PREICFES EX

PRIMERA PARTEwww.elpreicfes.comhttps://f.vimeocdn.com/p/flash/moogaloop/6.1.2/moogaloop.swf?autoplay=1&clip_id=25362175&controller=player2&view=moogaloop_swf&referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.inovablog.com%2F2013%2F06%2Fcomo-estudiar-ingles-icfes.html&cdn_url=http%3A%2F%2Ff.vimeocdn.com&player_url=player.vimeo.com&moogaloop_type=moogaloop

45 questions.7 sessions.

“Please hand your room key to reception when leaving”a. In a car park.b. In a school.c. In a hotel.

“Day trip to castle leave at 9 am – return at 3 pm”.a. At a police station.b. At a tourist information office.c. In a fast-food restaurant.

“Quiet please. People reading”.a. In a library.b. In an airport.c. In a shop.

“Do no take food into the basketball hall”.a. In a shoe stop.b. In a sports center.c. In a guest-house.

“Please wait here for your table”.a. In a restaurant.b. In a bank.c. In a post office.

** https://www.youtube.com/embed/0C-2XX_2DZA

Please, choose the one you want to read.a. On a board.b. On a computer.c. On a bookcase.

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TAKE ONLY AS TOLD BY DOCTORa. On a bag of apples.b. On a medicine bottle.c. On a jar of coffee.

TAKE A NUMBER AND WAIT FOR NURSE

a. At a bank.b. At a supermarket.c. At a hospital.

7:00 SHOW SOLD OUT

a. At an airport.b. At a theater.c. At a mechanic shop.

PLEASE BE QUIET

a. In a library.b. In a playground.c. In a bar.

PLEASE DON’T FEED THE ANIMALS

PLEASE HAND YOUR ROOM KEY TO RECEPTION WHEN LEAVING

a. In a car park.b. In a school.c. In a hotel.

SEGUNDA PARTE

A. DICTIONARYB. DRIVING LICENSEC. LETTERD. MENUE. NEWSPAPERF. STREET MAPG. TICKETH. TIMETABLE

1. You usually put this inside an envelope before posting it. C2. If you follow this you won’t be late for class. H3. People buy this to learn what has happened in the world. E4. The police may want to see this if they stop you in your car. B5. You can not travel on most buses without one of these. G

a. A place where you buy fruit and vegetables.b. Where people borrow books to read.c. Here you can always buy fresh bread.d. When you are sick you can buy your medicine here.e. A place where you can send your letters.

A. SUPERMARKETB. LIBRARYC. BAKERYD. PHARMACYE. POST OFFICE.

TERCERA PARTE

I’d like the pasta, please.a. Certainly.b. I hope so.c. Do you like it?

Shall we eat now.a. Good idea !b. This is fine.c. It’s the same.

What do you think of modern art? Opinion. a. I’ve seen it.b. I would like to.c. I love it.

Are you sure the match starts at two? Pregunta.a. It started we.b. It’s all right.c. I think so.

I can’t do this math problem.a. I suppose so.b. Let me see.c. Certainly not.

Can I see a menu please?a. Let me see.b. Certainly, here you are.c. Thank you.

What size are you?a. Nearly two kilos.b. 22 years old.c. I’m an extra large.

Do you have any baggage?Yes, I do.Yes, I am.Yes, they do.

How many languages do you speak?a. Four.b. English.c. About two hours.

Who are you waiting for?a. It is two o’clock.b. Home.c. My brother.

What’s wrong?I have a headache.

I like your dress, Sally.

Thank you.

Are you going to Neiva?No, I’m not.

How much TV do you watch?About two hours.

Is this Mary’s coat?Yes, it is.

VERBS

The shortest sentence contains a verb. You can make a one-word sentence with a verb, for example: "Stop!" You cannot make a one-word sentence with any other type of word.

Verbs are sometimes described as "action words". This is partly true. Many verbs give the idea of action, of "doing" something. For example, words like run, fight, do and work all convey action.

But some verbs do not give the idea of action; they give the idea of existence, of state, of "being". For example, verbs like be, exist, seem andbelong all convey state.

A verb always has a subject. (In the sentence "John speaks English", Johnis the subject and speaks is the verb.) In simple terms, therefore, we can say that verbs are words that tell us what a subject does or is; they describe:

action (Ram plays football.) state (Anthony seems kind.)

There is something very special about verbs in English. Most other words (adjectives, adverbs, prepositions etc) do not change in form (although nouns can have singular and plural forms). But almost all verbs change in form. For example, the verb to work has five forms:

to work, work, works, worked, working

Of course, this is still very few forms compared to some languages which may have thirty or more forms for a single verb.

PREPOSITIONS

PrepositionsPrepositions are short words (on, in, to) that usually stand in front of nouns (sometimes also in front of gerund verbs).

Even advanced learners of English find prepositions difficult, as a 1:1 translation is usually not possible. One preposition in your native language might have several translations depending on the situation.

There are hardly any rules as to when to use which preposition. The only way to learn prepositions is looking them up in adictionary, reading a lot in English (literature) and learning useful phrases off by heart (study tips).

The following table contains rules for some of the most frequently used prepositions in English:

Prepositions – TimeEnglish Usage Example

on days of the week on Monday

in months / seasons

time of day

year

after a certain period of time (when?)

in August / in winter

in the morning

in 2006

in an hour

at for night

for weekend

a certain point of time (when?)

at night

at the weekend

at half past nine

since from a certain point of time (past till now) since 1980

for over a certain period of time (past till now) for 2 years

ago a certain time in the past 2 years ago

before earlier than a certain point of time before 2004

to telling the time ten to six (5:50)

past telling the time ten past six (6:10)

to / till /

until

marking the beginning and end of a period of time from Monday to/till Friday

till / until in the sense of how long something is going to last He is on holiday until Friday.

by in the sense of at the latest

up to a certain time

I will be back by 6 o’clock.

By 11 o'clock, I had read five pages.

