Making Sure Pronouns Agree in Number

This week’s grammar tip is to make sure that your pronouns agree in number.

First, let’s review what a pronoun is. A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun (a person, place or thing). For example, “he” would be a pronoun for Catherine’s brother “John.”

Since a pronoun should be able to stand for the noun that precedes it, the pronoun and the noun should agree in number. If the noun is plural, the pronoun should be plural. If the noun is singular, the pronoun should be singular.

In casual speech, pronoun usage when it comes to number agreement is often incorrect. For example:

If anyone wants to claim this ticket, they have to visit my desk now.

A grammatically correct way to word this sentence (even though it may sound a little awkward) would be:

If anyone wants to claim this ticket, he or she has to visit my desk now.

“Anyone” refers to ONE person, not several; therefore the pronoun must also refer to ONE person.

Nouns that you should be careful pairing with pronouns include anyone, nobody and everyone, because they are singular. It might feel natural to pair these words with plural pronouns like their or they, but this is incorrect!

More examples:

Incorrect: My neighbor always leaves their cat outside on my lawn.
Correct: My neighbor always leaves her cat outside on my lawn. (Let's assume that I know my neighbor is a she.)

Incorrect: If a student takes the exam on Friday, they’ll have to wait until Wednesday to receive the grade.
Correct: If a student takes the exam on Friday, he or she will have to wait until Wednesday to receive the grade.

Lose vs. Loose

Lose and loose are two words that are often misused in place of one another. Perhaps the source of confusion is that lose is a verb and loose, while sometimes an adjective, can also be a verb.

Let’s examine the differences between them.

Lose is a verb. A few common definitions are:

• to come to be without (something in one's possession or care), through accident, theft, etc., so that there is little or no prospect of recovery.
• to suffer the deprivation of.
• to fail to win (a prize, stake, etc.).

Examples of the correct usage of lose:

• Allie didn’t want to lose her place in line.
• Carmen lost her mother in a car accident in 1997.
• Sharon knew that her basketball team was going to lose the tournament on Saturday.

Loose can be an adjective or a verb.

Some common definitions of the adjective loose are:

• free or released from fastening or attachment.
• free from anything that binds or restrains.
• not put up in a package or other container.
• not firm, taut, or rigid.

Examples of the correct usage of the adjective loose are:

• The eggs in the “local farms” area of the supermarket are loose; I pick which ones I want and later place them in a carton.
• The bolt on the wheel was loose; I was afraid the wheel would come off the bike.

Some common definitions of the verb loose are:

• to let loose; free from bonds or restraint.
• to release, as from constraint, obligation, or penalty.
• to unfasten, undo, or untie, as a bond, fetter, or knot.
• to make less tight; slacken or relax.

Examples of the correct usage of the verb loose are:

• On Saturday, Jenn let the parrot loose from the aviary.
• My dad loosened the bolt on my bicycle wheel to fix it.

Quick quiz (answers are below — don’t look ahead!):

1. After ____________ (-ing form) a good amount of weight, John found that his pants were ____________.
2. The doves were set ___________ on a sunny day.
3. You’re going to ___________ in this situation unless you tell him the truth.
4. I don’t want to ____________ you as a colleague.
5. He left the screw too ____________, so the frame fell off the wall.

Answers:

1. losing, loose
2. loose
3. lose
4. lose
5. loose

Thanks to www.dictionary.com for the above definitions.

Run-On Sentences

Often it's thought that a run-on sentence is a very long sentence that cannot be spoken in one breath. Not true! A run-on sentence has two or more independent clauses (groups of words that communicate complete thoughts — an independent clause could stand alone as its own sentence) placed together without the correct punctuation. By this definition, a run-on sentence can be very short.

People use run-on sentences when speaking, but by using changes in vocal tone or in tempo (pauses, speaking slower, etc.) the meaning is easily understood. In writing, correct punctuation must be used so that the reader does not become confused.

Run-on sentences can be corrected by:

• Inserting a semicolon between the independent clauses
• Making the clauses two separate sentences
• Inserting a comma and then a conjunction (and, but, or, yet, for, nor or so)

Now, let’s look at some examples and how we might correct them.

(Short) Run-on: That little girl didn’t seem happy she was crying.
Correct Option: That little girl didn’t seem happy; she was crying.

