International English Grammar Skill

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According to Aristotle, a plot has five main parts:

1. : In Oedipus Rex, the exposition introduces the characters of Oedipus, Jocasta, and Laius, as well as the setting of Thebes and the conflict of the story: a prophecy that Oedipus will kill his father and marry his mother.

2. : The rising action of Oedipus Rex begins when Oedipus learns of the prophecy and decides to leave Corinth to prevent it from being fulfilled. He travels to Thebes and, along the way, unknowingly fulfills the prophecy by killing Laius, who he believes is a stranger but who is actually his real father.

3. : The climax of Oedipus Rex occurs when Oedipus learns that he has fulfilled the prophecy and killed his father and married his mother.

4. : The falling action of Oedipus Rex begins when Oedipus realizes the truth of his actions and decides to punish himself by blinding himself and exiling himself from Thebes.

5. : The resolution of Oedipus Rex occurs when Oedipus leaves Thebes and Jocasta, who has also learned the truth, hangs herself. The story ends with Oedipus being taken in by his daughter Antigone and her husband.

By Sir Arshad

When adding the "-ing", we have to follow special spelling rules.

1. The general rule is to add -ing to the verb. For example, for verbs like wait, visit, speak, add only -ing (i.e., waiting; visiting, speaking.)
2. When a verb ends in a silent e, we drop the e and add -ing. For example, close becomes closing.
3. For verbs with one syllable and ending in a vowel and a consonant (e.g., run, stop, hit), double the final consonant and add -ing. For example, hit becomes hitting.
4. For verbs ending in w, y, or, x, we only add -ing. For example, fix becomes fixing.
5. For verbs ending in a vowel and a consonant with the stress on the final syllable (e.g., refer, forget, happen), double the consonant and add -ing (e.g., referring, forgetting, happening.)
6. For verbs ending in -ie, drop the -ie and add -ying. For example, die becomes dying.
7. For verbs ending in -ee, -ye, and -oe, do not remove the final -e when adding -ing. For example, the verbs free, dye, and tiptoe become freeing, dyeing, and tiptoeing.
8. For verbs ending in a consonant + vowel + L, one of 2 rules apply depending on whether you are using American or British English. In American English, travel becomes traveling while in British English it becomes traveling.
9. For verbs ending in -c, we add a -k + -ing. For example, mimic becomes mimicking when we add -ing.

Dangling Modifiers

A dangling modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that describes something that has been left out of the sentence. When there is nothing that the word, phrase, or clause can modify, the modifier is said to dangle.

Incorrect: Riding in the sports car, the world whizzed by rapidly.

Correct: As Jane was riding in the sports car, the world whizzed by rapidly.

In the incorrect sentence, riding in the sports car is dangling. The reader is left wondering who is riding in the sports car. The writer must tell the reader!

Incorrect: Walking home at night, the trees looked like spooky aliens.

Correct: As Jonas was walking home at night, the trees looked like spooky aliens.

Correct: The trees looked like spooky aliens as Jonas was walking home at night.

In the incorrect sentence walking home at night is dangling. Who is walking home at night? Jonas. Note that there are two different ways the dangling modifier can be corrected.

Incorrect: To win the spelling bee, Luis and Gerard should join our team.

Correct: If we want to win the spelling bee this year, Luis and Gerard should join our team.

Tip

The following three steps will help you quickly spot a dangling modifier:

Look for an -ing modifier at the beginning of your sentence or another modifying phrase:

Painting for three hours at night, the kitchen was finally finished by Maggie. (Painting is the -ing modifier.)

Underline the first noun that follows it:

Painting for three hours at night, the kitchen was finally finished by Maggie.

Make sure the modifier and noun go together logically. If they do not, it is very likely you have a dangling modifier.

After identifying the dangling modifier, rewrite the sentence.

Painting for three hours at night, Maggie finally finished the kitchen.

Misplaced Modifiers

A misplaced modifier is a modifier that is placed too far from the word or words it modifies. Misplaced modifiers make the sentence awkward and sometimes unintentionally humorous.

Example:
Incorrect: She wore a bicycle helmet on her head that was too large.

Correct: She wore a bicycle helmet that was too large on her head.

Notice in the incorrect sentence it sounds as if her head was too large! Of course, the writer is referring to the helmet, not to the person’s head. The corrected version of the sentence clarifies the writer’s meaning.
Look at the following two examples:

Incorrect: They bought a kitten for my brother they call Shadow.

Correct: They bought a kitten they call Shadow for my brother.

In the incorrect sentence, it seems that the brother’s name is Shadow. That’s because the modifier is too far from the word it modifies, which is a kitten.

Incorrect: The patient was referred to the physician with stomach pains.

Correct: The patient with stomach pains was referred to the physician.

The incorrect sentence reads as if it is the physician who has stomach pains! What the writer means is that the patient has stomach pains.

Tip

Simple modifiers like only, almost, just, nearly, and barely often get used incorrectly because writers often stick them in the wrong place.

Confusing: Tyler almost found fifty cents under the sofa cushions.

Repaired: Tyler found almost fifty cents under the sofa cushions.

How do you almost find something? Either you find it or you do not. The repaired sentence is much clearer.