Conventions for the Undead
Avoiding the potential apocalypse of grammar, punctuation,
capitalization, spelling, and word usage mistakes…
Simple Sentences
A simple sentence is a complete thought.
• Subject(s) + Predicate(s) (the verb and any
additional information)
Examples:
1. Zombies have feelings.
2. Zombies and humans have feelings.
3. Zombies and humans have feelings and crave
food.
Your Tourniquet: Simple Sentences
On a fresh sheet of tree flesh, complete the following
sentences.
1) The most experienced morticians in the department
______.
2) A track of muddy footprints ______________.
3) No one else in the town ____________________.
4) Those rusty scissors _____________.
Compound Sentences
*FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
A compound sentence contains two or
more simple sentences joined by a
comma and a coordinating conjunction
(*FANBOYS).
Examples:
1. The explosion erupted loudly, and the
city turned into darkness.
2. Screams echoed through the streets,
yet not a soul was heard.
3. The outbreak followed, for the
radiation spread with the aftermath.
Your Tourniquet: Compound Sentences
On the same sheet of tree skin, complete the following
sentences. Don’t forget to use a FANBOY.
1) My heart began to race, _____.
2) A foul stench came from the basement, ______.
3) Broken glass lined the hallway, __________.
4) Faint carousel sounds entered the closet, ______________.
Fragments and Run-Ons
A fragment is an incomplete thought, lacking either
a subject OR predicate.
Examples:
1. The smell of death.
2. Drudging through the streets.
A run-on sentence is when your sentence continues
forever and ever and you never stop but you just
can’t help it so you continue because it’s the way
to talk and you think that’s okay but you’re reader
runs out of breath like being chased by a zombie
and getting bitten and turning undead forever.
*Fragments can be beneficial
when used for dramatic purpose!
Double Tap the Double Negatives
• A double negative occurs when you word your
sentence in a way that contradicts the
intended meaning.
Example:
1. I have not never been bitten by a flesh
eating corpse.
Comma Usage
• Direct Address (ex. Students, pay attention. Dear Zombie, listen.)
• Comma Splice (ex. Humans have hearts, zombies have undead
hearts.)
• Words in a Series (ex. Pancreas, intestines, brains.)
• Brush Strokes (ex. Sprinting down the field, the zombies
approached me, as I was running towards them.)
• Complex Sentences (ex. Although it was probably not a wise idea,
to run towards the zombies.)
• Coordinating Adjectives (Adjectives in a Row) (ex. The unsightly,
repugnant, and blind, Chinese Crested hairless dog lunged at my
poor Poodle.)
Comma Coma Command
Find a person next to you (unless you are alone) with whom to recite the
following series of words. Take turns reciting them back and forth;
slowly at first, then quicker-- alternating sets. Finally, add words that
begin with ca if you feel confident again. This is the Comma Coma
Command.
First Set: “Car, Care, Cake, Can, Cat, Cabbage, Captain, Candle.”
Second Set: “Camp, Candy, Card, Capture, Carriage, Carol,
Caption, Captain.”
Keep Calm and Carry On. Use this exercise to keep calm during
zombie attacks.
Complex Sentences
• A complex sentence is a sentence with an independent
clause and a dependent clause. A dependent clauses
often answers how, why, where, or when, of the
independent clause, and can not be separated from it.
Example:
After society crumbled, hysteria ensued.
(When did hysteria ensue?)
Those still alive, listened to the swarms of undead
below.
(Where were the undead? Where were those still
alive?)
Your Tourniquet: Complex Sentences
Finish the following complex sentences.
1) Although survival during a zombie apocalypse is difficult,
__________________.
2) __________________, until she described it.
3) __________________, while house fell into a sinkhole.
4) Whether you are prepared or not, _________________.
Word Usage
• Subject/Verb Agreement >
Singular Subjects/Singular Verbs, Plural Subjects/Plural Verbs >
Ex. The zombie is alone. The zombies are together.
