Literacy Content
Excerpts and illustrations from an online literacy course, designed to help adult learners avoid common grammar mistakes and feel more confident about their writing.
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negatives
A negative is a word or phrase that shows you reject or disagree with something. We use negatives all the time in regular conversation, so a lot of these words should be familiar to you.
Can't, don't, and won't are all common negatives (as well as isn't, doesn't, and not). Words like never and nobody are negatives too—they just express disagreement in a different way.
Negative doesn't necessarily mean that something is bad or that you have a negative attitude. It just means you're negating something—in other words, stating that the opposite is true. You could be referring to anything: good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant.
Using negatives
Many negatives are simply the opposite of words we already know. When writing a negative, start with a basic verb, then add the word not. You can write the words separately or as a contraction.
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Abbreviations and acronyms
Abbreviations and acronyms are shorter versions of existing words and phrases. They're designed to save time and take up less space (whether you're typing or writing by hand), and can even make your writing easier to read.
What is an abbreviation?
Abbreviations are all around us, from common titles like Dr. and Prof. to the abbreviations you see on street signs. Specifically, abbreviations are shorter spellings of words and expressions we use every day.
What is an acronym?
You might already know some acronyms, like NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and ATM (automated teller machine). An acronym is a stand-in for a string of words, usually an organization name, slogan, or something else equally wordy. Unlike abbreviations, they aren't shorter spellings of words—they're made up of the words' initials.
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Commas
A comma is a punctuation mark that can be used in many different ways. Mainly, it's used to separate things—for instance, two thoughts in a sentence, multiple adjectives, or items in a list.
There are many rules that tell us how commas should be used, but don't let it scare you. With a little practice, it'll start to feel like second nature. Some rules are set in stone. They work the same way every time, so you don't have to think about them too much. Other rules are more complicated. In these cases, you have to understand the meaning of the sentence to know when and where to use the comma.
Using commas
The basic rules for using commas are pretty foolproof. In other words, they're easy to apply to your writing because they always work the same way. You don't have to worry about any special exceptions or wonder where the comma is supposed to go. Each rule tells you exactly what to do.
Joining two sentences
You already know how to join two sentences using conjunctions like and, or, but, and so. We do it all the time in regular conversation, if not in writing.
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