Archive for the 'Valuable Links' Category

Use of Brackets

Tuesday, January 16th, 2007

Brackets are used for a number of purposes:
Use #1: Sometimes, you may wish to clarify or add to an original quote. Put words that are being added to an original quote within brackets.
Example:
Original: She said, “I found their services invaluable.”
Amended: She said, “I found their [IT] services invaluable.”
Always put the changes in brackets, not parentheses. [...]

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Effect vs. Affect

Wednesday, January 10th, 2007

Knowing whether to use effect or affect may not qualify you as a genius, but you will be demonstrating an understanding about a grammar issue most people find perplexing. I trust that the strategies offered here will clear up any confusion you have had.
Rule: Use the verb effect when you mean bring about or brought [...]

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Rules Do Change

Friday, December 1st, 2006

Spacing after Periods, Colons, Question Marks, and Exclamation Marks
Originally, typewriters had monospaced fonts, so two spaces after ending punctuation marks such as the period were used to make the text more legible. However, most computer fonts present no difficulty with proportion or legibility, so use just one space after a period, colon, question mark, or [...]

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Apostrophes

Wednesday, November 1st, 2006

When asked what the most common English usage error is, I don’t have to think hard. The “winning” mistake is the misuse of the apostrophe, especially with its/it’s.
First, let’s get rid of a myth: There is no such thing as its’. Why? Because its’ would be meaningless. If its’ existed, it would be indicating plural [...]

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Using Commas, Semicolons, and Colons within Sentences

Sunday, October 1st, 2006

Punctuation within sentences can be tricky; however, if you know just a few of the following rules, you will be well on your way to becoming a polished writer and proofreader.
Rule: Use a comma between two long, independent clauses when conjunctions such as and, or, but, for, nor connect them.
Example: I have painted the [...]

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Become a Better Writer Instantly

Friday, September 1st, 2006

Here are some tricks of the editing trade that will make your writing look more polished instantly.
Trick #1: Use concrete rather than vague language.
Example of vague language: The weather was of an extreme nature.
Example of concrete language: Thunderstorms tore open the sky, bringing a deluge of rain.
Which sentence would make you want to continue reading?
Trick [...]

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Lie vs. Lay

Tuesday, August 1st, 2006

You will impress your family and friends with your grammar skills if you can distinguish between lie and lay. These words confuse even the best editors, so you pretty much have to memorize a chart and then practice to build your confidence.
Lie vs. Lay Chart

Present

Past

Past Participle
(used with forms of have)

To recline

lie, lying

lay

has/have/had lain

To put or [...]

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Who vs. Whom

Monday, May 1st, 2006

Let’s crack the code for who and whom. It is easier than you might imagine. In addition, I will give you the technique for learning when to use whoever vs. whomever. The following are informal methods rather than rules; however, they really work!
Rule: Use who when you could replace it with he.
Example: Who/whom [...]

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I vs. Me

Saturday, April 1st, 2006

You don’t need to learn how to diagram a sentence to be able to learn the rules of grammar and punctuation. Let me help you use pronouns correctly without any unnecessary jargon.
First, let’s define a pronoun: a pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. We can divide pronouns into three categories:
Subject [...]

Finding Subjects and Verbs

Grammar Table of Contents: Finding Subjects and Verbs Subject and Verb Agreement Pronouns Who and Whom Whoever and Whomever Who vs. Which vs. That Adjectives and Adverbs Problems with Prepositions Effective Writing

NOTE: We will use the convention of a thin underline for subjects and a thick underline for verbs.

Being able to find the right subject and verb will help you correct errors of agreement.

Example:

The list of items is/are on the desk.

Being able to identify the subject and verb correctly will also help you with commas and semicolons as you will see later.

Definition. A Verb is a word that shows action (runs, hits, slides) or state of being (is, are, was, were, am, and so on).

Examples:

He ran around the block. You are my friend.

