Writing skills success in 20 minutes a day

WRITING
SKILLS
SUCCESS
IN 20 MINUTES 
A DAY
N E W Y O R K
WRITING
SKILLS
SUCCESS
IN 20 MINUTES 
A DAY
3rd Edition
®
Copyright © 2005 LearningExpress, LLC.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
Published in the United States by LearningExpress, LLC, New York.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Writing skills success in 20 minutes a day—3rd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p.).
ISBN 1-57685-495-7 (pbk.)
1. English language—Grammar—Problems, exercises, etc. 2. English 
language—Composition and exercises. I. Title: Writing skills success in twenty minutes a 
day. II. Title: Writing skills. III. Title.
PE1112.O45 2005
808'.042—dc22
2005044127
Printed in the United States of America
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Third Edition
ISBN 1-57685-495-7
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INTRODUCTION vii
PRETEST 1
LESSON 1 Capitalization 13
General rules, specific rules regarding proper nouns and adjectives
LESSON 2 Periods, Question Marks, and Exclamation Points 21
Ending a sentence, alternate uses for periods
LESSON 3 Avoiding Faulty Sentences 27
Sentence fragments, run-on sentences, comma splices
LESSON 4 Commas and Sentence Parts 37
Relating commas to clauses and phrases
LESSON 5 Commas That Separate 45
Independent clauses, items in a series, items in a date or address,
two or more adjectives preceding a noun, contrasting elements and words
LESSON 6 Semicolons and Colons 53
Introductions, subordinate relationships, common confusions 
with punctuation
LESSON 7 Apostrophes and Dashes 61
Using apostrophes to show possession or omission; dashes to emphasize
LESSON 8 Quotation Marks 69
Dialogue, direct quotations, other punctuation, double and 
single quotation marks
Contents
v
LESSON 9 “Designer” Punctuation 75
Hyphens, parentheses, brackets, ellipses, diagonal slashes
LESSON 10 Verb Tense 81
Present, past, future tenses; switching tenses; subjunctive mood
LESSON 11 Using Verbs to Create Strong Writing 89
Capturing a reader’s interest; using active voice
LESSON 12 Subject-Verb Agreement 97
Matching subject and number, special singular subjects,
singular and plural pronouns, compound subjects
LESSON 13 Using Pronouns 105
Antecedents, the cases of pronouns, ambiguous pronoun references,
reflexive pronouns
LESSON 14 Problem Verbs and Pronouns 111
lie/lay, sit/set, rise/raise, its/it’s, your/you’re, whose/who’s,
and other problem pairs
LESSON 15 Modifiers 119
Adjectives, adverbs, phrases acting as modifiers
LESSON 16 Easily Confused Word Pairs 127
Confusing words that sound similar
LESSON 17 More Easily Confused Words 133
Small but tricky words that are often used and misused; killer a’s and al’s
LESSON 18 Diction 139
Wordiness, the passive voice, redundancy, precise language,
abstract vs. concrete, clichés, jargon
LESSON 19 More Diction 147
Colloquialism, loaded language, consistent point of view,
parallelism, gender-neutral language
LESSON 20 Communicating Your Ideas 157
A piece of writing as a whole, developing ideas effectively,
focusing on the purpose of writing
POSTTEST 163
APPENDIX A How to Prepare for a Test 175
Making a study plan; strategies for success on the exam 
APPENDIX B Additional Resources 181
–CONTENTS–
vi
Since you bought this book, you probably want or need to learn more about the process of writingand how to become a better writer. This book will help you acquire the coveted power of the penin 20 easy steps. It covers the basics of writing: punctuation, usage, diction, and organization. You’ll
find no fluff in this book; it’s for busy people who want to learn as much as they can as efficiently as possible. Each
lesson contains enough illustrations for you to get the idea, opportunities to practice the skills, and suggestions
for using them in your daily life.
Many people fear a blank sheet of paper or an empty computer screen. “I just don’t know what to write. Even
when I know what I want to say, I’m afraid it will come out looking wrong or sounding stupid.”
But that’s one of the things to love about writing. Writing is a process. The first time you write a draft, it doesn’t
matter if your writing comes out wrong or sounds stupid to you because you can change it as often as you want.
You can go over it until you’re completely satisfied or until you need to shift gears. You can show your draft to your
friends or family and get a response before you ever make it public.
