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).
Rules were meant for . . . bending? All over this website/blog, you will find me interpreting grammar rules and proposing ways to not just “adhere to the rules, dammit! That’s why they’re called rules, dammit!”, but to utilize the rules as resources. And understanding these resources reveals options to help you communicate with free…
Forget the 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 (to…
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 S and P boil down…
Read More “Stage 1-c: “Simple” vs. “complete” subjects & predicates” »
Q: Are there exceptions to this “foundational” rule? A: Yes. Before we move on to Stage 2, where we will explore the possibilities (and rules) regarding using more than one main clause in your sentences, let me point out right now that English grammar allows for several quite-common exceptions to our foundational (and I might even…
Read More “Stage 1-f: Exceptions to the rule (that MCs are “essential”)” »