Rule 1. If a verb follows to, it is called an infinitive phrase and is not the main verb. You will find the main verb either before or after the infinitive phrase. Examples: I like to walk. The efforts to get her elected succeeded.

Definition. A Subject is the noun or pronoun that performs the verb.

Example:

The woman hurried. Woman is the subject.

Rule 2. A subject will come before a phrase beginning with of. Example: A bouquet of yellow roses will lend color and fragrance to the room.

Rule 3. To find the subject and verb, always find the verb first. Then ask who or what performed the verb. Examples: The jet engine passed inspection. Passed is the verb. Who or what passed? The engine, so engine is the subject. If you included the word jet as the subject, lightning will not strike you. Technically, jet is an adjective here and is part of what is known as the complete subject. From the ceiling hung the chandelier. The verb is hung. Now, if you think ceiling is the subject, slow down. Ask who or what hung. The answer is chandelier, not ceiling. Therefore, chandelier is the subject.

Rule 4. Any request or command such as "Stop!" or "Walk quickly." has the understood subject you because if we ask who is to stop or walk quickly, the answer must be you. Example: (You) Please bring me some coffee. Bring is the verb. Who is to do the bringing? You understood.

Rule 5.	Sentences often have more than one subject, more than one verb, or pairs of subjects and verbs.
	Examples:	I like cake and he likes ice cream. Two pairs of subjects and verbs
		He and I like cake. Two subjects and one verb
		She lifts weights and jogs daily. One subject and two verbs

Subject and Verb Agreement

Grammar Table of Contents: Finding Subjects and Verbs Subject and Verb Agreement Pronouns Who and Whom Whoever and Whomever Who vs. Which vs. That Adjectives and Adverbs Problems with Prepositions Effective Writing

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Basic Rule. The basic rule states that a singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb. NOTE: The trick is in knowing whether the subject is singular or plural. The next trick is recognizing a singular or plural verb. Hint: Verbs do not form their plurals by adding an s as nouns do. In order to determine which verb is singular and which one is plural, think of which verb you would use with he or she and which verb you would use with they. Example: talks, talk Which one is the singular form? Which word would you use with he? We say, "He talks." Therefore, talks is singular. We say, "They talk." Therefore, talk is plural.

Rule 1. Two singular subjects connected by or or nor require a singular verb. Example: My aunt or my uncle is arriving by train today.

Rule 2. Two singular subjects connected by either/or or neither/nor require a singular verb as in Rule 1. Examples: Neither Juan nor Carmen is available. Either Kiana or Casey is helping today with stage decorations.

Rule 3. When I is one of the two subjects connected by either/or or neither/nor, put it second and follow it with the singular verb am. Example: Neither she nor I am going to the festival.

Rule 4. When a singular subject is connected by or or nor to a plural subject, put the plural subject last and use a plural verb. Example: The serving bowl or the plates go on that shelf.

Rule 5. When a singular and plural subject are connected by either/or or neither/nor, put the plural subject last and use a plural verb. Example: Neither Jenny nor the others are available.

Rule 6. As a general rule, use a plural verb with two or more subjects when they are connected by and. Example: A car and a bike are my means of transportation.

Rule 7. Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by words such as along with, as well as, besides, or not. Ignore these expressions when determining whether to use a singular or plural verb. Examples: The politician, along with the newsmen, is expected shortly. Excitement, as well as nervousness, is the cause of her shaking.

Rule 8. The pronouns each, everyone, every one, everybody, anyone, anybody, someone, and somebody are singular and require singular verbs. Do not be misled by what follows of. Examples: Each of the girls sings well. Every one of the cakes is gone. NOTE: Everyone is one word when it means everybody. Every one is two words when the meaning is each one.

