Let Dr. Mike Zizzi teach you to uplift your world via truly *authentic* writing (and speaking! and listening!) We need more of YOUR voice (not AI's).
Welcome back. In the prior post, labeled Stage 2-c, we explored — and in some ways exploded — the idea of any universally proper sentence length. I hope that essay helped you to take an interesting and useful step along our Stage 2 pathway. We now move to the next lesson, Stage 2-d, where we…
We have learned, in Stage 1, that — in English grammar — every complete sentence must include, as its essential component, a main clause (MC), which combines a subject (S) – what we are talking about – and its predicate (P) – what the subject is 1) being, 2) having, or 3) doing. This pair–that-makes–one,…
Read More “Stage 2-a: From “Simple” to “Surprise Me” – Introduction” »
By now, you know all about main clauses (MCs) — also commonly known as independent clauses — and you understand them not just as grammatical factoids, but as a team that, together, constitutes the sentence’s very essense. Something (that you named) either does, has, or is something (according to you). It’s that simple, ha ha….
Read More “Stage 2-b: Across the muck . . . we need *stepping stones*!” »
As you know by now, I cherish authenticity — such that things you say could have been said by you, only. For example, just to show my own authenticity, including my poetic leanings, I might re-arrange those opening eight words like this: “As you, by now, know, I cherish authenticity . . .” (hear the…
From “rules” to “resources“ All over this website/blog, you will find me interpreting grammar rules and proposing ways to utilize the “rules” as “resources.” And understanding these resources opens up options to help you communicate with free and authentic self-expression. The better you understand the grammar rules, the better you understand your writing resources. With…
Forget the cute cliché: Less, usually, is . . . LESS! Unfortunately, most people (maybe you, at least until now!) want any and all written “explanations,” including grammatical, “brief and to the point.” But that just leaves you only partially understanding things, which can cause more problems than it fixes. Sometimes people “half-understand” a new…
Here’s a grammar lesson to help you to better understand adverbs so that you can use them confidently and correctly. You can see how I put into bold italics the -ly at the end of those two adverbs in the prior sentence. Well, that just gets us started. To learn more about adverbs, including how…
Read More “Adverbs – Do they make you feel bad — or badly?” »
Stage 1-a: The Essence of a Sentence – “Introduction” As I will remind you elsewhere (sorry to nag, but it’s vitally important), your learning will benefit greatly if you read and study my system — all three “stages” — in their sequential order. So start here, then work your way through all the Stage 1…
Read More “Stage 1-a: “The Essence of a Sentence” – Introduction” »
You say you want a “revelation” . . . Apologies to John Lennon, but you, Reader-student, are now about to emerge out of the “Helter Skelter” of your piecemeal knowledge of grammar. And, to get started on the transformation, you can, right now, dig in to the first “stage” of my three-stage program of learning…
Read More “Stage 1-b: What “one thing” does every sentence need?” »
Subjects and predicates — “simple” or “complete”? While we’re defining technical grammatical terms, let me point out that subjects and predicates, both, come in two forms: simple and complete. That’s a pretty minor technicality, but understanding the difference will soon prove helpful. So let’s differentiate. The simple forms of both subject (S) and predicate (P)…
Read More “Stage 1-c: “Simple” vs. “complete” subjects & predicates” »