Run-on: Karen was upset with Jenna about what she said however, she appreciated her honesty about the matter.
Correct Option: Karen was upset with Jenna about what she said; however, she appreciated her honesty about the matter.

Run-on: Jessie’s dog was sick this morning, Jessie had a bad day at work.
Correct Option: Jessie’s dog was sick this morning, so Jessie had a bad day at work.

Run-on: I found my keys in my roommate’s purse, she mistook them for hers.
Correct Option: I found my keys in my roommate’s purse. She mistook them for hers.

*It’s important to note that even though a lengthy sentence might not be a run-on sentence, multiple sentences might be easier to understand.

Hyphens: Correct Usage Between Words

In my experience, usage of the hyphen both in formal and informal writing is often haphazard. Sure, it’s possible that your readers will not notice (or care) that your hyphenation is incorrect (or missing), but when it comes to writing in professional situations, your credibility may be at stake.

This Tips & Tricks post will focus on the correct usage of the hyphen when it’s placed in between two words.

Let’s examine some common hyphenation rules and examples to illustrate them:

1. Numbers:
• Compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine:
• The lady who lived in the house at the corner of my street was known to have twenty-three cats.
• Fractions:
• He was out of town on business for about one-fifth of each year.


2. Adjectives that come before a noun and operate as one modifier:
• The right-side window was broken.
• Jerry’s long-awaited promotion offer was given to him on Friday.


3. Compound nouns: In the case of compound nouns, it’s best to check a dictionary (or http://www.dictionary.com/) to see if a compound noun should be two separate words, one whole word (without a hyphen) or hyphenated.
• That new horror movie isn’t for the faint-hearted.
• I borrowed my mom’s hand-held blow dryer when I visited her for the weekend.


4. To provide clarity: In confusing sentences, a hyphen may be used to clarify words that should go together, even though the words are technically separate.
• My first grade school teacher was Mrs. Smith. or My first-grade school teacher was Mrs. Smith.
• I saw thirteen odd dogs. or I saw thirteen-odd dogs.


5. Between the repetition of a letter:
• Her sister lived on a co-op with several friends; they grew and shared produce on land they all owned.
• The snake re-emerged from the pool of mud, and Jake screamed.
• EXCEPTIONS: There are several exceptions to this. For instance, the words overrule and underrate should not be hyphenated.

That vs. Who

Many years ago, a teacher corrected an essay of mine. Since I can’t remember the exact topic of the essay, let’s say I was recounting a dream that I’d had:

“Then, I ran into the woman that had given me the exam.”

Whoops. My teacher crossed out “that” and replaced it with, “who.” In the margin, she wrote, “That refers to objects. Who refers to people.”

Since then, I’ve found myself catching others’ misuse of these two words.

While it’s come to my attention that the English language is actually very forgiving of instances when individuals (whether in writing or in speech) interchange that and who, conventional grammar rules do offer a clear (and easy to remember) distinction.

That refers to objects.

• I liked the shirt that fit me somewhat loosely.
• I applied to a school that was known for its Visual Art program.
• I trained the dog that knows how to “speak.”

Who refers to people.

• She became best friends with the girl who played with her first.
• I’m the one who taught the dog how to “speak.”
• He’s the guy who found my keys at the gym.

See also: That vs. Which.

Like vs. As

This week, let’s examine the confusion between like and as. The words are commonly misused in both speech and writing when comparisons are being made. The trick to determining which word should be used in a situation is to take note of what follows the word.

When making comparisons, the word like is a preposition. A preposition is a word that demonstrates the relationship of a noun to something else (for a detailed explanation about prepositions, please click here to visit English Grammar Revolution).

*Like should be used when a verb does not follow it.

For example:

• Jen was obviously angry and seemed to roar like a lion.
• At six months old, Evan looks just like his father.

*Like compares nouns but does not demonstrate equality. In the first example above, Jen is displaying a mannerism of a lion, but she is not a lion.

The word as should be used as a conjunction. A conjunction is a word that connects words, phrases or sentences.

*As should be used when a phrase with a subject and a verb follows it.

For example:

• When Sara’s mother passed away, her Aunt Jeanine acted as her mother.
• When Clara is reading, it’s as though she is in another world.