Rule 9. With words that indicate portions—percent, fraction, part, majority, some, all, none, remainder, and so forth —look at the noun in your of phrase (object of the preposition) to determine whether to use a singular or plural verb. If the object of the preposition is singular, use a singular verb. If the object of the preposition is plural, use a plural verb. Examples: Fifty percent of the pie has disappeared. Pie is the object of the preposition of. Fifty percent of the pies have disappeared. Pies is the object of the preposition. One-third of the city is unemployed. One-third of the people are unemployed. NOTE: Hyphenate all spelled-out fractions. All of the pie is gone. All of the pies are gone. Some of the pie is missing. Some of the pies are missing. None of the garbage was picked up. None of the sentences were punctuated correctly. Of all her books, none have sold as well as the first one.

NOTE: Apparently, the SAT testing service considers none as a singular word only. However, according to Merriam Webster's Dictionary of English Usage, "Clearly none has been both singular and plural since Old English and still is. The notion that it is singular only is a myth of unknown origin that appears to have arisen in the 19th century. If in context it seems like a singular to you, use a singular verb; if it seems like a plural, use a plural verb. Both are acceptable beyond serious criticism" (p. 664).

Rule 10. When either and neither are subjects, they always take singular verbs. Examples: Neither of them is available to speak right now. Either of us is capable of doing the job.

Rule 11. The words here and there have generally been labeled as adverbs even though they indicate place. In sentences beginning with here or there, the subject follows the verb. Examples: There are four hurdles to jump. There is a high hurdle to jump.

Rule 12. Use a singular verb with sums of money or periods of time. Examples: Ten dollars is a high price to pay. Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense.

Rule 13. Sometimes the pronoun who, that, or which is the subject of a verb in the middle of the sentence. The pronouns who, that, and which become singular or plural according to the noun directly in front of them. So, if that noun is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb. Examples: Salma is the scientist who writes/write the reports. The word in front of who is scientist, which is singular. Therefore, use the singular verb writes. He is one of the men who does/do the work. The word in front of who is men, which is plural. Therefore, use the plural verb do.

Rule 14.	Collective nouns such as team and staff may be either singular or plural depending on their use in the sentence.
	Examples:	The staff is in a meeting. Staff is acting as a unit here.
		The staff are in disagreement about the findings. The staff are acting as separate individuals in this example.
		The sentence would read even better as: The staff members are in disagreement about the findings.

Pronouns

Grammar Table of Contents: Finding Subjects and Verbs Subject and Verb Agreement Pronouns Who and Whom Whoever and Whomever Who vs. Which vs. That Adjectives and Adverbs Problems with Prepositions Effective Writing

Definition. - A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. Pronouns can be in one of three cases: Subject, Object, or Possessive.

Rule 1. Subject pronouns are used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence. You can remember subject pronouns easily by filling in the blank subject space for a simple sentence. Example: ______ did the job. I, you, he, she, it, we, and they all fit into the blank and are, therefore, subject pronouns.

Rule 2. Subject pronouns are also used if they rename the subject. They follow to be verbs such as is, are, was, were, am, and will be. Examples: It is he. This is she speaking. It is we who are responsible for the decision to downsize. NOTE: In spoken English, most people tend to follow to be verbs with object pronouns. Many English teachers support (or at least have given in to) this distinction between written and spoken English. Example: It could have been them. Better: It could have been they. Example: It is just me at the door. Better: It is just I at the door.

Rule 3. Object pronouns are used everywhere else (direct object, indirect object, object of the preposition). Object pronouns are me, you, him, her, it, us, and them. Examples: Jean talked to him. Are you talking to me?

To be able to choose pronouns correctly, you must learn to identify clauses. A clause is a group of words containing a verb and subject.

Rule 4a. A strong clause can stand on its own. Examples: She is hungry. I am feeling well today.

Rule 4b. A weak clause begins with words such as although, since, if, when, and because. Weak clauses cannot stand on their own. Examples: Although she is hungry... If she is hungry... Since I am feeling well...

Rule 4c. If a sentence contains more than one clause, isolate the clauses so that you can decide which pronoun is correct. Examples: Weak Strong [Although she is hungry,] [she will give him some of her food.] [Although this gift is for him,] [I would like you to have it too.]