Prepositions – Place (Position and Direction)English Usage Example

in room, building, street, town, country

book, paper etc.

car, taxi

in the kitchen, in London

in the book

in the car, in a taxi

English Usage Example

picture, world in the picture, in the world

at meaning next to, by an object

for table

for events

place where you are to do something typical (watch a film,

study, work)

at the door, at the station

at the table

at a concert, at the party

at the cinema, at school, at work

on attached

for a place with a river

being on a surface

for a certain side (left, right)

for a floor in a house

for public transport

for television, radio

the picture on the wall

London lies on the Thames.

on the table

on the left

on the first floor

on the bus, on a plane

on TV, on the radio

by, next to,

beside

left or right of somebody or something Jane is standing by / next to / beside the car.

under on the ground, lower than (or covered by) something else the bag is under the table

below lower than something else but above ground the fish are below the surface

over covered by something else

meaning more than

getting to the other side (also across)

overcoming an obstacle

put a jacket over your shirt

over 16 years of age

walk over the bridge

climb over the wall

above higher than something else, but not directly over it a path above the lake

across getting to the other side (also over)

getting to the other side

walk across the bridge

swim across the lake

through something with limits on top, bottom and the sides drive through the tunnel

to movement to person or building

movement to a place or country

for bed

go to the cinema

go to London / Ireland

go to bed

into enter a room / a building go into the kitchen / the house

towards movement in the direction of something (but not directly to it) go 5 steps towards the house

onto movement to the top of something jump onto the table

from in the sense of where from a flower from the garden

Other important PrepositionsEnglish Usage Example

from who gave it a present from Jane

of who/what does it belong to a page of the book

English Usage Example

what does it show the picture of a palace

by who made it a book by Mark Twain

on walking or riding on horseback

entering a public transport vehicle

on foot, on horseback

get on the bus

in entering a car / Taxi get in the car

off leaving a public transport vehicle get off the train

out

of

leaving a car / Taxi get out of the taxi

by rise or fall of something

travelling (other than walking or horseriding)

prices have risen by 10 percent

by car, by bus

at for age she learned Russian at 45

abo

ut

for topics, meaning what about we were talking about you

INTERJECTIONS

What Is An Interjection?An interjection is one of the eight major parts of speech, along with verbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs,prepositions and conjunctions. Some grammarians believe that interjections are the least important part of speech. This is because interjections are not generally required in order for the meaning of a sentence to become clear.An interjection is a word solely designed to convey emotion. It expresses meaning or feeling. It does not: relate grammatically to the other parts of the sentence help the reader understand the relationship between words and phrases in the sentenceInstead, it simply conveys to the reader the way the author is feeling. Interjections are rarely used in academic or formal writing, but are common in fiction or artistic writing. They are usually, but not always, offset by an exclamation point (which is also used to show emotion).

Use of InterjectionsBeginning of SentencesWhen people think of interjections, they commonly think of them being used at the beginning of the sentence. Many also associate interjections with a punctuation mark designed to convey emotion: the exclamation point.This is often true. Interjections can and do appear in the beginning of sentences. For example: “Yikes, I didn’t realize that there was a test on grammar today!” “Oh no, I can’t believe that it is snowing here again!”In both of these sentences the interjection - “yikes” and “oh no” appear at the beginning of the sentence. In addition, in both of the sentences, the emotion is a strong emotion and the sentence itself ends with an exclamation point.

Middle or End of SentencesInterjections do not always have to be at the beginning of a sentence. They can appear in the middle, at the end, or anyplace else where the author wants to interject a bit of feeling and emotion.For example, in the sentence “So, it’s snowing again, huh?” the interjection is found at the end. Here, the interjection is designed to express confusion (or perhaps dismay) at the continued snow falling. In this sentence, the emotion wasn’t an emotion that necessitated an exclamation point--instead, the interjection ‘huh’ turned the sentence into a question.The sentence “In my opinion, my gosh, this is just the smartest thing you have ever said” the interjection is found in the middle. It designed to express or convey the author’s emphasis on his opinion that the statement was smart. Again, no exclamation point is required.

Stand-alone SentenceAn interjection can also be used by itself as a stand-alone sentence. For example, look at the two sentences: “Oh gosh! I can’t believe how late it is.” The interjection “oh gosh” is a stand-alone sentence. This is grammatically correct, although “Oh Gosh” does not contain a subject and action that is normally required for a complete thought to be expressed. The interjection--or the emotion felt--is the entire point of the sentence.

Types of InterjectionsThere are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of interjections in the English language. Most are designed to express strong emotions, such as love, hate, surprise, happiness, anger, enthusiasm, disgust, boredom, confusion or unhappiness. However, this is not always true. Some interjections can express either a mild emotion, or can be expressions, such as “Excuse me.”A sample list of interjections includes words such as:

Aha Boo Crud Dang Eew Gosh Goodness Ha Oh Oops Oh no Ouch Rats Shoot Uh-oh Uh-huh Ugh Yikes YuckThis is by no means an exhaustive list, but is representative of the types of interjections you may use on a daily basis. For more examples see Examples of Interjections.

Identifying InterjectionsNow that you’ve looked at a list of interjections, practice identifying them in these ten sentences:1. Yowza! That is a fine looking car.2. Hurray! It is a snow day and school is cancelled.3. It is so exciting, my goodness, I just can’t believe it.4. Joe was late to school and yikes, the teacher was mad.5. Oh! I can’t believe how nice you look.6. Well, gee, that sure is a kind thing to say.7. Boo! I scared you.8. Woops, I dropped the milk and it spilled.9. Yay, it is finally Friday and the work week is over.10. Oh well, all good things must come to an end.Answers to Identifying Interjections:1. Yowza! That is a fine looking car: Yowza is the interjection here. It is expressing the

emotion of being quite impressed with the car.2. Hurray! It is a snow day and school is cancelled Hurray is the emotion here. Clearly, it is

expressing happiness.3. It is so exciting, my goodness, I just can’t believe it. My goodness is the interjection here,

expressing excitement.4. Joe was late to school and yikes, the teacher was mad. Yikes is the emotion being

expressed here.5. Oh! I can’t believe how nice you look. Oh, the interjection, acts as a classic interjection at

the beginning of a sentence. It is offset by its exclamation point.6. Well, gee, that sure is a kind thing to say. Here, we have two interjections: well and gee.7. Boo! I scared you. Boo is the rather obvious (and scary) interjection in this sentence.8. Woops, I dropped the milk and it spilled. Woops is the interjection used to express the

error.9. Yay, it is finally Friday and the work week is over. Yay is another interjection that

expresses the emotion of happiness, just as hurray did in sentence #2.10. Oh well, all good things must come to an end. Oh well is the emotion here, an interjection

with a tinge of resignation.

