Booher's Rules of Business Grammar - Dianna Booher 2009

Booher's Rules of Business Grammar - Dianna Booher 2009

Acknowledgments

Introduction: NO lOUDING

Verbosity about verbs: The big blunders

Let’s dialogue about verbing words

“She went missing”

Staying regular

“He don’t understand”

“They had went to my office earlier in the day”

“He come back from overseas early”

“I seen him leave”

Lie or lay before i knock you off your feet

He came, he saw, he conquered

“If i was you …”

Pushy people demanding their way

“There’s problems with that!”

“I wish i may, i wish i might … could you tell me which verb to use tonight?”

“Sue is one who …”

Separation anxiety

Which end is up?

Acting alone or with accomplices?

None of your business

Total ’em up

The kaleidoscope effect

The seesaw effect

Pesky pronouns: The understudies

“Just between you and i”

“Me and pongo know him”

Me, myself, and i

To whom it may concern

“She’s taller than me”

“You know what they always say about that”

Which hunts

Is shamu a who?

Modifier mishaps

Misplaced modifiers that mystify

Can you hook me up?

“… Which is what i always say …”

Troublesome twosomes

Learn this backwards and forwards

A honor or an honor to be here?

Adjective and adverb attitudes

“She did things different”

“The team played real good”

“This job is more simpler than what i had before”

“It’s the most unique gift i’ve ever received!”

“This checkout—20 items or less”

“He has over a million miles on that airline”

“I like smaller cars”

Parallel bars and balance beams

To balance or not to balance—that is the question

“I worked, waited, and was rewarded”

Verbs with attitude

Time marches on—but at the same pace

Punctuation problems

Comma hiccups

Comma clauses and pauses

“Hi hank, what do yyou think frank?”

Dear spike

She needs no introduction

Punctuation powerless

One car, two cars, three cars, four

The alpha and the omega

Colon scope—here’s the scoop

Fragmented thoughts

Would you send me your address please

Can you hear me now?

Inside or outside?

Ripley’s believe it or not

Spare tires

Perplexing possessives

Whatever possessed me!

Who’s on first?

Why are you so possessive?

Yours, mine, and ours

Do you love me—or what i can do for you?

It’s about time

Overly possessive

Reminders about redundancies

Past experience—is there any other kind?

Continue on

A subject matter worth discussing

“The reason is because …”

Going to bat for thats

I get your point—but do you get mine?

“Where’s he at?”

Miscellaneous matters

Oh, say, can you see?

What are the odds to start?

Nonsense

“You should of known better!”

Got trouble?

Make a dash for it

Dash away, dash away, dash away all

No death knell for the hyphen

Matching body parts

Up a tree without a paddle

As much or more than most

Doing the splits

Without just cause

Getting top billing

A branding issue

Name, rank, and serial number

Undercapitalized with no regrets

Misspelled and misused words

Would you spell that for me?

May i see your references, please?

Messing with my head

I resemble that remark

Do i have your guarantee?

It’s a matter of principle

A good example

How are you?

Is success imminent?

Bibliography

Resources by Dianna Booher available from Booher consultants

For more information

Index

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