Rule 5. To decide whether to use the subject or object pronoun after the words than or as, mentally complete the sentence. Examples: Tranh is as smart as she/her. If we mentally complete the sentence, we would say, "Tranh is as smart as she is." Therefore, she is the correct answer. Zoe is taller than I/me. Mentally completing the sentence, we have, "Zoe is taller than I am." Daniel would rather talk to her than I/me. We can mentally complete this sentence in two ways: "Daniel would rather talk to her than to me." OR "Daniel would rather talk to her than I would." As you can see, the meaning will change depending on the pronoun you choose.

Rule 6. Possessive pronouns show ownership and never need apostrophes. Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs NOTE The only time it's has an apostrophe is when it is a contraction for it is or it has. Examples: It's a cold morning. The thermometer reached its highest reading.

Rule 7.	Reflexive pronouns - myself, himself, herself, itself, themselves, ourselves, yourself, yourselves- should be used only when they refer back to another word in the sentence.
	Correct:	I worked myself to the bone.
	Incorrect:	My brother and myself did it. The word myself does not refer back to another word.
	Correct:	My brother and I did it.
	Incorrect:	Please give it to John or myself.
	Correct:	Please give it to John or me.

Who vs. Whom

Grammar Table of Contents: Finding Subjects and Verbs Subject and Verb Agreement Pronouns Who and Whom Whoever and Whomever Who vs. Which vs. That Adjectives and Adverbs Problems with Prepositions Effective Writing

Rule.	Use the he/him method to decide which word is correct. he = who him = whom
	Examples:	Who/Whom wrote the letter? He wrote the letter. Therefore, who is correct.
		For who/whom should I vote? Should I vote for him? Therefore, whom is correct.
		We all know who/whom pulled that prank. This sentence contains two clauses: We all know and who/whom pulled that prank. We are interested in the second clause because it contains the who/whom. He pulled that prank. Therefore, who is correct. (Are you starting to sound like a hooting owl yet?)
		We want to know on who/whom the prank was pulled. This sentence contains two clauses: We want to know and the prank was pulled on who/whom. Again, we are interested in the second clause because it contains the who/whom. The prank was pulled on him. Therefore, whom is correct.

Whoever vs. Whomever

Grammar Table of Contents: Finding Subjects and Verbs Subject and Verb Agreement Pronouns Who and Whom Whoever and Whomever Who vs. Which vs. That Adjectives and Adverbs Problems with Prepositions Effective Writing

Rule 1. To determine whether to use whoever or whomever, here is the rule: him + he = whoever him + him = whomever Examples: Give it to whoever/whomever asks for it first. Give it to him. He asks for it first. Therefore, Give it to whoever asks for it first. We will hire whoever/whomever you recommend. We will hire him. You recommend him. him + him = whomever We will hire whoever/whomever is most qualified. We will hire him. He is most qualified. him + he = whoever

Rule 2.	When the entire whoever/whomever clause is the subject of the verb that follows the clause, look inside the clause to determine whether to use whoever or whomever.
	Examples:	Whoever is elected will serve a four-year term. Whoever is elected is the subject of will serve. Whoever is the subject of is.
		Whomever you elect will serve a four-year term. Whomever you elect is the subject of will serve. Whomever is the object of you elect.

That vs. Which

Grammar Table of Contents: Finding Subjects and Verbs Subject and Verb Agreement Pronouns Who and Whom Whoever and Whomever Who vs. Which vs. That Adjectives and Adverbs Problems with Prepositions Effective Writing

Rule 1. Who refers to people. That and which refer to groups or things. Examples: Anya is the one who rescued the bird. Lokua is on the team that won first place. She belongs to an organization that specializes in saving endangered species.

Rule 2. That introduces essential clauses while which introduces nonessential clauses. Examples: I do not trust products that claim "all natural ingredients" because this phrase can mean almost anything. We would not know which products were being discussed without the that clause. The product claiming "all natural ingredients," which appeared in the Sunday newspaper, is on sale. The product is already identified. Therefore, which begins a nonessential clause. NOTE: Essential clauses do not have commas surrounding them while nonessential clauses are surrounded by commas.