Interjections in WritingInterjections are not commonly used in formal or academic writing. Because of the function that interjections serve, there is virtually no place for them in an academic paper that is designed to convey facts. By definition, facts should be devoid of emotion or opinion such as the emotions conveyed by interjections.Interjections are used most often in speech. While people don’t necessarily pause to think about it, they use interjections all the time. This is even more true when you consider the fact that common words used in pauses, such as “uh,” and “um” are interjections.Interjections can find their way into fictional pieces, most often in the form of dialogue. They can also be used in informal written communication between two people, such as letters or emails.

ADJECTIVES

What Is an Adjective?The simplest definition of an adjective is that it is a word that describes or clarifies a noun. Adjectives describe nouns by giving some information about an object’s size, shape, age, color, origin or material. It’s a big table. (size) It’s a round table. (shape) It’s an old table. (age) It’s a brown table. (color) It’s an English table. (origin) It’s a wooden table. (material) It’s a lovely table. (opinion) It’s a broken table. (observation) It’s a coffee table. (purpose)When an item is defined by its purpose, that word is usually not an adjective, but it acts as one in that situation. coffee table pool hall hunting cabin baseball player

What Do Adjectives Look Like?English can be very tricky, so you have to be careful, but a lot of English adjectives end with these suffixes: -able/-ible – adorable, invisible, responsible, uncomfortable -al – educational, gradual, illegal, nocturnal, viral -an – American, Mexican, urban -ar – cellular, popular, spectacular, vulgar -ent – intelligent, potent, silent, violent -ful – harmful, powerful, tasteful, thoughtful -ic/-ical – athletic, energetic, magical, scientific -ine – bovine, canine, equine, feminine, masculine -ile – agile, docile, fertile, virile -ive – informative, native, talkative -less – careless, endless, homeless, timeless -ous – cautious, dangerous, enormous, malodorous -some – awesome, handsome, lonesome, wholesomeMany adjectives also end with -y, -ary and -ate, but lots of nouns and adverbs also end with -y, lots of nouns also end with -ary, and lots of nouns and verbs also end with -ate, so be careful with those.

Where Do Adjectives Go in a Sentence?If you come across a word that ends in -y, -ary or -ate (or any other suffix for that matter), and you want to know whether it’s an adjective or not, just look at where it is and what it’s doing in the sentence. If it comes immediately before a noun, and especially if it comes between an article (a, an, the), a possessive adjective (my, his, her, its, your, our, their), ademonstrative (this, that, these, those) or an amount (some, most, all, a few) and a noun, then it’s probably an adjective. The grassy field was wet with dew. – “Grassy” comes between an article (the) and a noun

(field), so you know it’s an adjective. These are my old trophies. – “Old” comes between a possessive adjective (my) and a noun

(trophies), making it an adjective. We had a few ordinary days. – “Ordinary” comes between an amount (a few) and a noun

(days), so it’s definitely an adjective. Did you see that immaculate kitchen? – “Immaculate” comes between a demonstrative

(that) and a noun (kitchen), so it must be an adjective.

Adjectives also act as complements. Complements are words that complete the predicate of a sentence when the verb is “be.” He is tall. We’ve been teachers for five years. You were my best friend. He was smart, handsome and rich.As you can see, not all complements are adjectives. In these examples, “tall” and “smart, handsome and rich” are adjectives, but “teachers for five years” and “my best friend” are both noun phrases. If the complement is only one word, there’s a good chance it’s an adjective. Also if the complement is a list of words, those are probably also adjectives. If an article (a, an, the) or a possessive (my, his, her, its, your, our, their, mine, his, hers, its, yours, ours, theirs) is involved, it’s a noun phrase.

What’s the Correct Order for Multiple Adjectives?When you list several adjectives in a row, there’s a specific order they need to be written or spoken. Native speakers of English tend to put them in the correct order naturally, but if you’re learning English, you’ll have to memorize the order. It goes like this: Determiner – This means an article (a, an, the), a number or amount, a possessive

adjective (my, his, her, its, your, our, their), or a demonstrative (this, that, these, those). Observation/Opinion – Beautiful, expensive, gorgeous, broken, delicious, ugly Size – Huge, tiny, 4-foot-tall Shape – Square, circular, oblong Age – 10-year-old, new, antique Color – Black, red, blue-green Origin – Roman, English, Mongolian Material – Silk, silver, plastic, wooden Qualifier – A noun or verb acting as adjectiveThis is the correct order for adjectives that come directly before a noun, and they are separated by commas. My beautiful, big, circular, antique, brown, English, wooden coffee table was broken in the

move.If the adjectives come after the verb “be” as the complement, then the qualifier will stick with the noun at the beginning of the sentence. The adjectives in the complement are separated by commas with the final two being separated by “and.” For example, My coffee table is beautiful, big, circular, antique, brown, English and wooden.

DETERMINANTS

What Is a Determiner?In the midst of all the nouns, pronouns, adjectives and articles a student is expected to learn, the determiner is often left by the wayside, untaught or taught incorrectly. The determiner is an important noun modifier which contextualizes a noun, often in terms of quantity and possession. Determiners in English precede a noun phrase and includedemonstratives, possessives, and quantifiers.

Determiners in EnglishThere are many different determiners in the English language. Articles are among the most common of the determiners. A, an, and the all express the

definiteness and specificity of a noun. For example, “the” is a definite article, meaning the person using the word is referring to a specific one. On the other hand, “a” or “an” are indefinite.

Demonstratives, such as this, that, these and those, require a frame of reference in which an individual can point out the entities referred to by a speaker or a writer.

Quantifiers, such as all, few, and many, point out how much or how little of something is being indicated.

When referring to an entity that belongs to another, you can use possessives. My, your, their, and its are a few examples.

There are many other types of determiners. For instance, cardinal numbers, the numbers that are written out in English, are also included in the class of determiners. Determiners are generally split into two groups—definite determiners and indefinite determiners.

Function of a DeterminersA determiner can take on a number of different meanings and roles in a sentence. The determiner is used in every case to clarify the noun. They may be used to demonstrate or define something or someone.Quantifiers state how many of a thing, in number or expression. A determiner is used to show that the noun indicated is a specific one (that one), not an unspecific one (any). They may also state the differences between nouns.While determiners may have a number of other functions, most of them are related to these two key areas. The list of determiners only numbers about 50 words, and all of these words are commonly used by most individuals. Determiners are not difficult to get the grasp of when contrasted with adjectives, and do not take too long for native English speakers to grasp. After all, how many times have you had trouble deciding whether to say “the” or “a”? 

