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Grammar Essentials For Dummies

by Geraldine Woods

May 2019

Beginner

192 pages

3h 44m

English

For Dummies

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About This BookConventions Used in This BookFoolish AssumptionsIcons Used in This BookWhere to Go from Here
Grammar: What It Is!The Big Ideas of GrammarPutting Grammar to Work in the Real World
Getting Reacquainted with VerbsIdentifying SubjectsGive Peace a Chance: Making Subjects and Verbs AgreeComing to an Agreement with Difficult Subjects
Playing Matchmaker with Pronouns and NounsSelecting Singular or Plural PronounsGetting Possessive with Your PronounsKeeping Your Pronouns and Antecedents ClosePairing Pronouns with Pronoun AntecedentsAvoiding Sexist Pronouns
Creating Complete Sentences from Complete ThoughtsBanning Fragments from Formal WritingEnough Is Enough: Avoiding Run-onsAttaching Sentences LegallyConnecting Unequal IdeasCombining Sentences with PronounsDon’t Keep Your Audience Hanging: Removing Danglers
Seeking BalanceStriving for ConsistencyUsing Conjunction Pairs CorrectlyConstructing Proper Comparisons
Spotting AdjectivesHunting for AdverbsSorting through Some Sticky ChoicesGetting Picky about Word PlacementCreating Comparisons
More Rules Than the IRS: Using ApostrophesQuoting CorrectlyMaking Comma SenseMastering DashesWielding Hyphens with EaseCreating a Stopping Point: Colons
Covering the Basic RulesCapitalizing (Or Not) References to PeopleGetting a Geography Lesson: Places, Directions, and MoreLooking at Seasons and Times of DayGetting Schooled in Education TermsWrestling with Capitals in TitlesWriting about Events and ErasCapitalizing Abbreviations

One Word or Two?Separating Possessive Pronouns from ContractionsUsing Words That Seem Interchangeable but Aren’tA Word and a Phrase to Avoid
Creating Noun PluralsPerfecting PrepositionsDeleting Double Negatives
Identifying Your AudienceCutting Ties with Your Computer Grammar CheckerGiving Your Writing Punch with Great VerbsDeleting All That’s ExtraSpicing Up Boring SentencesWriting for Electronic Media
Pick Up a Good BookRead the NewspaperSample Some MagazinesDelve into Strunk and WhiteSurf the WebReview Style ManualsWatch High-Quality TV ShowsPeruse the NewsDownload PodcastsListen to Authorities

Content preview from Grammar Essentials For Dummies

Chapter 8

Capitalizing Correctly

IN THIS CHAPTER

Browsing the basics of capital letters

Capitalizing names, places, and things

Treating titles with care

Using capitals in abbreviations

Every teacher has at least one pet peeve. I have a good-sized set of usage errors that set my teeth on edge. One is using lowercase for the personal pronoun I. It’s not that I have anything against lowercase letters. It’s just that I believe i and I should follow tradition, because, well … capitalization is all about tradition. So don’t look for logic in this chapter. All you find here is what’s up with capitalization rules.

Covering the Basic Rules

Fortunately, the rules for capital letters are easy. Here are the basics:

Begin every sentence with a capital letter. What’s that you asked? What about sentences that begin with a numeral? Caught you! You’re not supposed to begin a sentence with a numeral. Ever. If you need a number in that spot, you have to write the word and capitalize it. So if you’re a star pitcher and the Yankees make an offer, don’t send this text:
- $10,000,000 per game is not enough. ...