Rule 3.	If this, that, these, or those has already introduced an essential clause, you may use which to introduce the next clause, whether it is essential or nonessential.
	Examples:	That is a decision which you must live with for the rest of your life.
		Those ideas, which we've discussed thoroughly enough, do not need to be addressed again.
	NOTE:	Often, you can streamline your sentence by leaving out which.
	Example:	That is a decision which you must live with for the rest of your life.
	Better:	That is a decision you must live with for the rest of your life.

Adjectives and Adverbs

Grammar Table of Contents: Finding Subjects and Verbs Subject and Verb Agreement Pronouns Who and Whom Whoever and Whomever Who vs. Which vs. That Adjectives and Adverbs Problems with Prepositions Effective Writing

Definition - Adjectives are words that describe nouns or pronouns. They may come before the word they describe (That is a cute puppy.) or they may follow the word they describe (That puppy is cute.).

Definition - Adverbs are words that modify everything but nouns and pronouns. They modify adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs. A word is an adverb if it answers how, when, or where.

The only adverbs that cause grammatical problems are those that answer the question how, so focus on these. Examples: He speaks slowly. Answers the question how. He speaks very slowly. Answers the question how slowly.

Rule 1. Generally, if a word answers the question how, it is an adverb. If it can have an -ly added to it, place it there. Examples: She thinks slow/slowly. She thinks how? slowly. She is a slow/slowly thinker. Slow does not answer how, so no -ly is attached. Slow is an adjective here. She thinks fast/fastly. Fast answers the question how, so it is an adverb. But fast never has an -ly attached to it. We performed bad/badly. Badly describes how we performed.

Rule 2. A special -ly rule applies when four of the senses - taste, smell, look, feel - are the verbs. Do not ask if these senses answer the question how to determine if -ly should be attached. Instead, ask if the sense verb is being used actively. If so, use the -ly. Examples: Roses smell sweet/sweetly. Do the roses actively smell with noses? No, so no -ly. The woman looked angry/angrily. Did the woman actively look with eyes or are we describing her appearance? We are only describing appearance, so no -ly. The woman looked angry/angrily at the paint splotches. Here the woman did actively look with eyes, so the -ly is added. She feels bad/badly about the news. She is not feeling with fingers, so no -ly.

Good vs. Well

Rule 3. The word good is an adjective, while well is an adverb. Examples: You did a good job. Good describes the job. You did the job well. Well answers how. You smell good today. Describes your odor, not how you smell with your nose, so follow with the adjective. You smell well for someone with a cold. You are actively smelling with a nose here, so follow with the adverb.

Rule 4. When referring to health, use well rather than good. Examples: I do not feel well. You do not look well today. NOTE: You may use good with feel when you are not referring to health. Example: I feel good about my decision to learn Spanish.

Rule 5. A common error in using adjectives and adverbs arises from using the wrong form for comparison. For instance, to describe one thing we would say poor, as in, "She is poor." To compare two things, we should say poorer, as in, "She is the poorer of the two women." To compare more than two things, we should say poorest, as in, "She is the poorest of them all." Examples: One Two Three or More sweet sweeter sweetest bad worse worst efficient* more efficient* most efficient* *Usually with words of three or more syllables, don't add -er or -est. Use more or most in front of the words.

Rule 6. Never drop the -ly from an adverb when using the comparison form. Correct: She spoke quickly. She spoke more quickly than he did. Incorrect: She spoke quicker than he did. Correct: Talk quietly. Talk more quietly. Incorrect: Talk quieter.

Rule 7. When this, that, these, and those are followed by nouns, they are adjectives. When they appear without a noun following them, they are pronouns. Examples: This house is for sale. This is an adjective here. This is for sale. This is a pronoun here.

Rule 8. This and that are singular, whether they are being used as adjectives or as pronouns. This points to something nearby while that points to something "over there." Examples: This dog is mine. That dog is hers. This is mine. That is hers.

