Technical Writing For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Appendix B

Grammar’s Not Grueling

You may remember, when you were a kid, asking your mother, “Mom, can Pat and me go to the movies?” Your mother replied, “That’s may Pat and I” — and she didn’t give you the money until you corrected your grammar. Although you didn’t think so then, your mother was doing you a favor. Poor grammar didn’t get you far with your mother, and it doesn’t get you far in the business world.

Testing Your Grammatical Skills

Take a look at the following sentences and see if you notice any errors. If you find all the mistakes, you’re a grammar guru. You find the answers at the end of the chapter.

1. A group of 75 computer specialists are waiting for the test results.
2. With most of the votes counted, the winner was thought to be her.
3. What was the name of the speaker we had yesterday?
4. Dr. Allen, who specializes in kinetics, would certainly be interested if he was here now.
5. The MVC Technology Company is celebrating their 50th anniversary.

Adjectives

Adjectives answer at least one of the following questions: What kind? Which? What color? How many? or What size? They’re words, phrases, or clauses that modify, describe, or limit the noun or pronoun they describe. You can use adjectives to transform an ordinary sentence into a tantalizing one. This can be a nice touch in a technical document that may be otherwise dry.

Forms of adjectives

Adjectives take different forms, depending on the noun or nouns they modify.

• Use a positive adjective when you’re not comparing ...