future  Perfect tenses  Present perfect  Past perfect  Future perfect 4.3 Verbs and Adverbs

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Verbs  Transitive verbs  Intransitive verbs  Voice  Active voice  Passive voice

4.3 Verbs and Adverbs

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Subject and Verb Agreement  Number  Intervening phrases  “A number,” “the number”  Names of companies  Amounts  Compound subjects

4.3 Verbs and Adverbs

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Adverbs  Adverb: a word that modifies an action verb, an

adjective, or another adverb  Conjunctive adverbs  Comparison of adverbs  Positive degree  Comparative degree  Superlative degree

4.3 Verbs and Adverbs

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Prepositions  Preposition: a word that connects a noun or

pronoun to other words to form a phrase  Prepositions introduce phrases  Prepositional phrases may modify:  Nouns (acting as adjectives)  Action verbs  Adjectives  Adverbs

4.4 Prepositions, Conjunctions, and Interjections

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Conjunctions  Conjunction: a word or phrase that joins two or

more words, phrases, or clauses  Coordinate conjunctions  Correlative conjunctions  Subordinate conjunctions  Parallel construction

4.4 Prepositions, Conjunctions, and Interjections

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Interjections  Interjection: a word or phrase used primarily to

express strong emotion  Have no grammatical relationship with other words in the sentence

4.4 Prepositions, Conjunctions, and Interjections

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Vocabulary active voice adjective adverb clause collective noun conjunction direct object fragment indirect object interjection noun

passive voice phrase possessive noun predicate preposition pronoun pronoun antecedent sentence subject verb verb tense 26