April 2018
Beginner
336 pages
9h 3m
English
Content preview from English Grammar Workbook For Dummies, with Online Practice, 3rd Edition
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Chapter 20
Dealing with Grammar Demons
IN THIS CHAPTER
Avoiding double negatives
Distinguishing between similar words
Dealing with difficult verbs
Eliminating nonstandard words and expressions from your writing
In folk tales and myths, demons are supernatural creatures that cause trouble everywhere they go. Grammar has demons, too, and there’s nothing supernatural about them. In fact, grammar demons are the mistakes that writers fall into naturally — and avoid easily with just a little practice. In this chapter, you sharpen your demon-slaying skills.
Dropping Double Negatives
In some languages, the more negatives you pile into a sentence, the more strongly you’re saying no. In English, though, two negative words make a positive statement. For example, “Henry did not want no vegetables” means that Henry wanted some vegetables (perhaps just not the one that was on his plate). Unless you’re trying to say something positive, steer clear of these double negatives, presented here with examples:
- WRONG: Lucette cannot help but dance when the salsa band plays. (not and but = negatives) ...
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I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.