*As compares clauses and demonstrates equality. In the first example above, Aunt Jeanine functions as (or, is “equal to”) Sara’s mother.

More Confusing Homonyms: Its vs. It's

Let’s continue last week’s post on homonyms. “Its” and “it’s” are two more confusing homonyms that people, even native speakers of English, commonly misuse for one another. The source of confusion is that English speakers are used to adding 's after a noun to suggest possession of something; however, this isn’t the case with “it’s.”

To put it simply:

• “Its” is the possessive form of “it.” It expresses that “it” possesses, or has or owns something.
• “It’s” is the contraction form of “it is” or “it has.”

A quick check: If you can substitute the word “it is” or “it has,” the word that you should use is “it’s.”

Examples:

Its

• Its capital city was very hectic.
• I found its taste to be a bit too rich.
• I saw that movie on the night of its premiere.
• The dog spent all evening licking its paw.

It’s

• In my opinion, it’s too hot outside to run.
• It’s been a very eventful week.
• The sky looks like it’s going to rain on us!
• Do you think it’s time for us to leave?

Don’t Neglect Proper E-Etiquette

E-mail is now as common in most workplaces as the telephone call. With the wide use of Internet applications such as Facebook and instant messaging, online correspondence is often seen as more casual, but there is proper e-etiquette that can’t be forgotten when conducting business.

The following 10 tips are useful when communicating about official business via e-mail.

1. Treat your e-mail as though you are writing it on letterhead (e.g. address Anne Smith formally as Ms. Smith rather than as Anne) when your relationship with a business contact is still new. Once your relationship begins to feel more relaxed, so can the tone of your e-mails.
   
2. Your subject line should accurately state what your e-mail is about. This will help your contact prioritize their e-mails. Note: Start a new e-mail thread with a new subject line if the subject of your e-mail is going to take a turn from the previous e-mail. Don’t simply hit “reply” if the e-mail isn’t a response about the previous content.
   
3. Don’t use abbreviations. Abbreviations such as “lol,” “idk,” “imo” and “brb” are best left outside of the workplace.
   
4. Avoid writing in all capital letters. SENTENCES WRITTEN LIKE THIS WILL BE READ AS THOUGH YOU ARE SCREAMING.
   
5. Avoid using sarcasm or making jokes. Sarcasm and comical tones don’t always come across as such in e-mail and might be taken offensively.
   
6. Don’t use emoticons (e.g. :) or :(). Emoticons are very informal.
   
7. The “Reply to All” option should only be used when you are sending a response that must reach each person who received the original message. You don’t want to clog your contacts’ e-mail inboxes with messages that don’t concern them.
   
8. Generally speaking, e-mails should be brief. In the busy workplace, longer e-mails should be replaced with telephone calls or meetings.
   
9. Attach any promised attachments. It’s a waste of your and your contact’s time to deal with two e-mails just because you’ve forgotten to include an attachment, even more so if you don’t realize that you’ve forgotten until much later.
   
10. Finally — Never send an e-mail that you haven’t proofread.

Misplaced and Squinting Modifiers

A modifier modifies whatever it’s closest to in a sentence. A misplaced modifier might modify the incorrect thing.

For example, consider the following sentences:
I nearly met all of my sales goals.
I met nearly all of my sales goals.

As the writer, you have to make sure that what you write will be easily understood by the reader. Do you want the reader to think that you were very close to meeting all of your sales goals, or that you met most but not all of your sales goals?

Other examples:

The sun in Florida was hot. (Confusing — is there more than one sun?)
In Florida, the sun was hot. (Clear)

My husband took the newspapers to the bins that were more than a week old. (Confusing — the bins were recyclable?)
My husband took the newspapers that were more than a week old to the bins. (Clear)

A squinting modifier is a modifier that is placed in such a fashion that it could modify either what comes before it or what follows it. Your reader may not know which thing is being modified and will therefore not understand your sentence.

Examples:

He told his daughter eventually the dog would have to go back to its owner. (Confusing — did he tell her eventually, or would the dog eventually have to go?)
He told his daughter the dog would eventually have to go back to its owner. (Clear)

Janice likes that band only because she thinks the guitarist is talented. (Could be confusing — does Janice like only that band, or does she only like the band because of the guitarist?)