Determining DeterminersHow should you choose which determiner to use? For those who were raised speaking the English language, determining the determiner to use is second-nature, since determiners are so often used in front of nouns.Like the basic parts of speech, determiners are so ingrained into the English language that using them is simple. The same goes for most Indo-European languages (for instance, Romance languages such as Spanish and the Germanic languagessuch as German).However, the languages of other countries may not use determiners, or may have sets of rules very different than the English language does. For these individuals, learning how and where to use determiners can be rather difficult. 

Determiners and AdjectivesUntil recently, English teaching in schools did not take determiners into account. Many determiners were simply lumped into the category of “adjectives,” which works for some but certainly not for all. Adjectives have primarily three functions: they modify noun phrases, or complement the

object or subject of a sentence. The function of a determiner is to express proximity, relationship, quantity, and

definiteness.

Determiners are not gradable as are adjectives. For example, a person may be angry, angrier, or the angriest. A person can not be “her-est” or “the-est.”Determiners are usually necessary (or obligatory) in a sentence, whereas adjectives are not.Adjectives, unlike determiners, cannot have corresponding pronouns.Adjectives and determiners are distinct from one another and cannot simply be lumped into the same category.

**General and specific determiners

Determiners are words which come at the beginning of the noun phrase.

They tell us whether the noun phrase is specific or general.

Determiners are either specific or general

Specific determiners:

The specific determiners are:

the definite article: the possessives: my, your, his, her, its; our, their, whose demonstratives: this, that, these, those interrogatives: which

We use a specific determiner when we believe the listener/reader knows exactly what we are referring to:

Can you pass me the salt please?Look at those lovely flowers.Thank you very much for your letter.Whose coat is this?

General determiners:

The general determiners are:

a; an; any; another; other; what

When we are talking about things in general and the listener/reader does not know exactly what we are referring to, we can use a uncount noun or a plural noun with no determiner:

Milk is very good for you. (= uncount noun)Health and education are very important. (= 2 uncount nouns)Girls normally do better in school than boys. (= plural nouns with no determiner)

… or you can use a singular noun with the indefinite article a or an:

A woman was lifted to safety by a helicopter.A man climbing nearby saw the accident.

We use the general determiner any with a singular noun or an uncount noun when we are talking about all of those people or things:

It’s very easy. Any child can do it. (= All children can do it)With a full licence you are allowed to drive any car.I like beef, lamb, pork - any meat.

We use the general determiner another to talk about an additional person or thing:

Would you like another glass of wine?

The plural form of another is other:

I spoke to John, Helen and a few other friends.

Quantifiers

We use quantifiers when we want to give someone information about the number of something: how much or how many

- See more at: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/determiners-and-quantifiers#sthash.InOKp3va.dpuf

ADVERBShttps://www.englishclub.com/grammar/adverbs.htm

What is an Adverb?adverb (noun): a word that modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb, expressing manner, place, time or degree; a word that can modify a phrase, clause or sentence

An adverb is a word that tells us more about a verb. It "qualifies" or "modifies" a verb (The man ran quickly). In the following examples, the adverb is in bold and the verb that it modifies is in italics.

John speaks loudly. (How does John speak?) Afterwards she smoked a cigarette. (When did she smoke?) Mary lives locally. (Where does Mary live?)

But adverbs can also modify adjectives (Tara is really beautiful), or even other adverbs (It works very well). Look at these examples:

Modify an adjective:- He is really handsome. (How handsome is he?)- That was extremely kind of you.

Modify another adverb:- She drives incredibly slowly. (How slowly does she drive?)- He drives extremely fast.

Note that adverbs have other functions, too. They can:

Modify a whole sentence: Obviously, I can't know everything. Modify a prepositional phrase: It's immediately inside the door.

Adverbs

Adverbs are words that modify

a verb (He drove slowly. — How did he drive?) an adjective (He drove a very fast car. — How fast was his car?)

another adverb (She moved quite slowly down the aisle. — How slowly did she move?)

As we will see, adverbs often tell when, where, why, or under what conditions something happens or happened. Adverbs frequently end in -ly; however, many words and phrases not ending in -ly serve an adverbial function and an -ly ending is not a guarantee that a word is an adverb. The words lovely, lonely, motherly, friendly, neighborly, for instance, are adjectives:

That lovely woman lives in a friendly neighborhood.

If a group of words containing a subject and verb acts as an adverb (modifying the verb of a sentence), it is called an Adverb Clause:

When this class is over , we're going to the movies.

When a group of words not containing a subject and verb acts as an adverb, it is called an adverbial phrase. Prepositional phrases frequently have adverbial functions (telling place and time, modifying the verb):

He went to the movies. She works on holidays.

They lived in Canada during the war.

And Infinitive phrases can act as adverbs (usually telling why):

She hurried to the mainland to see her brother. The senator ran to catch the bus.

But there are other kinds of adverbial phrases:

He calls his mother as often as possible.

Adverbs can modify adjectives, but an adjective cannot modify an adverb. Thus we would say that "the students showed a really wonderful attitude" and that "the students showed a wonderfully casual attitude" and that "my professor is really tall, but not "He ran real fast."

Like adjectives, adverbs can have comparative and superlative forms to show degree.

Walk faster if you want to keep up with me. The student who reads fastest will finish first.

We often use more and most, less and least to show degree with adverbs:

With sneakers on, she could move more quickly among the patients. The flowers were the most beautifully arranged creations I've ever seen.

She worked less confidently after her accident.

That was the least skillfully done performance I've seen in years.

The as — as construction can be used to create adverbs that express sameness or equality: "He can't run as fast as his sister."

A handful of adverbs have two forms, one that ends in -ly and one that doesn't. In certain cases, the two forms have different meanings:

He arrived late.

Click on "Lolly's Place" to read and hear Bob

Dorough's "Get Your Adverbs Here" (from

Scholastic Rock, 1974).Schoolhouse Rock® and

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Lately , he couldn't seem to be on time for anything.

In most cases, however, the form without the -ly ending should be reserved for casual situations:

She certainly drives slow in that old Buick of hers. He did wrong by her.

He spoke sharp, quick, and to the point.

Adverbs often function as intensifiers, conveying a greater or lesser emphasis to something. Intensifiers are said to have three different functions: they can emphasize, amplify, or downtone. Here are some examples:

Emphasizers:o I really don't believe him.

o He literally wrecked his mother's car.

o She simply ignored me.

o They're going to be late, for sure.