• Verb Tense >
Ex. Jump/Jumping/Jumped/Will Jump, Drive/Driving/Drove/Will Drive, Am/Is/Was/Were.
• Passive/Active Voice >
Passive- action is performed upon the subject. Active- action if performed by the subject.
Ex. The torso was eaten by the zombie. (passive) The zombie ate the torso. (active)
Apostrophes
• Contraction- Can not/Can’t, Do not/Don’t, Should not/Shouldn’t.
Note: Only zombies use contractions in academic writing!
• Possessive Nouns- show ownership or relationship.
Ex. The Zombie’s fork, My sister’s husband.
Quotations Marks
• Direct vs. Indirect
• Direct- exacts words a person said.
• Indirect- words are changed into your own words (Paraphrase).
“I’m starving,” yelled the zombie, “for your brain.” (Direct)
The zombie said, “I’m starving for your brain.” (Direct)
The zombie said that they were hungry for my brain. (Indirect)
(Note: punctuation goes inside quotation marks)
Capitalization
Capitalize:
The zombie was tired of smelling like a corpse. (First Word of Sentence, or Line of Poetry)
Akeem “The Dream” Olajuwon (Proper Nouns, Any Titles that Accompany them, or adjectives
from them)
Eiffel Tower, Orlando Arena, Toyota Prius, Apple I-pad, the Superbowl (Particular Structures,
Special Events, Vehicles, and Brands)
Jupiter, Atlanta, Europe, North ___ (Places, Geographical Regions, and Directions)
Friday, September, Labor Day (Days of the Week, Months of the Year, and Holidays)
Capitalization Continued
Harlem Renaissance, the Oscar’s, Declaration of Independence,
Brown v. Board of Education (Historical Periods, Events, and
Documents: Names of Legal Cases, Awards)
Surrealism, Modernism, Cubism (Philosophic, Literary, and Artistic
Movements)
African-American, Korean, Buddhism (Races, Ethnic Groups,
Nationalities, and Languages, Religions)
Capitalization Continued
Democratic Party, One Direction, Orlando Magic (Political, Social,
Athletic, Groups -> even Abbreviated Groups like NYPD: New York
Police Department or UCF: University of Central Florida)
Language Arts, Shakespearean sonnet, Congress, Environmental
Protection Agency, Milwee Middle School, Kindle, The Hunger Games,
I, Dear, Sincerely (Academic Subjects, Adjectives formed from Proper
Nouns, Government/Education Agencies, Trade Names/Brand, Titles
to Books, Movies, Albums, the Pronoun “I”, Letter
Beginnings/Closings)
Your Tourniquet: Capitalization Decapitation
Problem: All the words begin with a capital letter in the following
paragraph.
Your Mission: Decapitate every word that is capitalized incorrectly.
Last Saturday, After Picking Up A Copy Of The Orlando Sentinel Outside, I
Found A Letter With Blood On It. I Opened It, And Discovered A
Newspaper Clipping With Information About A Recently Deceased French
Scientist, Charles Adolphe Faux-Pas Bidet, Whose Death Has Baffled
Authorities. It All Started When Lieutenant Georges, While Answering A
Noise Complaint About Creepy Sounds Coming From Bidet’s Garage,
Stepped Into A House Filled With___.
Frequently Misused Words
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There vs their vs they’re
Affect vs effect
Too vs two vs to
Accept vs except
Complementary vs complimentary
Loose vs lose
Of vs have
Sight vs site vs cite
Than vs then
Who’s vs whose/ Your vs You’re
Dead Words… Not even Zombies would bite
that…
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Cause (or cuz) vs because
Gonna, gotta, wanna, shoulda, coulda, woulda
Text talk… lol, lmfao, btw, yolo, omg, plz
Avoid using: really, very, a lot, so.
Ex: Most people think surviving the apocalypse is very hard.
Most people think that surviving the apocalypse is difficult.
Cannibalism is really controversial. A lot of zombies…(Many)
A lot of time…(Much)
Also avoid using there is/there are >
There are many traps made by citizens to fight zombies.
The citizens make many traps to fight zombies.