Janice only likes that band because she thinks the guitarist is talented. (Clear)

For more information on modifiers, please check our post on Dangling Modifiers.

Double Negatives

A double negative is the improper placement of two negative words in the same sentence. Most of the time, the user of a double negative intends to make a negative statement, but two negatives form a positive statement. One negative and one positive form a negative statement.

Examples of negative words include no, not, nobody, hardly, barely and none.

The following sentences are examples of double negatives and what the sentences are actually implying. The negative words in the original sentence are indicated in bold.

• I didn’t see nobody. = I saw somebody.
• I barely ate none of it. = I ate a lot of it.
• She didn’t need no one to help her. = She needed someone to help her.

The original sentences make positive statements because two negatives cancel each other out.

The following sentences are the incorrect sentences above rewritten correctly. The negative words are indicated in bold. The positive words are indicated in italics.

• I didn’t see anybody.
• I barely ate any of it.
• She didn’t need anyone to help her.

The sentences make negative statements because of the placement of one negative and one positive.

I Vs. Me

The pronouns “I” and “me” are often confused in writing and in common speech. “I” should be used as the subject in sentences and “me” should be used as the object in sentences.

“I” is a subject pronoun. It is the person performing the action.

For example: Michelle and I visited the local high school to conduct the experiment.

“I” visited the local high school with Michelle.

“Me” is an object pronoun. It is the person the action is done to.

For example: The local high school contacted Michelle and me about the experiment.

The school is the subject, and the school contacted “me.”

A good test is to see if the sentence makes sense when written or spoken with just the pronoun.

For example: The local high school contacted me.

You wouldn’t say: The local high school contacted I.

More examples:

• Incorrect: The taxi drove Leslie and I to the airport.
• Correct: The taxi drove Leslie and me to the airport.
  
  
• Incorrect: Alisha and me felt like taking a walk at 4:00.
• Correct: Alisha and I felt like taking a walk at 4:00.
  
  
• Incorrect: My dad loves my sister and I.
• Correct: My dad loves my sister and me.

Parallelism

In writing, a parallel structure demonstrates that two or more ideas or items in a list are of equal importance. Parallelism is accomplished by beginning each idea or item with the same part of speech.

For example:

On Saturday, Jeanine wanted to visit her mother, mow the lawn and the dog needed a bath. NON-PARALLEL

The first two of Jeanine’s desires begin with verbs. Readers would trip over the last desire in this sentence. The following example uses parallelism and is much easier to understand.

On Saturday, Jeanine wanted to visit her mother, mow the lawn and bathe the dog. PARALLEL

Using parallelism makes it easier for your reader to understand what you are trying to convey; mixing forms risks misunderstanding.

More examples:

• During the soccer tournament, Adam played quickly, excitedly and he was very happy. NON-PARALLEL
• During the soccer tournament, Adam played quickly, excitedly and happily. PARALLEL
  

• Carla is enthusiastic, hard-working and is a nice person. NON-PARALLEL
• Carla is enthusiastic, hard-working and friendly. PARALLEL
  

• Over the weekend, Kevin bought a new MacBook Pro online, two software programs, and arranged for free shipping. NON-PARALLEL
• Over the weekend, Kevin bought a new MacBook Pro online, ordered two software programs, and arranged for free shipping. PARALLEL

Quotation Mark Usage

In the workplace, correct usage of quotation marks is essential. Today, you’ll get a basic overview of quotation mark usage.

Quotation marks are called for in the following situations:

• To note someone else’s exact written or spoken words. **Remember that quotation marks indicate that the words within the quotes are exactly what the person said — word-for-word.
• Shelly said, “I would never do that in one million years.”


• To note the title of short works or smaller parts of a bigger work. Short works include songs, book chapters, poems, articles, short stories and essays.
• “Wild Horses”: A song by the Rolling Stones

Remember the following tips about quotation mark usage:

• In the workplace or in research writing, it is crucial that your quotes are exact. Otherwise, you may state what someone wrote or said with an indirect quote.
• Direct quote: Carol said, “I absolutely hate this restaurant.”
• Indirect quote: Carol said that she didn’t like the restaurant.


