ABCDE WORDS
AND THE FIVE PATTERNS OF PUNCTUATION
A WORDS
AND, BUT, OR
SV, ASV.
B WORDS
THEN , HOWEVER
SV. B,SV.
C WORDS
WHEN IF
SVCSV.
CSV, SV.
DWORDS
WHO WHICH WHAT
NECESSARY INFO NO COMMAS
EXTRA INFO TWO COMMAS
E WORDS
WHEN IF WHO THAT
S MENTAL V E SV.
NOTES ON ABCDE WORDS
A WORDS
ALSO CALLED COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
A WORDS JOIN TWO PAIRS OF SV, NOT TWO NOUNS OR TWO VERBS.
HAM AND EGGS NOT AN A WORD
I READ AND WRITE
NOT AN A WORD
I READ AND I WRITE
AN A WORD
B WORDS ALSO CALLED TRANSITION WORDS OR EXPRESSIONS
B WORDS JOIN TWO SENTENCES:
SV.
B,SV.
B WORDS CAN BE ANYWHERE.
SV.
S,B,V.
SV.
SV,B.
USUALLY B WORDS ARE THE FIRST WORD OF THE SECOND SENTENCE AND ARE FOLLOWED BY
A COMMA.
C WORDS
ALSO CALLED SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
C WORDS CAN BE IN THE MIDDLE OR AT THE BEGINNING O F A SENTENCE.
IN THE MIDDLE C WORDS HAVE NO PUNCTUATION.
I STAY INSIDE WHEN IT RAINS.
A C WORD AT THE BEGINNING OF A SENTENCE HAS A COMMA THAT IS PLACED
IMMEDIATELY IN FRONT OF THE SECOND SUBJECT.
WHEN IT RAINS, I STAY INSIDE.
C WORD TRAPS:
ONCE ( A C WORD) MAY MEAN ONE TIME AND BE AN ADVERB WITHOUT
PUNCTUATION.
ONCE CAN ALSO
MEAN WHEN AND THEREFORE WILL BE PUNCTUATED LIKE C
WORDS.
WHEN YOU ARE IN THE SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD WITH C WORD IF, YOU MUST USE THE
SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD VERB TENSE FORMS. IN THE SUBJUNCTIVE THE PRESENT TIME IS REPRESENTED
BY A PAST TENSE FORM AND THE PAST TIME IS REPRESENTED BY PAST PERFECT FORM.
PRESENT NOT TRUE CONDITION:
IF I WERE YOU, I WOULD STUDY.
PAST NOT TRUE CONDITION:
IF I HAD BEEN YOU, I WOULD HAVE STUDIED.
D WORDS : ALSO CALLED RELATIVE PRONOUNS CONNECT IDEAS TO A SENTENCE THROUGH A NOUN.
WHO REPLACES HE OR SHE: THIS IS A MAN. HE READS.
THIS IS A MAN WHO READS.
WHOSE REPLACES HIS OR HER: THIS IS A MAN. I BOUGHT HIS CAR.
THIS IS A MAN WHOSE CAR I BOUGHT.
EXTRA INFO
NO COMMA
MY FATHER, WHO LIVES IN OHIO, IS A DENTIST.
NECESSARY INFO TO IDENTIFY SOMEONE
TWO PUNCTUATION MARKS
THE MAN WHO IS SITTING THERE IS MY DENTIST.
E WORDS ALSO CALLED WORDS THAT INTRODUCE NOUN CLAUSES
USUALLY E WORDS FOLLOW MENTAL VERBS LIKE
I THINK I WONDER I SUGGEST
E WORDS MAY BE QUESTION WORDS LIKE WHICH OR WHO;
I WONDER WHO WILL BE THERE.
SVESV.
E WORDS MAY LOOK LIKE C WORDS ;
I WONDER IF THEY WILL COME.
NOTICE THAT AFTER THE E WORD THE SUBJECT S COMES BEFORE THE VERB V. THERE IS NO QUESTION
THAT WOULD REQUIRE PUTTING THE VERB FIRST.
I WONDER WHAT TIME IT IS.
WHAT TIME IS IT?
DO YOU KNOW
WHAT TIME IT IS
?
( THE ? IS DO YOU KNOW)
NOTICE ALSO THAT SOME MENTAL VERBS LIKE SUGGEST COMMAND OR REQUIRE ARE NOT TALKING
ABOUT A REAL SITUATION . THEY REFER TO NO REAL SUGGESTIONS COMMANDS OR REQUIREMENTS
THAT MAY OR MAY NOT ACTUALLY OCCUR IN REALITY. THUS, THESE SPECIAL MENTAL VERBS USE A
DIFFERENT VERB MOOD : THE SUBJUNCTIVE SIMPLE FORM.
I SUGGEST HE DO HIS HOMEWORK.
I SUGGEST THAT HE DO HIS HOMEWORK.
I REQUIRE THAT HE DO HIS HOMEWORK.
I COMMAND THAT HE BE HERE ON TIME.
RELATIONSHIP
COORDINATING CONJUNCTION
A WORD
ADDITION
AND
TRANSITION SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTION
B WORD
C WORD
FURTHERMORE
MOREOVER, ALSO
TIME
AND
THEN, FIRST , NEXT
WHEN ,WHENEVER,
AS, SINCE, UNTIL,
NOW THAT
CAUSE
FOR
RESULT
BECAUSE, SINCE
CONSEQUENTLY, THUS
AS A RESULT, HENCE
PURPOSE
SO THAT
SIMILARITY
CONTRAST
SIMILARLY
BUT
AS, JUST AS
NEVERTHELESS,
THAN
ON THE OTHER HAND
CONCESSION
YET, BUT
NEVERTHELESS, HOWEVER
ALTHOUGH
ADMITTEDLY
WHEREAS
WHILE
CONDITION
IF, PROVIDED THAT
UNLESS
EMPHASIS
ALTERNATIVE
ENUMERATION
INDEED, IN FACT
]
OR NOR
FIRST , NEXT, FINALLY