Don’t put pressure on yourself by thinking you’re going to write a perfect first draft. No one can sit down and
write polished memos, reports, or letters without changing (or revising) them at least slightly. Even professionals
have to revise their work. For instance, writer Ernest Hemingway had to revise the last page of his famous novel A
Farewell to Arms 39 times before he was satisfied. You probably won’t want to revise anything that many times before
the final copy, but even if you write two or three drafts, you certainly aren’t alone in your need for revision.
Introduction
vii
Writing has three distinct advantages over
speaking:
1. In writing, you can take it back. The spoken
word, however, cannot be revised. Once you
make a statement verbally, it affects your listeners
in a particular way and you can’t “take it back” or
rephrase it to the point that the first statement is
forgotten. However, if you write a statement and,
after looking at it, realize that it sounds offensive
or incorrect, you can revise it before giving it to
the intended audience. Writing is a careful,
thoughtful way of communicating.
2. Writing forces you to clarify your thoughts. If
you’re having trouble writing, it’s often because
you’re not yet finished with the thinking part.
Sometimes, just sitting down and writing what-
ever is on your mind helps you discover and
organize what you think.
3. Another advantage is permanence. Ideas pre-
sented in writing carry far more weight than spo-
ken ideas. Additionally, they can be reviewed and
referred to in their exact, original form. Spoken
ideas rely upon the sometimes inaccurate memo-
ries of other people.
Writing is nothing more than thought on paper—
considered, organized thought. Many people are pro-
tective of their thoughts and, therefore, prefer to keep
them hidden inside their heads. Many great ideas and
observations are never born because their creators
won’t express them. This book can help you express
your ideas in clear, grammatically correct ways. After
you learn how to insert commas and semicolons cor-
rectly, use verbs to create strong images in your writing,
and the other basic skills taught in this book, you’ll gain
confidence in your writing ability. In fact, you’ll be
able to move forward and master more complex writ-
ing concerns after you get the basics down. More and
more jobs these days require at least some writing, so
the skills you learn in this book will be put to good use.
The lessons in this book are designed to be com-
pleted in about 20 minutes each. If you do a lesson
every weekday, you can finish the whole course in about
a month. However, you may find another approach
that works better for you. You’ll find you make more
progress, though, if you complete at least two lessons
a week. If you leave too much time between lessons,
you’ll forget what you’ve learned. You may want to
start with the pretest that begins on page 1. It will show
you what you already know and what you need to learn
about grammar, mechanics, and punctuation. Then,
when you’ve finished the book, you can take a posttest
to see how much you’ve improved.
If you practice what you’ve learned in this book,
it won’t take long for other people to notice the new and
improved you. So dive into the first lesson and get ready
to improve your writing skills. Good luck!
–INTRODUCTION–
viii
Before you start your study of grammar and writing skills, you may want to get an idea of how muchyou already know and how much you need to learn. If that’s the case, take the pretest that follows.The pretest consists of 50 multiple-choice questions covering all the lessons in this book.
Naturally, 50 questions can’t cover every single concept or rule you will learn by working through these pages. So
even if you answer all of the questions on the pretest correctly, it’s almost guaranteed that you will find a few ideas
or rules in this book that you didn’t already know. On the other hand, if you get a lot of the answers wrong on
this pretest, don’t despair. This book will show you how to improve your grammar and writing, step by step.
So use this pretest for a general idea of how much of what’s in this book you already know. If you get a high
score, you may be able to spend less time with this book than you originally planned. If you get a low score, you
may find that you will need more than 20 minutes a day to get through each chapter and learn all the grammar
and mechanics concepts you need.
There’s an answer sheet you can use for filling in the correct answers on page 3. Or, if you prefer, simply cir-
cle the answer numbers in this book. If the book doesn’t belong to you, write the numbers 1–50 on a piece of paper
and record your answers there. Take as much time as you need to complete this short test. When you finish, check
your answers against the answer key that follows. Each answer tells you which lesson of this book teaches you about
the grammatical rule in that question.
Pretest
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–LEARNINGEXPRESS ANSWER SHEET–
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 Pretest
1. Which version of the sentence is correctly
capitalized?
a. Last Tuesday, my Mother, my Aunt Nancy, and
I went to the museum to see an exhibit of
Egyptian sculpture.
b. Last Tuesday, my mother, my Aunt Nancy, and
I went to the museum to see an exhibit of
Egyptian sculpture.
c. Last Tuesday, my mother, my aunt Nancy, and
I went to the Museum to see an exhibit of
Egyptian sculpture.
d. Last Tuesday, my mother, my aunt Nancy, and
I went to the museum to see an exhibit of
Egyptian Sculpture.
