Basic Grammar and Usage for the Biomedical Communicators
Table of Contents

*Exercises and answers are presented at the end of every chapter.

Section I: The Parts of Speech

Chapter 1: Verbs

A. The Function of Verbs
B. The Types of Verbs

Transitive Verbs/Intransitive Verbs/Linking Verbs/Passive Voice Verb Forms/The Tenses of Verbs/The Predicate

Chapter 2: Other Parts of Speech

Nouns/Pronouns/Adjectives/Adverbs/Conjunctions/Prepositions

Section II: Sentences and Sentence Elements

Chapter 3: Complements

A. Predicate Noun
B. Predicate Adjective

Chapter 4: Phrases and Clauses

A. Phrases

Prepositional Phrases/Participial Phrases

B. Clauses

Independent Clauses/Dependent Clauses

Chapter 5: Sentence Types

A. Simple Sentence
B. Compound Sentence
C. Complex Sentence
D. Compound-Complex Sentence

Section III: Basic Rules of Grammar

Chapter 6: Subject-Verb Agreement

Intervening Phrases/Each of Every/Either—or; Neither—nor/False Singulars and Plurals/There are Here/The number—A number/And—as well as/One—who/Verbs and Complements/None

Chapter 7: Pronoun Usage

A. Who or Whom?
B. Vague Antecedent
C. Pronoun-Antecedent Disagreement
D. Reflexive Pronouns

Chapter 8: Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Elements

A. Appositives
B. Relative Pronouns and Relative Clauses
C. That or Which?

Chapter 9: Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

A. Misplaced Modifiers
B. Dangling Modifiers
C. Problems With Participles

Based on/Using/Compared to, Compared with

Chapter 10: Comparisons

A. Problem 1: Misusing the Markers of Comparison
B. Problem 2: Comparing Things That Can't Be Compared
C. Problem 3: Writing Absolute Statements as Comparison

Section IV: Usage

Chapter 11: Choosing the Right Word

A. When Your Spell-Checker Won't Help

Affect/Effect/Principal/Principle/Proved/Proven

B. Using the Correct Word

Ability/Capacity/Although/Though/Alternate/Alternative/Cases/Patients/Comprise/Compose/Continual/Continuous/Different from/Different than/Due/Because/Fewer/Less/Following/After/Post/If/Whether/Imply/Infer/Major/Main/Prior to/Before/Quantify/Quantitate/Measure/Suspicious/Suspected/Use/Utilize

C. Words That Should Never Be Used

Author (as a verb)/Biopsy (as a verb)/Impact (as a verb meaning affect)/Likely (as an adverb)

Conclusion/Glossary/Sources Used