Amplifiers:

o The teacher completely rejected her proposal.

o I absolutely refuse to attend any more faculty meetings.

o They heartily endorsed the new restaurant.

o I so wanted to go with them.

o We know this city well.

Downtoners:

o I kind of like this college.

o Joe sort of felt betrayed by his sister.

o His mother mildly disapproved his actions.

o We can improve on this to some extent.

o The boss almost quit after that.

o The school was all but ruined by the storm.

Adverbs (as well as adjectives) in their various degrees can be accompanied by premodifiers:

She runs very fast. We're going to run out of material all the faster

This issue is addressed in the section on degrees in adjectives.

For this section on intensifiers, we are indebted to A Grammar of Contemporary English by Randolph Quirk, Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, and Jan Svartvik. Longman Group: London. 1978. pages 438 to 457. Examples our own.

Using Adverbs in a Numbered ListWithin the normal flow of text, it's nearly always a bad idea to number items beyond three or

four, at the most. Anything beyond that, you're better off with a vertical list that uses numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.). Also, in such a list, don't use adverbs (with an -ly ending); use instead the uninflected ordinal number (first, second, third, fourth, fifth, etc.). First (not firstly), it's unclear what the adverb is modifying. Second (not secondly), it's unnecessary. Third (not thirdly), after you get beyond "secondly," it starts to sound silly. Adverbs that number in this manner are treated asdisjuncts (see below.)

Adverbs We Can Do Without

Review the section on Being Concise for some advice on adverbs that we can eliminate to the benefit of our prose: intensifiers such as very, extremely, and really that don't intensify anything and expletive constructions ("There are several books that address this issue.")

Kinds of AdverbsAdverbs of Manner   She moved slowly and spoke quietly.

Adverbs of Place   She has lived on the island all her life.    She still lives there now.

Adverbs of Frequency   She takes the boat to the mainland every day.   She often goes by herself.

Adverbs of Time   She tries to get back before dark.   It's starting to get dark now.   She finished her tea first.   She left early.

Adverbs of Purpose   She drives her boat slowly to avoid hitting the rocks.   She shops in several stores to get the best buys.

Positions of AdverbsOne of the hallmarks of adverbs is their ability to move around in a sentence. Adverbs of

manner are particularly flexible in this regard.

Solemnly the minister addressed her congregation. The minister solemnly addressed her congregation.

The minister addressed her congregation solemnly.

The following adverbs of frequency appear in various points in these sentences:

Before the main verb: I never get up before nine o'clock. Between the auxiliary verb and the main verb: I have rarely written to my brother without a good reason.

Before the verb used to: I always used to see him at his summer home.

Indefinite adverbs of time can appear either before the verb or between the auxiliary and the main verb:

He finally showed up for batting practice. She has recently retired.

PRONOUNS

Pronouns

DefinitionA pronoun (I, me, he, she, herself, you, it, that, they, each, few, many, who, whoever, whose, someone, everybody, etc.) is a word that takes the place of a noun. In the sentence Joe saw Jill, and he waved at her, the pronouns he and her take the place of Joe and Jill, respectively. There are three types of pronouns: subject (for example, he); object (him); or possessive(his).Rule 1. Subject pronouns are used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence. You can remember subject pronouns easily by filling in the blank subject space for a simple sentence.

Example: ___ did the job.I, he, she, we, they, who, whoever, etc., all qualify and are, therefore, subject pronouns.

Rule 2. Subject pronouns are also used if they rename the subject. They will follow to beverbs, such as is, are, was, were, am, will be, had been, etc.

Examples:It is he.This is she speaking.It is we who are responsible for the decision to downsize.

NOTEIn informal English, most people tend to follow to be verbs with object pronouns like me, her, them. Many English scholars tolerate this distinction between formal and casual English.

Example: It could have been them.Technically correct: It could have been they.Example: It is just me at the door.Technically correct: It is just I at the door.

Rule 3. This rule surprises even language watchers: when who refers to a personal pronoun (I, you, he, she, we, they), it takes the verb that agrees with that pronoun.

Correct: It is I who am sorry. (I am)Incorrect: It is I who is sorry.Correct: It is you who are mistaken. (you are)Incorrect: It is you who's mistaken.

Rule 4. Object pronouns are used everywhere else beyond Rules 1 and 2 (direct object, indirect object, object of a preposition). Object pronouns include me, him, herself, us, them, themselves, etc.

Examples:Jean saw him.Him is the direct object.

Give her the book.Her is the indirect object. The direct object is book.

Are you talking to me?Me is the object of the preposition to.

Rule 5. The pronouns who, that, and which become singular or plural depending on the subject. If the subject is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.

Example: He is the only one of those men who is always on time.The word who refers to one. Therefore, use the singular verb is.

Sometimes we must look more closely to find a verb's true subject:

Example: He is one of those men who are always on time.The word who refers to men. Therefore, use the plural verb are.

In sentences like this last example, many would mistakenly insist that one is the subject, requiring is always on time. But look at it this way: Of those men who are always on time, he is one.Rule 6. Pronouns that are singular (I, he, she, everyone, everybody, anyone, anybody, no one, nobody, someone, somebody, each, either, neither, etc.) require singular verbs. This rule is frequently overlooked when using the pronouns each, either, and neither, followed by of. Those three pronouns always take singular verbs. Do not be misled by what follows of.

Examples:Each of the girls sings well.Either of us is capable of doing the job.Neither of them is available to speak right now.

Exception: When each follows a noun or pronoun in certain sentences, even experienced writers sometimes get tripped up:Incorrect: The women each gave her approval.Correct: The women each gave their approval.Incorrect: The words are and there each ends with a silent vowel.Correct: The words are and there each end with a silent vowel.

These examples do not contradict Rule 6, because each is not the subject, but rather anadjunct describing the true subject.Rule 7. To decide whether to use the subject or object pronoun after the words than or as, mentally complete the sentence.

Examples: Tranh is as smart as she/her.If we mentally complete the sentence, we would say Tranh is as smart as she is. Therefore, she is the correct answer.

Zoe is taller than I/me.Mentally completing the sentence, we have Zoe is taller than I am.

Daniel would rather talk to her than I/me.We can interpret this sentence in two ways: Daniel would rather talk to her than to me.OR Daniel would rather talk to her than I would. A sentence's meaning can change considerably, depending on the pronoun you choose.