2. Which of the underlined words in the following
sentence should be capitalized?
The governor gave a speech at the fourth of July
picnic, which was held at my cousin’s farm five
miles east of town.
a. governor
b. fourth
c. cousin’s
d. east
3. Which of the underlined words in the following
sentence should be capitalized?
“Last semester, I wrote my history report on the
Korean war,” my sister told me.
a. semester
b. history
c. war
d. sister
4. Which version uses periods correctly?
a. Dr Harrison will speak at a hotel in Chicago,
Ill, on Thurs at 3:00 P.M.
b. Dr. Harrison will speak at a hotel in Chicago,
Ill, on Thurs at 3:00 PM.
c. Dr Harrison will speak at a hotel in Chicago,
Ill, on Thurs. at 3:00 P.M.
d. Dr. Harrison will speak at a hotel in Chicago,
Ill., on Thurs. at 3:00 P.M.
5. Which version uses punctuation correctly?
a. Be careful. The stairs are slippery?
b. Be careful! The stairs are slippery.
c. Be careful? The stairs are slippery!
d. Be careful, the stairs are slippery?
6. Which of the following is a sentence fragment,
that is, NOT a complete sentence?
a. Hearing the thunder, the lifeguard ordered us
out of the water.
b. Turn off the lights.
c. Sunday afternoon spent reading and playing
computer games.
d. I was surprised to see that my neighbor had
written a letter to the editor.
7. Three of the following sentences are either run-
ons or comma splices. Which one is NOT a faulty
sentence?
a. The newspapers are supposed to be delivered
by 7:00, but I am usually finished before 6:45.
b. I called the delivery service this morning, they
told me the shipment would arrive on time.
c. Look in the closet you should find it there.
d. I was the first to sign the petition Harry was
second.
–PRETEST–
5
8. Which version is punctuated correctly?
a. Charlotte, who ran in the Boston Marathon
last year will compete in this year’s New York
Marathon.
b. Charlotte who ran in the Boston Marathon,
last year, will compete in this year’s New York
Marathon.
c. Charlotte who ran in the Boston Marathon
last year, will compete in this year’s New York
Marathon.
d. Charlotte, who ran in the Boston Marathon
last year, will compete in this year’s New York
Marathon.
9. Which version is punctuated correctly?
a. The park service will not allow anyone, who
does not have a camping permit, to use this
campground.
b. The park service will not allow anyone who
does not have a camping permit to use this
campground.
c. The park service will not allow anyone, who
does not have a camping permit to use this
campground.
d. The park service will not allow anyone who
does not have a camping permit, to use this
campground.
10. Which version is punctuated correctly?
a. As soon as she finished her dinner, Lisa, who
is a volunteer at the hospital, reported for
her shift.
b. As soon as she finished her dinner Lisa, who
is a volunteer at the hospital reported for
her shift.
c. As soon as she finished, her dinner, Lisa who
is a volunteer at the hospital, reported for
her shift.
d. As soon as she finished her dinner, Lisa who
is a volunteer at the hospital reported for
her shift.
11. Which of the underlined portions of the sentence
below is punctuated incorrectly?
My mother was born on (a) December 15,
1944, in Kingwood, West (b) Virginia, when
she was (c) five, her family moved to (d) 347
Benton Street, Zanesville, Ohio.
a. December 15, 1944,
b. Virginia, when
c. five, her
d. 347 Benton Street, Zanesville, Ohio.
12. Which version is punctuated correctly?
a. Yes I would like to receive the credit card
application and please send it as soon as you
can to my home address.
b. Yes, I would like to receive the credit card
application and please send it, as soon as you
can to my home address.
c. Yes, I would like to receive the credit card
application and, please send it as soon as you
can to my home address.
d. Yes, I would like to receive the credit card
application, and please send it as soon as you
can to my home address.
13. Which version is punctuated correctly?
a. I’m sorry, Bart, that you cannot meet us for
dinner tonight. We’ll phone you again next
Friday.
b. I’m sorry, Bart that you cannot meet us for
dinner tonight. We’ll phone you again next
Friday.
c. I’m sorry Bart that you cannot meet us for
dinner tonight. We’ll phone you again next
Friday.
d. I’m sorry, Bart, that you cannot meet us for
dinner tonight, we’ll phone you again next
Friday.
