 I can't believe this is my 25th Spoonful of Grammar! If you missed one along the way, don't fret. Below is a listing of Spoonfuls #1-24, with hints about what each one covers. Click on a blue title, and you'll be linked to the corresponding Spoonful. To allow everyone a chance to catch up, A Spoonful of Grammar will take a hiatus until after Labor Day. But I always welcome your comments on my existing posts and suggestions for future ones. Thank you so much for reading and sharing my blog! Spoonful #1: WELCOME! Welcome to A Spoonful of Grammar. This includes a fun, snappy refrain. Spoonful #2: VERBS Action verbs vs. forms of "To Be." Plus, a comment on passive vs active sentences. Spoonful#3: SUBJECT Learning how to identify the subject of a sentence Spoonful #4: SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT Hear ye, hear ye, calling all SAT students: this is one of grammar's most important rules! Spoonful #5: INDEFINITE PRONOUNS A list of indefinite pronouns, split between singular and plural forms Spoonful #6: USING INDEFINITE PRONOUNS Sentences using indefinite pronouns. Useful for everybody. Spoonful #7: SEMICOLONS SPEAK OUT You'll never get semicolons confused with colons again! I promise. Spoonful #8: COLONS TAKE A STAND Formal vs. informal colon usage. Here's a hint: this is the formal way, but the informal way is used frequently in this post. Spoonful #9:MEET THE FANBOYS Comma Rule #1: When FANBOYS stand between two independent clauses Spoonful #10: FANBOYS STRIKE AGAIN Comma Rule #2: When FANBOYS stand between an independent clause and a fragment Spoonful #11: AND TAKES CENTER STAGE Comma Rule #3: Using commas to separate items in a series Spoonful #12: THREE CHEERS FOR PARALLELISM This is my favorite grammar rule. Using parallelism will make your writing and speeches sing! The SAT likes this rule, too. Spoonful #13: AND DESERVES A BREAK Comma Rule#4: When multiple adjectives describe the same noun Spoonful #14: COMMA, COMMA, DASH, DASH Comma Rule #5: Comma usage with appositive phrases. Learn how to identify an appositive phrase, and dare to use one yourself. Spoonful #15: DON'T EAT GRANDMA Comma Rule #6: Comma usage with direct addresses. Avoid tragedy and embarrassment by learning this rule! Spoonful #16: HE SAID, SHE SAID Comma Rule #7: when dialogue tags come first. This is the first of a three-post series on dialogue tags, helpful for writers of all ages. Spoonful #17: TAG, YOU'RE IT! Comma Rule #8: when dialogue tags come last Spoonful #18: "SAY WHAT?" FINALE Comma Rule #9: when dialogue tags appear in the middle Spoonful #19: COLLECTIVE CONFUSION Learn when to treat collective nouns as singular or plural. Spoonful #20: HOMOPHONE FUN The trickiest homophones concern contractions, like its vs. it's. Spoonful #21: THE GREEK ROOT PHON 12 words rooted in SOUND, plus a fun fact. Spoonful #22: ALL ABOUT TIME The Greek root CHRON - a great post for summerTIME. Spoonful #23: THE MOST HELPFUL LATIN ROOTS Let's hear it for BENE (good) and MAL (bad). They have my vote! Spoonful #24: BON APPETIT! The French influence behind many of our favorite food words. I wish you all a delightfully sweet summer break. Sincerely, Laura Fineberg Cooper How to contact me: Email: cooperlaura@yahoo.com My website: laurafcooper.com Twitter: @cooperlauraf Facebook: Laura Fineberg Cooper
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 It should come as no surprise that many words derived (or borrowed) from the French concern good food! So grab a fresh, flaky croissant and pay homage with me. Next up is my favorite dessert: a warm chocolate soufflé. (You may be interested in learning that "chocolate" hails from Spain, courtesy of Hernan Cortes and his Aztec discovery.) After watching all these cooking shows, you might be tempted to add alcohol to a hot pan and watch it flambé. But here's a tip: sautés are easier and usually don't require a backup fire extinguisher. Have you noticed how many cafés and bistros there are in the U.S.? They serve the best warm, crusty baguettes. Ironically, we went to a bistro on Saturday night, and yes, the baguettes were wonderful. I'm sure many of you have attended events that served food à la carte instead of serving pre-selected menus. Regardless of which way the main course was presented, I hope your hosts passed around tasty hors d'oeuvres and offered vinaigrette dressing for the salad. Do you prefer a picnic? Or going out to a restaurant? Either way, please invite me along. Bon appétit!! Make sure you check in next Sunday for a review of Spoonfuls #1-#24 (with helpful links). Sincerely, Laura Fineberg Cooper  Latin roots abound in the English language. But if you had to choose the two most helpful roots, which would they be? IN, AN, ANA, ANTI, and A are all quite popular, because if you stick them in front of a bunch of words, they create the opposite. AUSPICIOUS becomes INAUSPICIOUS; MORAL becomes AMORAL; and WAR becomes ANTIWAR. But does that tell you what the words mean? NOT unless you know the meaning of the underlying words! My vote for the two most helpful roots goes to BENE (good) and MAL (bad). If a word starts with either of them, you'll have a mighty good clue as to the word's definition.
Here are some examples: BENEFIT: As a noun, this means a party held to raise money for a group (a very good thing). As a verb, it means to have a good outcome. BENEFACTOR: the generous supporter of an organization or individual BENEVOLENT: good, kindly, well meaning BENEFICENT: doing good or resulting in good MALODOROUS: "bad odor" means really, really smelly MALADY: really bad illness MALADROIT: "bad fingers" means clumsy MALEVOLENT: the baddest of the bad Of the bunch, MALADROIT is only one that requires some interpretation. Learning these roots is a great way to decode unknown words...like the ones guaranteed to show up on the SSAT, ACT, and SAT. One more thing: has anyone seen the movie MALEFICENT? Disney clearly had fun coming up with that name. I hope you found this spoonful useful...and easy to swallow too. Sincerely, Laura Fineberg Cooper |
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