Rule 8. The possessive pronouns yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs, and whose never need apostrophes. Avoid mistakes like her's and your's.Rule 9. The only time it's has an apostrophe is when it is a contraction for it is or it has. The only time who's has an apostrophe is when it means who is or who has. There is no apostrophe in oneself. Avoid "one's self," a common error.

Examples: It's been a cold morning.The thermometer reached its highest reading.He's the one who's always on time.He's the one whose wife is always on time.Keeping oneself ready is important.

Rule 10. Pronouns that end in -self or -selves are called reflexive pronouns. There are nine reflexive pronouns: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, oneself, ourselves, yourselves, andthemselves.Reflexive pronouns are used when both the subject and the object of a verb are the same person or thing.

Example: Joe helped himself.If the object of a preposition refers to a previous noun or pronoun, use a reflexive pronoun:

Example: Joe bought it for himself.Reflexive pronouns help avoid confusion and nonsense. Without them, we might be stuck with sentences like Joe helped Joe.

Correct: I worked myself to the bone.The object myself is the same person as the subject I, performing the act of working.

Incorrect: My brother and myself did it.Correct: My brother and I did it.

Don't use myself unless the pronoun I or me precedes it in the sentence.Incorrect: Please give it to John or myself.Correct: Please give it to John or me.Correct: You saw me being myself.

Myself refers back to me in the act of being.A sentence like Help yourself looks like an exception to the rule until we realize it's shorthand for You may help yourself.In certain cases, a reflexive pronoun may come first.

Example: Doubting himself, the man proceeded cautiously.Reflexive pronouns are also used for emphasis.

Example: He himself finished the whole job.Rule 11a. Avoid they and their with singular pronouns.

Incorrect: Someone brought their lunch.Correct: Someone brought her lunch.ORSomeone brought his lunch.

If the gender is undetermined, you could say Someone brought his or her lunch (more on this option in Rule 11b).Rule 11b. Singular pronouns must stay singular throughout the sentence.

Incorrect: Someone has to do it—and they have to do it well.The problem is that someone is singular, but they is plural. If we change they to he or she, we get a rather clumsy sentence, even if it is technically correct.

Technically correct: Someone has to do it—and he or she has to do it well.Replacing an ungrammatical sentence with a poorly written correction is a bad bargain. The better option is to rewrite.

Rewritten: Someone has to do it—and has to do it well.Many writers abhor the he or she solution. Following are more examples of why rewriting is a better idea than using he or she or him or her to make sentences grammatical.

Incorrect: No one realizes when their time is up.Correct but awkward: No one realizes when his or her time is up.Rewritten: None realize when their time is up.Incorrect: If you see anyone on the trail, tell them to be careful.Correct but awkward: If you see anyone on the trail, tell him or her to be careful.Rewritten: Tell anyone you see on the trail to be careful.

Rule 12. When a pronoun is linked with a noun by and, mentally remove the and + noun phrase to avoid trouble.Incorrect: Her and her friend came over.

If we remove and her friend, we're left with the ungrammatical Her came over.Correct: She and her friend came over.Incorrect: I invited he and his wife.

If we remove and his wife, we're left with the ungrammatical I invited he.Correct: I invited him and his wife.Incorrect: Bill asked my sister and I.

If we remove my sister and, we're left with the ungrammatical Bill asked I.Correct: Bill asked my sister and me.

NOTEDo not combine a subject pronoun and an object pronoun in phrases like her and I or he and me. Whenever and or or links an object pronoun (her, me) and a subject pronoun (he, I), one of those pronouns will always be wrong.

Incorrect: Her and I went home.Correct: She and I went home. (She went and I went.)

CONJUNCTIONS

Some words are satisfied spending an evening at home, alone, eating ice-cream right out of the box, watching Seinfeld re-runs on TV, or reading a good book. Others aren't happy unless they're out on the town, mixing it up with other words; they're joiners and they just can't help themselves. A conjunction is a joiner, a word that connects (conjoins) parts of a sentence.

Coordinating ConjunctionsThe simple, little conjunctions are called coordinating conjunctions (you can click on the words

to see specific descriptions of each one):

Coordinating Conjunctions

and but or yet for nor so

(It may help you remember these conjunctions by recalling that they all have fewer than four letters. Also, remember the acronym FANBOYS: For-And-Nor-But-Or-Yet-So. Be careful of the words then and now; neither is a coordinating conjunction, so what we say about coordinating conjunctions' roles in a sentence and punctuation does not apply to those two words.)

When a coordinating conjunction connects two independent clauses, it is often (but not always) accompanied by a comma:

Ulysses wants to play for UConn, but he has had trouble meeting the academic requirements.

When the two independent clauses connected by a coordinating conjunction are nicely balanced or brief, many writers will omit the comma:

Ulysses has a great jump shot but he isn't quick on his feet.

The comma is always correct when used to separate two independent clauses connected by a coordinating conjunction. See Punctuation Between Two Independent Clauses for further help.

A comma is also correct when and is used to attach the last item of a serial list, although many writers (especially in newspapers) will omit that final comma:

Ulysses spent his summer studying basic math, writing, and reading comprehension.

When a coordinating conjunction is used to connect all the elements in a series, a comma is not used:

Presbyterians and Methodists and Baptists are the prevalent Protestant congregations in Oklahoma.

A comma is also used with but when expressing a contrast:

This is a useful rule, but difficult to remember.

In most of their other roles as joiners (other than joining independent clauses, that is), coordinating conjunctions can join two sentence elements without the help of a comma.

Hemingway and Fitzgerald are among the American expatriates of the between-the-wars era. Hemingway was renowned for his clear style and his insights into American notions of male identity.

Click on "Conjunction Junction" to read and hear

Bob Dorough's "Conjunction Junction" (from Scholastic

Rock, 1973).Schoolhouse Rock® and its characters and other

elements are trademarks and service marks of

American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. Used with

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It is hard to say whether Hemingway or Fitzgerald is the more interesting cultural icon of his day.

Although Hemingway is sometimes disparaged for his unpleasant portrayal of women and for his glorification of machismo, we nonetheless find some sympathetic, even heroic, female figures in his novels and short stories.

Beginning a Sentence with And or ButA frequently asked question about conjunctions is whether and or but can be used at the beginning of a sentence. This is what R.W. Burchfield has to say about this use of and:

There is a persistent belief that it is improper to begin a sentence with And, but this prohibition has been cheerfully ignored by standard authors from Anglo-Saxon times onwards. An initial And is a useful aid to writers as the narrative continues.

from The New Fowler's Modern English Usage edited by R.W. Burchfield. Clarendon Press: Oxford, England. 1996. 