– PRETEST–
6
14. Which is the correct punctuation for the under-
lined portion?
The weather forecasters are predicting ten
inches of snow tonight therefore the annual
chili supper will be rescheduled for next week.
a. tonight, therefore
b. tonight, therefore,
c. tonight; therefore,
d. tonight, therefore;
15. Which is the correct punctuation for the under-
lined portion?
You may choose to read any two of the follow-
ing novels The Great Gatsby, Song of Solomon,
Sophie’s Choice, The Color Purple, The Bell Jar,
and The Invisible Man.
a. novels, The
b. novels: The
c. novels; the
d. novels. The
16. Which version is punctuated correctly?
a. One of my complaints—if you really want to
know is that the recycling bins are not clearly
labeled.
b. One of my complaints—if you really want to
know—is that the recycling bins are not
clearly labeled.
c. One of my complaints, if you really want to
know—is that the recycling bins are not
clearly labeled.
d. One of my complaints if you really want to
know is that the recycling bins are not clearly
labeled.
17. Which version is punctuated correctly?
a. You will find boys’ shirts in the childrens’
department.
b. You will find boy’s shirts in the children’s
department.
c. You will find boys’ shirts in the children’s
department.
d. You will find boy’s shirts in the childrens’
department.
18. Which version is punctuated correctly?
a. Whose coat is this? Is it yours or Eric’s?
b. Whose coat is this? Is it your’s or Eric’s?
c. Who’s coat is this? Is it your’s or Eric’s?
d. Who’s coat is this? Is it yours or Eric’s?
19. Which version is punctuated correctly?
a. “May I ride with you?” asked Del. “I can’t get
my car started.”
b. May I ride with you? asked Del. “I can’t get my
car started.”
c. “May I ride with you? asked Del. I can’t get my
car started.”
d. “May I ride with you”? asked Del, “I can’t get
my car started.”
20. Which of the following should be placed in quo-
tation marks and should NOT be italicized or
underlined?
a. the name of a ship
b. the title of a poem
c. the title of a novel
d. the name of a newspaper
21. Which version uses hyphens correctly?
a. The well-known singer-songwriter gave a
three hour concert.
b. The well known singer songwriter gave a
three-hour concert.
c. The well-known singer-songwriter gave a
three-hour concert.
d. The well known singer-songwriter gave a three
hour concert.
– PRETEST–
7
22. Which of the following should NOT be
hyphenated?
a. twenty-one students
b. two-inch nails
c. a thirty-minute interview
d. ten-feet of rope
23. Which version uses parentheses correctly?
a. I plan to do my geography report on the Cen-
tral American country of Belize 
(formerly known as British Honduras).
b. I plan to do my geography report on the (Cen-
tral American country of) Belize,
formerly known as British Honduras.
c. I plan to do my (geography) report on the
Central American country of Belize,
formerly known as British Honduras.
d. I plan to do my geography report on the Cen-
tral American country (of Belize) 
formerly known as British Honduras.
For questions 24 and 25, choose the correct verb form.
24. Last night, Rita a standing ovation
for her performance.
a. has gotten
b. gotten
c. will get
d. got
25. Brandon his camera so he could
photograph the basketball game.
a. brang
b. brought
c. bring
d. had brung
26. Which of the following underlined verbs is NOT
written in the correct tense?
Last year, I (a) vacationed in Jamaica. I (b) sun-
bathe on the beach every morning. In the after-
noons, I (c) explored the island, and when
evening came, I (d) couldn’t wait to change my
clothes and try another local restaurant.
a. vacationed
b. sunbathe
c. explored
d. couldn’t wait
27. Choose the version that correctly rewrites the
following sentence in the active voice.
I was taken to the public library by my sister
before I was able to read.
a. Before I was able to read, I was taken to the
public library by my sister.
b. Before learning to read, my sister took me to
the public library.
c. Before I was able to read, my sister took me to
the public library.
d. I was taken to the public library before I knew
how to read, by my sister.
28. Which of the following sentences is in the passive
voice?
a. On Saturday nights, we made popcorn.
b. Our bowls were filled and brought into the liv-
ing room.
c. We sat on the floor and watched the movie we
had rented.
d. One of us usually fell asleep before the mov