Rule 9. These and those are plural, whether they are being used as adjectives or as pronouns. These points to something nearby while those points to something "over there." Examples: These babies have been smiling for a long time. These are mine. Those babies have been crying for hours. Those are yours.

Rule 10.	Use than to show comparison. Use then to answer the question when.
	Examples:	I would rather go skiing than rock climbing.
		First we went skiing; then we went rock climbing.

Problems with Prepositions

Grammar Table of Contents: Finding Subjects and Verbs Subject and Verb Agreement Pronouns Who and Whom Whoever and Whomever Who vs. Which vs. That Adjectives and Adverbs Problems with Prepositions Effective Writing

Rule 1. You may end a sentence with a preposition. Just do not use extra prepositions when the meaning is clear without them. Examples: Correct: That is something I cannot agree with. That is something with which I cannot agree. Correct: Where did he go? Incorrect: Where did he go to? Correct: Where did you get this? Incorrect: Where did you get this at? Correct: I will go later. Incorrect: I will go later on. Correct: Take your shoes off the bed. Incorrect: Take your shoes off of the bed. Correct: You may look out the window. Incorrect: You may look out of the window. Correct: Cut it into small pieces. Incorrect: Cut it up into small pieces.

Rule 2. Use on with expressions that indicate the time of an occurrence. Examples: He was born on December 23. We will arrive on the fourth.

Rule 3. Of should never be used in place of have. Correct: I should have done it. Incorrect: I should of done it.

Rule 4. Between refers to two. Among is used for three or more. Examples: Divide the candy between the two of you. Divide the candy among the three of you.

Rule 5.	The word like may be used as a preposition and in informal writing, as a conjunction. In formal writing, use as, as if, or as though rather than like as the conjunction.
	Examples:	Prepositional usage You look so much like your mother.
		Conjunction usage You look like you are angry. OR You look as if you are angry.

Effective Writing

Grammar Table of Contents: Finding Subjects and Verbs Subject and Verb Agreement Pronouns Who and Whom Whoever and Whomever Who vs. Which vs. That Adjectives and Adverbs Problems with Prepositions Effective Writing

Rule 1. Use concrete rather than vague language. Examples: Vague: The weather was of an extreme nature on the west coast. Concrete: California had very cold weather last week.

Rule 2. Use active voice whenever possible. Active voice means the subject is performing the verb. Examples: Active: Barry hit the ball. Passive: The ball was hit. Notice that the responsible party may not even appear when using passive voice.

Rule 3. Avoid overusing there is, there are, it is, it was, and so on. Example: There is a case of meningitis that was reported in the newspaper. Correction: A case of meningitis was reported in the newspaper. Even Better: The newspaper reported a case of meningitis. (Active voice) Example: It is important to signal before making a left turn. Correction: Signaling before making a left turn is important. OR Signaling before a left turn is important. OR You should signal before making a left turn. (Active voice) Example: There are some revisions which must be made. Correction: Some revisions must be made. Even Better: Please make some revisions. (Active voice)

Rule 4. To avoid confusion, don't use two negatives to make a positive. Incorrect: He is not unwilling to help. Correct: He is willing to help.

Rule 5. Use similar grammatical form when offering several ideas. This is called parallel construction. Correct: You should check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Incorrect: You should check your spelling, grammar, and punctuating.

Rule 6. If you start a sentence with an action, place the actor immediately after or you will have created the infamous dangling modifier. Incorrect: While walking across the street, the bus hit her. Correct: While walking across the street, she was hit by a bus. OR She was hit by a bus while walking across the street.

Rule 7. Place modifiers near the words they modify. Incorrect: I have some pound cake Mollie baked in my lunch bag. Correct: In my lunch bag, I have some pound cake that Mollie baked.

Rule 8.	A sentence fragment occurs when you have only a phrase or weak clause but are missing a strong clause.
	Example of Sentence Fragment:	After the show ended.
	Example of Sentence:	After the show ended, we had coffee.