Checklist

	      WRITE CORRECTLY!  A CHECKLIST

This is a short and quite basic checklist for the form
of your written compositions. Before you hand in a written
 work, always use this checklist!

1. Do subject and verb correlate? "He runs" but "they run".
The rule is: "s" on the verb a) third person, b) singular and c) present tense.

2. Tenses. If you start telling  a story in the past
 tense, you must remain in that tense! "He opened the
door when the phone rang. He was nervous" 

3. Irregular verbs and regular verbs. Regular verbs are
 no problem. They always form the past tense with -ed.
 The irregular ones are completely crazy: there are no
rules! "put-put-put, ring-rang-rung or throw-threw-thrown."

4. The progressive form. Do not overuse it! You should
use it when you want to emphasize that the activity is
 going on right now: "I’m standing outside the building
right now. I can see two men entering the house"

5. Word order. English generally keeps the traditional
word order subject + verb at all times whereas Swedish
doesn’t. Compare "Igår var jag här" and "Yesterday I was
 here."

6. Adjectives and adverbs. Adjectives describe things and
 often come after the verb "be", and adverbs describe other
 verbs. "The car is quick" and "The car drives quickly".
 Most adverbs end with -"ly".

7. Spelling rules. Few rules work but here is a good one:
If the letter before the "y" is a vowel = just add the "s"
or "ed" : play - plays - played. If the letter before the
"y" is a consonant = use "ie" instead of "y" before you add
 the ending: carry - carries - carried

8. Capital letter. If you are uncertain of the use please
consult MEG chapter 11. (English, Monday, November...)

9. It/there. Swedish "det" is translated either with "it"
or "there". If you can say "det finns" as well as "det är"
you should use "there". Otherwise "it". This is a simplified
 rule but works quite well.

10. Tricky little fellows. Below is a list of often small
words that cause writers of English a lot of trouble because
 they are so easy to mix up. What do they mean? If you are
the least uncertain about the spelling - look it up!

it's     its        then     than     their       there
there's    theirs    to    two    too   throw   through
tough    thorough   his     he's   your   you're   yours
which    witch   with   who   whose   who's    these   this
   boy    boy's   boys   boys'    we're    where     quit
quiet   quite    hole   whole