• Always make sure that you provide closing quotation marks for every quote.


• Commas and periods should always be inserted before the closing quotation mark.
• Stacy said, “Insert a period at the end of that sentence.”


• Exclamation points and question marks should always be inserted after the closing quotation mark, unless they are part of the quotation.
• “Do you believe his luck?” Robin asked me after the lottery drawing.


• Colons and semicolons should always be inserted after the closing quotation mark, unless they are part of the quotation.
• If you remember one thing about what your father said today, let it be, “Don’t let negative people get the best of you”; but I understand that sometimes that’s easier said than done.


• When you need to use quotation marks within a quote, you should use single quotation marks for the interior quote.
• “I don’t usually listen to the Beach Boys but I do like their song ‘Feel Flows’ a lot,” Mike said.

Compound Sentences and the Comma vs. the Semicolon

When joining two independent clauses (or two sentences, or two complete thoughts), you’ll need to determine whether to use a comma or a semicolon.

When using a comma, one of these coordinating conjunctions must be used: and, but, for, nor, or, so or yet. The comma will be placed before the conjunction used. Examples of correct comma usage:

• I’m going to the zoo, and I will see the gorillas.
• Chocolate is my favorite ice cream flavor, but I sometimes like eating the strawberry ice cream flavor.
• Jenny’s mother saw her come home late at 2:00 a.m., so Jenny is grounded for the next two weeks.

When using a semicolon, a coordinating conjunction is not needed to join two independent clauses. Examples of correct semicolon usage:

• I’m going to the zoo; I will see the gorillas.
• Chocolate is my favorite ice cream flavor; I sometimes like eating the strawberry ice cream flavor.
• Jenny’s mother saw her come home late at 2:00 a.m.; Jenny is grounded for the next two weeks.

When using a conjunctive adverb (however, therefore, nevertheless, etc.), a semicolon can also be used. Examples of correct semicolon usage with conjunctive adverbs:

• Jenny arrived home late; therefore, she is grounded for the next two weeks.
• Chocolate is my favorite ice cream flavor; however, I sometimes like eating the strawberry ice cream flavor.

Your vs. You’re & There vs. Their

For this week, let’s continue with more word usage tips.

Your vs. You’re

“Your” is a possessive form of the word “you.” Examples of correct usage of the word “your”:

• You left your hat at my apartment last night.
• Your mother is my best friend.
• Is that your dog?

“You’re” is a contraction of the words “you” and “are.” Examples of correct usage of the word “you’re”:

• You’re my best friend.
• I did not know that you’re Shelly’s sister.
• I once sat where you’re sitting right now.

Example of correct usage of both words: I will water your plants while you’re gone.

There vs. Their

“There” refers to a place. Examples of correct usage of the word “there”:

• I would like to go there someday.
• I want my desk placed over there.
• I knew I would find you there.

“Their” is a possessive form of “they.” Examples of correct usage of the word “their”:

• Sometimes Carol and Jeff play guitar together, and I love their music.
• Their house is beautiful.
• Jessica and Alan say that their parents are a lot of fun.

Example of correct usage of both words: I am going to California with my parents. While I’m there, I am going to see their old high school.

Who vs. Whom

A common source of confusion when writing and speaking is usage of the words “who” and “whom.” Do you understand the correct usage of these words?

“Who” is always the subject of a sentence, and “whom” is always the object.

• For example: Who is going to lunch with Sarah?
• “Who” is the word that is performing the action. "Who" = the person who is going to lunch.
  
• Now, let’s examine this sentence: With whom is Sarah going to lunch?
• “Whom” is the word that receives the action. "Whom" = the person who Sarah is going to lunch with.

A simple trick is to rewrite your questionable sentence using the words “he” or “him” instead of “who” or “whom.” Using this trick, “he” represents “who,” and “him” represents “whom.”

• For example: Who/whom did you tell about your vacation?
• The sentence could be rewritten like this: I told him about my vacation.
• Therefore, the sentence that you began with would be correct when written: Whom did you tell about your vacation?
  
• Let’s try one more: I’m not sure who/whom visited my mother last night.
• The sentence could be rewritten like this: He visited my mother last night.
• Therefore, the sentence that you began with would be correct when written: I’m not sure who visited my mother last night.