Used with the permission of Oxford University Press.

The same is true with the conjunction but. A sentence beginning with and or but will tend to draw attention to itself and its transitional function. Writers should examine such sentences with two questions in mind: (1) would the sentence and paragraph function just as well without the initial conjunction? (2) should the sentence in question be connected to the previous sentence? If the initial conjunction still seems appropriate, use it.

Among the coordinating conjunctions, the most common, of course, are and, but, and or. It might be helpful to explore the uses of these three little words. The examples below by no means exhaust the possible meanings of these conjunctions.

AND a. To suggest that one idea is chronologically sequential to another: "Tashonda sent in her

applications and waited by the phone for a response."b. To suggest that one idea is the result of another: "Willie heard the weather report and promptly boarded

up his house."

c. To suggest that one idea is in contrast to another (frequently replaced by but in this usage): "Juanita is brilliant and Shalimar has a pleasant personality.

d. To suggest an element of surprise (sometimes replaced by yet in this usage): "Hartford is a rich city and suffers from many symptoms of urban blight."

e. To suggest that one clause is dependent upon another, conditionally (usually the first clause is an imperative): "Use your credit cards frequently and you'll soon find yourself deep in debt."

f. To suggest a kind of "comment" on the first clause: "Charlie became addicted to gambling — and that surprised no one who knew him."

BUTa. To suggest a contrast that is unexpected in light of the first clause: "Joey lost a fortune in the stock

market, but he still seems able to live quite comfortably."b. To suggest in an affirmative sense what the first part of the sentence implied in a negative way

(sometimes replaced by on the contrary): "The club never invested foolishly, but used the services of a sage investment counselor."

c. To connect two ideas with the meaning of "with the exception of" (and then the second word takes over as subject): "Everybody but Goldenbreath is trying out for the team."

OR a. To suggest that only one possibility can be realized, excluding one or the other: "You can study hard for

this exam or you can fail."b. To suggest the inclusive combination of alternatives: "We can broil chicken on the grill tonight, or we can

just eat leftovers.

c. To suggest a refinement of the first clause: "Smith College is the premier all-women's college in the country, or so it seems to most Smith College alumnae."

d. To suggest a restatement or "correction" of the first part of the sentence: "There are no rattlesnakes in this canyon, or so our guide tells us."

e. To suggest a negative condition: "The New Hampshire state motto is the rather grim "Live free or die."

f. To suggest a negative alternative without the use of an imperative (see use of and above): "They must approve his political style or they wouldn't keep electing him mayor."

Authority used for this section on the uses of and, but, and or: A University Grammar of English by Randolph Quirk and Sidney Greenbaum. Longman Group: Essex, England. 1993. Used with permission. Examples our own.

The Others . . .

The conjunction NOR is not extinct, but it is not used nearly as often as the other conjunctions, so it might feel a bit odd when nor does come up in conversation or writing. Its most common use is as the little brother in the correlative pair, neither-nor (see below):

He is neither sane nor brilliant. That is neither what I said nor what I meant.

>It can be used with other negative expressions:

That is not what I meant to say, nor should you interpret my statement as an admission of guilt.

It is possible to use nor without a preceding negative element, but it is unusual and, to an extent, rather stuffy:

George's handshake is as good as any written contract, nor has he ever proven untrustworthy.

The word YET functions sometimes as an adverb and has several meanings: in addition ("yet another cause of trouble" or "a simple yet noble woman"), even ("yet more expensive"), still ("he is yet a novice"), eventually ("they may yet win"), and so soon as now ("he's not here yet"). It also functions as a coordinating conjunction meaning something like "nevertheless" or "but." The word yet seems to carry an element of distinctiveness that but can seldom register.

John plays basketball well, yet his favorite sport is badminton. The visitors complained loudly about the heat, yet they continued to play golf every day.

In sentences such as the second one, above, the pronoun subject of the second clause ("they," in this case) is often left out. When that happens, the comma preceding the conjunction might also disappear: "The visitors complained loudly yet continued to play golf every day."

Yet is sometimes combined with other conjunctions, but or and. It would not be unusual to see and yet in sentences like the ones above. This usage is acceptable.

The word FOR is most often used as a preposition, of course, but it does serve, on rare occasions, as a coordinating conjunction. Some people regard the conjunction for as rather highfalutin and literary, and it does tend to add a bit of weightiness to the text. Beginning a sentence with the conjunction "for" is probably not a good idea, except when you're singing "For he's a jolly good fellow. "For" has serious sequential implications and in its use the order of thoughts is more important than it is, say, with because or since. Its function is to introduce the reason for the preceding clause:

John thought he had a good chance to get the job, for his father was on the company's board of trustees. Most of the visitors were happy just sitting around in the shade, for it had been a long, dusty journey on

the train.

Be careful of the conjunction SO. Sometimes it can connect two independent clauses along with a comma, but sometimes it can't. For instance, in this sentence,

Soto is not the only Olympic athlete in his family, so are his brother, sister, and his Uncle Chet.

where the word so means "as well" or "in addition," most careful writers would use a semicolon between the two independent clauses. In the following sentence, where so is acting like a minor-league "therefore," the conjunction and the comma are adequate to the task:

Soto has always been nervous in large gatherings, so it is no surprise that he avoids crowds of his adoring fans.

Sometimes, at the beginning of a sentence, so will act as a kind of summing up device or transition, and when it does, it is often set off from the rest of the sentence with a comma:

So, the sheriff peremptorily removed the child from the custody of his parents.

The Case of Then and ThanIn some parts of the United States, we are told, then and than not only look alike, they sound alike. Like a teacher with twins in her classroom, you need to be able to distinguish between these two words; otherwise, they'll become mischievous. They are often used and they should be used for the right purposes.

Than is used to make comparisons. In the sentence "Piggy would rather be rescued then stay on the island," we have employed the

wrong word because a comparison is being made between Piggy's two choices; we need than instead. In the sentence, "Other than Pincher Martin, Golding did not write another popular novel," the adverbial construction "other than" helps us make an implied comparison; this usage is perfectly acceptable in the United States but careful writers in the UK try to avoid it (Burchfield).

Generally, the only question about than arises when we have to decide whether the word is being used as a conjunction or as a preposition. If it's a preposition (and Merriam-Webster's dictionary provides for this usage), then the word that follows it should be in the object form.

