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Myr

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  4. Myr

    Grammar Guide 6 - Verb Tenses

    By Myr,


    Grammar Guide
    Welcome to the next topic in our fun Grammar Guide series.
    This week are are hopping into the fun world of English Verb Tenses.  English has three basic verb tenses:
    Past - actions that occurred in the past Present - actions that are occurring at the moment Future - actions that will occur in the future. In English, these 3 basic verb tenses each have 4 aspects and this means, (if you're keeping up with the math), 12 verb tenses.
    Simple - actions that are usual or repeated Progressive - actions that are ongoing Perfect - actions that are completed Perfect Progressive - actions that will be completed at a definitive time
    Examples:
    Past Simple - I walked to the library Progressive - I was walking to the library Perfect - I had walked to the library Perfect Progressive - I had been walking to the library. Present Simple - I walk to the library. Progressive - I am walking to the library. Perfect - I have walked to the library. Prefect Progressive - I have been walking to the library. Future Simple - I will walk to the library. Progressive - I will be walking to the library. Perfect - I will have walked to the library. Perfect Progressive - I will have been walking to the library.
    Important Take Away
    In English, only two verb tenses can be formed from the verb by itself: past and present.  All other tenses require a form of have, will, or be as a helping or auxiliary verb.
    Cool Tip from the Infographic Guide to Grammar -
    Test your verb tenses by starting your intended sentence with Yesterday, Today, or Tomorrow, to check your past, present, and future tenses respectively.
    "Today, I walk to the library." "Yesterday, I walked to the library." "Tomorrow, I will walk to the library"
    References: Kern, Jara. (2020). The Infographic Guide to Grammar. Adams Media Venolia, Jan. (2001). Write Right! (4th ed.). Ten Speed Press
  10. Myr

    Grammar Guide 5 - Pronouns

    By Myr,


    Grammar Guide
    Welcome back! Last week we covered Adverbs and had a great little chat. We also touched on a way to spot "Show vs Tell" using adverb tells.
    This week, we hit pronouns.
    A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun, usually for added variety and to avoid repetition.
    Pronouns come in 8 different classifications, almost all of which make good "Words of the Day":
    Personal - represent people, places or things Examples: I, me, you, he, she, they, her, it, we, us, them, they, him I walked the dog. He barked at the cat.  She ran away from the barking dog. Possessive- shows ownership yours, mine, hers, his, theirs, ours "That human is mine," said the cat.  That dog is ours. Demonstrative - Points to something this, that, those, these These cats have fur.  Those cats don't have fur. Relative - relate one part of the sentence to the other who, whom, which, that, whose The boy who was horny hooked up with a friend. Reflexive - emphasize or reflect back to someone or something else myself, himself, herself, yourself, etc You must look at yourself in the mirror. Indefinite -  refers to a non-specific number to replace the noun(s) All, any, everybody, everything, few, many, etc Nobody was at work.  Everyone stayed home. Reciprocal - express mutual action each other, one another The boys yelled to each other across the playground. Interrogative - asks a question who, what, whom What can I do in an emergency? Thanks for checking out this week's blog.  Drop some comments below.  Are you finding these topics useful?
    References: Kern, Jara. (2020). The Infographic Guide to Grammar. Adams Media Venolia, Jan. (2001). Write Right! (4th ed.). Ten Speed Press
  14. Myr
    The first book in this trilogy, Magic's Pawn, is one of the most powerful books I have ever read.  I've reread it a few times over the years and it makes me cry every single time I read it.  It's really emotionally moving.  Mercedes Lackey has stated that her formula is simple:  Make the reader love the character and then drop a mountain on the character.  The first novel is deeply touching and heart-wrenching.  The full trilogy is powerful as well.  The second and third novels are not as powerful to me as the first, but they are still very good.  The entire trilogy covers the life of the character and the sheer amount of stuff he has to go through.  I can't recommend the books strongly enough.
    From Amazon:
     
    There are something like 35 novels set in this world now.  I own them all and have read all but 5.  It is really scary just how much writing Mercedes Lackey does.  I also have her Joust series, which I really like a lot too.  I still have to check out her Urban Fantasy series which has a dozen more books in it.
     
    If you are only going to do one... do this one:

     
    Let me know if you feel the same about the book.  Or if you decide to check it out.
  19. Myr

    Grammar Guide 4 - Back to Basics - Adverbs

    By Myr,


    Grammar Guide
    Last week we covered verbs, and now it is time for adverbs.
    Adverbs
    Adverbs tell us more about a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.  Most adverbs end in -ly, but not all of them.
    Some Common Adverbs that Don't End in -ly
    quite, now, very, fast, never, well
    Adverbs Answer Questions

    Examples:
    Adverbs modifying verbs The zombie staggered slowly towards the brains. Adverbs modifying adjectives Cats have very twitchy whiskers. Adverbs modifying other adverbs Cats can walk remarkably quietly when then are stalking something. Bonus Round - Show Vs Tell
    As writers, our editors and beta readers are no doubt constantly telling us "Show, don't tell!"  Adverbs are the tell for telling.
    He walked slowly down the street. He walked happily down the sidewalk They walked quickly into the office. Adverbs tell you details about the verbs action.  In this case walked.  Sometimes, you want to just say something (and that's fine).  An intermediate step is to change up your verbs... He shuffled down the street... he skipped down the sidewalk... they scurried into the office.  You're still telling, mostly, but you are being more efficient at it.
    References: Kern, Jara. (2020). The Infographic Guide to Grammar. Adams Media Venolia, Jan. (2001). Write Right! (4th ed.). Ten Speed Press
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