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Pbs Learning Media: How to Punctuate Items in a Series
Another way to confuse readers or audiences is not using commas and conjunctions when listing items in a series. Always use a comma in between items in a series, and use a conjunction before adding the last item in a list. [0:44]
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Pbs Learning Media: How to Use Commas With Conjunctions
Conjunctions can join two separate clauses, but sometimes they need commas. Learn how to do so correctly with this video. [0:48]
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Pbs Learning Media: How to Use Conjunctions
Conjunctions are a part of a speech that connects different parts of a sentence, such as groups of words, clauses, or phrases. [0:41]
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Pbs Learning Media: Reflexive Pronouns and Subjects
Reflexive pronouns reflect the subject of the sentence. A reflexive pronoun is a pronoun that is preceded or followed by the noun, adjective, adverb, or pronoun to which it refers within the same clause. [0:35]
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Pbs Learning Media: Proper Case for Pronouns
Pronoun case is determined by how we use the pronoun in a sentence. There are three ways: subjective, when the pronoun does something; objective, when something is done to our pronoun; and possessive, when our pronoun possesses...
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Pbs Learning Media: Irregular Plural Nouns
While plural nouns often indicate more than one of something with a simple "s" or "es," irregular plural nouns do not. They change the word entirely. Elf becomes elves, tooth becomes teeth! [0:45]
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Pbs Learning Media: Hyphenation Conventions
This video [0:48) discusses how hyphens indicate specific nouns from compound words. Without them, they could refer to completely different things! Know when and how to use them.
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Pbs Learning Media: How to Avoid Inappropriate Shifts
Watch out for inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person! A shift is when there is a disparity between the perspectives, from first person, second person, and third person. It is important to maintain perspectives when referring...
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Pbs Learning Media: Understanding Indicative Mood
Verbal moods indicate a state of being or reality. There are several types: indicative, the most common where the state of being is pure fact; interrogative, which asks a question; and imperative, which is a command. It is important to...
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Pbs Learning Media: Modal Auxiliary Verbs
Modal auxiliary verbs indicate expressions of belief, attitudes, likelihood, permission, or obligation. They inform the function of the main verb, and color the verb on a scale ranging from possibility to necessity. Video (0:47)
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Pbs Learning Media: Shifts in Verb Tenses
Shifts in verb tense are useful in helping readers understand actions occurring at different times. Verb tenses should stay consistent in every sentence. [0:42]
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Pbs Learning Media: How to Use Perfect Verb Tenses
The three perfect verb tenses show actions that have already been completed. [0:47]
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Pbs Learning Media: Using the Correct Verb Tense
Verb tense is used to show when an action occurs, whether it is in the past, the present, or the future. [0:56]
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Pbs Learning Media: Using the Present Progressive Tense
Present progressives describe an action in progress, or something that started in the past and is still happening. It is formed with the helping "to be" verb in the present tense and the present participle of the verb. [0:42]
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Pbs Learning Media: When to Use the Past Tense for Irregular Verbs
Often when we write the past tense of a regular verb, we add an "-ed" after the last letter. Irregular verbs do not follow this rule! The simple past and simple participle of irregular verbs can end in a variety of ways with no...
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Pbs Learning Media: What Verbals Are
Verbals are verbs disguised as nouns, adjectives, and adverbs. Verbals come in three forms: gerunds, infinitives, and participles. Gerunds are verbs that end in "-ing" and function as nouns. Participles end in "-ing," "-ed," "-d," "-t,"...
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Pbs Learning Media: Ordering Adjectives From General to Specific
Adjectives modify nouns. In using more than one adjective to describe a noun, we need to make sure they are in the correct order-from general to specific. [0:40]
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Pbs Learning Media: Relative Adverbs
A relative adverb is a word that talks about a place, time, or reason for something. Remember the three "w's": where, when, and why. [0:40]
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Pbs Learning Media: What Are Collective Nouns?
A collective noun is a word that refers to a group, such as a collection, a herd, a team! [0:37]
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Pbs Learning Media: Forming and Using Possessive Nouns
Possessives show when a noun belongs to someone. It is often indicated with an apostrophe "s", but when words end in "s" only an apostrophe is added.
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Pbs Learning Media: How to Use Reference Materials
A dictionary is one of the most useful reference books anybody could ever use. Learn how to properly understand a dictionary's formatting and content! [0:46]
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Pbs Learning Media: Interjections Are Cool!
Hey! Listen to this. [0:48] Interjections are words that are typically exclaimed to convey the writer's sentiments or emotions on a matter. It may be followed by an exclamation point or a comma depending on the desired emotion.
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Pbs Learning Media: Some Frequently Confused Words
Some words in English can look and sound similar, but have entirely different meanings. Keep an eye and ear out for them; beware of commonly confused words. [0:40]
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Pbs Learning Media: How to Avoid Dangling Modifiers
Modifiers are phrases, clauses, or even just words that add description. In clear sentences, modifiers are next to target words they are describing. Dangling modifiers are modifiers with no target to describe, which can confuse many...