He's taller and somewhat more handsome than me. Just because you look like him doesn't mean you can play better than him.

Most careful writers, however, will insist that than be used as a conjunction; it's as if part of the clause introduced by than has been left out:

He's taller and somewhat more handsome than I [am handsome]. You can play better than he [can play].

In formal, academic text, you should probably use than as a conjunction and follow it with the subject form of a pronoun (where a pronoun is appropriate).

Then is a conjunction, but it is not one of the little conjunctions listed at the top of this page. We can use the FANBOYS conjunctions to connect two independent clauses; usually, they will be accompanied (preceded) by a comma. Too many students think that then works the same way: "Caesar invaded Gaul, then he turned his attention to England." You can tell the difference between then and a coordinating conjunction by trying to move the word around in the sentence. We can write "he then turned his attention to England"; "he turned his attention, then, to England"; he turned his attention to England then." The word can move around within the clause. Try that with a conjunction, and you will quickly see that the conjunction cannot move around. "Caesar invaded Gaul, and then he turned his attention to England." The word and is stuck exactly there and cannot move like then, which is more like an adverbial conjunction (or conjunctive adverb — see below) than a coordinating conjunction. Our original sentence in this paragraph — "Caesar invaded Gaul, then he turned his attention to England" — is a comma splice, a faulty sentence construction in which a comma tries to hold together two independent clauses all by itself: the comma needs a coordinating conjunction to help out, and the word then simply doesn't work that way.

Subordinating ConjunctionsA Subordinating Conjunction (sometimes called a dependent word or subordinator) comes at

the beginning of a Subordinate (or Dependent) Clause and establishes the relationship between the dependent clause and the rest of the sentence. It also turns the clause into something that depends on the rest of the sentence for its meaning.

He took to the stage as though he had been preparing for this moment all his life. Because he loved acting, he refused to give up his dream of being in the movies.

Unless we act now, all is lost.

Notice that some of the subordinating conjunctions in the table below — after, before, since — are also prepositions, but as subordinators they are being used to introduce a clause and to subordinate the following clause to the independent element in the sentence.

Common Subordinating Conjunctionsafteralthoughasas ifas long asas thoughbecausebeforeeven ifeven though

ifif onlyin order thatnow thatoncerather thansinceso thatthanthat

thoughtillunlessuntilwhenwheneverwherewhereaswhereverwhile

 

The Case of Like and AsStrictly speaking, the word like is a preposition, not a conjunction. It can, therefore, be used to introduce a prepositional phrase ("My brother is talllike my father"), but it should not be used to introduce a clause ("My brother can't play the piano like as he did before the accident" or "It lookslike as if basketball is quickly overtaking baseball as America's national sport."). To introduce a clause, it's a good idea to use as, as though, oras if, instead.

Like As I told you earlier, the lecture has been postponed. It looks like as if it's going to snow this afternoon.

Johnson kept looking out the window like as though he had someone waiting for him.

In formal, academic text, it's a good idea to reserve the use of like for situations in which similarities are being pointed out:

This community college is like a two-year liberal arts college.

However, when you are listing things that have similarities, such as is probably more suitable:

The college has several highly regarded neighbors, like such as the Mark Twain House, St. Francis Hospital, the Connecticut Historical Society, and the UConn Law School.

 

Omitting ThatThe word that is used as a conjunction to connect a subordinate clause to a preceding verb. In this construction that is sometimes called the "expletive that." Indeed, the word is often omitted to good effect, but the very fact of easy omission causes some editors to take out the red pen and strike out the conjunction that wherever it appears. In the following sentences, we can happily omit the that (or keep it, depending on how the sentence sounds to us):

Isabel knew [that] she was about to be fired. She definitely felt [that] her fellow employees hadn't supported her.

I hope [that] she doesn't blame me.

Sometimes omitting the that creates a break in the flow of a sentence, a break that can be adequately bridged with the use of a comma:

The problem is, that production in her department has dropped. Remember, that we didn't have these problems before she started working here.

As a general rule, if the sentence feels just as good without the that, if no ambiguity results from its omission, if the sentence is more efficient or elegant without it, then we can safely omit the that. Theodore Bernstein lists three conditions in which we should maintain the conjunction   that :

When a time element intervenes between the verb and the clause: "The boss said yesterday that production in this department was down fifty percent." (Notice the position of "yesterday.")

When the verb of the clause is long delayed: "Our annual report revealed that some losses sustained by this department in the third quarter of last year were worse than previously thought." (Notice the distance between the subject "losses" and its verb, "were.")

When a second that can clear up who said or did what: "The CEO said that Isabel's department was slacking off and that production dropped precipitously in the fourth quarter." (Did the CEO say that production dropped or was the drop a result of what he said about Isabel's department? The second that makes the sentence clear.)

Authority for this section: Dos, Don'ts & Maybes of English Usage by Theodore Bernstein. Gramercy Books: New York. 1999. p. 217. Examples our own.

 

Beginning a Sentence with BecauseSomehow, the notion that one should not begin a sentence with the subordinating conjunction because retains a mysterious grip on people's sense of writing proprieties. This might come about because a sentence that begins with because could well end up a fragment if one is not careful to follow up the "because clause" with an independent clause.

Because e-mail now plays such a huge role in our communications industry.

When the "because clause" is properly subordinated to another idea (regardless of the position of the clause in the sentence), there is absolutely nothing wrong with it:

Because e-mail now plays such a huge role in our communications industry, the postal service would very much like to see it taxed in some manner.

Correlative ConjunctionsSome conjunctions combine with other words to form what are called correlative

conjunctions. They always travel in pairs, joining various sentence elements that should be treated as grammatically equal.

She led the team not only in statistics but also by virtue of her enthusiasm. Polonius said, "Neither a borrower nor a lender be."

Whether you win this race or lose it doesn't matter as long as you do your best.

Correlative conjunctions sometimes create problems in parallel form. Click HERE for help with those problems. Here is a brief list of common correlative conjunctions.

both . . . andnot only . . . but also

not . . . buteither . . . or

neither . . . norwhether . . . or

as . . . as

Conjunctive AdverbsThe conjunctive adverbs such as however, moreover, nevertheless, consequently, as a

result are used to create complex relationships between ideas. Refer to the section on Coherence: Transitions Between Ideas for an extensive list of conjunctive adverbs categorized according to their various uses and for some advice on their application within sentences (including punctuation issues).